Asbestos Exposure on Ships:

USS GRIDLEY CG 21 CRUISER

Named for Charles Vernon Gridley, the Leahy class cruiser USS Gridley was the third ship of the United States Navy to bare the name. Built in Seattle, Washington by the Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock Company, construction on the ship started on the 15th of July 1960. USS Gridley was completed sooner then expected, on the 31st of July 1961. Sponsored by the great-granddaughter of Captain Gridley, Mrs. Stewart D. Rose, USS Gridley was sent into active service on the 25th of May 1963. During her entire active service period she received several overhauls, costing millions of dollars but at the same time keeping her arsenal and technology up to date. She was used as support in several missions and also as a retrieval vessel for a disabled merchant vessel. She was decommissioned on the 21st of January 1994, and struck the same day. USS Gridley was disposed of and scrapped in 2005. These are the attributes she boasted:

  • Leahy class cruiser
  • 7400 tons in dry weight
  • 533 feet long
  • Propulsion was done using two steam turbines providing over 85000 horse power
  • Maximum estimated speed was 30 knots
  • 373 officers and enlisted served on board the USS Gridley
  • She used the most advanced armament and warfare technology of the time

Asbestos on the USS Gridley has serious consequences

Asbestos is a very dangerous material when inhaled or swallowed in certain amounts. Studies done recently have shown that even the smallest amounts of fibers reaching the pleura or peritoneum can cause serious health problems. Exposure to asbestos occurs often times near houses that still use this type of material as insulation. These can release in time high amounts of airborne fibers. That was exactly the situation on board the USS Gridley.

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

Today’s laws, especially American laws, are very helpful towards victims of wrongfully acquired diseases. Asbestos exposure and the diseases it can cause are subject of these laws and can be extremely important in the future development of the disease, because the potential amounts of money could pay for more effective treatment. In this way we recommend that you contact an asbestos attorney and ask for your legal rights to be explained. You may be entitled to compensation from your employer.

Do not hesitate to contact an asbestos specialist whenever you require questions answered. It is absolutely free.