The USS Robert A. Owens (DD-827) was a Carpenter-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy for over three decades. Though the vessel achieved numerous operational successes and received many commendations, many sailors who served on the ship have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other severe illnesses due to exposure to the asbestos that was incorporated throughout the ship’s structure and systems.
About the USS Robert A. Owens
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Robert A. Owens was named in honor of Sergeant Robert A. Owens, a Marine Corps hero who was killed during World War II. Born in South Carolina in 1920, Owens enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 1942 and served in combat operations from September of that year until his death on Bougainville in November 1943. He was posthumously awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross for having single-handedly assaulted a Japanese 75mm regimental gun that was destroying landing craft and inflicting heavy casualties. Before being killed by enemy gunfire, he charged into the gun bunker through the fire port, forcing its crew to flee.[1]
The USS Robert A. Owens’s Construction
The USS Robert A. Owens was built by Bath Iron Works Corporation, a prominent shipbuilding company that made extensive use of asbestos-containing products in Navy ship construction. The ship was laid down in October 1945, launched in July 1946, and commissioned in November 1949 under the command of Commander Rexford V. Wheeler, Jr.[1]
The Robert A. Owens was a Carpenter-class destroyer. She and her sister vessels represented some of the most advanced destroyer technology of the post-World War II era and were designed to be specialized hunter-killers. The vessel measured 391 feet in length with a 41-foot beam. She had a standard displacement of 2,420 tons and a full load displacement of 3,500 tons, carried a crew of 309 officers and enlisted personnel, and achieved speeds of up to 35 knots. Her armament consisted of four 3-inch guns, eight 20mm guns, torpedo tubes, depth charge equipment, and rocket launchers.
The engineering systems aboard Carpenter-class destroyers depended on four Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure steam boilers and two Westinghouse turbines, all of which required heavy insulation to control the intense heat they produced and to prevent fire hazards. This insulation, along with hundreds of other shipboard components, contained asbestos—a mineral that would eventually be identified as a severe health threat for the sailors who served on these ships and the shipyard personnel who constructed them.
USS Robert A. Owens Active Service
Early Years
After completing shakedown training in February 1950, the Robert A. Owens became one of the Navy’s first designated hunter-killer destroyers. Reclassified as DDE-827 in 1950, she conducted operations in the western Atlantic and Caribbean until late 1952, when she deployed to the Mediterranean. Throughout the late 1950s and into the 1960s, she maintained a regular rotation, spending six out of every eighteen months in the Mediterranean conducting antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast and the remaining time in the Caribbean.
The Space Program Era and the Cuban Missile Crisis
During the 1960s, the ship continued her Mediterranean and Caribbean operations while also supporting America’s space program. In November 1960 and February 1962, she participated in recovery operations for the Project Mercury space capsules Mercury 2 and Mercury 6.
Reclassified as DD-827 in August 1962, the Robert A. Owens was at the center of one of the Cold War’s most dangerous confrontations, playing a crucial role as part of the Cuban Quarantine Task Force during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Extended Deployments and Modernization
In early 1963, the Robert A. Owens deployed for extended operations in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean regions. In December, she entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul, which was completed in November 1964.
Later Service Years
After modernization, the Robert A. Owens served as a training platform for the Fleet Sonar School and supported additional space program recovery missions, including Gemini-Titan missions GT3 and GT4 in 1965. She continued her regular deployments to the Mediterranean and Middle East throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, interspersed with Atlantic operations and training duties.
Between 1970 and 1972, the ship alternated Mediterranean deployments with Atlantic and Caribbean operations. She was decommissioned in February 1982 and transferred to the Republic of Turkey.
Why Did the Navy Use Asbestos in Its Ships?
As was true of nearly all warships constructed in the early and mid-20th century, the construction of the USS Robert A. Owens incorporated substantial quantities of asbestos throughout the vessel. The ship was built in the 1940s, when the health risks of asbestos exposure were being reported to manufacturers and suppliers but remained unknown to the general public, military personnel, or naval leadership. Tragically, asbestos companies remained silent about the mineral’s dangers so that they could continue selling asbestos-containing products and earning substantial profits.
Where Was Asbestos Located on the USS Robert A. Owens?
It would have been very hard to find an area of the destroyer that did not include asbestos: It was incorporated into nearly every section and part of the destroyer, with the highest concentrations found in areas housing high-temperature machinery and steam-operated systems. The ship’s engineering compartments—the engine rooms, boiler spaces, and mechanical areas — had asbestos insulation wrapped around or sprayed onto pipes and lining the interiors of valves, turbines, and boilers. The substance was also used to make gaskets, packing materials, and heat-resistant surfaces.
Beyond the engineering compartments, asbestos was included in floor tiles, wall sections, overhead materials, and various bonding agents used throughout the ship’s living and working areas. Even protective equipment, including safety clothing and fire suppression gear, contained asbestos fibers. The destroyer’s confined spaces made the environment even more inescapable.
How Were USS Robert A. Owens Sailors Exposed to Asbestos?
Each year, approximately 3,500 Americans are diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, with Navy veterans comprising a disproportionately high percentage due to the widespread use of asbestos on naval vessels built before 1980. For those serving aboard the USS Robert A. Owens, the restricted nature of shipboard living meant that virtually all crew members encountered some degree of asbestos exposure, though some faced heightened risks due to their job responsibilities and work environments. These included:
- Engineering personnel who operated in the poorly ventilated boiler and engine rooms, where asbestos insulation was most extensively used. These areas were notoriously cramped, and the restricted air circulation concentrated airborne fibers.
- Maintenance and repair technicians who installed, cleaned, and removed asbestos-containing materials and machinery regularly. They also performed repairs when equipment malfunctioned and during overhaul periods. This was especially significant during the ship’s Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization from 1963-1964, when extensive renovation work disturbed large amounts of asbestos materials.
- Damage control teams were regularly exposed during training drills and actual emergencies when they were required to handle asbestos-containing firefighting equipment and emergency repair materials.
Even crew members who neither handled asbestos-containing materials directly nor participated in high-risk duties were exposed to asbestos fibers circulating through the ship’s ventilation systems, as well as from contact with those whose work in heavily exposed areas left them covered in asbestos dust and spreading it into living quarters.
Crew members who served aboard the USS Robert A. Owens have already been diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions, and some have died as a result of their exposure.
- Terry Brady was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer after having served in the Navy from 1968 to 1989. A personal injury lawsuit he filed against those responsible for his exposure named Avondale Shipyards as a defendant, accusing the company of failing to provide a safe environment or employ safe procedures for handling asbestos during the time that the ship was docked at their shipyard.[2]
- The widow of a veteran who died of lung cancer after having served onboard the USS Robert A. Owens filed a claim, and then an appeal, with the VA, seeking to connect his death to his shipboard exposure to establish her right to compensation. According to her claim, he had served in the Navy from March 1963 to March 1967 and was exposed to asbestos while serving with the Deck Division on the Robert A. Owens. His specialty had been that of a laundryman, which constantly exposed him to asbestos from his shipmates’ work clothes. The widow’s claim was approved.[3]
Understanding the Risks of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos exposure poses serious long-term health dangers, many of which don’t manifest symptoms for decades. The latency period for asbestos-related diseases can be as long as 50 years, meaning that veterans who served on the USS Robert A. Owens during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s may only now begin experiencing symptoms of exposure-related conditions.
The main diseases linked to asbestos exposure include asbestosis, a chronic respiratory condition that causes scarring and breathing problems; lung cancer, which can occur even in non-smokers exposed to asbestos; and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer that impacts the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. Mesothelioma is most directly connected to asbestos exposure, with approximately 80% of cases traced to military service or occupational or environmental contact with asbestos fibers.
The likelihood of developing any of these diseases increases with the length and severity of exposure, but even relatively brief contact with asbestos has the potential to cause serious health issues, and the risk is heightened for individuals who used tobacco, as the combination of asbestos exposure and smoking significantly increases the probability of developing lung cancer.
Why You Should Inform Your Healthcare Provider About Your Asbestos Exposure
If you’re a veteran who served aboard the USS Robert A. Owens, you should discuss your history of asbestos exposure with your healthcare providers, even if you currently feel fine. This information is essential for several reasons:
- Early identification preserves lives. Doctors who know about a patient’s asbestos exposure background can watch for early indicators of related diseases and request appropriate screening examinations. The earlier an asbestos-related disease is identified, the more options for treatment are available and the better the survival rate.
- Symptom recognition becomes essential. Your healthcare provider can inform you about the warning signs you should watch for, including persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, and abdominal swelling. Veterans who understand what symptoms to report can seek immediate medical attention when required.
- Specialized treatment may be necessary. Physicians who screen for asbestos-related diseases are more likely to refer patients to specialists in treating these conditions. This expertise can make a substantial difference in treatment planning and outcomes.
- Documentation supports benefit claims. Medical records that have established your asbestos exposure history before your diagnosis can serve as valuable evidence when filing disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs or pursuing legal action against responsible manufacturers and suppliers.
Benefits and Compensation Available to Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
Veterans who served aboard the USS Robert A. Owens and who have developed asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure during their military service are entitled to support and compensation for the health issues they face. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition, which means that veterans who can establish service-connected asbestos exposure may qualify for full disability benefits. These benefits include monthly compensation payments, comprehensive healthcare coverage through VA medical centers, and access to specialized treatment facilities nationwide that have extensive experience treating asbestos-related diseases.
How an Asbestos Attorney Can Help
An experienced mesothelioma attorney can provide invaluable assistance to veterans as they deal with the realities of their asbestos-related diagnoses. These knowledgeable, compassionate professionals understand the complex issues surrounding military asbestos exposure and can help in multiple ways.
- Most immediately, they can guide you through the process of filing VA disability claims, ensuring that all your documentation is properly prepared and submitted. Their help can be critical to securing the benefits and healthcare coverage that you and your family deserve quickly.
- They can pursue legal claims against the companies that manufactured and supplied the military with the asbestos-containing materials you were exposed to. Law firms that specialize in asbestos litigation maintain massive databases on which companies supplied materials to specific ships and military installations, as well as about the compensation that these companies have provided to previous victims as a result of jury verdicts and out-of-court settlement agreements. This information helps them identify all the potentially responsible parties and pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.
- Experienced asbestos attorneys can determine whether you are eligible to file for compensation from any of the companies that were required to establish trust funds in response to asbestos litigation or as part of their bankruptcy proceedings. These accounts were set up specifically to benefit those diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases in the future after having been exposed to each company’s asbestos-containing materials. Though applying to these funds is not as adversarial as pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, the application process can still be complex, and an asbestos attorney can help you navigate the process.
There are time limits known as statutes of limitations that apply to legal claims following an asbestos-related diagnosis. An asbestos attorney can determine and explain all deadlines applicable to your case and help you understand your rights while protecting your legal rights.
A mesothelioma diagnosis represents a life-changing event that requires immediate attention to both medical treatment and legal rights. If you served aboard the USS Robert A. Owens and face these challenges, an experienced lawyer can help you get the compensation and benefits you earned through your service to our country.
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