The Belknap class guided missile cruisers — CG-26 through CG-34, commissioned as destroyer leaders (DLG) in the mid-1960s and reclassified as guided missile cruisers (CG) in 1975 — were the Navy’s last steam-propulsion cruiser class before the nuclear-powered cruisers that followed. Built between 1963 and 1967 at Bath Iron Works, Puget Sound Shipbuilding, Todd Shipyards (San Pedro and Seattle), and San Francisco Naval Shipyard, the Belknap class used high-pressure steam turbine plants with General Electric or De Laval turbines and Babcock & Wilcox or Combustion Engineering boilers. Their construction during the peak asbestos era placed extensive asbestos insulation throughout their engineering spaces and interior construction.

Steam Propulsion and Asbestos

Belknap class cruisers used 1,200 PSI steam plants generating 85,000 shaft horsepower, the same high-pressure, high-temperature steam conditions that required comprehensive asbestos insulation:

  • Boilers in two firerooms — B&W or CE boilers insulated with asbestos block and sectional covering on casings, steam drums, and associated high-temperature surfaces
  • Main propulsion turbines in two engine rooms covered with asbestos block insulation on turbine casings and exhaust systems
  • Main steam piping between firerooms and engine rooms carrying asbestos block and lagging covering
  • Auxiliary steam systems and hotel load distribution throughout the cruiser interior using asbestos-insulated piping
  • Interior ship construction in the large cruiser hull using asbestos floor tile, overhead lagging, and bulkhead insulation in crew and officer spaces

USS Belknap Collision Incident

USS Belknap (CG-26) was severely damaged in a 1975 collision with USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) that caused extensive fires throughout the cruiser superstructure. The fire damage and subsequent reconstruction involved removal and replacement of asbestos-containing insulation and building materials, creating significant asbestos fiber exposure for both the shipboard crew present during fire suppression efforts and for shipyard workers who performed the major reconstruction at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

Class Hull Roll

The Belknap class included USS Belknap (CG-26), USS Josephus Daniels (CG-27), USS Wainwright (CG-28), USS Jouett (CG-29), USS Horne (CG-30), USS Sterett (CG-31), USS William H. Standley (CG-32), USS Fox (CG-33), and USS Biddle (CG-34).

VA Claims for Belknap Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy cruisers. Veterans who served in engineering ratings or other billets aboard Belknap class cruisers before the vessels’ decommissioning 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 Belknap Class (CG/DLG)

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.