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Did you serve aboard the USS Belknap? This cruiser carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Belknap, hull number CG-26, was a cruiser, built by Bath Iron Works Corporation and commissioned in 1964. She served through Cold War Atlantic Fleet, Sixth Fleet Mediterranean, and Lebanon peacekeeping operations. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Belknap, CG-26 — insulated and sealed with asbestos. Each shipyard overhaul and major repair meant asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced — peak-exposure work for the yard workers and the crew aboard. Exposure was worst in the engineering spaces, where the snipes worked — but asbestos lined the whole ship, so all hands were exposed. The companies that made the asbestos equipment aboard — not the Navy — are who asbestos claims are brought against. According to asbestos litigation records, the equipment aboard the USS Belknap from makers such as De Laval, and General Electric allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Belknap and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the companies that made the asbestos products used aboard your ship. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
USS Belknap (CG-26) is a documented U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser. The equipment reference below was extracted from the publicly-available Wikipedia article on this vessel, which cites the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS) — the U.S. Navy’s official ship-history publication maintained by the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Equipment Reference
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 kw Turbine Generator Sets | General Electric | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| 500 kw Emergency Diesel Generator Sets | Fairbanks Morse | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| 300 kw Emergency Gas Turbine Generator Sets | Solar Aircraft | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Anchor Windlass | Hyde Windlass | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Vent Fans | Buffalo / L.J. Wing | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Forced Draft Blowers | Elliott (div. of Carrier) | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Deaerating Feed Tanks | Cochrane | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Propulsion Turbines | General Electric | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Condenser Design | C.H. Wheeler | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Air Ejectors | C.H. Wheeler | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Line Desuperheaters | Schutte & Koerting | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Feed Pumps (Turbine Driven) | General Electric | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Feed Booster Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Reserve Feed Transfer Pumps (Motor Driven) | Weil | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Condenser Circulating Pumps (Turbine Driven) | Warren | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Condenser Condensate Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| SSTG Condenser Circulating Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| SSTG Condenser Condensate Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Fuel Oil Service Pumps (Turbine Driven) | DeLaval | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Fuel Oil Transfer Pumps (Motor Driven) | DeLaval | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Port Use Fuel Oil Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | DeLaval | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Lube Oil Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | DeLaval | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Main Lube Oil Service Pumps (Turbine Driven) | DeLaval | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Bilge & Fuel Oil Stripping Pumps | Warren | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| JP-5 Service Pumps (Motor Driven) | Blackmer | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| JP-5 Transfer Pumps (Motor Driven) | Blackmer | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| JP-5 Hand Stripping Pump | Deming | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Distiller Feed Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Aux. Machinery Cooling Water Pumps | Weil | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| AC Salt Water Circulating Pumps (Motor Driven) | Weil | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Potable Water Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Priming Vacuum Pumps (Motor Driven) | Nash | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| AC Chilled Water Circulating Pumps (Motor Driven) | Walter H. Eagan | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Fire Pumps (Turbine Driven) | Warren | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Fire Pumps (Motor Driven) | Buffalo | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Emergency Generator Salt Water Circulating Pump | Walter H. Eagan | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| AN/SPG-55B Radar Fluid Cooler Circulating Pumps | Aurora | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Chilled Water Circulating Pumps | Weil | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| HP Air Compressors | Worthington | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| LP Air Compressors | Worthington | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Fuel Oil Heaters | Davis | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Lube Oil Purifier Heaters | Davis | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) | |
| Lube Oil Purifier | Sharples | Hull-specific record: Index of Purchase Orders dated 12/11/1961 (USS Belknap DLG-26) |
Source: this equipment reference was extracted from public Wikipedia/DANFS records for USS Belknap (CG-26). These are secondary-source records — not primary BUSHIPS design documents. For litigation purposes, this data is a starting point; a ship-specific BUSHIPS Material Inspection Report or commissioning book would provide gold-standard verification.
The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Belknap
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:
VA Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.
Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.
How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.
VA Claims Guide on This Site › Compare: VA vs. Civil Lawsuit
Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.
