Asbestos-laden Battleships have left a legacy of death for our servicemen and women

“You are probably sleeping six inches away from asbestos-covered pipe. This material gets dry and when bumped, it flakes off, and you start breathing in the asbestos. That is how my brother contracted mesothelioma.”

E.C., recalling how his brother developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure in the Navy.

Military veterans from decades past, especially those who worked on battleships, are only now being diagnosed with mesothelioma, the signature asbestos-related cancer that kills 3,000 Americans every year.

The Department of Veteran Affairs states that millions of people employed in the shipyards and in the Navy were exposed to asbestos.

Consulting with an experienced attorney that has handled asbestos claims for members of the military can provide you with the guidance that you need before attempting to secure VA benefits.

The asbestos manufacturers who supplied asbestos-contaminated materials to the government will be held responsible, not the military. The courts have long recognized the culpability of asbestos manufacturers because all were aware of the health dangers.

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and are ready to pursue financial compensation, contact our law firm today. We can be reached simply by filling out the form on this page. The form will allow us to understand a bit about where you are coming from, and give us the necessary information to provide you with a thorough, legal consultation. Just fill out the form and submit it. We will contact you within 24 hours.

Read on to find a list of battleships, and more information about battleship asbestos exposure.

A list of battleships

This list may help you remember the battleship on which you worked or were stationed. Any one of these battleships contained asbestos, which could have caused your illness.

The following information was taken from the Official Website of the United States Navy (Navy.mil):

USS Massachusetts

(BB 2) 10 Jun 1896 – 23 May 1914

Recommissioned 9 Jun 1917 at Philadelphia, decommissioned again 31 Mar 1919. Used as gunnery target; hulk given to Florida 15 Nov 1956.

USS Oregon

(BB 3) 15 Jul 1896 – 27 Apr 1906

Recommissioned 29 Aug 1911, decommissioned 12 Jun 1919. Commissioned again 24 Aug 1919 and finally decommissioned 4 Oct 1919. Loaned to Oregon as museum 25 Jun 1925; Returned to Navy for WW II; sold for scrap 15 Nov 1956.

USS Iowa

(BB 4) 16 Jun 1897 – 30 Jun 1903

Recommissioned 23 Dec 1903, decommissioned at Philadelphia 23 Jul 1908. Recommissioned 2 May 1910, decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard 27 May 1914. Recommissioned 23 Apr 1917, decommissioned for the final time 31 Mar 1919. Became first radio-controlled target; sunk 23 Mar 1923 as target in Panama Bay.

USS Kearsarge

(BB 5) 20 Feb 1900 – 4 Sep 1909

Recommissioned 23 Jun 1915, decommissioned 10 May 1920. Was made a crane ship 5 Aug 1920; sold for scrap 9 Aug 1955.

USS Kentucky

(BB 6) 15 May 1900 – 28 Aug 1909

Recommissioned 4 Jun 1912, decommissioned 31 May 1913. Recommissioned at Philadelphia 23 Jun 1915, decommissioned 29 May 1920. Sold to Dravo Construction Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., for scrapping 23 Jan 1924.

USS Illinois

(BB 7) 15 Sep 1900 – 4 Aug 1909

Recommissioned 2 Nov 1912, decommissioned 15 May 1920. Loaned to N.Y. 23 Oct 1921 for naval militia; sold to Bethlehem Steel Co., Baltimore, Md., 18 May 1956, for scrap.

USS Alabama

(BB 8) 16 Oct 1900 – 17 Aug 1909

Recommissioned 17 Apr 1912, decommissioned 7 May 1920. Transferred to War Dept. 15 Sep 1921 for use as target. Sunk in shallow water 27 Sep; 19 Mar 1924, hulk sold as scrap.

USS Wisconsin

(BB 9) 4 Feb 1901 – 15 Nov 1906

Recommissioned 1 Apr 1908, decommissioned 15 May 1920. Sold for scrap IAW Washington Treaty 26 Jan 1922.

USS Maine

(BB 10) 29 Dec 1902 – 31 Aug 1909

Recommissioned 15 Jun 1911, decommissioned 15 May 1920. Sold to J.G. Hitner & W.F. Cutler of Philadelphia 23 January 1922; scrapped IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Missouri

(BB 11) 12 Jan 1903 – 9 Sep 1912

Recommissioned 16 Mar 1914, decommissioned 8 Sep 1919. Sold to J.G. Hitner & W.F. Cutler of Philadelphia 26 January 1922; scrapped IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Ohio

(BB 12) 4 Oct 1904 – 31 May 1922

Sold for scrap 24 Mar 1923.

USS Virginia

(BB 13) 7 May 1906 – 13 Aug 1920

Transferred to Army; sunk by bombing off Diamond Shoals, N.C., 5 Sep 1923.

USS Nebraska

(BB 14) 1 Jul 1907 – 2 Jul 1920

Scrapped 30 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Georgia

(BB 15) 24 Sep 1906 – 15 Jul 1920

Scrapped 1 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS New Jersey

(BB 16) 12 May 1906 – 6 Aug 1920

Transferred to Army; sunk by bombing off Diamond Shoals, N.C., 5 Sep 1923.

USS Rhode Island

(BB 17) 19 Feb 1906 – 30 Jun 1920

Scrapped 1 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Connecticut

(BB 18) 29 Sep 1906 – 1 Mar 1923

Scrapped 1 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Louisiana

(BB 19) 2 Jun 1906 – 20 Oct 1920

Scrapped 1 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Vermont

(BB 20) 4 Mar 1907 – 30 Jun 1920

Scrapped 30 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Kansas

(BB 21) 18 Apr 1907 – 16 Dec 1921

Sold for scrap IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Minnesota

(BB 22) 9 Mar 1907 – 1 Dec 1921

Dismantled at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard IAW Washington Treaty and sold for scrap 23 Jan 1924.

USS Mississippi

(BB 23) 1 Feb 1908 – 21 Jul 1914

Transferred to Greece. Served as Lemnos until sunk by German aircraft in Salamis harbor April 1941.

USS Idaho

(BB 24) 1 Apr 1908 – 30 Jul 1914

Transferred to Greece. Served as Kilkis until sunk by German aircraft in Salamis harbor April 1941.

USS New Hampshire

(BB 25) 19 Mar 1908 – 21 May 1921

Sold for scrapping 1 Nov. 1923 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS South Carolina

(BB 26) 1 Mar 1910 – 15 dec 1921

Sold for scrap 24 Apr 1924 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Michigan

(BB 27) 4 Jan 1910 – 11 Feb 1922

Scrapped by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1924 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS Delaware

(BB 28) 4 Apr 1910 – 10 Nov 1923

Sold for scrap 5 Feb 1924 IAW Washington Treaty.

USS North Dakota

(BB 29) 11 Apr 1910 – 2 Nov 1923

Sold for scrap 16 Mar 1931.

USS Florida

(BB 30) 15 Sep 1911 – 16 Feb 1931

Scrapped under terms of London Naval Treaty of 1930.

USS Utah

(BB 31) 31 Aug 1911 – 31 Oct 1925

Recommissioned 1 Dec 1925, decommissioned 1 Jul 1931. Recommissioned again 1 Apr 1932, decommissioned 5 Sep 1944. Utah was sunk at Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941. Her partially submerged hulk remains at Pearl Harbor.

USS Wyoming

(BB 32) 25 Sep 1912 – 1 Aug 1947

Sold to Lipsett, Inc., New York, for scrapping 30 Oct 1947.

USS Arkansas

(BB 33) 17 Sep 1912 – 29 Jul 1946

Arkansas was sunk as a target in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll on 25 Jul 1946.

USS New York

(BB 34) 15 Apr 1914 – 29 Aug 1946

New York was a target in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll on 1 and 25 Jul 1946. She survived those blasts but was sunk as a target 40 miles off Pearl Harbor 8 Jul 1948.

USS Texas

(BB 35) 12 Mar 1914 – 21 Apr 1948

Texas was turned over to the state of Texas to serve as a permanent memorial at San Jacinto State Park in 1948.

USS Nevada

(BB 36) 11 Mar 1916 – 21 Apr 1948

Nevada was a target in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll on 1 and 25 Jul 1946. She survived those blasts but was sunk as a target 40 miles off Pearl Harbor 8 Jul 1948.

USS Oklahoma

(BB 37) 2 May 1916 – 1 Sep 1944

Oklahoma was sunk at Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941. Raised, she entered drydock 28 Dec 1943. Stripped of guns and superstructure, she was sold 5 Dec 1946 to Moore Drydock Co., but sank 17 May 1947 540 miles from Pearl on her way to San Francisco.

USS Pennsylvania

(BB 38) 12 Jun 1916 – 29 Aug 1946

Pennsylvania was a target in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll on 1 and 25 Jul 1946. She survived those blasts but was sunk off Kwajalein 19 Feb 1948.

USS Arizona

(BB 39) 17 Oct 1916

Arizona was destroyed at her berth in the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 Dec 1941. She was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 Dec 1942. The Arizona Memorial was dedicated 30 May 1962.

USS New Mexico

(BB 40) 20 May 1918 – 19 Jul 1946

Sold for scrapping 13 Oct 1947 to Lipsett, Inc., New York.

USS Mississippi

(BB 41) 18 Dec 1917 – 17 Dec 1956

Sold for scrapping 28 Nov 1956 to Bethlehem Steel Co.

USS Idaho

(BB 42) 24 Mar 1919 – 3 Jul 1946

Sold for scrapping 24 Nov 1947 to Lipsett, Inc., New York.

USS Tennessee

(BB 43) 3 Jun 1920 – 14 Feb 1947

Sold for scrapping 10 Jul 1959 to Bethlehem Steel Co.

USS California

(BB 44) 10 Aug 1921 – 14 Feb 1947

Sold for scrapping 10 Jul 1959.

USS Colorado

(BB 45) 30 Aug 1923 – 7 Jan 1947

Sold for scrapping 23 Jul 1959.

USS Maryland

(BB 46) 21 Jul 1921 – 3 Apr 1947

Sold for scrapping 8 Jul 1959 to Learner Co., Oakland, Ca.

USS West Virginia

(BB 48) 1 Dec 1923 – 9 Jan 1947

Sold for scrap 24 Aug 1959 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., New York.

USS North Carolina

(BB 55) 9 Apr 1941 – 27 Jun 1947

Transferred to the state of North Carolina 6 Sep 1961. Dedicated as memorial 29 Apr 1962 at Wilmington, N.C.

USS Washington

(BB 56) 15 May 1941 – 27 Jun 1947

Sold for scrap 24 May 1961 to Lipsett Div., Luria Bros. & Co.

USS South Dakota

(BB 57) 20 Mar 1942 – 31 Jan 1947

Sold for scrap 25 Oct 1962 to Lipsett Div., Luria Bros. & Co.

USS Indiana

(BB 58) 30 Apr 1942 – 11 Sep 1947

Sold for scrap 1 Jun 1962.

USS Massachusetts

(BB 59) 12 May 1942 – 27 Mar 1947

Transferred to the Massachusetts Memorial Committee 8 Jun 1965 and preserved as a memorial 14 Aug 1965.

USS Alabama

(BB 60) 16 Aug 1942 – 9 Jan 1947

Transferred to the state of Alabama 16 Jun 1964 for use as a memorial.

USS Iowa

(BB 61) 22 Feb 1943 – 24 Mar 1949

Recommissioned 25 Aug 1951, decommissioned again 24 Feb 1958. Recommissioned again 28 Apr 1984, decommissioned last time 26 Oct 1990. Berthed in Suisan Bay, San Francisco, Calif., 21 April 2001.

USS New Jersey

(BB 62) 23 May 1943 – 30 Jun 1948

Recommissioned at Bayonne 21 Nov 1950, decommissioned again 21 Aug 1957. Recommissioned at Philadelphia 6 Apr 1968, decommissioned again 17 Dec 1969. Recommissioned at Long Beach, Calif., 28 Dec 1982, decommissioned last time 8 Feb 1991. Towed 12 Sept. 1999 by the tug Sea Victory from Bremerton to Philadelphia, arriving 11 Nov. On 20 Jan. 2000, SECNAV announced donation to Home Port Alliance of Camden, N.J., for use as a museum.

USS Missouri

(BB 63) 11 Jun 1944 – 26 Feb 1955

Recommissioned in San Francisco 10 May 1986, decommissioned again 31 Mar 1992. Located 1,000 yards from the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Missouri was opened as a museum 29 Jan. 1999.

USS Wisconsin

(BB 64) 16 Apr 1944 – 1 Jul 1948

Recommissioned 3 Mar 1951, decommissioned again at Bayonne on 8 Mar 1958. Recommissioned again on 22 Oct 1988, decommissioned for the final time on 30 Sep 1991. Moored at the National Maritime Center, Norfolk, Va., 7 Dec. 2000, the centerpiece of a four-part naval history exhibit. Wisconsin opened to the public on 16 Apr 2001.

Sun sets on asbestos battleships

Shipyard workers represent one of the largest occupational groups at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases.

It is estimated that 4.5 million people worked in shipyards during World War II when asbestos was commonly used. All branches of the military exposed troops to asbestos-based materials during the 20th century because asbestos was prized for its fire retardant properties, especially during combat engagements.

But when asbestos materials are disturbed, they tend to separate into small airborne asbestos fibers that are easily inhaled. In the confined areas that military troops often worked, the threat of asbestos exposure was especially serious.

Mortality figures from 1990 to 1999 reveal that ship and boat building and repairing was the second most common industry specified on U.S. death certificates of asbestosis victims age 15 and older.

We can help you pursue compensation for your asbestos illness

The lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg have protected the legal rights of military veterans since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by asbestos exposure.

If you are a battleship veteran injured by asbestos exposure you can seek a free legal consultation here. Please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering. Protect your family’s financial future today!

Weitz & Luxenberg works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or settlement in your favor.

Simply fill out the form on this page to get started.

Sources

Navy.mil: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/battleships/bb-list.asp

VA.gov: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/occupational_environmental/asbestos.asp

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOiXHFoZQIQ&feature=player_embedded