The Belknap class consisted of nine guided missile cruisers (DLG-26 through DLG-34, reclassified CG-26 through CG-34 in 1975) built at Bath Iron Works and other yards and commissioned between 1964 and 1967 to provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for carrier battle groups. The lead ship, USS Belknap (DLG-26/CG-26), was commissioned in 1964 at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The Belknap-class cruisers used conventional steam propulsion — two boilers driving two steam turbines — in a design that concentrated significant steam plant asbestos insulation in the engineering spaces of these 547-foot cruisers.

Steam Plant Asbestos

Belknap-class cruisers used steam turbine propulsion with asbestos insulation throughout the engineering plant:

  • Boiler plant — the two boilers aboard each Belknap-class ship used asbestos boiler lagging on the exterior boiler surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in the combustion chambers, and asbestos rope and packing materials at boiler access doors and valve packing throughout the fireroom. BT ratings maintaining the Belknap-class boiler plant performed lagging maintenance, burner maintenance, and boiler inspection work in proximity to asbestos-containing boiler insulation
  • Main steam piping — the steam distribution piping from the boiler to the engineroom and to auxiliary steam loads used asbestos pipe covering throughout the hot steam system. The steam piping runs in the Belknap-class fireroom and engineroom used asbestos magnesia block under canvas jacket on the main steam, auxiliary steam, and extraction steam piping
  • Westinghouse turbines — the main propulsion turbines and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing insulation on turbine casings and steam admission piping in the 1960s-era construction

Collision with USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

The lead ship USS Belknap (CG-26) is historically known for a 1975 collision with the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy:

  • The November 1975 collision and fire aboard USS Belknap — caused by collision with Kennedy’s overhanging flight deck — destroyed the ship’s superstructure and caused a major fire. The fire and subsequent repair involved asbestos-containing materials in the ship’s structure, with repair work at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard involving asbestos exposure for the repair crew

Belknap-Class Ships

The nine Belknap-class ships — Belknap (CG-26), Josephus Daniels (CG-27), Wainwright (CG-28), Jouett (CG-29), Horne (CG-30), Sterett (CG-31), William H. Standley (CG-32), Fox (CG-33), and Biddle (CG-34) — all operated steam engineering plants with asbestos-containing insulation throughout their engineering spaces across their service lives.

VA Claims for Belknap-Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard steam-powered guided missile cruisers. BT, MM, and EM ratings who served aboard Belknap-class cruisers 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 Cruisers (DLG/CG)

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.