Naval Station Bremerton, located on Puget Sound in Bremerton, Washington — directly adjacent to the major naval industrial complex of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — served as homeport for Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, the Iowa-class battleships during their 1980s reactivation, and Pacific Fleet surface combatants throughout the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. The station provided pier facilities, ship maintenance support, logistics, and shore support services for homeported Pacific Fleet vessels. Significant Pacific Fleet carriers and battleships homeported at Bremerton included USS Midway, USS Ranger, and USS Nimitz at various points in their service lives, along with USS New Jersey (BB-62) and USS Missouri (BB-63) during the Iowa-class battleship reactivation of the 1980s. Naval Station Bremerton was constructed beginning in the early 20th century and expanded extensively during WWII and the Cold War, with the WWII and Cold War construction using military construction materials incorporating asbestos-containing building materials throughout the pier facilities, barracks, administrative buildings, and support structures. Ship’s company personnel homeported at Bremerton and shore support ratings accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing construction of the base facilities throughout their Bremerton naval service.

WWII-Era and Cold War Facility Asbestos

Naval Station Bremerton’s facilities incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Pier-side maintenance and carrier support facilities — the waterfront maintenance buildings and carrier support facilities at Naval Station Bremerton were constructed using Cold War military construction specifications with asbestos-containing building materials. Ship’s company personnel reporting to Bremerton-homeported carriers and surface combatants and shore support personnel working in pier-side facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the waterfront facility construction
  • Enlisted barracks — the enlisted barracks at Naval Station Bremerton constructed during WWII and Cold War expansion used military construction specifications with asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation in the barracks construction. Personnel living in Bremerton barracks accumulated background asbestos exposure from the residential facility construction
  • Proximity to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — the direct physical adjacency of Naval Station Bremerton to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — one of the Navy’s major carrier overhaul and repair shipyards — meant that naval station personnel were in proximity to active shipyard operations where asbestos was encountered during vessel repair and overhaul work throughout the Cold War era

Iowa-Class Battleship Homeport and Asbestos

Naval Station Bremerton’s Iowa-class battleship homeporting created additional asbestos pathways:

  • USS Missouri (BB-63) homeport — USS Missouri (BB-63), homeported at Bremerton during the Iowa-class reactivation of the 1980s, incorporated extensive asbestos-insulated steam propulsion plant from the ship’s WWII construction. Ship’s company personnel serving aboard the Missouri during the 1980s Bremerton homeport period accumulated asbestos exposure from the battleship’s WWII-era asbestos-insulated engineering plant
  • Reserve fleet lay-up operations — Naval Station Bremerton maintained portions of the Pacific Reserve Fleet in lay-up berths at Bremerton. Personnel assigned to reserve fleet caretaker operations aboard laid-up vessels — maintaining ships in preservation status — worked aboard vessels with WWII-era and Cold War-era asbestos-containing construction

VA Claims for Naval Station Bremerton Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval shore installations. Navy personnel who served at Naval Station Bremerton and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.