Shipyard, deployment, and service events for this vessel documented in the public record — court filings, the ship’s deck logs, or the crew’s own cruise book (each entry cites its source). Dry-dockings, overhauls, and yard periods were when asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced, the peak-exposure work for the crew and yard workers aboard.
1945
Dry-docking — Dry-docked, per the ship's deck log.
1945
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
Derived from publicly filed asbestos-litigation records, ship’s deck logs, and the crew’s own cruise books. Historical service events; this does not constitute legal or medical advice.
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Missouri post refit.JPGSource: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)
Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Missouri (BB-63) was the last battleship commissioned by the United States Navy, completed in 1944. She served in the Pacific Theater during World War War II, participating in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and her quarterdeck hosted the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. After postwar deployments and two tours during the Korean War, she was decommissioned in 1955, reactivated and modernized in 1984, served in the Persian Gulf and Operation Desert Storm, and was finally decommissioned in 1992 before becoming a museum ship at Pearl Harbor in 1998.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
New York Navy Yard
Laid down
1941
Launched
1944
Commissioned
1944
Decommissioned
1992
Notable Tours / Service Eras
WWII Pacific Theater 1944-1945
Korean War 1950-1953
Cold War Persian Gulf 1987-1991
Combat Actions
Battle of Iwo Jima· 1945-02 naval gunfire support
Battle of Okinawa· 1945-04 naval gunfire support
Japanese Home Islands Bombardment· 1945 shore bombardment
Korean War Shore Bombardment Operations· 1950-1953 shore bombardment
Operation Desert Storm· 1991-01 fire support
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — final berth as museum ship 1998-present
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Not specified· 1984 modernization and reactivation
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
1950 ran aground during high tide in Chesapeake Bay — refloated after several weeks
Final Disposition
museum ship at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Missouri? This battleship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Missouri, hull number BB-63, was a battleship, built by New York Navy Yard and commissioned in 1944. She served through WWII Pacific Theater, Korean War, and Cold War Persian Gulf. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Missouri, BB-63 — 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 Missouri from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, General Electric, and Buffalo Pumps allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Missouri 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 Missouri (BB-63) was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned 11 June 1944 at the New York Naval Shipyard and decommissioned 31 March 1992 — the last battleship decommissioned by the U.S. Navy. “The Mighty Mo” served in the Pacific Theater of World War II, including the 2 September 1945 Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay; the Korean War (1950–1953); and the Cold War reactivation (1986–1992) under the Reagan-era battleship modernization program. Her three eras of service — spanning nearly five decades — mean that the crew members who maintained her engineering plant, boilers, and habitability spaces across all three eras were exposed to the same asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, and building materials across different phases of deterioration.
Equipment Manifest
Equipment Manifest — USS Missouri (BB-63). 13 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
Horizontal-Single End Suction Close Coupled One Stage Centrifugal Pump
Iowa-class battleships were constructed during the peak period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy shipbuilding. USS Missouri carried the same asbestos-saturated engineering plant as her sisters Iowa, New Jersey, and Wisconsin:
Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout four main machinery spaces and auxiliary machinery rooms
Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers
Turret-level fire-control insulation in main-battery turret enclosures (16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns)
Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands across the entire engineering plant
Insulation jackets and removable lagging on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, forced-draft blowers, and auxiliary equipment
Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation in damage-control zones
Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, wardroom, and bridge compartments
Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in gland-seal applications throughout the engineering plant
VA Benefits for Missouri 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 Missouri General Information Book, boiler room asbestos documentation, and NARA insulation records are direct evidentiary support for veterans’ VA claims.
Key documents for a Missouri veteran’s claim:
DD-214 — confirming BB-63 assignment
NARA muster rolls — for service periods not captured on the DD-214
Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease
Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of the products documented aboard Missouri are also available and do not reduce VA compensation.
All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation records specific to USS Missouri (BB-63). This does not constitute legal or medical advice.
AsbestosIndex™Product & Manufacturer Reference
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.
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.
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.
Missouri BB-63 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Missouri BB-63 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Missouri BB-63 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 Missouri BB-63 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Missouri BB-63'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 Missouri BB-63?
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 Missouri BB-63?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Missouri BB-63 include: Babcock & Wilcox, Buffalo Pumps, General Electric. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Missouri BB-63 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Missouri BB-63 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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Navy veterans and civilian shipyard workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may have grounds for a civil claim against the asbestos product manufacturers whose materials were installed aboard. O'Brien Law Firm represents veterans and their families in the civil track at no upfront cost — separate from any VA disability benefits you may be eligible for.
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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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Civil claims against asbestos manufacturers & bankruptcy trust funds
Maritime statute of limitations: 3 years from diagnosis (46 U.S.C. § 30106)
Runs in parallel with VA benefits — civil recovery does not reduce VA disability compensation
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