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Did you serve aboard the USS St Louis? This cruiser carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS St Louis, hull number CL-49, was a cruiser, built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and commissioned in 1939. She served through Atlantic Fleet Neutrality Patrols, WWII Pacific Theater, and Brazilian Navy Service. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS St Louis, CL-49 — 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 St Louis from makers such as Terry, Terry Steam Turbine Company, Buffalo, and Buffalo Pumps allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS St Louis 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 St Louis (CL-49) is a documented U.S. Navy light cruiser 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 | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Relief Valve, Outside Spring Type, Model B-59481 | Crane | BuShips Spec 45-V-26 (INT), Type A-1, Class C; multiple pressure ranges 1-4 to 251-300 lb installed aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) | |
| Relief Valves - Outside Spring Type | Crane | BU. SHIPS SPEC. 45-V-26 (INT). TYPE A-1, CLASS C. Multiple pressure ranges 1-4 lb to 251-300 lb. USS St Louis (CL-49) specific plan numbers CL49-S48-0334, CL49-S48-0336, CL49-S48-0340, CL49-S48-0341, CL49-S48-0342, CL49-S48-0343, CL49-S48-0337 | |
| Bronze Relief Valve - Inside Spring Type, Model B-59482 | Crane | BU. SHIPS SPEC. 45-V-26 (INT.) TYPE A-2, CLASS C; for water or oil; max 300 lbs water / 100 lbs oil pressure | |
| Steam Turbine, Type B 1.5" - 4 units | Terry Steam Turbine Company | 4 | Close connected to Buffalo pumps aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) |
| Excess Pressure Regulating Governors for Feed Pumps | Foster Engineering Company | For feed pumps aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) | |
| Two-Stage Double Suction Horizontal Pump, 1.5" | Buffalo | 4 | Aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) |
| Main and cruising feed pump turbine | Terry | Assembly and details shown in Terry Plan E-2430 and related plans; turbine rated for 460 psi steam inlet, 40 psi exhaust backpressure | |
| Bearing and governor parts | Terry | Terry Plan E-2433; packing ring springs material modified from copper-nickel alloy to corrosion resisting steel per Specification 24711-3 | |
| Turbine lagging and cooling | Terry | Terry Plan E-2440; metal type lagging replaced with plastic insulation; asbestos cement coating applied per modification procedure | |
| Asbestos cement coating | Dolphinite | Dolphinite Cement No. 1873 applied as finish coat over asbestos cement base layer on turbine insulation | |
| Main and Cruising Feed Pumps | The Terry Steam Turbine Co. | Contract 63103, Schedule 9536/9538 for USS St Louis CL-49 | |
| Feed Booster Pump | The Terry Steam Turbine Co. | Relief valve and condensate feed booster specified for USS St Louis | |
| Main Feed Pump | Buffalo Pumps | 1 | Plan GA 5260, Ba.E.Eng. CL 49-347-88, Alt. 88 |
| Cruising Feed Pump | Buffalo Pumps | 1 | Plan GA 5261, Ba.E.Eng. CL 49-347-89, Alt. 89 |
| Relief Valve Assembly | Crane Co. | 1 | 1/15213 specification for USS St Louis feed system |
| Steam Turbine, Terry Type B 1" | Terry Steam Turbine Company | 4 | Close connected to F.5 Buffalo two stage double auction horizontal pumps aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) |
| Excess Pressure Regulating Governor | Foster Engineering Company | For feed pumps aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) | |
| F.5 Buffalo Two Stage Double Auction Horizontal Pump | Buffalo | 4 | Close connected to Terry Type B steam turbines aboard USS St Louis (CL-49) |
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.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard St Louis
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:
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.
