USS America Asbestos Exposure

The sailors who served aboard the USS America (CV-66) were among the most decorated in the Navy, completing three tours in Vietnam, launching the first combat use of the Harpoon missile off the coast of Libya, and flying more than 3,000 sorties during Operation Desert Storm. What those veterans did not know at the time was that the ship beneath their feet was saturated with asbestos from her keel to her flight deck, and that the same overhauls, fires, and day-to-day maintenance that kept CV-66 operational were releasing carcinogenic fibers into the air they breathed.

At The Williams Law Firm, P.C., we fight for veterans who served aboard the USS America. Our founding attorney, Joseph P. Williams, uses actual U.S. Naval archive records, which contain a complete inventory of the equipment and materials installed on each vessel, to identify the specific manufacturers responsible for your exposure. If you are a Navy veteran with mesothelioma, we have never lost a mesothelioma case, and we are here to fight for you.

A Carrier Built for Combat, Constructed with Asbestos

The USS America was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company on January 9, 1961, and commissioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on January 23, 1965. Originally planned as a nuclear Enterprise-class vessel, rising costs forced a redesign as a conventionally powered Kitty Hawk-class carrier, meaning her entire propulsion system relied on eight steam boilers and the asbestos insulation required to manage the heat they produced. By the time Captain Lawrence Heyworth Jr. took command, asbestos was already woven into virtually every space below her flight deck, from the pipe runs and turbine casings in the engine rooms to the ceiling tiles and floor adhesives in the berthing compartments where her crew of more than 5,000 slept.

What made CV-66’s exposure history distinct was the punishment her systems absorbed over 30 years of continuous deployment without ever being enrolled in the Navy’s Carrier Service Life Extension Program. Most sister carriers received systematic overhauls that replaced aged asbestos installations. The USS America did not, meaning her original materials continued to deteriorate across every one of her 20 deployments.

Where Asbestos Was Found Aboard CV-66

The ship’s steam propulsion plant was the single largest source of exposure. High-pressure steam lines running from the engineering spaces to the three flight-deck catapults were lagged with asbestos insulation along their entire length, and every valve, pump, and fitting in the system was sealed with asbestos-containing gaskets that required routine replacement. The following areas carried the heaviest concentrations:

• Boiler and engine rooms: asbestos insulation lined the pipes, boilers, turbines, and steam lines. Maintenance work in these poorly ventilated spaces released fibers that remained airborne for hours.
• Steam catapult systems: high-temperature tracks and brake assemblies degraded with every launch cycle, releasing asbestos from both the insulation and the brake pads themselves.
• Living quarters and mess halls: ceiling tiles, floor tiles, wall panels, and adhesives throughout the berthing compartments and mess decks contained asbestos, exposing sailors around the clock.
• Gaskets, valves, and packing: frequent replacement of these components throughout every system aboard the ship generated clouds of asbestos dust during removal.

Every sailor aboard CV-66 breathed the same enclosed below-deck air, regardless of their rate or assignment.

High-Risk Periods Unique to the USS America

Several events in CV-66’s service history created periods of concentrated exposure that were specific to this ship.

Overhaul Periods at Norfolk Naval Shipyard

The nine-month overhaul at Norfolk that followed her first Vietnam deployment in January 1969 brought shipyard workers and crew into close contact with asbestos insulation subjected to the heat and vibration of 112 days of sustained combat operations. The two-month overhaul following her second Vietnam deployment in late 1971 produced similar conditions. Crew members who remained aboard and shipyard workers who performed the work were among the most heavily exposed individuals in the ship’s history.

Fires in Asbestos-Insulated Spaces

On November 19, 1972, during her third Vietnam deployment, a fire broke out in the number two catapult spaces. Smoke filled the 03 level, and the crew who responded and performed the subsequent cleanup faced concentrated exposure as the fire disturbed asbestos insulation in one of the ship’s most heavily lagged spaces. The damaged catapult was repaired at Subic Bay in December 1972. In September 1981, a second fire broke out in a steam trunk line, again releasing insulation from the system carrying steam from the engineering spaces to the flight deck.

Who Was at Risk Aboard CV-66

The crew members who faced the greatest risk were those who worked directly with the ship’s propulsion and catapult systems: boiler technicians, Navy seamen, pipefitters, hull maintenance technicians, and electrician’s mates. However, risk was not limited to those rates. Every sailor who slept in a berthing compartment lined with asbestos materials or ate in a mess hall with asbestos ceiling tiles was exposed as part of daily life aboard the ship.

Family members of USS America veterans also face risk from secondhand exposure. Asbestos fibers carried home in uniforms and personal gear could contaminate household environments without anyone’s knowledge. The 20-to-50-year latency period for mesothelioma means that veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma who served aboard CV-66 decades ago may only now be receiving a diagnosis.

Your Legal Rights as a USS America Veteran

If you served aboard the USS America and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you have the right to pursue compensation from the private manufacturers that produced and sold the asbestos-containing products installed aboard CV-66. These claims are filed against the manufacturers, not against the U.S. Navy or the federal government. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans with mesothelioma qualify for a 100 percent disability rating, and as of 2026, married veterans with that rating receive $4,158.17 per month in tax-free disability compensation. 

Your attorney can also pursue claims against asbestos trust funds established by bankrupt manufacturers, with more than $30 billion currently held in these trusts. The USS America carried asbestos products from a wide range of manufacturers throughout her service, and many CV-66 veterans qualify for payments from multiple funds. Surviving family members of a veteran who has already passed away from mesothelioma may also be able to pursue a wrongful death claim on their behalf.

The Williams Law Firm, P.C. Fights for USS America Veterans

The men who served aboard the USS America flew combat missions over Vietnam, answered fires in the catapult spaces at Yankee Station, and launched strikes during Desert Storm. They deserve an attorney who brings that same commitment to their case. Attorney Joseph P. Williams has spent more than 30 years fighting for veterans whose lives were upended by asbestos exposure and will personally meet with you in your home to review your service record and cross-reference it with the USS America’s equipment logs from the Naval archives.

We have never lost a mesothelioma case, and we treat every veteran’s claim as our personal cause. To get started, reach out to our team through our contact form.