Los Angeles Class (SSN-688) Submarines — Asbestos in Fast-Attack Submarines

The Los Angeles class fast-attack submarines — 62 hulls (SSN-688 through SSN-773) built between 1972 and 1996 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat Division (Groton, CT) — are the most numerous nuclear submarine class in US Navy history. Los Angeles class submarines use a General Electric S6G naval nuclear reactor generating steam through a primary coolant loop to drive two steam turbine sets producing approximately 35,000 shaft horsepower on a single shaft. The secondary steam system, though at lower temperatures than conventional destroyer or cruiser steam plants, still required asbestos insulation on steam piping, heat exchangers, and auxiliary steam components in the tightly packed engineering spaces that characterize submarine construction.

Nuclear Propulsion Plant and Asbestos

The Los Angeles class S6G plant generates steam in the secondary circuit (isolated from the reactor’s primary coolant) at temperatures and pressures requiring thermal insulation on steam-carrying components:

• Secondary steam piping from the steam generators to the main turbine sets, covered with asbestos block insulation and lagging in the engine room compartment of the submarine
• Main steam turbine sets — the main propulsion turbines and turbo-generators — with asbestos block insulation on turbine casings and high-temperature exhaust connections
• Auxiliary steam components including feedwater heaters, steam traps, and auxiliary turbines in the engineering spaces, all with asbestos insulation on high-temperature surfaces
• Turbine-driven auxiliary equipment including air ejectors, evaporators, and condensate systems using asbestos-insulated pipe and equipment in the engineering spaces

Contractor-Installed Asbestos in Submarine Construction

Los Angeles class submarines built in the 1970s and early 1980s — the first 40+ hulls of the class — were constructed during the period when asbestos remained the standard insulation material for steam-system thermal management. Both Newport News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat installed asbestos insulation in the engineering spaces of Los Angeles class submarines built before the mid-1980s phase-down of asbestos in new shipbuilding construction. The cramped engineering space geometry of submarine construction concentrated insulation work in close proximity to personnel working in the same spaces.

Engineering Rating Exposure

Engineering ratings who served aboard Los Angeles class submarines in the engine room (the after compartment containing the steam plant equipment) were in close proximity to asbestos-insulated components throughout their watch standing assignments:

• Machinist’s Mates (MM) — Nuclear-qualified MMs who stood watches in the engine room were the primary engineering watch section in the Los Angeles class, working in direct proximity to the steam plant and its insulated components
• Electrician’s Mates (EM) — Nuclear-qualified EMs standing electrical watches in the machinery spaces were present in the same engine room environment
• Engine room maintenance during training periods, overhauls, and refueling availabilities involved direct handling of insulated components

Shipyard and Overhaul Asbestos Exposure

Los Angeles class submarines requiring nuclear refueling and periodic overhaul at naval shipyards — Newport News, Electric Boat, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard — underwent overhaul work in which asbestos insulation was stripped and replaced by shipyard trades. Submarine crew members present during shipyard availabilities were exposed to asbestos dust generated by insulation removal and replacement work.

VA Claims for Los Angeles Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy submarines. Veterans who served in engineering billets aboard Los Angeles class submarines (SSN-688 through SSN-773) before the early 1990s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits. DD-214 records identifying an SSN-688 series hull number as a duty station document the qualifying assignment.

Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.