Family compensated after Turkish admiral dies of asbestos on US ship

ISTANBUL

Warship 'Adatepe.' Hürriyet photo

A U.S. ship-building company has paid compensation to the family of a Turkish admiral who died of cancer after serving for years on a warship containing asbestos. 
 
The Turkish admiral served on the warship Adatepe D 353, which was purchased from the United States in 1971, before he died of cancer, Güngör Karakuş of daily Habertürk reported today. 
 
The admiral's family, who asked to remain anonymous, sought legal compensation after they learned that the late officer contracted cancer due to the asbestos used in the U.S.-made ship. A court sentenced the company that built the ship to pay an undisclosed amount of money to the family to compensate for the admiral's death.
 
The court's ruling provided a precedent for the families of thousands of other Turkish sailors who have died of, or have suffered from, cancer to seek legal compensation from the company, lawyers Özge Haktan and Özlem Nur Öztürk said, as the Turkish Navy was known to possess a total of 25 warships built using asbestos that were all purchased from, or donated by, the U.S.
 
The first of the asbestos-laden warships were delivered to Turkey in 1949 as a donation from the U.S., the report said. Turkey continued to acquire ships that contained asbestos through donations and purchases in subsequent years.
 
Service members who worked on ships containing asbestos previously received compensation in the U.S., Italy and Greece, but the present case is the first time any Turk has received a payment. 

Turkish warships that contain asbestos:
 
1. Adatepe D 353 
2. Muavenet DM357 
3. Gaziantep D 348
4. Gemlik D 347 
5. M. Fevzi Çakmak D 351 
6. Gayret D 352
7. Kocatepe D 354 
8. Tınaztepe D 355 
9. Zafer D 356
10. Alçıtepe D 346 
11. Anıttepe D 347 
12. Yücetepe D 345
13. Savaştepe D 348 
14. Kılıçalipaşa D 349 
15. Piyalepaşa D 350
16. Giresun D 345 
17. Gelibolu D 346 
18. İçel D 344 
19. İskenderun
20. İzmit D 342 
21. İstanbul D 340 
22. İzmir D 341 
23. TCG Kocatepe D 354
24. Berk D 358 
25. Peyk D 359