Naval Station La Maddalena, located on the island of La Maddalena off the northeastern coast of Sardinia, Italy, served as the US Navy’s primary submarine support facility in the Mediterranean from 1972 through 2008. The La Maddalena installation provided tender support, torpedo maintenance, crew recreation, and logistics for Sixth Fleet nuclear and fast-attack submarines on Mediterranean deployments, centered on submarine tender ships (AS class) homeported at La Maddalena providing floating repair and maintenance capability. The station’s combination of submarine tender engineering plants and Cold War-era shore construction created asbestos exposure pathways for Navy personnel assigned there.

Submarine Tender Engineering Plant Asbestos

Submarine tenders homeported at La Maddalena — USS Orion (AS-18) and USS Simon Lake (AS-33) — used steam plant engineering with extensive asbestos insulation:

  • AS-class tender boiler plant — the steam-powered submarine tenders homeported at La Maddalena used fire-tube or water-tube boilers with asbestos-containing boiler lagging, boiler brickwork refractory, and asbestos-insulated steam piping throughout the engineering plant. Boiler Technician (BT) and Machinist’s Mate (MM) ratings aboard the tender accumulated sustained asbestos exposure from the engineering plant throughout their tender assignment
  • Steam distribution system — the steam distribution system serving the tender’s hotel and auxiliary loads used asbestos-insulated steam supply piping in the main steam supply runs and branch piping throughout the ship
  • Submarine repair workshops — the tender’s machine shop, pipe shop, and welding workshop spaces used in submarine maintenance work incorporated asbestos-containing materials in the shop building construction and in the repair materials used in submarine overhaul work

Shore Installation Infrastructure

NSA La Maddalena’s shore facilities reflected Cold War-era construction:

  • Cold War-era barracks and support facilities — the shore barracks and support buildings at La Maddalena constructed during the 1970s to support the submarine support mission incorporated asbestos-containing construction materials in building interiors consistent with the military construction standards of the early 1970s
  • Weapons and torpedo storage facilities — the weapons handling and torpedo maintenance facilities at La Maddalena used older industrial construction with asbestos-containing materials in building mechanical systems

VA Claims for La Maddalena 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. Submarine tender crew members and shore personnel who served at La Maddalena and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.