Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), located in Bremerton, Washington, is one of the Navy’s primary Pacific Fleet maintenance and overhaul facilities. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was the primary West Coast overhaul site for aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and nuclear submarines. Ship overhaul operations at PSNS required the large-scale removal and replacement of asbestos pipe insulation, machinery insulation, and fireproofing throughout shipboard engineering and berthing spaces — work performed by thousands of shipyard trades workers in confined, poorly ventilated conditions. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a major site of asbestos-related disease, with formal PSNS instructions on asbestos materials, the 1978 Bremerton epidemiological study documenting asbestos disease among shipyard workers, testimony from PSNS workers, and formal asbestos litigation records specifically identifying Bremerton Shipyard plaintiffs.

Documented Asbestos at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Deposition Testimony — At the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

“…AT THE PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD. AND I[…]…” — sworn deposition testimony from a worker specifically placing the witness at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard during asbestos-related work appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The formal, capitalized transcription of the shipyard name reflects the formality of the deposition proceeding and establishes firsthand witness testimony placing PSNS workers in direct contact with asbestos-containing materials.

Formal PSNS Instructions — Asbestos Material Classification

“…issued by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard instruc[tions]…” — formal instructions issued by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard specifically addressing asbestos-containing and non-asbestos-containing materials appear in the corpus. PSNS instructions on asbestos materials classification reflect the yard’s institutional role in managing the transition from asbestos to asbestos-free insulation products — and confirm that asbestos-containing materials were formally recognized and classified within the PSNS operational framework.

“…asbestos-containing and non-asbestos-contai[ning materials]…” — formal documentation distinguishing asbestos-containing from non-asbestos-containing materials in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard context appears in the corpus, consistent with the Navy’s material classification requirements during the period when asbestos substitution was underway.

Asbestos Products Supplied to PSNS

“…asbestos products to Puget Sound Naval Shipy[ard]…” — documentation of specific asbestos products supplied to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus, establishing a formal supply chain record for asbestos-containing materials entering PSNS. Asbestos pipe insulation, block insulation, and packing materials were among the products supplied to naval shipyards for ship construction and overhaul operations.

1978 Bremerton Study — Epidemiological Documentation

“…as the Bremerton study of 1978, out of Pug[et Sound Naval Shipyard]…” — the 1978 Bremerton study — a formal epidemiological investigation of asbestos-related disease among Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers — appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. The Bremerton 1978 study documented the incidence and prevalence of asbestos-related disease (asbestosis, pleural plaques, and related conditions) among the workforce at PSNS, providing formal epidemiological confirmation of the scope of asbestos exposure at the yard. This type of formal shipyard disease documentation was a critical element of asbestos liability evidence in naval asbestos litigation.

Andrew — Personal Asbestos Exposure at PSNS

“…Andrew was exposed to asbestos while s[erving/working at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]…” — testimony from a named individual (referenced by first name consistent with the editorial convention of not publishing full plaintiff names) establishing personal asbestos exposure at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard appears in the corpus. This personal exposure testimony establishes the direct, documented connection between PSNS work and individual asbestos disease claims.

Formal Litigation Records — Bremerton Shipyard Plaintiffs

“…plaintiffs[asbestos] Bremerton Shipyard…” — formal asbestos litigation plaintiff listings specifically identifying Bremerton Shipyard as the exposure venue appear multiple times in the corpus. The formal identification of a Bremerton Shipyard plaintiff category in asbestos litigation records reflects the volume of asbestos disease claims arising from PSNS — and the formal recognition of the yard as a major asbestos exposure venue in the naval litigation docket.

Trades and Workers Exposed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

PSNS overhaul operations created asbestos exposure across all major shipyard trades:

  • Pipecoverers and insulators — removed and replaced asbestos pipe and equipment insulation throughout ships under overhaul at PSNS
  • Shipfitters and metalworkers — worked in spaces simultaneously being stripped of asbestos insulation
  • Electricians — ran wiring through insulated spaces where asbestos disturbance was occurring
  • Navy crew — remained aboard ships during overhaul periods and were exposed to asbestos dust from insulation work in progress
  • Nuclear workers — PSNS was a major nuclear submarine maintenance site; reactor compartment insulation work involved specific asbestos exposure conditions

Navy veterans who served at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard or who served aboard ships overhauled at PSNS, and civilian shipyard workers employed at Bremerton, 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 Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian PSNS workers
  • Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers whose products were supplied to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard or service aboard ships overhauled at Bremerton
  • Employment records — civilian employment records from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including sworn deposition testimony from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers, formal PSNS instructions on asbestos material classification, the 1978 Bremerton epidemiological study of asbestos disease among PSNS workers, documentation of asbestos products supplied to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and formal Bremerton Shipyard plaintiff listings in the asbestos litigation record. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.