The USS Antietam CV-36 was built by the Philadelphia Navy Yard and completed in 1945. As an Essex-class aircraft carrier, the USS Antietam was swiftly moved from combat duty to support duty at the end of World War II, as the Japanese had surrendered before she arrived at her first combat destination.
In a nearly three-year stint in the Far East, the USS Antietam’s air group supported the occupation by the Allied powers of Korea, Manchuria, and North China.
Post-World War II Years
In 1953, the USS Antietam was redesignated an anti-submarine warfare carrier. The crew later helped the victims of Hurricane Hattie, and the Antietam was eventually assigned to exercise/training maneuvers duty. Before then, however, the Antietam held a goodwill tour, interrupted by the Suez Canal Crisis, when she was used to evacuate civilians. In 1963, the USS Antietam was decommissioned.
The USS Antietam’s Asbestos Risks
Because the Antietam was built before the era of strict asbestos regulation, it is likely that the ship had many asbestos-containing components. The construction of the USS Antietam, its maintenance, its repairs and its eventual de-construction may have exposed many people to an unsafe level of asbestos exposure.
The inhalation of asbestos dust or fibers has been the direct cause of thousands of cases of mesothelioma (a rare cancer), asbestosis, and several types of lung cancer. Asbestos does not leave the body easily, and most asbestos-related diseases develop very gradually — over a period of years or even decades.
See an Asbestos Attorney about the USS Antietam
If you or a member of your family served aboard or helped build or maintain the USS Antietam, it’s in your best interest to learn more about the legal rights of asbestos victims. You may be eligible for financial compensation.
