Asbestos on Navy Minesweepers
During World War II and the Korean Conflict, minesweeper vessels served multiple purposes besides the vital task in their name. In addition to detecting and removing enemy mines from shorelines and sea lanes, minesweepers also served as patrol vessels and conducted anti-submarine warfare maneuvers. Minesweepers were often the first vessels to move into a new theater of operations, well before the destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers, and enabled those vessels to carry out their important missions.
The largest and most notable class of minesweepers during these years was the Admirable class. Admirable-class vessels carried a wide range of weapons, including machine guns, artillery and anti-submarine depth charges. One notable vessel, USS Hazard (AM-240), escorted convoys from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor, then out to the South Pacific. She also took part in minesweeping and anti-submarine operations before the U.S. invasion of Okinawa in 1945.
From the Great Depression through the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy used dozens of products containing asbestos in the construction of the hundreds of minesweeper ships employed throughout the conflict. The mineral was inexpensive, plentiful and lightweight, making it an ideal component for ship construction. The fibers also showed a high resistance to fire and extreme heat.
The use of asbestos was plentiful, and it was exposed to sailors who served on minesweepers. Such exposure is a trigger point for mesothelioma, which develops 10 to 50 years following initial exposure. Order a free informational packet to understand the relationship between asbestos and mesothelioma. Fill out this form and have a packet sent to you overnight, courtesy of the Mesothelioma Center.
Asbestos, Mesothelioma and Minesweepers
Asbestos soon became a vital ingredient in insulation used around steam pipes, engine boilers and other minesweeper compartments that experienced high temperatures. According to a listing of components used to build minesweepers and other Navy vessels, more than three hundred parts included asbestos as a major ingredient.
During wartime, sailors often had to work long hours in cramped spaces to keep their minesweeper vessels in top condition. These brave men also had to constantly deal with the threat of enemy attacks from aircraft, submarines, ships and mines. Decades later, after surviving the horrors of war, thousands of them are now confronted with the threat of asbestos-related lung disease.
In the decades that followed World War II, many of the workers, sailors and officers aboard Navy minesweepers, as well as those on other vessels, reported experiencing respiratory illnesses. Scientific studies later revealed a connection between exposure to asbestos and lung disease.
Asbestos and Naval Shipyards
The men at sea were not the only ones affected by the prevalence of asbestos on minesweepers. Thousands of shipyard workers carried, cut, handled and installed the hundreds of asbestos-laced components as they built the minesweepers.
Many of them, as well as their families, are seeking restitution through the legal system to recover medical expenses, lost income and funeral costs.
Numerous shipyards took part in the construction of Navy minesweepers, including:
- American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
- Gulf Shipbuilding Corp., Chickasaw, Alabama
- Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, Seattle, Washington
- Savannah Machine & Foundry Co., Savannah, Georgia
- Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida
- Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company, Bainbridge Island, Washington
- Willamette Iron and Steel Works, Portland, Oregon
Veterans and VA Claims
If you served on a minesweeper, read our veterans claims page to learn about additional benefits for which you may be eligible. This can also affect your spouse. If you have mesothelioma because of asbestos exposure, that is a reason for extra benefits.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Friday, April 27th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
