USS Piedmont (AD-17) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record
Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS Piedmont (AD-17), a Dixie-class destroyer tender in service 1944–1982. 27 documented...
By Rights Watch Media Group LLC•June 6, 2026•3 min read
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 · San Diego — Moored/underway near San Diego, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Mooring / movement — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Mooring / movement · San Diego — Moored/underway near San Diego, per the ship's deck log.
1958
Mooring / movement · San Diego — Moored/underway near San Diego, per the ship's deck log.
1958
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 Piedmont (AD-17) was a Dixie-class destroyer tender that served throughout World War II in the Pacific, providing repair and maintenance services to fleet destroyers during major campaigns including the Marianas, Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa operations. Following postwar occupation duty in Tokyo Bay and China, the ship deployed repeatedly during the Korean War and Cold War era, earning four battle stars for Korean War service and one for Vietnam War operations. After decommissioning, Piedmont was transferred to the Turkish Navy in 1982 and served as TCG Derya until 1994, when it was scrapped.
Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations· 1945 battle-damage repair
Korean War operations· 1950-1954 tender services and flagship
Taiwan Strait patrol operations· 1958 tender support
Home Ports & Forward Bases
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — 1944
Eniwetok, Marshall Islands — 1944-1945
Manus Island — 1944-1945
Ulithi, Caroline Islands — 1945
Leyte, Philippine Islands — 1945
Tokyo Bay / Yokosuka Naval Base — August 1945-March 1946
Tsingtao, China — winter 1946-1947
San Diego, California — home port 1957-1958
Subic Bay, Philippines — regular deployments 1950s
Notable Incidents
10 November 1944 — USS Mount Hood explosion at Seeadler Harbor; one man killed aboard Piedmont by 5-inch shell fragment; two bombs penetrated Piedmont but did not detonate
Final Disposition
transferred to Turkish Navy 1982; scrapped 1995
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Piedmont? This tender carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Piedmont, hull number AD-17, was a tender, built by Tampa Shipbuilding Company and commissioned in 1944. She served through WWII Pacific Theater, Korean War, and Cold War Far East deployments. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Piedmont, AD-17 — 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 Piedmont from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, Allis Chalmers, DeLaval, and General Electric allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Piedmont 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 Piedmont (AD-17) was a Dixie-class destroyer tender commissioned 5 January 1944 — Pacific Theater WWII destroyer support, Korean War, Cold War service, and Vietnam War operations through 1982 across nearly four decades of fleet maintenance support.
The 27-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 Piedmont (AD-17). 27 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy destroyer tenders 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 Piedmont 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 Piedmont 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 Piedmont (AD-17). 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.
Piedmont AD-17 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Piedmont AD-17 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Piedmont AD-17 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 Piedmont AD-17 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Piedmont AD-17'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 Piedmont AD-17?
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 Piedmont AD-17?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Piedmont AD-17 include: Aldrich Pump Co, Allis Chalmers, B F Sturtevant, Babcock & Wilcox, C. H. Wheeler, Carrier, Davis Engineering Corp. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Piedmont AD-17 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Piedmont AD-17 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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Runs in parallel with VA benefits — civil recovery does not reduce VA disability compensation
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