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Cruisers & Asbestos Exposure

The cruiser vessel was a sizable warship that was larger than a destroyer, but smaller than a battleship. For most of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the cruiser was the Navy's long-range weapon of attack while the larger ships stayed closer to the home base. The cruiser's main role was to attack enemy merchant ships.

Like all other ships built by the Navy before the 1980s, cruisers were heavily fitted with asbestos materials. The consistent use of cruiser ships led to flaking and cracking of these asbestos-containing products on board. The steady vibration and motion of being at sea, coupled with constant damaging blows due to tight quarters, forced fibers to become airborne and these fibers spread throughout the ship. Tiny particles of asbestos were effortlessly inhaled or ingested and readily attached to the internal linings of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. Due to the nature of their work, both crew members and shipbuilders were equally at risk.

Asbestos was predominately used for insulation and in products located near engine rooms where heat resistance was of utmost importance. Products such as cables, gaskets, and valves were also covered in asbestos through the form of a spray. Due to an extended latency period, it can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years for the damage done by this mineral to produce symptoms, and this severely complicates the treatment process.

Cruisers Index

USS Alaska CB 1
USS Albany CA 123
USS Amsterdam CL 101
USS Astoria CL 34
USS Astoria CL 90
USS Atlanta CL 104
USS Atlanta CL 51
USS Augusta CA 31
USS Baltimore CA 68
USS Bainbridge CGN 25
USS Belknap CG 26
USS Biddle CG 34
USS Biloxi CL 80
USS Birmingham CL 62
USS Boise CL 47
USS Boston CA 169
USS Bremerton CA 130
USS Brooklyn CL 40
USS Canberra CA 70
USS Chester CA 27
USS Chicago CA 29
USS Cleveland CL 55
USS Columbia CL 56
USS Columbus CA 74
USS Dale CG 19
USS Dayton CL 105
USS Denver CL 58
USS Des Moines CA 134
USS Duluth CL 87
USS England CG 22
USS Fall River CA 131
USS Fargo CL 106
USS Flint CL 97
USS Fox CG 33
USS Fresno CL 121
USS Galveston CL 93
USS Gridley CG 21
USS Guam CB 2
USS Halsey CG 23
USS Harry E. Yarnell CG 17
USS Helena CL 50
USS Helena CA 75
USS Honolulu CL 48
USS Horne CG 30
USS Houston CA 30
USS Houston CL 81
USS Huntington CL 107
USS Indianapolis CA 35
USS Josephus Daniels CG 27
USS Jouett CG 29
USS Juneau CL 52
USS Juneau CL 119
USS Leahy CG 16
USS Lexington CV 2
USS Little Rock CL 92
USS Los Angeles CA 135
USS Louisville CA 28
USS Macon CA 132
USS Manchester CL 83
USS Marblehead CL 12
USS Memphis CL 13
USS Miami CL 89
USS Milwaukee CL 5
USS Minneapolis CA 36
USS Mobile CL 63
USS Montpelier CL 57
USS Nashville CL 43
USS New Orleans CA 32
USS Newport News CA 148
USS Northhampton CA 26
USS Northampton CA 125
USS Oakland CL 95
USS Oklahoma City CL 91
USS Oklahoma City CLG 5
USS Oregon City CA 122
USS Omaha CL 4
USS Pasadena CL 65
USS Pensacola CA 24
USS Philadelphia CL 41
USS Phoenix CL 46
USS Pittsburgh CA 72
USS Portland CA 33
USS Portsmouth CL 102
USS Providence CL 82
USS Quincy CA 39
USS Quincy CA 71
USS Raleigh CL 7
USS Reeves CG 24
USS Reno CL 96
USS Richmond CL 9
USS Richmond K. Turner CG 20
USS Roanoke CL 145
USS Rochester CA 124
USS St Paul CA 73
USS Salem CA 139
USS Salt Lake City CA 25
USS San Diego CL 53
USS San Francisco CA 38
USS San Juan CL 54
USS Santa Fe CL 60
USS Savannah CL 42
USS Spokane CL 120
USS Springfield CL 66
USS St Louis CL 49
USS Sterett CG 31
USS Toledo CA 133
USS Topeka CL 67
USS Trenton CL 11
USS Tucson CL 98
USS Tuscaloosa CA 37
USS Vicksburg CL 86
USS Vincennes CA 44
USS Vincennes CL 64
USS Wichita CA 45
USS Wilkes Barre CL 103
USS William H. Standley CG 32
USS Worcester CL 144
USS Worden CG 18
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