Samuel Gompers Class Destroyer Tender (AD-37) — Asbestos in the Cold War Fleet Repair Ship

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 presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy destroyer tender service. 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.

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.