Summary
Shipbuilding technology also advanced during the war with new navigation and weapons systems being drastically improved. But, shipbuilding materials and construction techniques barely changed. Most of these products and processes were already well-proven. That especially applied to asbestos as the Navy then thought it was the miracle material for shipbuilding.
About U.S. Navy Ships
The United States Navy maintains one of the world’s largest seafaring military forces. The U.S. Navy currently has over 325,000 active-service personnel supported by 107,000 naval reservists. Multiple navy bases are strategically placed across American coasts, and the Navy continuously operates ships in waters around the world. That includes a fleet of carriers with 3,700 various aircraft and a stealthy force of nuclear submarines.
The U.S. Navy’s ship complement is far less today than in its peak period. At the end of World War II, the American navy recorded an inventory of over 6,700 ships in all sizes. Most were decommissioned post-war and either converted to merchant marine vessels or sold as scrap. Navy shipbuilding expanded seventeen-fold from 1939 to 1945. The American war contribution in Atlantic and Pacific theaters demanded that military and civilian supply ships be constructed at a frantic rate.
Asbestos Use in Navy Ships
Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) were in every United States Navy ship built from the 1930s to the 1970s. There were no exceptions. Fire was a significant concern in ships loaded with fuel that were highly-heated and vulnerable to attack. Asbestos materials wouldn’t burn under any conditions.MJN Brief
Asbestos was thermally inert and made perfect insulation for steam pipes and fuel lines. ACM was non-conductive, so it coated miles of electrical cables throughout the ships. It didn’t corrode, was lightweight and added strength to other products. Asbestos was also economical, readily available and stable to work with.
These are some of the over 300 ACM products and places used in building Navy ships:
- Boilers, fireboxes, and liners
- Pumps, valves, and hydraulics
- Gaskets, packings, sealants, and adhesives
- Spray-on, block, batt and loose-fill insulation
- Pipe and duct wrappings
- Electrical wire coatings
- Deck and floor tiles
- Paint and wallboard
- Soundproofing materials
- Capacitors, meters, dielectric paper and relays
- Instruments and instrument paneling
- Cement powder and mortar mix
Types of Navy Ships Using Asbestos Products
Not one Navy ship built in the five decades before and after World War II was without asbestos products. Despite health warnings circulating through the Navy Department, almost all Navy personnel and support workers were exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. That included shore workers in shipyards as well as at-sea sailors.
Asbestos products were extensively used on all of these ship types:
- Aircraft Carriers
- Ammunition and Explosive Freighters
- Amphibious Assault Craft
- Auxiliary Ships
- Battleships
- Corvettes
- Cruisers
- Cutters
- Destroyers
- Destroyer Escorts
- Escort Carriers
- Frigates
- Hospital Vessels
- Landing Craft
- Liberty Ships
- Merchant Marine Ships
- Minesweepers
- Oilers and Tankers
- Patrol Boats
- Submarines
- Troop Carriers
By the 1980s, the United States Navy stopped using asbestos products in shipbuilding except for slight exceptions where airborne fiber release could be controlled. The U.S. Navy began an extensive abatement program to remove or contain ACM in all Navy vessels. Many had such extensive networks of asbestos-containing components that it was more practical to sink the ships as target practice rather than strip and refit these aging vessels.
High Asbestos-Risk Occupations on Navy Ships
No one was safe from exposure on a Navy ship built during the asbestos era. However, certain occupations were at greater exposure risk than others. Below-deck sailors and engineers had more prolonged asbestos fiber exposure than open-air personnel. That’s because confined and poorly-ventilated spaces like engine and boiler room trapped friable asbestos particles in dust clouds.
Some of the highest-risk Navy ship occupations for asbestos exposure were:
- Engine room technicians
- Boilermakers and steamfitters
- Plumbers and Pipefitters
- Electricians
- Firefighters
- Gunnery technicians and weapons specialists
- Mechanics and machinists
- Welders and steel fabricators
- Insulators, painters and panel installers.
- Tile setters
- Hull maintenance specialists
Help for Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
The United States Navy veterans form America’s largest group of people who developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure. These veterans unknowingly breathed in asbestos fibers during their dedicated naval service. Now, long after retirement and discharges, these veterans were struck by a duty-related, disabling disease. They deserve to be compensated.