The Iwo Jima class amphibious assault ships — designated LPH — were built between 1959 and 1970 to transport Marine Corps helicopter-borne assault forces and provide an afloat base for Marine helicopter operations. The class included USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), USS Okinawa (LPH-3), USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7), USS Guam (LPH-9), USS Tripoli (LPH-10), USS New Orleans (LPH-11), USS Inchon (LPH-12), and five other hulls. Built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Ingalls Shipbuilding, and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, these vessels combined carrier-sized aviation facilities with the engineering plants and interior construction of contemporaneous amphibious vessels — including extensive asbestos insulation in their machinery spaces and ship’s interior construction.

Steam Propulsion and Asbestos in LPH Engineering

Iwo Jima class LPHs used Westinghouse steam turbines and Combustion Engineering boilers, operating at the high-temperature, high-pressure steam conditions that required asbestos insulation throughout the engineering plant:

  • Boiler room and fireroom insulation on CE boilers using asbestos block and cement covering on boiler casings, steam drums, and superheater sections
  • Main steam piping from boilers to turbines carrying asbestos block insulation and lagging cloth through the machinery spaces
  • Turbine casings and reduction gear enclosures with asbestos block and sectional insulation on the Westinghouse main propulsion turbines
  • Auxiliary steam systems serving the flight deck, galley, laundry, and hangar bay operations using asbestos-insulated pipe distribution systems throughout the ship

Marine and Navy Personnel Asbestos Exposure

Iwo Jima class LPHs carried both Navy ship’s company and large Marine Corps detachments — typically a Marine medium helicopter squadron with supporting elements. Marine Corps aviation personnel, infantrymen embarked for landing operations, and Navy crew members lived in berthing spaces and worked in hangar and maintenance areas built with asbestos-containing construction materials. The large crew complements aboard these vessels — often exceeding 2,000 Navy and Marine personnel — meant broad exposure across ratings and military occupational specialties.

Hangar Bay and Aviation Maintenance Asbestos

The Iwo Jima class hangar bay, used for helicopter storage and maintenance, contained asbestos fireproofing on structural steel consistent with Navy aviation facility construction of the period. Marine aviation maintenance personnel who worked in the enclosed hangar bay maintaining CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-53 Sea Stallion, and UH-1 Huey helicopters were in an environment with asbestos fireproofing on the overhead and structural members above the maintenance floor.

VA Claims for LPH Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy amphibious vessels including LPHs. Navy veterans and Marine Corps veterans who served aboard Iwo Jima class LPHs before the early 1980s 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 Iwo Jima Class (LPH)

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.