USS Leo — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS Leo. 16 machinery and manufacturer entries derived from the public asbestos...

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

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Service History

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

USS Leo (AKA-60) was an Andromeda-class attack cargo ship commissioned in August 1944 and served as the Navy's sole vessel bearing the constellation Leo's name. She participated in major Pacific amphibious operations during World War II, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa, earning two battle stars, and subsequently conducted logistical operations during the Korean War, earning five additional battle stars before decommissioning in February 1955. After transfer to the Maritime Administration and placement in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, the ship was sold for scrap in 1976.

Construction & Service Dates

Builder: Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey
Laid down: 1944-03-17
Launched: 1944-07-29
Commissioned: 1944-08-30
Decommissioned: 1955-02-11

Notable Tours / Service Eras

WWII Pacific Theater 1944-1945
Korean War 1950-1954

Combat Actions

Iwo Jima assault · 1945-02
cargo offloading and casualty evacuation
Okinawa landing operations · 1945-04
decoy and cargo transport; anti-aircraft defense

Home Ports & Forward Bases

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — base 1944-1945
Port Hueneme, California — loading 1944
Sasebo, Japan — forward supply base 1950-1952
San Francisco, California — home port 1952-1954

Drydock & Overhaul Periods High Asbestos-Exposure Window

San Francisco Naval Shipyard · 1952
overhaul

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

6 April 1945 — destroyed low-flying Japanese aircraft with starboard 40 mm mount off Okinawa

Final Disposition

scrapped 1976

Read the video transcript

Did you serve aboard the USS Leo? This Navy ship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Leo was a Navy ship. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Leo — 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 Leo from makers such as Foster Wheeler, General Electric, General Electric Corp., and General Motors / Delco Electric allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Leo 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 Leo is a documented U.S. Navy vessel 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 Leo. 16 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.

Equipment	Manufacturer	Qty	Notes
Boilers - single uptake water tube design	Foster Wheeler		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Economizer	Foster Wheeler		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Blowers	General Electric Co.		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Main Propulsion - Single Flow Impulse Stage Type	General Electric		8-Stage with one high and one low pressure, ship-specific
Reduction gear	General Electric Corp.		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Main Condensers	Foster Wheeler		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Auxiliary Condensers	Foster Wheeler		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Main Distilling Apparatus - 10000 gpd	Griscom-Russell		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Emergency Distilling Apparatus - 6000 gpd	Griscom Russell		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Ships Service Turbine drive Generators	General Electric		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Emergency Diesel Generators	General Motors / Delco Electric		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Ships Service Air Compressors - HP & LP	Worthington		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Main Refrigeration	York Corp.	2	2 main units, ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Auxiliary Refrigeration	Frick Ice Maker Co.	1	1 auxiliary unit, ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Fuel Oil Heater	Lummus		Ship-specific installation aboard USS Leo AKA
Steam Traps	Yarway		Class AKA only data

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 Leo

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.

this vessel — Frequently Asked Questions

Are this vessel veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?

Yes. this vessel 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 this vessel contained asbestos?

Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of this vessel'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 this vessel?

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 this vessel?

Documented equipment manufacturers aboard this vessel include: Foster Wheeler, Frick Ice Maker Co., General Electric, General Electric Co., General Electric Corp., General Motors / Delco Electric, Griscom Russell. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.

Do this vessel veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?

Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. this vessel 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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If you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, a filing deadline may already be running. You may have a legal claim now — and claims can often be pursued even if the company is out of business.

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Surviving spouses and children may pursue a wrongful-death claim and asbestos-trust recovery on a loved one's behalf — a separate deadline that can run from the date of passing.

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Maritime statute of limitations: 3 years from diagnosis (46 U.S.C. § 30106)
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Civil mesothelioma & asbestos litigation — veterans and their families.

VA disability benefits are a separate government process. To file a VA disability claim for asbestos exposure, visit VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or contact a Veterans Service Organization (DAV, VFW, American Legion) for free claim assistance.

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