Asbestos Exposure on Ships:

USS CHESTER CA 27 CRUISER

The second ship in the United States Navy to be named after the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, was a Northampton class heavy cruiser. The New York Shipbuilding Company started construction in the vessel with sponsorship from Miss J. T. Blain. The USS Chester was completed on the 3rd of July 1929. Under the command of Captain Arthur Fairfield, USS Chester entered active service on the 24th of June 1930. Having fought in numerous battles during the entire Second World War, USS Chester received eleven battle stars for her services. She was one of the main ships in her fleet, mostly because of the experienced crew on board. USS Chester was decommissioned shortly after the War, on the 10th of June 1946. She was sold several years after that, in 1959, on the 11th of August. These are the ship’s main characteristics, according to the class she was part of:

  • Northampton class heavy cruiser
  • 9300 tons displacement
  • 600 feet in length
  • Maximum speed during active service was 32 knots, higher during shakedown
  • 621 men and officers served on board the ship
  • She was one of the first ships to receive complex radar systems as an upgrade
  • USS Chester could carry four aircraft

Asbestos on the USS Chester has serious consequences

A very important, but unfortunately, unknown problem of the time was asbestos exposure, in very large amounts. This was due to the asbestos containing materials on board the ships. They were used because nobody knew they could cause such serious diseases. As part of the USS Chester, asbestos materials were damaged without anyone repairing or replacing them. As they contained friable asbestos, it spread into the air, being inhaled or swallowed by any one in the area. As a result, several of the former crew members have been known to experience symptoms that doctors associate with asbestos exposure.

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

Please do not hesitate to do this. A well trained asbestos attorney will help you file a claim for some type of compensation, to which you are entitled to by law. Just make sure to have a valid sheet of your diagnosis and any other documents, legal or medical, that your lawyer might ask for. After that, you will only have to wait for the verdict, which is positive in 95 percent of cases. Suitable treatment might mean the difference between life and death.

Should you require medical or legal advice, do not hesitate to contact an asbestos specialist freely for detailed information.