Naval Station Bermuda, located at the former Royal Naval Dockyard site in St. George’s Parish on the eastern end of Bermuda, was established under the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and Great Britain, and later expanded under WWII basing agreements. The station served as a critical mid-Atlantic base for convoy escort operations, anti-submarine warfare patrols over the North Atlantic, and air patrol coverage of the vital shipping lanes through the mid-Atlantic throughout WWII. During the Cold War, Naval Station Bermuda — and the associated Naval Air Station Bermuda — continued to serve as a significant ASW patrol base and communications relay facility. US Navy operations at Bermuda continued until the early 1990s when US facilities were consolidated and returned to Bermuda. Navy personnel stationed at Bermuda during the WWII through Cold War operational period accumulated asbestos exposure from the WWII-era British-origin facility construction and from US military construction additions at the base.

WWII Base Construction and Asbestos

Naval Station Bermuda’s facility stock incorporated asbestos in WWII construction:

  • WWII naval facility construction — the US military construction additions and improvements to the Bermuda naval facility during WWII used American military construction specifications with asbestos-containing materials in the shore facility buildings, pier support structures, and aviation facilities supporting convoy escort and ASW patrol operations
  • Aviation facility buildings — the patrol aircraft hangars and maintenance buildings at the Bermuda naval aviation facility used WWII military construction with asbestos-containing building materials in the hangar and support facility construction consistent with Navy aviation facility construction standards of the period
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the enlisted barracks and administrative buildings used at Naval Station Bermuda used military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

Cold War ASW Operations and Facility Asbestos

Bermuda’s Cold War role as an ASW base created continued exposure:

  • ASW patrol operations facilities — the ASW operations buildings, ready rooms, and facilities supporting Cold War patrol aviation at Bermuda used Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the operations facility building stock

VA Claims for Naval Station Bermuda 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 Naval Station Bermuda during any period from the station’s WWII establishment through its early 1990s closure and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.