USS Intrepid (CV/CVA/CVS-11) — Asbestos Aboard the "Fighting I"

USS Intrepid (CV-11) — known throughout the fleet as the “Fighting I” — was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in August 1943 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia. Intrepid distinguished herself in WWII Pacific combat including the Battle of Leyte Gulf, served two Vietnam combat cruises in 1966-1967 and 1968-1969, and served as the recovery ship for the Mercury and Gemini NASA spacecraft splashdowns. After decommissioning in 1974, Intrepid was preserved as the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. Intrepid’s WWII-era construction used asbestos throughout her steam plant, boiler systems, and interior spaces, with crew asbestos exposure extending across her entire active service.

WWII-Era Steam Plant Asbestos

Intrepid’s Essex-class engineering plant was built to WWII naval construction standards:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler plant — Intrepid’s eight boilers used asbestos boiler lagging covering the boiler exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in the combustion chambers, and asbestos rope seals on boiler access doors and manholes. The boiler plant — the center of the ship’s engineering operations — was the primary asbestos exposure zone for BT ratings assigned to the firerooms
• Main steam piping insulation — the main steam and auxiliary steam piping throughout Intrepid’s engineering spaces used asbestos pipe covering as the primary insulation material on hot steam lines. Asbestos block and asbestos magnesia insulation under canvas jacketing on the steam runs overhead and along the bulkheads created pervasive airborne asbestos fiber conditions in the firerooms and enginerooms during any maintenance that disturbed the pipe covering
• Turbine and reduction gear insulation — Westinghouse main propulsion turbines used asbestos-containing casing and steam chest insulation in the WWII-era engineering plant construction

Interior and Accommodation Asbestos

Intrepid’s 1943 construction incorporated asbestos throughout interior spaces:

• Crew berthing — berthing compartments for Intrepid’s crew used asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead insulation. The ship’s complement exceeded 3,000 personnel during WWII and Vietnam operational periods, with crew members occupying the asbestos-containing interior spaces throughout their tours
• Damage control and repair materials — Intrepid carried asbestos cloth, asbestos pipe lagging compound, and asbestos-containing repair materials in damage control lockers as standard repair supplies throughout her operational life

NASA Recovery Operations

Intrepid served as recovery ship for Mercury (Aurora 7, Faith 7) and Gemini (Gemini 3) spacecraft:

• The recovery ship role did not directly affect the ship’s asbestos exposure profile but required additional personnel to serve aboard the ship during recovery operations, extending the number of crew members with Intrepid service in her asbestos-containing interior spaces

VA Claims for USS Intrepid 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 Intrepid 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.