Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, located within Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, served as the primary homeport and support base for the Pacific Fleet submarine force throughout the Cold War and into the present day. The submarine base provided berthing, maintenance, refit, and operational support for conventional (diesel-electric) submarines in the early Cold War era and for nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and fleet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) through the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. Submarine tender vessels — USS Proteus (AS-19), USS Sperry (AS-12), USS Hunley (AS-31), and others — provided at-sea-level maintenance and refit services for submarines berthed at the Pearl Harbor submarine base. Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor was constructed beginning in the WWII era and expanded through the Cold War using military construction materials that incorporated asbestos-containing building materials throughout the submarine refit facilities, submarine tender piers, torpedo overhaul buildings, enlisted barracks, and administrative facilities constructed during the WWII and Cold War construction period. Submariners living and working ashore at the Pearl Harbor submarine base during submarine refit periods, and submarine tender crew and shore-based submarine support personnel assigned to the base, accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing shore facility construction in addition to any asbestos exposure from their submarine or tender service.

Cold War Submarine Refit Facility Asbestos

Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor’s refit facilities incorporated asbestos:

  • Submarine refit and maintenance buildings — the covered refit facilities, submarine maintenance shops, and waterfront support buildings at Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor were constructed using Cold War military construction specifications with asbestos-containing building materials in the facility construction. Submariners performing topside maintenance, equipment removal, and equipment installation during submarine refit periods at Pearl Harbor worked in and adjacent to the asbestos-containing refit facility construction throughout the refit period
  • Torpedo overhaul and weapons handling facilities — the torpedo overhaul shop and weapons handling facilities at Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor were constructed with asbestos-containing building materials in the weapons facility construction. Torpedoman’s Mates and weapons handling personnel working in the torpedo overhaul shop accumulated background asbestos exposure from the facility construction throughout their torpedo overhaul and weapons handling duties
  • Enlisted barracks and bachelor officer quarters — the enlisted barracks and bachelor officer quarters at Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor constructed during the WWII base establishment and Cold War expansion used military construction specifications with asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation in the residential facility construction. Submariners in between-deployment status and shore-assigned submarine personnel living in Pearl Harbor submarine base barracks accumulated background asbestos exposure from the residential facility construction

Submarine Tender Asbestos

Submarine tenders at Pearl Harbor contained substantial asbestos:

  • Submarine tender engineering plants — the submarine tender vessels supporting Pearl Harbor-based submarines — AS-class submarine tenders built during the WWII and early Cold War era — were constructed with asbestos-containing steam plant insulation, building construction materials, and interior construction consistent with naval vessel construction practice of the mid-twentieth century. Submarine tender crew members working in tender engineering spaces and living in tender crew berthing spaces accumulated asbestos exposure from both the tender propulsion plant insulation and the tender interior construction throughout their tender assignments

VA Claims for Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval submarine bases and aboard naval vessels. Submariners, submarine tender crew, and shore-assigned submarine support personnel 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.