American shipbuilding has a proud history, but there’s also a quieter, dark side. While 20th century shipbuilders used the best materials known at the time, today we know that use of one of those materials, asbestos, can have deadly consequences. Even years later, you may have mesothelioma from the USS Charles F. Adams if you or a loved one worked on that ship.
What you Need to Know if you Have Mesothelioma From the USS Charles F. Adams
Shipbuilders throughout most of the 20th century prized asbestos as a versatile, natural material in constructing ships. From its insulating to anti-corrosive properties, asbestos seemed to be the ideal material to use in components on many parts of a ship. But today we know that those who served or worked on the ship—and their families—are at grave risk of developing mesothelioma from the USS Charles F. Adams. Little did we know that asbestos exposure on the USS Charles F. Adams could haunt us decades later.
The Early Years and Unique Features of the Charlie Deuce
The USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) was originally designated DD-952. She was ordered for the U.S. Navy on March 28, 1957. Construction began at Bath Iron Works on June 16, 1958. She was launched on September 8, 1959 and commissioned on September 10, 1960 under the command of Commander W.R. Monroe, Jr.
Nicknamed the “Charlie Deuce,” the USS Charles F. Adams was the first ship in the U.S. Navy to be designed specifically to launch antiaircraft missiles. One of her first missions was to aid in the recovery operations for the Mercury 8 space mission. During this mission, the Cuban Missile Crisis broke out, and the destroyer headed to the Caribbean to take part in the naval quarantine around Cuba.
The USS Charles F. Adams Enters the Cold War
The USS Charles F. Adams then served as the flagship for surveillance of Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic during the Cold War. She shifted her homeport from Charleston to Mayport in July 1969. The destroyer would later patrol the waters around Lebanon, Libya, and the Persian Gulf throughout the troubles in each region during the 1970s and 1980s.
The USS Charles F. Adams was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on November 20, 1992. She remains on hold as a museum ship pending the successful fundraising efforts of the Adams Class Veterans Association in Jacksonville, Florida.
A Hidden Enemy: The USS Charles F. Adams and Asbestos
Like other ships of her time, the USS Charles F. Adams was constructed using a number of asbestos-containing components. The toxic substance asbestos was prized for its resistance to heat, fire, water, and corrosion, so it could be found in nearly all areas of the destroyer, including floor and ceiling tiles, wall insulation, steam pipes, hot water pipes, pumps, boilers, valves, gaskets, turbines, incinerators, rope, and fire doors.
Today we know that anyone who served on board the USS Charles F. Adams or participated in her repair and overhaul was put at risk of developing serious asbestos-related illnesses like asbestosis, lung cancer, throat cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and mesothelioma. Even decades later, anyone exposed to asbestos in this way could be diagnosed with mesothelioma from the USS Charles F. Adams.
USS Charles F. Adams workers should monitor their health carefully and consult a doctor if they experience any symptoms associated with mesothelioma. Past asbestos exposure on the USS Charles F. Adams is still a danger today. Anyone who worked in or around the USS Charles F. Adams and is diagnosed with mesothelioma should also consider contacting a lawyer to discuss their legal rights.
What to do if you Have Mesothelioma From the USS Charles F. Adams
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma from the USS Charles F. Adams—either from service or work on the ship or from secondhand exposure—you may be entitled to compensation. Call one of the experienced mesothelioma attorneys at Nemeroff Law Firm, where we have obtained settlements and verdicts for asbestos victims like you. Call us toll-free at 866-342-1929 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation.
Other Charles F. Adams class destroyers include:
USS Barney (DDG-6)
USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22)
USS Berkeley (DDG-14)
USS Buchanan (DDG-14)
USS Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5)
USS Cochrane (DDG-21)
USS Conyngham (DDG-17)
USS Goldborough (DDG-20)
USS Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7)
USS Hoel (DDG-13)
USS John King (DDG-3)
USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)
USS Lawrence (DDG-4)
USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)
USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23)
USS Robison (DDG-12)
USS Sampson (DDG-10)
USS Sellers (DDG-11)
USS Semmes (DDG-18)
USS Tattnall (DDG-19)
USS Towers (DDG-9)