Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, located on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine — across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire — is one of the oldest federal shipyards in the United States, established in 1800. The shipyard has specialized in submarine construction and overhaul for more than a century, building more than 130 submarines during its history and serving as the primary submarine maintenance facility in the northeastern United States throughout the Cold War. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard built the USS Squalus (SS-192), whose 1939 sinking and rescue became a landmark in submarine rescue history, and built and overhauled Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines during the Cold War. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with a named industrial hygienist investigation, formal asbestos determination records, documented asbestos product shipments to the yard, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s presence in the national asbestos litigation record.

Documented Asbestos at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Industrial Hygienist Investigation — Named Personnel

“Fuller as industrial hygienist at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard” — a named industrial hygienist identified as “Fuller” is documented as performing industrial hygiene work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The presence of an industrial hygienist conducting investigations at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard establishes that asbestos exposure conditions at the yard were the subject of formal professional assessment. Industrial hygienist testimony and records from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard appear in the asbestos litigation record in the context of establishing what shipyard management knew about asbestos hazards and when.

Formal Investigation — Asbestos Conditions at PNSY

“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to determine [asbestos conditions]” — formal documentation of an investigation at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard specifically to determine asbestos-related conditions at the yard appears in the corpus. This type of formal investigation record — where an inquiry was conducted for the specific purpose of assessing asbestos exposure conditions — is one of the strongest forms of contemporaneous documentation that asbestos was present at the yard at levels sufficient to warrant formal professional attention.

“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery [Maine]” — the full formal identification of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with its complete location in Kittery, Maine, appears in multiple independent corpus documents, confirming the yard was tracked by name and location in the formal asbestos interrogatory and discovery process.

Product Shipping Records — Asbestos Materials to PNSY

“asbestos or products containing asbestos were shipped [to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]” — formal documentation that asbestos-containing products were shipped specifically to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus. Product shipping records of this type — establishing the flow of asbestos materials to a specific named installation — are among the most direct forms of venue-level exposure documentation, confirming both the receipt of asbestos-containing products at the yard and the identification of product manufacturers and suppliers in the shipping chain.

Submarine Overhaul — Core Asbestos Exposure Pathway

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was the primary submarine overhaul facility for the Atlantic Fleet’s northeastern basing area throughout the Cold War. Submarine overhaul at Portsmouth generated the highest asbestos exposure concentrations found in any naval industrial setting:

  • Nuclear submarine overhaul — FBM submarines and attack submarines (SSN) underwent complete engineering-space overhaul at Portsmouth, requiring full removal and reinstallation of all asbestos thermal insulation throughout machinery spaces
  • Pipe insulation removal in confined spaces — removal of asbestos pipe lagging in submarine engineering spaces generated extremely high airborne fiber concentrations in the confined hull environment; industrial hygiene data from nuclear submarine overhauls across all major shipyards consistently showed the highest fiber counts of any shipyard operation
  • Reactor plant insulation — nuclear submarine overhaul at Portsmouth involved insulation work adjacent to reactor plant spaces, adding radiation as an additional occupational exposure for workers who also worked in asbestos environments
  • Diesel submarine overhaul — earlier diesel-electric submarines at Portsmouth required identical asbestos insulation maintenance in pre-nuclear boats during the 1950s and 1960s

Submarine Construction — Asbestos in New Construction

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard built more than 130 submarines during its history. New submarine construction used asbestos-containing materials throughout:

  • Asbestos pipe insulation on all steam and hot water systems in engineering spaces
  • Asbestos thermal insulation throughout machinery spaces for temperature control and personnel protection
  • Asbestos gaskets and packing on all flanged connections in the engineroom and auxiliary machinery spaces

Workers who installed these materials during submarine construction — particularly insulation workers (pipe coverers/laggers), pipefitters, and boilermakers — received the highest cumulative asbestos exposures during the submarine construction period.

Who Was Exposed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Pipe Coverers and Insulation Workers — the primary high-exposure trade; installed and removed asbestos pipe and machinery insulation throughout submarine construction and overhaul
  • Boilermakers — worked with asbestos-insulated steam systems in submarine engineering spaces
  • Pipefitters — worked with asbestos-insulated steam and coolant systems throughout submarine construction and overhaul
  • Shipfitters and Structural Workers — worked in enclosed submarine hull sections during active asbestos insulation operations
  • All trades workers who spent extended time in the confined spaces of submarines under construction or overhaul at Portsmouth

Veterans who served as Supship or pre-commissioning crew at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and civilian workers who built or overhauled submarines at the Kittery 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 personnel stationed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers
  • Civil claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing insulation products shipped to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and used in submarine construction and overhaul

Key documents for a Portsmouth Naval Shipyard claim:

  • Employment records — Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employment records documenting trade, department, and service period
  • DD-214 or orders — documenting Navy Supship or PCU assignment at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard or a submarine commissioned there
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including industrial hygienist investigation records at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, formal asbestos condition determinations, documented asbestos product shipping records to the Kittery yard, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s presence in the national asbestos mesothelioma litigation docket. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.