Yeomen (YN) — Navy enlisted ratings responsible for administrative services, records management, and clerical support — served aboard Navy ships of all types providing the administrative backbone of ship’s company operations. YN ratings maintained personnel records, drafted official correspondence, processed evaluations, and managed the administrative paperwork requirements of ship’s company operations aboard destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and auxiliary ships. Yeomen worked in ship’s office spaces typically located below the main deck within the ship’s hull interior, in close proximity to the mechanical systems, pipe runs, and hull construction that incorporated asbestos-containing materials throughout Cold War-era naval vessel construction. YN ratings working in ship’s office spaces aboard Cold War-era naval vessels commissioned during the asbestos construction period accumulated background asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing pipe insulation, overhead insulation, and interior construction materials present throughout the hull areas where ship’s office spaces were located.

Ship’s Office Space Construction Asbestos

YN ratings in below-decks ship’s office spaces accumulated background asbestos:

  • Below-decks hull construction in administrative spaces — ship’s office spaces aboard Cold War-era destroyers, cruisers, and carriers were typically located below the main deck within the hull interior, in the same hull areas that incorporated asbestos-containing pipe insulation and construction materials throughout the ship. The pipe runs serving mechanical and electrical systems passed through and above the compartments where YN ratings worked, with asbestos-containing pipe insulation on the steam and water distribution pipes in the overhead and bulkheads of the administrative spaces. YN ratings spending their working hours in ship’s office spaces accumulated background asbestos exposure from the hull construction materials present in the administrative space overhead and bulkheads throughout their shipboard assignments
  • Administrative passageway and compartment overhead insulation — the passageways, berthing areas adjacent to office spaces, and compartments throughout the hull areas where ship’s administration was conducted incorporated asbestos-containing overhead insulation consistent with the ship’s construction period specifications. YN ratings moving through the administrative areas of Cold War-era ships accumulated background asbestos exposure from the hull construction materials in the administrative section of the vessel

Shipyard and Shore Station Administrative Facility Asbestos

YN ratings at shore commands and shipyard administrative facilities accumulated facility asbestos:

  • Shore command administrative building construction — Yeomen assigned to shore commands — naval stations, naval bases, operational commands, and training commands — worked in administrative buildings constructed using military construction specifications that incorporated asbestos-containing building materials in the floor tile, ceiling tile, pipe insulation, and building construction. YN ratings at shore commands accumulated background asbestos exposure from the shore facility construction during their shore duty assignments
  • Aircraft carrier administration spaces — Yeomen assigned to aircraft carrier administrative departments worked in carrier hull spaces incorporating asbestos-containing construction materials consistent with the carrier’s construction period. The large crew complements of aircraft carriers required substantial administrative offices and working spaces within the carrier hull, with YN ratings working in these carrier administrative spaces accumulating background asbestos exposure from the carrier construction throughout their carrier assignments

VA Claims for Navy Yeoman Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy ship service. Yeomen who served aboard Cold War-era naval vessels and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.