USS Saratoga (CV-60) — Asbestos Aboard the Atlantic Fleet Forrestal Class Carrier

USS Saratoga (CV-60) was the second Forrestal class supercarrier, commissioned in April 1956 at New York Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn Navy Yard). Saratoga served as an Atlantic Fleet carrier for 38 years — homeported at NS Mayport, Florida — conducting Vietnam War combat deployments, Cold War Mediterranean deployments, and operations including Operation Desert Storm support before her decommissioning in 1994. Built in 1952-1956 at the height of asbestos use in naval construction, Saratoga’s engineering spaces were thoroughly insulated with asbestos throughout her decades of service.

Engineering Plant and Mid-1950s Construction

USS Saratoga’s engineering plant was built with mid-1950s naval construction standards:

• Eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers — Saratoga’s eight-boiler main propulsion plant generated steam for propulsion and ship services, with the fire rooms surrounding asbestos-insulated boiler casings, steam drums, and superheater headers consistent with 1956-era carrier construction. BTs assigned to Saratoga’s fire rooms stood in heavily asbestos-insulated fire room environments throughout every watch rotation
• Main steam piping — the main steam distribution system carrying high-pressure superheated steam from four fire rooms to four engine rooms used asbestos pipe covering throughout the carrier’s main steam system in 1950s-era construction
• Engine room turbine casings — main propulsion turbine sets in four engine rooms had asbestos insulation on turbine external casing surfaces

Mayport Homeport and Mediterranean Operations

Saratoga’s homeport at NS Mayport and her extended Mediterranean deployment record:

• Saratoga conducted numerous Mediterranean deployments as part of the Sixth Fleet throughout the Cold War, with engineering departments maintaining continuous steam plant operation during sustained underway Mediterranean deployments
• Saratoga’s Vietnam War combat deployments generated extended periods of high-tempo watch-standing in asbestos-insulated engineering spaces during carrier air operations

1969 Boiler Explosion and Fire

USS Saratoga suffered a serious boiler explosion and fire in the Mediterranean in 1969, killing three sailors and injuring dozens. The incident — a boiler casualty in the fire room — involved direct exposure of engineering personnel to the fire room environment and required extensive repair work in the asbestos-insulated engineering spaces during subsequent maintenance.

VA Claims for USS Saratoga Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy carriers. Engineering ratings who served in fireroom and engine room billets aboard USS Saratoga during her Cold War service 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.