Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate (FFG-7) — Asbestos in Gas Turbine Frigates

The Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigates — 55 vessels commissioned between 1977 and 1989 (FFG-7 through FFG-61) — were the Navy’s primary small combatant surface escort during the Cold War, built at Bath Iron Works and Todd Pacific Shipyards for convoy escort, surface search, and anti-submarine warfare missions. Perry class ships used a single General Electric LM2500 gas turbine on the propulsion shaft with two auxiliary propulsion motors for low-speed maneuvering, eliminating the steam boiler plant of previous frigate designs. The Perry class was armed with the Mk-13 single-arm Standard missile launcher, a 76mm gun, and LAMPS helicopter. Because the Perry class did not use steam boilers, the engineering plants did not include the high-pressure steam boiler insulation systems that were the primary asbestos exposure pathway for earlier steam-powered frigates. However, Perry class ships commissioned in the 1977–1982 period were built during the transition period when asbestos-containing floor tile and some construction materials were still used in Navy ship interior construction, and the ships’ crew berthing and technical spaces incorporated some asbestos-containing construction materials. Additionally, the LM2500 gas turbine exhaust and uptake systems used high-temperature insulating materials.

Gas Turbine Engineering Plant and Heat Insulation

Perry class gas turbine systems incorporated high-temperature insulation:

• LM2500 gas turbine exhaust and uptake insulation — the single General Electric LM2500 gas turbine in Perry class frigates produced high-temperature exhaust gases requiring insulated exhaust piping and uptake systems. Engineering ratings working in the gas turbine module room and maintaining the exhaust system components worked in proximity to the exhaust system insulation materials during maintenance operations
• Gas turbine module maintenance — Gas Turbine Systems Technicians (GSM) maintaining the LM2500 module in Perry class frigates conducted periodic module inspections, turbine inlet maintenance, and exhaust system inspections in the gas turbine module room

Interior Construction and Asbestos

Early Perry class ships incorporated asbestos-containing construction materials:

• Early-commission crew and technical spaces — Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates commissioned between 1977 and approximately 1982 incorporated asbestos-containing floor tile and some asbestos-containing insulation materials in crew berthing, officers’ quarters, and technical spaces consistent with the transitional Navy construction specifications of that period. Crew members serving in early-commission Perry class frigates accumulated background asbestos exposure from these transitional asbestos-containing interior construction materials
• Electronics cooling system components — the electronics cooling systems for the SPS-49 radar and combat system equipment in Perry class frigates used piping and heat exchanger systems that in early-commission ships may have incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials in cooling system connections

VA Claims for Perry Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy frigates. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard early-commission Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates 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.