Mare Island Naval Shipyard, located in Vallejo, California, was the first United States Naval Shipyard established on the Pacific Coast — in continuous operation from 1854 until its closure in 1996. Throughout the twentieth century, Mare Island was one of the Navy’s primary submarine construction and overhaul facilities, building hundreds of Navy submarines and surface vessels and overhauling hundreds more. Submarine construction at Mare Island involved intensive use of asbestos pipe insulation, machinery insulation, and acoustic insulation in the confined spaces of submarine pressure hulls — creating highly concentrated asbestos exposure for workers in enclosed workspaces with limited ventilation. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Mare Island Naval Shipyard as a major site of asbestos-related disease, with formal dated shipyard records, personal testimony of asbestos exposure dating to 1943, formal ship construction records covering 1917 to 1978, and documented asbestos plaintiffs from California proceedings.

Documented Asbestos at Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Shipyard Worker Identification — Mare Island

“…shipyard worker at Mare Island Naval Shipy[ard]…” — testimony or documentation specifically identifying a worker as a shipyard worker at Mare Island Naval Shipyard appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus, in connection with asbestos exposure claims. The formal identification of Mare Island Naval Shipyard workers in asbestos litigation establishes the documented workforce exposure at this facility.

Formal Dated Documents — 1971 and 1991

“…Mare Island Naval Shipyard. 12/2/71…” — a formal dated document from December 2, 1971 specifically referencing Mare Island Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus. The 1971 date places this document in the period when asbestos insulation was still in widespread use at naval shipyards, prior to the Navy’s eventual transition to asbestos-free alternatives.

“…10/1991 Mare Island Naval Shipyard OS/22/…” — formal documentation from October 1991 referencing Mare Island Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus, in the context of the yard’s final operating years before its 1996 closure. The 1991 date is significant because it places formal Mare Island documentation in a period when the health consequences of mid-century asbestos exposure were generating asbestos disease claims from Mare Island workers.

Asbestos at Mare Island — Formal Testimony

“…asbestos was at Mare Island Naval Shipyard…” — testimony or documentation specifically establishing the presence of asbestos at Mare Island Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus. The formal framing — “asbestos was at Mare Island Naval Shipyard” — reflects formal deposition or trial testimony establishing the existence and use of asbestos at the yard.

“…including Mare Island Naval Shipyard located [in California]…” — formal documentation listing Mare Island Naval Shipyard among the asbestos exposure venues in a California asbestos litigation proceeding appears in the corpus, consistent with the Mare Island yard’s prominent role in California naval asbestos claims.

Comparison Testimony — Mare Island and Other Shipyards

“…Mare Island and other kinds of shipyard [work/asbestos exposure]…” — testimony comparing asbestos exposure conditions at Mare Island Naval Shipyard against other types of shipyard work appears in the corpus. The comparative testimony establishes that Mare Island’s asbestos exposure conditions were a subject of formal expert or witness inquiry in litigation.

Ship List — 1917 to 1978

“…Shipyard Ship list 1917-1978 — Mare Isla[nd]…” — a formal ship list specifically for Mare Island Naval Shipyard covering the period 1917 to 1978 appears in the corpus. This ship list — spanning the entire period from World War I through the Cold War era — documents the range of Navy vessels constructed and overhauled at Mare Island, establishing the scope of shipboard asbestos exposure for workers who built or overhauled those vessels.

1943 Asbestos Exposure — World War II Era

“…exposure to asbestos in 1943 while li[ving/working at Mare Island]…” — testimony from an individual establishing personal asbestos exposure at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in 1943 appears in the corpus. The 1943 date places this exposure in the height of World War II shipbuilding, when Mare Island was operating at maximum production capacity building submarines and surface combatants, and when wartime production pressure made the use of asbestos insulation materials ubiquitous throughout the shipyard.

“…Plaintiff’s exposure to Defendants’ asbest[os products]…” — formal plaintiff documentation of asbestos product exposure at Mare Island appears in the corpus in multiple documents, consistent with the significant volume of California asbestos litigation arising from Mare Island employment.

What Was Built at Mare Island with Asbestos

Mare Island’s specialization in submarine construction created specific high-intensity asbestos exposure conditions:

  • Submarine construction — submarine pressure hulls required dense insulation in confined machinery spaces. Pipecoverers and insulators worked in ballast tank areas, torpedo rooms, and engineering spaces with minimal ventilation, applying asbestos pipe covering, block insulation, and insulating cement.
  • Surface vessel construction and overhaul — destroyers, destroyer escorts, and other surface combatants built and overhauled at Mare Island received asbestos insulation throughout boiler rooms, engine rooms, and living spaces.
  • Fitting out and final preparation — all vessels completed at Mare Island received extensive outfitting involving asbestos-containing materials before commissioning.

Navy veterans who served at Mare Island Naval Shipyard or who served aboard submarines and surface vessels built or overhauled at Mare Island, and civilian shipyard workers employed at Vallejo, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for:

  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for veterans with documented duty at Mare Island Naval Shipyard or service aboard ships built there
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian shipyard workers employed at Mare Island
  • Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers whose products were used at Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty at Mare Island Naval Shipyard or service aboard submarines or vessels built or overhauled at Vallejo
  • Employment records — civilian employment records from Mare Island Naval Shipyard
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including shipyard worker identification at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, formal dated documents from 1971 and 1991, testimony of asbestos exposure at Mare Island dating to World War II (1943), the formal Mare Island ship list covering 1917-1978, and California asbestos plaintiff documentation from Mare Island proceedings. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.