The U.S. Coast Guard has relied on vessels known as cutters throughout its history. These highly maneuverable ships are 65 feet in length or longer, have accommodations for crew to live aboard, and are capable of fulfilling a range of missions. As is true of veterans of all other military branches, Coast Guard members who were assigned to serve on or work on cutters constructed before 1991 may have been exposed to asbestos and be at risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, or other asbestos-related diseases.
About Cutters
The term “cutter” is used to describe any Coast Guard vessel more than 65 feet in length with a permanently assigned crew. The boats got their name from 18th-century English revenue patrol vessels that had cutter-rigged sails. In the late 19th century, cutters operated using steam power and participated in the Civil War during the siege of Fort Sumter.[1]
Over the years, several different types of cutters have been developed to serve varied purposes, ranging from the national security cutters capable of carrying multiple cutter boat types, including the over-the-horizon rigid-hull inflatables and long-range interceptors. Polar-class icebreakers can carry survey boats, and most cutters that are more than 200 feet in length can accommodate helicopters.[2]
Cutter types include:[2]
- Icebreakers – Polar2 / Great Lakes
- Buoy Tenders – Seagoing / Coastal
- National Security Cutters
- Buoy Tenders – Inland, River
- High Endurance Cutters
- Construction Tenders
- Fast Response
- Icebreaking Tugs
- Medium Endurance Cutters
- Harbor Tugs
- Patrol
- Training Cutter
How Coast Guard Cutters are Used
The U.S. Coast Guard dates back to 1790. Originally known as the Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service, its mission was to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling, but its responsibility grew over the years. In 1915, it merged with the Life-Saving Service and was renamed the Coast Guard, and over the years, it took on more and more responsibility, including maintaining lighthouses, marine inspection and licensing, and bridges over navigable waters. Until the formation of the U.S. Navy Department, it was the country’s only floating armed force. During peacetime, it partners with the Department of Homeland Security, and during wartime, it serves under the Navy Department. It is both a military force and a federal law enforcement agency.[3]
World War II
During World War II, the Coast Guard’s enlistment grew to more than 170,000 men and women at one time, with a total of almost 250,000 personnel serving throughout the war. The branch’s missions included search and rescue, marine safety, convoy escort duty, troop transport, amphibious operations, port security, and beach patrol.[4]
The Vietnam War
During the Vietnam conflict, President Lyndon B. Johnson deployed 82-foot point-class patrol boats and high endurance cutters to Southeast Asia to support combat missions, port security, explosives loading, installation and maintenance of aids-to-navigation, and search and rescue. Approximately 8,000 Coast Guard members served in Vietnam.[5]
The War on Terror
Coast Guard personnel leaped into action on September 11, 2001, evacuating more than half a million people off of the island using local ferries and commercial and private craft in less than eight hours. Later, Coast Guard personnel served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, inspecting shipments of hazardous material and facilitating movements in support of the War on Terror. They also supported homeland defense and port security operations, search and rescue, and other operations.[6]
Asbestos Use in U.S. Coast Guard Cutters
Like other ships built between the 1930s and 1991, Coast Guard cutters relied on asbestos materials for durability, fireproofing, insulation, and strength. Though asbestos company management knew that asbestos was dangerous, the U.S. military was unaware that the inexpensive, accessible material was carcinogenic. They specified its use, hoping it would provide an additional layer of safety for military assets and personnel, and the owners of asbestos companies chose not to warn them of its dangers. This decision to put profits over people led to many Coast Guard veterans being diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, COPD, and asbestosis. Military veterans and workers in military shipyards represent an estimated one-third of all mesothelioma diagnoses in the United States.
According to military reports, roughly 300 different asbestos-containing materials were ordered for use in military applications before the material’s hazards were made public, and many of those were included in Coast Guard cutters, including in:
- Fireproofing materials and doors
- Boiler insulation
- Cement
- Electrical wiring
- Gaskets
- Hatches
- Packing material
- Pipe covering
- Pumps
- Rope
- Valves
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure from Cutters?
Serving on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter entails many dangers, but few who served included exposure to asbestos in the list of hazards they faced. It was only decades after service that veterans began being diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. Though anybody who served on a Coast Guard cutter built before 1991 likely suffered asbestos exposure, certain responsibilities led to greater exposure and greater risk. These include:
- Boiler workers and tenders
- Repair and maintenance workers
- Insulation installers
- Pipefitters
- Shipyard workers
Because every Coast Guard cutter built before 1991 is reported to have contained asbestos, any personnel who served on or worked on one of these vessels risked exposure to airborne asbestos fibers, which, once inhaled or ingested, can lead to significant illness. Asbestos is a carcinogenic mineral whose fibers have sharp, needle-like ends that are difficult to expel once they’ve entered the body.
Researchers have found that when these particles become embedded in cells, they lead to cell death and scarring or mutations that form tumors. When those tumors form in the mesothelium – the organ that lines the pleural and peritoneal cavities that hold the body’s organs – they become the highly aggressive and fatal form of cancer known as mesothelioma. Other asbestos-related diseases include asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, pleural plaques, and COPD.
List of Recently Used Coast Guard Cutters That Contained Asbestos-Containing Materials
The U.S. Coast Guard has reported that cutters constructed before 1991 are known to have asbestos materials, including thermal insulating material and/or asbestos-containing floor tiles. Noting that routine exposure would have occurred for any members who worked on or berthed in these cutters, and exceptional exposure may have occurred during maintenance procedures, they published the following list of cutters in-service from 1990 to 2017 to help those at risk identify their exposure history. The asbestos-contaminated cutters include:[7]
- ACACIA
- ACTIVE
- ACUSHNET
- ADAK
- ALERT
- ALEX HALEY
- ANACAPA
- ANVIL
- AQUIDNECK
- ASSATEAGUE
- ATTU
- AXE
- BARANOF
- BASSWOOD
- BAYBERRY
- BEAR
- BISCAYNE BAY
- BITTERSWEET
- BLACKBERRY
- BLACKHAW
- BLUEBELL
- BOLLARD
- BOUTWELL
- BRAMBLE
- BRIDLE
BRISTOL BAY - BUCKTHORN
- BUTTONWOOD
- CAMPBELL
- CAPE CARTER
- CAPE CORAL
CAPE CROSS - CAPE CURRENT
CAPE FAIRWEATHER - CAPE FOX
- CAPE GEORGE
- CAPE GULL
- CAPE HATTERAS
- CAPE HEDGE
- CAPE HENLOPEN
- CAPE HIGGON
- CAPE HORN
- CAPE JELLISON
- CAPE KNOX
- CAPE MORGAN
- CAPE NEWAGEN
- CAPE PORPOISE
- CAPE ROMAIN
- CAPE SHOALWATER
- CAPE SMALL
- CAPE STARR
- CAPE STRAIT
- CAPE UPRIGHT
- CAPE WALSH
- CAPE YORK
- CAPSTAN
- CATENARY
- CHANDELEUR
- CHASE
- CHENA
- CHEROKEE
- CHEYENNE
- CHILULA
- CHINCOTEAGUE
- CHIPPEWA
- CHOCK
- CHOKEBERRY
- CIMARRON
- CITRUS
- CLAMP
- CLEAT
- CLOVER
- CONFIDENCE
- CONIFER
- COURAGEOUS
- COWSLIP
- CUSHING
- CUTTYHUNK
- DALLAS
- DAUNTLESS
- DECISIVE
- DEPENDABLE
- DILIGENCE
- DOGWOOD
- DRUMMOND
- DURABLE
- EAGLE
- EDISTO
- ELDERBERRY
- ESCANABA
- ESCAPE
- EVERGREEN
- FARALLON
- FIR
- FIREBUSH
- FORWARD
- GALLATIN
- GASCONADE
- GENTIAN
- GLACIER
- GREENBRIER
- HAMILTON
- HAMMER
- HARRIET LANE
- HATCHET
- HAWSER
- HORNBEAM
- HUDSON
- INGHAM
- IRIS
- IRONWOOD
- JARVIS
- KANAWHA
- KANKAKEE
- KATMAI BAY
- KAW
- KENNEBEC
- KEY LARGO (aka LARGO)
- KICKAPOO
- KISKA
- LANTANA
- LAUREL
- LEGARE
- LIBERTY
- LINE
- LIPAN
- MACKINAW
- MADRONA
- MALLET
- MALLOW
- MANITOU
- MARIPOSA
- MATAGORDA
- MATINICUS
- MAUI
- MELLON
- MESQUITE
- MESSENGER
- METOMPKIN
- MIDGETT
- MOBILE BAY
- MOHAWK
- MONHEGAN
- MONOMOY
- MORGENTHAU
- MORRO BAY
- MUNRO
- MUSKINGUM
- MUSTANG
- NANTUCKET
- NAUSHON
- NEAH BAY
- NORTHLAND
- NORTHWIND
- NUNIVAK
- OBION
- OCRACOKE
- ORCAS
- OSAGE
- OUACHITA
- PADRE
- PAMLICO
- PAPAW
- PATOKA
- PENDANT
- PENOBSCOT BAY
- PETREL
- PLANETREE
- POINT ARENA
- POINT BAKER
- POINT BARNES
- POINT BARROW
- POINT BATAN
- POINT BENNETT
- POINT BONITA
- POINT BRIDGE
- POINT BROWER
- POINT BROWN
- POINT CAMDEN
- POINT CARREW
- POINT CHARLES
- POINT CHICO
- POINT COUNTLESS
- POINT DIVIDE
- POINT DORAN
- POINT ESTERO
- POINT EVANS
- POINT FRANCIS
- POINT FRANKLIN
- POINT GLASS
- POINT HANNON
- POINT HARRIS
- POINT HERRON
- POINT HEYER
- POINT HIGHLAND
- POINT HOBART
- POINT HOPE
- POINT HURON
- POINT JACKSON
- POINT JUDITH
- POINT KNOLL
- POINT LEDGE
- POINT LOBOS
- POINT LOOKOUT
- POINT MARTIN
- POINT MONREO
- POINT NOWELL
- POINT RICHMOND
- POINT SAL
- POINT SPENCER
- POINT STEELE
- POINT STUART
- POINT SWIFT
- POINT THATCHER
- POINT TURNER
- POINT VERDE
- POINT WARDE
- POINT WELLS
- POINT WHITE HORN
- POINT WINSLOW
- POLAR SEA
- POLAR STAR
- PRIMROSE
- RAMBLER
- RARITAN
- RED BEECH
- RED BIRCH
- RED CEDAR
- RED OAK
- RED WOOD
- RELIANCE
- RESOLUTE
- RUSH
- SAGEBRUSH
- SAGINAW
- SALVIA
- SANGAMON
- SANIBEL
- SAPELO
- SASSAFRAS
- SCIOTO
- SEA HAWK
- SEDGE
- SENECA
- SHACKLE
- SHEARWATER
- SHERMAN
- SITKINAK
- SLEDGE
- SMILAX
- SORREL
- SPAR
- SPENCER
- STEADFAST
- STORIS
- STURGEON BAY
- SUMAC
- SUNDEW
- SWEETBRIER
- SWEETGUM
- SWIVEL
- TACKLE
- TAHOMA
- TAMAROA
- TAMPA
- THETIS
- THUNDER BAY
- TOWLINE
- TYBEE
- UNIMAK
- UTE
- VALIANT
- VASHON
- VENTUROUS
- VIGILANT
- VIGOROUS
- VINDICATOR
- VISE
- WASHINGTON
- WEDGE
- WESTWIND
- WHITE HEATH
- WHITE HOLLY
- WHITE LUPINE
- WHITE PINE
- WHITE SAGE
- WHITE SUMAC
- WIRE
- WOODRUSH
- WRANGELL
- WYACONDA
- YOCONA
Do Coast Guard Cutters Still Contain Asbestos?
The Coast Guard stopped using asbestos in cutters and other equipment and assets in 1991 and made significant efforts to remove the toxic material from any boat where it was found. Though the greatest risk of asbestos exposure to asbestos in cutters occurred before 1991, any member who worked on or has been assigned to a vessel built before that year may be at risk from legacy asbestos in insulation or floor tiles. If you fall into this category, you are advised to notify your healthcare practitioner of your history of exposure so that they can monitor you for symptoms and take appropriate diagnostic and treatment options as quickly as possible.
Coast Guard Veterans Exposed to Asbestos on Cutters May be Eligible for Compensation
The Coast Guard has issued guidance to any veteran or retiree assigned to Coast Guard cutters constructed before 1991, warning of their potential exposure to asbestos and alerting them to their eligibility for special Disability Compensation.[8] In addition to these benefits, if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the asbestos companies that supplied the military with the toxic material without warning of its dangers. You may also be able to file a claim with the asbestos trust funds established by those companies forced into bankruptcy by overwhelming asbestos liabilities.
The best way to learn about the compensation that may be available to you is by contacting an experienced asbestos attorney. These professionals have deep knowledge of your rights and can make sure that you act in time to get the justice you deserve.
References
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