Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), located in Portsmouth, Virginia, directly across the Elizabeth River from Naval Station Norfolk, is the oldest naval shipyard in the United States (established 1767) and the Atlantic Fleet’s primary ship repair, overhaul, and modernization facility. NNSY provided drydock overhaul, refueling, major conversion, and repair services for Atlantic Fleet surface ships and submarines throughout the WWII and Cold War eras — with a military and civilian workforce that accumulated asbestos exposure from both the asbestos-containing ships being worked and from the shipyard’s own WWII-era and older industrial infrastructure.

Ship Overhaul and Asbestos Exposure

The primary asbestos exposure at NNSY came from the ships being overhauled in the shipyard’s drydocks and piers:

  • Insulation removal during overhaul — NNSY overhaul of steam-powered surface ships required removal and replacement of asbestos insulation from steam piping, boiler casings, turbine casings, and other insulated surfaces. Shipyard insulators, pipefitters, and associated trades performed asbestos insulation removal in the confined engineering spaces of ships in drydock — generating high concentrations of asbestos fiber in the confined shipboard spaces during removal operations
  • Boiler overhaul — drydock overhaul of boilers on destroyers, cruisers, and carriers involved extensive boiler maintenance by shipyard boilermakers and BT ship’s force personnel in fire rooms with asbestos-insulated boiler equipment. Boiler refractory replacement and boiler tube work involved direct contact with asbestos boiler materials
  • Valve and piping maintenance — shipyard pipefitters performing valve repacking, pipe flange gasket replacement, and piping system maintenance during overhaul worked with asbestos packing and gasket materials throughout the ship’s piping systems
  • Ship’s force presence during overhaul — the ship’s crew (BTs, MMs, EMs, HTs) remained partially aboard during NNSY overhaul periods, performing work in progress monitoring and maintenance in the ships’ engineering spaces alongside shipyard workers performing insulation and piping work

Shipyard Industrial Building Infrastructure

NNSY’s shipyard buildings include structures dating from the 19th century through the WWII era:

  • Pre-WWII and WWII-era shop buildings — NNSY’s machine shops, pipe shops, foundry, and support buildings span construction from the early 20th century through WWII, with older buildings using asbestos-containing construction materials in building mechanical systems, floor tile, and wall insulation
  • Shipyard utility and steam systems — the shipyard’s own steam utility distribution system serving older NNSY buildings and the shipyard’s industrial steam supply used asbestos-insulated pipe throughout the shipyard’s utility distribution infrastructure

Military and Civilian Workforce Exposure

Both military personnel assigned to NNSY billets and the large civilian workforce accumulated asbestos exposure:

  • Ship Repair Facility (SRF) military personnel — Navy enlisted ratings assigned to NNSY in engineering and maintenance billets worked alongside civilian shipyard trades in the ships being overhauled
  • NNSY civilian shipyard workers — in the 1940s-1970s period, thousands of civilian shipyard workers in insulation, pipefitting, boilermaking, and sheet metal trades accumulated significant asbestos exposure from shipboard insulation work

VA Claims for NNSY Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from shipyard work in Navy service. Military personnel assigned to NNSY billets who worked in or near shipboard asbestos-containing materials during ship overhaul and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.