The SS John W. Brown is one of only two operational surviving WWII Liberty ships, built at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore in 1942 and preserved today in Baltimore as a museum ship. Like every Liberty ship, she was mass-produced merchant cargo tonnage crewed by the U.S. Merchant Marine — and carried a U.S. Navy Armed Guard detachment that manned her defensive guns.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard the John W. Brown
Like other mass-produced WWII Liberty ships of her era, the John W. Brown was built and maintained with asbestos-containing materials concentrated in her machinery spaces. Per public shipbuilding and litigation records, asbestos was allegedly used in materials of this construction era, including:
- Boiler-room and engine-room lagging — insulation on the oil-fired boilers, steam drums, and the triple-expansion reciprocating engine
- Steam and exhaust pipe insulation — pipe covering and block insulation throughout the engineering spaces
- Gaskets and valve packing — in steam, feedwater, and fuel-oil systems
- Pumps, evaporators, and auxiliary machinery insulation
- Bulkhead and overhead panel insulation in machinery and habitability spaces
These materials were most hazardous when disturbed during maintenance, repair, or overhaul — releasing airborne fibers into the enclosed machinery spaces where the crew worked.
Who Was Exposed Aboard the John W. Brown
Liberty ships were driven by an oil-fired, triple-expansion reciprocating steam plant, and asbestos insulation lined the boilers, engine, and steam piping in the machinery spaces. The merchant engine crew — and the Navy Armed Guard gunners who berthed and stood watches aboard — worked in and around those spaces and could disturb asbestos-containing lagging during routine duty, maintenance, and general quarters.
VA Benefits for Navy Armed Guard Veterans
The Navy Armed Guard were commissioned U.S. Navy personnel, and their WWII sea service is qualifying military service for VA purposes. Armed Guard veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for VA disability compensation when the record shows in-service asbestos exposure, a current diagnosis, and a medical link between them. (Merchant-crew asbestos claims follow a different, maritime legal path — but claims against the manufacturers of the asbestos products used aboard may be available to anyone exposed, regardless of VA status.)
Diagnosed with mesothelioma after exposure aboard the John W. Brown? Navy Armed Guard veterans — and others who served aboard — diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after exposure aboard the John W. Brown may be able to pursue a claim against the makers of the asbestos products used aboard. Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 237-6461
Documented asbestos records are derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation and public shipbuilding records addressing vessels of this construction era. RightsWatch Media is an independent publisher, not a law firm; this is not legal or medical advice.
