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

USS Saratoga (CV-60) — the second ship named Saratoga and the second Forrestal class aircraft carrier — was laid down at New York Naval Shipyard in December 1952, launched in October 1955, and commissioned in April 1956. The ship was powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers driving four sets of steam turbines producing 280,000 shaft horsepower. USS Saratoga served primarily with the Atlantic Fleet and as a Sixth Fleet carrier throughout its service life, homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida and conducting sustained Mediterranean deployments. The ship participated in the response to the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and continued Cold War Mediterranean deterrence deployments through the 1980s. Saratoga participated in the 1986 Libya operations and 1991 Gulf War, launching air strikes against Iraqi targets. The ship was decommissioned in August 1994 after 38 years of commissioned service. The eight-boiler Forrestal class steam propulsion plant was insulated with asbestos-containing materials consistent with mid-1950s naval construction, with Boiler Tenders and Machinist’s Mates maintaining the asbestos-insulated steam plant through the ship’s Cold War Mediterranean service.

Forrestal Class Eight-Boiler Plant Asbestos

Saratoga’s eight-boiler plant incorporated extensive asbestos insulation:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler casing insulation — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers in Saratoga’s four boiler rooms were insulated with asbestos block insulation on boiler casing exterior surfaces and asbestos pipe covering on boiler steam drum connections and superheater outlets. Boiler Tenders maintaining the boilers during 38 years of Mediterranean and Atlantic deployments worked in continuous proximity to the asbestos boiler casing insulation throughout each engineering watch rotation in the carrier’s boiler rooms
• Main turbine and steam system insulation — Saratoga’s main propulsion turbines and main steam piping were insulated with asbestos block on turbine casings and asbestos lagging on high-pressure main steam piping. Machinist’s Mates tending the turbines worked in the asbestos-insulated turbine spaces throughout their propulsion plant watch standing
• New York Naval Shipyard construction asbestos — USS Saratoga was constructed at New York Naval Shipyard during 1952–1956 using the asbestos-containing construction materials and shipyard practices consistent with the peak asbestos construction period of mid-1950s naval shipbuilding

Cold War Mediterranean Service and 1991 Gulf War

Saratoga’s sustained Sixth Fleet deployments and Gulf War service:

• Sixth Fleet Mediterranean deployments — USS Saratoga’s sustained Sixth Fleet Mediterranean deployments throughout the Cold War — including the 1956 Suez Crisis response, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War period, and continuous Cold War deterrence patrols — required the eight-boiler steam plant to support sustained carrier aviation operations throughout each Mediterranean deployment cycle
• 1991 Gulf War operations — USS Saratoga’s participation in Operation Desert Storm — operating in the Red Sea and launching air wing strike missions against Iraqi targets — required sustained high-tempo carrier air operations with the eight-boiler propulsion plant supporting intensive Gulf War flight operations

VA Claims for USS Saratoga (CV-60) Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy aircraft carriers. Boiler Tenders, Machinist’s Mates, and crew members who served aboard USS Saratoga (CV-60) 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.