Navy Radiomen (RM) — the enlisted rating responsible for the operation, maintenance, and repair of radio communications equipment aboard naval vessels and at shore communication stations — served throughout the Navy’s surface, submarine, and shore communication communities from the WWII era through the Cold War. RM ratings aboard ships operated and maintained high-frequency radio transmitters and receivers in the ship’s radio room, communicating with fleet command, other vessels, and shore stations during deployments and operations. Shore-based Radiomen operated transmitters and receivers at naval communication stations providing fleet communications services to deployed naval forces. Radiomen working in shipboard radio rooms accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing ship interior construction materials in the radio room spaces adjacent to and integrated with the ship’s overall asbestos-insulated construction, and from the asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials in the high-power radio transmitters and receivers operated in ship radio rooms.

Shipboard Radio Room Asbestos

RM ratings in ship radio rooms accumulated background asbestos exposure:

  • Radio room construction in ship interior — shipboard radio rooms aboard WWII-era and Cold War Navy vessels were located within the ship’s superstructure and interior construction using asbestos-containing building materials consistent with the ship’s overall construction specifications. RM ratings working in ship radio rooms aboard vessels constructed during the WWII and Cold War era accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-insulated radio room construction — overhead, bulkhead, and deck insulation — throughout their shipboard radioman assignments
  • Radio transmitter high-power wiring insulation — the high-power radio transmitters operated by Radiomen in shipboard radio rooms incorporated electrical wiring and component insulation materials consistent with mid-twentieth century electronics manufacturing. RM ratings performing maintenance and repair on shipboard radio transmitters encountered electrical wiring and component insulation materials in the high-power transmitter equipment during maintenance operations
  • Radio room pipe insulation background — the utility systems serving shipboard radio rooms — heating, ventilation, and communication cable runs — incorporated asbestos-insulated pipe systems passing through and adjacent to the radio room construction, providing background asbestos exposure from the ship’s pervasive asbestos pipe insulation system in the radio room vicinity

Shore Communication Station Asbestos

RM ratings at shore communication stations accumulated facility asbestos exposure:

  • Naval communication station transmitter building construction — the transmitter buildings and receiver buildings at naval shore communication stations were constructed using military construction specifications with asbestos-containing building materials in the facility construction. Radiomen assigned to shore communication stations worked in asbestos-containing facility construction throughout their shore duty assignments at naval communication facilities
  • High-power shore transmitter electrical insulation — the large high-power radio transmitters at naval shore communication stations used to communicate with deployed fleet units incorporated extensive electrical wiring and component insulation materials in the transmitter equipment. Radiomen performing maintenance on shore station high-power transmitters encountered electrical insulation materials in the transmitter equipment during transmitter maintenance operations

VA Claims for Navy Radiomen

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy communications service. Radiomen who served aboard naval vessels and at shore communication stations and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.