The USS Richard E. Kraus (DD-849) served American naval interests for thirty years, participating in crucial historical events and making significant contributions to weapons development, antisubmarine warfare capabilities, and fleet operations during critical Cold War confrontations. However, asbestos used in the destroyer’s structure and operations led to many crew members developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases decades after their naval careers ended.
The Ship’s Namesake and Construction
The destroyer was named in honor of Marine Corps Private First Class Richard Edward Kraus, a Chicago native born in November 1925. After enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve in December 1943, Private Kraus completed training at San Diego and Camp Pendleton before deploying to the Pacific theater. During operations on Peleliu Island in October 1944, he sacrificed his own life by throwing himself on an enemy grenade to protect fellow Marines attempting to evacuate a wounded comrade. This supreme act of selflessness earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor.[1]
Bath Iron Works in Maine initiated construction of the vessel bearing Private Kraus’ name in July 1945, right before the final months of World War II. The destroyer was launched in March 1946, with Mrs. Edwin Olsen serving as the ship’s sponsor. The USS Richard E. Kraus officially joined the fleet in May of that year at the Boston Naval Shipyard under Commander R.J. Oliver’s command.
Measuring 391 feet in length with a beam of 41 feet, the destroyer displaced 3,540 tons when fully loaded. The vessel achieved speeds reaching 35 knots and carried a complement of 364 officers and enlisted sailors. Her original armament included six 5-inch guns, multiple anti-aircraft weapons, depth charge equipment, and torpedo tubes.[2]
Operational History and Modifications
After initial shakedown operations near Boston, the USS Richard E. Kraus reported to the Operational Test and Evaluation Force at Norfolk, Virginia, where she started her career serving as a platform for weapons development and technological experimentation.
Throughout her first six years, the Kraus was recognized as one of the fleet’s “Shootingest Ships” due to extensive ordnance testing programs.[1] In 1947, naval engineers removed her after 40 mm gun mount, replacing it with the Navy’s first shipboard 3-inch/50 caliber gun installation for evaluation purposes. This modification was just the beginning of numerous alterations the destroyer would undergo.
In 1948, the USS Richard E. Kraus collaborated with the battleship Mississippi (AG-128) on development trials for the Terrier Surface-to-Air Missile system. After that, the ship participated in assessments of electronic equipment ranging from radar installations to communications gear. Testing programs also encompassed the most basic, yet essential, equipment, including anchors, towing cables, and underwater explosive devices.
The Navy reclassified the Richard E. Kraus as AG-151 in August 1949 in light of its auxiliary role in experimental programs. This designation lasted until January 1954, when authorities restored her DD-849 destroyer classification.
Fleet Integration and International Representation
Despite her experimental focus, the USS Richard E. Kraus was periodically deployed for conventional fleet operations. The destroyer participated in large-scale antisubmarine warfare exercises in May 1954 and conducted training at Guantanamo Bay in 1955, 1958, and 1960. In 1961, the vessel operated with Task Group Bravo, a major antisubmarine warfare unit, demonstrating the practical application of the technologies it had helped develop.
That same year, the USS Richard E. Kraus represented American naval interests during commemorative ceremonies at St. Eustatius in the Netherlands Antilles, marking the first salute to the United States flag by a foreign nation. During October and November 1962, the destroyer served with quarantine forces preventing offensive missile delivery to Cuba during that tense Cold War episode.[1]
FRAM Modernization and Global Deployments
The USS Richard E. Kraus underwent an extensive FRAM I (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) overhaul between June 1963 and May 1964 at the Boston Naval Shipyard. This comprehensive conversion equipped the ship with ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) systems that significantly enhanced its antisubmarine capabilities.
Following completion of this work in May 1964, the destroyer relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, which became its new home port. After Atlantic coast training exercises, the vessel was deployed for operations with the Sixth Fleet and Middle East Force. This deployment concentrated primarily in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, where the Kraus performed traditional duties while also conducting merchant vessel assistance and goodwill visits to East African ports.
The USS Richard E. Kraus was also deployed to the Western Pacific in early 1966, where the ship operated off the coast of Vietnam with various task groups in the Tonkin Gulf and on Yankee and Dixie Stations. The destroyer provided gunfire support along the South Vietnamese coast before returning home via the Suez Canal, arriving at Newport in September. During its 1967 Mediterranean deployment, the vessel operated from Suda Bay, Crete, during the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War.
Final Years of Service
After transferring its home port to Charleston in July 1968, the USS Richard E. Kraus embarked on an extended cruise sailing south and east around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean, where it remained until spring 1969. The destroyer returned to Charleston in May of 1969.[2]
The vessel operated along the Atlantic seaboard through July 1970, visiting various ports including Montreal, Canada, and transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway en route to Europe. The destroyer cruised the North Sea region until December 1970, visiting Scotland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium before returning to Charleston in December.
Following regular overhaul and post-overhaul evaluation in the Charleston area through September 1971, the USS Richard E. Kraus deployed again to the Indian Ocean in October 1971, where it officially transferred to Commander Middle East Force command at Majunga, Madagascar. The destroyer remained in the Indian Ocean until February of 1972, visiting multiple African ports before returning to Charleston in March. After six months of local operations, the vessel was sent on another major deployment with the Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. She cruised with the Seventh Fleet through March 1973, frequently operating off the Vietnamese coast, before receiving orders to return to Charleston for Atlantic and Caribbean operations.
The destroyer remained in service until it was decommissioned and struck from the Navy’s register in July 1976. She was then officially transferred to the Republic of Korea under the Security Assistance Program in February 1977.[1]
Asbestos Hazards Aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus
As was true of most naval vessels of her time, the risk of mesothelioma was present in virtually every compartment and workspace aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus, throughout her three decades of service. Shipbuilders incorporated asbestos materials extensively during the ship’s original construction, and subsequent modifications and overhauls both exposed old and introduced new asbestos-containing products.
Among the many areas where asbestos could be found were:
- The destroyer’s propulsion plant, which housed boilers generating steam for the vessel’s turbines. This essential equipment required thick insulation to contain their extreme temperatures and prevent personnel burns. Manufacturers wrapped pipes, valves, and machinery components with asbestos lagging materials, including the steam lines that ran throughout the ship, from the engineering spaces to systems in distant compartments.
- Turbine rooms contained asbestos in gaskets, packing materials, and thermal barriers that protected sailors who were working near high-speed rotating machinery. Reduction gears connecting turbines to propeller shafts incorporated asbestos components in their lubrication and cooling systems, and the personnel maintaining this equipment regularly disturbed the asbestos-containing materials during inspections, repairs, and component replacements.
- The vessel’s auxiliary machinery spaces housed pumps, compressors, and generators, all of which contained asbestos components. Electrical generation equipment required insulation to prevent fires and protect personnel. Refrigeration plants serving food storage and air conditioning systems utilized asbestos in compressor insulation and pipe wrapping.
- The weapons systems aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus incorporated asbestos in multiple applications. Gun mounts contained the mineral in recoil mechanisms and thermal protection systems. Ammunition hoists and handling equipment included asbestos in electrical components and friction materials. The various experimental weapons systems installed during the destroyer’s testing career likely introduced additional asbestos-containing equipment not found on standard destroyers.
- Living quarters throughout the vessel featured asbestos in deck tiles, wall coverings, and ceiling panels. Berthing compartments where sailors slept contained the mineral in mattresses, bed frames, and locker insulation. Mess decks where crew members ate their meals had asbestos floor tiles that deteriorated with age and constant foot traffic, releasing fibers into the air.
- The ship’s damage control systems relied heavily on asbestos materials. Fire-resistant clothing worn by damage control parties contained asbestos fibers. Firefighting equipment, including hoses, nozzles, and protective gear, incorporated the mineral. Thermal barriers designed to contain fires and prevent their spread through the ship also consisted largely of asbestos products.
Asbestos Exposure Risks to Specific Job Responsibilities
Personnel assigned to specific duty stations and job classifications aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus faced heightened mesothelioma risks. Those most at risk included:
- Boiler Technicians, who operated and maintained the ship’s steam generation plant, worked continuously in spaces that were heavily insulated with asbestos materials. They regularly removed and replaced asbestos-containing gaskets, valve packing, and insulation during maintenance evolutions.
- Machinist’s Mates serviced the destroyer’s propulsion turbines, reduction gears, and auxiliary machinery, which contained many asbestos components. Their duties required frequent contact with these materials in confined spaces with limited ventilation.
- Electrician’s Mates installed, repaired, and maintained electrical systems throughout the vessel. These systems relied on asbestos-insulated wiring and components, and the ship’s experimental electronics programs also exposed these technicians to various asbestos-containing equipment.
- Fire Control Technicians worked on weapons systems incorporating asbestos in electrical circuits, mechanical linkages, and thermal protection systems. The destroyer’s ordnance testing mission meant these personnel encountered a wider variety of asbestos-containing equipment than was typical for their rating.
- Hull Maintenance Technicians performed welding, cutting, and structural repairs that disturbed asbestos in deck tiles, bulkhead insulation, and pipe lagging. Their work frequently created airborne asbestos fibers that spread throughout the ship.
- Damage Controlmen trained and responded to emergencies using asbestos-containing firefighting equipment while working in spaces filled with asbestos materials. Emergency repair operations often required cutting through asbestos-insulated structures.
- Enginemen operated and maintained the destroyer’s auxiliary propulsion equipment, including diesel generators that contained asbestos in multiple components and systems.
- During the vessel’s FRAM overhaul and subsequent maintenance periods, shipyard workers faced particularly intense asbestos exposure. Major conversions like FRAM involved removing old equipment and installing new systems, which disturb asbestos materials that had been in place for decades. Welders, pipefitters, electricians, and laborers working on the FRAM modernization encountered massive quantities of asbestos dust and debris.
Benefits and Legal Options for Affected Veterans Who Served on the USS Richard E. Kraus
Veterans who served aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus between her commissioning date in1946 and her decommissioning in 1976 deserve recognition for their contributions, and those diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases deserve comprehensive support for the illnesses developed as a result of their service. Fortunately, there are benefits and compensation available to address the significant medical, financial, and personal challenges these devastating diseases create.
Veterans Benefits
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma after serving aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus or in any other military setting should immediately pursue benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The connection between shipboard asbestos exposure and subsequent disease is well established, and qualifies those affected for comprehensive medical treatment, disability compensation, and additional support programs.
Filing a successful VA claim requires documentation establishing both service aboard the USS Richard E. Kraus and a confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis. Veterans should gather their discharge papers, service records, and all medical documentation from their treating physicians. For veterans who lack personal documentation, military service records can verify duty aboard specific vessels.
Dependent family members may also qualify for benefits if a veteran’s mesothelioma diagnosis contributed to their death. Surviving spouses, dependent children, and sometimes a vet’s parents can receive dependency and indemnity compensation that provides financial support after a veteran’s passing.
Asbestos Trust Funds
People sickened by asbestos exposure as veterans or as part of the civilian work force are eligible to apply for compensation from the dozens of asbestos trust funds that have been established over the last four decades. Asbestos-related companies that were financially decimated by their asbestos liabilities often filed for bankruptcy to shield themselves from lawsuits. As part of the bankruptcy process, many of these companies were required to establish asbestos and mesothelioma trust funds to compensate current and future victims. These trusts are often the only source of recovery available from companies that have gone out of business.
Legal Action
Beyond VA benefits, the manufacturers and others who made up the supply chain providing asbestos products to the Navy may be liable for failing to warn about health hazards they knew about. These companies understood asbestos dangers decades before informing military personnel about the risks, and as a result of this negligence, veterans can pursue compensation from those manufacturers through legal claims in addition to applying for benefits from the VA.
Legal claims involving asbestos exposure are subject to specific filing deadlines called statutes of limitations that vary by state. Veterans should consult qualified attorneys promptly after receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis to preserve their legal rights and maximize available compensation.
Contact an Asbestos Attorney Today
Specialized mesothelioma lawyers possess expertise in naval asbestos cases and have deep knowledge about filing paperwork for VA benefits, submitting claims against asbestos trust funds, and pursuing the manufacturers that supplied products to specific ship classes and during particular time periods. These attorneys are dedicated to helping Navy veterans sickened by asbestos in the pursuit of maximum compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
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