USS California (BB-44) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS California (BB-44). 38 machinery and manufacturer entries derived from the public...

By Rights Watch Media Group LLC •June 6, 2026 • 3 min read

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Hull

BB-44

Class

BB hull series

⚙ View Equipment Manifest Documented BUSHIPS machinery & manufacturers aboard California BB-44 ↓ All Ship Manifests ›

MusterLog™ 0

USS California (BB-44) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record — public-domain photograph — USS California (BB-44) - NH 61483 Source: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)

Service History

From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›

USS California (BB-44), a Tennessee-class battleship, served as the flagship of the Battle Fleet during the 1920s and 1930s, participating in training exercises and goodwill cruises. She was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 but was raised and extensively rebuilt, returning to service in January 1944 to support Pacific amphibious operations through the end of World War II. After occupation duties in Japan and transit back to the United States, California was laid up in 1946 and scrapped in 1959.

Construction & Service Dates

Builder: Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 1916-10-25
Launched: 1919-11-20
Commissioned: 1921-08-10

Notable Tours / Service Eras

Peacetime Fleet Service 1921-1941
WWII Pacific Theater 1944-1945
Post-War Operations 1945-1946

Combat Actions

Attack on Pearl Harbor · 1941-12
moored battleship damaged and sunk
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign · 1944
amphibious support
Battle of Surigao Strait · 1944-10
battleship engagement
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf · 1945-01
amphibious support, kamikaze hit
Battle of Okinawa · 1945
fire support for ground operations

Home Ports & Forward Bases

Pearl Harbor — base 1930s-1941
San Pedro — home port operations
Puget Sound Navy Yard — operations base
Philadelphia — laid up 1946

Drydock & Overhaul Periods High Asbestos-Exposure Window

Puget Sound Navy Yard · 1925
refit

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.

Notable Incidents

7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack — torpedoed and bombed, fire disabled electrical system, ship sank; 165 casualties, 4 Medal of Honor recipients
April 1942 ship raised and heavily rebuilt
Collision with USS Tennessee during Mariana and Palau campaign — damaged, missed Battle of Peleliu
January 1945 kamikaze hit during Lingayen Gulf invasion

Final Disposition

scrapped — broken up 1959

Read the video transcript

Did you serve aboard the USS California? This battleship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS California, hull number BB-44, was a battleship, built by Mare Island Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1921. She served through Peacetime Fleet Service, WWII Pacific Theater, and Post-War Operations. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS California, BB-44 — 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 California from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, Combustion Engineers, F B Sturtevant, and General Electric Co. allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS California 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 California (BB-44) is a documented U.S. Navy battleship with asbestos-exposure evidence in the public litigation record. The equipment manifest below was assembled from depositions, expert reports, and manufacturer interrogatory responses filed in U.S. asbestos litigation that reference equipment installed aboard this vessel.

Equipment Manifest

Equipment Manifest — USS California (BB-44). 38 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.

Equipment	Manufacturer	Qty	Notes
Boilers	Babcock & Wilcox		Main boilers installed aboard USS California BB-44
Spare Boiler (8 Divided furnace / Superheated water tube design drum)	Combustion Engineers	1	Spare boiler for USS California BB-44
Blowers (turbine driven)	F B Sturtevant		Turbine-driven blowers aboard USS California BB-44
Main Propulsion	General Electric		Main propulsion system for USS California BB-44
Ten Stage Single Flow Impulse Stage Type	Curtis Co.		Propulsion component aboard USS California BB-44
Air Compressor (High Pressure)	Herdie Tynes Manufacturing		High-pressure air compressor installed on USS California BB-44
Air Compressor (Medium Pressure)	Ingersoll Rand Co.		Medium-pressure air compressor installed on USS California BB-44
Main Condensers	C H Wheeler		Main condensers aboard USS California BB-44
Auxiliary Condensers	Foster Wheeler	4	Four auxiliary condensers installed on USS California BB-44
Main Distilling Apparatus	Griscom Russell	2	Two main distilling apparatus aboard USS California BB-44
Emergency Distilling Apparatus	Griscom Russell	1	One emergency distilling apparatus aboard USS California BB-44
Ships Service Turbine drive Generators	General Electric Co.		Turbine-driven generators for ship service aboard USS California BB-44
Emergency Diesel Generators	Westinghouse		Emergency diesel generators aboard USS California BB-44
Emergency Diesel Generators	General Motors		Emergency diesel generators aboard USS California BB-44
Main Refrigeration	Carrier	2	Two main refrigeration units aboard USS California BB-44
Vacuum Pump for Emergency Generator Unit	Nash Pump Co.		Emergency generator support
Submersible Pump	Dean Steam Pump
Oil Purifier Pump	DeLaval		Diesel oil purification
Fire & Bilge Pump	Garden Denver
Fresh Water Pump	Sawyer Electric Co.
Fresh Water Booster Pump	Morris Machine Co.
Sanitary Pump	Morris Machine Co.
Secondary Drainage Pump	Morris Machine Co.
Fuel Oil Service Pump	Northern Pump
Fuel Oil Transfer Pump	M T Davidson
High Temperature Insulation	Johns Manville Sales Corp.		Asbestos-containing material
Asbestos Cloth	Raybestos Co.
Deck Matting	Raybestos Co.		Asbestos-containing
Asbestos Tape 1 to 3 inch	Johns Manville
Asbestos Pipe Covering	Union Asbestos & Manufacturing Co.
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Plants	Carrier Corporation		USS California (BB-44) contract with Carrier Corporation, referenced in 24 APR 1941 correspondence from Puget Sound Navy Yard
Spare Boiler - 8 Divided furnace / Superheated water tube design drum boilers	Combustion Engineers	8	Spare boiler units for USS California BB-44
Blowers - Turbine driven	F B Sturtevant		Turbine-driven blowers aboard USS California BB-44
Air Compressor High Pressure	Herdie Tynes Manufacturing		High pressure air compressor aboard USS California BB-44
Air Compressor Med. Pressure	Ingersoll Rand Co.		Medium pressure air compressor aboard USS California BB-44
Main Condenser pump drive	Terry Turbine Co.		Main condenser pump turbine drive aboard USS California BB-44
Emergency Diesel Generators	Westinghouse / General Motors		Emergency diesel generator units aboard USS California BB-44
Main Refrigeration - 2 main units	Carrier	2	Main refrigeration units aboard USS California BB-44

Note: this manifest is derived from public asbestos litigation records (depositions, expert reports, manufacturer interrogatories) rather than primary BUSHIPS construction documents. Entries reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed legal records.

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 California

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:

Boilerman (BT) — boiler-room operations, refractory work, burner maintenance
Machinist’s Mate (MM) — main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, condensers, pumps
Engineman (EN) — auxiliary diesel and gasoline engines, gland packing
Electrician’s Mate (EM) — cable runs through asbestos-insulated chases, motor-generator sets
Hull Maintenance Technician (HT) / Pipefitter — piping system maintenance, gasket replacement, valve repacking
Damage Controlman (DC) — firefighting equipment, fire-stops, bulkhead penetrations
Fireman (FN) — engineering-plant tending across boiler and engine rooms

VA Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.

Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.

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.

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.

Boiler Room Sailor stands watch in the aft machinery room of USS Iwo Jima. (35298984822) Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Drydock Overhaul USS Newport News (CA-148) in drydock at the Norfolk Navy Yard 1965 Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Engine Room Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Sterett Sailor takes equipment readings in ship's engine room. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Engineering Watch USS Bataan Stands Full Female Engineering Watch Team (8442031) Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

US Navy 061108-N-6652A-037 U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Roy Hernandez, left, and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Jerry … — Machinist Mate US Navy 061108-N-6652A-037 U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Roy Hernandez, left, and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Jerry Rivera work on a rotor … Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Navy Fireroom Fireroom aboard USS Rochester (CA-124), in 1955 Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

US Navy 080208-N-6538W-019 Civilian yard workers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard perform maintenance on the bow catapults of the … — Shipyard Worker US Navy 080208-N-6538W-019 Civilian yard workers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard perform maintenance on the bow catapults of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier … Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

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.

California BB-44 — Frequently Asked Questions

Are California BB-44 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?

Yes. California BB-44 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 California BB-44 contained asbestos?

Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of California BB-44'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 California BB-44?

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 California BB-44?

Documented equipment manufacturers aboard California BB-44 include: Babcock & Wilcox, C H Wheeler, Carrier, Carrier Corporation, Combustion Engineers, Curtis Co., DeLaval. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.

Do California BB-44 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?

Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. California BB-44 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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