USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record
Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25), a Bainbridge-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser in...
By Rights Watch Media Group LLC•June 5, 2026•4 min read
Shipyard, deployment, and service events for this vessel documented in the public record — court filings, the ship’s deck logs, or the crew’s own cruise book (each entry cites its source). Dry-dockings, overhauls, and yard periods were when asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced, the peak-exposure work for the crew and yard workers aboard.
1962
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1962
Mooring / movement · NORFOLK — Moored/underway near NORFOLK, per the ship's deck log.
1963
Yard period / shipyard · Charleston — In the shipyard at Charleston, per the ship's deck log.
1963
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1964
Mooring / movement · Charleston — Moored/underway near Charleston, per the ship's deck log.
1964
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
Derived from publicly filed asbestos-litigation records, ship’s deck logs, and the crew’s own cruise books. Historical service events; this does not constitute legal or medical advice.
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USS Bainbridge (CGN-25) 1986Source: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)
Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25/CGN-25) was the only ship of her class and the first nuclear-powered destroyer-type vessel in the U.S. Navy, commissioned in October 1962. She served over 30 years in combat and peacekeeping operations across the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Middle East, including eleven Western Pacific deployments during the Vietnam War and operations off Libya and in the Balkans. Decommissioned in September 1996, she was scrapped beginning in October 1997.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts
Vietnam War / Western Pacific 1965-1973 (eleven Seventh Fleet cruises)
Far East / Indian Ocean / Arabian Sea 1973-1983
Atlantic Fleet / Caribbean / Northern European waters 1985-1995
Mediterranean / Red Sea / Persian Gulf 1986-1994
Combat Actions
Vietnam War operations· 1965-1973 aircraft carrier screening, radar-picket, search and rescue
Combat operations off Libya· 1986-1989 guided missile cruiser operations
Operation Sharp Guard / Operation Deny Flight· 1994 air warfare coordination and merchant vessel inspection
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Long Beach, California — home port June 1965 onwards
Bremerton, Washington — decommissioned vessel towed mid-1997
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Bethlehem Shipbuilding / Fore River Shipyard· 1967-1968 overhaul and first nuclear refueling
Unknown· 1974-1977 extensive modernization, refueling, and post-overhaul work
Unknown· 1983-1985 final nuclear refueling overhaul
Asbestos rip-out, insulation replacement, and gasket-packing work occurred during these yard periods. Sailors aboard during overhauls had peak exposure to airborne asbestos fiber.
Final Disposition
scrapped — recycling process began October 1997
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Bainbridge? This cruiser carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Bainbridge, hull number DLGN-25, was a cruiser, built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and commissioned in 1962. She served through Mediterranean deployment, Mediterranean deployment (Operation Sea Orbit), and Vietnam War and Western Pacific (eleven Seventh Fleet cruises). Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Bainbridge, DLGN-25 — insulated and sealed with asbestos. Each shipyard overhaul and major repair meant asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced — peak-exposure work for the yard workers and the crew aboard. Exposure was worst in the engineering spaces, where the snipes worked — but asbestos lined the whole ship, so all hands were exposed. The companies that made the asbestos equipment aboard — not the Navy — are who asbestos claims are brought against. According to asbestos litigation records, the equipment aboard the USS Bainbridge from makers such as Cyclotherm, Worthington, General Electric, and Aurora allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Bainbridge and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the companies that made the asbestos products used aboard your ship. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) was a Bainbridge-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser that served the U.S. Navy from 1962 through 1996 — a 34-year service life that places her squarely within the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy ship construction. Across her service, Bainbridge’s crew worked daily in machinery spaces, engineering plant, and habitable compartments constructed with extensive asbestos-containing materials.
The equipment manifest below is drawn from BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) ship-specific documentation that identifies the machinery and equipment manufacturers installed aboard Bainbridge. Each entry is a documented item of equipment with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source evidence for asbestos-exposure case development by Navy veterans and their families.
Equipment Manifest
Equipment Manifest — USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25). 43 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy ships of this era are documented to have included:
Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout machinery spaces
Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the main boilers
Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands
Insulation jackets and removable lagging on turbines, reduction gears, and auxiliary machinery
Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation
Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, and habitable spaces
Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in glands, joints, and seal applications
Sailors in Boilerman, Machinist’s Mate, Engineman, Electrician’s Mate, Hull Maintenance Technician, Damage Controlman, and other engineering ratings worked routinely in spaces where these materials were installed, maintained, and overhauled.
VA Benefits for Bainbridge Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions that may be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure. The documented Bainbridge equipment manifest is direct evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around.
Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products are also available, and do not reduce VA compensation.
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
AsbestosIndex™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.
Documented Asbestos-Exposure Environments — U.S. Navy Service
Public-domain U.S. Navy photographs illustrating the engineering spaces, ratings, and yard environments where asbestos materials were routinely encountered during normal duty.
All images are public domain (U.S. Government works). Specific photographs depict generic Navy engineering and yard environments — not the named vessel above. Asbestos materials shown or implied include pipe lagging, boiler insulation, steam-line covering, and gasket / packing materials standard on U.S. Navy vessels through the early 1980s.
Bainbridge DLGN-25 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Bainbridge DLGN-25 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Bainbridge DLGN-25 is documented in the public U.S. Navy asbestos litigation record. U.S. Navy vessels of her service era were built to BUSHIPS specifications that required asbestos insulation throughout engineering spaces, on steam lines, around boilers and turbines, and in gasket and packing materials.
Which shipboard components on Bainbridge DLGN-25 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Bainbridge DLGN-25's era include: boiler insulation and lagging, steam-line pipe insulation, turbine and reduction-gear casings, valve packing, gaskets, brake and clutch friction materials, electrical wire insulation, overhead pipe coverings in berthing and mess spaces, and Navy-issue boiler cement and refractory in fireboxes.
What ratings were exposed to asbestos serving on Bainbridge DLGN-25?
Navy ratings with the highest documented asbestos exposure include Machinist's Mate (MM), Boiler Technician (BT), Hull Maintenance Technician (HT), Engineman (EN), Electrician's Mate (EM), Interior Communications Electrician (IC), Damage Controlman (DC), and Pipefitter / Shipfitter. Officers in engineering departments also encountered asbestos in normal duty. Shipyard workers performing overhaul, repair, or refit work had concentrated exposure during yard periods.
What equipment manufacturers are documented on Bainbridge DLGN-25?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Bainbridge DLGN-25 include: American Standard, Atlas, Atwood & Morrill, Aurora, Buffalo, Byron Jackson, Chapman. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Bainbridge DLGN-25 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Bainbridge DLGN-25 veterans generally need medical records showing the current disease, service records supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a doctor's statement connecting the two. Veterans may file at VA.gov, call 1-800-827-1000, or seek free help from an accredited Veterans Service Organization such as DAV, VFW, or the American Legion.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site. References to ships, shipyards, companies, products, and asbestos-containing materials are drawn from public VA records, NARA archives, EPA/OSHA databases, and public litigation records. All references reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed records. Consult a licensed physician for medical guidance and a qualified attorney for legal advice regarding your specific situation.
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Maritime statute of limitations: 3 years from diagnosis (46 U.S.C. § 30106)
Runs in parallel with VA benefits — civil recovery does not reduce VA disability compensation
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