Commander, Naval Air Force, US Atlantic Fleet (COMNAVAIRLANT) was the type command headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk responsible for all Atlantic Fleet naval aviation forces — including aircraft carriers (CV/CVA/CVN), carrier air wings, and the network of Naval Air Stations supporting Atlantic Fleet carrier operations. Personnel assigned under COMNAVAIRLANT — whether aboard carrier strike assets or at subordinate air stations — served in environments with asbestos-containing materials consistent with Navy construction standards through the 1970s.

Carrier Asbestos Under COMNAVAIRLANT

Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers assigned to COMNAVAIRLANT included the Forrestal, Saratoga, Independence, Kitty Hawk (transferred from Pacific), and Enterprise — vessels built or modernized in the 1950s and 1960s when asbestos use in ship construction was at its peak. Aviation ratings, engineering personnel, and ship’s company assigned to Atlantic Fleet carriers operated and maintained spaces with:

  • Propulsion spaces with asbestos-insulated boilers, steam turbines, and steam piping serving the carrier’s engineering plant
  • Aviation fuel systems using asbestos-packed valves and piping in the JP-5 distribution systems serving flight deck operations
  • Hangar bay and flight deck equipment including asbestos-containing fire suppression systems, asbestos thermal tile on some hangar deck surfaces, and asbestos thermal barriers in aviation ordnance handling areas
  • Berthing and working spaces throughout the carrier construction using asbestos floor tile, overhead lagging, and bulkhead insulation in crew living areas

NAS Norfolk and Atlantic Fleet Air Stations

COMNAVAIRLANT’s shore establishment included Naval Air Station Norfolk — the world’s largest naval air station — along with NAS Oceana, NAS Jacksonville, NAS Cecil Field (closed 1999), and other Atlantic Fleet facilities. Shore facilities under COMNAVAIRLANT authority contained asbestos in hangar building construction, steam heating systems, and aircraft maintenance infrastructure consistent with construction standards through the 1970s. Aviation maintenance ratings assigned to aircraft intermediate maintenance departments (AIMD) at these installations worked in hangar environments with asbestos fireproofing on structural steel and pipe insulation on heating systems.

Carrier Air Wing Personnel

Aviation ratings assigned to COMNAVAIRLANT carrier air wings cycled through Atlantic Fleet carriers for deployments and at Atlantic Fleet air stations for inter-deployment maintenance periods. The combination of shipboard and shore-based asbestos exposure across multiple tours created cumulative exposure for career aviation personnel assigned throughout the COMNAVAIRLANT command structure.

VA Claims for COMNAVAIRLANT Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy vessels and at Navy installations. Veterans who served in COMNAVAIRLANT-assigned billets aboard Atlantic Fleet carriers or at Atlantic Fleet air stations before the early 1980s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.