USS Antietam (CV-36) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in January 1945 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Antietam is historically significant as the first US Navy carrier to be fitted with an angled flight deck (in 1952), serving as the prototype and proof-of-concept for the SCB-125 angled deck conversions subsequently applied to all remaining Essex-class carriers. After her Korean War service and the angled deck trials, Antietam served as a training carrier before decommissioning in 1963. The ship’s 1945 construction incorporated asbestos insulation throughout her Essex-class steam plant and interior spaces.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Antietam’s Essex-class 1945 construction used asbestos throughout:

  • Boiler plant — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers, and asbestos sealing at boiler access points. BT ratings maintaining the Antietam boiler plant accumulated asbestos exposure from the lagging throughout their engineering duty periods
  • Steam piping — main steam and auxiliary steam distribution piping used asbestos magnesia pipe covering throughout the hot steam lines in the engineering spaces
  • Angled deck modification — the 1952 angled deck installation involved construction modifications to the ship’s flight deck and associated structural systems, with the construction work potentially disturbing existing asbestos-containing materials in the ship’s structure during the modification

Training Carrier Role

Antietam served as a carrier qualification training ship late in her career:

  • Student naval aviators completing carrier landing qualifications aboard Antietam occupied the ship’s WWII-era asbestos-containing berthing spaces during their training periods, similar to the Lexington training role

VA Claims for USS Antietam Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Essex-class carriers. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard USS Antietam and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.

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 Antietam

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 Presumptive Benefits — No Filing Deadline

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). No statute of limitations applies to VA disability compensation claims.

Available benefits may include monthly disability compensation, Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses, priority VA healthcare enrollment, and Special Monthly Compensation for severe cases. Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products do not reduce VA compensation.

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.