The Damage Controlman (DC) rating existed from 1948 to 1972, when it was consolidated into the Hull Technician (HT) rating. Damage Controlmen maintained the ship’s damage control systems — watertight integrity, fire suppression, flooding control, and pipe repair — and by the nature of their duties, moved through virtually every space on the ship. Their full-ship access, combined with responsibility for the piping and structural systems most saturated with asbestos-containing insulation, produced documented asbestos exposure throughout the rating’s history.

Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Damage Controlman exposure across the rating’s full service life, and DC veterans’ exposure histories are recognized under the same VA asbestos framework as post-1972 Hull Technician service.

Documented Exposure Sources

Full-Ship Access and Frequency of Exposure

The defining feature of DC asbestos exposure in the publicly filed record is the frequency and breadth of exposure — arising directly from the damage controlman’s duty to know and access every space on the ship.

Pipe Patching and Repair

Damage Controlmen performed pipe patching as emergency repair — cutting, fitting, and patching damaged piping under casualty conditions. “Decedent’s job in damage control was similar [to a pipefitter]” — publicly filed records draw an explicit parallel between DC work and pipefitter work in the context of asbestos exposure. “Ship’s piping and insulation. Further, his [duties]…” — the pipe/insulation connection in DC work is directly documented.

Valve Maintenance and Control Systems

Damage Control Documentation of Asbestos Materials

A uniquely documented DC exposure pathway is the maintenance of the ship’s damage control book — the master record of all materials, compartments, and systems aboard the vessel. “Correct the master damage control book” — publicly filed records document the DC’s responsibility for maintaining this book. For vessels with asbestos-containing structural and pipe systems, the DC who maintained the damage control book had institutional knowledge of — and frequent access to — every asbestos-containing system aboard.

Damage Control School

Publicly filed records reference a Damage Control School in the context of firesuit training and instruction — documenting that DCs received formal training at a facility with the same asbestos-containing building infrastructure as other Navy shore facilities.

Documented Work Activities

Watch standing at damage control stations: DCs stood watch throughout the ship at damage control stations — in engineering spaces, machinery rooms, and below-deck compartments where asbestos-containing insulation covered overhead and bulkhead surfaces. Watch standing in these spaces over extended periods generated bystander exposure independent of any hands-on maintenance work.

Emergency pipe repair: Flooding and fire casualty response required DCs to work rapidly with damaged piping in spaces where insulation had been physically disrupted — generating peak asbestos exposure from both the fractured insulation and the pipe repair materials themselves.

Fire suppression system maintenance: “(j) Damage Control — Fog foam, fire fighting…” — published documentation confirms that foam and firefighting system maintenance was a DC duty, placing DCs in contact with the asbestos-containing fittings, valves, and piping associated with fire suppression systems.

Pipe Shop: “Pipe Shop. Item (45s). DAMAGE CONTROL” — publicly filed records directly connect the Pipe Shop to damage control work, establishing that DCs working in the ship’s pipe shop were exposed to the same asbestos-containing pipe and gasket materials as rated Pipefitters and Machinist’s Mates performing pipe work in the same space.

Rating History and Transition

The Damage Controlman rate existed from 1948 to 1972. Veterans who served as DCs during this period are entitled to the same VA asbestos framework as Hull Technicians — the successor rate. Veterans who were designated DC and then transitioned to HT after 1972 have documented exposure under both rating designations.

Ships and Shore Assignments

The Damage Controlman rating qualifies for VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance based on documented below-deck work, full-ship access to asbestos-containing spaces, and hands-on contact with asbestos-insulated piping and valve systems. Veterans who served as DCs prior to the 1972 consolidation into HT should document their DC service period through DD-214 Block 11 or NARA service records.

Key documents for a DC claim:

  • DD-214 Block 11 — primary specialty showing DC (or HT for post-1972 transition)
  • Ship assignments — duty stations from DD-214 or NARA muster rolls establishing the vessel type and service period
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Civil claims may run against pipe insulation manufacturers (Kaylo/Owens-Illinois, Armstrong, Thermobestos), gasket manufacturers (Garlock, Flexitallic), and valve manufacturers (Crane, Velan) whose asbestos-containing products are documented in the DC work environment.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Documented asbestos exposure information derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.