The Anchorage class consisted of five dock landing ships (LSD-36 through LSD-40) commissioned between 1969 and 1972 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi to support Marine Corps amphibious operations. The Anchorage class carried landing craft (LCU, LCAC predecessors) and Marine vehicles in a flooded well deck and served as the primary dock landing ship type through the Vietnam era and into the 1980s before being replaced by the Whidbey Island class. These 553-foot amphibious ships used steam turbine propulsion with asbestos-containing engineering plant insulation consistent with the late-1960s construction standards.

Steam Plant Asbestos

Anchorage-class dock landing ships used steam turbine propulsion with asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — the steam boilers aboard Anchorage-class ships used asbestos boiler lagging on exterior surfaces and asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers consistent with the 1969-era construction specifications, which still incorporated asbestos insulation in naval ship boiler plant construction at the time these ships were built
  • Main steam piping — the steam distribution piping from the Anchorage-class boilers to propulsion turbines and auxiliary steam loads used asbestos-containing pipe covering on the hot steam lines in the engineering spaces. BT and MM ratings maintaining the Anchorage-class engineering plant performed pipe covering maintenance that disturbed asbestos-containing insulation in the engineering spaces
  • Auxiliary machinery — boiler feed pumps, steam-driven pumps, and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in the engineering maintenance cycle

Well Deck and Amphibious Operations

Anchorage-class ships operated in support of Marine Corps amphibious exercises and operations:

  • The amphibious crew supporting well deck operations — flooding, drying, and operating landing craft from the well deck — worked in the ship’s engineering plant areas adjacent to the steam systems serving the well deck ballasting and dewatering operations

VA Claims for Anchorage-Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard amphibious ships. Engineering ratings who served aboard Anchorage-class dock landing ships and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.

Product & Manufacturer Reference

The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.

Pipe Covering & Block Insulation Thermal insulation applied to steam lines, valves, and equipment in engine rooms and fire rooms Marine Products Insulation, gaskets, and packing products specified for naval and commercial marine applications Boilers & Steam Equipment Boiler manufacturers and insulation products — central to the fire room exposure pathway Gaskets & Packing Sheet and ring gaskets used throughout piping flanges, valve bonnets, and pump housings Electrical Products Wire insulation, switchgear arc chutes, and panel liners used throughout electrical spaces Full Product Index Search all 200+ manufacturers and 1,500+ documented asbestos products on AsbestosIndex™

Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Anchorage-Class Dock Landing Ships (LSD)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:

VA Presumptive Benefits — No Filing Deadline

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). No statute of limitations applies to VA disability compensation claims.

Available benefits may include monthly disability compensation, Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses, priority VA healthcare enrollment, and Special Monthly Compensation for severe cases. Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products do not reduce VA compensation.

How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.

VA Claims Guide on This Site › Compare: VA vs. Civil Lawsuit

Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.