Naval Station Everett, located on Port Gardner Bay in Everett, Washington, was established as a modern surface ship homeport facility in the 1990s to supplement the existing Pacific Fleet facilities at Bremerton and Sand Point. The station site incorporates portions of a former Naval Station and industrial waterfront on Puget Sound, and the Everett area has a long history of naval industrial activity at nearby yards and the historic Puget Sound Naval Shipyard complex at Bremerton. Navy surface ships homeported at Everett — including guided missile destroyers and frigates — bring crew members into contact with the older ship construction and with the shore facility building stock at this Pacific Northwest homeport.

Shore Facility Construction and Asbestos

Naval Station Everett’s facility construction incorporated building products used in naval construction:

  • Waterfront support facility buildings — the pier-side support buildings, ship tender support facilities, and waterfront maintenance buildings at Naval Station Everett used construction materials consistent with the naval facility construction standards of their construction period, with older buildings in the facility incorporating asbestos-containing insulation, floor tile, and building products
  • Administrative and support buildings — the base administrative, barracks, and operational support buildings at Naval Station Everett used construction materials consistent with military construction standards, with Navy personnel working in the facility building stock accumulating potential exposure from construction materials in older buildings on the base property

Puget Sound Regional Navy Industrial Context

Everett-area Navy operations connect to the broader Puget Sound naval industrial complex:

  • Puget Sound Naval Shipyard proximity — Navy ships homeported at Everett periodically undergo maintenance and repair at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, where ships and personnel were exposed to asbestos-containing materials during shipyard maintenance operations consistent with the Bremerton shipyard’s WWII-era and Cold War-era construction and repair practices
  • Regional industrial asbestos legacy — the Puget Sound region’s naval industrial facilities, including the historically significant naval activity at Bremerton and the associated naval contractors in the Everett area, used asbestos-containing materials extensively throughout the WWII through Cold War industrial period

VA Claims for Naval Station Everett 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 personnel who served at Naval Station Everett or aboard ships homeported at Everett and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.