USS Shangri-La (CV/CVA/CVS-38) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned in September 1944 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia. Shangri-La participated in WWII Pacific operations, Korean War patrols, and served one Vietnam combat cruise in 1970 as an attack carrier before her final decommissioning in 1971. The ship was homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida in her later career and served as both attack carrier (CVA) and anti-submarine carrier (CVS) configurations. Shangri-La’s 1944 construction used asbestos throughout her engineering plant, steam systems, and interior spaces consistent with WWII naval construction standards.

Engineering Plant Asbestos

Shangri-La’s Essex-class steam plant incorporated asbestos insulation throughout:

  • Boiler plant — the eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers powering Shangri-La used asbestos lagging on boiler exterior surfaces, asbestos refractory brick in furnaces, and asbestos packing and sealing materials at boiler access doors, handhole plates, and valve packing throughout the firerooms. BT ratings maintaining the boiler plant worked in direct proximity to the asbestos-containing lagging throughout their engineering duty periods
  • Steam piping — the main steam and auxiliary steam distribution piping throughout Shangri-La’s engineering spaces used asbestos magnesia block pipe covering under canvas jacketing on all hot steam lines. The pipe covering insulation deteriorated in the engineering space environment, releasing asbestos fiber during normal engineering watch and maintenance operations
  • Engineering auxiliaries — boiler feed pumps, condensate pumps, and other steam-driven auxiliary machinery used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in the rotating equipment and valve maintenance performed by MM ratings

Interior Construction Asbestos

Shangri-La’s interior construction reflected WWII-era naval standards:

  • Crew accommodation spaces — crew berthing and habitability spaces in the 1944 construction used asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead construction materials. The ship’s complement of over 3,000 personnel occupied these asbestos-containing interior spaces throughout each deployment
  • SCB-125 modernization — Shangri-La’s SCB-125 conversion added angle deck, enclosed bow, and hurricane bow modifications in the mid-1950s, with modification construction materials still including asbestos-containing materials in the mid-1950s construction specifications

VA Claims for USS Shangri-La Veterans

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

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.