The Iwo Jima class consisted of seven helicopter assault ships (LPH-2 through LPH-12) commissioned between 1961 and 1970 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and Ingalls Shipbuilding. The Iwo Jima class was designed specifically for helicopter amphibious assault operations — the first US Navy ships designed specifically for this role — carrying a Marine battalion landing team and their equipment to be landed by helicopter rather than conventional landing craft. These 592-foot steam-powered ships used a continuous flight deck and hangar for up to 24 CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters, with steam turbine propulsion and asbestos-containing engineering plant consistent with the early 1960s construction specifications.

Steam Plant Asbestos

Iwo Jima-class ships used steam turbine propulsion with asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler plant — the two Babcock & Wilcox boilers aboard Iwo Jima-class ships used asbestos boiler lagging on exterior surfaces and asbestos refractory brick in combustion chambers in the 1961-era construction. The boiler plant maintained by BT ratings used asbestos insulation as the standard boiler lagging material consistent with early 1960s naval construction standards
  • Main steam piping — the main steam distribution from boilers to propulsion turbines and to auxiliary steam loads used asbestos magnesia pipe covering throughout the hot steam piping in the engineering spaces. MM and BT ratings maintaining the Iwo Jima-class engineering plant performed pipe covering maintenance in the engineering spaces
  • Helicopter support systems — the aircraft fuel systems, hangar fire protection systems, and flight deck support equipment used in helicopter operations were connected to the ship’s steam and electrical systems through auxiliary systems with asbestos-containing components

Embarked Marine Corps Operations

Iwo Jima-class ships embarked Marine battalion landing teams for sustained periods:

  • Marine infantry berthing — embarked Marine Corps infantry battalions occupied the Iwo Jima-class troop berthing spaces — built during the 1961-1970 construction with asbestos-containing deck tile and overhead construction materials — for extended deployment periods during amphibious training exercises and combat deployments
  • Vietnam combat deployments — Iwo Jima-class ships conducted combat deployments during the Vietnam War, with both crew and embarked Marines occupying the asbestos-containing ship spaces throughout the deployment periods

VA Claims for Iwo Jima-Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy helicopter assault ships. Engineering ratings and crew members who served aboard Iwo Jima-class ships 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 Iwo Jima-Class LPH Ships

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.