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.
1956
Mooring / movement · NORFOLK — Moored/underway near NORFOLK, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard — In the shipyard, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Dry-docking — Dry-docked, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Dry-docking · NORFOLK — Dry-docked at NORFOLK, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard · Commander Naval Shipyard — In the shipyard at Commander Naval Shipyard, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard · Norfolk — In the shipyard at Norfolk, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard · NORFOLK — In the shipyard at NORFOLK, per the ship's deck log.
1957
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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Service History
From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›
USS Newport News (CA-148) was the third and final ship of the Des Moines-class heavy cruiser and the last active all-gun heavy cruiser in the U.S. Navy. Commissioned in 1949, she served with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean from 1950 to 1961 and participated in major Cold War contingencies including the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dominican Republic crisis, and NATO exercises. Between 1967 and 1972, Newport News completed three combat deployments to Vietnam, earning the nickname 'The Gray Ghost from the East Coast' during extensive Naval Gunfire Support and Operation Sea Dragon operations.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Laid down
1945-11-01
Launched
1948-03-06
Commissioned
1949-01-29
Notable Tours / Service Eras
Mediterranean deployments 1950-1961
Cold War Atlantic Fleet operations 1950-1962
Vietnam War 1967-1972
Combat Actions
Operation Sea Dragon· 1967-10 Naval gunfire support against North Vietnamese targets
Operation Custom Tailor· 1972-05 High-speed night bombardment of Haiphong harbor
Haiphong Harbor raid· 1972-08-27 Night shelling of port area; sank Vietnam People's Navy torpedo boat
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Norfolk, Virginia — home port
Da Nang, South Vietnam
Subic Bay
Barcelona, Spain
Gibraltar
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Norfolk Naval Shipyard· 1956-09 to 1956-12 overhaul
Norfolk Naval Shipyard· 1965-06 to 1965-11 refitting and 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
1 October 1972 — in-bore explosion in center 8-inch gun of number two turret off DMZ; 20 sailors killed, 36 seriously injured from toxic gas inhalation
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Newport News? This cruiser carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Newport News, hull number CA-148, was a cruiser, built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and commissioned in 1949. She served through Mediterranean deployments, Cold War Atlantic Fleet operations, and Vietnam War. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Newport News, CA-148 — 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 Newport News from makers such as Baird, Kieley Mueller, and LC Valve Co allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Newport News 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 Newport News (CA-148) was a Des Moines-class heavy cruiser commissioned 29 January 1949 — Mediterranean Sixth Fleet flagship, Lebanon crisis 1958, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam War combat operations (gunfire support, including the only triple-turret 8-inch automatic guns ever fielded) through her 1975 decommissioning.
The 7-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 Manifest — USS Newport News (CA-148). 7 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
Gate Valves
Baird
Provide material monel trim and test following stop valves, various sizes and locations
Fire Plugs
Baird
Renew stems and screws in fire plugs on main deck, located 2H 11161 154 and 153
Globe Diaphragm Reducing Valves
Kieley Mueller
4
Replace four valves for fire main pressure reduction to 35 PSI, 250 GPM capacity, 225 PSI hydrostatic pressure
Stop and Gate Valves
Baird
Repair or replace and test various stop and globe valves throughout ship
Control Manifold Expansion Valve
LC Valve Co
1
Repair or replace thermal expansion valve type TCLF tube size 10 ton at frame 79, capillary bulb punctured
Deck Drains
Baird
25
Provide twenty-five deck drains to be picked up and installed by ship's force
15 Pound CO2 Bottles
Wilson
34
Test thirty-four 15 pound CO2 bottles per BUSHIPS manual chapter procedures
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Newport News
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy heavy cruisers 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 Newport News 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 Newport News 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.
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Newport News (CA-148). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
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.
Newport News CA-148 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Newport News CA-148 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Newport News CA-148 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 Newport News CA-148 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Newport News CA-148'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 Newport News CA-148?
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 Newport News CA-148?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Newport News CA-148 include: Baird, Kieley Mueller, LC Valve Co, Wilson. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Newport News CA-148 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Newport News CA-148 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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