USS New York BB34

The USS New York BB34, a Navy battleship, was built in 1911 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. In those days, the use of asbestos in ships was common and essentially uncontrolled.

For instance, boilers and other components of older ships that produced great heat would be covered in asbestos insulation. A single ship may have contained hundreds of asbestos parts, and the shipyards themselves — including the Brooklyn Navy Yard — were sites of extensive asbestos exposure. Thousands of people who worked on the USS New York BB34 as it was built, serviced or repaired were working in an environment of toxic asbestos.

Active Throughout World War II

The USS New York BB34 served as the flagship of a division in World War I and was present when the Germans surrendered in 1918. Between wars, the New York served as a training ship, and during World War II, the New York and its personnel saw a lot of combat action and other travels, in places like:

 North Africa
 Iwo Jima
 Okinawa
 Pearl Harbor

Asbestos On Board The New York

Before she was decommissioned in 1946, over 1,000 sailors were aboard the USS New York BB34 at any given time — many of them in rather tight quarters that exposed them continually to asbestos. It has been estimated that as many as one-third of the people who have mesothelioma today are Navy veterans who contracted this terrible cancer during their service during WWII.

The Ravages of Asbestos Diseases

Asbestos was eventually found to be a carcinogen — but this information has come too late for many shipyard workers and Navy veterans. If you worked on the USS New York BB34 and have developed an asbestos-related illness, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact us today to discuss your legal options.