USS Juneau
There have been three US Navy ships named the USS Juneau after the city in Alaska. The first (CL-52) was a light cruiser, which served for only 8 months during 1942 before being sunk in the Battle of Guadalcanal. The second (CL-119), also a light crusier, was active during the Korean War, and the third (LPD-10) is still in active service as an amphibious transport dock.
Juneau (CL-119) was commissioned in 1946. Many of her first duty years were spent along the Atlantic coast line and in the Caribbean. In 1947 she was deployed to the waters off Greece and sent a strong signal to communist forces that aggression would not be accepted. In 1950 she was in the waters off Japan when hostilities broke out in Korea. Therefore, she was readily available to help patrol south of the 38th parralel. While there she stopped enemy landings and participated in shore bombardments. She received five battle stars for her service in Korea. She remained in that general area until 1953 when she rejoined the Atlantic Fleet. She was decommissioned in 1956 and sold for scrap in 1962.
USS Juneau (LPD-10) was commissioned in 1969 as an amphibious transport dock. During the 1970’s the LPD-10 was sent on several deployments to the Western Pacific. Many of those missions involved duty in the waters of Vietnam and she received five battle stars for her efforts in that conflict. In 1976 she sailed to Juneau Alaska as part of the US Bi-Centennial celebration.
In 1989 she was sent to Prince William Sound to aid the clean up of an oil spill by the Exxon Valdez tanker. While there she provided much needed services to over 400 volunteer workers including communication help, food and sleeping quarters.
In 1991 she transported men and supplies to Saudi Arabia where they were used as part of Operation Desert Storm. Since 1999 her home port has been Sasebo, Japan.
Both the 2nd and 3rd ships named Juneau were built during a period when the dangers of asbestos exposure were not well known. Sadly, the men who worked near the insulating material around pipes and electrical parts, may be at higher risk for developing respiratory problems like mesothelioma. Any sailor, or other worker, who has reason to believe he may have been exposed to asbestos on the Juneau should consult a thoracic specialist to be evaluated.
