The Farragut class consisted of eight destroyers (DD-348 through DD-355) commissioned between 1934 and 1935 — the first new US Navy destroyer designs since the Clemson class of the 1920s. The Farragut class launched the Navy’s 1930s destroyer expansion program that would eventually produce hundreds of wartime destroyers. These pre-WWII destroyers served through the entire WWII Pacific campaign from Pearl Harbor onward, with several lost in combat operations. The Farragut-class steam propulsion plant used asbestos insulation throughout the engineering spaces with no awareness of asbestos health hazards in the 1930s construction era.

1930s Steam Plant Asbestos

Farragut-class destroyers were built with fully asbestos-insulated steam plants:

  • Boiler plant — the four Yarrow boilers aboard Farragut-class destroyers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos sealing materials throughout the boiler plant. Pre-WWII boiler construction specified asbestos as the sole thermal insulation material with no non-asbestos alternatives in the 1934-era specification
  • High-pressure steam piping — the Farragut class used a high-pressure steam plant (650 psi, 700°F) requiring effective thermal insulation on all steam lines. The high operating temperature drove the use of asbestos magnesia pipe covering on all steam lines throughout the engineering spaces — a specification driven by thermal performance requirements that asbestos uniquely satisfied in the 1930s materials technology
  • Reduction gear and turbine insulation — Parsons geared steam turbines used asbestos-containing casing insulation materials in the 1934-era machinery construction

WWII Service

Farragut-class destroyers participated in major WWII Pacific engagements:

  • Engineering ratings serving aboard Farragut-class destroyers during WWII operated the asbestos-insulated engineering plant under sustained combat-tempo conditions throughout the Pacific campaign

VA Claims for Farragut-Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard pre-WWII and WWII-era steam destroyers. Engineering ratings who served aboard Farragut-class or other 1930s-era destroyers 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 Farragut-Class Destroyers

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.