USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) is a Gearing-class destroyer, commissioned 15 December 1945 and built by Bethlehem Steel at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. She is named for Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., USN — the older brother of President John F. Kennedy — killed in action in August 1944. Over nearly three decades of Atlantic Fleet service she took part in the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine (boarding the freighter Marucla) and recovered the Apollo 7 command module in October 1968. Decommissioned in 1973, she has been preserved since 1974 as a museum ship at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts, alongside USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and USS Lionfish (SS-298).

Ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation for USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) herself has not yet been published on this site. The equipment record below is a Gearing-class pattern — the machinery and manufacturer profile documented across her sister ships of the same class, reflecting what was standard for Gearing-class destroyers of her era.

Class Equipment Pattern

Equipment Manifest — USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850). 52 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
EquipmentManufacturerQtyNotes
State impellers modified DelavalDelaval22nd State impellers
Foster Pump governorsFoster
B&W Express type boilerBabcock & Wilcox4Types 1, 2, 3, & 4 in way of superheaters
Elwood fueling systemElwoodProvide and install gear
Main condensate pump with 2nd stage impellerWorthingtonWorthington to deliver pumps
Turbined double reduction gear shipWestinghouse160,000 SHP cross-compound with cruising turbines
Main enginesGeneral Electric2
Cruising turbinesGeneral Electric2
Reduction gearsFalkDouble reduction
High pressure air compressorWorthington Pump and Machinery Company1
Low pressure air compressorWorthington Pump and Machinery Company1
BoilersBabcock & Wilcox4Brick work in furnaces cracked badly
EvaporatorsGriscom-RussellLow pressure
Refrigeration compressorCarrier2
Ship's service generator setsWestinghouse E&M Co2One in each engine room
Diesel driven emergency and casualty power generatorsGeneral Electric2
Boiler #1Babcock & Wilcox
Boiler #2Babcock & Wilcox
Boiler #3Babcock & Wilcox
Boiler #4Babcock & Wilcox
H.P. TurbineWestinghouse
Cruising TurbineWestinghouse
L.P. TurbineWestinghouse
Astern TurbineWestinghouse
Axial Parallel Piston Hydraulic PumpWaterbury Pump Co.Port
Drainage PumpSawyer Pump Co.5
Fresh Water PumpWarren Steam Pumps Co.
Gyro CompassSperry
TurbinesGeneral ElectricDD-856 class
GeneratorsGeneral Electric
EvaporatorsCombustion Engineering
BlowerGeneral Electric
MotorGeneral Electric
PumpGeneral Electric
TurbineGeneral Electric
CondenserGeneral Electric
SwitchboardGeneral Electric
RadarGeneral Electric
SonarGeneral Electric
Fire Control SystemFord Instrument
Turbo-Electric DriveGeneral Electric
Air CompressorsWorthington
Bread ToasterCompleto
Coffee UrnCompleto
Potato PeelerCompleto
Meat GrinderCompleto
Can OpenerCompleto
RadarSperry GyroscopeFire control system
Gun MountUnited States Steel5-inch dual purpose
BoilerBabcock & WilcoxSteam generation
GyroscopeSperry
Fire Control SystemMk 37

Note: this manifest is a class-level pattern derived from sister-ship BUSHIPS records and public asbestos-litigation documents for the Gearing class. Individual ship-specific variations may exist. Where BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) becomes available, this page will be updated to reflect her unique equipment profile.

Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Gearing-Class Destroyers

The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy destroyers of this era are documented in public asbestos litigation records to have allegedly included:

  • Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout the 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 the 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 Kennedy 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 aboard ship. The Gearing-class equipment pattern is documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew allegedly 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.

If you served aboard USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) — or any Gearing-class destroyer — and were exposed to asbestos in her engineering and machinery spaces, and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights.

Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →

Equipment pattern derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation for the Gearing class. Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.