USS Wisconsin (BB-64) — Asbestos Aboard the Iowa Class Battleship

USS Wisconsin (BB-64), the fourth Iowa class fast battleship commissioned and the last battleship commissioned by the United States Navy, was placed in service at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in April 1944. Wisconsin served in the Pacific theater during WWII, screening fast carrier task forces and providing shore bombardment support at Lingayen Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Following WWII decommissioning, Wisconsin was recommissioned for Korean War service, providing shore bombardment along the Korean coast and suffering minor damage in a shore battery exchange in 1952. After a second decommissioning period, Wisconsin was reactivated in 1988 as the final Iowa class battleship brought back to service under the Reagan-era recommissioning program, deploying to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 where she fired Tomahawk cruise missiles against Iraqi targets. Wisconsin’s propulsion plant — eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers and four sets of General Electric geared turbines — remained in service across her WWII, Korean War, and 1988 commission periods, with the original WWII-era steam plant asbestos construction maintained through refits at Philadelphia, Puget Sound, and Ingalls Shipbuilding yards during her multiple recommissioning preparations.

USS Wisconsin Steam Plant Asbestos

Wisconsin’s eight-boiler steam plant incorporated asbestos throughout:

• Babcock & Wilcox boiler insulation — Wisconsin’s eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers were insulated with asbestos-containing boiler casing insulation and steam drum insulation from WWII construction. Boilermen working in Wisconsin’s eight firerooms during WWII, Korean War, and 1988 Desert Storm service encountered the original WWII-era boiler insulation maintained through her multiple reactivation refits
• High-pressure steam main insulation — the high-pressure steam mains throughout Wisconsin’s engineering spaces incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation from WWII construction. Engineering ratings working in Wisconsin’s propulsion plant machinery spaces encountered steam main asbestos insulation during normal operations and maintenance throughout her service life
• Main propulsion turbine insulation — Wisconsin’s four General Electric main propulsion turbine sets incorporated asbestos-containing turbine casing insulation. Machinist’s Mates performing turbine maintenance and inspections worked in proximity to asbestos-containing turbine insulation through Wisconsin’s service life
• Auxiliary steam system insulation — Wisconsin’s auxiliary steam system serving steam-powered equipment throughout the ship incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation throughout her machinery spaces and auxiliary equipment spaces

USS Wisconsin Hull Construction Asbestos

Wisconsin’s WWII construction incorporated asbestos throughout:

• Crew spaces and berthing areas — Wisconsin’s interior crew berthing and living spaces were constructed using WWII naval construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing floor tile, overhead insulation, and bulkhead construction materials throughout the hull
• Turret and magazine spaces — Wisconsin’s three 16-inch/50 caliber Mark 7 gun turrets and the associated magazine and shell handling rooms were constructed using WWII naval construction incorporating asbestos-containing materials in the turret and below-deck spaces
• 1988 reactivation construction — Wisconsin’s 1988 reactivation at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi incorporated new construction for Tomahawk cruise missile launchers, Harpoon antiship missiles, Phalanx CIWS mounts, and updated electronics. New construction materials from the 1988 refit reflect the construction specifications of the late 1980s

VA Claims for USS Wisconsin Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy battleship steam plant service. Machinist’s Mates, Boilermen, and crew members who served aboard USS Wisconsin 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.