In the years surrounding World War II and for decades after, asbestos was considered an essential component for U.S. Navy ship construction, only to be recognized later as carcinogenic. The USS Vogelgesang (DD-862) was one of the ships built at that time, and a significant part of her infrastructure, equipment, and materials contained the deadly mineral. The extensive use of this toxic substance has resulted in thousands of Navy veterans developing pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other severe respiratory ailments. Many veterans have died of these diseases, and others who served on the ship are still at risk.
About the USS Vogelgesang
The USS Vogelgesang was a Gearing-class destroyer that served the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1980. Throughout her 35 years of active service, the vessel participated in Mediterranean deployments, Vietnam War missions, Project Mercury and Gemini space program support, and various NATO exercises. When not overseas, the Vogelgesang conducted training exercises along the Atlantic coast and in Caribbean waters.[1]
About the Ship’s Namesake
The USS Vogelgesang was named in honor of Rear Admiral Carl Theodore Vogelgesang, a naval officer who served from 1890 until he died in 1927. Throughout his career, he served aboard numerous vessels and held various command positions, including participating in the Spanish-American War and being the commander of the presidential yacht Mayflower. He was also Chief of Staff to commanders in both the Asiatic and Atlantic Fleets.[1]
Vogelgesang’s most notable contribution came as head of the United States Naval Mission to Brazil from 1922 to 1925, when he worked alongside Brazilian naval officers to reorganize their navy. His work is credited with significantly strengthening diplomatic relations between the United States and Brazil.
About the Gearing Class Destroyers
Gearing-class destroyers like the USS Vogelgesang were the last design built during and immediately after World War II. The ship’s design was the culmination of gradual improvements to all previous destroyers, and particularly the Fletcher and Allen M. Sumner classes. The most crucial design enhancement was a 14-foot hull extension that substantially increased both fuel storage and cruising range. This resolved a critical limitation of earlier designs and enabled the destroyer class to escort fast carrier battle groups on extended missions without requiring frequent refueling stops. That simple change dramatically improved the Navy’s operational capabilities.[2]
The Gearing-class ships displaced 3,460 tons when fully loaded. They measured 390 feet 6 inches long, with a beam of 40 feet 10 inches and a draft of 18 feet 6 inches. The vessel’s armament included six 5-inch guns, sixteen 40mm anti-aircraft guns, five 21-inch torpedo tubes, depth charge projectors, and depth charge tracks. She maintained a crew complement of 345 officers and enlisted personnel.
The Gearing-class was built with propulsion systems powered by General Electric turbines and Babcock & Wilcoxboilers. While this powerful equipment generated speeds that made the ship so valuable to the wartime effort, it also required a significant amount of asbestos-containing thermal insulation; the areas where it was housed were among the most contaminated areas of the ship and have been linked to countless cases of asbestos-related diseases.
Though the USS Vogelgesang wasn’t commissioned until near the war’s end, she and the other 97 Gearing-class destroyers constructed during the mid-1940s provided decades of naval service as a result of significant modifications and upgrades. Initially conceived for anti-aircraft and surface combat roles, the vessels underwent numerous post-war modifications to address changing tactical requirements. The Cold War and the expanding Soviet submarine threat meant the Navy needed better anti-submarine warfare capabilities; the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program implemented during the 1950s and 1960s replaced obsolete weapons systems with sophisticated sonar and radar equipment, while simultaneously improving crew living conditions.
Construction and Service History of the USS Vogelgesang
The Bethlehem Steel Company built the USS Vogelgesang at their Staten Island, New York facility. The vessel was laid down in August 1944 and launched in January 1945, sponsored by Miss Senaide Vogelgesang. The ship was commissioned in April 1945, at the New York Navy Yard under the command of Commander O.W. Spahr.[1]
Following commissioning, the USS Vogelgesang conducted shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before returning to Norfolk for training duties with destroyer nucleus crews. For the initial two years of service, she operated along the east coast and in the West Indies, conducting exercises both independently and with other Atlantic Fleet units.
The Vogelgesang’s operational history included extensive Mediterranean deployments beginning in 1947, when she conducted training operations with 6th Fleet units and Allied navies. During the 1950s, she alternated five Mediterranean deployments with Atlantic coast operations, including a midshipman training cruise to northern European ports in 1956. In 1957, her deployment schedule expanded to include Indian Ocean operations, with port visits to Aden, Massawa, Bahrain Island, and Abadan, Iran.
The destroyer provided crucial support for the early U.S. space program, participating in Project Mercury recovery operations in 1961 and 1962. A few years later, she supported Project Gemini, but before that, she underwent the extensive FRAM modernization at Boston Naval Shipyard.
The USS Vogelgesang’s first combat mission came during the Vietnam War, when she deployed to the western Pacific in 1966 as part of Destroyer Squadron 32. Operating in the Gulf of Tonkin, she provided antisubmarine defense and plane guard services for aircraft carriers conducting strikes against North Vietnamese targets. In August 1966, she successfully disrupted a Viet Cong attack, reportedly killing 70 and wounding 40 enemy guerrillas. The ship earned two battle stars for her Vietnam War service.
After completing her Vietnam deployment, the Vogelgesang returned to her pattern of Mediterranean cruises and Atlantic Fleet operations. In 1974, she was transferred to Naval Reserve training duty, with her home port changed from Norfolk to Newport, Rhode Island. She continued serving as a training platform for naval reservists, NROTC midshipmen, and OCS students until 1980. She was decommissioned and transferred to Mexico in 1982.
Asbestos Applications Aboard the USS Vogelgesang
Between the 1930s and 1970s, the Navy required comprehensive asbestos use from the suppliers, manufacturers, and shipbuilders that were delivering its ships. From her initial construction through the various modernization programs and upgrades ordered for the ship, asbestos-containing materials were integrated into the Vogelgesang’s structure, systems, and equipment inventory.
The Navy’s mandate that asbestos be used in hundreds of shipboard applications was due to its superior thermal insulation, flame resistance, chemical durability, and structural strength. The lightweight, cost-effective material seemed ideal for protecting both military equipment and personnel, but though manufacturers fulfilling these contracts had known about asbestos’s carcinogenic properties for years, the decision-makers who were dedicated to this safeguarding of human and physical assets were unaware of the serious health hazards associated with asbestos exposure. The companies that kept this information from the Navy and other customers did so to maintain profitability. This decision resulted in countless fatalities among Navy veterans and civilian populations alike.
Asbestos materials were installed throughout virtually every section of the USS Vogelgesang, with especially dense concentrations in the vessel’s heat-producing areas, including:
- Propulsion Systems: The ship’s engineering compartments contained asbestos insulation that protected boilers, turbines, pumps, condensers, and other high-temperature machinery components.
- Safety Equipment: Heat-resistant clothing, gloves, blankets, and firefighting equipment incorporated asbestos fibers for their thermal protection properties.
- Piping Networks: The extensive system of steam pipes, exhaust ducting, and utility conduits throughout the ship relied on sprayed-on asbestos and asbestos insulation wrap for temperature regulation and personnel protection.
- Structural Elements: Asbestos was concealed within numerous ship components, including gaskets, valve packing, electrical panels, insulation boards, deck tiles, and overhead materials.
Personnel at Risk for Asbestos Exposure on the USS Vogelgesang
When USS Vogelgesang crew members served, they likely viewed enemy action as their primary threat, but decades after those conflicts, more naval personnel have died from asbestos-related diseases than from their combat wounds. Asbestos deteriorates into microscopic fibers when it’s damaged, and in the ship’ interior, those disturbed fibers became airborne as a result of routine maintenance and repairs, or even from normal wear and tear. The crew was constantly exposed as the toxic mineral’s particles circulated throughout the vessel, transported on workers’ clothing, hair, and skin, and blown through the ship’s ventilation systems.
Magnification reveals that asbestos fibers like the ones that floated through the Vogelgesang have pointy, needle-like ends. This explains why, once they enter the body by being breathed in or swallowed, they become lodged in the cells they encounter. The organ that lines the cavity that holds the lung and abdominal organ cavities is particularly vulnerable to this infiltration. Once embedded, asbestos particles can initiate progressive inflammatory reactions that ultimately can lead to an array of potential harms, including tissue damage, cell death, and genetic alterations.
It takes years for the deadly results of this process to appear. Asbestos-related illnesses commonly don’t show symptoms until between 20 and 50 years after exposure, and by then, it’s often too late for treatment to be effective. Those who’ve been exposed find themselves suddenly facing diagnoses of pleural mesothelioma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and other severe respiratory ailments.
What Jobs Led to the Greatest Asbestos Exposure?
While all personnel serving aboard the Vogelgesang encountered some danger of exposure, certain job assignments carried heightened risk. Maintenance personnel, repair crews, and damage control teams were constantly working in areas of high concentration, especially when working in cramped, poorly ventilated spaces where asbestos materials were frequently being released. Others facing significant shipboard asbestos exposure included:
Boiler Technicians – These crew members maintained and operated high-pressure boiler systems extensively covered with asbestos-containing insulation. Their situation was made worse by the cramped, poorly ventilated areas where they worked. Making matters worse, boiler personnel often wore protective clothing and used equipment that contain asbestos materials.
Pipefitters – These crew members maintained the ship’s piping systems, most of which were covered with asbestos-based insulation. Exposure risk peaked during repairs, as the removal of deteriorated insulation needed to fix damaged or leaking pipes released asbestos particles.
Engine Room Personnel – These operators were surrounded by machinery that was insulated with asbestos materials. These systems operated continuously, causing insulation degradation and air contamination on an everyday basis.
Machinery Technicians – These crew members serviced and overhauled various onboard systems, including ventilation equipment, compressors, and electrical generators that commonly contained asbestos in seals, gaskets, and insulation. Standard maintenance procedures regularly disturbed these components, releasing asbestos fibers into the atmosphere where they could be inhaled or swallowed.
Electricians – These crew members handled installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical systems throughout the ship. Much of the vessel’s wiring, circuit panels, and control equipment were protected with asbestos-based materials, exposing electricians during routine inspections and emergency repairs.
Shipyard Personnel – The construction and retrofit workers who built, repaired, and modernized the USS Vogelgesang faced some of the most severe asbestos exposure, as their responsibilities involved cutting, fitting, and installing asbestos-containing materials throughout the vessel, typically without any respiratory protection. This group included both military personnel and civilian contractors.
Assistance for USS Vogelgesang Veterans Diagnosed with Mesothelioma
Former crew members of the USS Vogelgesang, along with shipyard workers involved in her construction, modernization, and maintenance, likely experienced substantial asbestos exposure during their service that could result in mesothelioma and other serious medical conditions. Veterans who’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma and candemonstrate the connection between their illness and their military service qualify for special disability compensation at a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While navigating the VA claims process can be challenging, the outcome is worth the investment of time and effort, as it also provides specialized medical care at either VA healthcare facilities or approved civilian treatment centers with particular expertise in treating asbestos-related conditions.
In addition to VA programs, Navy veterans affected by asbestos exposure on the USS Vogelgesang may be eligible to seek compensation from the companies responsible for manufacturing and supplying the asbestos products they provided to the Navy and elsewhere. Over the years, successful litigation against these corporations has resulted in significant financial settlements and jury verdicts. Additionally, many asbestos companies whose asbestos liabilities forced them into bankruptcy were required to create trust funds specifically designed to compensate exposure victims.
If you served aboard the USS Vogelgesang and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, contact an experienced asbestos lawyer as soon after diagnosis as possible. These knowledgeable legal professionals can provide essential information and guidance, examining your service and work history to determine when you were exposed and which manufacturers’ and suppliers’ asbestos-containing products you encountered. They can also assist with the complicated VA benefits process to ensure you receive every benefit you deserve for your service-connected health conditions.
The more you know about your options, the better you’ll be able to maximize your compensation and your confidence that your family will be taken care of.
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