Thomaston Class Dock Landing Ship (LSD-28) — Asbestos in the Cold War Amphibious Dock Ship

The Thomaston class dock landing ships — eight ships commissioned between 1954 and 1957, designated LSD-28 through LSD-35 — were the United States Navy’s first purpose-built postwar dock landing ships, designed with a large flooded well deck for launching and recovering landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Built at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Thomaston class LSDs used two Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to a single set of De Laval geared steam turbines on a single shaft. The Thomaston class served as the primary dock landing ship component of Cold War amphibious ready groups, providing the well deck capability for LCVP and LCU landing craft operations. Thomaston class dock landing ships incorporated asbestos-containing boiler insulation and steam plant pipe insulation throughout their two-boiler propulsion plants consistent with the mid-1950s construction specifications.

Thomaston Class Steam Plant Asbestos

Thomaston class LSDs incorporated asbestos throughout their B&W boiler and De Laval turbine propulsion:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the two Babcock & Wilcox boilers aboard Thomaston class LSDs incorporated asbestos-containing insulation on boiler casings and steam drum surfaces consistent with the mid-1950s boiler construction specifications. Boilermen performing boiler maintenance in Thomaston class firerooms worked in proximity to the asbestos-containing boiler insulation throughout their engineering watch assignments
• Steam main pipe insulation — the steam main piping connecting Thomaston class boilers to the De Laval propulsion turbine incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation consistent with the mid-1950s steam plant construction specifications. Engineering ratings accumulated background asbestos exposure from the steam main pipe insulation during engineering watch standing
• De Laval propulsion turbine insulation — the De Laval geared steam turbine aboard Thomaston class LSDs incorporated asbestos-containing turbine casing insulation. Machinist’s Mates performing turbine maintenance in Thomaston class engine rooms worked in proximity to turbine casing insulation

Thomaston Class Well Deck Construction Asbestos

Thomaston class well deck and hull construction incorporated mid-1950s asbestos materials:

• Well deck and hull construction — the well deck and surrounding hull structure of Thomaston class LSDs were constructed using mid-1950s naval construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing pipe insulation and construction materials in the hull structure. Ship’s company and landing craft crews working in Thomaston class well deck areas accumulated background asbestos exposure from the hull construction materials in the well deck

VA Claims for Thomaston 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. Machinist’s Mates, Boilermen, and crew members who served aboard Thomaston class dock landing 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.