USS Missouri (BB-63) — Asbestos Aboard the Mighty Mo

USS Missouri (BB-63), the third Iowa class fast battleship commissioned and the most historically famous American battleship as the site of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender signing on September 2, 1945, was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard in June 1944. Missouri served in the Pacific theater, screening carrier task forces and providing shore bombardment at Iwo Jima and Okinawa before hosting the surrender ceremony ending World War II. Missouri was recommissioned during the Korean War, providing shore bombardment support along the Korean coast before being decommissioned in 1955. Missouri was recommissioned in 1986 as part of the Reagan-era battleship reactivation program, deploying to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 where she fired Tomahawk cruise missiles and 16-inch naval gunfire in support of coalition operations. Missouri’s propulsion plant — eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers and four sets of General Electric geared turbines — remained the core of her propulsion system across all three commission periods, accumulating layered asbestos-containing insulation from WWII construction through her 1986 reactivation refit.

USS Missouri Steam Plant Asbestos

Missouri’s eight-boiler steam plant incorporated asbestos throughout:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler insulation — Missouri’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers were insulated with asbestos-containing boiler casing insulation and steam drum insulation consistent with WWII naval construction specifications. Boilermen working in Missouri’s eight firerooms during her WWII, Korean War, and 1980s service accumulated asbestos exposure from the original WWII-era boiler insulation maintained through her multiple recommissioning refits
• High-pressure steam main pipe insulation — the high-pressure steam mains throughout Missouri’s engineering spaces carrying superheated steam from the boilers to the main turbine sets incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation from WWII construction. Machinist’s Mates and Boilermen working in Missouri’s machinery spaces encountered steam main insulation throughout the propulsion plant during normal operations and maintenance
• Main propulsion turbine insulation — Missouri’s four General Electric main propulsion turbine sets incorporated asbestos-containing turbine casing insulation. Machinist’s Mates assigned to Missouri’s engineering department worked in proximity to turbine insulation during routine turbine maintenance and inspection operations
• Auxiliary steam system insulation — Missouri’s extensive auxiliary steam system serving steam-powered equipment throughout the ship incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation at auxiliary lines and connections throughout her machinery spaces

USS Missouri Hull Construction Asbestos

Missouri’s WWII construction and reactivation work incorporated asbestos throughout:

• Crew berthing and interior spaces — Missouri’s interior crew spaces were constructed using WWII naval construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing floor tile, overhead insulation, and bulkhead construction materials. Missouri’s large wartime crew — over 1,900 personnel — worked and lived in spaces with asbestos-containing construction throughout the hull
• 16-inch turret and magazine spaces — the three 16-inch/50 caliber gun turrets aboard Missouri and the associated below-deck magazine and handling spaces were constructed using WWII naval construction incorporating asbestos-containing materials in the turret working spaces and magazine areas
• 1986 reactivation work — Missouri’s 1986 recommissioning refit at Long Beach Naval Shipyard incorporated new construction for Tomahawk and Harpoon launcher installations, Phalanx CIWS mounts, and updated electronics spaces. New construction materials in Missouri’s 1986 refit reflect the construction specifications of the mid-1980s period

VA Claims for USS Missouri Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy battleship steam plant service. Machinist’s Mates, Boilermen, and crew members who served aboard USS Missouri 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.