USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) — affectionately called the “Bonnie Dick” by her crew — was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in November 1944 at the New York Naval Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, and later modernized under the SCB-125 program. Bon Homme Richard served five Vietnam combat cruises (1964, 1965, 1966-67, 1967-68, and 1969-70) from her homeport at Naval Air Station Alameda, California, making her one of the most combat-deployed carriers of the Vietnam era before decommissioning in 1971. The ship’s WWII-era construction incorporated asbestos throughout her engineering plant, steam systems, and interior spaces.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Bon Homme Richard’s Essex-class steam plant used asbestos insulation consistent with WWII construction standards:

  • Boiler plant — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers powering Bon Homme Richard used asbestos lagging on boiler exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos sealing materials at boiler access points. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant in the ship’s firerooms worked in sustained proximity to asbestos-containing boiler lagging throughout their engineering duty periods
  • Main steam piping — the main steam distribution system from the firerooms to the engineering rooms used asbestos pipe covering on the high-temperature steam piping throughout the engineering spaces. The steam runs in the firerooms and enginerooms — overhead and along the bulkheads — used asbestos magnesia block insulation under canvas jacket covers that deteriorated and released asbestos fibers into the engineering spaces during the ship’s Vietnam-era operational tempo
  • Auxiliary steam systems — catapult steam systems, aviation fuel heating, and hotel steam loads aboard the carrier used asbestos-insulated steam supply piping throughout the ship’s auxiliary steam distribution network

Interior Construction Asbestos

Bon Homme Richard’s WWII-era construction used asbestos-containing materials in crew spaces:

  • Crew berthing compartments — berthing for the ship’s complement of over 3,000 personnel used asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead insulation in the WWII-era construction. The high operational tempo of five Vietnam combat cruises concentrated crew asbestos exposure across extended deployment periods
  • Ready rooms and aviation spaces — the strike aircraft ready rooms and hangar spaces used asbestos-containing deck and overhead materials consistent with the WWII Essex-class construction standards

VA Claims for USS Bon Homme Richard Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Essex-class aircraft carriers. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard USS Bon Homme Richard 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 Bon Homme Richard

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.