USS Hornet (CV-12) — named for the USS Hornet (CV-8) lost at Santa Cruz — was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in November 1943 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Hornet served in the WWII Pacific campaign from the Marianas campaign through the Japanese home islands offensive, participated in Korean War operations, and conducted three Vietnam combat cruises (1967, 1968-69). Hornet is historically notable as the recovery ship for the Apollo 11 (July 1969) and Apollo 12 (November 1969) moon landing crews. Decommissioned in 1970, Hornet is now preserved as a museum ship at the former Naval Air Station Alameda in Alameda, California. Hornet’s 1943 construction used asbestos throughout her engineering plant and interior spaces.

WWII-Era Steam Plant Asbestos

Hornet’s Essex-class 1943 engineering plant used asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — Hornet’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos packing at boiler access points. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant in Hornet’s firerooms worked in sustained proximity to asbestos-containing lagging throughout their engineering duty
  • Main steam piping — the main steam piping from Hornet’s firerooms to enginerooms and auxiliary steam loads used asbestos magnesia pipe covering under canvas jacket on all hot steam lines throughout the engineering spaces. The pipe covering deteriorated under WWII and subsequent operational conditions, releasing asbestos fiber into the engineering space atmosphere
  • Engineering auxiliaries — steam-driven boiler feed pumps, air ejectors, and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in the engineering maintenance cycle

Apollo Recovery and Hornet Museum

Hornet’s recovery of the Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts reflects her post-WWII service:

  • The Apollo recovery operations in 1969 brought additional personnel aboard the ship during the Pacific Ocean recovery operations — with all personnel aboard occupying the ship’s asbestos-containing interior spaces during the recovery period

VA Claims for USS Hornet CV-12 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 Hornet (CV-12) 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 Hornet

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.