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 — Moored/underway, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard · Long Beach — In the shipyard at Long Beach, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Yard period / shipyard — In the shipyard, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Dry-docking · Long Beach — Dry-docked at Long Beach, per the ship's deck log.
1956
Dry-docking — Dry-docked, per the ship's deck log.
1957
Mooring / movement · Long Beach — Moored/underway near Long Beach, 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 Watts (DD-567) was a Fletcher-class destroyer commissioned in April 1944 that saw extensive World War II service in the North Pacific, conducting bombardments of the Kuril Islands and Japanese-held positions, and later screening fast carriers off the home islands. Following reactivation in July 1951, she served with the Atlantic Fleet and briefly with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean before reassignment to the Pacific Fleet in 1955, where she alternated deployments with the 7th Fleet through 1957. The ship was decommissioned in April 1946 after the war and again following her postwar reserve period.
Construction & Service Dates
Builder
Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.
Laid down
1943-03-26
Launched
1943-12-31
Commissioned
1944-04-29
Decommissioned
1946-04-12
Notable Tours / Service Eras
WWII Pacific Theater 1944-1945
Korean War / Cold War Atlantic Fleet 1951-1954
Cold War Pacific Fleet 1955-1957
Combat Actions
Matsuwa To bombardment· 1944-11-23 surface bombardment
Okinawa campaign· 1945-05-21 radar picket station / anti-aircraft
Chichi Jima bombardment· 1945-07-23 surface bombardment
Home Ports & Forward Bases
San Diego CA 1944
Pearl Harbor HI 1944-1945
Adak AK 1944-1945
Norfolk VA 1953-1954
Long Beach CA — home port 1955-1957
Drydock & Overhaul Periods
High Asbestos-Exposure Window
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard· 1945-1946 inactivation overhaul
Charleston Naval Shipyard· 1946 preparation for decommission
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard· 1952 overhaul
Norfolk Naval Shipyard· 1954 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
21 May 1945 Okinawa — suicide plane splashed 10 yards off port bow; six aerial attackers shot down
Read the video transcript
Did you serve aboard the USS Watts? This destroyer carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Watts, hull number DD-567, was a destroyer, built by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. and commissioned in 1944. She served through WWII Pacific Theater, Korean War and Cold War Atlantic Fleet, and Cold War Pacific Fleet. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Watts, DD-567 — 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 Watts from makers such as Babcock and Wilcox, General Electric, Westinghouse, and Worthington allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Watts 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 Watts (DD-567) is a fletcher-class destroyer in the U.S. asbestos litigation record. The equipment manifest below is a class-pattern reference assembled from manufacturer and machinery entries documented across 21 sister ships of the same class. Ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation for USS Watts (DD-567) herself has not yet been published; this pattern reflects what was standard for vessels of this class.
Class Equipment Pattern
Equipment Manifest — USS Watts (DD-567). 21 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
Documented across 2 sister-ship records of the Fletcher-class destroyer
Note: this manifest is a class-level pattern derived from sister-ship BUSHIPS records and public asbestos litigation documents. Individual ship-specific variations may exist. Where ship-specific documentation becomes available for USS Watts (DD-567), this page will be updated to reflect her unique equipment profile.
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.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Watts
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.
Watts DD-567 — Frequently Asked Questions
Are Watts DD-567 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?
Yes. Watts DD-567 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 Watts DD-567 contained asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of Watts DD-567'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 Watts DD-567?
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 Watts DD-567?
Documented equipment manufacturers aboard Watts DD-567 include: Babcock & Wilcox, Chapman, DeLaval, Foster Wheeler, General Electric, General Motors, Warren. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.
Do Watts DD-567 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?
Potentially. VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims individually. Watts DD-567 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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