USS St. Paul (CA-73) — Asbestos in the Baltimore Class Heavy Cruiser

USS St. Paul (CA-73), a Baltimore class heavy cruiser commissioned February 17, 1945 at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard at Sparrows Point, Maryland, served the US Navy through the Korean War and Cold War eras before decommissioning in 1971. Armed with nine 8-inch guns and powered by four Babcock & Wilcox boilers driving four General Electric geared steam turbines, St. Paul frequently served as Pacific Fleet flagship and participated in Korean War naval gunfire support operations, earning battle stars for Korean service. The cruiser was homeported at NS Long Beach, California, for much of her service life.

Baltimore Class Steam Plant and Asbestos

USS St. Paul’s WWII-era steam plant used asbestos throughout the engineering plant:

• Main boiler insulation — the four Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers in St. Paul’s engineering spaces used asbestos block insulation on boiler casings and asbestos refractory materials in the firebox construction. Boiler Technicians performing routine boiler maintenance and inspection aboard St. Paul disturbed asbestos boiler insulation at each maintenance interval throughout the cruiser’s 26-year service life
• Main steam system pipe insulation — the high-pressure main steam piping connecting the four boilers to the four propulsion turbines throughout St. Paul’s engineering plant used asbestos pipe covering throughout the 1945 construction. BTs and MMs performing steam system maintenance worked continuously in proximity to asbestos-insulated steam piping in the cruiser’s engineering spaces
• Turbine and reduction gear insulation — the four main propulsion turbines and associated reduction gears used asbestos-containing insulation consistent with WWII-era heavy cruiser construction

Pacific Fleet Flagship Operations

USS St. Paul served as Pacific Fleet flagship for extended periods:

• As Pacific Fleet flagship, St. Paul carried the Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) staff and operated as a command ship in addition to her combatant role, with a larger-than-standard crew complement living in the cruiser’s asbestos-containing spaces throughout extended Pacific deployments
• Korean War gunfire support operations from 1950-1953 placed St. Paul’s crew in the cruiser’s asbestos-containing engineering spaces throughout combat deployments to Korean waters

Interior Construction and Living Spaces

USS St. Paul’s WWII-era construction used standard wartime construction materials:

• Crew accommodation spaces — the crew berthing, mess, and working spaces throughout the 664-foot Baltimore class cruiser hull used asbestos floor tile, deck insulation, and overhead construction consistent with WWII-era heavy cruiser construction
• Ship’s hospital and administrative spaces — the extended flagship configuration of St. Paul’s accommodation spaces used the same wartime construction materials as the fighting spaces throughout the hull

VA Claims for USS St. Paul Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard WWII-era and Korean War-era heavy cruisers. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard USS St. Paul (CA-73) 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.