USS Long Beach (CGN-9), commissioned September 9, 1961, was the first nuclear-powered surface combatant in any navy — the world’s first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser. Built at Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, Long Beach used two Westinghouse C1W naval nuclear reactors generating steam through a secondary circuit driving two steam turbine sets producing 80,000 shaft horsepower on two shafts. Long Beach was also the first US warship built without a conventional gun armament, armed entirely with missile systems including TALOS, TERRIER, and later ASROC and Standard missiles.

Nuclear Secondary Steam System and Asbestos

Long Beach’s C1W reactor plant generates steam in the secondary circuit (isolated from the primary coolant loop) at temperatures requiring thermal insulation on steam-carrying components in the engineering spaces. Commissioned in 1961 — during the peak period of asbestos use in naval construction — Long Beach was built with asbestos insulation on secondary steam circuit components:

  • Secondary steam piping from the steam generators to the main propulsion turbines, covered with asbestos block insulation in the engineering spaces
  • Main propulsion turbine casings with asbestos block insulation on high-temperature turbine surfaces and exhaust connections
  • Turbo-generator sets and auxiliary turbines in the engineering spaces with asbestos insulation on operating turbine components
  • Auxiliary steam equipment serving the ship’s hotel load using asbestos-insulated pipe in the auxiliary steam distribution

Interior Construction

Long Beach was built in 1961 with the full range of asbestos-containing interior construction materials standard in Navy ship construction of the era:

  • Crew berthing and officer quarters using asbestos floor tile, overhead lagging, and bulkhead insulation throughout the vessel’s interior spaces
  • Combat systems spaces housing TALOS and TERRIER fire control and missile handling equipment, built within the asbestos-containing hull structure
  • Passageways and working spaces throughout the cruiser hull with asbestos-containing floor and overhead construction

Reclassification and Service Life

Long Beach was commissioned as a cruiser (CGN), and served continuously from 1961 until decommissioning in 1995 — a 34-year career that included Cold War deployments to the Mediterranean and the western Pacific, participation in the around-the-world nuclear task group Operation Sea Orbit in 1964 (with USS Enterprise CVN-65 and USS Bainbridge CGN-25), and Vietnam operations. Sailors who served aboard Long Beach throughout her career were present in engineering spaces where the original 1961-era asbestos insulation aged across three decades of service.

VA Claims for Long Beach Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy cruisers. Veterans who served aboard USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits. DD-214 records identifying CGN-9 as a duty station document the qualifying assignment.

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 Long Beach

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.