USS Bougainville (CVE-100) Areas With Asbestos Exposure

The USS Bougainville (CVE-100) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier launched on May 16, 1944. It was commissioned on June 18, the same year with the hull number CVE-100 under Capt. C. A. Bond’s command and served in the US Navy for 2 years until it was decommissioned on November 3, 1946. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 916 men on board and had its main missions in San Diego, the Marianas, Admiralty Islands, Eniwetok, the Marshalls, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, and Tacoma. After the decommissioning, the ship was struck from the Navy List on May 1, 1960, and sold for scrapping the same year. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Bougainville received 2 battle stars.

Many service members were heavily exposed to asbestos when they worked alongside pipe laggers in confined spaces, such as engine rooms or boiler rooms. Anyone who has worked on the USS Bougainville (CVE-100) or has been involved in the repair process should be on the alert for signs of asbestos-exposure affecting the lungs such as breathlessness, dry cough, chest pain, or wheezing and consult a doctor immediately.