The USS Robert L. Wilson (DD/DDE-847) was among the 98 ships of the Gearing-class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during the 1940s. While praised for the speed and exceptional handling that made her indispensable to the military, the vessel’s advantages and accomplishments have been offset by the significant asbestos exposure endured by her crew members. The dangerous mineral was so heavily integrated into the ship’s construction materials, machinery, and shipboard supplies that many sailors who served aboard her have subsequently developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-linked illnesses. Many more remain at risk.
About the USS Robert L. Wilson
The Ship’s Namesake
The name of the USS Robert L. Wilson honored the memory of Private First Class Robert Lee Wilson, USMC. Born in 1920 in Illinois, Wilson enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 1941 and served with distinction in the Pacific Theater, participating in major campaigns including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and the Marianas invasion. In August 1944, Wilson threw himself on an enemy grenade to protect his fellow Marines. His heroic action earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor.[1]
About the Gearing-class Destroyers
The Gearing-class destroyers, including the Robert L. Wilson, were formidable warships stretching 390 feet in length with a full displacement of 3,460 long tons. These vessels boasted an impressive range of 4,500 nautical miles, powered by a combination of four Babcock & Wilcox steam boilers paired with General Electric geared steam turbines. Both the propulsion systems and the associated machinery are today known to have incorporated asbestos-containing components and insulation materials.[2]
The military’s widespread adoption of the mineral seems remarkable today, but in the days when the ships were built, knowledge of asbestos’s dangers was limited to the scientific and medical community and the manufacturers and distributors that were profiting from its use and kept it to themselves. Without this vital information, the military based its preference for asbestos on what it knew about the mineral: It offered exceptional thermal resistance, fire-retardant qualities, and structural integrity, as well as economic advantages.
Construction and Early Years
The destroyer bearing Wilson’s name was laid down in July 1945 at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Sponsored by PFC Wilson’s mother, the vessel was launched in January 1946 and commissioned in March 1946 at the Boston Naval Shipyard under the command of Commander John T. Probasco, USN.[3]
Active Service, Repairs, Upgrades, and Tours of Duty
Following her commissioning, the Robert L. Wilson conducted shakedown operations in Cuban waters, then left in July 1946 for a six-month Mediterranean deployment. She returned to the United States in February 1947 and spent the next two years operating from Newport, Rhode Island, conducting missions along the Atlantic Coast and throughout the Caribbean Sea.[3]
After completing an overhaul at the Boston Navy Yard, the vessel embarked on a midshipmen cruise visiting Plymouth, England; Cherbourg, France; and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In March 1950, the USS Robert L. Wilson was reclassified as an Escort Destroyer (DDE-847), then was sent on another midshipmen training cruise to Northern Europe. She was also deployed for another Mediterranean service, including specialized anti-submarine warfare demonstrations and hunter-killer operations along the Eastern Seaboard.
In late November and early December 1959, the USS Robert L. Wilson participated in “Operation Monsoon,” providing sea-air rescue stations for presidential flights to Europe, then continued Western Atlantic and Caribbean operations until entering Norfolk Navy Yard for overhaul in summer 1960. By then, the ship had completed eight Mediterranean deployments while providing training for U.S. Military Academy cadets and conducting annual Naval Academy midshipmen cruises emphasizing anti-submarine tactics.
Following her upgrade, the ship was sent for crew training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In January 1961, she pursued a Portuguese liner across the equator after it had been hijacked. After returning to Norfolk for preparations, she departed in June for her ninth Mediterranean deployment, then spent the fall and winter of 1961 performing Western Atlantic operations.
In January 1962, the USS Robert L. Wilson participated in Project Mercury manned space capsule recovery operations. She was deployed with Task Group Bravo to Northern Europe in February, then returned to Norfolk in mid-June. She was then deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for base defense duties until March 1963, when she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for FRAM I modernization, a comprehensive modernization that involved ripping out old equipment and infrastructure and replacing it with new. Much of the equipment and materials that were disturbed in the process contained asbestos, creating a risk of exposure among the shipyard workers tasked with completing the job.[3]
After the overhaul was completed, the Robert L. Wilson continued Atlantic Fleet service through 1965. After gunfire support duties at Guantanamo Bay in early 1966, the ship served as abort station for the first unmanned Apollo space shot, and in April and June, she provided rescue destroyer services for USS Wasp (CVS-18) during the Gemini 9 space mission recovery. After anti-submarine warfare exercises, she began her twelfth Mediterranean deployment in 1966, then returned to Norfolk in December.
In May 1968, the USS Robert L. Wilson joined the search for the nuclear submarine Scorpion, searching the continental shelf off Norfolk and following the submarine’s track to her last reported position southwest of the Azores without success. She returned to Norfolk in June, operating in the Atlantic until leaving in September for a Western Pacific deployment.
After stops at San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam, and Subic Bay, the Robert L. Wilson entered the Vietnam War, assuming naval gunfire support duties 36 miles south of Hue, South Vietnam’s ancient capital. She undertook search and rescue operations in the Gulf of Tonkin after October, and in early November, served as plane guard for USS Constellation (CVA-64) on Yankee Station. The ship remained in the Far East through the end of the year, earning three battle stars for her distinguished service during the Vietnam conflict.
In March 1969, the ship operated off the West Coast until transiting the Panama Canal and arriving in Norfolk in June. She continued Western Atlantic and Caribbean operations until deploying to the Mediterranean in March 1970, when she participated in two combined NATO exercises: DAWN PATROL and MEDTACEX, then was diverted to the Levantine Basin due to Middle East tensions. She returned to Norfolk in September 1970, for leave, upkeep, and training cycles through year’s end.
After completing another overhaul and refresher training, the Robert L. Wilson was sent on another deployment in September 1971. After six months overseas, she returned in March 1972, then continued Norfolk-based operations throughout 1973 and 1974 before receiving her last homeport assignment to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ship was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list in September 1974. Though she was designated as a target for destruction in July 1976 and moved to Norfolk, Virginia, for this purpose, she wasn’t sunk until January 1980, 286 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.[3]
How Was Asbestos Used Aboard the USS Robert L. Wilson?
As was true of other naval ships built before 1980, the USS Robert L. Wilson made extensive use of asbestos-containing materials throughout her structure. The greatest quantities of the mineral were found in areas housing heat-generating equipment and steam distribution systems, and the highest concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers were found in engineering spaces, boiler compartments, turbine areas, and machinery rooms.
The ship’s network of piping represented another major concentration of asbestos materials, as asbestos insulation was wrapped around or sprayed onto the miles of plumbing, ducts, and steam systems aboard the vessel, and its presence extended beyond mechanical systems to include various structural components such as adhesive compounds, deck surfaces, protective coatings, and even personal protective equipment issued to crew members.
How Were USS Robert L. Wilson Crew Members Exposed to Asbestos?
Crew members’ asbestos exposure was constant, but was most impactful when they were present in areas where the material was in greatest use. Asbestos has a fibrous structure that deteriorates through normal operational wear, combat damage, or routine maintenance activities such as component replacement, valve servicing, and gasket repairs. During these processes and others, asbestos within the materials became friable, breaking down into microscopic dust particles and needle-like fibers that were nearly impossible to see but easy to inhale. The confined working and living conditions aboard naval vessels increased the chance of this happening.
Once asbestos enters the airway, it often becomes permanently lodged within the mesothelium, the protective membrane surrounding vital organs, including the lungs and abdominal cavity. The human body can’t effectively remove these embedded fibers, and because of the same durable characteristics that made asbestos a benefit in protecting military assets, they don’t break down within the body and instead remain within affected tissues throughout the individual’s lifetime.
Over time, these indestructible fibers lead to cellular damage and the scar tissue formation found in asbestosis, or they create mutations within the cells that eventually develop into even more serious diseases, including lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma.
A disproportionate percentage of those diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States are Naval veterans. This is a reflection of their constant exposure to the material during their military service. Personnel assigned to poorly ventilated engineering and boiler spaces faced the greatest risk of inhaling dangerous asbestos fibers, including machinists’ mates, maintenance technicians, and repair specialists who directly handled asbestos-containing materials such as pipe insulation. Shipyard personnel involved in vessel construction, modification, and repair operations also encountered substantial occupational exposure.
What Are the Risks of Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos exposure poses severe long-term health risks, with some of the deadliest diseases it causes not manifesting until decades after contact with the mineral. The greatest threat posed by exposure is the development of malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer affecting the protective lining surrounding the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs. This rare and always terminal disease has a particularly strong correlation with asbestos exposure, with the vast majority of cases directly linked to contact with asbestos-containing materials.
Beyond mesothelioma, asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of lung cancer, especially among those with a history of smoking. The combination of asbestos exposure and tobacco use creates a synergistic effect that dramatically elevates cancer risk beyond either factor alone. Asbestosis, a chronic lung disease characterized by scarring and inflammation of lung tissue, represents another serious consequence of prolonged asbestos exposure, leading to progressive breathing difficulties and reduced lung function.
The latency period for asbestos-related diseases typically ranges from 20 to 50 years after initial exposure, meaning symptoms may not appear until decades later. This extended timeline makes early detection challenging and underscores the importance of medical monitoring for at-risk populations. Additionally, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, as even minimal contact with the mineral can potentially lead to disease development later in life.
Compensation and Support Available to Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
The dedicated sailors who served aboard the USS Robert L. Wilson fulfilled their military obligations with distinction and honor. Like countless other service members who served during the era of widespread asbestos use, they did not know or have warning that shipboard materials were subjecting them to life-threatening exposure risks that would manifest decades later. While personnel assigned to boiler and engine room duties faced the greatest exposure levels due to their heavily contaminated work environment, every individual aboard the vessel encountered asbestos and the potential for health risks that persist today.
Many of the veterans who served on the USS Robert L. Wilson are alive today. If you are among them and have received a diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness, there is a substantial likelihood that your shipboard service contributed to your medical condition. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized this link and rates malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition, meaning veterans who can demonstrate the link between their illness and their exposure during their service may qualify for maximum disability compensation benefits. Furthermore, eligible veterans can access specialized medical treatment through nationally recognized treatment facilities staffed by healthcare professionals experienced in asbestos-related diseases.
Even Robert L. Wilson veterans who currently enjoy good health should inform their healthcare providers about their asbestos exposure history. This information will guide them in your preventive care, adding monitoring and screening for asbestos-related symptoms to facilitate earlier, more accurate diagnosis.
Get Help From a Mesothelioma Lawyer
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related conditions should consult with experienced asbestos attorneys who can guide them through the VA claims process, maximizing the likelihood of obtaining deserved benefits and assistance. These legal professionals can also help pursue justice and financial compensation from the manufacturers who supplied asbestos-containing materials to military forces. Specialized asbestos law firms can assist in filing lawsuits seeking settlements and in filing claims against the asbestos trust funds that many asbestos companies were required to set up for future victims as part of their bankruptcy settlements.
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