Dealey Class Destroyer Escort (DE-1006) — Asbestos in the 1950s ASW Escort

The Dealey class destroyer escorts — eight ships commissioned between 1954 and 1957, designated DE-1006 through DE-1013 — were the United States Navy’s first purpose-built postwar destroyer escorts, designed specifically for antisubmarine warfare escort operations. Built at Bath Iron Works, Defoe Shipbuilding, and New York Shipbuilding, Dealey class DEs used two Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to a single set of De Laval geared steam turbines on a single shaft. The Dealey class established the postwar destroyer escort design concept that would evolve through the Garcia class, the Brooke class, and ultimately the Knox class during the Cold War ASW escort building programs. Dealey class destroyer escorts incorporated asbestos-containing boiler insulation and steam plant pipe insulation throughout their two-boiler propulsion plants consistent with the mid-1950s construction specifications of the destroyer escort building program.

Dealey Class Two-Boiler Steam Plant Asbestos

Dealey class DEs incorporated asbestos throughout their B&W boiler and De Laval turbine propulsion:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the two Babcock & Wilcox boilers aboard Dealey class DEs incorporated asbestos-containing insulation on boiler casings and steam drum surfaces consistent with the mid-1950s boiler construction specifications. Boilermen performing boiler maintenance in Dealey class firerooms worked in proximity to the asbestos-containing boiler insulation throughout their engineering watch assignments
• Single-shaft steam main pipe insulation — the steam main piping connecting Dealey class boilers to the De Laval single-shaft propulsion turbine incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation consistent with the mid-1950s steam plant construction. Engineering ratings accumulated background asbestos exposure from the steam main pipe insulation
• De Laval propulsion turbine casing insulation — the De Laval single-shaft geared steam turbine aboard Dealey class DEs incorporated asbestos-containing turbine casing insulation. Machinist’s Mates performing turbine maintenance worked in proximity to turbine casing insulation during maintenance operations
• Auxiliary steam system pipe insulation — the auxiliary steam systems throughout Dealey class engineering spaces incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation on auxiliary steam distribution piping consistent with the mid-1950s construction specifications

VA Claims for Dealey Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy destroyer escort steam plant service. Machinist’s Mates, Boilermen, and engineering ratings who served aboard Dealey class destroyer escorts 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.