USS Ticonderoga CV-14

The USS Ticonderoga CV-14 was an aircraft carrier, the lead ship of the Ticonderoga class. As the fourth ship to be named the Ticonderoga, she was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. in Virginia and launched in 1944. The name Ticonderoga is based on a Mohawk word for “at the meeting of two waterways,” and the New York town and fort named Ticonderoga were important in the American Revolution.

A Wide Variety of Activities

The USS Ticonderoga was very active in World War II and for many years after. Its nearly 3,500-member crew fought in places such as:

 Philippine campaign
 South China Sea combat
 South Japanese islands
 Vietnam

In 1973, the Ticonderoga retrieved the astronauts of the Skylab 2 from their Pacific ocean landing. After 30 years of admirable service to her country, the USS Ticonderoga was retired and eventually sold for scrap. She had received five battle stars for her service in WWII and 12 for her Vietnam War service.

The USS Ticonderoga and Asbestos

As was the case with all of the aircraft carriers built for WWII service — and other Navy and commercial ships built during the same years — few if any precautions were taken to protect the ship’s builders from the dangers of asbestos.

Today, the rates of asbestos diseases among shipbuilders and Navy veterans are significantly higher than those among the general population. Navy ships of the WWII era had hundreds — perhaps thousands — of components that were wholly or partly produced with asbestos.

Symptoms of Asbestos Diseases

If you (or your parent) served aboard the USS Ticonderoga or helped build or scrap her, you should be aware of the symptoms of asbestos diseases, which often do not appear until many years after the causative asbestos exposure:

 Respiratory difficulties, wheezing, repeated episodes of pneumonia or bronchitis
 Chest or abdominal pain
 Fluid build-up in the abdomen
 Unexplained fatigue, weight loss
 Loss of appetite
 Hoarseness

Contact a physician about these symptoms if you haven’t done so already.

Did you or someone you love work on or serve on board the USS Ticonderoga and have developed an asbestos-caused disease? If so, contact us immediately to speak with asbestos attorney who will fight to protect your legal rights.