USS New York (Battleship # 34, later BB-34), 1914-1948: A brief history

Did serving aboard the USS New York later lead to a mesothelioma or lung cancer diagnosis? Our firm can help.

The USS New York, a lead ship of a two-ship class of 27,000-ton battleships, was built at the New York Navy Yard.

Commissioned in April 1914, the ship's first active service was off Vera Cruz, Mexico, during the U.S. intervention there.

After over three years of operations off the east coast and in the Caribbean, in December 1917 New York crossed the Atlantic to join the British Grand Fleet. USS New York was flagship of the U.S. battleships of the Sixth Battle Squadron during the remainder of World War I.

Early history of USS New York

In mid-1919, New York traversed the Panama Canal to the Pacific, where she was based during the next decade and a half.

As a unit of the Battle Fleet, she took an active part in the exercises, drills and gunnery practices that were regularly held in the Pacific and Caribbean. New York underwent modernization in 1925-27, receiving new oil-fired boilers, anti-torpedo bulges on her hull sides, heavier deck armor, up-to-date gunfire control mechanisms and many other improvements that enhanced her combat capabilities.

After being transferred to the Atlantic in the mid-1930s, she visited England in 1937 as the U.S. representative to the British Coronation naval review. Over the next three years, the battleship was actively employed as a training ship.

With the coming of war to Europe, New York participated in Neutrality Patrol operations, and, as the U.S. drew closer to the conflict in 1941, helped in the occupation of Iceland and in escorting convoys. Her convoy activities continued after the United States became a combatant in December 1941.

In November 1942, New York also took part the North African invasion, providing gunfire support for landings at Safi, Morocco. She spent 1943 and most of 1944 on escort and training duties, steaming to the Pacific war zone in early 1945.

In February, New York's big guns were active bombarding Iwo Jima before and during the Marines' assault on that island. She was similarly employed off Okinawa from late March until June, and was lightly damaged by a suicide plane on 14 April 1945.

Later days for USS New York

Following the Japanese capitulation in August 1945, New York moved back to the Atlantic and was at New York City for the Navy Day fleet review in late October. Her last active service was as a target during the atomic bomb tests at Bikini, Marshall Islands, in July 1946. Too radioactive and far too old for further use, she decommissioned a month later. In July 1948, USS New York was towed out to sea off Pearl Harbor and sunk as a target for Navy aircraft and ships.

Asbestos risk for Navy veterans

Unfortunately, Navy ships such as the USS New York often contained a lot of asbestos, which was widely used in insulation and fireproofing products. As a result, many veterans have developed illnesses from asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma cancer and asbestos lung cancer.

Although recently constructed Navy ships have little or no asbestos thermal insulation, other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos. Better supervision, training, and workplace monitoring, as well as increased use of engineering controls, can help further reduce exposure. As long as ships contain asbestos insulation, some exposure is probably inevitable.

Some veterans who later developed an asbestos-related disease after completion of their service have chosen to contact an asbestos attorney to receive compensation to help pay for treatment.

Please complete the form on this page to learn more about how our firm can help you.