Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Kawishiwi? This auxiliary ship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Kawishiwi, hull number AO-146, was an auxiliary ship, and commissioned in 1955. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Kawishiwi, AO-146 — 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 Kawishiwi from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, Copes-Vulcan, Clyde, and Lidgerwood allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Kawishiwi 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 Kawishiwi (AO-146) was a Neosho-class fleet oiler commissioned 6 July 1955 and serving through 1991 — Vietnam War combat replenishment operations and Pacific Fleet underway refueling across 36 years of service.
The 20-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valves | Walworth | Additional work required | |
| Salt water heater | Kweanee-Ross | Butterworth system | |
| Fuel oil heaters | Griscom-Russell | 6 | Correction of leaks from vent and drain plugs and relief valves connections |
| Steam regulators | Atlas | For main engine lube oil pumps | |
| Equipment | Leslie | Shortage list | |
| Equipment | Cochrane | Shortage list | |
| Equipment | Cutler Hammer | Shortage list | |
| Winches | Clyde | Modify steam control valves | |
| Boiler | Babcock & Wilcox | Boiler data | |
| Winches | Lidgerwood | ||
| Winch control valves | Clyde | Outfitting availability | |
| Winch control valves | Lidgerwood | Outfitting availability | |
| Cargo winches | Worthington | Replacement asbestos gaskets installed in 120 psi steam system | |
| Cargo winches | Babcock & Wilcox | Replacement asbestos gaskets installed in 120 psi steam system | |
| Cargo winches | Lidgerwood-Mundy Corp | Replacement asbestos gaskets installed in 120 psi steam system | |
| Boiler | Copes-Vulcan | Boiler trials | |
| Equipment | General Electric | Inspection at NYPH, April 1959 | |
| Equipment | Foster Wheeler | Inspection at NYPH, April 1959 | |
| Equipment | Carrier | Inspection at NYPH, April 1959 | |
| Winches | Atwood & Morrill | Drydocking at NYPHIL |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Kawishiwi
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy fleet oilers 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 Kawishiwi 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 Kawishiwi 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 Kawishiwi (AO-146). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
