USS Leyte (CV-32) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in April 1946 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Leyte served in the Korean War from September 1950 through February 1951, conducting combat air operations against North Korean targets. After Korean War service, Leyte was placed in reserve and later decommissioned in 1959. The ship’s 1946 construction used asbestos insulation throughout the Essex-class steam plant and interior spaces consistent with WWII-era construction standards.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Leyte’s Essex-class 1946 construction used asbestos insulation throughout:

  • Boiler plant — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers, and asbestos sealing materials at boiler access points. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant in Leyte’s firerooms during Korean War combat operations accumulated sustained asbestos exposure from the boiler lagging
  • Steam piping — main steam and auxiliary steam distribution piping used asbestos magnesia pipe covering on the hot steam lines throughout Leyte’s engineering spaces. The steam piping runs in the firerooms and enginerooms were all covered with asbestos block insulation under canvas jacket in the 1946 construction
  • Engineering auxiliaries — steam-driven boiler feed pumps and ship’s service turbine generators used asbestos-containing gasket materials in the MM maintenance cycle

Korean War Service

Leyte conducted sustained Korean War combat operations in 1950-1951:

  • The ship’s crew occupied the asbestos-containing engineering and accommodation spaces throughout the Korean War deployment period, with engineering ratings in the firerooms and enginerooms under combat-tempo operating conditions

VA Claims for USS Leyte Veterans

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

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.