Naval Station San Diego — located on San Diego Bay at 32nd Street and commonly known as the “32nd Street Naval Station” — is the United States Pacific Fleet’s largest naval installation and a primary homeport for surface combatants of the Pacific Fleet. Operating since 1919, Naval Station San Diego has served as the home port for destroyers, cruisers, amphibious ships, and support vessels, while also hosting ship repair facilities, training commands, and naval support activities across its extensive waterfront. The surface combatants homeported at San Diego’s 32nd Street facility — built and outfitted during the WWII and postwar eras — were equipped with steam propulsion plants surrounded by asbestos insulation, with asbestos gaskets and packing at every valve and pump connection throughout their engineering spaces. Navy veterans who served aboard ships at 32nd Street, and workers in the facility’s support shops and maintenance operations, were exposed to asbestos from these vessel systems and the asbestos-containing materials in the station’s shore facilities. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Naval Station San Diego (32nd Street) with direct deposition testimony about asbestos at 32nd Street, veteran testimony identifying 32nd Street Naval Station service, and formal Navy documentation of San Diego Naval Station in asbestos contexts.

Documented Asbestos — 32nd Street Naval Station in Litigation

Asbestos at 32nd Street — Direct Deposition Testimony

“… aboard [[Navy]] ships at [[32nd Street]] 22 in [, deposition testimony about asbestos at 32nd Street]…” — deposition testimony specifically identifying asbestos aboard Navy ships at 32nd Street appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The direct testimony connecting asbestos exposure to Navy ships at the 32nd Street Naval Station establishes the specific location as a documented asbestos exposure site in formal legal proceedings.

“…8 [[asbestos]], anywhere at [[32nd Street]] or N[, additional 32nd Street asbestos testimony]…” — additional deposition testimony asking a witness about asbestos at 32nd Street (or another Navy location) appears in the corpus — a direct deposition question establishing 32nd Street Naval Station as a location subject to formal asbestos exposure inquiry.

Veteran Service — 32nd Street

“…on [[32nd Street]] from 1965 throu[gh — veteran service period]…” — testimony from a Navy veteran who served at 32nd Street from 1965 forward appears in the corpus. A service period beginning in 1965 at 32nd Street places the veteran’s exposure in the peak asbestos era of Pacific Fleet operations from the San Diego homeport.

Naval Station San Diego — Formal Documentation

“…(USS Dixie (AD t4)) [[Naval Station San Di]][ego — formal Navy station documentation]…” — formal documentation identifying Naval Station San Diego — with reference to USS Dixie (AD-14, a destroyer tender) — appears in the corpus, establishing the specific institutional identification of Naval Station San Diego in the formal Navy asbestos documentation framework.

“…[[San Diego]] US [[Naval Station]], [[San Diego]], CA[, formal location documentation]…” — formal documentation identifying the US Naval Station in San Diego, California appears in the corpus in an asbestos exposure context, confirming Naval Station San Diego’s presence in the formal asbestos exposure record.

Shipfitter Work — San Diego Navy

“…s a [[Ship]]fitter, including at [[San Diego]] (CA[, shipfitter testimony at San Diego]…” — testimony from a Shipfitter specifically identifying work at San Diego as part of a Navy career appears in the corpus, reflecting the skilled trades asbestos exposure that occurred at the Naval Station San Diego facility during ship repair and construction operations.

Asbestos at Naval Station San Diego

Pacific Fleet surface combatants: Naval Station San Diego served as the homeport for Pacific Fleet destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious vessels — ships built with steam propulsion systems surrounded by asbestos insulation throughout their engineering spaces. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Technicians who maintained these engineering plants at the 32nd Street pier faced asbestos exposure at every maintenance cycle.

Destroyer tender operations: USS Dixie and other destroyer tenders homeported at Naval Station San Diego provided shipboard maintenance and repair support for the destroyer fleet — bringing the tenders’ own engineering personnel into contact with asbestos aboard both the tender and the destroyers being serviced.

Ship repair facilities: The ship repair activities at Naval Station San Diego — conducted by Navy personnel and civilian yard workers — required removing and replacing asbestos insulation to access piping and mechanical systems, generating intense asbestos exposure during every repair evolution.

Shore facilities and support infrastructure: The naval station’s pier facilities, maintenance shops, and support buildings were constructed during the base’s WWII and postwar expansion with asbestos-containing materials throughout their construction.

Navy veterans who were stationed at or served aboard vessels homeported at Naval Station San Diego (32nd Street), particularly Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Technicians, and Shipfitters who performed engineering maintenance at the 32nd Street facility, and 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 Naval Station San Diego in engineering maintenance or ship repair roles
  • Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers whose materials were installed in vessels homeported at 32nd Street and in the station’s maintenance facilities

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting assignment to Naval Station San Diego or aboard vessels homeported at 32nd Street
  • Rating records — Machinist’s Mate (MM), Boiler Technician (BT), or Shipfitter (SF) with documented San Diego duty
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including deposition testimony specifically identifying asbestos aboard Navy ships at 32nd Street Naval Station, veteran testimony about 32nd Street service from 1965, formal documentation identifying Naval Station San Diego in connection with USS Dixie (AD-14), formal US Naval Station San Diego location documentation in asbestos contexts, and Shipfitter testimony identifying work at San Diego. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.