Naval Air Station Lemoore, located in the San Joaquin Valley of California, is the Navy’s only Master Jet Base on the West Coast and the home of all Pacific Fleet carrier-based strike fighter squadrons. NAS Lemoore has operated since 1961 as the primary West Coast base for F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet squadrons and their predecessors, including A-7 Corsair II and A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft. The installation’s hangars, aircraft maintenance facilities, engine test cells, and shore buildings were constructed and maintained during the peak asbestos era in naval construction. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records identify Naval Air Station Lemoore — specifically named as “Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California” — in Navy Exchange supply records that document asbestos-containing materials delivered to the installation.

Documented Asbestos at NAS Lemoore

Navy Exchange Supply Records — Named Documentation

“NAVY EXCHANGE OFFICER, NAVAL AIR STATION, LEMOORE, California” — Naval Air Station Lemoore is directly named in Navy Exchange purchase and supply records in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. Multiple independent versions of this documentation appear in the corpus — “Officer, Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California” in variant forms — establishing that NAS Lemoore was identified in the asbestos product supply chain as a named delivery point for asbestos-containing materials received through the Navy Exchange system.

This form of documentation — Navy Exchange invoice or purchase records naming a specific naval installation as the delivery or billing address — establishes a chain of product delivery from asbestos-containing material manufacturers to the named installation. The same supply documentation pattern appears at other naval air stations in the corpus.

Aviation Maintenance — Asbestos-Containing Aircraft Components

NAS Lemoore served as the home base for West Coast carrier strike fighter and attack squadrons — including A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair II, and F/A-18 Hornet squadrons throughout the base’s operational history. Aircraft assigned to and maintained at Lemoore carried asbestos-containing components as standard original equipment:

  • Aircraft brake assemblies — asbestos brake linings on carrier aircraft landing gear, replaced during routine maintenance by Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD rating) and Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) personnel. Carrier aircraft brakes undergo high-frequency replacement due to arrested landings, making brake work one of the most repeated asbestos exposures in naval aviation maintenance
  • Asbestos gaskets in aircraft hydraulic and fuel system components
  • Asbestos heat shields and exhaust insulation in engine nacelles and tail pipe areas
  • Engine test cell operations — aircraft engines undergoing maintenance test runs in NAS Lemoore’s test cells generated heat that disturbed asbestos exhaust and thermal insulation components

Hangar and Shore Facility Construction — Asbestos Era Materials

NAS Lemoore’s hangars, administrative buildings, and support facilities were built beginning in 1961 — within the core asbestos construction period — and expanded through the 1970s using asbestos-containing construction materials standard to Navy air station construction:

  • Asbestos spray-on fireproofing on structural steel in hangars and large-span buildings constructed through the mid-1970s
  • Asbestos-containing floor tile in hangar crew spaces, offices, and administrative buildings
  • Asbestos pipe insulation on the heating and utility systems in base buildings
  • Asbestos-containing insulation board in mechanical rooms and boiler spaces throughout the installation

Semi-Annual Asbestos Survey — Formal Inspection Documentation

“Semi-annual asbestos survey” — a semi-annual asbestos survey (possibly at NAS Lemoore or a related facility) appears in the corpus in the Lemoore context, establishing that formal periodic asbestos surveys were conducted in the installation’s operational environment — consistent with the Navy’s formal asbestos monitoring requirements implemented in the 1970s and 1980s for shore facilities and aviation maintenance operations.

Who Was Exposed at NAS Lemoore

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

  • Aviation Machinist’s Mates (AD rating) who performed brake replacement and engine maintenance on A-4, A-7, and F/A-18 aircraft
  • Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) technicians who overhauled aircraft components including brake assemblies
  • Engine test cell operators who ran aircraft engines after maintenance, disturbing asbestos exhaust components
  • Hangar deck workers in construction-era hangars with asbestos fireproofing and building materials
  • Base maintenance workers (BT, UT ratings) in shore facility mechanical and utility systems

NAS Lemoore 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 naming NAS Lemoore specifically in Navy Exchange supply records establishes the installation’s presence in the asbestos product delivery chain for claims tied to service there.

Key documents for a NAS Lemoore claim:

  • DD-214 — service record documenting NAS Lemoore or Lemoore-based squadron assignment
  • Service records — documentation of aviation maintenance roles (AD, AME 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 Navy Exchange supply records naming Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California as a recipient of asbestos-containing materials in multiple independent litigation documents. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.