The USS Walke (DD-723) was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer that operated across multiple theaters, including World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, fulfilling vital missions. At the same time that the Walke’s crew was serving onboard the ship, they were being exposed to extensive amounts of asbestos. The toxic material, which was commonly used in shipbuilding in the years before 1980, has been linked to countless Navy veterans and shipyard workers being diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious illnesses.
About the USS Walke (DD-723)
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Walke was named in honor of Rear Admiral Henry A. Walke, a naval officer who served for over four decades. Beginning as a midshipman in 1827, he advanced steadily through the ranks while serving in theaters ranging from the West Indies, Mediterranean, Pacific, and South America. Walke’s most notable service came during the Civil War, when he commanded river gunboats in the Western Theater.[1]
As captain of the ironclad Carondelet, he was instrumental in capturing Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson and led operations against heavily fortified Island No. 10. He also participated in river campaigns around Memphis and Vicksburg. His expertise in river-based warfare and ironclad operations was a significant contribution to the Union’s victory in the West, and he was promoted to rear admiral.
Construction and Early Days
The USS Walke was one of the 58 Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers built after the United States entered World War II. Laid down in June 1943 at Bath, Maine, by the Bath Iron Works, the ship was launched in October 1943, with Mrs. Douglas Dillon serving as sponsor. The vessel was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard in January 1944, under the command of Commander John C. Zahm.
With a displacement of 2,610 standard tons, a complement of 336 sailors and officers, the 376-foot-long Walke was powered by two-shaft General Electric geared turbines (60,000 shp) and
four Babcock & Wilcox boilers that delivered a maximum speed of 36.5 knots. The ship was armed with dual-purpose guns, anti-aircraft weapons, and torpedo tubes. Among the ship’s unique design features was a gun mount capable of firing dead ahead, over the masts and bridge structure.[2]
Service and Deployment History of the USS Walke
World War II
Following commissioning and shakedown operations, the Walke began training exercises and testing operations. After completing fitting out at the Boston Navy Yard, she was sent on more training missions, including antisubmarine warfare tests and high-speed fueling exercises. She then left for European waters to participate in the famed Normandy invasion.[1]
As a unit of Destroyer Division 119, the Walke conducted shore bombardments, destroying enemy positions and helping to repel German counterattacks. She also supported minesweeping operations at Cherbourg and engaged enemy shore batteries in combat.
After completing her European service, the Walke transitioned to the Pacific Theater, arriving in Pearl Harbor in September 1944. She joined the fast carrier task force and participated in air strikes on targets in the Philippines. During operations supporting the Leyte landings, she assisted the damaged destroyer Mahan after kamikaze attacks and later participated in the assault on Mindoro.
The ship’s most harrowing experience came during the invasion of Luzon in January 1945. While providing covering, four enemy aircraft approached. Though she destroyed the first two, the third crashed into the Walke’s bridge, causing extensive damage and killing her commanding officer, Commander George F. Davis, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic leadership during the attack.[1]
Despite severe battle damage, Walke continued operations until receiving repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard. She returned to combat in May 1945, participating in the Okinawa campaign until the end of World War II.
Korean
After the war, Walke supported atomic tests at Bikini Atoll before being decommissioned in June 1947. She was recommissioned in October 1950 for service in the Korean conflict, where she provided antisubmarine protection and shore bombardment support. In June 1951, the ship struck a floating mine that killed 26 crew members and wounded 40. The ship required extensive repairs.
The Cold War
Between the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War, the Walke alternated between peacetime deployments to the western Pacific and normal West Coast operations. She received a complete fleet rehabilitation and modernization (FRAM II) overhaul in 1961, which extended her operational capability, but the upgrade exposed both shipyard workers and crew members to a significant amount of asbestos that was disturbed during the process.[1]
The Vietnam War and After
The ship’s final combat deployments came during the Vietnam War, where she provided naval gunfire support and antisubmarine warfare screening for carrier task forces between 1965 and 1969. After her final western Pacific tour, Walke was decommissioned in November 1970, having earned six battle stars for World War II service, four for the Korean conflict, and seven for Vietnam service. She was struck from the Navy list in 1974 and sold for scrap in 1975.
Why Was Asbestos Used in Navy Ships?
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, and particularly during World War II and the Cold War era, the U.S. Navy incorporated asbestos into hundreds of warship construction applications. The mineral was preferred for several practical reasons: It provided exceptional protection against fires and heat, characteristics considered essential for combat vessels operating in hostile environments, where fire at sea represented a real threat to crew survival. As added advantages, asbestos was resistant to saltwater corrosion, cost-effective, and readily available.
What the Navy didn’t know was how toxic and dangerous asbestos was, and rather than inform them of the health risks, the asbestos manufacturers they contracted with aggressively marketed its inclusion in their products, highlighting its durability and protective qualities.
Corporations such as Johns-Manville, Raybestos-Manhattan-Packing, and Owens-Corning provided enormous quantities of asbestos-containing products to shipbuilders and other defense contractors. Years later, lawsuits filed against these companies by those sickened by their products forced the release of internal documents, which revealed their knowledge of the material’s lethal potential years before the information became public. This conduct, driven by profit, has been blamed for numerous deaths and illnesses among military personnel and civilians alike.
How Was Asbestos Used on the USS Walke?
In warships built during the USS Walke’s era, asbestos materials were found throughout their infrastructure and integrated into ship systems, compartments, and supplies, including:
- Engineering Spaces: The ship’s boiler and engine rooms were the most contaminated sections of the ship, as asbestos materials were used to insulate equipment and machinery, as well as for thermal and fire protection around critical, heat-generating equipment.
- Emergency Equipment: Firefighting apparatus, protective clothing, and emergency response gear contained asbestos fibers for the heat and flame protection they provided crew members during crises.
- Infrastructure Insulation: Steam lines, water pipes, and other temperature-sensitive equipment throughout the vessel were wrapped or sprayed with asbestos-containing insulation materials to maintain thermal integrity and protect the personnel working with the equipment from burns.
- Vessel Components: Deck tiles, bulkhead materials, gaskets, valve packings, and numerous other shipboard elements contained varying concentrations of asbestos fibers.
Who Was Exposed to Asbestos on the USS Walke?
Thousands of Navy personnel served aboard the USS Walke throughout her operational life, and while it is impossible to know how many were sickened by the toxic mineral, it’s certain that all of them encountered some level of asbestos. The hazardous mineral’s fibers were present in virtually every compartment, with particularly dangerous concentrations in engineering spaces and machinery rooms, representing an extreme risk to those who worked in those areas.
When asbestos-containing components were disturbed through routine maintenance, replacement, cleaning, repairs, or combat damage response, they deteriorated into microscopic fibers that became airborne. These could then easily be inhaled or ingested by crew members, and these tiny, needle-shaped particles could become embedded in lung tissue or the protective lining called the mesothelium that surrounds internal organs in the chest and abdominal cavities. Unlike other foreign substances, asbestos particles aren’t easily expelled by coughing, and they are resistant to the body’s natural immune response. Instead, they have the potential to trigger a chemical reaction within the cells they’ve infiltrated, leading to inflammation, mutations, and cellular damage that may develop into serious diseases decades later.
While all crew members aboard the USS Walke faced some level of exposure risk, certain crew members worked in locations and specialties that placed them in greater danger than others. These included:
- Boiler Technicians: Boilers required extensive insulation, and the material used in Navy destroyers’ boilers was almost always manufactured with asbestos before 1980. Making matters even more dangerous, boiler technicians also wore protective gear that contained asbestos.
- Pipe Fitters: Pipe fitters worked with pipe systems that were wrapped or sprayed with asbestos insulation. They were frequently exposed when doing repairs on this equipment or in areas where this insulation was used.
- Engine Room Personnel: Like boilers and pipes, engine room components produced heat and required asbestos insulation.
- Machinist’s Mates: Machinist’s mates operated machinery, such as generators, pumps, and cooling systems, that contained asbestos insulation.
- Electrical Workers: Electrical systems also contained asbestos insulation, putting electricians and electrical technicians at risk.
- Shipyard Personnel: Building, maintaining, and modernizing Navy ships required that shipyard workers handle extensive amounts of asbestos materials. The material’s presence in shipyards fulfilling military contracts was so widespread that even those who did not work directly with asbestos were at risk of exposure.
What Are the Health Consequences of Asbestos Exposure?
It’s natural to assume that asbestos exposure experienced decades ago is no longer a concern, but asbestos-related diseases like pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer have extremely long latency periods, and may remain hidden for as long as fifty years. If you served on the USS Walke or were a shipyard worker involved in the ship’s maintenance, repairs, or upgrade projects, you should inform your physician about your exposure history so they can incorporate screening for asbestos-related diseases into your regular checkups.
Familiarizing yourself with the illnesses and symptoms of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses is also a good idea. Because many of the early manifestations of these diseases resemble benign conditions like a cold, flu, or bronchitis, it’s easy to dismiss them. The earlier you recognize the warning signs and seek help, the sooner you can either alleviate your concerns or receive a diagnosis and begin treatment.
The most common asbestos-related diseases that veterans of the USS Walke are vulnerable to include:
- Mesothelioma – A rare and aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), or heart (pericardial mesothelioma). Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, persistent cough, abdominal pain and swelling, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. This disease has an extremely poor prognosis; most patients succumb to the disease 12-21 months after diagnosis.
- Lung Cancer (Asbestos-related) – Malignant tumors in the lungs develop due to asbestos exposure. Symptoms include persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, shortness of breath, hoarseness, unexplained weight loss, and recurring respiratory infections. Five-year survival rates vary but are generally poor, especially when the victim’s asbestos exposure was combined with smoking.
- Asbestosis – A progressive scarring of lung tissue caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Symptoms include shortness of breath (especially during physical activity), persistent dry cough, chest tightness, clubbing of fingers and toes, and crackling sounds when breathing. While not cancerous, severe cases can lead to respiratory failure and death.
- Pleural Plaques – Thickened areas on the pleura (lung lining) that are usually benign. Most cases are asymptomatic, but some people may experience mild chest pain or slight breathing difficulties. This condition rarely causes death but generally indicates significant asbestos exposure.
- Pleural Effusion – Fluid buildup between the lung and chest wall. Symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, dry cough, and a feeling of heaviness in the chest. While uncomfortable, this condition is typically not life-threatening as long as it’s treated promptly and appropriately.
If you start experiencing any of the warning signs listed above, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Compensation and Support Available for USS Walke Veterans
Veterans who served aboard the USS Walke and who are experiencing health problems related to asbestos exposure have several options available to them, ranging from compensation and care from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pursuing justice and compensation from the companies whose negligence and profit-seeking knowingly put asbestos into your environment on the ship.
VA Benefits
Naval veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses traced to exposure during their military service are entitled to file a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has long recognized the connection between military asbestos exposure and subsequent health problems, so veterans who can establish that they were exposed during their time of service and that their asbestos-related disease was caused by that exposure are eligible for comprehensive medical care, disability compensation, and other support services.
VA benefits include care at VA medical facilities, access to state-of-the-art treatment centers with expertise in asbestos-related diseases, monthly disability payments, and specialized support through the Veterans Community Care Program. Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma typically receive a 100% disability rating, reflecting the severity of this condition.
Asbestos Trust Funds
In the face of overwhelming personal injury and wrongful death liability, dozens of companies that manufactured or distributed asbestos-containing products filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In reviewing the outstanding claims of asbestos victims and the likelihood of more being diagnosed in the future, the courts required the companies to establish asbestos compensation funds for their benefit. Collectively, these funds are estimated to be worth more than $30 billion.
Asbestos victims who can trace their exposure back to these companies are eligible to submit documentation of their time of service or occupational exposure, as well as their diagnosis, and quickly receive compensation. Though the amounts paid by these funds are generally less than what comes from a settlement or lawsuit, the process is faster and much less adversarial.
Civil Litigation and Wrongful Death Actions
In addition to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the asbestos compensation fund resources, former crew members of the USS Walke can pursue litigation directly from the companies responsible for providing asbestos-containing products to the military. These civil claims can be pursued through personal injury lawsuits or, if the victim has died from their illness, through a wrongful death claim filed by their survivors. Both of these types of actions can lead to a negotiated settlement or an award ordered by a jury.
Veterans who were exposed to asbestos during their service on the USS Walke should reach out to an experienced attorney who specializes in asbestos litigation. A mesothelioma lawyer can evaluate your situation, assist with the VA application process, help identify responsible manufacturers, and guide you through the complex process of seeking compensation and justice for the harm you’ve suffered.
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