The USS Kankakee (AO-39) was a Kennebec-class fleet oiler that served the U.S. Navy through World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. While virtually all vessels built for the military between the 1930s and 1980s contained significant amounts of asbestos, tankers and oilers that carried large stores of fuel received additional fortification with the carcinogenic material due to the risk of fire. As a result, many sailors who served onboard the Kankakee, as well as those who repaired and maintained it, are today at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases.
About the USS Kankakee
The USS Kankakee was one of 16 Kennebec-class fleet oilers built during World War II. Originally built for private companies, the ships were acquired by the Maritime Commission for wartime use and given new names. The Kankakee was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company for the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (later to become Mobil Oil) and was originally named SS Colina. She was launched in January 1942 but was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in May and taken over when war broke out in the Pacific.[1]
Though the Kennebecs were based on a civilian design, Navy subsidies equipped her with more powerful machinery including eight center- and sixteen wing-tanks that were modified to carry gasoline, diesel fuel, and lubricating oil. They had three main cargo pumps, each with a capacity of 1,900 gallons per minute that allowed the vessel to unload in about 16 hours, as well as three stripping pumps with a capacity of 400 gallons per minute.[1]
Fleet oilers were auxiliary ships that supported the combat mission. The Kankakee was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, where she participated in campaigns in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The ship was 501 feet long and traveled at a speed of 16.7 knots. Her cargo capacity was 109,600 barrels of oil and 689,000 gallons of gasoline. She displaced 21,580 long tons when fully loaded and carried a complement of 19 officers and 242 enlisted men. She was propelled by a General Electric steam turbine and two Foster Wheeler “P” type boilers.[2]
The USS Kankakee’s U.S. Navy name honored the Kankakee River that runs through northwestern Indiana and Northeastern Illinois. She earned six battle stars during her World War II service in the Pacific and an additional star for her Korean service.[3]
History of Service and Deployment
After being commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia, the USS Kankakee carried a load of fuel oil from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station near the Panama Canal. She then returned to the United States for additional conversion work to prepare her further for her role supporting Pacific operations. In August, she deployed to the South Pacific, where she spent seven months refueling ships during the Solomon Islands campaign as part of Service Squadron 8.[3]
In May 1943 she returned to California for a six-week overhaul, then headed back to the South Pacific. In November 1943, Kankakee refueled the carriers Saratoga and Princeton for strikes against Japanese forces at Rabaul. Her operational efficiency earned her praise from Captain Arleigh A. Burke of Destroyer Squadron 23, who later became Chief of Naval Operations, and throughout 1944 and 1945 she provided logistic support for ships operating from the Philippines to Japan, including supporting Task Force 38’s attacks on Luzon, Formosa, and other targets.[3]
Kankakee provided logistic support at the battle for Okinawa and supported the Third Fleet during the bombing of Japan. She was in the waters southeast of the island nation when hostilities ceased on August 15, 1945, and continued supporting Navy ships until she returned to Ulithi, Tokyo Bay, and then San Pedro, California.[3]
After the war, Kankakee was overhauled and assigned to the Naval Overseas Transport Service. She operated as a station tanker in China, Japan, Alaska, and the Philippines, occasionally carrying fuel from Bahrain to Japan. In 1947 she was overhauled again at Mare Island Naval Shipyard and then reassigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service. Redesignated T-AO-39, she supported the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and later operations in Korea. Through the 1950s, she alternated between months-long deployments in the Pacific and Mediterranean.[3]
USS Kankakee was placed in reserve in 1955, towed to Baltimore and then Philadelphia, and decommissioned in November of that year before being recommissioned in December 1956. She was assigned again to the Military Sea Transportation Service and performed shuttle duty in the Atlantic, sailing from the eastern seaboard of the United States to Venezuela, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Western Europe. She was decommissioned again in 1957, placed in reserve in 1959, and then reinstated.[3]
During the 1960s, Kankakee supported NATO exercises, participated in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis naval quarantine, and served in joint U.S.-French Atlantic convoy exercises. In 1965, she was part of the recovery team for NASA’s Gemini 4 mission as well as the refueling team for other ships on the recovery team. Kankakee was decommissioned on July 29, 1968, transferred to the Maritime Administration again, and eventually sold for scrap on March 16, 1976, after more than 26 years of naval service.
How was Asbestos Used on the USS Kankakee?
The USS Kankakee was constructed when asbestos was considered an essential material in naval shipbuilding due to its lightweight properties, structural reinforcement capabilities, and exceptional thermal and fire-resistant qualities. It was prized for use in both structural elements and various ship components, and because fire presented such a severe hazard at sea, the Navy specifically mandated that asbestos be used in all its vessels. For fuel-carrying ships like the Kankakee, the danger of fire was significantly greater, so asbestos was incorporated extensively throughout the vessel to mitigate these risks.
Though asbestos could be found throughout the USS Kankakee, the sections of the ship that had the greatest impact on sailors’ long-term health were the ship’s heat-generating areas, including the turbine compartments, engine spaces, and boiler facilities. The toxic material was standard in the insulation, gaskets, and valve components of boilers and machinery, and was applied throughout adjacent areas to provide thermal protection and inhibit fire ignition and spread. Asbestos coatings were applied directly to various ship surfaces for fire resistance, incorporated into protective equipment like fireproof gloves and fire-fighting apparel for crew safety, and wrapped around the vessel’s extensive piping networks. The material could even be found in the floor coverings and ceiling panels where the crew bunked, ate, and socialized.
Asbestos was included in many components onboard the USS Kankakee, including:
- Boilers
- Gaskets
- Packing
- Insulation
- Pipe coverings
- Pumps
- Turbines
- Fireproofing material
- Flooring
- Adhesives
- Ropes and fabrics
- Fire protection gear
Who Was Exposed to Asbestos on the USS Kankakee?
Many sailors who served on the USS Kankakee suffered asbestos exposure. The material’s microscopic fibers circulated throughout the ship’s ventilation system and were carried on sailors’ hair, skin, and clothing from the engine and boiler compartments throughout the ship. Though everybody was at risk, the men who worked in these specialized roles were in direct contact with high concentrations of asbestos materials, substantially increasing their exposure risk compared to other shipboard positions.
Among those who were impacted by asbestos on the USS Kankakee was George Wagner, a Navy veteran who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and filed personal injury lawsuits against those responsible when he was 84 years old. Mr. Wagner traced his asbestos exposure back to when he worked in the Kankakee’s engine room as a fireman’s apprentice from 1954 to 1955. He testified that he had maintained pumps, valves, and steam traps until the ship’s decommissioning. He also described similar exposures on another Navy ship, and later when he worked onboard a U.S. Steel freighter.
How Can Veterans Who Served on the USS Kankakee Seek Compensation?
If you are a former crew member of the USS Kankakee and you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-linked condition, there are potentially several compensation options available to you. The Department of Veterans Affairs administers numerous important benefits for service members whose medical conditions stem from their military duty, and malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused illnesses have been recognized as completely disabling conditions. Veterans who can prove service-connected exposure to asbestos can access comprehensive benefits packages that include both medical care services and disability payments.
Former USS Kankakee personnel affected by asbestos exposure can also seek compensation beyond the assistance provided by the VA. Many have successfully pursued legal claims against the companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos products used in the ship’s construction and upkeep; some have been awarded millions of dollars in damages.
There is a long record of evidence that many of these corporations understood the health hazards the carcinogenic material presented but deliberately concealed this information. These businesses have subsequently faced substantial legal accountability for their negligent practices and prioritizing their financial gain over the well-being of military personnel and others.
Though receiving a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma is devastating, justice is available. Consulting with an experienced attorney with specialized knowledge of mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases is the best way to get comprehensive information about the compensation that may be available to you. These skilled lawyers have extensive resources of previous asbestos claims and products, and they can both outline the steps involved in pursuing a personal injury case and identify the companies responsible for your exposure. There are many possibilities for compensation that don’t involve going to trial, including settling out of court and filing with asbestos trusts established by the companies whose asbestos liabilities forced them into bankruptcy.
While meeting with an attorney does not commit you to action, it will answer your questions and provide you with information about time-sensitive legal deadlines that restrict how long you have to initiate legal proceedings for compensation.
References
View All References
