Suribachi and Kilauea Class (AE) Ammunition Ships — Asbestos in Navy Ordnance Replenishment Ships

The Suribachi class (AE-21 class) and Kilauea class (AE-26 class) ammunition ships provided continuous underway replenishment of ordnance, missiles, and aviation ammunition to carrier battle groups operating in the Pacific and Atlantic throughout the Cold War. Ammunition ships — AEs — sailed in company with carrier battle groups, conducting underway replenishment (UNREP) operations transferring ammunition from the AE to the carrier and its escorts while both ships were underway at sea. AE crew members served aboard vessels with steam propulsion plants and cargo handling machinery built with asbestos insulation consistent with their WWII and Cold War construction eras.

Engineering Plant and Asbestos

Suribachi and Kilauea class ammunition ships used steam propulsion with asbestos-insulated engineering plants:

• Fire rooms — the AE’s main propulsion boilers used asbestos insulation on boiler casings, steam drums, and superheater headers consistent with 1950s-1960s naval construction standards for the Suribachi class. Boiler Technicians assigned to AE fire room watches stood in boiler room environments with asbestos-insulated boiler equipment throughout their underway periods
• Main steam piping — main steam piping from fire rooms to engine rooms used asbestos pipe covering in Suribachi and Kilauea class construction
• Engine room turbine casings — main propulsion turbines had asbestos insulation on turbine casing external surfaces in the AE’s engine rooms

Cargo Handling and Ordnance Magazine Spaces

AE ammunition ships carried ordnance in below-deck magazines and handled ordnance transfer through cargo handling equipment:

• Below-deck ordnance magazines — the AE’s ordnance storage magazines in the below-waterline spaces had asbestos-containing overhead and structural insulation in the magazine spaces consistent with the vessel’s construction era. Crew members working in the magazines staging ordnance for UNREP transfer were in spaces with asbestos in the structural overhead
• Cargo handling machinery spaces — the cargo winch and UNREP transfer equipment machinery spaces had asbestos-insulated steam and hydraulic system piping in the machinery spaces supporting the cargo handling equipment

Underway Replenishment Operations

AE crew members conducted UNREP operations passing ammunition to carriers and other battle group ships while underway:

• Gunner’s Mates and deckhands conducting UNREP transfer operations worked on the AE’s main deck in direct proximity to the ship’s cargo handling equipment and UNREP stations while the ship’s engineering plant maintained propulsion for the UNREP approach and station-keeping

VA Claims for AE Ammunition Ship 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 Suribachi and Kilauea class ammunition ships 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.