The Sacramento class consisted of four fast combat support ships (AOE-1 through AOE-4) commissioned between 1964 and 1970 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and other yards. The Sacramento class was designed for high-speed operation — capable of 26 knots to keep pace with carrier battle groups — requiring a large steam plant comparable to a destroyer’s to achieve the speed demanded for combat replenishment operations. The four ships — Sacramento (AOE-1), Camden (AOE-2), Seattle (AOE-3), and Detroit (AOE-4) — provided simultaneous underway replenishment of fuel, ammunition, and provisions to carrier battle group combatants in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets.

High-Speed Steam Plant Asbestos

The Sacramento class’ high-speed requirement demanded a powerful steam plant with extensive asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — the Sacramento-class boilers used asbestos boiler lagging on exterior surfaces and asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers in the 1964-era construction specifications. BT ratings maintaining the high-speed boiler plant in the Sacramento-class engineroom performed lagging and refractory maintenance in the engineering spaces
  • Main steam piping — the main steam distribution piping in the Sacramento-class engineering plant used asbestos pipe covering throughout the hot steam piping in the firerooms and enginerooms. The higher steam pressure and temperature requirements of the high-speed propulsion plant used correspondingly higher-specification asbestos pipe covering on the main steam lines
  • Engineering auxiliaries — the steam-driven auxiliary machinery serving the Sacramento-class’s extensive cargo handling operations — cargo pumps, fuel transfer pumps, ammunition handling equipment power — used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in MM maintenance routines

Underway Replenishment Operations

Sacramento-class ships conducted continuous underway replenishment with carrier battle groups:

  • AOE crew members serving in the engineering plant maintained the high-speed steam plant under sustained operational conditions during replenishment at sea — with the boiler plant at full power during high-speed transit to and from battle group rendezvous points

VA Claims for AOE Sacramento-Class Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Engineering ratings who served aboard Sacramento-class fast combat support ships 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 Sacramento-Class AOE Ships

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 Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.

Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.

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.