Asbestos Exposure on USS Fletcher (DD-445)

DD-445 was the first of 175 Fletcher class destroyers built for the U.S. Navy. USS Fletcher was named for World War I Navy Admiral and Distinguish Service ... ContactUs Mesothelioma TreatmentOptions MesotheliomaHospitals&Doctors MesotheliomaBook MesotheliomaLawyer Veterans&Mesothelioma Navy Asbestos AsbestosExposure AboutUs Community Videos Scholarship Blog CallTollFree 877-MESOTHELIOMA DiagnosedwithMesothelioma?Call877-MESOTHELIOMAorLiveChatnowforaFreeLegalCompensationConsultation Mesothelioma TreatmentOptions Asbestos Veterans&Mesothelioma Navy LegalHelp ContactUs FreeGuide Home Navy Ships Destroyers USSFletcher(DD-445) USSFletcher(DD-445):TheLeaderOfItsClass DD-445wasthefirstof175FletcherclassdestroyersbuiltfortheU.S.Navy.USSFletcherwasnamedforWorldWarINavyAdmiralandDistinguishServiceMedalrecipient,FrankFridayFletcher.The2,100tondestroyerwaslaiddownatFederalShipbuilding&DryDockCompanyinKearney,N.J.onOctober2,1941. FletcherwascommissionedinJuneof1942andimmediatelybeganmakinganameforitselfduringWorldWarII. BattleofGuadalcanalOnThisPage1BattleofGuadalcanal2BattleOfTassafaronga3LaterYears4AsbestosExposureandMesothelioma USSFletcher,ledbyCommanderWilliamM.ColeandLieutenantCommanderJosephC.Wylie,wassenttotheislandofGuadalcanalinOctoberof1942toassistAlliedforcesintheU.S.’firstmajoroffensiveundertakingagainsttheJapaneseinWorldWarII.TheSouthwestPacificislandwasrelativelyobscuretothatpointbutwasanimportantgeopoliticallocationfortheU.S.toflexwithmilitarymightagainstaJapanesenavythatwas,tothatpoint,stillconsideredsuperior. Fletcherwasultimatelynicknamed“Lucky13”forseveralreasons,butmainlybecauseitshullnumbersaddedupto13,anditwasthe13thshipinlineforTaskForce67(CactusStrike)duringtheFridaythe13thNavalBattleofGuadalcanal.The40mmand20mmgunsfromthedestroyershotdownsixenemyplanesfromNovember11to13,includingapproachingtorpedoplanesthatcouldhavesankitoroneofitssistervessels. NocrewmemberswereinjuredduringthebattleandFletchercameawaycompletelyunscathed. BattleOfTassafaronga ThesuccessofCaptainColeandUSSFletcheratGuadalcanalearnedittheleadpositionintheBattleofTassafaronga2weekslater.DespiteFletcherpositioningitselfandtheotherfourdestroyersintheperfectpositionforatorpedoattackonJapanesedestroyers,RearAdmiralCarletonH.Wrightorderedtheshipstostanddown. Thedelaytoopenfireissecond-guessedtothisday,astorpedosfromJapanesedestroyerTakanamistruckAmericancruisersMinneapolisandNewOrleans,severelydamagingthem.USSNorthampton(CA-26)wasstruckandultimatelysank.Fletcherwasorderedtofindandaiditsdamagedsisterships.Thecrewultimatelysaved646survivorsfromNorthamptonbeforeitdisappearedintothesea. Fletcherfiredaspreadoftorpedoesatenemyshipsbutfailedtoconnectwithoneduringthebattle.TassafarongaislargelyconsideredatacticalvictoryfortheJapanese,buttheU.S.Navysuccessfullydelayedthemfromprovidingsuppliestotheirtroopsontheisland.Duetolackofadequatesupplies,Japaneseforceswereforcedtoevacuatetheisland3monthslater. LaterYears FletcherendureditsworstdamageonValentine’sDayin1945whenJapaneseartilleryfirestruckandkilledeightcrewmembersduringtheBattleofManilaBay.Despitebeingheavilydamaged,thecrewcontinuedfiringuponJapaneseaircraft,earningtheshipyetanothernickname,the“FightingFletcher.” TheshipwasretiredattheconclusionofWorldWarIIbutwasrecommissionedinOctoberof1949asDDE-445.ItwasoneofthefirstshipstoarriveintheWesternPacificwhentheKoreanWarbrokeoutin1950.FletcherwasredesignedDD-445beforeservinginVietnamfrom1965to1969. Fletcherearnedatotalof15battlestarsbeforebeingdecommissionedin1969.Despiteeffortstopreservetheshipasamuseumexhibit,Fletcherwasultimatelysoldforscrapmetalin1972. AsbestosExposureandMesothelioma NavyveteranswhoservedonUSSFletcherandemployeeswhobuilttheshipatFederalShipbuilding&DryDockCompanywereverylikelyexposedtoasbestosatsomepointintime.Asbestoswasusedextensivelyatshipyardsandinbuildingnavyvesselsthroughthe1970sbecauseofitsheat-resistantproperties. Itcantake15to60yearsbeforeanyvisiblesymptomsofmesotheliomaincludingachroniccough,chestpain,unexplainedweightloss,andshortnessofbreathtoshowup.Thesooneryouarediagnosed,themoretreatmentoptionsyouwillhave. Ifyou’vebeendiagnosedwithmesothelioma,contactus,wehaveyearsofexperiencelitigatingasbestos-exposurecases. NavyShipsDestroyersUSSFletcher(DD-445) Whichbestdescribesyou?Myselforalovedone:*RequiredSelectHadAsbestosExposureatHomeHadAsbestosExposureatWorkBefore1990HadAsbestosExposureatWorkAfter1990HasBeenDiagnosedwithMesotheliomaHasBeenDiagnosedwithLungCancerHasBeenDiagnosedwithAsbestosisIsaStudent,DoctororResearcherHowcanwehelp?*RequiredName*Required First Last Email*Required Phone*RequiredAfteryouenteryourinformationyouwillreceiveyourbookandadditionalmaterialsinaccordancewithourprivacypolicy.EmailThisfieldisforvalidationpurposesandshouldbeleftunchanged. Δ FreeMesotheliomaPatient &TreatmentGuide We’dliketoofferyouourin-depthguide,“APatient’sGuidetoMesothelioma,”absolutelyfreeofcharge. Itcontainsawealthofinformationandresourcestohelpyoubetterunderstandthecondition,choose(andafford)appropriatetreatment,andexerciseyourlegalrighttocompensation. DownloadNow ConnectwithUs 877-MESOTHELIOMA LiveChat SendaMessage TopResources MesotheliomaGuide WhatisMesothelioma? 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