Submarines subjected their crews to the most concentrated asbestos-exposure environment in the entire U.S. Navy. On a surface ship, deteriorating insulation released fiber into spaces with some ventilation and, ultimately, open air. On a submerged submarine, the crew breathed a completely sealed, recirculated atmosphere — meaning any asbestos fiber released from insulation, gaskets, or packing stayed in the air the crew breathed, hour after hour, for the entire duration of a patrol.

Submariners who served aboard diesel-electric and early nuclear submarines during the 1940s through the early 1980s lived and worked inside a closed asbestos environment with no escape from airborne fiber during underway operations.

Why Submarines Were the Worst Asbestos Environment

A sealed, recirculated atmosphere. A submerged submarine cannot exchange air with the outside. The atmosphere is scrubbed of carbon dioxide and replenished with oxygen, but particulate matter — including asbestos fiber — remained suspended and recirculated throughout the boat. Fiber released anywhere aboard eventually reached the entire crew.

Extreme space density. Every cubic foot aboard a submarine was used. Machinery, piping, electrical panels, and berthing were packed together with no separation. Crew members slept, ate, and stood watch within arm’s reach of asbestos-lagged piping and insulated machinery.

Continuous machinery operation. Submarine propulsion and auxiliary machinery ran continuously during patrols, subjecting asbestos insulation to constant thermal cycling and vibration that accelerated its deterioration and fiber release.

Asbestos Materials Aboard Submarines

Piping insulation throughout the boat. Steam piping (on nuclear boats), hydraulic lines, and high-pressure air systems ran the length of the submarine wrapped in asbestos lagging. Because space was so tight, this lagged piping ran directly through berthing and working spaces at head height.

Machinery and engine insulation. Diesel engines on diesel-electric boats used asbestos exhaust lagging and gaskets. On nuclear submarines, the steam plant — steam generators, turbines, and associated piping — was insulated with asbestos throughout the engine room.

Gaskets and packing. Every valve, flange, pump, and hull fitting aboard a submarine used asbestos gaskets and packing. Submarines have thousands of such fittings in their hull-penetration and piping systems. Machinist’s mates and enginemen repacked and re-gasketed these fittings continuously.

Electrical switchgear and battery compartments. Submarine electrical systems, including the massive battery banks on diesel boats, used asbestos board insulation and asbestos-insulated wiring. Electrician’s mates and interior communications electricians worked directly with these materials.

Thermal and acoustic insulation. Submarines used asbestos-containing materials for both thermal insulation and sound-damping to reduce their acoustic signature. This insulation lined bulkheads and machinery throughout the boat.

Firefighting and damage control. In the extreme confines of a submarine, fire was a mortal threat, and asbestos fire-retardant materials, blankets, and gasket stock were stocked throughout for damage control.

Submarine Types with Documented Asbestos Construction

Diesel-electric submarines (Gato, Balao, Tench, Guppy conversions, Tang, Barbel classes). WWII and early Cold War diesel boats with fully asbestos-insulated engineering and extensive asbestos lagging throughout their cramped hulls. Guppy conversions extended many of these boats’ service lives into the 1970s.

Early nuclear attack submarines (Nautilus, Skate, Skipjack, Permit, Sturgeon classes). The first generations of nuclear submarines, built from the 1950s through the early 1970s, used asbestos insulation throughout their steam plants and piping systems. Their engine rooms were fully asbestos-lagged.

Fleet ballistic missile submarines (George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin classes). The “41 for Freedom” missile boats, built in the 1960s, used asbestos insulation throughout their steam plants, auxiliary machinery, and piping systems.

Los Angeles class (early hulls). Early Los Angeles-class attack submarines commissioned in the 1970s still incorporated asbestos-containing materials before Navy-wide substitution took hold.

On a submarine, the sealed atmosphere meant every rating was exposed — but machinist’s mates (MM), enginemen (EN), and electrician’s mates (EM) working the engineering spaces had the highest direct contact with deteriorating insulation, gaskets, and packing. Torpedomen, sonar technicians, radiomen, and every other rating aboard breathed the same recirculated air. Submarine crews were small and lived in intimate proximity to the machinery, so the traditional distinction between “engineering” and “non-engineering” exposure that applies to surface ships is far less meaningful aboard a submarine.

VA Benefits and Trust Fund Claims

Submarine veterans qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for asbestos-related diseases. The confined, sealed-atmosphere nature of submarine service is well recognized in the exposure documentation VA adjudicators review.

The asbestos-containing materials aboard submarines were supplied by manufacturers — including many that produced Navy-specification insulation, gaskets, and packing — that have established asbestos bankruptcy trust funds. Submarine veterans diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease may be eligible to file trust fund claims against multiple manufacturers, in addition to VA disability benefits.

If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease after exposure aboard a Navy submarine, O’Brien Law Firm offers a free, confidential case evaluation.

(314) 237-6461 — Free Case Evaluation

References to asbestos-containing materials aboard Navy submarines are drawn from publicly filed U.S. Navy asbestos litigation records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by use of this site.