USS Forrestal (CV-59) — Asbestos Aboard America's First Supercarrier

USS Forrestal (CV-59), commissioned in October 1955 at Newport News Shipbuilding, was the United States Navy’s first purpose-designed supercarrier and the lead ship of the Forrestal class. Forrestal established the design template for all subsequent US carrier classes — angled flight deck, enclosed hurricane bow, and four-catapult arrangement — and served as the benchmark against which subsequent carriers were designed. The ship operated throughout the Cold War and was the site of the catastrophic 1967 fire during Vietnam War operations that killed 134 sailors. USS Forrestal was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers generating steam for Westinghouse geared turbines producing 260,000 shaft horsepower on four shafts. The steam propulsion plant and steam distribution systems throughout the ship were insulated with asbestos-containing materials consistent with mid-1950s Navy construction specifications. Forrestal served until decommissioning in 1993, with engineering ratings maintaining the asbestos-insulated boiler and turbine plant throughout the ship’s 38-year operational career.

Steam Propulsion Plant Asbestos

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

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler insulation — Forrestal’s eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers were insulated with asbestos block insulation on the boiler casing, asbestos cloth on boiler doors and sight-glass assemblies, and asbestos-containing rope gasket material on boiler inspection ports. Boiler Tenders maintaining the boilers in Forrestal’s boiler rooms during underway steaming operations worked in continuous proximity to the asbestos boiler casing insulation
• Westinghouse main turbine casing insulation — the Westinghouse main propulsion turbines in Forrestal’s four engine rooms were insulated with asbestos block on turbine casings and asbestos lagging on associated high-pressure steam admission piping. Machinist’s Mates maintaining turbines during underway steaming and performing turbine maintenance during inport periods worked in the asbestos-insulated turbine spaces
• Steam distribution and auxiliary machinery — Forrestal’s high-pressure and low-pressure steam distribution piping networks, steam-powered auxiliary machinery, and ship’s service turbine generators throughout the ship were insulated with asbestos pipe covering and asbestos-jacketed fitting insulation throughout the steam distribution system

1967 Fire and Subsequent Repairs

The 1967 Forrestal fire and subsequent major repair period introduced additional asbestos exposure:

• Fire-damaged area repair and reconstruction — the 1967 fire damage to the aft flight deck, hangar bay, and associated internal spaces required extensive repair and reconstruction work at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Shipyard workers and Navy personnel performing damage repair operations in fire-affected spaces encountered asbestos-containing materials in the ship’s construction during the repair work, with both shipyard workers and ship’s company personnel present during the repair period
• Damage control and fire-fighting insulation — pipe insulation, bulkhead materials, and overhead materials disturbed or destroyed in the fire were replaced using available repair materials, which during the 1967–1968 era still incorporated asbestos-containing products in Navy repair specifications

Interior Construction Asbestos

Forrestal’s crew spaces incorporated asbestos-containing materials:

• Crew berthing compartments — Forrestal’s enlisted crew berthing, officer staterooms, and working spaces incorporated asbestos-containing floor tile, overhead materials, and pipe insulation consistent with the mid-1950s Navy construction materials used in Forrestal’s original construction and maintained through subsequent repair periods

VA Claims for USS Forrestal 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 Forrestal (CV-59) 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.