USS John King (DDG-3) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned 4 February 1961 and serving the U.S. Navy through 30 March 1990 — Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine, Cold War Atlantic Fleet operations, and Operation Desert Shield.
The 42-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generators, Turbine 500 KW | General Electric Co. | 1 | Spec No. 5-23-57 |
| Exciter 120 V Erg Gas | Hercules Motor Co. | 1 | Spec No. 5-27-57 |
| Motor Generator Sets, 60 KW 400 Cycle | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | 3 | Spec No. 10-4-57 |
| Motor Generator Sets, 100 KW Cycle | Continental Electric Co., Inc. | 1 | Spec No. 4-24-59 |
| Motor Control Equipment for Various Applications | Reliance Electric & Engineering Co. | 1 | |
| Starting Switch Service & Oil Circuit | Tolcar Company | 1 | Spec No. 6-7-57 |
| High Temperature Alarm Magnaing Spring Alarm | L-Ang Corporation | 1 | Spec No. 6-7-57 |
| High Temperature Alarm | Smithbond, Peak & Lorash Co. | 1 | |
| High Ooo | Metropolitan Electric | 1 | Spec No. 4-25-57 |
| Onboard Soda Powered Telephone | Control Instrumentation Co., Inc. | 2 | Spec No. 4-25-57 |
| Sound Powered Telephone Headsets & Handsets | Telephonique Corp. | 4 | Spec No. 5-10-57 |
| Dial Telephone Equipment Panels, Distribution Center & Lighting | Automatic Electric Sallis Corp. | 6 | Spec No. 7-3-57 |
| I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company | I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company | 28 | Spec No. 6-11-57 |
| Panel, Temperature Indicator for 500 WT | I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company | 3 | Spec No. 6-11-57 |
| Panels, I.C. Distribution (Special) | Rits-Holden & Galvan Industries, Inc. | 2 | Spec No. 12-3-57 |
| Panel, Combustion CO2 & Smoke Detecting Alarm Panel | Pyrotronics Division | 2 | Spec No. 6-27-57 |
| Panel, Disable Guidance Radar I-T-E Circuit Breaker | Foster Transfer Company | 1 | Spec No. 4-27-57 |
| Trimmering Control Panel | Ets-Irokin & Galvan Electro-Kinetic, Inc. | 1 | Spec No. 4-27-57 |
| Lather Winder Elec. (Comml.) Separate Transistor Unit | Lather Winder Elec. (Comml.) | 1 | Spec No. 1-12-59 |
| Transmitter | John Oster Jr. Div. Rojo, Inc. | 1 | Spec No. 1-12-59 |
| Transmitter | Thos. A. Edison Industries | 3 | Spec No. 6-4-57 |
| Transmitter | McGraw-Edison Div. | 2 | Spec No. 11-5-59 |
| Smoke Generator | General Electric Co. | 1 | Spec No. 4-24-57 |
| Smoke Generator Electro-Matic Power Plant Double Punch Co. C/o Hm Tech.Prod.Inc. | Electro-Matic Power Plant Double Punch Co. | 1 | Spec No. 2-15-59 |
| Automatic Bus Transfers | Automatic Switch Co. | 1 | Spec No. 2-8-57 |
| Hand Bus Transfers I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company | I-T-E Circuit Breaker Company | 1 | Spec No. 5-31-57 |
| Synchro Signal Amplifiers | Pathrodic Protection System PS-T-E Spec. | 1 | Spec No. 1-3-57 |
| Cathodic Protection System Equipment | Clague Engineering Div. | 1 | Spec No. 4-17-57 |
| Announcing System Equipment (Microphones & Loudspeakers) | Remler Company | 1 | Spec No. 5-10-57 |
| Salinity Indicating Sp. Equipment (Panels & Pens & Valve Call Assembly) | Garraith-Pilot Marine & Valve Div. of Marine Electric Corpo | 1 | Spec No. 5-2-57 |
| SP Control Order tr. Indicator Equipment | General Electric Co. | 1 | Spec No. 3-10-57 |
| Audible Signals (Bells, Buzzers, Horns & Sirens) | General Electric | 1 | Spec No. 4-24-57 |
| Opaque Plastic Charts | Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. | 3 | Spec No. 6-2-60 |
| Fans, Vent | J.P. Manufacturing Co. | 2 | Spec No. 3-6-58 |
| Fans, Vent | Wing Drug Co. | 1 | Spec No. 3-6-58 |
| Plotting & Status Boards | W.H. Rietstiner Mfg. Co. | 6 | Spec No. 5-7-57 |
| Boat Davit & Vehicle | Welin Davit & Boat Devo | 1 | Spec No. 6-7-57 |
| Electro-Hydraulic Steering Gear & Windlass | Continental Copper & Steel Windlass Company | 1 | Spec No. 6-13-57 |
| Electro-Boat Anchor Windlass | Hyde Hydraulics Company | 1 | Spec No. 6-13-57 |
| Electric Ship Hoisting Winch Type & Limit Switches | Yale & Towne Co. | 1 | Spec No. 7-10-57 |
| Navy Trawler Equipment Company | Navy Trawler Equipment Company | 2 | Spec No. 5-1-57 |
| Double Reeving Winch | Ride Windlass Company | 8 | Spec No. 6-13-57 |
| Electric Tarpaulin Capstan | Ride Windlass Company | 7 | Spec No. 6-13-57 |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard John King
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 John King 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 John King 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 John King (DDG-3). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.