Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, located on the south shore of Pearl Harbor at the historic naval complex established by the US Navy in the early 20th century, is the home base of the Pacific Fleet submarine force — hosting Los Angeles class fast attack submarines, Ohio class ballistic missile submarines, and the submarine tenders and support facilities that maintain the Pacific submarine fleet. The Pearl Harbor submarine base encompasses submarine berths, torpedo overhaul facilities, shipyard repair capabilities, and extensive shore-based support infrastructure spanning from the WWII period through the present.

Submarine Tender Operations and Asbestos

Submarine tenders homeported at Pearl Harbor provided shipboard maintenance support to the submarine force:

  • Tender engineering maintenance — submarine tenders at Pearl Harbor (including USS Proteus AS-19, USS Orion AS-18, and successor vessels) served as floating machine shops and maintenance facilities for the Pearl Harbor submarine force. Tender crew members performing maintenance on submarine propulsion systems, including steam plant components with asbestos insulation from nuclear submarine repair work, accumulated asbestos exposure from submarine maintenance operations
  • Submarine steam plant maintenance — nuclear submarines at Pearl Harbor requiring steam plant maintenance and repair worked alongside tender crews and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers, with disturbance of asbestos-insulated steam system components during submarine overhaul

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Submarine Work

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard performed submarine overhaul and repair at the Pearl Harbor complex:

  • Submarine overhaul work — Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers performing overhaul of nuclear and conventional submarines at the Pearl Harbor shipyard disturbed asbestos insulation in submarine engineering spaces during scheduled maintenance cycles. Shipyard workers and Navy personnel working in the shipyard during submarine overhaul accumulated asbestos exposure from the submarine’s original asbestos-containing insulation being disturbed during overhaul operations
  • Shipyard building infrastructure — the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard’s WWII-era building and shop infrastructure used standard wartime asbestos-containing construction throughout

WWII-Era Shore Facility Asbestos

Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor’s shore infrastructure includes WWII-era construction:

  • WWII barracks and support buildings — the shore facility buildings dating from the WWII period use asbestos-containing construction materials including floor tile, ceiling tile, and building mechanical system insulation consistent with 1940s-era naval construction
  • Base steam and utility systems — the base heating and utility distribution serving older Pearl Harbor submarine base buildings uses asbestos-insulated distribution piping in the older building complex

VA Claims for Pearl Harbor Submarine Base Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval submarine bases and shipyards. Submarine crew members, tender personnel, and shore-based workers who served at Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.