Naval Air Station Glynco, located near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia, was established in 1942 as a Navy lighter-than-air station to base non-rigid airships (blimps) for East Coast anti-submarine patrol operations during WWII. The station’s signature feature was its massive wooden blimp hangars — among the largest wooden structures ever built — large enough to house multiple K-type patrol blimps. Glynco’s K-series blimps flew anti-submarine patrols over Atlantic convoy routes throughout WWII. The station later transitioned to fixed-wing and jet aviation operations during the postwar period and served as a Naval Air Reserve and training station before closing in 1974 and eventually becoming the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) campus. Navy personnel stationed at Glynco from 1942 through the 1974 closure accumulated asbestos exposure from the station’s WWII-era construction.

Blimp Hangar Construction and Asbestos

Glynco’s blimp hangars may have contained asbestos in their massive structures:

  • Blimp hangar interior construction — the interior of Glynco’s enormous wooden blimp hangars incorporated asbestos-containing materials in the hangar floor construction, fire suppression systems, and mechanical systems within the hangar building. Aviation support personnel working in these hangars performing blimp maintenance and lighter-than-air operations were in proximity to the asbestos-containing construction in these large enclosed spaces
  • Helium handling and mechanical spaces — the helium compression and storage facilities supporting blimp operations at Glynco used high-pressure gas handling equipment with asbestos-containing valve packing and gasket materials in the helium processing systems
  • Support buildings and workshops — the airship rigger shop, envelope repair workshop, and mechanical support buildings at Glynco used WWII military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling materials, and asbestos pipe insulation in the facility mechanical systems

Postwar Aviation Facilities and Asbestos

After transitioning to fixed-wing aviation, Glynco’s postwar facility stock continued to use asbestos-containing construction:

  • Jet training hangars — the fixed-wing aviation hangars and maintenance facilities constructed during Glynco’s postwar transition to jet aircraft training used Cold War-era military construction specifications with asbestos-containing building materials in the hangar and maintenance building stock
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the barracks, BOQ, and administrative buildings at NAS Glynco used WWII military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

VA Claims for NAS Glynco Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served at NAS Glynco during any period from the station’s 1942 establishment through its 1974 closure and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.