Asbestos Exposure on Ships:

USS CHICAGO CA 29 CRUISER

Built by Mare Island Naval Shipyard and sponsored by Miss. E. Britten, the USS Chicago was a Northampton class heavy cruiser, the second United States Navy ship to bear the name. Construction on the USS Chicago was completed on the 10th of April 1930, the ship being commissioned to active service on the 9th of March 1931 with Captain Manley Hale Simons in command. Being one of the fist ships to receive radar systems as a standard, the USS Chicago fought in many battles of World War II, receiving three battle stars for her services. She was never decommissioned due to the fact that she was struck by several aerial torpedoes and sunk in the Battle of Rennell Island, in the Solomons. This was the ships’ spec list as built:

  • Northampton class cruiser
  • 9300 tons in dry weight
  • 600 feet long
  • Maximum speed achieved during shakedown was 32 knots, but she was believed to be able to achieve speeds of up to 34 knots
  • The crew on board numbered 621 officers and enlisted
  • She carried torpedo tubes

Asbestos on the USS Chicago has serious consequences

Almost all of the ships built prior and during World War II contained important amounts of asbestos under the form of certain insulation, fireproofing and sealing materials. They helped vital components of the ship function correctly, but at the same time caused crew members to develop severe asbestos related health problems. Doctors of the period could not find the source of the diseases, but modern physicians believe that these problems are asbestos related. They have a theory that friable asbestos contained in the materials mentioned above was released into the air under the form of tiny airborne fibers.

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

Contacting an asbestos attorney will help in several ways. Firstly, it will help you know all the details there are to know regarding the legal aspects of asbestos issues, and most importantly, it will help you receive what is rightfully yours. You only have to remember these things: contact several attorneys before deciding on the one to represent you, provide your lawyer with all the needed documents and papers and make sure that you do not act without your lawyers’ consent. This simple guide should lead to a positive result, and to a suitable treatment, that you can now afford.

Contact an asbestos specialist and receive updated information absolutely free.