Barbel Class Submarine (SS-580) — Asbestos in the Last US Conventional Attack Submarine

The Barbel class diesel-electric attack submarines — three boats commissioned in 1959, USS Barbel (SS-580), USS Blueback (SS-581), and USS Bonefish (SS-582) — were the last conventional attack submarines built for the United States Navy, incorporating the teardrop hull form demonstrated by the experimental USS Albacore (AGSS-569) to achieve improved submerged performance. The Barbel class used three Fairbanks Morse diesel engines charging batteries for submerged propulsion on a single shaft in a manner that anticipated the nuclear submarine propulsion arrangement. The class served as conventional attack submarines throughout the early Cold War, with USS Blueback (SS-581) achieving fame as the last non-nuclear US Navy submarine to operate operationally before its 1990 decommissioning and subsequent preservation as a museum ship in Portland, Oregon. Barbel class submarines incorporated asbestos-containing diesel engine exhaust system gasket materials in the Fairbanks Morse main propulsion diesel engines and transitional-era interior construction materials in the submarine pressure hull consistent with the late 1950s construction period.

Barbel Class Diesel Engine Asbestos

Barbel class submarines incorporated asbestos in diesel engine systems:

• Fairbanks Morse diesel engine cylinder head gaskets — the three Fairbanks Morse model 38D8⅛ opposed-piston diesel engines in each Barbel class submarine incorporated asbestos-containing cylinder head gasket materials at the engine cylinder assembly joint faces. Enginemen performing diesel engine maintenance and overhaul aboard Barbel class submarines encountered asbestos-containing cylinder head gasket materials during engine cylinder maintenance operations
• Diesel engine exhaust manifold gaskets — the Fairbanks Morse diesel engine exhaust manifolds and exhaust system connections incorporated asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at exhaust manifold joints. Enginemen performing exhaust system maintenance on Barbel class main propulsion diesel engines encountered asbestos-containing exhaust gasket materials during exhaust system maintenance

Submarine Interior Construction Asbestos

Barbel class submarines incorporated late 1950s interior construction materials:

• Submarine pressure hull interior construction — the interior construction of Barbel class submarines’ torpedo rooms, crew berthing spaces, and engineering spaces incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation, insulation board, and interior construction materials consistent with the late 1950s submarine construction specifications. Crew members serving aboard Barbel class submarines accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing interior construction materials throughout their Barbel class submarine assignments

VA Claims for Barbel Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy submarines. Enginemen, Machinist’s Mates, and crew members who served aboard Barbel class conventional submarines and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.

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.