New Orleans Class Heavy Cruisers (CA) — Asbestos in Prewar Cruiser Steam Plants

New Orleans class heavy cruisers — seven ships (USS New Orleans CA-32, USS Astoria CA-34, USS Minneapolis CA-36, USS Tuscaloosa CA-37, USS San Francisco CA-38, USS Quincy CA-39, and USS Vincennes CA-44, commissioned 1934–1937) — were US Navy Treaty heavy cruisers serving as major surface combatants in the WWII Pacific campaign. Built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, New York Shipbuilding, and other yards, New Orleans class ships were powered by eight boilers driving four sets of geared steam turbines. These cruisers saw extensive WWII combat — several were lost in the Battle of Savo Island (1942) — with survivors continuing through the war and several surviving into postwar reserve fleet service.

WWII-Era Steam Plant and Asbestos

New Orleans class heavy cruisers used large steam propulsion plants with extensive asbestos insulation:

• Main boiler insulation — the eight boilers powering New Orleans class cruisers used asbestos block insulation on boiler casings and asbestos refractory materials in the firebox and combustion chamber construction. Boiler Tender ratings maintaining these boilers worked directly with asbestos-insulated boiler casings throughout their assignment aboard these cruisers
• Main steam piping insulation — the high-pressure main steam piping throughout these 588-foot cruisers was insulated with asbestos pipe covering from the original 1934-1937 construction, providing extensive surface area of asbestos-containing insulation in the fire rooms and engine rooms where engineering personnel worked continuously
• Turbine insulation — main propulsion turbines and reduction gear sets in New Orleans class ships used asbestos-containing thermal insulation consistent with mid-1930s cruiser construction specifications

1930s Interior Construction Materials

New Orleans class ships were built with prewar materials throughout:

• The crew berthing, mess, and working areas throughout these prewar-designed cruisers used 1930s construction materials including asbestos-containing deck products, overhead insulation, and bulkhead construction throughout the cruisers’ multiple-deck interiors

WWII Combat Service

New Orleans class ships served in major WWII Pacific engagements:

• Surviving ships of the New Orleans class — particularly USS New Orleans, USS Minneapolis, and USS San Francisco — continued through the entire WWII Pacific campaign after surviving damage in the 1942 battles, with engineering crew members serving aboard ships carrying original prewar asbestos construction throughout the war

VA Claims for New Orleans Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy heavy cruisers. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard New Orleans class heavy cruisers (CA-32 through CA-44) 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.