The Gearing class was the most numerous destroyer class in US Navy history — 98 ships commissioned between 1945 and 1951 following the earlier Allen M. Sumner-class design. Gearing-class destroyers formed the backbone of the Cold War destroyer fleet, with many ships receiving Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM I and FRAM II) upgrades in the 1960s that extended their service lives into the 1970s and 1980s. The Gearing class served from the end of WWII through the Cold War, with the last ships decommissioning in the mid-1980s. These WWII-era ships used asbestos insulation throughout their steam engineering plants consistent with wartime and early Cold War construction standards.

WWII-Era Steam Plant Asbestos

Gearing-class destroyers used steam turbine propulsion with WWII-era asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — each Gearing-class destroyer had two or three Babcock & Wilcox or Combustion Engineering boilers with asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos combustion chamber refractory brick, and asbestos rope and packing at boiler access doors and valve packing throughout the firerooms. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant in the confined firerooms of these 390-foot destroyers worked in direct proximity to asbestos-containing lagging throughout their engineering duty
  • Main steam piping — the main steam piping from Gearing-class firerooms to the enginerooms and to auxiliary steam consumers used asbestos magnesia pipe covering — block insulation under canvas jacket — throughout the hot steam distribution system. The concentrated and confined engineering spaces of these smaller destroyer hulls meant engineering ratings were in constant proximity to the asbestos-covered steam piping during normal watch-standing
  • FRAM modifications — the FRAM I and FRAM II upgrades of the 1960s added new equipment spaces and systems on the existing WWII hulls. Modification work disturbed the existing asbestos pipe covering and construction materials throughout the ship’s engineering spaces, generating asbestos exposure for shipyard workers and crew during modification periods

Gearing Class in the Cold War

Gearing-class destroyers served as convoy escorts, carrier screening ships, and ASW platforms:

  • The ships operated in the high-tempo Cold War destroyer fleet — North Atlantic convoy exercises, Mediterranean deployments, and Pacific operations — with engineering ratings standing sustained engineering watches in the confined firerooms and enginerooms, which were the primary asbestos exposure environments aboard ship

VA Claims for Gearing-Class Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. BT and MM ratings who served aboard Gearing-class 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 Gearing-Class (FRAM) 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 Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.

Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.

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.