The USS Steinaker (DD-863) was a Gearing-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy for nearly four decades. The USS Steinaker received several awards for the important roles it played in Cold War operations and the Vietnam War, but the vessel has also been linked to serious health conditions in many of the veterans who were exposed to asbestos while serving on the ship. Crew members as well as shipyard employees who worked on upgrades and improvements to the ship have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other disabling illnesses.
About the USS Steinaker
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Steinaker was named to honor Private First Class Donald Baur Steinaker, who was killed in action on Guadalcanal in October 1942. Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1922, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in March 1941 and served at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, before being sent to the South Pacific for service during World War II.[1]
During the Solomon Islands campaign, PFC Steinaker was stationed at the Matanikau River when his unit was attacked during a heavy Japanese offensive. He refused to abandon his position and died at his post. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, and another ship, the destroyer escort USS Steinaker (DE-452), was originally slated to be named for him, but its construction was cancelled in 1944.
Construction and Early Years
The USS Steinaker was constructed by Bethlehem Steel Company at their Staten Island, New York, shipyard. Construction began in September 1944, and the ship was launched in February 1945, sponsored by PFC Steinaker’s sister, Miss Carol Steinaker. The destroyer was commissioned in May 1945, under the command of Commander S. A. McCornock.
As a Gearing-class destroyer, the Steinaker was marked by the significant improvements that the class featured over the earlier Fletcher-class destroyers. While the Fletchers played a crucial role in naval battles during WWII, a 14-foot increase in length gave the Gearing-class vessels larger fuel storage capacity that facilitated increased operational reach, as well as more flexibility for upgrades and modifications. Although both vessel types featured comparable armament and operational capabilities, the Gearings had greater firepower. Gearing-class destroyers like the Steinaker typically carried crews of 345 personnel and possessed an operational range of approximately 4,800 nautical miles at cruising speed.[2]
The Steinaker displaced 2,425 tons when fully loaded and measured 390 feet 6 inches in length with a beam of 40 feet 10 inches. Her propulsion system consisted of advanced steam turbines built by General Electricand high-pressure Babcock & Wilcox boilers, which required extensive insulation, gaskets, and related components that were made with asbestos materials. The inadequate ventilation systems in the ship’s cramped interior spaces, and especially in the engine and boiler compartments, put sailors assigned to those areas at considerable risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
USS Steinaker Active Service and Tours of Duty
After her commissioning, the USS Steinaker conducted shakedown operations off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before returning to Norfolk, Virginia, which became her home port. For the rest of the year, she served as a training vessel. From 1946 through 1952, the destroyer alternated between East Coast operations with the Atlantic Fleet and deployments to the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. She was deployed to the Mediterranean in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, and during the first five months of 1952.[1]
In July 1952, the Steinaker entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for conversion to a radar picket destroyer. The conversion was completed in February 1953, and after receiving the new designation DDR-863, the ship was sent for shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay. Her first deployment as a picket destroyer lasted from September 1953 to February 1954. She continued serving with the 6th Fleet during portions of 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, and 1965.
In 1964, the USS Steinaker underwent conversion under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program, receiving updated antisubmarine warfare weapons and detection systems. In July 1964, her original designation of DD-863 was restored. In 1967, the ship served with the Middle East Force in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean for two months.
In March 1968, the Steinaker left Norfolk for her first Western Pacific deployment. After transiting the Panama Canal and making brief stops at San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam, and the Philippines, she arrived off the coast of Vietnam. From May through October 1968, the Steinaker served with the 7th Fleet, participating in naval gunfire support missions off Binh Thuan and Phu Yen Provinces, “Sea Dragon” operations to prevent Communist infiltration along the North Vietnamese coast, and antiaircraft picket duties near the demilitarized zone. She also operated alongside aircraft carriers conducting strikes against North Vietnam, earning two battle stars for her Vietnam service.
After visiting Subic Bay, Singapore, Yokosuka, and Okinawa, the Steinaker returned to Norfolk in November 1968. She resumed Atlantic Fleet operations until January 1970, when she was assigned to NATO’s Standing Naval Force Atlantic. She served with the NATO force until July 1970, then was sent on another Mediterranean deployment from February to July 1971. The Steinaker served in the North Atlantic from July to November 1972, was transferred to Destroyer Squadron 10 of the Naval Reserve Force in July 1973, and changed her home port to Baltimore. Through December 1974, she served as a training vessel for reserve personnel and was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in February 1982. She was subsequently transferred to Mexico, where she was renamed Netzahualcoyotl.[1]
Why Did the Navy Use Asbestos in Its Ships?
The U.S. Navy’s extensive use of asbestos in ship construction from the 1930s through the mid-1970s was driven by the mineral’s exceptional properties, which provided several practical advantages for naval applications. Asbestos provided outstanding fire resistance and thermal insulation, both of which were critical features for vessels engaging in combat; fire suppression and heat management could be matters of life and death. The material was also lightweight, abundant, and inexpensive, making it an especially attractive choice for military procurement during and after World War II.
Naval architects and shipbuilders also valued asbestos for its versatility. It could be used in multiple applications, from pipe insulation and boiler room components to deck materials and safety equipment. The mineral’s durability and resistance to saltwater corrosion made it particularly suitable for the harsh marine environment. Unfortunately, the serious health risks associated with asbestos exposure were not known by the Navy, and though manufacturers and suppliers had been receiving scientific reports on its dangers for decades, they chose not to share the information to continue earning significant profits. This lack of awareness on the part of the military and lack of integrity on the part of the asbestos companies led to widespread use of asbestos-containing materials throughout naval vessels, creating long-term health hazards for thousands of sailors and shipyard workers.
Where Was Asbestos Found on the USS Steinaker?
Almost all naval vessels built between the years leading up to World War II and continuing through the 1970s were built with hundreds of pounds of asbestos-containing materials, and this included the USS Steinaker. Asbestos was installed throughout the ship, particularly in areas containing high-temperature equipment and steam systems. This included the engine compartments, boiler rooms, turbine spaces, and machinery rooms. Asbestos wrap and spray-on asbestos were both used to insulate pipes and steam lines.
While these high-heat areas required the most thermal protection, asbestos was also a part of numerous other shipboard materials, ranging from bonding agents and adhesives, floor tiles and other deck surfacing materials, and even the protective clothing and firefighting equipment used by the crew.
How Were USS Steinaker Sailors Exposed to Asbestos?
Approximately 3,500 Americans are diagnosed with malignant pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma every year, and U.S. Navy veterans represent a disproportionate percentage of these cases. This troubling pattern is a direct result of the extensive use of asbestos aboard virtually all Navy vessels constructed before 1980, including the USS Steinaker. Numerous asbestos-related diseases and deaths have occurred among sailors who worked in the ship’s confined and poorly ventilated spaces.
The mechanism by which asbestos causes mesothelioma is a subject of intense study. Scientists have established that when asbestos-containing materials deteriorate—whether through normal wear and tear, physical damage, or routine maintenance activities—the asbestos within them becomes friable, meaning the material breaks down. Once this happens, the mineral releases microscopic fibers that are invisible to the naked eye but easily inhaled.
Once these needle-like fibers enter the body, they become embedded in tissue, where they are virtually impossible to expel through coughing. Making matters worse, the same durability that makes asbestos such a valued strengthening additive makes it resistant to the body’s natural responses to foreign substances. Over years or decades, these fibers create inflammation that leads to scarring and mutilation that eventually can cause asbestosis and other pulmonary diseases. In the most serious cases, people who’ve breathed in or ingested the fibers develop lung cancer or the rare and deadly form of cancer known as malignant pleural mesothelioma.
While airborne asbestos posed a threat to all personnel aboard the vessel, those at highest risk aboard the Steinaker included:
- Sailors assigned to work in the ship’s heavily contaminated engine and boiler compartments
- Maintenance and repair technicians who directly handled asbestos-containing materials, particularly pipe insulation
- Shipyard workers involved in renovation or modification work that disturbed asbestos-containing components
The various conversions and modifications that the Steinaker underwent during her service life, including her 1952 conversion to a radar picket destroyer and her 1964 FRAM modernization, involved extensive removal and installation of materials and equipment. These renovation projects exposed both the ship’s personnel and the shipyard workers to significant asbestos hazards.
Benefits and Compensation Available to Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
Across multiple decades and deployments, Navy veterans served on the USS Steinaker with distinction, completely unaware of the health risks they faced from the ship’s construction materials. While certain crew members faced higher exposure levels due to their specific job assignments, every single person aboard the vessel was potentially at risk of developing asbestos-related illnesses, a concern that continues to affect surviving veterans today.
If you are a Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Steinaker and you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, there is a strong possibility that your military service contributed to or caused your medical condition. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition, meaning that veterans diagnosed with this disease who can establish service-connected asbestos exposure may be eligible for this maximum disability compensation, along with access to specialized medical care at treatment facilities across the nation. If you are in good health but served on the ship, informing your physician about your history of asbestos exposure will alert them to the need to monitor your condition and order regular screening so they can respond quickly if symptoms develop.
How an Asbestos Attorney Can Help
An experienced mesothelioma attorney can provide invaluable assistance in multiple ways. They’ll begin by sitting down and listening to you, asking questions about when and where you served and any occupational exposure you may have experienced after your service. They’ll answer all your questions and make sure you know what to expect from each of the options available to you.
An asbestos lawyer can guide you through the process of filing a VA disability claim, optimizing your chances of quickly being approved and receiving the benefits and support your service has earned. They can also help you pursue financial compensation from the manufacturers that supplied asbestos-containing productsto the military, and specifically to the Steinaker. When you trust your case to a law firm that specializes in asbestos litigation, the professionals you work with have immediate access to extensive asbestos claims records and documentation. Your attorney will be able to cross-reference your service and work history with decades of previous legal cases to identify the specific companies that can be named as defendants in your claim.
There is a strong chance that many of the corporations responsible for your exposure filed for bankruptcy years ago due to their overwhelming asbestos-related legal liabilities. Fortunately, the bankruptcy courts understood that mesothelioma is an illness with a very long latency period; they required these companies to establish asbestos trust funds for the specific benefit of those who were exposed in the past but who would be diagnosed in the future. If any of these companies’ products were present on the Steinaker when you served, you may be entitled to file a claim against them without jeopardizing your eligibility for VA benefits.
Receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis is a life-changing event, and it can take time to fully take the information in. While your first step should be seeking state-of-the-art treatment and consulting with your family and support network, it’s also important to consult with an attorney promptly, as legal statutes of limitations restrict the time you have for filing claims after being diagnosed. A mesothelioma attorney can explain these deadlines and other important aspects of the legal process, ensuring you can make well-informed decisions and protect your legal rights.
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