US Navy seaplane tenders (AV class) provided mobile basing, maintenance, supply, and repair support for the Navy’s patrol flying boat squadrons — the PBM Mariners, PBY Catalinas, and Martin Mars patrol planes of the WWII and early Cold War era. Seaplane tenders including USS Currituck (AV-7), USS Pine Island (AV-12), USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13), USS Chandeleur (AV-10), and USS Tangier (AV-8) were forward-deployed to advanced anchorages and fleet bases to support patrol aviation operations in the Pacific and Atlantic. Built in the early 1940s with WWII-era construction, AV class tenders contained asbestos insulation in their engineering spaces and workshop facilities.

Engineering Plant and Asbestos

AV class seaplane tenders were built with WWII-era engineering plants:

  • Fire rooms and boilers — AV class tenders used steam propulsion with main propulsion boilers insulated with asbestos on boiler casings, steam drums, and superheater components consistent with early-1940s naval construction standards. BTs assigned to tender fire rooms stood watch in the asbestos-insulated boiler room environment
  • Main steam piping — the tender’s main steam and auxiliary steam distribution piping used asbestos pipe covering throughout the vessel in 1940s construction
  • Engine room and auxiliary machinery — the engine room and auxiliary machinery spaces used asbestos insulation on turbine casings and auxiliary equipment consistent with WWII-era construction

Machine Shop and Repair Facilities

AV class tenders provided aircraft maintenance support with extensive workshop spaces:

  • Machine shop — the tender’s machine shop where replacement parts were fabricated for the supported patrol aircraft used asbestos in the shop overhead, structural insulation, and in the machine shop’s heating system
  • Engine shop — patrol aircraft engine maintenance — including radial engine teardown and rebuild for aircraft like the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 and Wright R-3350 — involved engine gaskets with asbestos-containing materials. Engine shop personnel repairing patrol aircraft engines worked with asbestos-containing engine gasket materials throughout their tour
  • Fuel and oil handling — aviation fuel and engine oil systems on the tender used piping with asbestos-containing gaskets at flanged connections throughout the fuel and oil distribution system

Pacific Island Operations

AV class tenders operated at remote Pacific Island anchorages during WWII — providing forward patrol aviation support from Guadalcanal, Manus, and other advanced bases — with crew members working in both the tender’s engineering spaces and in proximity to the supported patrol aircraft throughout their Western Pacific assignments.

VA Claims for AV Tender Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy auxiliary vessels. Engineering and aviation support ratings who served aboard AV class seaplane tenders 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 Seaplane Tenders (AV 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 Presumptive Benefits — No Filing Deadline

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). No statute of limitations applies to VA disability compensation claims.

Available benefits may include monthly disability compensation, Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses, priority VA healthcare enrollment, and Special Monthly Compensation for severe cases. Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products do not reduce VA compensation.

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.