Are You At Risk?
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area.

USS Okinawa (LPH-3)

The USS Okinawa (LPH-3) was one of the Navy’s Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ships. These LPHs were the first Navy ships specifically designed to carry helicopters for sea-based aerial assaults on enemy shore positions.

The USS Okinawa was laid down in 1960 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Okinawa was commissioned on April 14th, 1962. After a brief period at sea for shakedown and initial training, the USS Okinawa reported to Norfolk, Virginia, which was to be her home base during her time with the Atlantic Fleet. The Okinawa spent the latter half of 1962 engaged in amphibious assault exercises and, for the last two months of the year, support of the Navy’s quarantine of Cuba.

In early 1963, after a return to Norfolk, the Okinawa entered port for her first major overhaul. This overhaul included a moderate reworking of the Okinawa’s interior equipment, and in the process of removing and upgrading her machinery, shipyard workers released significant amounts of asbestos that had been trapped within the Okinawa’s hull. After returning to the ship, the Okinawa’s crew was undoubtedly exposed to the asbestos fibers, and the Okinawa returned to sea in the summer of 1963 with her crew still faced with the risk of asbestos inhalation.

The USS Okinawa made her first deployment to Europe in 1965, which included stops in Spain, England, and France. In 1967, after five years with the Atlantic Fleet, the Okinawa was ordered into duty with the Pacific Fleet. Okinawa and her crew made their first combat deployment to Vietnam in early 1967, followed by a return expedition in 1969. Over the course of the Vietnam War, the USS Okinawa participated in seven Navy campaigns, earning a total of seven battle stars for her service.

Following her service in Vietnam, the USS Okinawa continued to operate with the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. In 1971 the Okinawa served as the recovery ship for the Apollo 15 astronauts. In late 1992 the Okinawa was ordered to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco Bay, where she began a pre-inactivation overhaul. The Okinawa’s overhaul stripped her of all nonessential equipment, and the work resulted in another significant asbestos release. Working under the constant threat of asbestos exposure, the Mare Island crews eventually prepared the Okinawa for her final decommissioning, which occurred on December 17th, 1992. On June 6th, 2002, the USS Okinawa was sunk during a Navy submarine exercise.

People who served our country in the military have long known that their enlistments come with inherent risks, regardless of whether or not they undergo battle action. However, what many US servicemen and servicewomen in most of the 1900s, especially those aboard navy ships, did not realize was that asbestos contact could turn out to be just as deadly as enemy fire.

To protect the ship's crew, as well as the vessel itself, from flames and excessive heat, fireproof materials are important when constructing a ship. As a result, it was not unusual (and in many cases required by law) for insulators such as the mineral asbestos to be utilized when ships like USS Okinawa were constructed. Asbestos was known even in ancient times for its insulation properties, but it was also proven to be the primary cause of such debilitating illnesses including "miners lung" and pleural mesothelioma. The harm caused by asbestos occurs when microscopic fibers are inhaled or ingested so that they can infiltrate the lungs and sometimes other organs, causing development of scar tissue in the case of asbestosis and damage at the cellular level in the case of mesothelioma.

The consequences of ingesting asbestos were probably not a high priority to many sailors when they were concerned with fighting off an enemy attack or dealing with collisions with other ships. Asbestos exposure was actually a significant secondary hazard if a ship was damaged in battle, however, because such circumstances all too often exposed asbestos-containing materials to the elements. And even outside of battle conditions, those who served on navy ships like USS Okinawa still were faced with at least a certain level of exposure because practically every compartment of the ship had asbestos. Since asbestos was common around ship's conduits and boiler rooms, service personnel who spent time in such areas were especially in danger. Even land-based personnel like carpenters were subject to coming down with asbestos-related illnesses when they repaired US Navy ships like USS Okinawa without using safety equipment and procedures.

Most asbestos-related diseases can take 20 years or more to develop. However, being aware of a patient's history of asbestos exposure can help a healthcare professional in being able to make an accurate diagnosis. Naval veterans who overhauled or had a tour of duty aboard USS Okinawa are therefore advised to discuss their service history with their physicians.

Sources:

  1. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships:
    http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/o2/okinawa.htm
  2. Haze Gray:
    http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_assau.htm
  3. NavSource:
    http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/11/1103.htm

Auxiliary Vessels Index

USNS Asterion T-AF-63
USNS Cheyenne T-AG-174
USNS Cumberland T-AO-153
USNS David C Shanks T-AP-180
USNS Fred C Aunsworth T-AP-181
USNS Geiger T-AP-197
USNS Harris County T-LST-822
USNS Lt. George W. G.
Boyce T-AK-251

USNS Lt. Robert Craig T-AK-252
USNS Marine Adder AP-193
USNS Mission San Antonio T-AO-119
USNS Provo T-AG-173
USNS Rincon T-AOG-77
USNS Sgt. Andrew Miller T-AK-242
USNS Sgt. Curtis F. Shoup T-AG-175
USNS Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton T-AKV-5
USNS Sgt. Morris E. Crain T-AK-244
USNS Shearwater T-AG-177
USS Admiral Hugh Rodman AP-126
USS Admiral W.S. Sims AP-127
USS Alamo LSD-33
USS Alshain AKA-55
USS Alstede AF-48
USS Andromeda AKA-15
USS Ashtabula AO-51
USS Bellatrix AKA-3
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Bryce Canyon AD 36
USS Cacapon AO-52
USS Caroline County LST-525
USS Carter Hall LSD-3
USS Cassia County LST-527
USS Catalpa AN-10
USS Cayuga County LST-529
USS Charleston LKA-113
USS Chimon AG-150
USS Chittenden County LST-561
USS Cimarron AO-22
USS Clarke County LST-601
USS Cleveland LPD-7
USS Collenton APB-36
USS Colonial LSD-18
USS Consolation AH-15
USS Crook County LST-611
USS DeKalb County LST-715
USS Denebola AF-56
USS Diphda AKA-59
USS Dixie AD-14
USS Dukes County LST-735
USS Dunn County LST-742
USS Duval County LST-758
USS El Paso LKA-117
USS Electron AG-146
USS Epping Forest LSD-4
USS Etlah AN-79
USS Firedrake AE-14
USS Floyd County LST-762
USS Fort Fisher LSD-40
USS Frederick LST-1184
USS Gardiners Bay AVP-39
USS General A.W. Brewster AP-155
USS General C.G. Morton AP-138
USS General D.E.Aultman AP-156
USS General George M. Randall AP-115
USS General H.F. Hodges AP-144
USS General J.C. Breckenridge AP-176
USS General LeRoy Eltinge AP-154
USS General M.C. Meigs AP-116
USS General M.M. Patrick AP-50
USS General R.L. Howze AP-134
USS General S.D. Sturgis AP-137
USS General W.A. Mann AP-112
USS General W.F. Hase AP-146
USS General W.M. Black AP-135
USS General William Mitchell AP-114
USS Genesee AOG-8
USS Grainger AK-184
USS Greer County LST-799
USS Guadalupe AO-32
USS Guam LPH-9
USS Haleakala AE-25
USS Hamilton County LST-802
USS Hampshire County LST-819
USS Haven AH-12
USS Hennepin AK-187
USS Herkimer AK-188
USS Hickman County LST-825
USS Holmes County LST-836
USS Hunterdon County LST-838
USS Inchon LPH-12
USS Iron County LST-840
USS James O'Hara APA-90
USS Jefferson County LST-845
USS Jerome County LST-848
USS Kansas City AOR-3
USS Kaskaskia AO-27
USS Kemper County LST-854
USS Keosanqua ATA-198
USS King County LST-857
USS Kishwaukee AOG-9
USS La Moure County LST-883
USS Laertes AR-20
USS Lawrence County LST-887
USS Lindenwald LSD-6
USS Luzerne County LST-902
USS Magoffin APA-199
USS Mahnomen County LST-912
USS Manatee AO-58
USS Markab AD-21
USS Mathews AKA-96
USS Mauna Kea AE-22
USS Mazama AE-9
USS Merapi AF-98
USS Merrick AKA-97
USS Mispillion AO-105
USS Monmouth County LST-1032
USS Monticello LSD-35
USS Mount Baker AE-4
USS Mount McKinley ACG-7
USS Mulberry AN-27
USS Muliphen AKA-61
USS Navasota AO-106
USS New Orleans LPH-11
USS Niagra Falls AFS-3
USS Ogden LPD-5
USS Okinawa LPH-3
USS Onslow APV-48
USS Orange County LST-1068
USS Outagamie County LST-1073
USS Paricutin AE-18
USS Park County LST-1077
USS Pasig AW-3
USS Patapsco AOG-1
USS Pender County LST-1080
USS Pictor AF-54
USS Platte AO-24
USS Plumas County LST-1083
USS Polaris AF-11
USS Portland LSD-37
USS Princeton CV-37
USS Procyon AF-61
USS Rainer AE-5
USS Regulus AF-57
USS Romulus-ARL-22
USS Sanborn APA-193
USS Sanctuary AH-17
USS Sarnac AO-74
USS Satyr ARL-23
USS Sedgwick County LST-1123
USS Sharps AG-139
USS Skagit AKA-105
USS Sphinx ARL 24
USS St. Clair County LST 1096
USS St. Joseph's River LSM 527
USS Steuben County LST 1138
USS Suisun AVP 53
USS Summit County LST 1146
USS Susquehanna AOG-5
USS Tallulah AO 50
USS Tensaw YT 418
USS Terrell County LST 1157
USS Thomaston LSD 28
USS Tioga County LST 1158
USS Tom Green County LST 1159
USS Tombigbee AOG 11
USS Tripoli LPH 10
USS Union AKA 106
USS Vancouver LPD 2
USS Vesuvius AE 15
USS Virgo AKA 20
USS Waccamaw AO 109
USS Wallacut YTB 420
USS Warrick AKA-89
USS Washoe County LST 1165
USS Westchester County LST 1165
USS Whetstone LSD 27
USS Whidbey AG 141
USS Whiteside AKA 90
USS Windham County LST 1170
USS Wrangell AE 12
USS Yancey AKA 93
USS Yazoo AN 92
USS Zelima AF 49
USTS Empire State V
mesothelioma-packet
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone Number:
Email:
Diagnosis:
Comments:
terms of use
asbestos awareness wristbands
click here
Nutrition & Dieting for Cancer
Learn what foods to eat, which to avoid, and the best supplements for the fight against cancer and chemotherapy recovery. cancer nutrition
click here
Veterans Assistance
Asbestos.com's Veterans Assistance Department can help you with questions about veterans and asbestos-related illnesses or about potential benefits.
asbestos navy ships
click here
Naval Ships Index
Search through our extensive list of ships that used asbestos-containing products.
(e.g. USS Alabama BB 60)
Mesothelioma Books
Two must read books for anyone who has or who is caring for someone with mesothelioma.
mesothelioma books
click here
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me or 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma.
Enroll in our Newsletter
Receive a copy of our monthly newsletter
with the latest clinical trials, survivor stories,
doctor profiles, and more.
Feature Story
" Mike Dews, 9-Year Mesothelioma Survivor"
This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.