USS Kearsarge (CV-33) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in March 1946 at the New York Naval Shipyard — too late for WWII combat but serving through the Korean War and into the Cold War era. Kearsarge was converted to an anti-submarine carrier (CVS-33) and served in the CVS role recovering Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 astronauts in December 1965. The ship was decommissioned in 1970 after 24 years of active service. Kearsarge’s Essex-class 1946 construction used asbestos insulation throughout her steam plant, engineering systems, and interior spaces consistent with the WWII-era Essex-class construction standards.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Kearsarge’s Essex-class steam plant used asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — Kearsarge’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers, and asbestos packing and sealing materials at boiler access points. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant accumulated sustained asbestos exposure from the boiler lagging and refractory throughout their duty periods in Kearsarge’s firerooms
  • Steam piping — main steam and auxiliary steam piping throughout the engineering spaces used asbestos magnesia pipe covering on all hot steam lines. MM and BT ratings on engineering watch worked in the firerooms and enginerooms surrounded by asbestos-covered steam piping overhead and along the bulkheads
  • ASW conversion — the conversion of Kearsarge to CVS anti-submarine configuration in the 1950s added new equipment spaces and sensor systems, with modification work potentially disturbing the ship’s existing asbestos-containing construction materials throughout the conversion process

VA Claims for USS Kearsarge Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Essex-class carriers. Engineering ratings who served aboard USS Kearsarge 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 Kearsarge

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.