Asbestos Exposure on Cruisers
Many Navy Vessels, including cruisers, built before the 1980s are known to contain asbestos.
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- USS Bainbridge (CGN 25) (ex-DLGN 25)
- USS Boston (CA 69) (ex-CAG 1)
- USS Bremerton (CA 130)
- USS Columbus (CG 12) (ex-CA 74)
- USS Des Moines (CA 134)
- USS Fall River (CA-131)
- USS Gridley (CG 21) (ex-DLG 21)
- USS Jouett (CG 29) (ex-DLG 29)
- USS Little Rock (CG 4) (ex-CL 92, CLG 4)
- USS Los Angeles (CA 135)
- USS Nashville (CL 43)
- USS Springfield (CG 7) (ex-CLG 7)
- USS Sterett (CG 31) (ex-DLG 31)
- USS Toledo (CA 133)
- We Can Help
Currently, only three nations (United States, Russia, and Peru) operate cruisers. Cruisers are built to carry out sea raids and to provide protection to other ships in the fleet. They are smaller than battleships but larger than destroyers. Unfortunately men on all types of cruisers were exposed to asbestos while aboard these vessels. Asbestos was found in a number of areas on these ships, in particular the insulation that lined piping.
Anyone who served on a cruiser should speak with their doctor regarding asbestos related diseases, such as Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer, and the treatment options available.
USS Bainbridge (CGN 25) (ex-DLGN 25)
- Classification: Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Recycling
- Fleet:
- Launch Date: 4/15/1961
- Commission Date: 10/6/1962
- Decommission Date: 9/13/1996
USS Bainbridge started out on the Mediterranean in February of 1963. Shortly after, in the early 1970’s, she began a series of Western Pacific deployments in support of the US effort in Vietnam. Over the next decade, the USS Bainbridge was deployed to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and even had some combat engagements off of Libya and Kosovo.
USS Boston (CA 69) (ex-CAG 1)
- Classification: Gun Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: Pacific
- Launch Date: 8/26/1942
- Commission Date: 6/30/1943
- Decommission Date: 5/5/1970
USS Boston reported to the Pacific Fleet arriving in Pearl Harbor in December of 1943. She took part in raids on the Marshall Islands and Okinawa among many others including China and Japan itself. The USS Boston received ten battle stars for her World War II service.
USS Bremerton (CA 130)
- Classification: Gun Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 7th
- Launch Date: 7/2/1944
- Commission Date: 4/29/1945
- Decommission Date: 7/29/1960
USS Bremerton received two battle stars for her service in the Korean War. She also attended the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.
USS Columbus (CG 12) (ex-CA 74)
- Classification: Baltimore Class Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: Atlantic/Pacific
- Launch Date: 11/30/1944
- Commission Date: 6/8/1945
- Decommission Date: 1/31/1975
Since the USS Columbus was commissioned too late for combat in World War II, she performed post war occupation duty in the Far East and participated in Operation “Road’s End.” The operation consisted of sinking twenty-four Japanese submarines captured at the end of the war, including I-58, the submarine credited for sinking the American Cruiser Indianapolis in the last days of the war. She spent the majority of her time in the Western Pacific and Mediterranean.
USS Des Moines (CA 134)
- Classification: Gun Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling
- Fleet: 6th
- Launch Date: 9/27/1946
- Commission Date: 11/15/1948
- Decommission Date: 7/6/1961
USS Fall River (CA-131)
- Classification: Baltimore Class Cruiser
- Status: Sold for Scrap, 28 August 1972
- Launch Date: 13 August 1944
- Commission Date: 1 July 1945
- Decommission Date: 31 October 1947
USS Fall River was a heavy cruiser assigned to JTF 1, organized to conduct Operation Crossroads, atomic weapons test in the Marshall Island. USS Fall River served a tour of duty in the Far East. Although it was authorized during WWII, it was completed too late to see service during that time.
USS Gridley (CG 21) (ex-DLG 21)
- Classification: Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling
- Fleet:
- Launch Date: 7/31/1961
- Commission Date: 5/25/1963
- Decommission Date: 1/21/1994
The USS Gridley spent most of her time in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.
USS Jouett (CG 29) (ex-DLG 29)
- Classification: Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of in support of Fleet Training Exercise
- Fleet: Pacific
- Launch Date: 6/30/1964
- Commission Date: 12/10/1966
- Decommission Date: 1/28/1994
The USS Jouett served in Vietnam, Western Pacific, and Indian Ocean.
USS Little Rock (CG 4) (ex-CL 92, CLG 4)
- Classification: Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Donated as a Museum and Memorial (Currently Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park, Buffalo, NY).
- Fleet:
- Launch Date: 8/27/1944
- Commission Date: 6/17/1945
- Decommission Date: 11/22/1976
USS Los Angeles (CA 135)
- Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 7th
- Launch Date: 8/20/1944
- Commission Date: 7/22/1945
- Decommission Date: 11/15/1963
The USS Los Angeles received five battle stars for her service during the Korean conflict.
USS Nashville (CL 43)
- Classification: Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet:
- Launch Date: 10/2/1937
- Commission Date: 6/6/1938
- Decommission Date: 6/24/1946
USS Nashville escorted the USS Hornet on the infamous Doolittle raid on Japan in April of 1942. Throughout the war she spent most of her time in the Western and Northern Pacific on assault missions and escorting other ships in the fleet. On December 13, 1944 she suffered a kamikaze attack to her port side that left 133 sailors dead and another 190 wounded. The USS Nashville received 10 battle stars for her service during World War II.
USS Springfield (CG 7) (ex-CLG 7)
- Classification: Cleveland Class Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 5th/3rd/7th/6th/2nd
- Launch Date: 3/9/1944
- Commission Date: 9/9/1944
- Decommission Date: 5/15/1974
USS Springfield carried President Roosevelt to Malta where he would board a plane to take him to Yalta for the “Big Three” Conference. She then traveled to Okinawa where she helped ward off enemy air attacks and help protect the aircraft carriers in the area. She received two battle stars for her World War II service. After the war, the USS Springfield spent time in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean conducting training and peace keeping missions.
USS Sterett (CG 31) (ex-DLG 31)
- Classification: Guided Missile Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling
- Fleet:
- Launch Date: 6/30/1964
- Commission Date: 4/8/1967
- Decommission Date: 3/24/1994
The USS Sterett spent most of her career in the Western Pacific and earned nine battle stars for her service along the coast of Vietnam. She was also involved in the search for Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was shot down by Soviets in 1983.
USS Toledo (CA 133)
- Classification: Cruiser
- Status: Disposed of by Navy Sale
- Fleet: 7th
- Launch Date: 5/6/1945
- Commission Date: 10/27/1946
- Decommission Date: 5/21/1960
USS Toledo operated in the Far East in support of occupation forces visiting ports in Japan and Korea. Her first combat tour of duty came in 1950 after North Korean forces invaded the Republic of Korea. She assisted in bombarding communication arteries, destroying bridges and roads, and wreaking havoc on enemy supply lines. She completed her tour of duty in 1951 returning to the United States for training missions and exercises. She returned to Korea in 1952 supporting the United Nations’ forces while armistice talks dragged on. USS Toledo returned to the United States in early 1953, and was undergoing repairs when hostilities ended. She earned five battle stars for her service during the Korean War. USS Toledo continued to patrol the waters along the Korean peninsula and the South China Sea, conducting goodwill calls and peacekeeping exercises for the remainder of her career.
We Can Help
Asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma lawsuits involving active-duty or retired members of the U.S. military involve additional, complex legal issues and considerations.
At The Gori Law Firm, you’ll find lawyers with extensive experience in military asbestos and mesothelioma cases, and a staff that is highly qualified and specially trained to assist us in handling these difficult cases. We also work diligently to help people living with mesothelioma obtain a trial date within six to nine months from the time their lawsuit is filed.
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