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Did you serve aboard the USS Lanier? This transport carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Lanier, hull number APA-125, was a transport, built by California Shipbuilding Corporation and commissioned in 1944. She served through WWII Pacific Theater. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Lanier, APA-125 — 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 Lanier from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, Cocker Wheeler Electric, Terry Turbine, and Hendy allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Lanier 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 Lanier (APA-125) was a Haskell-class attack transport commissioned 25 October 1944 — Pacific Theater WWII operations, Korean War, and Cold War service through 1969 supporting amphibious force operations.
The 32-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 - single uptake water tube design D440 | Babcock & Wilcox | 2 | |
| Blowers | Westinghouse Electric Co. | ||
| Main Propulsion | Joshua Hendy | ||
| Reduction gear | Hendy | ||
| Main Condensers | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Main Condensers | Ingersoll Rand | ||
| Auxiliary Condensers | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Auxiliary Condensers | Ingersoll Rand | ||
| Main Distilling Apparatus | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Emergency Distilling Apparatus | Griscom-Russell | ||
| Ships Service Turbine drive Generators | Cocker Wheeler Electric | ||
| Emergency Diesel Generators | Electrical Machine Co. | ||
| Ships Service Air Compressors | Worthington | ||
| Main Refrigeration | York Corp. | 2 | |
| Auxiliary Refrigeration | Frick Ice Maker Co. | 1 | |
| Fuel Oil Heater | Griscom-Russell | ||
| Fuel Oil Heater | General Motors | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pump | Warren Steam Pump Co. | ||
| Auxiliary Feed Booster Pump | DeLaval | ||
| Auxiliary Feed Booster Pump | Ingersoll Rand Co. | ||
| Main Condensers Pump (Turbine) | Terry Turbine | ||
| LO. Service Pump | Reliance Pump Co. | ||
| Bilge Pump | Ingersoll Rand | ||
| Bilge Pump | Gould | ||
| Fire and General Service Pump | Worthington | ||
| Vacuum Pump for Priming | Nash pump Co. | ||
| Oil Purifier Pump | Gould | ||
| Fire Pump | Buda Pump Corp. | ||
| Emergency Fire Pump | Aurora Pump | ||
| Lubricating Oil Purifier Pump | Sharples Pump Co. | ||
| High Pressure Valves, Steam Traps | Yarway Steam valve | ||
| Reduction Valves | Kieley & Mue |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Lanier
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy attack transports 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 Lanier 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 Lanier 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 Lanier (APA-125). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
