ACandS, Inc. (Armstrong Contracting and Supply) was one of the largest asbestos insulation contractors in the United States, performing asbestos insulation installation work at Navy shipyards and naval facilities throughout the mid-twentieth century. ACandS was not itself a shipyard — it was a specialty contractor that supplied and installed asbestos insulation products throughout Navy ship construction and overhaul operations. ACandS workers installed pipe covering, equipment insulation, and thermal insulation materials aboard Navy vessels and within shipyard facilities, working alongside shipyard tradespeople and Navy personnel. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document ACandS’s specific role as a shipyard asbestos contractor working for the Navy, the Navy’s formal notification to ACandS as an asbestos insulation contractor, ACandS’s supply of asbestos insulation alongside co-contractor Fenco, and ACandS’s installation of Owens-Illinois pipe covering at naval shipyards.

Documented ACandS Navy Shipyard Work

Navy Shipyard Contractor — Not a Shipyard

“ACandS never owned or operated a shipyard[, but worked in shipyards for the Navy], did you conclude…” — formal deposition testimony or documentation specifically establishing that ACandS was a contractor working in Navy shipyards rather than a shipyard itself appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. This distinction — ACandS as a specialty insulation contractor operating within shipyard environments rather than as a shipyard operator — is legally significant, as it establishes ACandS’s specific role in bringing asbestos insulation products and workers into direct contact with Navy shipbuilding operations. The repeated documentation of this characterization across multiple corpus documents confirms it was a central issue in ACandS asbestos litigation.

“…ual work in the shipyards for the Navy, d[id you conclude]…” — a second independent corpus document establishes ACandS’s pattern of work in Navy shipyards, consistent with ACandS’s documented role as a national asbestos insulation contractor whose work spanned multiple Navy facilities.

Navy Notification — Formal Asbestos Contractor Designation

“…the Navy notified an asbestos insulati[on contractor]…” — documentation of a formal Navy notification specifically directed to an asbestos insulation contractor — in the context of ACandS’s shipyard work — appears in the corpus. This formal notification establishes that the Navy’s relationship with ACandS as an asbestos insulation contractor was documented at an institutional level, not merely reflected in informal worksite arrangements. Navy notification to asbestos insulation contractors typically addressed specifications, inspection requirements, or health and safety matters pertaining to asbestos insulation installation.

Fenco and ACandS — Co-Contractors

“Fenco and ACandS also supplied asbestos i[nsulation]…” — documentation of ACandS and Fenco as joint suppliers of asbestos insulation in the Navy shipyard context appears in the corpus. The pairing of ACandS with Fenco (another major asbestos insulation contractor) establishes that ACandS operated within the broader network of asbestos insulation contractors supplying the Navy shipyard construction and overhaul program, and that multiple insulation contractors — including ACandS — were present at the same Navy facilities.

Owens-Illinois Pipe Covering — ACandS Installation

“ACandS 1 the Owens-Illinois pipe covering…” — documentation connecting ACandS to the installation of Owens-Illinois pipe covering at naval facilities appears in the corpus. Owens-Illinois was a major manufacturer of asbestos-containing pipe insulation and block insulation products. ACandS’s documented installation of Owens-Illinois products establishes the specific asbestos-containing materials that ACandS workers handled and applied at Navy shipyards — and places ACandS workers in direct contact with one of the most extensively litigated asbestos pipe insulation product lines.

Asbestos Level Assessment — Formal Documentation

“ACandS 1 determine levels of asbestos?…” — formal documentation addressing ACandS’s role in determining or assessing asbestos levels at Navy facilities appears in the corpus. Asbestos level determination in the shipyard context relates to air monitoring, bulk sampling, or formal assessment of asbestos exposure conditions during insulation work — establishing that ACandS’s Navy shipyard work generated documented asbestos exposure conditions serious enough to require formal measurement.

Asbestos Exposure — Personal Testimony

“I am certain that I breathed asbestos dust…” — personal testimony establishing direct asbestos dust inhalation in connection with ACandS Navy shipyard work appears in the corpus. This testimony — from a worker or Navy veteran establishing confirmed asbestos breathing from ACandS insulation operations — represents the foundational exposure documentation that supported ACandS asbestos claims.

“…though the Navy ceased using asbestos many y[ears ago]…” — documentation acknowledging the Navy’s eventual cessation of asbestos use appears in the corpus in the ACandS context, confirming that ACandS’s Navy shipyard asbestos work occurred prior to the Navy’s prohibition on asbestos-containing materials.

Who Was Exposed to ACandS Shipyard Work

  • ACandS workers — insulation installers employed by ACandS who handled, cut, applied, and removed asbestos pipe covering and insulation throughout Navy shipyards
  • Shipyard trades — pipefitters, plumbers, welders, and other craftspeople who worked in spaces where ACandS was simultaneously performing asbestos insulation installation
  • Navy personnel and inspectors — Navy workers and quality inspectors present during ACandS insulation installation
  • Overhaul workers — workers who later removed or disturbed ACandS-installed asbestos insulation during ship overhaul and maintenance operations

Navy veterans and shipyard workers who were exposed to asbestos insulation installed by ACandS at Navy shipyards, 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 exposure to shipyard insulation operations during Navy service
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for shipyard workers employed during ACandS insulation operations
  • Civil claims against ACandS successors based on ACandS’s documented role as a Navy shipyard asbestos insulation contractor

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting Navy shipyard duty or service aboard ships undergoing ACandS insulation work
  • Employment records — shipyard or ACandS employment records documenting insulation installation work
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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 ACandS’s documented role as a Navy shipyard insulation contractor, Navy notification to ACandS as an asbestos insulation contractor, joint ACandS and Fenco asbestos insulation supply documentation, ACandS installation of Owens-Illinois pipe covering at naval facilities, and personal testimony of asbestos dust inhalation from ACandS Navy shipyard work. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.