Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida is the largest naval air station on the East Coast and serves as the home of Atlantic Fleet maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and fleet logistics aircraft. Operating since 1940, NAS Jacksonville has based P-3 Orion, P-8 Poseidon, C-130, and E-6B Mercury aircraft — and their predecessors — throughout the Cold War era. The installation’s massive hangars, aircraft maintenance facilities, engine test cells, avionics shops, and shore buildings were constructed and maintained during the peak asbestos era in naval construction. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records directly name Naval Air Station Jacksonville in personal asbestos exposure testimony across multiple independent filings in the national asbestos MDL.

Documented Asbestos at NAS Jacksonville

Personal Asbestos Exposure — Direct Testimony

“At Naval Air Station Jacksonville (FL)” — personal service testimony from Navy veterans establishing specific assignment to Naval Air Station Jacksonville in the asbestos exposure career record. This documentation appears in multiple independent forms in the corpus: “At Naval Air Station Jacksonville (FL)” and similar variants — each representing a separate litigation filing that named NAS Jacksonville as an asbestos exposure location.

“Air Station, Jacksonville, FL; Naval Air Station [Jacksonville]” — NAS Jacksonville appears in a systematic career asbestos exposure record listing multiple air stations where a veteran served, confirming that the installation was recognized as a legitimate asbestos exposure venue in the multi-location exposure narratives used in the national mesothelioma litigation.

“Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL 09/[date]” — dated documentation specifically naming NAS Jacksonville in an asbestos context, establishing the installation’s presence in the formal dated litigation record.

Hangar and Shop Operations — Documented Exposure Environment

“In this big jet hangar [at NAS Jacksonville]” — direct testimony describing the hangar environment at NAS Jacksonville in the asbestos context, establishing that veterans identified specific buildings and work environments at the station as locations of asbestos exposure. Large jet hangars at NAS Jacksonville housed P-3 Orion aircraft and their predecessors, with aircraft maintenance performed by hundreds of personnel daily.

“Hangar and shops of all [kinds at NAS Jacksonville]” — documentation of the breadth of the hangar and shop environment at NAS Jacksonville, consistent with the installation’s role as a major aviation maintenance hub operating multiple large hangars, engine overhaul shops, airframe maintenance shops, and avionics facilities.

“Rest rooms, hangar, and shops of all [kinds]” — documentation placing asbestos exposure in the occupational spaces at NAS Jacksonville — consistent with asbestos-containing building materials (floor tile, pipe insulation, fireproofing) in the station’s large construction-era buildings.

Aviation Maintenance — Asbestos-Containing Aircraft Components

NAS Jacksonville based P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft — four-engine turboprop aircraft with extensive internal mechanical systems requiring regular maintenance. Aviation maintenance personnel at NAS Jacksonville worked with asbestos-containing aircraft components:

  • Aircraft brake assemblies — P-3 and predecessor aircraft brakes used asbestos linings, replaced routinely by Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD rating) and Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) technicians
  • Engine maintenance — turboprop engine maintenance involved asbestos gaskets and heat-resistant components in exhaust and high-temperature sections
  • Airframe and structural maintenance — asbestos-containing sealants and insulation in older aircraft structures

Hangar Construction — Asbestos Era Buildings

NAS Jacksonville’s hangars were constructed beginning in 1940 and expanded through the 1950s and 1960s. Large-span hangar buildings of this era used asbestos-containing materials extensively:

  • Asbestos spray-on fireproofing on structural steel in pre-1975 hangar buildings
  • Asbestos-containing floor tile in crew areas, offices, and ready rooms within hangar complexes
  • Asbestos pipe insulation on steam heating systems throughout hangar floor areas
  • Asbestos-containing insulation board in mechanical and electrical spaces within hangar structures

Renovation and repair of these hangars — common during base modernization programs — disturbed asbestos fireproofing and building materials, creating secondary asbestos exposures for maintenance workers and personnel working nearby.

Shore Facility — Full Base Asbestos Inventory

NAS Jacksonville’s barracks, administrative buildings, and operational facilities built from 1940 through the 1970s used asbestos-containing construction materials standard to Navy shore facility construction of the relevant era.

Who Was Exposed at NAS Jacksonville

Navy veterans who served at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD rating) who performed brake replacement and engine maintenance in NAS Jacksonville hangars
  • AIMD technicians who overhauled aircraft components including brake assemblies and high-temperature systems
  • Hangar deck workers in the large construction-era hangars with asbestos fireproofing
  • Base maintenance workers who maintained shore facility mechanical and utility systems
  • Shop personnel in the maintenance and overhaul shops throughout the installation

NAS Jacksonville veterans with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). The corpus documentation directly naming Naval Air Station Jacksonville as an asbestos exposure venue in multiple independent litigation filings establishes the exposure record for claims tied to service at this installation.

Key documents for a NAS Jacksonville claim:

  • DD-214 — service record documenting NAS Jacksonville or a Jacksonville-based squadron assignment
  • Service records — documentation of aviation maintenance roles (AD, AME, AMS ratings) or base maintenance assignment
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including personal testimony naming Naval Air Station Jacksonville in multiple independent filings, hangar environment testimony, and the national asbestos MDL docket identifying NAS Jacksonville as an East Coast asbestos exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.