Forrest Sherman Class Destroyer (DD-931) — Asbestos in the Early Cold War Destroyer

The Forrest Sherman class destroyers — 18 ships commissioned between 1955 and 1959, hull numbers DD-931 through DD-951 — were the first purpose-designed postwar US Navy destroyers, incorporating lessons learned from WWII destroyer experience and designed specifically for the Cold War submarine and air threat environment. The Forrest Sherman class used four Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers generating steam for two sets of turbines producing 70,000 shaft horsepower on two shafts — an improvement over the WWII destroyer 60,000 SHP standard. The class served as Atlantic and Mediterranean fleet destroyers throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, with several hulls converted to destroyer leaders (DL) and guided missile destroyers (DDG) during conversion programs that extended their service lives. The four-boiler steam propulsion plant throughout the Forrest Sherman class was insulated with asbestos-containing materials consistent with mid-1950s naval construction at Bath Iron Works and Bethlehem Steel, with Boiler Tenders and Machinist’s Mates maintaining the asbestos-insulated steam plant through the class’s Cold War service.

Forrest Sherman Class Four-Boiler Steam Plant Asbestos

The Forrest Sherman class steam plant incorporated mid-1950s asbestos insulation:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the four high-pressure boilers in Forrest Sherman class boiler rooms were insulated with asbestos block insulation on boiler casing exterior surfaces and asbestos pipe covering on boiler steam connections. Boiler Tenders maintaining the boilers during Cold War Atlantic and Mediterranean deployments worked in proximity to the asbestos boiler casing insulation throughout each engineering watch rotation in the compact destroyer boiler rooms
• Main turbine and steam system insulation — Forrest Sherman class main turbines and main steam piping were insulated with asbestos block and pipe covering consistent with mid-1950s naval construction practice. Machinist’s Mates tending the turbines worked in the asbestos-insulated engineering spaces during propulsion plant watch standing

Cold War Service and Hull Conversions

Forrest Sherman class conversions extended service with retained asbestos:

• DDG conversion program — several Forrest Sherman class hulls were converted to guided missile destroyers during conversion programs in the early 1960s, receiving Tartar missile systems while retaining the original steam propulsion plants and legacy asbestos insulation. Converted Forrest Sherman class DDGs continued Cold War service with the original mid-1950s asbestos-insulated propulsion plant intact through the conversion service period

VA Claims for Forrest Sherman Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy destroyers. Boiler Tenders, Machinist’s Mates, and crew members who served aboard Forrest Sherman class destroyers 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.