USS Hassayampa (AO-145) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS Hassayampa (AO-145), a Neosho-class fleet oiler in service 1955–1991. 60 documented...

By Rights Watch Media Group LLC •June 5, 2026 • 4 min read

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Hull

AO-145

Class

Neosho-class fleet oiler

Commissioned

1955

Decommissioned

1991

Documented Service History

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.

1956
Mooring / movement · Pearl Harbor — Moored/underway near Pearl Harbor, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Mooring / movement · Pearl Harbor — Moored/underway near Pearl Harbor, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Dry-docking · Pearl Harbor — Dry-docked at Pearl Harbor, 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.

⚙ View Equipment Manifest Documented BUSHIPS machinery & manufacturers aboard Hassayampa AO-145 ↓ All Ship Manifests ›

MusterLog™ 0

USS Hassayampa (AO-145) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record — public-domain photograph — USNS Hassayampa (T-AO-145) refueling USS Midway (CV-41) 1984.JPEG Source: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)

Service History

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

USS Hassayampa (AO-145) was a Neosho-class fleet replenishment oiler that served the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine for 36 years from 1955 to 1991. A veteran of the Vietnam War, she conducted multiple Western Pacific deployments supporting the 7th Fleet and participated in Operation Market Time, establishing multiple fuel transfer rate records during underway replenishment operations. Following her active service career, she was decommissioned and laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in California.

Construction & Service Dates

Laid down: 1953-07-13
Commissioned: 1955
Decommissioned: 1991

Notable Tours / Service Eras

Western Pacific deployments 1955-1958
Quemoy-Matsu Crisis 1958
Western Pacific operations 1959-1961
Operation Dominic nuclear testing 1962
Vietnam War 1963-1966
Gemini space program support 1966

Combat Actions

Tonkin Gulf crisis · 1964-08
at-sea logistics support
Operation Market Time · 1965
replenishment vessel in naval interdiction

Home Ports & Forward Bases

Pearl Harbor — home port
Subic Bay, Philippines
Perth and Adelaide, Australia
San Francisco

Drydock & Overhaul Periods High Asbestos-Exposure Window

· 1963-1964
modernization overhaul
Subic Bay · 1966
repairs

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

December 1958 — aircraft crash astern during aviation mishap
April 1963 — established multiple underway replenishment fuel transfer rate records with USS Constellation
July 1966 — rudder stuck during replenishment with USS Constellation; collision with USS Vogelsang; repairs at Subic Bay
26 October 1966 — fire aboard USS Oriskany during UNREP; emergency breakaway and hose recovery
2 October 1967 — USS Buck steering casualty during replenishment; Buck's anchor pushed through her side

Final Disposition

Laid up in Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, California

Read the video transcript

Did you serve aboard the USS Hassayampa? This Navy ship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Hassayampa was a Navy ship. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Hassayampa — insulated and sealed with asbestos. 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 Hassayampa from makers such as BABCOCK and WILCOX, COPES-VULCAN, WESTINGHOUSE, and FOSTER-WHEELER allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Hassayampa 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 Hassayampa (AO-145) was a Neosho-class fleet oiler that served the U.S. Navy from her commissioning on 19 April 1955 through decommissioning on 31 March 1991. Built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, she provided underway fuel replenishment to Pacific Fleet operations across 36 years of service — including Vietnam War combat operations, where fleet oilers were essential for sustained carrier strike-group operations.

The 60-entry equipment manifest below is one of the most complete BUSHIPS-sourced documentation sets available for a Neosho-class ship. Each entry represents documented machinery with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source evidence for asbestos exposure-claim development.

Equipment Manifest

Equipment Manifest — USS Hassayampa (AO-145). 60 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
Main Turbines	WESTINGHOUSE	2
Switchboards	GENERAL ELECTRIC
Main and Emergency Switchboards	ITE		Internal Communication
Boilers	BABCOCK & WILCOX	2	Copes-Vulcan boiler regulators.
Forced Draft Blowers	WESTINGHOUSE
Forced Draft Blowers	Sturtevant
Main Condensers	FOSTER-WHEELER		CH Wheeler main ejectors
Cargo Pump Condensers	FOSTER-WHEELER
LP Steam Generator Condensers	FOSTER-WHEELER
Aux. Condenser	CH WHEELER	1	CH Wheeler Aux. Air Ejectors. Asbestos specified
Gland Leakoff Exhauster	ILG
Ship Service Air Compressors	WORTHINGTON
Air Conditioning	CARRIER		Reliance motor.
Distilling Plant	GRISCOM RUSSELL
Main Feed Pump	PACIFIC		John Crane 6AM packing
Auxiliary Feed Pumps	PACIFIC		John Crane 6AM packing
Main Circulating Pump	WORTHINGTON		Electro-Dynamic motor
Aux. Circulating Pump	WORTHINGTON
Main Condensate Pump	WORTHINGTON		Electro-Dynamic motor
Auxiliary Condensate Pump	WORTHINGTON		Electro-Dynamic motor
F.O. Service Pump	SIER BATH	2	Electro-Dynamic motor
Aviation Fuel Stripping Pumps	WORTHINGTON
Aviation Fuel Cargo Pumps	WORTHINGTON
L.O. Pumps (TD)	DeLaval		DeLaval turbine
LO Service Pumps (MD)	DeLaval
LO Purifiers	SHARPLES		Asbestos in pump
Main Cargo Pumps	WORTHINGTON		Whiton turbines
Cargo Stripping Pumps	WORTHINGTON
Cargo Oil Pump	TUTHILL
Fire & Tank Cleaning Pump	ALLIS CHALMERS		Whiton turbine
Fire & Flushing Pump	ALLIS CHALMERS		Electro-Dynamic motor
Atmospheric Condenser Circ Pump	ALLIS CHALMERS		Electro-Dynamic motor
Aux. Machinery Cooling Pump	ALLIS CHALMERS		Electro-Dynamic motor
FO Tank Stripping Pump	KINNEY
Diesel FO Cargo Pump	KINNEY		John Crane metallic asbestos packing
Diesel FO Transfer Pump	KINNEY		Whiton Turbine. MIL-P-17577, and MIL-P-17416
Fog Oil Transfer Pumps	KINNEY
Distiller Condensate Pump	WARREN		Electro-Dynamic motor.
Distiller Circulating Pump	WORTHINGTON		Electro-Dynamic motor
First Effect Tube Nest Drain Pump	WARREN
Evaporator Bine Discharge Pump	WARREN
Fresh Water Pump	ALDRICH		Cutler-Hammer controller
Steering Gear Pump	WATERBURY/VICKER
LP Feed Heating Unit	DAVIS
SW Heater and Drain Cooler	KEWANEE ROSS
Deaerating (DA) Feed Tanks	COCHRANE		Not just a tank
FO Heaters	GRISCOM RUSSELL
Pump Governor Valves	ATLAS
Valve for Cargo Pump	ATWOOD & MORRILL
Stop Lift Check Valves	ATWOOD & MORRILL
Solenoid Trip Valves	AUTOMATIC SWITCH
Boiler Feedwater Regulators	COPES-VULCAN
Bronze valves for DA Feed Tanks	CRANE
Valves for 500kw TG Sets	FARRIS
Valves, Drain Regulator	FISHER
Strainer	JA ZURN
Control Valves	LESLIE
Control Valves	MINN. HONEYWELL
Atmospheric Relief Valves	RUGGLES-KLINGEMANN
Valves	WALWORTH

Asbestos Exposure Aboard Hassayampa

Hassayampa’s machinery plant — Babcock & Wilcox main boilers with Copes-Vulcan regulators, Westinghouse main turbines and Sturtevant-division forced-draft blowers, Foster-Wheeler condensers throughout, ITE switchboards — was constructed using extensive asbestos-containing materials:

Pipe lagging and thermal insulation wrapping steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, cargo-oil, and condensate piping throughout machinery and cargo spaces
Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, and turbine glands (Hassayampa carried both general-purpose and aviation-grade fuels, requiring extensive gasketed connections)
Cargo pump condensers and steam-generator condensers (Foster-Wheeler) requiring asbestos-insulated fittings
Insulation jackets on cargo pumps, transfer pumps, and stripping pumps
Vinyl asbestos floor tile throughout the habitable spaces

The Hassayampa’s role as a fleet oiler meant her crew handled fuel-system equipment specifically — pumps, valves, manifolds, hoses — all of which used asbestos gasketing and packing materials. Bosun’s Mates and Refueling Detail crew in addition to engineering ratings worked routinely around this equipment during underway replenishment operations.

VA Benefits for Hassayampa 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 detailed Hassayampa equipment manifest is direct evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around for 36 years.

Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →

Equipment manifest derived from BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Hassayampa (AO-145). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available.

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 Hassayampa

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.

USS Hassayampa AO-145 — Frequently Asked Questions

Are USS Hassayampa AO-145 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?

Yes. USS Hassayampa AO-145 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 USS Hassayampa AO-145 contained asbestos?

Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of USS Hassayampa AO-145'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 USS Hassayampa AO-145?

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 USS Hassayampa AO-145?

Documented equipment manufacturers aboard USS Hassayampa AO-145 include: ALDRICH, ALLIS CHALMERS, ATLAS, ATWOOD & MORRILL, AUTOMATIC SWITCH, BABCOCK & WILCOX, CARRIER. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.

Do USS Hassayampa AO-145 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?

Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. USS Hassayampa AO-145 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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