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Did you serve aboard the USS Holder? This destroyer carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Holder, hull number DD-819, was a destroyer, built by Consolidated Steel Corp. and commissioned in 1946. She served through Mediterranean operations, European and Mediterranean cruises, and Cuban Missile Crisis. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Holder, DD-819 — 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 Holder from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, FB Sturtevant, General Electric, and Westinghouse allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Holder 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 Holder (DD-819) was a Gearing-class destroyer commissioned 18 May 1946 — Mediterranean Sixth Fleet, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine, and Cold War Atlantic Fleet service through 1976.
The 51-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | 4 | Express; superheated single uptake water tube design |
| Economizers | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Forced Draft Blowers | Westinghouse Electric Co. | 4 | |
| Main Propulsion Turbines | General Electric | Single Flow Impulse Stage Type; 2 High pressure, 2 Low Pressure, 2 Cruising turbines | |
| Reduction Gear | Falk | ||
| Main Condensers | Worthington | 2 | |
| Auxiliary Condensers | Worthington | 2 | |
| Main Distilling Apparatus | Griscom-Russell | 1 | 12000 gpd |
| Emergency Distilling Apparatus | Griscom-Russell | 1 | 4000 gpd |
| Ships Service Turbine Generators | Westinghouse | ||
| Emergency Diesel Generators | General Electric / General Motors | 3-368a Drive | |
| Ships Service Air Compressors | Worthington | HP-LP | |
| Turbine Drive Blower | FB Sturtevant | ||
| Main Refrigeration | Carrier Corp. | 2 | |
| Auxiliary Refrigeration | Frick Ice Maker Co. | 1 | |
| Fuel Oil Heater | Griscom Russell | ||
| Lube Oil Cooler | American Locomotive Co. | ||
| Main Feed Pump | Worthington | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Auxiliary Feed Booster Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Emergency Feed Pump | Warren | ||
| Main Condensers Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Auxiliary Condensers Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Main Condensers Circulating Pump | Warren | ||
| Auxiliary Condenser Circulating Pump | Buffalo | ||
| Fuel Oil Service Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Main Fuel Oil Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Main Lubricating Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Diesel Oil Service Pump | Northern | ||
| Salt Water Booster Pump | Warren | ||
| Distiller Circulation Pump | Buffalo | ||
| Distiller Condensating Pump | Buffalo | ||
| Distiller Distribution Pump | Buffalo | ||
| Evaporator Brine Pump | Buffalo Pump Co. | ||
| Evaporator Drain Pump | Buffalo Pump Co. | ||
| Vacuum Pump for Emergency Generator | Nash Pump Co. | ||
| Oil Purifier Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Diesel Oil Purifier Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Fire & Bilge Pump | Warren Pump Corp. | ||
| Drainage | Sawyer Electric Co. | ||
| Fresh Water Pump | Warren Steam Pump Co. | ||
| Fire Pump | Gardener Denver Pump Co. | Large and small | |
| Diesel Oil Transfer Pump | Northern Pump Co. | ||
| Lubricating Oil Purifier Pump | DeLaval | ||
| High Pressure Valves, Steam Traps | Yarway Steam Valve | ||
| Reduction Valves | Grove | ||
| Superheater Valves | Yarway | ||
| Globe Valve | Manning Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Warning Regulator Valve | Leslie | ||
| Regulators | Yarnell | ||
| Valve Seats | Goodyear Tire & Rubber |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Holder
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy destroyers 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 Holder 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 Holder 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 Holder (DD-819). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
