Naval Station Mayport, located at the mouth of the St. Johns River near Jacksonville in northeastern Florida, was commissioned in 1942 as a naval operating base and developed into one of the Atlantic Fleet’s primary surface combatant homeports through the Cold War. Naval Station Mayport served as homeport to Atlantic Fleet destroyer, frigate, cruiser, and aircraft carrier forces, providing pier-side facilities, ship maintenance support, training facilities, and logistics support for the Atlantic Fleet surface force. The station hosted substantial surface combatant forces throughout the Cold War, supporting generations of destroyer and frigate crews who deployed to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean in support of fleet exercises and Cold War patrol operations. Naval Station Mayport was constructed beginning in 1942 using military construction materials that incorporated asbestos-containing building materials throughout the piers, pier support buildings, enlisted barracks, bachelor officer quarters, maintenance facilities, and administrative offices built during the WWII and Cold War construction period. Ship’s company personnel homeported at Mayport and shore support ratings assigned to Mayport-based commands lived and worked in the WWII and Cold War-era facility construction and accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing building materials throughout their Mayport assignments.

WWII-Era and Cold War Facility Asbestos

Naval Station Mayport’s construction incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Pier-side maintenance facilities — the waterfront maintenance buildings, ship support facilities, and pier-side covered working areas at Naval Station Mayport were constructed using Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing building materials in the facility construction. Ship’s company personnel reporting to Mayport-homeported surface combatants and shore support ratings working in pier-side maintenance facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the waterfront facility construction
  • Enlisted barracks — the enlisted barracks at Naval Station Mayport constructed during the WWII and Cold War station expansion used military construction with asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation in the barracks construction. Navy ship’s company personnel and shore duty ratings living in Mayport barracks accumulated background asbestos exposure from the barracks construction throughout their Mayport assignments
  • Ship repair and maintenance shop facilities — the ship repair shops, welding facilities, and maintenance buildings at Naval Station Mayport used to support homeported surface combatants were constructed using Cold War military construction specifications with asbestos-containing building materials in the shop and maintenance facility construction

Surface Combatant Homeport and Ship Asbestos

Ships homeported at Mayport brought additional asbestos exposure:

  • Destroyer and frigate engineering spaces — the destroyers and frigates homeported at Naval Station Mayport throughout the Cold War era — steam-powered destroyers of the WWII and early Cold War eras and the gas turbine-powered Spruance and Perry class vessels of the later Cold War — incorporated asbestos-containing insulation and construction materials in their engineering spaces and crew spaces. Engineering ratings serving aboard Mayport-homeported surface combatants accumulated engineering plant asbestos exposure in addition to shore-side facility background exposure during their Mayport assignments
  • Carrier port visits and pier-side maintenance — USS Saratoga (CV-60) and USS Forrestal (CV-59) were homeported at Naval Station Mayport during portions of their service lives, bringing the substantial asbestos-insulated engineering plants of the Forrestal class carriers to the Mayport waterfront. Engineering and aviation personnel serving aboard Mayport-homeported carriers accumulated carrier steam plant asbestos exposure in addition to shore facility background exposure

VA Claims for Naval Station Mayport 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 Mayport and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.