The USS Yorktown CV 10, which was named in commemoration of a craft sunk in the Battle of Midway, was an aircraft carrier that heroically served in WWII, the Vietnam War and a NASA recovery mission. Throughout her 27 years of service (beginning in 1943), the USS Yorktown CV 10 performed training operations, fought in combat missions and, unfortunately, exposed thousands of people to harmful asbestos particles.
As with other aircraft carriers of the time, the USS Yorktown CV 10 was constructed and overhauled with hundreds of parts and substances containing asbestos. When disturbed and inhaled, asbestos particles intensely damage the lungs, eventually causing lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Since these and other asbestos diseases are incurable and, for most, deadly, it's essential that those who worked on or aboard the USS Yorktown CV 10 learn more about the effects of asbestos exposure aboard aircraft carriers.
The USS Yorktown CV 10's Early Missions
In the early years of her military career, the USS Yorktown CV 10 quickly got involved in the operations of WWII, particularly those underway against Japan in the Pacific. During her service in WWII, the USS Yorktown CV 10:
• patrolled a route between Wake Island, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast
• performed air strikes on the Marshall Islands and New Guinea
• supported bombardments on Guam, during which her aircraft launched over 20 tons of bombs and shot down over 35 planes.
While she would spend the days up until the Japanese surrender fighting aggressively and bravely, the USS Yorktown CV 10 was ultimately decommissioned shortly after WWII in 1946.
The USS Yorktown CV 10's Final Years
The first decommission of the USS Yorktown CV 10 wouldn't last long, as she was re-commissioned five years later. Following some training operations and a thorough overhaul, the USS Yorktown CV 10 joined the war effort underway in Vietnam by serving as an antisubmarine warfare craft. She would, in total, serve four tours of duty in Vietnam.
Following the Vietnam War, the USS Yorktown CV 10 was involved in a NASA recovery mission, which involved retrieving Apollo 8. While she would work with the Atlantic Fleet and undergo a few more stints of repairs in the following years, by 1970, the USS Yorktown CV 10 was decommissioned for the second and final time.
Unlike many of her fleet-mates that were sold for scrap following their decommissions, the USS Yorktown CV 10 was granted to Patriot's Point in Charleston, SC in 1974. Currently, she is a museum, a national historic landmark and the oldest intact aircraft carrier in the U.S.
The USS Yorktown CV 10's Legacy
Although she is no longer serving her country in military operations, the legacy of the USS Yorktown CV 10 has not been forgotten, as she earned a total of 16 battle stars for her years of service.
However, this legacy does have a dark side – specifically in the number of lives ruined from their experience of dangerous asbestos exposure aboard her. Given her long service record, it's likely that thousands of shipbuilders, ship repair workers and crewmembers endured unsafe contact with asbestos particles.
Since prolonged exposure to asbestos is known to cause fatal diseases, anyone who spent time aboard the USS Yorktown CV 10 should contact us for more information and resources regarding aircraft carrier asbestos exposure.
