USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in June 1945 at the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, arriving in the Pacific theater days before the end of WWII. Lake Champlain served during the Korean War (1952-1953) and later as an anti-submarine carrier (CVS-39), and became historically notable as the recovery ship for Gordon Cooper’s Faith 7 Mercury capsule in May 1963. The ship was decommissioned in 1966 after approximately 19 years of active service. Lake Champlain’s 1945 construction used asbestos throughout her steam plant, engineering systems, and interior spaces consistent with WWII-era naval construction standards.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Lake Champlain’s Essex-class steam plant used WWII-era asbestos-containing insulation:

  • Boiler plant — Lake Champlain’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos boiler lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers, and asbestos sealing materials at boiler access points. The boiler plant — maintained by BT ratings in the ship’s firerooms — was the highest-concentration asbestos environment aboard ship
  • Steam piping insulation — main steam and auxiliary steam piping throughout Lake Champlain’s engineering spaces used asbestos magnesia pipe covering on the hot steam lines. The pipe covering deterioration under Korean War and subsequent operational conditions released asbestos fiber into the engineering spaces during normal shipboard operations
  • Turbine and auxiliary machinery — main propulsion turbines and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing casing and steam chest insulation in the WWII-era construction

Interior Construction Asbestos

Lake Champlain’s 1945 interior construction incorporated asbestos-containing materials:

  • Crew berthing and habitability — crew berthing compartments used asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead insulation consistent with WWII Essex-class construction standards
  • ASW modification spaces — the conversion to CVS anti-submarine carrier configuration added new electronic equipment spaces and sensor system installations, with modification work potentially disturbing the ship’s existing asbestos-containing construction materials

VA Claims for USS Lake Champlain Veterans

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

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.