Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate (FFG-7) — Asbestos in the Cold War Gas Turbine Frigate

The Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigates — 51 ships built between 1977 and 1989, designated FFG-7 through FFG-61 — were the most numerous frigates built for the United States Navy since World War II and became one of the most widely exported warship designs in history. Built primarily at Bath Iron Works in Maine and Todd Shipyards in Seattle, the Perry class used two General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines driving a single shaft with a retractable auxiliary propulsion unit, representing a deliberate departure from the steam propulsion systems of earlier Cold War frigates. The Perry class was designed as an affordable, high-low mix warship complementing more capable but expensive surface combatants. The earliest Perry class frigates commissioned in the late 1970s were built during the transitional period when asbestos phase-out in naval construction was in progress, with early Perry class frigates potentially incorporating asbestos-containing materials in their engineering spaces and hull interior construction consistent with the transitional construction specifications of the late 1970s construction period.

Perry Class Gas Turbine Engineering Space Asbestos

Early Perry class frigates incorporated transitional-era asbestos materials:

• Gas turbine module exhaust duct insulation — the LM2500 gas turbine engine exhaust systems aboard Perry class frigates incorporated thermal insulation on the exhaust ducts and uptake systems to protect surrounding ship structure from the high exhaust gas temperatures of the gas turbine engines. Engineering ratings working in Perry class engine rooms in proximity to gas turbine exhaust ducting accumulated background asbestos exposure from any asbestos-containing thermal insulation materials in the exhaust duct construction
• Auxiliary machinery and pump room pipe insulation — the auxiliary steam systems, hot water systems, and mechanical system piping throughout Perry class engineering spaces incorporated pipe insulation on hot fluid distribution piping. Engineering ratings working in Perry class auxiliary machinery rooms and pump rooms accumulated background asbestos exposure from any asbestos-containing pipe insulation present in the auxiliary system piping
• Ship’s service diesel generator room construction — Perry class frigates used diesel generators for ship’s service electrical power in addition to the gas turbine propulsion plant. The diesel generator rooms incorporated construction materials consistent with the vessel’s construction period, with engineering ratings maintaining diesel generators in Perry class generator rooms accumulating background asbestos exposure from any asbestos-containing materials in the generator room construction

Perry Class Hull Interior Construction Asbestos

Early Perry class frigates incorporated transitional hull construction materials:

• Below-decks hull construction in crew spaces — Perry class frigates commissioned in the late 1970s and early 1980s incorporated interior construction materials in crew berthing compartments, working spaces, and below-decks passageways that may have included asbestos-containing materials consistent with the transitional construction specifications of the period. Crew members living and working in Perry class hull spaces accumulated background asbestos exposure from any asbestos-containing construction materials present in the hull interior

VA Claims for Oliver Hazard Perry Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy ship service. Crew members who served aboard early 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.