Gridley class fleet destroyers — 4 ships (USS Gridley DD-380, USS Craven DD-382, USS McCall DD-400, and USS Maury DD-401, commissioned 1937) — were experimental prewar designs prioritizing heavy torpedo armament with four quadruple torpedo tube mounts. Built at Federal Shipbuilding (Kearny, New Jersey) and Bath Iron Works, Gridley class ships traded other armament for a very heavy torpedo battery. These ships were powered by high-pressure Yarrow boilers driving Westinghouse geared turbines producing approximately 42,800 shaft horsepower on a narrow hull. The Gridley class is often grouped with the closely related Craven class (DD-382 series). As with all Navy combatants of the 1930s, asbestos insulation was used throughout the engineering spaces, steam piping, and machinery of these ships.

High-Pressure Steam Plant and Asbestos

Gridley class destroyers used high-pressure steam propulsion with asbestos throughout:

  • Main boiler insulation — the Yarrow boilers in Gridley class destroyers used asbestos block insulation on boiler casings and asbestos refractory in firebox construction from original commissioning. Firemen and Boiler Tender ratings maintaining these boilers worked in the confined fire rooms in direct proximity to asbestos-insulated boiler surfaces during Pacific operations
  • Main steam piping — the high-pressure main steam piping from boiler rooms to turbine rooms used asbestos pipe covering throughout the engineering spaces of these narrow-hulled destroyers. Engineering ratings on watch in the engine rooms were in proximity to asbestos-insulated steam piping during underway operations
  • Turbine insulation — the Westinghouse geared turbines used asbestos-containing thermal insulation on turbine casing surfaces in the engine rooms of these destroyers

WWII Pacific Service

Gridley class ships served in Pacific operations from Pearl Harbor through war’s end:

  • These destroyers participated in Pacific Fleet operations from December 1941, with engineering ratings serving extended watches in the confined asbestos-insulated engineering spaces throughout wartime Pacific service

VA Claims for Gridley Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy destroyers. Engineering ratings who served aboard Gridley 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 Gridley Class

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.