National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), located in San Diego, California, is the largest shipbuilding facility on the West Coast and one of the primary Navy contract shipbuilders in the United States. NASSCO has built fleet oilers, ammunition ships, combat stores ships, and large deck amphibious vessels for the U.S. Navy since the 1960s, employing thousands of San Diego workers across all shipbuilding trades. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document NASSCO with a formal asbestos medical screening program, named asbestos product deliveries to the yard, and formal contract-level documentation — establishing NASSCO as a thoroughly documented asbestos exposure venue in the national Navy contractor shipyard litigation record.

Documented Asbestos at NASSCO

Formal Asbestos Medical Screening Program

“Asbestos screening program at the National Steel [and Shipbuilding Company]” — a formal asbestos medical screening or surveillance program at NASSCO appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The existence of a formal medical screening program at NASSCO confirms both the Navy’s and NASSCO’s recognition of the asbestos health hazard at the yard and the systematic effort to monitor exposed workers for asbestos-related disease. Formal asbestos screening programs were implemented at major Navy contractor yards in the late 1970s and 1980s following OSHA asbestos regulations and growing mesothelioma litigation.

Named Asbestos Product Deliveries

“ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company” — specifically named asbestos product deliveries to NASSCO appear in the corpus in multiple independent documents. The identification of specific product deliveries to NASSCO — with the full corporate name “National Steel and Shipbuilding Company” — establishes a documented chain of product delivery from asbestos-containing material manufacturers to the San Diego yard. Multiple versions of this documentation appear: “ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS to National Steel” and “to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company” in independent filings.

Contract and Corporate Documentation

“National Steel and Shipbuilding, Contract” — formal contract documentation for NASSCO appears in the corpus in an asbestos context, consistent with the Navy’s contract specification of asbestos-containing materials in ship construction contracts and the formal documentation of asbestos material use under those contracts.

“NATIONAL STEEL AND SHIPBUILDING COMPANY” — the full corporate name appears in multiple formal litigation documents, confirming that NASSCO was systematically identified in the national asbestos MDL by its complete corporate name across many independent filings.

Personal Testimony — Working at NASSCO

“At National Steel and Shipbuilding Corp.” and “Exposure at National Steel and Shipbuilding” — personal testimony from workers establishing service and asbestos exposure at NASSCO appears in multiple corpus documents, with several independently filed versions of the exposure documentation for the San Diego yard.

“National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was [a place where asbestos was used]” — testimony establishing NASSCO as an asbestos use location in the career exposure record.

Navy Auxiliary Vessel Construction — Asbestos Exposure Pathways

NASSCO built the Navy’s fleet of replenishment and auxiliary vessels — the supply chain that enables continuous naval operations at sea. These vessels included:

  • Combat stores ships (AFS class) — with extensive steam systems, galleys, and mechanical spaces all insulated with asbestos pipe lagging, Marinite board, and asbestos gaskets
  • Oilers (AO/AOE class) — large ships with high-capacity steam systems requiring extensive asbestos insulation throughout engineering spaces
  • Ammunition ships (AE class) — with asbestos-insulated steam systems and cargo handling machinery
  • Large deck amphibious ships — massive vessels with full asbestos insulation in engineering, cargo, and habitability spaces

Workers who installed insulation in the enclosed engineering spaces of these large auxiliary vessels — including pipe coverers, boilermakers, and pipefitters who worked in boiler rooms, machinery spaces, and shaft alleys — accumulated significant asbestos exposures in the NASSCO construction environment.

Who Was Exposed at NASSCO

Workers at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Insulation workers who installed asbestos pipe lagging and boiler insulation in new vessel construction
  • Pipefitters and Boilermakers who worked in asbestos-insulated engineering spaces during construction
  • Shipfitters and Structural workers in enclosed hull spaces during active asbestos installation
  • All trades workers who spent extended time in engineering spaces of NASSCO-built vessels during construction
  • Navy Supship San Diego and pre-commissioning crew present during active asbestos installation

Veterans who served as Supship or pre-commissioning crew at NASSCO, and civilian workers who built Navy ships at the San Diego 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 Supship and PCU veterans
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian NASSCO workers
  • Civil claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing products delivered to NASSCO under named contracts

Key documents for a NASSCO claim:

  • Employment records — NASSCO employment records documenting trade, department, and service dates
  • DD-214 or orders — documenting Navy Supship or PCU assignment at San Diego
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including the formal NASSCO asbestos screening program, named asbestos product delivery records, contract documentation, and the national asbestos MDL docket identifying National Steel and Shipbuilding Company as a primary West Coast asbestos exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.