The Samuel Gompers class destroyer tenders — USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37) commissioned 1967 and USS Puget Sound (AD-38) commissioned 1968 — were purpose-built destroyer tenders providing comprehensive depot-level maintenance support for Cold War surface combatant forces. Built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Samuel Gompers class tenders used two Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to a single set of Westinghouse geared steam turbines. Samuel Gompers class tenders carried machine shops, electronics repair shops, hull and structural repair capability, and weapons maintenance facilities in a large hull, providing the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet destroyer forces with floating shipyard-level maintenance capability. The extensive workshop and repair spaces throughout the Samuel Gompers class hull were constructed using late 1960s construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing construction materials consistent with the period. Machinery Repairmen and Machinist’s Mates working in Samuel Gompers class tender workshops performed overhaul work on valve assemblies, pump components, and mechanical parts removed from the destroyers and frigates being serviced, creating direct handling exposure from the asbestos-containing materials in serviced components.
Samuel Gompers Class Steam Plant Asbestos
Samuel Gompers class tenders incorporated asbestos throughout their propulsion plant:
- Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the two Babcock & Wilcox boilers aboard Samuel Gompers class tenders incorporated asbestos-containing insulation on boiler casings and steam drum surfaces consistent with the late 1960s boiler construction specifications. Boilermen performing boiler maintenance worked in proximity to the asbestos-containing boiler insulation throughout their engineering watch assignments
- Steam main and auxiliary steam pipe insulation — the steam main piping and auxiliary steam distribution piping throughout Samuel Gompers class engineering spaces incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation consistent with the late 1960s construction specifications
- Westinghouse propulsion turbine insulation — the Westinghouse geared steam turbine incorporated asbestos-containing turbine casing insulation. Machinist’s Mates performing turbine maintenance worked in proximity to turbine casing insulation
Samuel Gompers Class Workshop Operations Asbestos
Tender workshop maintenance created direct handling exposure from serviced destroyer components:
- Destroyer valve and pump component overhaul — Machinery Repairmen in Samuel Gompers class tender workshops performed repair and overhaul work on valve assemblies, pump components, and mechanical parts from the destroyers and frigates being supported alongside. Steam system valve assemblies removed from destroyers retained asbestos-containing stem packing and gasket materials, with tender workshop personnel handling asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials during overhaul work. The accumulated turnover of hundreds of destroyer component overhaul operations throughout a Samuel Gompers class tender deployment cycle represented significant and ongoing asbestos handling exposure for Machinery Repairmen working in the tender’s machine shop spaces
- Machine shop and workshop hull construction — the machine shops, welding shops, and repair workspaces throughout the Samuel Gompers class hull were constructed within the tender hull using construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing pipe insulation consistent with the late 1960s construction specifications
VA Claims for Samuel Gompers 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. Machinery Repairmen, Machinist’s Mates, and crew members who served aboard Samuel Gompers class destroyer tenders and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.
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.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Samuel Gompers Class
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.
