The Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyers — DDG-2 through DDG-24, built between 1958 and 1964 at Bath Iron Works, Bethlehem Steel (San Francisco), and Defoe Shipbuilding — were the US Navy’s first purpose-built guided missile destroyers, designed from the keel up to carry the Tartar surface-to-air missile system in place of one of the Forrest Sherman class’s gun mounts. Adams class DDGs used the same 1,200 PSI / 950°F steam turbine plants as the Forrest Sherman destroyers on which their hull was based, with two General Electric turbine sets and four Babcock & Wilcox boilers requiring the same comprehensive asbestos insulation in the engineering spaces.

Steam Plant and Asbestos in Adams Class Engineering Spaces

The Adams class propulsion plant — identical to the Forrest Sherman class in engineering arrangement — required asbestos insulation throughout the engineering spaces:

  • Four B&W boilers in two boiler rooms with asbestos block, sectional covering, and cement on boiler casings, steam drums, superheater sections, and uptakes at 950°F operating temperature
  • Two GE steam turbine sets in two engine rooms with asbestos block insulation on turbine casings and high-temperature exhaust connections
  • High-pressure main steam piping at 1,200 PSI from boilers to turbines — asbestos block lagging and lagging cloth throughout the engineering spaces
  • Auxiliary steam systems including feedwater heaters, deaerators, and turbo-generators with asbestos insulation on all high-temperature surfaces

Tartar Missile System and Interior Construction

The Adams class carried the Tartar guided missile system — a single-arm launcher fed from a below-deck magazine — requiring dedicated missile handling and magazine spaces throughout the after portion of the ship. These spaces were built within the ship’s asbestos-containing hull structure using the standard interior construction materials of the early 1960s construction period:

  • Missile magazine and handling rooms in the after hull with asbestos-containing interior construction in bulkheads separating ordnance storage from machinery and crew spaces
  • Combat Information Center and electronics spaces built with asbestos floor tile and overhead construction in the standard pattern

Foreign Military Sales

West Germany (Deutsche Marine), Australia, and Greece all ordered Adams class destroyers under Foreign Military Sales arrangements — three Australian hulls (DDG-38, DDG-39, DDG-40), three German hulls, and one Greek hull were built at Bath Iron Works and Defoe to Adams class specifications. US shipyard workers and test crews present during foreign DDG construction accumulated asbestos exposure from the same engineering plant construction.

VA Claims for Adams Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy destroyers. Veterans who served aboard Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyers (DDG-2 through DDG-24) 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 Charles F. Adams Class

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.