The Cleveland class of light cruisers consisted of 27 ships commissioned between 1942 and 1946 at New York Shipbuilding, Newport News, Bethlehem Steel, and other yards — the most numerous cruiser class in US Navy history. Cleveland-class ships served throughout the WWII Pacific campaign and into the Korean War and early Cold War before the last ships were decommissioned in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with several converted to guided missile cruisers (CLG). The Cleveland class’ WWII-era construction used asbestos throughout their steam engineering plants and interior spaces consistent with WWII naval construction standards.

WWII-Era Steam Plant Asbestos

Cleveland-class light cruisers used steam turbine propulsion with extensive asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — Cleveland-class cruisers used four Babcock & Wilcox boilers with asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers, and asbestos rope and packing at boiler access points throughout the firerooms. BT ratings maintaining the Cleveland-class boiler plant in the four-fireroom arrangement accumulated sustained asbestos exposure from the boiler lagging and refractory maintenance in the firerooms
  • Main steam piping — the main steam distribution from four firerooms to four enginerooms and to auxiliary steam loads used asbestos magnesia pipe covering throughout the high-temperature steam piping runs in the engineering spaces. The Cleveland-class engineering arrangement spread steam piping — and asbestos pipe covering — throughout the four firerooms and four enginerooms, maximizing the engineering space asbestos exposure surface for BT and MM ratings
  • Propulsion turbines and auxiliaries — main propulsion turbines and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing casing and steam chest insulation. Steam-driven auxiliary machinery used asbestos gaskets and packing throughout the MM maintenance cycle

Interior Construction Asbestos

Cleveland-class cruisers’ interior construction incorporated asbestos-containing materials:

  • Crew berthing — the larger complement of a cruiser (approximately 1,250 officers and crew) occupied berthing compartments with asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead insulation in the WWII-era construction
  • Damage control equipment — asbestos-containing repair materials including asbestos cloth, asbestos pipe lagging compound, and asbestos cement were carried as standard damage control repair supplies

VA Claims for Cleveland-Class Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard Cleveland-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 Cleveland-Class Light Cruisers (CL)

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 Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.

Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.

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.