The USS Shelton (DD-790) served the U.S. Navy from its commissioning in 1946 through multiple deployments. She saw combat in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and participated in shore bombardments and patrol operations across the western Pacific. Like countless other naval vessels of its era, the USS Shelton was built using extensive amounts of asbestos-based materials. This resulted in naval personnel and shipyard workers developing life-threatening conditions, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis that didn’t appear until decades after their service had ended.
About the USS Shelton
The USS Shelton was one of 98 Gearing-class destroyers built in the 1940s. The ships were not designed until World War II was coming to an end, but they reflected several improvements over the previous Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers. When full, the Shelton displaced 3,460 long tons. The vessel measured 390 feet 6 inches in length, with a beam spanning 40 feet 10 inches and a draft of 14 feet 4 inches.[1] The ship’s propulsion system featured General Electric geared turbines generating 60,000 shaft horsepower. These enabled impressive speeds, reaching 35 knots.[2] With an operational range of 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots, the Shelton could participate in extended deployments, carrying a complement of 336 officers and enlisted personnel on her important missions.
The vessel’s armament included six 5-inch/38 caliber dual-purpose guns, twelve 40mm anti-aircraft guns, eleven 20mm anti-aircraft guns, ten 21-inch torpedo tubes, six depth charge projectors, and two depth charge tracks, making it capable of engaging surface, submarine, and aerial threats.[1]
The ship was the second Navy vessel named for Ensign James A. Shelton, who served with Scouting Squadron 6 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during the pivotal Battle of Midway in 1942. Though the exact circumstances of his aircraft’s downing remain unknown, Ensign Shelton was declared dead after the battle. For his courage and dedication during this critical battle, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The first vessel bearing his name, escort vessel Shelton (DE-407), was torpedoed and irreparably damaged by Japanese submarine RO-41 on October 3, 1944.[3]
The USS Shelton’s Construction and Operational History
The USS Shelton was laid down on May 31, 1945, at Todd Pacific Shipyards Inc. in Seattle, Washington. Launched in March 1946, the ship was sponsored by Mrs. Loretta Shelton Miller, Ensign Shelton’s sister. After being commissioned in June 1946 and embarking on her shakedown cruise, the Shelton returned to Seattle for post-shakedown adjustments before relocating to San Diego. She was sent on her first Western Pacific deployment with the 7th Fleet in November 1946, visiting ports throughout China, Korea, and Japan before returning to California in June 1947. The Shelton was operating with Task Force 77 when hostilities erupted in Korea in June 1950. She served on the coasts of Korea until February 1951, then returned to the war zone in August of that same year.[4]
During her Korean War service, the USS Shelton participated in several notable actions. She came under heavy enemy shore battery fire in October 1951 while conducting bombardment operations, and in February 1952, she helped defend Yang Do Island against North Korean landing attempts. That engagement lasted nearly ten hours. Later that month, the destroyer engaged five communist shore batteries, sustaining four direct hits and approximately 50 near misses that resulted in 12 casualties and significant hull damage. Despite this, the Shelton eliminated the enemy positions and held her position for two additional days before sailing to Sasebo, Japan, for repairs.[4]
Between the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, the Shelton continued being sent on regular Western Pacific deployments, including a 1957 mission where she rescued 120 passengers from a distressed New Zealand merchant vessel. She underwent comprehensive FRAM modernization at Long Beach Naval Shipyard from July 1960 to June 1961, after which her home port changed to Yokosuka, Japan, where she operated until March 1964.
That spring, the destroyer joined Operation Handclasp, a six-week goodwill cruise delivering humanitarian supplies to Madagascar, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia before putting on a firepower demonstration for the Shah of Iran. The situation in Vietnam soon sent the vessel back to combat operations. She began a 28-day deployment to the Gulf of Tonkin in June 1964, and after returning stateside in August, she regularly participated in deployments to Vietnam from 1965 through 1972.
During her final combat mission in 1972, the USS Shelton engaged in multiple firefights with North Vietnamese shore batteries. In early August, she received approximately 40 rounds from a coastal position and responded with counter-battery fire that destroyed the enemy’s position. In October, while conducting an intercept mission with the USS Providence north of the Demilitarized Zone, both vessels encountered hostile fire and responded with over 120 rounds. In December, during operations near Hon Me Island, the Shelton faced the heaviest enemy barrage of her deployment—approximately 700 rounds, with many landing just 50 yards from the ship.[4]
The USS Shelton departed the Tonkin Gulf in December 1972 and returned to San Diego in January 1973 to prepare for decommissioning. She was sold to the Republic of China.
Asbestos Use Throughout the USS Shelton
Built in the 1940s, the USS Shelton was heavily contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos-containing materials were used in almost every section of the ship. While today we are aware of the dangers of this fibrous mineral, its use in naval vessel construction was standard during this period due to its exceptional heat-resistance, electrical insulation abilities, strength, and natural fire retardance. Navy specifications mandated asbestos incorporation in hundreds of shipboard parts and equipment to prevent the very real danger posed by fire. While manufacturers supplying these materials had known about asbestos’s health hazards for years, this information was not shared with military decision-makers ordering the asbestos-containing products. The asbestos companies’ priority was to continue making profits, while the military was prioritizing the protection of its physical and human assets.
Asbestos was present in numerous critical areas throughout the USS Shelton, including:
- The vessel’s engine compartments, boiler rooms, and auxiliary machinery spaces contained the greatest number of asbestos-containing materials. The mineral was used to insulate turbines, boilers, pumps, valves, and steam lines both to maintain thermal efficiency and prevent heat-related injuries to personnel.
- Fire-resistant clothing, blankets, gloves, and other emergency response gear had asbestos fibers woven into their fabric to create heat barriers.
- Asbestos insulation was used to wrap ventilation systems, electrical conduits, water pipes, and steam distribution networks throughout the ship’s interior spaces.
- Living quarters, the ship’s mess, and other workspaces contained asbestos in ceiling tiles, flooring materials, adhesives, and noise-dampening applications.
Almost all of the Gearing-class destroyers were scheduled for FRAM modernization, and the Shelton’s 1961 update likely disturbed original asbestos-containing equipment while replacing it with new systems that themselves contained additional asbestos components. This process created dangerous conditions for shipyard workers and crew members involved in the renovation process.
Medical Implications for Those on Board the USS Shelton
Military personnel who served aboard the Shelton and civilian personnel who maintained the ship faced significant exposure to airborne asbestos fibers throughout the vessel’s lifespan. The destroyer’s environment had limited ventilation and confined workspaces that made the asbestos exposure even more dangerous. There was a constant, concentrated asbestos fiber accumulation wherever materials containing this substance were used. When asbestos-containing materials were disturbed — whether during routine maintenance, combat damage repairs, or system upgrades — microscopic asbestos fibers were released into the ship’s atmosphere, where they could remain suspended for extended periods and eventually be inhaled or ingested by crew members or shipyard workers.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, their needle-like ends and chemical resistance to normal biological processes make them very difficult for the body to expel. They remain embedded in cells and, over decades, they trigger progressive inflammatory responses, cellular damage, and DNA mutations. These mechanisms eventually lead to tissue scarring or the growth of malignant tumors characteristic of lung cancer or mesothelioma. Many asbestos-related diseases remain hidden in the body for years — it sometimes takes as long as 50 years before symptoms appear, and by then, it is often in an advanced stage. The conditions veterans of the USS Shelton are at risk for include pleural plaques, pulmonary fibrosis (asbestosis), lung cancer, or the extremely aggressive cancer called mesothelioma.
While all Shelton crew members were likely to experience some degree of exposure, some job responsibilities represented a greater risk. Machinist’s mates, boiler technicians, and enginemen regularly worked in the areas with the highest asbestos concentrations, particularly when maintaining or repairing equipment. Hull technicians, damage controlmen, and pipefitters also directly handled asbestos materials during repair operations, and electrician’s mates worked with asbestos-insulated wiring and electrical components throughout the vessel.
The USS Shelton was involved in multiple combat engagements, and the instances when it sustained direct hits from enemy fire likely created additional exposure situations, as when asbestos-containing materials were damaged, they would have released clouds of asbestos dust throughout all affected compartments. The ship’s 1961 FRAM modernization represents another period of heightened exposure risk, as extensive renovation work would have disturbed legacy asbestos materials while installing new systems.
Support and Compensation for Veterans Who Served on the USS Shelton
Former USS Shelton crew members diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases may qualify for compensation, medical treatment, and more. Veterans who can link their diagnosis to military service exposure have well-established pathways to both care and disability compensation through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which recognizes numerous asbestos-related health conditions as potentially service-connected disabilities. Veterans with qualifying conditions who can prove they were exposed to asbestos during their service can access the VA healthcare system’s specialized treatment programs, including consultations with pulmonary specialists, surgeons, and oncologists, advanced diagnostic procedures, and cutting-edge therapeutic interventions. For those diagnosed with mesothelioma, the VA typically assigns 100% disability ratings that provide the maximum monthly compensation available to help pay for income loss and extraordinary medical expenses.
Affected veterans also have the option of taking legal action against the companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos products to the Navy. Lawsuits filed by previous victims have revealed internal documents that show the companies knew about asbestos hazards decades before informing government agencies or posting warning labels on their products. These lawsuits have provided victims and their survivors with significant compensation. They have also led to some of the companies being forced into bankruptcy, and before they were allowed to reorganize, they were required by the courts to set up dedicated trust funds specifically to compensate individuals harmed by their products. Together, these trust funds contain approximately $30 billion and provide an alternative to filing a personal injury lawsuit.
To learn more about the options available, your best source of information will be an experienced mesothelioma attorney who specializes in asbestos exposure cases. These knowledgeable professionals have extensive resources and records specific to asbestos lawsuits. They can pinpoint the companies whose products you were exposed to, explain what’s involved with asbestos litigation, and help you prepare and submit all the documentation needed for a VA claim and an asbestos trust fund claim.
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