🔨 Worked Civilian Trades After the Navy? Pipefitter, boilermaker, insulator, electrician, millwright — civilian-trade exposure can supplement your VA claim. MO IL IN OH MI KY WI IA KS Browse All States ›
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US Navy Ships & Asbestos Exposure — Veterans' Records

Documented asbestos exposure records for US Navy ships, shipyards, and bases. VA presumptive benefits and civil lawsuit guidance for Navy veterans and shipyard workers.

⚓ 800+ Navy vessels documented ✓ VA presumptive — no statute of limitations ● NARA archives & public litigation records
800+ pre-1980 Navy vessels with asbestos records
No SOL VA presumptive benefits — 38 CFR § 3.309(d)
20–50 yr typical latency from exposure to mesothelioma diagnosis
$30B+ held in asbestos bankruptcy trust funds

Navy Veterans: Two Ways to Recover — Use Both

VA Presumptive Benefits (38 CFR § 3.309): Navy veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may be entitled to VA disability compensation with no statute of limitations — file at any age after discharge. Your DD-214 plus a diagnosis is typically sufficient to establish a presumptive service connection. No causation burden. Approval timeline: 6–18 months. Potential lump sum: $500,000–$1M+.

Civil Lawsuit (concurrent — not exclusive): VA benefits do not bar a separate civil claim against asbestos product manufacturers. The federal maritime statute of limitations is 3 years from diagnosis (46 U.S.C. § 30106). Both tracks run simultaneously. An experienced maritime asbestos attorney can pursue both.

Action: Locate your DD-214, enroll in the VA Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program, and consult a maritime asbestos attorney about the civil track — all in parallel.

Find Asbestos Exposure Records

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Navy Ships
800+ vessels with documented asbestos records — Fletcher-class, Essex-class, Iowa-class and more
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Shipyards
Naval and commercial shipyards — Norfolk NNSY, Newport News, Puget Sound, Mare Island
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Navy Bases
Shore duty facilities and naval stations with documented asbestos in base infrastructure
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VA Claims Guide
File VA presumptive benefits under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) — no statute of limitations for veterans
● Sources: NARA archives, VA records, public litigation
● Last reviewed: June 2026
● About this site: Rights Watch Media Group LLC

Recently Added Ship Records

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Asbestos Exposure Aboard USS Amphion (AR-13): What Navy Veterans and Their Families Need to Know
Asbestos Exposure Aboard USS Amphion (AR-13): What Navy Veterans and Their Families Need …
Asbestos Exposure Aboard USS Anchorage (LSD-36): What Navy Veterans and Their Families Need to Know
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Asbestos Exposure Aboard USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619): What Navy Veterans and Their Families Need to Know
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Navy Ship Classes — Asbestos Exposure Records

Fletcher-class Destroyers (175 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
Gearing-class Destroyers (98 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
Essex-class Carriers (24 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
Iowa-class Battleships (4 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
Knox-class Frigates (46 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
Allen M. Sumner-class Destroyers (58 ships)
Asbestos reportedly present in all vessels of this class built before 1980
View All Ship Records ›
Served in the Navy · Then worked civilian trades?

Navy Veterans Who Worked Civilian Trades After Service

Most Navy veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma today were exposed during shipboard service in the 1950s–1980s. But many continued working with asbestos in civilian trades after discharge — as pipefitters, boilermakers, insulators, electricians, millwrights — at power plants, steel mills, refineries, and manufacturing facilities. That post-service civilian work may add documentable exposure to your claim.

Browse our state-by-state civilian jobsite archive to identify facilities where you worked after the Navy:

MOMissouri ILIllinois INIndiana IAIowa KSKansas KYKentucky MIMichigan OHOhio WIWisconsin

Civilian-trade exposure does not replace VA benefits eligibility for service-connected exposure — it can supplement it. Both VA claims and civil litigation against product manufacturers can be pursued simultaneously.