Asbestos Exposure on Ships:

USS BAIROKO CVE 115 AIRCRAFT

The USS Bairoko was initially named the USS Portage Bay, named Bairoko after a small area in the Solomon Islands captured by the Allies on the 26th of August 1943. The renaming of the carrier took place on the 6th of June 1944.

Sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Ballentine, wife of Rear Admiral John J. Ballentine, the USS Bairoko was launched on the 25th of January 1945, and commissioned to active service on the 16th of July the same year, under the command of Captain H. B. Temple. For her efforts in the Korean War, the USS Bairoko received three battle stars. The carrier has been part of the Pacific Fleet until 1955, was then transferred to the reserve fleet of the same region. The ship was decommissioned on the 18th of February 1955. Here are some of the main characteristics of the carrier as it was built:

  • Commencement bay class escort carrier
  • 10500 tons in dead weight (without aircraft or helicopters on board)
  • 667 feet in length
  • The carrier used twin Allis-Chambers shafts as propulsion, producing around 16000 horse power
  • 19 knots maximum speed
  • 1086 men and women, including officers served on board the USS Bairoko
  • The ship was one of the first to receive jet-engine fighter planes

Asbestos on USS Bairoko has serious consequences

The fact that asbestos is a dangerous material was not completely clear for people at the time the USS Bairoko was built. Most of the carrier’s insulating, fireproofing and sealing was done using some type of friable asbestos materials, creating a hazardous working environment for all crew members. No official records of any one developing diseases, which were asbestos related, were recorded, but it is suspected that two former crew members were suffering from diseases that could have been created by asbestos exposure.

Have you been exposed to asbestos on board the USS Bairoko? Contact an attorney!

Former crew members of the Bairoko have to know that they are entitled to some type of compensation if, after being exposed to asbestos on board the carrier, they developed a serious related disease. We advise them to contact a specialized asbestos or mesothelioma attorney and discuss the possibility of a making a claim in your name, to receive appropriate compensation.

Do not hesitate to contact an asbestos expert whenever you require any type of information. We provide with accurate data fast and completely free.