The Navy’s interim guided missile cruiser program of the late 1950s converted existing Cleveland class light cruisers and Baltimore class heavy cruisers to the CLG (guided missile cruiser, light) and CAG (guided missile cruiser, attack) configurations by adding TALOS and TERRIER missile systems aft while retaining the original WWII-era steam propulsion plants forward. The resulting CLG conversions — USS Galveston (CLG-3), USS Little Rock (CLG-4), USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5), USS Providence (CLG-6), and USS Springfield (CLG-7) — served as fleet air defense flagships throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s with the original 1940s steam propulsion plant and its WWII-era asbestos insulation still in place decades after commissioning.

Retained WWII Steam Plant and Aging Asbestos

The CLG conversions retained the original Cleveland class or Baltimore class steam propulsion plant — four GE or B&W boilers and four turbine sets in four firerooms and four engine rooms — without replacement or significant modification. This meant:

  • Original WWII-era asbestos insulation on boiler casings, steam drums, main steam piping, and turbine casings was still in service during the 1960s and 1970s Cold War deployments, having aged 20-30 years from original installation
  • Increasingly friable asbestos on aging boiler and turbine insulation — as asbestos block insulation ages and cycles through temperature extremes, it becomes progressively more friable, releasing fiber more readily during normal operations
  • Conversion shipyard work in the late 1950s at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Long Beach Naval Shipyard involved insulators performing insulation maintenance on the existing steam plant during the conversion availability, creating exposure during the conversion period

USS Oklahoma City as Seventh Fleet Flagship

USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) served as the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific throughout the Vietnam era and into the 1970s, with her original WWII-era engineering plant maintaining flagship operations throughout extended western Pacific deployments. Sailors who served aboard Oklahoma City as Seventh Fleet flagship personnel accumulated asbestos exposure from the original 1940s-era engineering plant maintained in active flagship service.

VA Claims for CLG Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy cruisers. Veterans who served aboard any CLG conversion — CLG-3 through CLG-7 — during their Cold War service periods 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 Galveston/Providence/Oklahoma City (CLG)

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.