Storekeepers — SK ratings — managed parts inventories, requisition processing, and supply operations for Navy ships and shore commands, maintaining parts inventories for engineering systems, flight operations, and ship’s company needs. SK billets were at ship supply departments aboard surface combatants and carriers, naval supply depots and fleet industrial supply centers at major naval stations, and supply offices at shore commands throughout the naval shore establishment.

Shore Supply Facility and Asbestos

SK ratings working in naval supply depot buildings accumulated secondary asbestos exposure:

  • WWII-era supply warehouse buildings — the supply warehouse and depot buildings at naval supply depots and fleet industrial supply centers were typically constructed of WWII-era or early Cold War industrial building materials using asbestos-containing roofing, asbestos-containing floor products in office areas, and asbestos-containing insulation in the building mechanical systems. SK ratings working in these supply warehouse and depot facilities during duty tours were in proximity to aging asbestos-containing construction materials throughout their assignments
  • Shore command supply office buildings — the supply offices and storeroom spaces at shore commands used the same WWII-era and postwar building construction with asbestos-containing building products as other naval shore facility buildings, with SK ratings spending their shore duty assignments in these spaces
  • Parts storage and handling — Navy supply depot parts inventories included asbestos-containing replacement parts and materials — insulation blocks, gasket material, packing, and asbestos-containing filter products — stored in supply depot warehouses; SK ratings handling, inventorying, and issuing these asbestos-containing parts accumulated secondary exposure from the parts themselves

Shipboard SK Billets and Asbestos

SK ratings serving aboard ships accumulated shipboard asbestos exposure:

  • Carrier supply department spaces — SK ratings serving in carrier supply departments aboard Essex class, Midway class, and Forrestal class carriers worked in the asbestos-containing interior of these WWII-era and 1950s-1960s-era vessels, with supply office and storeroom spaces distributed throughout the carrier’s interior
  • Surface combatant supply spaces — SK ratings aboard destroyers and cruisers operated supply offices and storerooms in the asbestos-containing interior spaces of these vessels throughout their sea duty tours

VA Claims for SK Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval supply facilities and aboard Navy vessels. Storekeepers who served in shore supply commands with WWII-era building stock or aboard pre-1980 ships and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.