Weitz & Luxenberg Provides Information on asbestos insulation on ships

Did you know that asbestos was used to insulate navy ships? If you worked in a Navy yard at any point in life, you were almost certainly exposed to asbestos. Asbestos was known to cause serious ailments, such as mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer and asbestosis among others. If you are a Navy veteran and are suffering from one of the above ailments, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact Weitz & Luxenberg for further information.

“I always liked the Navy since I was a little kid. I remember going down to the Navy Yard in Philadelphia with my mother, when I was five or six years old….my mother told me that her brother had served on a destroyer during World War I, and I knew then that I wanted to serve in the Navy. …I graduated high school in 1944 and enlisted when I was seventeen. I served in a submarine at sea as a gunnery and torpedo officer, and I’m pretty sure that uh, while we were all on board, we were probably exposed to asbestos…”

E.J.- Served in the U.S. Navy in 1944

Why was asbestos used to insulate ships?

Asbestos was once considered a miracle mineral, capable of satisfying a number of different uses, including ship insulation. Starting “in the 1930s and continuing into the 1980s, the United States Navy employed asbestos containing products in its ships and shipyards. Considering the important fire safety requirements aboard sea going vessels,” asbestos was necessary to insulate heat sensitive areas such as engine and boiler rooms.  Navy workers who toiled below deck, such as boiler makers, “had to maintain, install and repair the asbestos insulated boilers, which frequently emitted asbestos fibers into the air through normal operations.”

Asbestos pads were used in boiler rooms.  “These pads consisted of amosite, a type of asbestos, and were used to cover equipment that would get very hot. The pads were designed to be easily removed for routine maintenance.” (E How) These pads could also be used in insulate other areas of the ship, such as the ship’s bulkhead, the mess hall and even the sleeping quarters! The consequences of such unlimited use of asbestos were disastrous. Countless Navy personnel developed an asbestos related disease as a result of handling asbestos in their youth.

Here is a list of some of the ships which were insulated with asbestos:

USS Alabama: Launched from the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia in February 1942. It never lost a single man during World War II, but it was overladen with asbestos, which caused health problems for those on board many years later.

USS Washington:  Launched from the Philadelphia Navy Yard in May 1941. Aside from the expected perils of navigating the seas (especially during wartime), those on board risked asbestos exposure.

USS Pennsylvania:  A World War I submarine. She was launched from the Newport News Shipbuilding Yard in March 1915.

USS New Mexico: A World War I submarine.  She waslaunched from theNew York Navy Yard in April 1917.

USS California:  Launched from the Mare Island Navy Yard in November 1919. She was used during World War II and was decommissioned in February 1947.

Were submarines insulated with asbestos?

Unfortunately, yes. World War I was the very first war to introduce submarines, a maritime vessel which could “enter and operate effectively in waters that were inaccessible to surface ships.” (Sea Your History) Although the submarine revolutionized the way war was fought, those on board risked serious harm beyond the expected perils of the sea.  Since there was no proper ventilation, there was no escape from asbestos or any of the other carcinogenic materials that the submarine contained.  Some of the submarines which were insulated with asbestos include:

USS Nautilus- “The first nuclear powered submarine in the United States Navy” (USS Nautilus)Its “construction was made possible by a nuclear propulsion plant, developed by a group of scientists and engineers at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission.” (USS Nautilus)

USS Albacore SS-218:  Commissioned during World War II in June 1942. It was awarded nine Battle Stars for its service and was destroyed in 1944.

USS Icefish SS-367: Launched in September 1943. Along with its sister submarine, the USS Drum, Icefish sunk 26,901 tons of enemy shipping. It was awarded four Battle Stars.

USS Hoe SS-258:  A diesel fueled submarine.  It was awarded seven Battle Stars for its service during World War II. It was 311 feet long and was powered by four diesel engines, two 126 cell batteries, two propellers and four high speed electric motors.

USS Runner SS-275:Constructed at the Portsmouth Naval Yard in Maine. It was a Gato-class submarine, one of the earliest designs developed by the Navy. Like many other submarines of its class, the Runner experienced a series of problems,  including difficulty firing torpedoes.  It was mysteriously lost at sea.

Were you on board an asbestos insulated ship? Weitz & Luxenberg can get justice for you

Weitz & Luxenberg has been a leader in asbestos related litigation for over two decades. We have achieved more favorable verdicts and settlements for people just like you who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer or asbestosis following exposure to asbestos.  Our attorneys have the qualifications and experience necessary to get you the justice and compensation you deserve.

If you would like a free legal review of your mesothelioma case, please fill out the form on this page. All communication will be strictly confidential, and there is no fee unless we secure a monetary verdict or settlement for you.