The Belknap class guided missile cruisers — CG-26 through CG-34, originally commissioned as destroyer leaders (DLG) and reclassified as cruisers (CG) in 1975 — were built between 1964 and 1967 at Bath Iron Works, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, San Francisco Naval Shipyard, and Todd Shipyards as an improved development of the Leahy class with a single 5-inch/54 gun retained forward and a Terrier missile system aft. Belknap class cruisers used the same 1,200 PSI high-pressure steam plants as the contemporaneous destroyer and cruiser designs, requiring comprehensive asbestos insulation throughout the engineering spaces in the pattern standard for 1960s-era naval construction.

Steam Plant and Asbestos in Belknap Engineering Spaces

Belknap class cruisers used the same high-pressure steam turbine plants as the Leahy class, with the same asbestos insulation requirements throughout the engineering plant:

  • Two boiler rooms with four boilers each insulated with asbestos block and sectional covering on casings, steam drums, superheater sections, and uptakes
  • Two main engine rooms with GE steam turbines covered with asbestos block insulation on turbine casings and exhaust connections
  • High-pressure main steam piping running from boilers to turbines at 1,200 PSI covered with asbestos block lagging and lagging cloth
  • Auxiliary machinery including feedwater heaters, deaerators, and auxiliary turbines — all with asbestos insulation on high-temperature surfaces throughout the engineering spaces
  • Interior ship construction throughout the cruiser hull using asbestos floor tile, overhead lagging, and bulkhead insulation

USS Belknap — Collision with USS John F. Kennedy

USS Belknap (CG-26) was severely damaged in a collision with the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) on November 22, 1975, in the Ionian Sea. The collision and resulting fire killed eight sailors and severely damaged the cruiser’s superstructure. The subsequent repair and reconstruction of Belknap at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard involved extensive shipyard work in which insulators stripped and replaced asbestos insulation on the damaged and undamaged portions of the ship’s engineering plant and interior. Sailors assigned during the repair availability were present during insulation work at the shipyard.

Class Hull Roll

The Belknap class included USS Belknap (CG-26), USS Josephus Daniels (CG-27), USS Wainwright (CG-28), USS Jouett (CG-29), USS Horne (CG-30), USS Sterett (CG-31), USS William H. Standley (CG-32), USS Fox (CG-33), and USS Biddle (CG-34).

VA Claims for Belknap Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy cruisers and guided missile ships. Veterans who served in engineering or other ratings aboard Belknap class cruisers before the vessels’ decommissioning and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.

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.

Pipe Covering & Block Insulation Thermal insulation applied to steam lines, valves, and equipment in engine rooms and fire rooms Marine Products Insulation, gaskets, and packing products specified for naval and commercial marine applications Boilers & Steam Equipment Boiler manufacturers and insulation products — central to the fire room exposure pathway Gaskets & Packing Sheet and ring gaskets used throughout piping flanges, valve bonnets, and pump housings Electrical Products Wire insulation, switchgear arc chutes, and panel liners used throughout electrical spaces Full Product Index Search all 200+ manufacturers and 1,500+ documented asbestos products on AsbestosIndex™

Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Belknap Class (CG/DLG)

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:

VA Presumptive Benefits — No Filing Deadline

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). No statute of limitations applies to VA disability compensation claims.

Available benefits may include monthly disability compensation, Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses, priority VA healthcare enrollment, and Special Monthly Compensation for severe cases. Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products do not reduce VA compensation.

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.

VA Claims Guide on This Site › Compare: VA vs. Civil Lawsuit

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.