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.
1970
Yard period / shipyard — In the shipyard, 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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Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Nashville (LPD-13) was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1970 and operated with the Atlantic Fleet for nearly 40 years. The ship served in four Caribbean Amphibious Ready Groups, eight Mediterranean deployments, two Persian Gulf operations, and supported NATO exercises, humanitarian rescues, and evacuation missions including operations off Bosnia in 1995 and Lebanon in 2006. Decommissioned on 30 September 2009 due to maintenance costs and obsolescence relative to newer vessels, Nashville was scrapped in 2022.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Seattle, Washington
Laid down
1966-03-14
Launched
1967-10-07
Commissioned
1970-02-14
Decommissioned
2009-09-30
Notable Tours / Service Eras
Cold War Atlantic Fleet 1970-2009
Caribbean Operations
Mediterranean Operations
Persian Gulf Operations
Bosnia Operations 1995
Lebanon Evacuation Operations 2006
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Naval Station Norfolk — home port (decommissioning site 2009)
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington — commissioning site
Notable Incidents
8 June 1995 — provided support for rescue of pilot Capt. Scott O'Grady shot down over Bosnia
16–17 January 2006 — first vessel to receive landing of unmanned RQ-8A Fire Scout helicopter
20 July 2006 — landed first Marines on Lebanese soil since 1982 during evacuation operations
Final Disposition
scrapped — arrived Brownsville, Texas 8 April 2022
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Nashville? This amphibious ship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Nashville, hull number LPD-13, was an amphibious ship, built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company and commissioned in 1970. She served through Cold War Atlantic Fleet, Caribbean Operations, and Mediterranean Operations. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Nashville, LPD-13 — insulated and sealed with asbestos. 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. If you served aboard the USS Nashville 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 Nashville (LPD-13) is a documented U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock. The equipment reference below was extracted from the publicly-available Wikipedia article on this vessel, which cites the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) — the U.S. Navy’s official ship-history publication maintained by the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Equipment Reference
Equipment Manifest — USS Nashville (LPD-13). 2 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
Navigational Radar
Furuno
1
per Wikipedia infobox sensors
CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter
Boeing Vertol
6
per Wikipedia infobox aircraft capacity
Source: this equipment reference was extracted from public Wikipedia/DANFS records for USS Nashville (LPD-13). These are secondary-source records — not primary BUSHIPS design documents. For litigation purposes, this data is a starting point; a ship-specific BUSHIPS Material Inspection Report or commissioning book would provide gold-standard verification.
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.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Nashville
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:
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.
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.
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.
Nashville LPD-13 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Nashville LPD-13 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Nashville LPD-13 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 Nashville LPD-13 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Nashville LPD-13'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 Nashville LPD-13?
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 Nashville LPD-13?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Nashville LPD-13 include: Boeing Vertol, Furuno. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Nashville LPD-13 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Nashville LPD-13 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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