USS Charette (DD-581) was a Fletcher-class destroyer commissioned 18 May 1943 — Pacific Theater WWII combat operations (Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Philippines), Korean War, and Cold War service. Transferred to Greece as Velos in 1959. Equipment manifest below is sourced from BUSHIPS class records for Fletcher-class destroyers with Westinghouse turbines starting at DD-581.

The 33-entry equipment manifest below is sourced from ship-specific BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation identifying machinery and equipment installed aboard. Each entry is documented equipment with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source material for asbestos-exposure case development by Navy veterans and surviving families.

Equipment Manifest

Equipment Manifest — USS Charette (DD-581). 33 machinery/equipment entries identified through ship-specific BUSHIPS documentation. Manufacturers in bold link to documented asbestos-product history on AsbestosIndex.com.
EquipmentManufacturerQtyNotes
Main TurbineWestinghouse (Design)2S.H.P. designed
Reduction GearsFalkDouble reduction, cast iron, single pinion
ShaftingKingsburyVarious dimensions and specifications listed
BearingsKingsburyOil lubricated thrust bearings
Reduction GearKingsburyNavy specification
BoilerBabcock & Wilcox4Water tube type
TurbineGeneral Electric2Geared turbine
GeneratorGeneral Electric2AC generator
MotorGeneral ElectricAC motor
PumpWorthingtonCentrifugal pump
CondenserCombustion Engineering2Surface condenser
Main Condensate PumpWorthington2Centrifugal, WM type
Main Condensate PumpIngersoll1Centrifugal, WM type
Main Condensate PumpWestinghouse1Turbine
Main Condenser PumpWorthington1Water cooled
Main Condenser PumpGeneral Electric1Water cooled
Main Condenser PumpWestinghouse1Water cooled
Condensate PumpDelavel Steam Turbine Co.2One each engine room
Main Feed Booster PumpDelavel Steam Turbine Co.2One each engine room
Aux Face Booster PumpDelavel2Motor driven
Main Feed Booster PumpWorthington Manufacturing2Vertical direct
Main Feed Booster PumpAllis Chalmers1Vertical direct
Fuel Oil StrainerStramo Esquire2
Current Oil Stream FilterStramo Esquire1630/78 capacity
Main Condenser Circulating PumpWarren Pumps2One each engine room
Aux Condenser Case PumpWorthington2One each engine
Main Feed PumpWorthington4Two each engine room, centrifugal
Fuel Oil PumpWorthingtonCentrifugal
Main Feed PumpGould4Two each engine room
Main Feed PumpSkinner4Two each engine room
Main Feed PumpDe Laval252.2 GPM, Centrifugal type
Emergency Feed PumpDe Laval129.4 GPM, Centrifugal type
Fire & Flushing PumpBuffalo22500 GPM, Centrifugal type

Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Charette

The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy destroyers of this era are documented to have included:

  • Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout machinery spaces
  • Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the main boilers
  • Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands
  • Insulation jackets and removable lagging on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, and forced-draft blowers
  • Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation
  • Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, and habitable compartments
  • Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in gland-seal applications throughout the engineering plant

Sailors in Boilerman, Machinist’s Mate, Engineman, Electrician’s Mate, Hull Maintenance Technician, Damage Controlman, and other engineering ratings worked routinely in spaces where these materials were installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced.

VA Benefits for Charette Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure. The Charette equipment manifest is direct documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around throughout her service life.

Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products are also available, and do not reduce VA compensation.

Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →

Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Charette (DD-581). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.

Fletcher-Class destroyer — Class Background

Ship-specific service history is not available for this vessel in public records. The class-level information below applies to all ships in her class. Source: Wikipedia — Fletcher-Class destroyer

The Fletcher class was a class of 175 destroyers built by the United States during World War II, designed in 1939 to address dissatisfaction with earlier destroyer types and commissioned between 1942 and 1944. These ships featured five 5-inch guns and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes, performed every assigned destroyer mission from antisubmarine to surface warfare, and served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where they sank 29 Japanese submarines. After the war, some Fletcher-class destroyers continued service into the Korean War and Vietnam War, while others were sold to former adversary nations including Italy, Germany, and Japan.

Class Overview

Total Ships in Class
175
Construction Era
1942-1944
Service Era
World War II through Vietnam War

Class Mission & Role

General-purpose destroyers designed to perform antisubmarine warfare, antiaircraft defense, surface combat, and fleet support across long-range Pacific operations.

Primary Builders

  • Multiple U.S. shipyards across the country

Class Combat Operations

  • World War II Pacific Theater
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War

Asbestos Materials in this Class

The article does not document specific asbestos use in Fletcher-class destroyers. However, standard pre-1980 U.S. Navy construction included asbestos in pipe lagging, boiler insulation, gaskets, and habitability spaces.