USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in May 1943 at the Bethlehem Steel Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. Bunker Hill survived two kamikaze strikes in a single day (May 11, 1945) at Okinawa that killed 393 crew members — among the heaviest single-day carrier combat losses of WWII. Bunker Hill continued operations through the end of the Pacific War, served during the Korean War period, and was converted to a communications relay ship (AVHB) before decommissioning in 1947 and eventually scrapping. The ship’s 1943 construction used asbestos insulation throughout her Essex-class engineering plant and interior spaces.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Bunker Hill’s Essex-class 1943 steam plant used asbestos throughout:

  • Boiler plant — Bunker Hill’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos rope and packing at boiler access openings. The boiler plant maintained by BT ratings in the confined fireroom spaces was the primary asbestos exposure environment aboard ship
  • Steam piping — the main steam and auxiliary steam distribution piping in Bunker Hill’s engineering spaces used asbestos magnesia pipe covering on all hot steam lines. The pipe covering in the firerooms and enginerooms deteriorated under WWII combat-tempo operations, releasing asbestos fiber into the engineering space atmosphere
  • Kamikaze damage repair — the post-kamikaze repair of Bunker Hill’s superstructure and damaged engineering spaces at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in June-July 1945 involved construction work that disturbed asbestos-containing materials in the ship’s structure during the repair operations

VA Claims for USS Bunker Hill 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. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard USS Bunker Hill 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 Bunker Hill

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.