Thorpe Insulation Company (J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc.) was a major West Coast asbestos insulation contractor that supplied and installed asbestos insulation materials aboard Navy ships and at West Coast naval shipyards throughout the mid-twentieth century. Unlike asbestos product manufacturers, Thorpe was a specialty insulation contractor — a company that supplied asbestos pipe covering, asbestos block insulation, asbestos cloth, and related materials and provided workers to install those materials during ship construction and overhaul. Thorpe operated extensively on West Coast naval vessels and shipyards, and is documented in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus as a named Navy asbestos insulation contractor alongside Metalclad Insulation Corporation, with asbestos pipe covering supply documentation, asbestos mud powder documentation, and formal defendant listings in the national asbestos docket.

Documented Asbestos in Thorpe Insulation Navy Work

West Coast Ships and Shipyards — Thorpe’s Documented Territory

Who Was Exposed to Thorpe Insulation Work

  • Thorpe Insulation Company workers — the pipecoverers, laggers, and insulation mechanics employed by Thorpe who installed asbestos pipe covering, applied asbestos mud, and handled asbestos cloth throughout their work on Navy vessels and at naval shipyards
  • Shipyard tradespeople — workers of all other trades (pipefitters, electricians, shipfitters) who worked in enclosed ship spaces where Thorpe was simultaneously performing asbestos insulation installation
  • Navy crew aboard ships under overhaul — personnel who remained aboard ships during Thorpe’s insulation work and were exposed to airborne asbestos fiber from Thorpe’s operations

VA Claims and Legal Options — Thorpe Insulation Company Workers

Navy veterans who served aboard ships where Thorpe Insulation Company performed asbestos insulation work, and civilian shipyard workers who worked alongside Thorpe insulators at West Coast naval shipyards, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans with documented service aboard vessels where Thorpe Insulation performed Navy ship insulation work
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for workers employed by Thorpe Insulation Company or by West Coast naval shipyards where Thorpe operated
  • Civil claims against Thorpe Insulation Company successors and J.T. Thorpe Trust based on Thorpe’s role as a Navy asbestos insulation contractor

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting service aboard West Coast Navy ships undergoing insulation work
  • Employment records — Thorpe Insulation Company or shipyard employment records documenting insulation installation work at naval facilities
  • 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 Thorpe Insulation Company’s documented role as a West Coast Navy ship and shipyard asbestos insulation contractor, Thorpe’s formal defendant listing alongside Raybestos-Manhattan, Thorpe and Metalclad’s joint supply of asbestos pipe covering, asbestos mud powder documentation for Thorpe Insulation Company, and Thorpe’s supply of all types of asbestos insulation including amosite and asbestos cloth. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.