The Vietnam War coincided with the peak of U.S. Navy asbestos use. Every steam-powered ship in the Vietnam-era fleet — from the supercarriers on Yankee Station to the destroyers on the gunline to the small craft of the brown-water river navy — was built and maintained with asbestos. While Agent Orange draws much of the attention around Vietnam veterans’ health, asbestos was a pervasive and separate hazard that is now producing mesothelioma diagnoses in Vietnam-era sailors.

Asbestos Across the Vietnam-Era Fleet

  • Aircraft carriers — massive steam plants with extensive asbestos insulation, plus flight-deck and hangar fire-protection materials
  • Destroyers, cruisers, and frigates — asbestos-lagged boilers, turbines, and piping in the engineering spaces
  • Amphibious and support ships — the same asbestos-insulated steam systems
  • The brown-water navy — river patrol boats and Swift Boats used diesel engines with asbestos exhaust lagging and gaskets in tight crew spaces

Who Was Exposed

Engineering ratings — boiler technicians, machinist’s mates, enginemen — worked directly in the most asbestos-laden spaces. But aboard the small, cramped craft of the river navy, the entire crew was effectively in the engine compartment. Sailors across every rating breathed asbestos fiber from deteriorating shipboard insulation.

A Separate Hazard from Agent Orange

Vietnam veterans are rightly focused on Agent Orange, but asbestos exposure is a distinct issue with its own diseases (mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer) and its own VA and civil claims. A veteran can have — and pursue claims for — both.

More Living Veterans

Because Vietnam-era sailors are younger than WWII and Korea veterans, a larger share are still living as their asbestos disease latency period comes due. This makes accurate exposure documentation especially important now.

VA and Trust-Fund Claims

Vietnam War Navy veterans with asbestos-related disease may qualify for VA benefits — with no filing deadline — and may separately pursue asbestos trust-fund and civil claims. See VA claims and trust funds.

If you or a family member was diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease and was exposed to asbestos while serving aboard a Navy ship or river craft during the Vietnam War, you may be entitled to VA benefits and compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation.

(314) 237-6461 — Free Case Evaluation

Documented asbestos records are drawn from publicly filed U.S. Navy asbestos litigation and public records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.