The Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers — 27 hulls (CG-47 through CG-73) built between 1980 and 1994 at Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula, Mississippi) and Bath Iron Works — are the US Navy’s primary Aegis air defense cruisers. Built on the Spruance class destroyer hull lengthened and modified for the cruiser role, the Ticonderoga class uses four General Electric LM2500 marine gas turbine engines in a COGAG arrangement producing 80,000 shaft horsepower — the same propulsion system as the Spruance class. Like the Spruance class, the Ticonderoga class eliminated the boiler room asbestos exposure of earlier steam-powered cruiser designs, but the early hulls of the class were built during a period when asbestos remained in use in auxiliary systems and some interior construction specifications.

Gas Turbine Propulsion and Reduced Boiler Room Exposure

The LM2500 gas turbine propulsion plant eliminated the fireroom environment with its extensive asbestos-insulated boiler casings, steam drums, and high-pressure main steam piping. Engineering ratings aboard Ticonderoga class cruisers work in gas turbine module enclosures rather than boiler rooms, and the primary propulsion plant does not use steam at pressures requiring asbestos block insulation.

Residual Asbestos in Early-Hull Construction

The first Ticonderoga class cruisers — CG-47 through the early CG-50s range, commissioned between 1983 and 1988 — were built at a time when asbestos remained in use in specific auxiliary applications under existing Navy specifications:

  • Auxiliary boiler and steam system — Ticonderoga class ships retained an auxiliary boiler for hotel load steam generation, with asbestos insulation on the auxiliary boiler body and steam distribution piping in the early construction period before asbestos substitutes were fully specified
  • Interior construction materials in early Ticonderoga hulls built before the complete asbestos elimination from Navy construction specifications included asbestos floor tile and some overhead materials in portions of the interior
  • Existing equipment gaskets and packing — shipboard equipment installed in early hulls used asbestos-containing gaskets and packing in the component manufacturers’ standard specifications at the time of construction

Engineering Rating Exposure on Ticonderoga Class

Machinist’s Mates (Gas Turbine) — the engineering rating operating and maintaining the LM2500 gas turbine plant — worked in gas turbine module enclosures. While gas turbine module work eliminated the steam plant asbestos exposure of earlier cruiser classes, MMs maintaining auxiliary systems — the auxiliary boiler, freshwater distilling plant, and hotel load systems — encountered the residual asbestos-containing components in early hull construction.

VA Claims for Ticonderoga 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. Veterans who served aboard early Ticonderoga class cruisers (CG-47 through approximately CG-56) during their early commission periods and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits if asbestos-containing materials were present in the specific vessel’s construction.

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 Ticonderoga 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.