Naval Station Norfolk, located in Norfolk, Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Elizabeth River, is the world’s largest naval station and serves as the primary homeport for the United States Atlantic Fleet surface combatants and aircraft carriers. Naval Station Norfolk grew from a WWII-era facility into a massive complex encompassing fourteen piers, four aircraft hangars, eleven aircraft landing fields, and hundreds of support buildings covering over 4,000 acres. The station homeports aircraft carriers, guided missile cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and auxiliary vessels of the Atlantic Fleet, making it the most densely populated naval facility in the world by ship count. Norfolk’s WWII-era construction — the piers, the carrier berth complexes, the ship maintenance buildings, the barracks, the administrative buildings, and the support infrastructure — was built using construction specifications of the 1940s incorporating asbestos-containing materials throughout. Cold War expansions added additional facilities using construction specifications of their respective periods. The enormous number of sailors homeported at Norfolk, cycling through pier-side maintenance, training, and operations, accumulated background asbestos exposure from the construction materials of the station’s facilities throughout their Norfolk duty assignments.

Norfolk’s pier facilities and ship maintenance infrastructure incorporated asbestos:

  • Carrier pier facilities and carrier maintenance buildings — the carrier berth pier complexes at Norfolk — including the dedicated carrier piers and the associated carrier maintenance support buildings — were constructed using WWII-era and Cold War military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing materials in the pier buildings, maintenance shop structures, and support facilities. Sailors from homeported carriers working in pier-side maintenance buildings accumulated background asbestos exposure from the pier facility construction materials
  • Surface combatant pier facilities — the pier complexes homeporting Norfolk’s surface combatants — cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and amphibious ships — included pier support buildings, tender berth areas, and maintenance facilities constructed using Cold War military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing building materials
  • Ship’s force maintenance facilities — the ship repair and maintenance buildings, pier-side shops, and maintenance support facilities at Norfolk where ship’s force maintenance on homeported vessels was performed were constructed using military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing building materials

Norfolk’s shore infrastructure incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Enlisted and officer barracks — the enlisted barracks and bachelor officers’ quarters at Naval Station Norfolk housing the large transient and permanent-party population were constructed using WWII-era and Cold War military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation throughout the residential facilities
  • Administrative and headquarters buildings — the headquarters buildings, administrative offices, and command facilities at Naval Station Norfolk were constructed using military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing building materials consistent with their WWII-era and Cold War construction periods
  • Training and logistics facilities — the training facilities, supply warehouses, and logistics support buildings at Norfolk incorporated asbestos-containing construction materials consistent with the military construction specifications of their various construction periods

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