Asbestos and Navy Patrol Boats
While larger ships like destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers garnered headlines and during World War II, smaller vessels also carried out vital missions. Patrol boats, which evolved from the small, fast corvettes of an earlier era, carried men and supplies along coastlines and through riverways in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. These craft did not carry the heavy armor or big guns of their larger counterparts but penetrated deeper into enemy territory to accomplish stealth missions.
Navy patrol boats were constructed in a wide range of configurations, from large river gunboats to small coastal yachts. There was one bit of consistency: all of them contained insulation laced with asbestos.
Asbestos fibers were a major ingredient in insulation used to protect the engines, boilers and steam pipes used to power the vessels. As ships took battle damage and underwent repairs, the asbestos fibers often came loose and floated through the air in the small, cramped spaces. For this reason, Navy veterans who served on patrol boats have more of a risk of developing asbestos related diseases.
Learn More About VA Benefits
If you are a veteran who served on a patrol boat, you may be eligible for special VA benefits. Read our veterans claims page to learn about available financial assistance for you or your family.
Asbestos, Mesothelioma and Navy Patrol Boat Sailors
Although most patrol vessels had complements of less than 100 crewmen and officers, the smaller boats made it much more likely that those who served on them were exposed to asbestos. Several reports showed that among patients diagnosed with mesothelioma, nearly one-third either served on Navy vessels or worked on the construction, repair or dismantling of these vessels.
Sailors, officers and shipyard workers who inhaled these loose asbestos fibers in patrol boats often developed breathing disorders. The most severe lung disease associated with asbestos exposure is pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer that occurs when the asbestos fibers become embedded in the lining around the lungs. As a result of the construction of hundreds of patrol boats during World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War, thousands of men may have contracted this deadly disease.
Asbestos and Navy Shipyards
Men and women exposed to asbestos during the height of World War II were workers who built and repaired patrol boats and other vessels at the nation’s shipyards. Because many of the patrol boats had wooden hulls, the importance of asbestos as a fire retardant was a heightened need. Workers would often carry, cut and install asbestos-laced insulation and other components in the tight spaces both inside and outside the hulls of patrol boats.
- American Ship Building Company, Lorain, Ohio
- Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, Louisiana
- Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville, Florida
- George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts
- Luders Marine Construction Co., Stamford, Connecticut
- New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York
- Peterson Boat Works, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
- Robinson Marine Construction Co., Benton Harbor, Michigan
- Westergard Boat Works in Rockport, Texas
Famous Navy Patrol Boats
One patrol boat does have a place in history. In August 1943, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri rammed the Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 during a night patrol. The patrol boat carried 14 sailors and three officers, including commanding officer LTJG John F. Kennedy. Kennedy, who rescued most of his crew and informed his commanders of their location through a message carved into a coconut shell. Asked about being a war hero, Kennedy said: "It was involuntary. They sank my boat."
That experience helped shape Kennedy's life story and was influential in getting him elected to Congress in 1946. Six years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate and defeated Richard Nixon for the presidency in 1960.
More about Military Vessels and Asbestos Do you want more information about veterans and the amount of exposure on military ships and in shipyards? Get a free copy of the Mesothelioma Center's informational packet that details asbestos exposure and the military. Fill out this form and have your book sent to you.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Wednesday, February 15th, 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.
