The USS Tarawa CV-40 was an Essex-class aircraft carrier built at the Norfolk Navy Yard and launched in 1945. With a crew of nearly 3,500 enlisted men and officers, the Tarawa traveled all over the world, to places such as:
 The Marianas
 Pearl Harbor
 Tsingtao, China
 Hong Kong
 Singapore
 Ceylon
 Bahrain
 Jeddah
 Suez Canal
 Greece
 Turkey
Overhauled and Converted
In 1954, the USS Tarawa was overhauled and converted to an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft carrier at the Boston Naval Shipyard, with the intention of service in the Korean War. However, the Tarawa never saw combat action in that war, and in 1960 she was decommissioned and put in reserve at Philadelphia. In late 1968, the Tarawa was sold to the Boston Metals Corp. for scrap.
Asbestos and the USS Tarawa
The Norfolk Navy Yard probably did not have adequate safety measures in place for asbestos use when the USS Tarawa was built there in the early 1940s. Navy and private shipyards did not have to implement strict asbestos usage guidelines until the mid-1970s. It is entirely possible that the people who built the USS Tarawa — and the people who repaired, maintained, overhauled, converted, scrapped and served aboard her — were at risk of dangerous asbestos exposure.
The shipbuilding methods used in the 1940s (such as welding) often required asbestos (e.g., welding rods and welding blankets with asbestos), and the components of ship (including aircraft carriers) often had asbestos as an ingredient. When asbestos products are in the environment, the personnel in the area are at risk of inhaling loose asbestos fibers.
Asbestos: A Time Bomb
Inhaled asbestos fibers become lodged inside the body, where they act like a ticking time bomb — years or even decades after the asbestos is inhaled, symptoms of respiratory distress and/or chest pain finally appear. These symptoms may indicate asbestosis or lung diseases such as mesothelioma or lung cancer that are directly caused by asbestos exposure.
If you served aboard or worked on the USS Tarawa, see a doctor about any respiratory symptoms you’re having.
Contact an attorney for legal assistance
If you served on or aboard the USS Tarawa, contact us to speak to an asbestos attorney who will help you get the compensation you deserve. Our attorneys understand the harmful effects of asbestos exposure and specialize in assisting individuals and families affected by the toxin.
