USS San Jacinto CVL 30

Although original plans for the USS San Jacinto CVL 30 involved building her to be a light cruiser named "Newark CV 100," during her construction, she was converted to a light aircraft carrier and renamed. Upon her completion and initial commission in 1943, the USS San Jacinto went to the Pacific and engaged in WWII-related missions.

Throughout her nearly 30 years of heroic service, the USS San Jacinto participated in a variety of operations, including direct combat, patrol missions and regular overhauls. While many of her day-to-day operations were dangerous and life threatening, unfortunately, the USS San Jacinto also endangered lives in a more subtle way - namely, by exposing crewmembers, shipbuilders and ship repair workers to harmful asbestos fibers.

Tragically, prolonged exposure to asbestos is known to cause incurable diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Because such asbestos-related conditions can be fatal, it's critical that anyone who spent time aboard the USS San Jacinto learn more about the presence and consequences of asbestos used in aircraft carriers.

The USS San Jacinto in WWII

In her first set of missions, the USS San Jacinto joined Task Force 58/38 in the Pacific, where she:

 
• supported air strikes on the Wake and Marcus Island
• led pre-invasion operations (including air strikes) in Saipan (1944)
• participated in antisubmarine patrols in the waters surrounding Rota and Guam
• joined bombardments on Palaus, ChiChi and Iwo Jima (1944).

Following a brief stint of repairs and refueling at Manus, the USS San Jacinto:

• aided in strikes on Okinawa, Luzon, Formosa and Manila
• supported ground troops fighting the Battle of Leyte
• participated in further attacks on Formosa, Cam Rahn Bay and Hong Kong.

As Japanese forces showed clear signs of weakening, the USS San Jacinto:

• took part in strikes against mainland Japan
• supported landings at Iwo Jima
• participated in the Okinawa invasion.

Upon the inevitable surrender of the Japanese in on August 15, 1945, the USS San Jacinto returned to the U.S. and was soon decommissioned, as - like many of her fleet-mates - she wasn't needed during the ensuing peacetime.

The USS San Jacinto's Legacy

In her final years, the USS San Jacinto would join the "Pacific Reserve Fleet" and, subsequently, be reclassified as an "auxiliary aircraft transport" (AVT 5). Ultimately, however, in 1970, the USS San Jacinto would be struck from the Navy list and sold for scrap.

Although her service had come to an end, her courageous performances weren't forgotten, as she was awarded five WWII battle stars, as well as the "Presidential Unit Citation."

This admirable part of her legacy is, unfortunately, coupled with a dark side: Along with the lives she lost in combat, the USS San Jacinto is also responsible for cutting short the lives of many others via the asbestos exposure endured aboard this aircraft carrier.

From industrial ovens and engine parts to drywall and insulation, asbestos was used in nearly every part of the USS San Jacinto. Since long-term exposure to carcinogenic asbestos fibers will cause deadly diseases, those who have worked on or aboard the USS San Jacinto should contact us for more information and resources regarding aircraft carrier asbestos exposure.