USS Biddle (DLG-34 / CG-34) was a Belknap-class guided-missile cruiser commissioned 21 January 1967 and serving the U.S. Navy through 30 November 1993 — Vietnam War combat operations, multiple Cold War Mediterranean and Indian Ocean deployments, and Operation Desert Storm. Reclassified from DLG to CG in 1975.
The 80-entry equipment manifest below is sourced from ship-specific BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation identifying machinery and equipment installed aboard. Each entry is documented equipment with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source material for asbestos-exposure case development by Navy veterans and surviving families.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solenoid Stop Valves | Alco | ||
| Gate Valve | Anchor Equipment | ||
| Swing Check Valve | Anchor Equipment | ||
| Lube Oil Cooler for Main Feed Pump | Andale | ||
| Control Valve for Main Feed Pump | Andale | ||
| Sea & Fresh Water Pressure Reducing Valves | Atlas | ||
| Radar Fluid Cooler Circulating Pumps | Aurora div./ New York Air Brake | ||
| Valves | Automatic Switch | ||
| Main Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | ||
| Main Condensers | Baldwin, Lima, Hamilton | ||
| Main Air Ejectors | Baldwin, Lima, Hamilton | ||
| Distilling Plant | Bethlehem Steel | ||
| 25 GPM JP-5 Transfer Pump (Motor Driven) | Blackmer | ||
| 50 GPM JP-5 Transfer Pump (Motor Driven) | Blackmer | ||
| 50 GPM JP-5 Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | Blackmer | ||
| Lighting Off Blowers | Buffalo Forge | ||
| 900 GPM Fire Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo Pumps div./ Buffalo Forge | ||
| Fresh Water Drain Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo Pumps div./ Buffalo Forge | ||
| Main Condenser Condensate Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo Pumps div./ Buffalo Forge | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo Pumps div./ Buffalo Forge | ||
| Ship's Service TG Condenser Condensate Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo Pumps div./ Buffalo Forge | ||
| Main Feed Pump (Turbine Driven) | Byron Jackson div./ Borg-Warner | ||
| Air Conditioning Plants | Carrier | ||
| Refrigeration Plants | Carrier | ||
| Condenser Circulating Pump | Carver | ||
| Sea Water Circulating Pump | Carver | ||
| Fresh Water Circulating Pumps | Carver | ||
| Main Air Ejectors | CH Wheeler | ||
| Auxiliary Air Ejectors | CH Wheeler | ||
| Lube Oil Unloading Valve | Cla-Val | ||
| Deaerating Feed Tanks | Cochrane div./ Crane | ||
| Relief Valves | Consolidated div./ Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Gate Valves | Crane | ||
| Swing Check Valves | Crane | ||
| Combined Radar & Sonar Equipment Heat Exchanger | Davis Engineering | ||
| Fuel Oil Heaters | Davis div./ Tube Reducing | ||
| Lube Oil Purifier Heaters | Davis div./ Tube Reducing | ||
| IMO Pump | De Laval | ||
| Fuel Oil Transfer Pumps (Motor Driven) | De Laval | ||
| Main Lube Oil Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | De Laval | ||
| Main Lube Oil Service Pumps (Turbine Driven) | De Laval | ||
| Main Lube Oil Service Pump Turbines | De Laval | ||
| Main Fuel Oil Service Pumps (Turbine Driven) | De Laval | ||
| Main Fuel Oil Service Pump Turbines | De Laval | ||
| Port Use Fuel Oil Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | De Laval | ||
| Oscillating Pumps | Deming div./ Crane | ||
| Eductors (Drainage Systems) | Derbyshire | ||
| Soot Blowers | Diamond Power Specialty | ||
| 500 KW Emergency Diesel Generator Set | Fairbanks Morse | ||
| Main Propulsion Turbines | General Electric | ||
| 1500 KW Turbine Generator Sets | General Electric | ||
| Attached Lube Oil Pump & Drive | General Electric | ||
| Main Feed Pump Turbines | General Electric | ||
| Globe & Angle Valves | Henry | ||
| Anchor Windlass | Hyde Windlass | ||
| Electro Hydraulic Steering Gear | Hyde Windlass | ||
| Valve Manifold & Dirt Trap | Jerguson | ||
| Sea & Fresh Water Pressure Reducing Valves | Klipfel div./ Hamilton-Thomas | ||
| Fuel Oil Unloading Valves | Lawler Automatic | ||
| Thermostatic Regulating Valves | Lawler Automatic | ||
| Diaphragm Control Valves | Leslie | ||
| Steam Whistle | Leslie | ||
| Strainers | Leslie | ||
| Feedwater Relief Valves | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Oil Relief Valves | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Pressure Regulating Valves | Marotta | ||
| Vacuum Priming Pumps (Motor Driven) | Nash Engineering Trip | ||
| Valve (Fuel Oil Service) | Ruggles Klingemann | ||
| Desuperheater | Schutte & Koerting Lube | ||
| Oil Purifier | Sharples | ||
| Auxiliary Gland Leakoff Exhauster Fan | Spencer Turbine | ||
| Gate Valves | Velan | ||
| Globe & Angle Valves | Velan | ||
| Steam Traps | Velan | ||
| Pumps for Anchor Windlass | Vickers | ||
| Pumps for Steering Gear | Vickers | ||
| Lube Oil Pump for Main Feed Pump | Viking | ||
| Distiller Feed Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan div./ Carver | ||
| Potable Water Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan div./ Carver | ||
| Ship's Service TG Condenser Circulating Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Biddle
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy guided-missile cruisers of this era are documented to have included:
- Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main 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 main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, and forced-draft blowers
- 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 compartments
- Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in gland-seal applications throughout the engineering plant
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, ripped out, and replaced.
VA Benefits for Biddle Veterans
The 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. The Biddle equipment manifest is direct documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around throughout her service life.
Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products are also available, and do not reduce VA compensation.
Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Biddle (CG-34). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.