Naval Air Station South Weymouth, located in Norfolk County south of Boston, Massachusetts, was established in 1942 as a Navy lighter-than-air (blimp) station supporting Atlantic Coast anti-submarine patrol operations. The station operated K-series non-rigid airships flying ASW patrols over Atlantic convoy routes throughout WWII. After WWII, South Weymouth transitioned to a Naval Air Reserve facility, hosting Navy and Marine Corps Reserve aviation units through subsequent decades until the station closed in 1997 as part of post-Cold War base realignment. The WWII-era blimp hangar and aviation support facility construction at South Weymouth used asbestos-containing building materials consistent with military construction of the period, creating asbestos exposure for Navy and Marine Corps personnel who trained and served at this New England reserve air station.

WWII Blimp Facility Construction and Asbestos

South Weymouth’s WWII construction incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Blimp hangar construction — the large blimp hangar at South Weymouth used WWII military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the hangar floor, mechanical systems, and associated support structures. Aviation personnel performing lighter-than-air maintenance and operations in this hangar accumulated asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing construction of the blimp facility
  • Aviation support buildings — the aviation support, maintenance, and administrative buildings at South Weymouth used WWII-era military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos pipe insulation in the facility mechanical systems
  • Helium and gas handling facilities — the lighter-than-air operation facilities required for blimp operations, including helium storage and handling systems, used equipment with asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials in the high-pressure gas handling systems

The postwar Naval Air Reserve use of South Weymouth created continued exposure periods:

  • Reserve aviation maintenance facilities — the aircraft maintenance hangars and support buildings used by Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve units at South Weymouth during the postwar period used existing WWII-era construction and postwar additions with asbestos-containing materials in the aviation facility building stock
  • Reserve training facilities — the classroom and administrative buildings supporting Naval Air Reserve training at South Weymouth used military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the facility building stock used by reserve personnel during training drills and active duty periods

VA Claims for NAS South Weymouth 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 trained or served at NAS South Weymouth during any period from the station’s 1942 establishment through its 1997 closure and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.