USS America (CV-66) — Asbestos Aboard the Kitty Hawk Class Atlantic Carrier

USS America (CV-66) — a Kitty Hawk class large aircraft carrier — was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding in January 1961, launched in February 1964, and commissioned in January 1965. The ship was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers driving four sets of Westinghouse geared turbines producing 280,000 shaft horsepower. USS America was homeported at Naval Station Norfolk and served with the Atlantic Fleet throughout its service life, conducting sustained Sixth Fleet Mediterranean deployments and Atlantic operations. The ship conducted three combat deployments to Vietnam between 1968 and 1973, operating from Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin. During the Cold War, America participated in the 1986 Libya air strikes (Operation El Dorado Canyon) and Gulf War deployments. The ship was decommissioned in 1996 after 31 years of commissioned service. The eight-boiler Kitty Hawk class steam propulsion plant throughout the ship was insulated with asbestos-containing materials consistent with early 1960s naval construction, with Boiler Tenders and Machinist’s Mates maintaining the asbestos-insulated steam plant through the ship’s Vietnam combat and Cold War Mediterranean and Atlantic service.

Kitty Hawk Class Eight-Boiler Plant Asbestos

America’s eight-boiler plant incorporated extensive asbestos insulation:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers in America’s boiler rooms were insulated with asbestos block insulation on boiler casing exterior surfaces and asbestos pipe covering on boiler steam drum connections and superheater outlets. Boiler Tenders maintaining the boilers during Vietnam combat deployments, Libya strikes, and sustained Cold War Mediterranean operations worked in continuous proximity to the asbestos boiler casing insulation throughout each engineering watch rotation in the ship’s boiler rooms
• Westinghouse main turbine insulation — America’s Westinghouse geared steam turbines and associated main steam piping were insulated with asbestos block on turbine casings and asbestos lagging on main steam piping throughout the engineering spaces. Machinist’s Mates maintaining the turbines worked in the asbestos-insulated turbine spaces throughout their propulsion plant watch standing

Vietnam War and Libya Operations Engineering

America’s combat deployments placed sustained demands on the eight-boiler plant:

• Vietnam combat deployments — USS America’s three Vietnam combat deployments from Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin (1968, 1970, 1973) required sustained high-tempo carrier air operations with the eight-boiler steam plant maintaining operational tempo to support continuous flight operations during the combat deployment periods
• Operation El Dorado Canyon — America’s participation in the April 1986 air strikes against Libya — America’s air wing launching strikes from the Mediterranean against Libyan targets — required high-tempo carrier air operations with the eight-boiler propulsion plant supporting the intensive Libya strike operations

VA Claims for USS America Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy aircraft carriers. Boiler Tenders, Machinist’s Mates, and crew members who served aboard USS America (CV-66) 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.