The USS Langley (CV-1) had the honor of being the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, converted from the Navy’s first electrically propelled ship, the USS Jupiter, a collier (coal-cargo ship). The Langley was named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, the aircraft engineer, American astronomer/physicist and aeronautics pioneer.
Collier, Aircraft Carrier, Seaplane Tender
Built in 1911 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California, the Langley was converted at the Navy Yard in Norfolk in 1920 to test the new idea of seaborne aviation. In 1936 she was converted again, this time to a seaplane tender, at Mare Island Navy Yard, California.
In 1942 with a 470-man crew, the Langley was off the coast of Java when she was hit by several Japanese Navy Air Service strikes. Many crewmembers were killed and the ship was irreparably damaged. Her escorts sunk the Langley to prevent her from falling into enemy hands.
The Langley and Asbestos
The USS Langley (and its earlier version, the collier USS Jupiter) almost certainly had many asbestos-containing components. Asbestos was very widely used in the shipbuilding industry in the earlier two-thirds of the twentieth century, and U.S. Navy shipyards such as those at Mare Island and Norfolk were no different. Many shipyard workers experienced a toxic level of asbestos.
Although asbestos is a very effective and versatile mineral that has been used in thousands of products and applications, it’s been known for decades that a high level of asbestos is toxic to humans and other mammals. The managers and owners of asbestos mining companies were aware of this long before asbestos regulations were implemented, and so did many shipyard owners and upper-echelon Navy personnel.
Inadequate Warning and Protection
However, the workers at shipyards and the sailors and other crew who served about Navy and civilian ships were not informed of the dangers of asbestos. Many contracted life-threatening asbestos diseases years or decades after the asbestos exposure.
Contact a Lawyer Who Represents Asbestos Victims
If you or your family member helped build, convert, or repair the USS Langley, or if you served aboard her, contact us to schedule a private consultation with an asbestos lawyer to discuss your legal rights.
