USS Boston (CA-69)

The USS Boston (CA-69) was built by the union workers of the Bethlehem Steel Company at its Fore River facility in Massachusetts and launched on 26 August 1942. The vessel was commissioned 30 June 1943 under the command of Capt. J. H. Carson.

Cruisers are a specialized type of warship, intermediate in tonnage and displacement between a destroyer and a full-sized battleship. Both cruisers and battleships have been phased out in favor of high-speed destroyers. The Baltimore-class, of which the Boston was an example, represented the last of the "all-gun" heavy cruisers of their type.

The Boston reported to the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1943. She joined the Fast Carrier Task Force in January 1944 and took part in almost every operation in the Marshall Island group, the Solomons, the Philippines and eventually the Japanese home islands. The Boston returned to Long Beach, California on 25 March, 1945 for overdue maintenance and overhaul. Returning to the western Pacific in July, she rejoined the fast carrier task force for the raids on the Japanese home islands, including the bombardment of Kamaishi and the main island of Honshu.

Following the Japanese surrender, the Boston remained in Asian waters on occupation duty until 28 February, 1946. She then sailed for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, arriving in October. She was then decommissioned and mothballed for six years.

Korea and the Cold War

In January 1952, the Boston was designated as CAG-1 and slated to become the world's first guided missile cruiser. She was towed from Bremerton to Philadelphia for the conversion work, which was carried out by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. During the refit, her aft turret was replaced with anti-aircraft missile launchers and she received other modifications and upgrades. The Boston was recommissioned on 1 November, 1955 as the lead ship of her class.

For the next 12 months, the Boston operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean, conducting missile evaluations and participating in fleet exercises until departing for the Mediterranean on 23 November, 1956 for a six-month tour of duty with the 6th Fleet.

Between December 1957 and May 1958, the Boston made a midshipmen's cruise to South America, participated in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and spent time in the yard undergoing maintenance. The USS Boston made her second 6th Fleet tour of the Mediterranean during the summer of 1958. The first Lebanon crisis occurred during this period and during the next eight years, the Boston made several trips to the Mediterranean. Between these tours, she participated in exercises in the North Sea, the Caribbean and off the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Vietnam War

In April 1967, the Boston returned to the Pacific for the first time in 15 years for a tour of combat service with the 7th Fleet, assigned to Naval Gunfire Support Task Unit 77.8.9 and Sea Dragon operations off North Vietnam. From her home port on the east coast, the Boston deployed to Vietnam twice more, from April to October 1968 and again from May to November 1969.

Just before her third tour of duty to the combat zone, the Boston was reclassified from Guided-Missile Heavy Cruiser to "Heavy Cruiser, Attack" and given her original hull number of CA-69. On the night 16-17 June, 1968, the USS Boston and the Australian guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart were conducting naval gunfire against North Vietnamese targets when the former was accidentally attacked by U.S. jet aircraft. Two Australian crewmen were killed and minor damage occurred to both warships.

The USS Boston was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 5 May, 1970. She was eventually sold to Southern Scrap Metals of New Orleans, Louisiana where she was scrapped in 1975 and 1976.

Asbestos Risks

Since people first began fighting organized battles, those who serve in the military have understood that their service means facing numerous perils. What many didn't know about in the 1900s, however, was a risk unrelated to mortar fire or enemy actions: the possibility of developing a disease caused by exposure to asbestos.

To protect the ship's crew, along with the ship itself, from fire and overheating, materials that prevent the spread of fire are necessary when building a ship. Given asbestos' superb ability to block flames, it was appropriate for use in the construction of ships. Asbestos has been known for centuries for its insulation properties, but it has also been proven to be the primary factor in the development of such serious conditions such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. Asbestos creates problems for the body when the mineral is friable since it can then enter the body by being inhaled.

Most asbestos-related diseases can take many years to manifest. Understanding a patient's history of asbestos exposure is vital for a physician to be able to determine if a patient is likely to have mesothelioma. If you are a veteran who served on USS Boston during your career, you should become knowledgeable about the symptoms of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases and discuss your asbestos exposure history with your physician.

If you have already been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos exposure, you may have legal options for compensation. For more information, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a free informational packet.

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