USS Cone DD-866 (1945-1982)
The USS Cone was named after Hutch Ingham Cone, who was a war hero during World War I. It was constructed by the Bethlehem Steel Company in Staten Island, New York. Put into commission on August 18th, 1945, it was sponsored by Mrs. H. I. Cone, captained by Commander W. C. Butler, Jr., and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.
From its home in Newport, Rhode Island, it made its first cruise to Portsmouth, England from the 12th of February until the 9th of April 1946. It returned home, and after 7 days it went on a long goodwill tour through Europe, entertaining guests in each city it visited. It was sent back to the U.S. on October 24th. Up until the summer of 1947, it had duties in the Caribbean and on the east coast. Afterward, it transported midshipmen to northern Europe on a training cruise.
When not deployed elsewhere, the Cone performed service activities and training in the Caribbean and along the east coast. In the Mediterranean in 1948, it was deployed with the 6th Fleet for its first tour. It joined the United Nations Palestine Patrol for a short period and went back to the Mediterranean in 1949. Later in 1949, it did maneuvers across the Arctic Circle.
The Cone continued its Caribbean and east coast duties for the rest of 1950, including another 6th Fleet tour. Into 1951, it continued on in the Mediterranean, and was visited on September 9th in Venice by Winston Churchill. The destroyer also transported European and American Ambassadors to the monasteries of Mount Athos, Greece on a diplomatic call.
All of 1952 and part of 1953 were once again spent in the Mediterranean. The Cone was deployed from its home in Newport on a cruise around the world, making its way through Pearl Harbor, San Diego, Midway, Panama and Yokosuka. It finally joined TF 77 for a patrol on the coasts of Korea. It continued home with stops at Port Said, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Villefranche, Lisbon and Naples, finally arriving in Norfolk on April 9th 1954.
After remaining in Norfolk for a while, The USS Cone, from September until November of 1954, met up with allied NATO vessels in anti-submarine training near Ireland. It then was sent to the Mediterranean for a brief time. Its duties for 1955 included guarding aircraft carriers and undergoing air defense exercises.
The Cone returned to the Mediterranean, re-joined the NATO exercises there, and was called to its home in June. Called for emergency duty during the Suez Crisis, it joined a task force in the eastern Atlantic on stand-by. From 1958 until 1960, it once again returned to the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. At the end of 1960, it performed exercises from its new home in Charleston, South Carolina, and returned to Europe in northern waters to assist NATO with maneuvers.
The Cone was decommissioned in 1982 and traded to Pakistan. It was renamed the Alamgir until it was again decommissioned in 1998 and sold for scrap.
Asbestos in Navy Ships
Although an essential component of the naval fleet, especially during World War II, naval destroyers also pose a lasting health risk to soldiers serving on them. Unfortunately, products containing asbestos were common, especially on older ships, because of the material’s high resistance to heat and fire. Despite its value as an insulator, asbestos fiber intake can lead to several serious health consequences, including mesothelioma, a devastating cancer without cure. Current and former military personnel who came into contact with these ships should seek immediate medical attention in order to detect possible health consequences associated with asbestos exposure.
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