Navy Battleships

Navy Battleship Asbestos

A battleship is a very large and thoroughly armored warship. The U.S. Navy began using the term “battleship” in the 1880s, and the very first battleship, the HMS Dreadnaught, was launched in 1906. Subsequently, there was a class of battleships that came to be known as “dreadnaughts,” and the long legacy of battleship service began.

For the U.S. Navy, battleships have long been the epitome of bravery and naval dominance, and the battleship has played an important historical role in international relations and military policy. During World War I, battleship production became a large industry, and naval battles became a new war tactic, with the famous Battle of Jutland, the first and largest sea battle in history. Several treaties during that time period put a limit on the number of battleships a nation could have in their fleet, but battleship design continued to advance, and production of these vessels continued as well.

In World War II, the battleship played an even larger role. Battleships played an imperative role in several engagements in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean areas, but there were few notable battleship conflicts during WWII. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, at least five U.S. battleships were damaged and subsequently sunk, leaving only three battleships in service. Several WWII-era battleships, including the USS Alabama, who served throughout the war without ever losing a crewmember during conflict, and the USS Missouri, which served as the site of Japanese surrender and the ultimate end to the war on August 10, 1945, did play a historical role in WWII, however. Despite the great presence of battleships during WWII, some historians question the effectiveness and overall value of this type of vessel, as battleships were vulnerable to attack from submarines, torpedoes and missiles. Battleships were eventually replaced by the aircraft carrier after WWII and became fire support vessels for the Navy during the Cold War-era. The final battleship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 2006.

Below is an extensive list of battleships who proudly served during World War II. These ships were built decades before the institution of asbestos-usage regulations, and each of these vessels contained harmful levels of asbestos in the form of piping insulation. Because exposure to asbestos is the only confirmed cause of the cancer known as mesothelioma, it is imperative that all veterans who served aboard Navy battleships monitor their respiratory condition carefully and consult a doctor if they begin to experience breathing difficulties or other symptoms of mesothelioma cancer.

Battleship Listing

Last modified: December 09 2009.