USS Constellation CV 64

Also known as "Connie," the USS Constellation CV 64 was a U.S. aircraft carrier with a respected yet accident-prone service record. While the USS Constellation heroically served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, during her over 40-year career, she also endured a number of fires and explosions that ultimately led to the deaths of hundreds of crewmembers, shipbuilders and battleship repair workers.

Tragically, these losses weren't the only dark points in the legacy of the USS Constellation. The lives of thousands of others were also endangered and cut short as a result of exposure to carcinogenic asbestos fibers, which were widely used in the construction and repair of the USS Constellation.

Because years of asbestos exposure generally result in deadly diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, it's essential that anyone who spent time on the USS Constellation learn more about how asbestos exposure occurs aboard aircraft carriers, as well as its long-term effects.

The USS Constellation's Early Missions

Before her initial commission in 1961, the USS Constellation would suffer her first devastating accident when a damaged fuel tank caught fire, killing 50 and injuring over 320 others. Although this accident was only the first in a series of damaging events that would befall the USS Constellation, after extensive repairs, she was ready to take on military missions, particularly those involving the war effort underway in Vietnam.

In her first set of missions, the USS Constellation joined the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, where she:

• Participated in air strikes related to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• Patrolled both Dixie Station and Yankee Station
• Impressively shot down eight Vietnamese MiG-21 jets.

Unlike her fellow aircraft carriers, the USS Constellation would continue performing operations in North Vietnam even after the end of the war. In fact, because she was involved in clearing mines peppered throughout North Vietnam after combat operations were halted, the USS Constellation was one of the few aircraft carriers to be "on station" at both the beginning and end of the Vietnam War.

Following these operations, Connie was ready for a massive overhaul and various modernizations, which ultimately equipped her with:

• The most modern antisubmarine features
• The F-14A Tomcat
• Cutting edge missile systems, including the "Sea Sparrow" and the "Phalanx Close-In Weapons System"

More Tragedies and the USS Constellations Final Years

While a series of overhauls would outfit the USS Constellation with some of the most up-to-date military technology of the early 1980s, another fuel-related accident would again damage Connie, as well as some of the lives aboard her. Sadly, this accident would be followed by another significant loss when one of the USS Constellation's Prowler aircrafts and her four crewmembers went missing four days into her first mission after the accident.

In the subsequent years, the USS Constellation:

• Endured another overhaul as part of the "Service Life Extension Program"
• Took part in "Operation Southern Watch" in the Persian Gulf
• Monitored tensions between North and South Korea in 1999
• Returned to the Persian Gulf to perform air strikes on Iraq
• Participated in "Operation Enduring Freedom" in 2002, which would prove to be her final mission

By 2003, the USS Constellation was decommissioned and sent to Bremerton, Washington to be dismantled and sold for scrap. Although she would lose no lives in her last mission, her combat history – as well as her history of accidents, subsequent repairs and regular modernizations – is weighted with a significant number of deaths.

In fact, the total number of lives cut short by their time aboard the USS Constellation will not be known for years, as many of those who spent time on her decks are expected to develop incurable, fatal conditions within the coming years due to toxic asbestos exposure aboard this aircraft carrier.

Contact a Legal Professional to Learn Your Rights

Since asbestos exposure is life-threatening, anyone who worked on or aboard the USS Constellation should contact us to speak to an experienced asbestos attorney who understands the damaging effects of asbestos and will fight to protect your rights.