Navy Hull Maintenance Technicians (HT) — the Navy enlisted rating responsible for damage control readiness, ship’s piping system maintenance, and below-decks structural repair — performed work throughout the engineering spaces, void compartments, and between-decks areas of Navy ships. HT ratings maintained and repaired ship’s piping systems including firemain piping, fresh water systems, salt water service systems, and bilge and ballast systems; performed welding and cutting operations in ship structural and piping repair; and maintained damage control equipment throughout the ship. Hull Maintenance Technicians working on ship’s piping systems in the engineering spaces encountered asbestos pipe covering insulation in virtually every piping repair task aboard WWII-era and Cold War Navy ships. Pipe repair operations required HT ratings to cut through asbestos pipe covering to access the pipe underneath, remove sections of asbestos pipe insulation from the work area, and cut and fit replacement pipe — operations that disturbed asbestos pipe covering and generated asbestos fiber in the confined engineering space work areas throughout each pipe repair evolution.

Pipe Repair and Asbestos Pipe Covering Exposure

HT ratings working on ship’s piping encountered asbestos pipe covering in every repair:

  • Asbestos pipe covering disturbance in pipe repair — the piping systems throughout Navy ship engineering spaces, void compartments, and between-decks areas were insulated with asbestos pipe covering on all hot and cold service piping, including firemain piping, fresh water service piping, steam heating piping, and auxiliary service piping. Hull Maintenance Technicians performing piping system repairs cut through sections of asbestos pipe covering to access piping for repair, with the pipe covering cutting operations releasing asbestos fiber from the disturbed insulation into the enclosed compartment work area during each pipe repair job. The removal of aged, compressed asbestos pipe covering from around pipe repair areas generated asbestos fiber at the pipe covering disturbance site throughout the repair evolution
  • Pipe flange and valve gasket replacement — HT ratings performing pipe flange separation for repair or valve replacement encountered asbestos-containing compressed gaskets in flanged piping connections throughout ship piping systems. Gasket removal operations disturbed asbestos compressed sheet gaskets in flanged joints, with the gasket scraping and removal releasing asbestos fiber from the disturbed gasket material during each pipe flange work evolution

Welding and Cutting Operations in Asbestos-Containing Spaces

HT welding operations in engineering spaces created additional asbestos exposure:

  • Welding in asbestos-insulated engineering spaces — welding and cutting operations performed by HT ratings in ship engineering spaces, machinery rooms, and below-decks areas were conducted in compartments with asbestos-insulated piping and equipment throughout the space. The welding heat and welding torch activity disturbed and volatilized materials in the vicinity of the welding work, with asbestos fiber from nearby disturbed pipe covering adding to the asbestos exposure environment in the confined welding work area
  • Damage control boundary establishment — HT ratings establishing damage control boundaries during flooding emergency response and drills entered flooded and damaged compartments where asbestos-containing materials from pipe insulation and building construction were present, with the flooding water disturbing and mobilizing asbestos fiber from submerged insulation materials

Damage Control Equipment Maintenance

HT damage control maintenance operations involved asbestos-containing equipment:

  • Firemain piping maintenance — the firemain piping system running throughout Navy ships for firefighting water supply was insulated with asbestos pipe covering in WWII and Cold War ships. HT ratings maintaining and repairing the firemain piping system encountered asbestos pipe covering throughout the firemain maintenance work
  • Shipboard fire pump maintenance — HT ratings maintaining shipboard fire pumps in Navy ships performed valve and packing maintenance on fire pump systems, with fire pump valve packing materials incorporating asbestos-containing braided packing through the mid-1970s era

VA Claims for Hull Maintenance Technicians

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy shipboard maintenance activities. Hull Maintenance Technicians who worked on piping systems, performed welding operations, and conducted damage control maintenance in asbestos-containing Navy ship spaces and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.