USS New Jersey (BB-62) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

Documented equipment manifest and asbestos exposure record for USS New Jersey (BB-62), Iowa-class battleship in service 1943–1991. NYCAL propulsion plant records, Distilling Plant pump documentation, Navy correspondence, and Boiler Registry from the publicly filed litigation corpus.

By Rights Watch Media Group LLC •June 6, 2026 • 4 min read

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Hull

BB-62

Class

Iowa-class battleship

Commissioned

1943

Decommissioned

1991

⚙ View Equipment Manifest Documented BUSHIPS machinery & manufacturers aboard New Jersey BB-62 ↓ All Ship Manifests ›

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USS New Jersey (BB-62) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record — public-domain photograph — New Jersey Sails Source: Wikimedia Commons — public domain (U.S. Navy photograph)

Service History

From the public Wikipedia / DANFS service-history record — source ›

USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an Iowa-class battleship that served 21 years in the active fleet and earned 19 battle stars across World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanese Civil War, and Persian Gulf operations. She served as flagship for Admirals Spruance and Halsey during the Pacific War and was the only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War. After her final decommissioning in 1991, she was donated to the Home Port Alliance and has served as a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey, since 2001.

Construction & Service Dates

Builder: Philadelphia Navy Yard
Launched: 1942-12-07
Commissioned: 1943-05-23
Decommissioned: 1991

Notable Tours / Service Eras

WWII Pacific Theater 1943-1945
Korean War 1950-1953
Vietnam War 1968-1969
Cold War 1982-1991

Combat Actions

Marshall Islands Campaign · 1944-01
Carrier screening and bombardment
Operation Hailstone (Truk) · 1944-02
Fleet flagship and surface strike
Marianas Campaign · 1944-06
Bombardment and carrier screening
Battle of the Philippine Sea · 1944-06
Anti-aircraft screening
Leyte Gulf Campaign · 1944-10
Fleet flagship operations
Okinawa Campaign · 1945
Gunfire support and shelling
Korean War operations · 1950-1953
Coastal bombardment
Vietnam War gunfire support · 1968-1969
Heavy bombardment ship
Lebanese Civil War operations · 1983
Naval presence

Home Ports & Forward Bases

Majuro Lagoon — forward base 1944
Ulithi — forward base 1944-1945
Pearl Harbor — home port 1944
Philadelphia Navy Yard — commissioning port 1943
Camden, New Jersey — museum port 2001

Final Disposition

Museum ship — Camden, New Jersey since 15 October 2001

USS New Jersey (BB-62) was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned 23 May 1943 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, serving the U.S. Navy through four reactivations — a longer and more varied service history than any of her sisters. “Big J” fought in the Pacific Theater of WWII, provided gunfire support during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, conducted operations off Lebanon (1983–1984), and was decommissioned 8 February 1991 after Desert Shield/Desert Storm support operations. Each reactivation brought new crew members into engineering spaces containing progressively more deteriorated asbestos insulation — with rip-out and re-insulation work during modernization creating the highest peak exposure levels of her service life.

Equipment Manifest

Equipment Manifest — USS New Jersey (BB-62). 14 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.

Equipment	Manufacturer	Notes
Lagging	Buffalo Pumps	Lagging plans for BB-62 per Brooklyn Navy Yard letter, received 7/8/1940
Horizontal-Single End Suction Close Coupled One Stage Centrifugal Pump (File No. 288B)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3421
Horizontal-Single End Suction Close Coupled One Stage Centrifugal Pump (File No. 288)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3420
Horizontal Single Suction Close Coupled One Stage Centrifugal Pump (File No. 289)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3442
Four Inch Two Stage Class RR Pump (File No. 290)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3511
Reactor Plant Bilge and Discharge Transfer Pump (File No. 332)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3585
Electronics Equipment Cooling System Pumps	Buffalo Pumps	NAVSHIPS 347-3741
Pump Centrifugal Horizontal Close-Coupled Navy Standard No.1 (File No. 393)	Buffalo Pumps	Technical Manual NAVSHIPS 347-3836
Catapult Brake Water Cooling System Pumps	Buffalo Pumps	NAVSHIPS 347-3883
Motor Driven Fresh Water Booster Pump	Buffalo Pumps	NAVSHIPS 0947-031-8000
First Effect Evaporator Tube Nest Drain Pump	Buffalo Pumps	USS New Jersey BB-62 lagging detail drawing
Vertical Auxiliary Feed Booster Pump	Buffalo Pumps	USS New Jersey BB-62 lagging detail drawing
Vertical Main Feed Booster Pump	Buffalo Pumps	USS New Jersey BB-62 lagging detail drawing
Distilling Plant Pumps	Buffalo Pumps Inc	USS New Jersey BB-62 insulation and lagging plans

Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard New Jersey

Iowa-class battleships were constructed during the peak period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy shipbuilding. USS New Jersey carried the same asbestos-saturated engineering plant as her sisters Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin:

Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout four main machinery spaces and auxiliary machinery rooms
Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers
Turret-level fire-control insulation in main-battery turret enclosures (16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns)
Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands across the entire engineering plant
Insulation jackets and removable lagging on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, forced-draft blowers, and auxiliary equipment
Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation in damage-control zones
Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, wardroom, and bridge compartments
Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in gland-seal applications throughout the engineering plant

VA Benefits for New Jersey Veterans

The 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. The NYCAL Buffalo propulsion plant records, Distilling Plant pump documentation, and Navy correspondence specific to BB-62 are direct evidentiary support for veterans’ VA claims across all service eras — WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the 1980s reactivation.

Key documents for a New Jersey veteran’s claim:

DD-214 — confirming BB-62 assignment
NARA muster rolls — for service periods not captured on the DD-214
Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of the products documented aboard New Jersey are also available and do not reduce VA compensation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation records specific to USS New Jersey (BB-62), including NYCAL Buffalo docket filings. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.

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™

Documented Asbestos-Exposure Environments — U.S. Navy Service

Public-domain U.S. Navy photographs illustrating the engineering spaces, ratings, and yard environments where asbestos materials were routinely encountered during normal duty.

Boiler Room Sailor stands watch in the aft machinery room of USS Iwo Jima. (35298984822) Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Drydock Overhaul USS Newport News (CA-148) in drydock at the Norfolk Navy Yard 1965 Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Engine Room Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - USS Sterett Sailor takes equipment readings in ship's engine room. Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Engineering Watch USS Bataan Stands Full Female Engineering Watch Team (8442031) Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

US Navy 061108-N-6652A-037 U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Roy Hernandez, left, and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Jerry … — Machinist Mate US Navy 061108-N-6652A-037 U.S. Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Roy Hernandez, left, and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Jerry Rivera work on a rotor … Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Navy Fireroom Fireroom aboard USS Rochester (CA-124), in 1955 Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

US Navy 080208-N-6538W-019 Civilian yard workers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard perform maintenance on the bow catapults of the … — Shipyard Worker US Navy 080208-N-6538W-019 Civilian yard workers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard perform maintenance on the bow catapults of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier … Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

All images are public domain (U.S. Government works). Specific photographs depict generic Navy engineering and yard environments — not the named vessel above. Asbestos materials shown or implied include pipe lagging, boiler insulation, steam-line covering, and gasket / packing materials standard on U.S. Navy vessels through the early 1980s.

New Jersey BB-62 — Frequently Asked Questions

Are New Jersey BB-62 veterans covered by Navy asbestos litigation records?

Yes. New Jersey BB-62 is documented in the public U.S. Navy asbestos litigation record. U.S. Navy vessels of her service era were built to BUSHIPS specifications that required asbestos insulation throughout engineering spaces, on steam lines, around boilers and turbines, and in gasket and packing materials.

Which shipboard components on New Jersey BB-62 contained asbestos?

Asbestos-containing materials documented aboard U.S. Navy vessels of New Jersey BB-62's era include: boiler insulation and lagging, steam-line pipe insulation, turbine and reduction-gear casings, valve packing, gaskets, brake and clutch friction materials, electrical wire insulation, overhead pipe coverings in berthing and mess spaces, and Navy-issue boiler cement and refractory in fireboxes.

What ratings were exposed to asbestos serving on New Jersey BB-62?

Navy ratings with the highest documented asbestos exposure include Machinist's Mate (MM), Boiler Technician (BT), Hull Maintenance Technician (HT), Engineman (EN), Electrician's Mate (EM), Interior Communications Electrician (IC), Damage Controlman (DC), and Pipefitter / Shipfitter. Officers in engineering departments also encountered asbestos in normal duty. Shipyard workers performing overhaul, repair, or refit work had concentrated exposure during yard periods.

What equipment manufacturers are documented on New Jersey BB-62?

Documented equipment manufacturers aboard New Jersey BB-62 include: Buffalo Pumps, Buffalo Pumps Inc. These manufacturers supplied boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, electrical equipment, and insulation systems through BUSHIPS contracts during the asbestos era.

Do New Jersey BB-62 veterans qualify for VA disability for mesothelioma?

Yes. Mesothelioma is recognized by the VA as service-connected for veterans with documented Navy service and qualifying asbestos exposure. New Jersey BB-62 veterans (or surviving family) typically file at VA.gov, by phone at 1-800-827-1000, or with assistance from a Veterans Service Officer through DAV, VFW, or American Legion. Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers are separate from VA benefits — many veterans pursue both paths.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this site. References to ships, shipyards, companies, products, and asbestos-containing materials are drawn from public VA records, NARA archives, EPA/OSHA databases, and public litigation records. All references reflect what has been documented or alleged in publicly filed records. Consult a licensed physician for medical guidance and a qualified attorney for legal advice regarding your specific situation.

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Navy veterans and civilian shipyard workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may have grounds for a civil claim against the asbestos product manufacturers whose materials were installed aboard. O'Brien Law Firm represents veterans and their families in the civil track at no upfront cost — separate from any VA disability benefits you may be eligible for.

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VA disability benefits are a separate government process. To file a VA disability claim for asbestos exposure, visit VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or contact a Veterans Service Organization (DAV, VFW, American Legion) for free claim assistance.

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