Essex Class Angled-Deck Conversions (SCB-125) — Asbestos in Modernized WWII Carriers

The SCB-125 angled-deck conversion program modernized eight Essex class carriers between 1955 and 1959, adding an enclosed (‘hurricane’) bow, angled flight deck, and updated electronics and aviation support equipment to the WWII-era Essex class hulls. Ships receiving SCB-125 conversions included USS Hancock (CV-19), USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31), USS Oriskany (CV-34), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and others, transforming the straight-deck WWII carriers into angled-deck carriers capable of operating jet aircraft through the Cold War era. The conversions added new construction to WWII-era hulls, layering mid-1950s construction standards atop 1943-1944 original construction — both eras represented extensive asbestos use.

Layered Asbestos Construction

SCB-125 converted carriers carry asbestos from two distinct construction periods:

• WWII original construction (1943-1944) — the Essex class keel-up construction from the wartime period used asbestos pipe covering, asbestos boiler insulation, and asbestos-containing materials throughout the ship’s original engineering spaces, interior structure, and mechanical systems in the quantities and specifications of WWII-era naval construction
• SCB-125 modernization construction (1955-1959) — the mid-1950s conversion added new forward hull sections, angled deck framing, updated island structure, and revised aviation support spaces. The new construction work of the SCB-125 conversion itself added mid-1950s-era asbestos-containing materials to the new sections of the ship, layering additional asbestos from the modernization era atop the original WWII-era asbestos

Engineering Plant Continuity

The SCB-125 conversion did not replace the Essex class engineering plant — the WWII-era Babcock & Wilcox boilers and Westinghouse turbines remained:

• The original WWII-era fire rooms and engine rooms with their 1943-1944 asbestos boiler insulation and steam system insulation remained in service after the SCB-125 conversion
• Boiler Technicians and Machinist’s Mates serving aboard SCB-125 converted carriers throughout their Cold War service stood watches in the original WWII-era fire rooms and engine rooms with the accumulated asbestos of the 1944-era construction throughout their duty

Extended Cold War Service

SCB-125 converted Essex class carriers served into the 1970s — USS Oriskany until 1975, USS Intrepid until 1974, USS Bon Homme Richard until 1971 — conducting Vietnam War combat operations and extended Cold War deployments:

• Engineering ratings aboard SCB-125 converted carriers during Vietnam War operations served sustained deployments in the asbestos-insulated engineering spaces of these WWII-era hulls during combat flight operations — generating both the direct combat asbestos exposure of the fireroom environment and the cumulative exposure from years of engineering watch-standing

VA Claims for SCB-125 Carrier Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard WWII-era and Cold War carriers. Engineering ratings who served aboard Essex class SCB-125 modernized carriers 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.