The USS Conolly was a U.S. Navy destroyer with a two-decade record of service. Constructed in the mid-1970s, the ship was among the final warships that were built with asbestos-containing materials throughout her structure and systems. Because the ship was built within the last fifty years and sailed through 1998, Navy veterans who served aboard the ship, as well as shipyard workers involved in her construction and maintenance, face increased risks of developing mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other serious health conditions.
About the USS Conolly
The Ship’s Namesake
The USS Conolly was named to honor Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly, a distinguished naval officer who received his appointment to the Naval Academy in 1910 and graduated in 1914. His early service included duty aboard the USS Virginia in Mexican waters, torpedo instruction aboard the USS Montana, and serving aboard the destroyer USS Smith during World War I, earning the Navy Cross for heroic actions.[1]
His career continued through World War II, where he commanded Destroyer Squadron 6 during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and participated in the initial attack on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. He was the naval representative to the 1946 Paris Peace Conference, commanded the Twelfth Fleet, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and was President of the Naval War College. After retiring with the rank of admiral, he became president of Long Island University until 1962, when he and his wife were passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 1, which crashed into Jamaica Bay soon after takeoff, killing all 95 passengers and crew aboard. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
Construction of the USS Conolly
The USS Conolly was laid down in September 1975, the 17th Spruance-class destroyer built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation. These vessels were designed with the specific purpose of defending nuclear aircraft carriers against submarine threats. Nearly four times the size of World War II destroyers, the ship measured 564.3 feet in length, displaced approximately 9,200 tons when fully loaded, and was powered by four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines capable of achieving speeds exceeding 30 knots. Her crew complement consisted of approximately 340 personnel.[1]
Naval records indicate that Spruance-class destroyers, including the USS Conolly, were built using asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and electrical components despite military awareness of asbestos dangers. In 1979, the Navy rejected a proposed $2 billion asbestos abatement program, concluding that the costs outweighed the benefits. Instead, they implemented guidelines for removing damaged asbestos insulation and conducting selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. While the Navy estimated this policy would eliminate most thermal asbestos insulation over five years, they also acknowledged that 30-50% of the toxic material would remain undisturbed for the ship’s operational lifetime, and claimed that many applications lacked acceptable asbestos-free alternatives.[2] Less than fifty years after the ship last sailed, it is unknown at this point how many veterans’ lives will have been negatively impacted by this decision.
Operational History
1980 to 1992
Launched in February 1977, the USS Conolly was commissioned in October 1978. Initially homeported at Norfolk Naval Base. From 1980 to 1992, the ship played a key operational role in multiple global missions. She was deployed with the Middle East Force twice in the early 1980s, and in mid-1982, while cruising from Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Conolly sustained a cracked bow sonar dome and a fire in the engineering space. The ship returned to Newport News Shipyard for repairs, and later that year, deployed to the Mediterranean, operating off Lebanon’s coast during a tense period.[1]
One of the Conolly’s most significant operations occurred in 1983 during UNITAS XXIV, an annual multinational exercise with South American navies. Serving as the flagship, the Conolly overcame major technical issues, including critical engine repairs at sea and in port. She also conducted the first underway fuel transfer for her class, sending 30,000 gallons via fire hoses to the USS Jesse L. Brown.
Following the UNITAS mission, the Conolly participated in a West African Training Cruise, visiting Gabon, Nigeria, Liberia, and Senegal, before returning to Norfolk. In 1984, she underwent a 10-month overhaul in Portland, Maine, receiving major upgrades including the Tomahawk missile system. She then resumed deployments, including another Middle East Force mission during which she responded to an Iranian Navy boarding of a U.S. ship. Further deployments followed in 1987, 1989, and 1992, including participation in Maritime Interception Force operations during the Gulf War.
1993 to 1998
In 1993, the USS Conolly deployed in support of Operation Support Democracy, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Haiti, and in 1994, deployed to the Arabian Peninsula, conducting Maritime Interception Operations in the Red Sea to enforce United Nations sanctions against Iraq. During this deployment, the destroyer responded to a maritime emergency when the Panamanian-registered ferry Al Loloa caught fire. The Conolly answered the vessel’s distress call and rescued 62 crewmembers.[1]
In July 1995, the Conolly’s homeport was changed from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport, Florida. During her 1996 deployment, the ship participated in numerous NATO exercises and operations. She took part in the Ships Anti-Submarine Warfare Readiness Effectiveness Measuring 114 (SHAREM) Invitational Exercise 1-96 in the Gulf of Valencia off Spain and a 16-day NATO amphibious exercise involving military units from Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
The USS Conolly was later tasked with escorting USS Guam (LPH-9), USS Trenton (LPD-14), and USS Portland (LSD-37) from the Adriatic Sea to Liberia in support of Joint Task Force Assured Response. She also assisted in search and rescue efforts following the airplane crash that killed Commerce Department Secretary Ron Brown. She participated in several other historic missions, including Operation Sharp Guard, which enforced United Nations Security Council resolutions in the former Republic of Yugoslavia, and while on station, she queried 121 merchant vessels, ensuring that no contraband cargo entered the region.
The USS Conolly was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in September 1998, after twenty years of distinguished service. She spent several years at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, initially held for potential donation as a floating museum. However, those plans were cancelled in 2007, and the Conolly was sunk as a target during the multinational exercise UNITAS in 2009.[1]
Why Did the Military Mandate Asbestos Use in Naval Vessels?
Throughout the 1930s to the mid-1970s, the United States Navy required that all of its vessels be built with large amounts of asbestos. Though the USS Conolly was built and commissioned after the military had revised these specifications and replaced them with orders for asbestos-free materials, many asbestos-containing components had already been ordered, warehoused, and, in several instances, installed. This meant that some of the ships, including the Spruance-class destroyers, contained asbestos as late as May 1978, with the Conolly being among these vessels.
Where Was Asbestos Present on the USS Conolly?
Although asbestos-containing materials were found in nearly every section of the destroyer, the heaviest concentrations were found in areas housing heat-generating equipment and the ship’s gas turbine engines. The vessel’s engineering spaces—including power plants, machinery rooms, and equipment compartments—contained extensive asbestos insulation around pipes, fittings, generators, and turbines, and the substance was also included in seals, gaskets, packing materials, and fire-resistant applications.
Beyond the engineering areas, asbestos was also integrated into deck tiles, bulkhead panels, overhead materials, and various bonding compounds used throughout the ship’s berthing areas. Even safety equipment and fire suppression systems were made with asbestos fibers.
How Were USS Conolly Crew Members Exposed to Asbestos?
Despite Spruance-class destroyers like the USS Conolly being significantly larger than vessels built during and immediately after World War II, the living and working quarters on the ship were still extremely cramped, and crew members couldn’t avoid contact with asbestos particles that floated in the air.
While asbestos is considered safe when it is encapsulated and contained, simple repairs, maintenance, removal, and replacement can lead to it breaking down into microscopic fibers that pose health risks. These tiny particles easily become airborne and can remain suspended for hours. They are easily, unknowingly inhaled, and the microscopic materials can become permanently embedded in the body’s tissues. Both lung tissue and the mesothelium are vulnerable to these needle-ended particles, and once these fibers are in place, functions that would normally expel a foreign body, like coughing, are ineffective. Over decades, these tiny fibers lead to cell death, mutations, and inflammation that can result in the scarring of asbestosis or the development of lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma.
Who Aboard the USS Conolly Faced the Highest Risk of Asbestos Exposure?
Many USS Conolly crew members never worked with asbestos-containing materials, but they’ve still been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases because of how easily the fibers spread through the ship via ventilation systems and being carried on hair, skin, and clothing of those who did handle the material. Those who worked in high-concentration areas or who manipulated asbestos-containing products faced substantially higher risks. These included:
- Engineering personnel who worked in the poorly ventilated engine and machinery compartments.
- Maintenance and repair technicians who directly handled asbestos-containing materials during routine maintenance, emergency repairs, and overhaul periods.
- Shipyard workers, both during the ship’s construction and during repairs and upgrades, when renovation work disturbed large quantities of asbestos materials.
- Damage control teams who worked with asbestos-contaminated firefighting equipment and emergency repair supplies.
Understanding the Dangers of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos exposure has been linked to serious long-term health risks that often don’t lead to symptoms until twenty to fifty years later. This long latency period means that veterans who served on the USS Conolly at any point during her service may only now be developing symptoms of exposure-related conditions, while others may not be diagnosed for decades.
The main diseases connected with asbestos exposure include:
- Asbestosis, a chronic lung disorder that causes scarring and respiratory difficulties
- Lung cancer, which can occur in both smokers and non-smokers exposed to asbestos
- Malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart.
An individuals chance of developing any of these diseases generally depends on the length and severity of their exposure, but even relatively short contact with asbestos can led to serious health complications, and the risk is magnified for those who smoked, as the combination of asbestos exposure and tobacco use substantially increases the probability of developing lung cancer.
Alert Your Healthcare Provider to Your Asbestos Exposure History
If you’re a veteran who served aboard the USS Conolly, letting your doctor know about your asbestos exposure history can make a real difference. Even if you currently feel fine, this information is vital for several reasons:
- Doctors who are informed of their patients’ asbestos exposure history can watch for early indicators of related diseases and ensure that appropriate screening procedures are scheduled. Early identification of asbestos-related diseases generally results in more treatment options and enhanced survival rates.
- Familiarity with warning signs is essential. Your healthcare provider can inform you about specific symptoms, including persistent cough, chest discomfort, breathing difficulties, unexplained weight loss, and abdominal swelling. Veterans who are unfamiliar with mesothelioma’s symptoms often dismiss what they’re experiencing as a cold or flu. Knowing what symptoms are relevant to your exposure history leads to quicker medical attention.
- State-of-the-art medical treatment is generally required for asbestos-related diseases. General practitioners who have been alerted to the risk of asbestos-related diseases are more likely to quickly refer you to a specialist.
- Having early medical documentation of asbestos exposure will support your VA benefits applications and can be helpful when pursuing legal action against responsible manufacturers.
Benefits and Compensation Available to Navy Veterans with Mesothelioma
Veterans who served aboard the USS Conolly and who are diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions are entitled to support and compensation for the health issues, pain, and suffering they face. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes malignant mesothelioma as a 100% disabling condition, which means that veterans who prove service-connected asbestos exposure may qualify for complete disability benefits. These benefits include monthly compensation payments, comprehensive healthcare coverage through VA medical centers, emotional and caregiver support, and access to specialized treatment facilities nationwide that have experience treating asbestos-related diseases.
How an Asbestos Attorney Can Help
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases face significant challenges, but speaking with a skilled, experienced attorney can help guide you through the difficulties ahead. By selecting a lawyer who specializes in asbestos-related cases, you put yourself in the hands of professionals who have a deep well of resources for addressing the unique issues involved with asbestos exposure during military service. They can help you navigate the preparation and submission of your VA disability claim, helping ensure that all the paperwork you need is complete and accurate. This guidance is often the key to getting quick approval and obtaining the medical care and financial support you and your loved ones are entitled to receive.
An asbestos lawyer will also assess your eligibility to file claims against the asbestos trust funds that bankrupt companies were forced to create to benefit the victims of their negligence, and can take legal action against the manufacturers and suppliers responsible for providing the military with asbestos-based products.
Law firms with experience in asbestos litigation have extensive libraries detailing which companies provided materials that were installed on specific vessels and naval bases, as well as the damages awards that have been ordered by juries hearing evidence in previous lawsuits. This information can serve as a foundation for successful personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits and maximize the amount of compensation provided to you and your family.
References
View All References
