Gearing Class FRAM Destroyers — Asbestos in the Cold War-Modernized WWII Destroyers

The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program — initiated in the late 1950s to extend the service life of WWII Gearing class destroyers through antisubmarine warfare modernization — converted 79 Gearing class destroyers to FRAM I and FRAM II configurations equipped with ASROC, DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter), new sonar systems, and updated electronics. FRAM Gearing class destroyers served as the backbone of the US Navy’s ASW destroyer force throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, with many subsequently transferred to allied navies under military assistance programs. FRAM conversions updated the combat systems and ASW capability of surviving Gearing class destroyers while retaining the original WWII steam propulsion plant. FRAM Gearing class destroyers thus carried the full WWII-era steam plant asbestos construction — four Babcock & Wilcox boilers, asbestos-containing boiler insulation, steam main pipe insulation — through their Cold War service, supplemented by the new construction materials incorporated in the FRAM conversion work.

FRAM Gearing Class WWII Steam Plant Asbestos

FRAM Gearing class destroyers retained full WWII steam plant asbestos profiles:

• Original WWII Babcock & Wilcox boiler insulation — FRAM Gearing class destroyers retained the four Babcock & Wilcox boilers from their original WWII construction, with the WWII-era asbestos-containing boiler casing insulation and steam drum insulation remaining in place through the FRAM conversion and subsequent Cold War service. Boilermen serving aboard FRAM Gearing class destroyers worked with the original WWII-era boiler insulation maintained through decades of Cold War service
• WWII-era steam main and auxiliary steam pipe insulation — the WWII-era asbestos-containing pipe insulation on the high-pressure steam mains and auxiliary steam system piping throughout FRAM Gearing class engineering spaces remained in service through the FRAM conversion. Engineering ratings working in FRAM Gearing class engine rooms and firerooms accumulated background asbestos exposure from the WWII-era steam system pipe insulation
• WWII-era main propulsion turbine insulation — the WWII-era main propulsion turbine casing insulation on the Gearing class GE or Westinghouse turbine sets remained in service through the FRAM conversion, with Machinist’s Mates performing turbine maintenance working in proximity to the original WWII turbine insulation

FRAM Conversion New Construction Asbestos

FRAM modernization work added new construction-period asbestos materials:

• ASROC launcher and magazine construction — the ASROC antisubmarine rocket launcher and below-deck magazine spaces added during FRAM conversion were constructed using late 1950s and early 1960s construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing construction materials in the new launcher installation and magazine spaces
• New electronics spaces and sonar equipment rooms — the new electronics equipment rooms, sonar equipment spaces, and updated combat systems spaces added or rebuilt during FRAM conversion were constructed using the construction materials of the conversion period, potentially incorporating asbestos-containing construction materials in the new or rebuilt spaces

VA Claims for FRAM Gearing Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy destroyer steam plant service. Machinist’s Mates, Boilermen, and crew members who served aboard FRAM Gearing 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.