USS Rathburne
The USS Rathburne was built at the William Cramp & Sons Company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Construction was completed in July of 1917, and the ship was launched on December 27. By June 24, 1918 the ship was commissioned by the US Navy under the command of Ward R. Wortman.
The ship was built as a Wickes Class Destroyer for World War I, but by the end of the war she was only being used as a school ship for the West Coast Sound Training Squadron.
1944 brought about major changes for The Rathburne. She was converted to become a high-speed transport for use by underwater demolition teams in the Second World War. Her missions included sweeping for mines, scanning for enemy aircraft and providing cover fire for soldiers in combat. She also had other duties such as transporting mail and former prisoners of war.
While on patrol one day in Hagushi (an area where soldiers who were going to Okinawa were loaded on to ships), The Rathburne was attacked by a kamikaze pilot. Despite her attempts to avoid and outmaneuver the aircraft, the enemy plane crashed into her, flooding three major compartments, destroying her sound gear and starting several fires. The crew acted quickly to contain the flooding and put out the fires, and the ship began a long and slow journey to receive repairs.
By July 20, she had been fixed, improved and reclassified following her stay in San Diego. Before she had an opportunity to set sail again, the war was declared to be over. The Rathburne was decommissioned on November 2, 1945 and later sold for scrap to the Northern Metals Company.
For her efforts in World War II, The Rathburne earned six battle stars. She proudly served her crew members in both World Wars I and II, but what her crews did not know is that the ship had products made from asbestos on board. Because asbestos is a highly toxic material, this put the crew, and anyone who came into contact with it, in great danger. Exposure to asbestos can lead to the cancer ,mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases, some of which can be fatal. Every person who was a crew member on a major naval ship should monitor their health closely and have their doctor run some testing if they fear they may have been exposed to asbestos.
