Mare Island Naval Shipyard, located at Vallejo, California at the confluence of the Napa River and San Pablo Bay, was the first U.S. Navy shipyard established on the Pacific Coast, operating from 1854 until its closure in 1996. Mare Island built and overhauled Navy submarines, surface combatants, and auxiliary vessels throughout its 142-year history — including the construction of more than 500 vessels and the overhaul of thousands more. At its peak during World War II, the shipyard employed more than 46,000 workers. Mare Island is specifically documented in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus with direct testimony naming the yard, a comprehensive ship list spanning 1917 to 1978, and World War II-era exposure records — establishing it as one of the most historically significant asbestos exposure venues on the Pacific Coast.

Documented Asbestos at Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Direct Corpus Documentation — Asbestos at Mare Island

“Asbestos was at Mare Island Naval Shipyard” — direct corpus documentation establishing asbestos as a documented hazard specifically at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The naming of the yard in the asbestos exposure record appears in multiple independent filings.

“Including Mare Island Naval Shipyard located [in Vallejo]” — Mare Island Naval Shipyard appears in a systematic list of Navy asbestos exposure venues in the litigation record, confirming its recognition as a named exposure location alongside other major Navy yards.

Shipyard Worker Testimony

“Shipyard worker at Mare Island Naval Shipyard” — direct personal testimony from a shipyard worker establishing service at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the asbestos exposure career record. This is among the most direct forms of exposure documentation in the corpus.

“Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 12/2/71” — a specific dated document (December 2, 1971) addressing Mare Island Naval Shipyard in an asbestos context, establishing that the yard’s asbestos exposure record was formally documented in 1971 — during the Navy’s growing recognition of the asbestos health hazard.

“10/1991 Mare Island Naval Shipyard” — a reference to the Mare Island yard in October 1991, near the end of the shipyard’s operational life (it closed in 1996), establishing that asbestos documentation at the yard extended into its final years of operation.

Mare Island Ship List — 1917 to 1978

“Mare Island Naval Shipyard ship list 1917–1978” — a comprehensive ship list spanning sixty-one years of Mare Island construction and overhaul appears in the corpus. This ship list documents the specific vessels built and overhauled at Mare Island across the entire asbestos construction era, and was used in litigation to identify the specific ships — and therefore the specific construction periods and asbestos materials — that connected Mare Island workers to their asbestos exposure.

“Mare Island and other kinds of shipyard [work]” — testimony about the specific types of shipyard work performed at Mare Island in the asbestos context, establishing the work environment and trades practices at the yard.

World War II — Asbestos Exposure During Peak Construction

“Exposure to asbestos in 1943 while [living/working at Mare Island]” — testimony establishing asbestos exposure at or near Mare Island as early as 1943, during the yard’s World War II production peak. At its height in World War II, Mare Island was launching submarines, destroyer escorts, and other combat vessels with full asbestos insulation — using amosite and chrysotile pipe lagging, asbestos block boiler insulation, and asbestos-containing packing throughout. Workers exposed in 1943 who developed mesothelioma decades later represent the longest latency cases in the Mare Island litigation record.

“Plaintiff’s exposure to defendants’ asbestos [at Mare Island]” — product-liability testimony in the asbestos context, establishing that named product manufacturers’ asbestos-containing materials were used at Mare Island and that workers were exposed to them during the yard’s operations.

Submarine Construction and Overhaul — Core Asbestos Exposure

Mare Island was the Navy’s primary submarine construction yard on the Pacific Coast, building fleet submarines throughout World War II and Cold War nuclear submarines through the 1970s. Submarines are among the most asbestos-intensive vessels in the Navy’s inventory — with asbestos insulation on virtually all piping, machinery, and bulkheads in the pressure hull. Workers who built submarines at Mare Island — particularly pipe coverers, boilermakers, and insulation workers who worked in the confined pressure hull during construction — accumulated very high cumulative asbestos exposures.

Asbestos-containing materials standard to submarine construction at Mare Island:

  • Asbestos pipe insulation on all steam, air, and hydraulic piping within the pressure hull
  • Asbestos insulation board (Marinite) on all interior bulkheads and overheads
  • Asbestos gaskets and packing on valves, fittings, and machinery throughout the boat
  • Asbestos cloth for heat protection in machinery spaces and near hot piping

Who Was Exposed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Workers and Navy personnel at Mare Island in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Submarine construction workers — Pipecoverers, Boilermakers, Pipefitters, and Shipfitters who built submarines in the pressure hull
  • Surface ship and destroyer escort construction workers during World War II
  • Overhaul workers who removed and replaced asbestos insulation in ship overhaul periods
  • Navy Supship personnel and commissioning crews present during active asbestos insulation work
  • Workers exposed in the 1940s who are now in the 40–80 year mesothelioma latency window

Navy veterans who served as Supship or PCU staff at Mare Island, and civilian workers who built or overhauled Navy ships at the Vallejo yard, 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 Navy personnel assigned to Mare Island
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian Mare Island workers
  • Civil claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing insulation products used at Mare Island across the 1917–1978 construction period

Key documents for a Mare Island claim:

  • Employment records — Mare Island employment records documenting trades role and service dates
  • DD-214 or orders — documenting Navy Supship or commissioning crew assignment at Vallejo
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including direct testimony naming Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the 1917–1978 ship list, World War II-era exposure records, and the national asbestos MDL docket identifying Mare Island as a major Pacific Coast asbestos exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.