U.S. Navy battleships have historically played a strategic role during wartime and were used in both offensive and defensive roles. Unfortunately, many U.S. Navy veterans who served on these heavily armed warships were unknowingly exposed to asbestos throughout their tour of duty. Tens of thousands of people may have been exposed to these harmful materials during their time aboard one of the dozens of battleships. For example, the USS Alabama alone held as many as 2,300 passengers at a time during war.
Several areas of these battleships, such as the engine and boiler rooms, were constructed with asbestos to make them fireproof. Repair or maintenance work in these areas often resulted in the creation of airborne asbestos dust. Anyone breathing in concentrated amounts of asbestos over a prolonged period of time, like Navy veterans who served on U.S. battleships, is at risk of developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases even decades after exposure.
| Name |
Hull |
Class |
Commissioned |
Fate |
| USS Alabama |
BB-60 |
South Dakota |
8/16/1942 |
Museum Ship |
| USS Arizona |
BB-39 |
Pennsylvania |
10/17/1916 |
Sunk, 1941 |
| USS Arkansas |
BB-33 |
Wyoming |
9/17/1912 |
Sunk, 1946 |
| USS California |
BB-44 |
Tennessee |
8/10/1921 |
Sold for Scrap, 1959 |
| USS Colorado |
BB-45 |
Colorado |
8/30/1923 |
Sold for Scrap, 1959 |
| USS Delaware |
BB-28 |
|
4/4/1910 |
Sold for Scrap, 1924 |
| USS Florida |
BB-30 |
|
9/15/1911 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Idaho |
BB-24 |
|
4/1/1908 |
Sunk, 1941 |
| USS Idaho |
BB-42 |
New Mexico |
3/24/1919 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Indiana |
BB-58 |
South Dakota |
4/30/1942 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Iowa |
BB-61 |
Iowa |
2/22/1943 |
|
| USS Kansas |
BB-21 |
|
4/18/1907 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Maryland |
BB-46 |
Colorado |
7/21/1921 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Massachusetts |
BB-59 |
South Dakota |
5/12/1942 |
Museum Ship |
| USS Michigan |
BB-27 |
|
1/4/1910 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Minnesota |
BB-22 |
|
3/9/1907 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Mississippi |
BB-23 |
|
2/1/1908 |
Sold to Greece |
| USS Mississippi |
BB-41 |
New Mexico |
12/18/1917 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Missouri |
BB-63 |
Iowa |
6/11/1944 |
Museum Ship |
| USS Nevada |
BB-36 |
Nevada |
3/11/1916 |
Sunk, 1948 |
| USS New Hampshire |
BB-25 |
|
3/19/1908 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS New Jersey |
BB-62 |
Iowa |
5/23/1943 |
|
| USS New Mexico |
BB-40 |
New Mexico |
5/20/1918 |
Sold for Scrap, 1947 |
| USS New York |
BB-34 |
New York |
4/15/1914 |
Sunk, 1948 |
| USS North Carolina |
BB-55 |
North Carolina |
4/9/1941 |
Museum Ship |
| USS North Dakota |
BB-29 |
Delaware |
4/11/1910 |
Sold for Scrap, 1931 |
| USS Oklahoma |
BB-37 |
Nevada |
5/2/1916 |
Sunk, 1941 |
| USS Pennsylvania |
BB-38 |
Pennsylvania |
6/12/1916 |
Sunk, 1948 |
| USS South Carolina |
BB-26 |
|
3/1/1910 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS South Dakota |
BB-57 |
South Dakota |
3/20/1942 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Tennessee |
BB-43 |
Tennessee |
6/3/1920 |
Sold for Scrap, 1959 |
| USS Texas |
BB-35 |
New York |
3/12/1914 |
Museum Ship |
| USS Utah |
BB-31 |
|
8/31/1911 |
Sunk, 1941 |
| USS Vermont |
BB-20 |
|
3/4/1907 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Washington |
BB-56 |
North Carolina |
5/15/1941 |
Sold for Scrap, 1961 |
| USS West Virginia |
BB-48 |
Colorado |
12/1/1923 |
Sold for Scrap |
| USS Wisconsin |
BB-64 |
Iowa |
4/16/1944 |
Museum Ship |
| USS Wyoming |
BB-32 |
Wyoming |
9/25/1912 |
Sold for Scrap |
Sources
