First commissioned in 1937, the USS Yorktown CV 5 was an aircraft carrier that courageously served the U.S. both before and during WWII. Though her military career would be cut short when she was sunk during the Battle of Midway, the USS Yorktown CV 5 played a vital role in damaging Japanese forces and ultimately helping the U.S. win WWII.
Unfortunately, the tragedy surrounding the USS Yorktown CV 5 doesn't end with her being sunk – for those who spent time aboard her, enduring harmful asbestos exposure may have caused some (or may cause some in the future) to develop painful, incurable conditions, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and/or lung cancer.
Because asbestos-related conditions are fatal if left untreated, it's essential that anyone who worked on or aboard the USS Yorktown CV 5 take the time to understand more about the incidence and effects of asbestos aboard aircraft carriers.
The USS Yorktown CV 5's Service History
In her five years of service preceding her WWII operations, the USS Yorktown CV 5 trained pilots and military personnel in the Atlantic, during which she periodically toured the Pacific and the Caribbean.
Upon the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, however, the USS Yorktown CV 5 would be thrust into the action of WWII, as she immediately sailed from the Atlantic to Pearl Harbor in an effort to help salvage the bomb-damaged battleships. Soon after, the USS Yorktown CV 5:
• escorted vessels and aircraft throughout the Pacific
• participated in attacks on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands (February 1942)
• fought in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Following an overhaul and necessary repairs, the USS Yorktown CV 5 was sent to help fight the Battle of Midway in June 1942. During this engagement, U.S. forces with the help of the USS Yorktown CV 5 successfully sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, won the Battle and turned the tide of the war – so that the Japanese were now on the defensive.
However, this victory did come at a cost, as the USS Yorktown CV 5 was sunk by kamikaze attacks and torpedo bombardments.
The Legacy of the USS Yorktown CV 5
The USS Yorktown CV 5's heroic performance in the Battle of Midway has been widely commemorated in history books, allowing the honorable side of her legacy to live on despite the end of her career.
However, this is not the only aspect of the USS Yorktown CV 5's legacy that is around today – sadly, those who spent time aboard her likely endured unsafe exposure to asbestos, potentially causing them to develop or live with serious, irreversible conditions, such as mesothelioma and other debilitating diseases.
Because such asbestos cancers and diseases are devastating, if not fatal, those who built, repaired or worked aboard the USS Yorktown CV 5 should contact us for more information and further resources regarding asbestos exposure aboard aircraft carriers.
