USS Kimberly (DD-521) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS Kimberly (DD-521). 22 machinery and manufacturer entries derived from the public...

By Rights Watch Media Group LLC •June 6, 2026 • 2 min read

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Hull

DD-521

Class

DD hull series

⚙ View Equipment Manifest Documented BUSHIPS machinery & manufacturers aboard Kimberly DD-521 ↓ All Ship Manifests ›

MusterLog™ 0

USS Kimberly (DD-521) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record — public-domain photograph — USS Kimberly (DD-521) underway, circa in 1951 Source: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)

Service History

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

USS Kimberly (DD-521) was a Fletcher-class destroyer that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947 and again from 1951 to 1954, earning five battle stars for extensive Pacific combat operations during World War II and one additional battle star for Korean War service. Following decommissioning, she was transferred to the Republic of China Navy in 1967 as ROCS An Yang and underwent multiple modernizations and upgrades through the 1980s. The ship was decommissioned by Taiwan in 1999 and subsequently sunk as a target in 2003.

Construction & Service Dates

Builder: Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, New York
Launched: 1943-02-04
Commissioned: 1943-05-22
Decommissioned: 1954-01-15

Notable Tours / Service Eras

WWII Pacific Theater 1943-1945
Korean War 1951-1953

Combat Actions

Gilbert Islands Campaign · 1943
ASW screen and naval gunfire support
Aleutian Islands Campaign · 1944
Shore bombardment and ASW patrols
Philippines Campaign · 1944-1945
Convoy escort and anti-aircraft defense
Lingayen Gulf Bombardment · 1945-01
Kamikaze defense and naval gunfire
Okinawa Campaign · 1945-03
Radar picket duty
Korean War Fire Support · 1951-1953
Shore bombardment and carrier screen

Home Ports & Forward Bases

Norfolk VA — departure point September 1943
Pearl Harbor — workup and August 1945 departure
San Francisco — repairs and January 1944 departure
Charleston, South Carolina — reserve fleet 1947-1966, decommissioning 1954

Drydock & Overhaul Periods High Asbestos-Exposure Window

San Francisco Naval Shipyard · 1943
repairs
Mare Island Naval Shipyard · 1945
repairs
Boston Naval Shipyard · 1966
overhaul
No. 1 Naval Shipyard · 1976
overhaul and Liulong project
No. 1 Shipyard · 1981
Fuyang Project and Wujin No. 1 project

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

21 December 1944 kamikaze attack near Mindoro — claimed 1 aircraft, assisted 2 others
26 March 1945 Aichi D3A attack off Ryūkyūs — aircraft crashed aft gun mounts, 4 killed and 57 wounded

Final Disposition

sunk as target 14 October 2003

Read the video transcript

Did you serve aboard the USS Kimberly? This destroyer carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Kimberly, hull number DD-521, was a destroyer, built by Bethlehem Steel Co. and commissioned in 1943. She served through WWII Pacific Theater, and Korean War. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Kimberly, DD-521 — 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 Kimberly from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, General Electric, Westinghouse, and Allis Chalmers allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Kimberly 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 Kimberly (DD-521) is a documented U.S. Navy destroyer with asbestos-exposure evidence in the public litigation record. The equipment manifest below was assembled from depositions, expert reports, and manufacturer interrogatory responses filed in U.S. asbestos litigation that reference equipment installed aboard this vessel.

Equipment Manifest

Equipment Manifest — USS Kimberly (DD-521). 22 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.

Equipment	Manufacturer	Notes
Pumps	Warren Pumps	Repairs, overhauls or alterations aboard USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Boilers	Babcock & Wilcox	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Forced Draft Blowers	Westinghouse	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Forced Draft Blowers	B.F. Sturtevant	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Service Turbo Generators	General Electric	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pumps	Warren	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Condensers	Westinghouse	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Air Ejectors	Buffalo	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Air Ejectors	Terry	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Air Ejectors	Northern	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Air Ejectors	DeLaval	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pumps	Worthington	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pumps	Nash	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pumps	Allis Chalmers	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pumps	Browne & Sharpe	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Diesel Driving Units	General Motors	USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Pump Governor	Leslie	Instructions for Leslie Pump Governors installed aboard USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Fire and Bilge pumps	Warren Pumping Machinery	Aboard USS Kimberly per 1940-11-25 letter
Emergency feed pumps	Warren Pumping Machinery	Aboard USS Kimberly per 1940-11-25 letter
Fire and Bilge pumps	Warren Pump Company	Aboard USS Kimberly per headsheets and drawings dated 11/1940
Emergency feed pumps	Warren Pump Company	Aboard USS Kimberly per headsheets and drawings dated 11/1940
Pump Governors	Leslie	Instructions manual for Leslie Pump Governors installed aboard USS Kimberly (DD-521)

Note: this manifest is derived from public asbestos litigation records (depositions, expert reports, manufacturer interrogatories) rather than primary BUSHIPS construction documents. Entries reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed legal records.

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 Kimberly

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.

Kimberly DD-521 — Frequently Asked Questions

Are Kimberly DD-521 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?

Yes. Kimberly DD-521 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 Kimberly DD-521 contained asbestos?

Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Kimberly DD-521'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 Kimberly DD-521?

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 Kimberly DD-521?

Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Kimberly DD-521 include: Allis Chalmers, B.F. Sturtevant, Babcock & Wilcox, Browne & Sharpe, Buffalo, DeLaval, General Electric. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.

Do Kimberly DD-521 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?

Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Kimberly DD-521 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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