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Did you serve aboard the USS Tarawa? This aircraft carrier carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Tarawa, hull number CV-40, was an aircraft carrier, built by Norfolk Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1945. She served through Far East deployment, Atlantic Fleet operations, and Korean War era (Atlantic replacement carrier). Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Tarawa, CV-40 — 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 Tarawa from makers such as Warren, and Aqua-Chem allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Tarawa 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 Tarawa (CV-40) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned 8 August 1945, serving through post-World War II operations and the Korean War era before being decommissioned 8 May 1960. Her service life falls entirely within the peak period of asbestos use in U.S. naval ship construction.
The equipment manifest below is drawn from ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation records.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger | Aqua-Chem | Installed aboard LHA-1 USS TARAWA | |
| Bilge Pump (6 by 7 by 12 Vertical Single) | Warren | 6 | Drawing BS5-1710; referenced in prior testimony regarding USS Tarawa CV-40 |
| Water Coolers (New Type) | General Electric Company | Procured under contract SS8-100 for CV class ships including USS Tarawa (CV-40) | |
| Refrigerators (New Type) | General Electric Company | Procured under contract SS8-100 for CV class ships including USS Tarawa (CV-40) | |
| Frozen Food Cabinets (New Type) | General Electric Company | Procured under contract SS8-100 for CV class ships including USS Tarawa (CV-40) |
Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record
The following manufacturers and equipment are documented in Bureau of Ships records and publicly filed asbestos litigation involving USS Tarawa (CV-40):
Shared installation — Tarawa and Lake Champlain: Bureau of Ships alteration records document equipment installed on both USS Tarawa and USS Lake Champlain — establishing that these two Essex-class vessels received common equipment packages during the same modification period. This cross-ship documentation supports class-wide attribution of asbestos-containing insulation and sealing materials.
Pumps — Warren and Aqua-Chem: Warren bilge pumps and Aqua-Chem shell-and-tube heat exchangers are documented in the Tarawa equipment manifest. Warren Pumps products contained asbestos gaskets and packing; Aqua-Chem heat exchangers used compressed asbestos sheet gaskets at tube-bundle flanges.
Bureau of Ships alteration records (1948): Bureau of Ships alteration correspondence from October 1948 documents equipment modifications to USS Tarawa (CV-40), establishing a primary-source record of changes to the engineering plant that may have involved asbestos-containing materials.
Essex-class shared documentation: As an Essex-class carrier built during the same construction period as Bon Homme Richard, Oriskany, and Kearsarge, Tarawa shares class-wide documentation of 250+ tons of amosite and chrysotile thermal insulation, eight Babcock & Wilcox main boilers, Griscom-Russell distilling plants, De Laval oil purifiers, and Crane Co. steam valves — all with documented asbestos insulation, gaskets, and packing.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Tarawa
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy carriers of this era 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 eight 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, and auxiliary machinery
- 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
Sailors in Boilerman, Machinist’s Mate, Engineman, Electrician’s Mate, and other engineering ratings worked routinely in spaces where these materials were installed, maintained, and replaced.
VA Benefits for Tarawa 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.
Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by manufacturers including Babcock & Wilcox and Warren Pumps are also available, and do not reduce VA compensation.
Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation specific to USS Tarawa (CV-40). Editorial review applied per site standards.
