Built in Newport News, Virginia, this Essex-class aircraft carrier laid the groundwork for the next 23 Essex-class ships that followed. The USS Essex (CV/CVA/CVS-9) started its service in 1942 and immediately began its missions in the Pacific where it earned 13 battle stars. During its service, the aircraft carrier was reclassified and became an antisubmarine carrier before being decommissioned in 1969.
As previously mentioned, the ships that were built between 1930 and 1970 contained asbestos in their equipment on board. Once asbestos fibers enter the lungs they often become lodged in lung tissue. Although the human body has the ability to self-clean the lungs, the nature of asbestos fibers makes them difficult to expel and they may stay in the lungs indefinitely. We are a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide quality assistance to veterans who served on asbestos-contaminated ships, their widows, orphans, or survivors.
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