Naval Submarine Base New London (NSB New London), located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut, is the largest submarine base in the United States and the primary submarine operations and training hub for the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet submarine force. The base has operated continuously since 1916, through World War II submarine construction, Cold War nuclear submarine operations, and decades of fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) homeporting. The installation’s piers, submarine tenders, maintenance shops, training facilities, and crew habitability buildings were constructed and maintained during the peak asbestos era in naval construction. The adjacent Electric Boat shipyard — the primary builder of U.S. nuclear submarines — operated with asbestos-containing materials throughout the same period.

Publicly filed asbestos litigation records provide direct, specific documentation of asbestos at Naval Submarine Base New London and the adjacent Groton submarine industrial complex.

Documented Asbestos at NSB New London

Naval Submarine Base New London — Direct Corpus Documentation

“Asbestos was at Naval Submarine Base New London/Groton, Connecticut” — direct corpus documentation establishing asbestos as a documented hazard specifically at NSB New London/Groton. This testimony appears in multiple independent litigation documents — “Naval Submarine Base New London (CT) located in Groton” appears as a named asbestos exposure location in the publicly filed record, independently in multiple filings. The naming pattern indicates that NSB New London was a recognized venue in the asbestos litigation community where veterans established exposure claims.

“At Navy Submarine Base New London/Groton, CT” — personal service documentation from a Navy veteran establishing specific assignment to NSB New London in the asbestos exposure career record. “Reported at Navy Submarine Base New London/Groton” — additional career documentation placing Navy personnel at the base in the asbestos exposure context, appearing in multiple independent records.

“Years at US Submarine Base in Groton, CT” — testimony establishing multi-year service at the Groton submarine base, consistent with the assignment patterns of submarine crews, submarine school instructors, and pier maintenance personnel at NSB New London.

“Submarine Base New London (CT) located in [the Groton/New London area]” — the base appears in the Madison County, Illinois asbestos docket in multiple independent filings — the national MDL asbestos litigation venue where the largest concentration of Navy veteran asbestos cases was litigated.

Electric Boat — Adjacent Submarine Construction Yard

Electric Boat, the General Dynamics subsidiary that built the majority of U.S. nuclear submarines, occupies a shipyard directly adjacent to NSB New London on the same stretch of the Thames River. The publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus documents asbestos exposure at Electric Boat extensively:

“At Electric Boat on submarines from [year]” and “working at Electric Boat on submarines” — deposition testimony establishing shipyard work at Electric Boat in the asbestos exposure context. “Marine cables that Anaconda sold to Electric Boat” — product attribution testimony identifying a named asbestos-containing materials supplier to Electric Boat for submarine construction. “Working at Electric Boat [on asbestos-related submarine work]” — additional testimony confirming asbestos work in the Electric Boat submarine construction environment.

Personnel assigned to NSB New London routinely crossed between the naval base and the adjacent Electric Boat yard during submarine construction acceptance trials, post-construction inspections, and pre-commissioning crew training — creating an exposure pathway between the shipyard asbestos environment and the base population.

Submarine Tender Operations — Base Asbestos Exposure

Submarine tenders (AS class) homeported at NSB New London provided repair, maintenance, and logistics support for the submarine force. Tenders maintained full machine shops, welding facilities, pipe shops, and electrical shops — the same environments documented in the broader Navy asbestos corpus as containing asbestos insulation materials, asbestos pipe lagging, and asbestos gaskets throughout their engineering and repair spaces. Tender crews and submarine crews who came aboard for maintenance periods were exposed to asbestos-containing materials in the tender’s working spaces.

Submarine School — Shore Training Asbestos Exposure

The Naval Submarine School at NSB New London trained all enlisted submarine personnel and submarine officers throughout the Cold War era. Training facilities — including mock-up engineering spaces, torpedo rooms, and control rooms — were constructed in the base’s permanent buildings during the asbestos construction era. Instructors and students who spent extended periods in these training facilities were exposed to the asbestos-containing construction materials standard to naval shore facility construction of the relevant period.

Shore Facility Construction — Navy Standard Materials

Naval Submarine Base New London’s barracks, administrative buildings, maintenance shops, and operational facilities were built and renovated during the 1940s through the 1970s using asbestos-containing construction materials:

  • Asbestos-containing floor tile (VAT) in barracks, administrative spaces, and training buildings
  • Asbestos pipe insulation on steam heating systems throughout the base infrastructure
  • Asbestos-containing insulation board (Marinite) in boiler rooms and mechanical spaces
  • Asbestos roof materials on older base structures
  • Asbestos cement pipe in base utilities and underground infrastructure

Who Was Exposed at NSB New London

Navy veterans who served at Naval Submarine Base New London in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Submarine crew members homeported at the base who performed maintenance periods on tenders or in base shops
  • Submarine School students and instructors in the training facility buildings
  • Base maintenance and utilities workers (BT, UT, CM, SW ratings)
  • Submarine tender crew (MM, HT, EM, IC ratings) performing shipboard maintenance
  • Electric Boat workers and inspection personnel during submarine construction and acceptance

NSB New London 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 NSB New London as an asbestos exposure venue — appearing in multiple independent litigation filings — establishes the exposure record for claims tied to service at this installation.

Key documents for an NSB New London claim:

  • DD-214 — service record documenting Groton/NSB New London assignment
  • Orders and personnel records — documentation of submarine school, tender, or base assignments
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Civil claims may run against manufacturers of asbestos-containing materials used in submarine construction at Electric Boat and in the base’s shore facilities.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including testimony from Naval Submarine Base New London veterans, Electric Boat shipyard asbestos records, and the national asbestos MDL docket entries naming NSB New London as an asbestos exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.