USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in May 1946 at the Bethlehem Steel Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. Philippine Sea served as a primary attack carrier during the Korean War, conducting combat air operations from 1950 to 1952 and participating in some of the first carrier combat operations in Korean waters. After Korean War service, Philippine Sea served in various capacities before decommissioning in 1958 and later scrapping. The ship’s 1946 construction used asbestos insulation throughout her Essex-class steam plant and interior spaces.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Philippine Sea’s Essex-class 1946 construction used WWII-era asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — Philippine Sea’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers used asbestos lagging on exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos sealing materials at boiler access points throughout the boiler plant. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant in the firerooms accumulated sustained asbestos exposure from the boiler lagging during Korean War combat operations
  • Steam piping insulation — main steam and auxiliary steam piping from Philippine Sea’s firerooms to engineering and auxiliary loads used asbestos magnesia pipe covering throughout the engineering spaces. The high-tempo Korean War combat operations accelerated deterioration of the pipe covering in the engineering spaces
  • Engineering auxiliaries — steam-driven auxiliary machinery used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in the routine maintenance performed by MM ratings

Korean War Operations

Philippine Sea contributed significantly to early Korean War carrier aviation:

  • The ship’s crew occupied the asbestos-containing engineering and accommodation spaces throughout the Korean War deployment period, with sustained engineering ratings in the firerooms and enginerooms during full-power combat operations in Korean waters

VA Claims for USS Philippine Sea Veterans

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

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.