Asbestos on Cruisers

Cruisers play an integral role in wartime operations, but their construction with asbestos materials posed threats to those on board. At least 140 cruisers are known to have contained asbestos and were in active combat during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War. Some of the types of cruisers that served our nation during wartime include battlecruisers, armored cruisers, command cruisers and guided missile cruisers.

These ships can perform different tasks in battle, making them highly utilized and versatile during wartime. However, the asbestos used in pipes and insulating materials made for dangerous conditions for those on board. With as many as 350 passengers on an average cruiser ship at a time, there were potentially thousands of crew members exposed to asbestos. Today, these veterans and shipyard workers are still at risk of developing mesothelioma cancer.

Name	Hull	Class	Commissioned	Fate
USS Alaska	CB-1	Alaska	6/17/1944	Scrapped
USS Albany	CA-123		6/15/1946	Scrapped, 1990
USS Amsterdam	CL-101		1/8/1945	Scrapped
USS Amsterdam	CL-59	Independence	1/14/1943	Sunk, 1951
USS Arkansas	CGN-41	Virginia	10/18/1980	Ship Recycling, 1999
USS Astoria	CA-34		4/28/1934	Sunk, 1942
USS Astoria	CL-90		5/17/1944	Sold for Scrap, 1971
USS Atlanta	CL-104		12/3/1944	Sunk as Target, 1970
USS Atlanta	CLAA-51		12/24/1941	Sunk, 1942
USS Augusta	CL/CA-31	Northampton	1/30/1931	Scrapped, 1960
USS Bainbridge	CGN-25	Leahy	10/6/1962	Recycled,, 1999
USS Baltimore	CA-68		4/15/1943	Scrapped, 1972
USS Belknap	CG-26	Belknap	11/7/1964	Sunk as Target, 1998
USS Biddle	CG-34	Belknap	1/21/1967	Scrapped
USS Biloxi	CL-80	Cleveland	8/31/1943	Scrapped, 1962
USS Birmingham	CL-62	Cleveland	1/29/1943	Scrapped, 1959
USS Boise	CL-47		8/12/1938	Scrapped, 1978
USS Boston	CAG-1		6/30/1943	Scrapped, 1975
USS Bremerton	CA-130	Baltimore	4/29/1945	Scrapped, 1974
USS Brooklyn	CL-40		9/30/1937	Sold to Chile, 1951
USS Buffalo	CL-99	Independence	11/17/1943	Sold for Scrap, 1961
USS Bunker Hill	CG-52	Ticonderoga	9/20/1986
USS California	CGN-36	California	2/16/1974	Recycling, 2000
USS Canberra	CA-70	Baltimore	10/14/1943	Sold for Scrap, 1980
USS Chester	CA-27	Northampton	6/24/1930	Sold for Scrap, 1959
USS Chicago	CA-136	Baltimore	1/10/1945	Scrapped, 1992
USS Chicago	CL/CA-29	Northampton	3/9/1931	Sunk, 1943
USS Cincinnati	CL-6	Omaha	1/1/1924	Scrapped, 1946
USS Cleveland	CL-55		6/15/1942	Sold for Scrap, 1960
USS Columbia	CL-56	Cleveland	7/29/1942	Sold for Scrap, 1959
USS Columbus	CA-74		6/8/1945	Scrapped, 1977
USS Concord	CL-10	Omaha	11/3/1923	Sold for Scrap, 1947
USS Dale	CG-19	Leahy	11/23/1963	Sunk as Target, 2000
USS Dayton	CL-105		1/7/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1962
USS Dayton	CL-78		6/17/1943	Sold for Scrap
USS Denver	CL-58	Cleveland	10/15/1942	Scrapped, 1960
USS Des Moines	CA-134	Des Moines	11/16/1948	Scrapped
USS Detroit	CL-8	Omaha	7/31/1923	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS Duluth	CL-87		9/18/1944	Scrapped
USS England	CG-22	Leahy	12/7/1963	Scrapped, 2004
USS Fall River	CA-131	Baltimore	7/1/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1972
USS Fargo	CL-106	Fargo	12/9/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1971
USS Fargo	CL-85	Independence	8/31/1943	Sold for Scrap
USS Flint	CL-97	Atlanta	8/31/1944	Scrapped, 1966
USS Fox	CG-33		5/8/1966	To Be Scrapped
USS Fresno	CL-121		11/27/1946	Scrapped, 1966
USS Galveston	CL-93	Galveston	5/28/1958	Sold for Scrap, 1975
USS Gridley	CG-21	Leahy	5/25/1963	Scrapped, 2005
USS Guam	CB-2		9/17/1944	Scrapped
USS Halsey	CG-23	Leahy	7/20/1963	Scrapped, 2003
USS Harry E. Yarnell	CG-17	Leahy	2/2/1963	Scrapped, 2002
USS Helena	CA-75		9/4/1945	Scrapped, 1974
USS Helena	CL-50	St. Louis	9/18/1939	Sunk, 1943
USS Honolulu	CL-48	Brooklyn	6/15/1938	Scrapped, 1949
USS Horne	CG-30		4/15/1967	Sunk as Target, 2008
USS Houston	CA-30		6/17/1930	Sunk, 1942
USS Houston	CL-81	Cleveland	12/20/1943	Scrapped
USS Huntington	CL-107		2/23/1946	Sold for Scrap, 1962
USS Indianapolis	CA-35	Portland	11/15/1932	Sunk, 1945
USS Josephus Daniels	CG-27		5/8/1965	Scrapped
USS Jouett	CG-29		12/3/1966	Sunk, 2007
USS Juneau	CL-119	Atlanta	2/15/1946	Sold for Scrap, 1962
USS Juneau	CL-52	Atlanta	2/14/1942	Sunk, 1942
USS Leahy	CG-16	Leahy	8/4/1962	Scrapped, 2005
USS Little Rock	CG-4	Cleveland	6/17/1945	Museum Ship
USS Long Beach	CGN-9		9/9/1961	Sub Recycling
USS Los Angeles	CA-135	Baltimore	7/22/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1975
USS Louisville	CL/CA-28		1/15/1931	Scrapped, 1959
USS Macon	CA-132	Baltimore	8/26/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1973
USS Manchester	CL-83	Cleveland	10/29/1946	Scrapped, 1960
USS Marblehead	CL-12	Omaha	9/8/1924	Scrapped, 1946
USS Memphis	CL-13	Omaha	2/4/1925	Scrapped, 1947
USS Miami	CL-89	Cleveland	12/28/1943	Scrapped, 1962
USS Milwaukee	CL-5	Omaha	6/20/1923	Sold for Scrap, 1949
USS Minneapolis	CA-36		5/19/1934	Scrapped, 1959
USS Mississippi	CGN-40	Virginia	8/5/1978	To Be Recycled
USS Missoula	CA-13	Tennessee	7/21/1908	Scrapped, 1935
USS Mobile	CL-63	Cleveland	3/24/1943	Scrapped, 1960
USS Montana	ACR-13	Tennessee	7/21/1908	Scrapped, 1935
USS Montpelier	CL-57	Cleveland	9/9/1942	Scrapped, 1960
USS Nashville	CL-43	Brooklyn	6/6/1938	Sold to Chile, 1951
USS New Haven	CL-76		3/31/1943	Sold for Scrap, 1960
USS New Orleans	CL/CA-32	New Orleans	2/15/1934	Scrapped, 1959
USS Newark	CL-100	Independence	11/15/1943	Scrapped
USS Newport News	CA-148	Des Moines	1/29/1949	Scrapped, 1993
USS Northampton	CA-125		3/7/1953	Scrapped
USS Northampton	CA-26		5/17/1930	Sunk, 1942
USS Oakland	CL-95	Atlanta	7/17/1943	Sold for Scrap, 1959
USS Oklahoma City	CL-91	Galveston	12/22/1944	Sunk as Target, 1999
USS Omaha	CL-4	Omaha	2/24/1923	Scrapped, 1946
USS Oregon City	CA-122	Oregon City	2/16/1946	Scrapped, 1973
USS Pasadena	CL-65	Cleveland	6/8/1944	Scrapped, 1970
USS Pensacola	CL/CA-24	Pensacola	2/6/1930	Sunk as Target, 1948
USS Philadelphia	CL-41	Brooklyn	9/23/1937	Sold to Brazil, 1951
USS Phoenix	CL-46		10/3/1938	Sunk, 1982
USS Pittsburgh	CA-72	Baltimore	10/10/1944	Sold for Scrap, 1974
USS Portland	CL/CA-33		2/23/1933	Sold for Scrap, 1959
USS Portsmouth	CL-102	Cleveland	6/25/1945	Scrapped, 1974
USS Providence	CL-82	Cleveland	5/15/1945	Sold for Scrap, 1980
USS Quincy	CA-39		6/9/1936	Sunk, 1942
USS Quincy	CA-71	Baltimore	12/15/1943	Scrapped, 1974
USS Raleigh	CL-7		2/6/1924	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS Reeves	CG-24	Leahy	5/15/1964	Sunk as Target, 2001
USS Reno	CL-96	Atlanta	12/28/1943	Scrapped, 1962
USS Richmond	CL-9	Omaha	7/2/1923	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS Richmond K. Turner	CG-20	Leahy	6/13/1964	Sunk as Target, 1998
USS Roanoke	CL-145	Worcester	4/4/1949	Sold to Levin Metals, 1972
USS Rochester	CA-124	Oregon City	12/20/1946	Scrapped, 1974
USS Salem	CA-139	Des Moines	5/14/1949
USS Salt Lake City	CL/CA-25	Pensacola	12/11/1929	Sunk as Target, 1948
USS San Diego	CL-53	Atlanta	1/10/1942	Sold for Scrap, 1960
USS San Francisco	CA-38		2/10/1934	Scrapped, 1959
USS San Juan	CL-54	Atlanta	2/28/1942	Sold for Scrap, 1961
USS Santa Fe	CL-60	Cleveland	11/24/1942	Scrapped, 1959
USS Savannah	CL-42	Brooklyn	3/10/1938	Scrapped, 1966
USS Seattle	CA-11	Tennessee	8/7/1906	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS South Carolina	CGN-37	California	1/25/1975	To Be Recycled
USS Spokane	CL-120	Atlanta	5/17/1946	Sold for Scrap, 1973
USS Springfield	CL-66	Cleveland	9/9/1944	Scrapped
USS Springfield	CLG/CG-7	Cleveland	9/9/1944	Scrapped
USS St. Louis	CL-49	St. Louis	5/19/1939	Sold to Brazil, 1951
USS St. Paul	CA-73	Baltimore	2/17/1945	Scrapped, 1980
USS Sterett	CG-31		4/8/1967	To Be Dismantled
USS Tallahassee	CL-61	Independence	2/25/1943	Sunk, 1944
USS Texas	CGN-39	Virginia	9/10/1977	Recycling, 2001
USS Ticonderoga	CG-47	Ticonderoga	1/22/1983
USS Toledo	CA-133	Baltimore	10/27/1946	Sold for Scrap, 1974
USS Topeka	CL-67		12/23/1944	Scrapped, 1975
USS Trenton	CL-11	Omaha	4/19/1924	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS Truxtun	CGN-35	Belknap	5/27/1967	Ship Recycling, 1999
USS Tucson	CL-98	Atlanta	2/3/1945	Scrapped, 1971
USS Tuscaloosa	CA-37	New Orleans	8/17/1934	Scrapped, 1959
USS Valley Forge	CG-50		1/18/1986	Sunk as Target, 2006
USS Vicksburg	CL-86	Cleveland	6/12/1944	Scrapped, 1964
USS Vincennes	CA-44	New Orleans	2/24/1937	Sunk, 1942
USS Vincennes	CG-49	Ticonderoga	7/6/1985	Sold for Scrap, 2010
USS Vincennes	CL-64	Cleveland	1/21/1944	Sunk as Target
USS Virginia	CGN-38	Virginia	9/11/1976	Ship Recycling, 2002
USS Washington	ACR-11	Tennessee	8/7/1906	Sold for Scrap, 1946
USS Wichita	CA-45		2/16/1939	Scrapped, 1959
USS Wilkes-Barre	CL-103	Cleveland	7/1/1944	Sunk, 1972
USS William H. Standley	CG-32		7/9/1966	Scrapped
USS Wilmington	CL-79	Independence	7/24/1943	Scrapped, 2002
USS Worcester	CL-144	Worcester	6/26/1948	Sold for Scrap, 1972
USS Worden	CG-18	Leahy	8/3/1963	Sunk as Target, 2000
USS Yorktown	CG-48	Ticonderoga	7/4/1984	Scheduled for Scrapping