Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN-726) — Asbestos in Trident Submarines

Ohio class ballistic missile submarines — 18 hulls commissioned from 1981 through 1997 at Electric Boat Division (Groton, Connecticut) — are the current US Navy fleet ballistic missile submarine force, each carrying 24 Trident I C-4 or Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and powered by the Westinghouse S8G pressurized water reactor driving a single-shaft geared turbine propulsion plant. Ohio class submarines were homeported at NS Kings Bay, Georgia (Atlantic boats) and NS Bangor, Washington (Pacific boats).

S8G Reactor Steam Plant and Asbestos in Early Hulls

Early Ohio class submarines commissioned from 1981 through approximately 1984 (USS Ohio SSBN-726 through the earliest commissioned boats) were built during the period when Navy nuclear submarine construction specifications were completing the transition away from asbestos-containing materials:

• Steam system insulation in early hulls — the earliest Ohio class submarines may have retained some asbestos-containing materials in steam plant insulation in the transitional construction specifications of the early 1980s. The Westinghouse S8G plant in early Ohio class boats used thermal insulation for steam distribution piping that may have included asbestos-containing materials in the earliest-production construction
• Turbine and generator insulation — the main propulsion turbines and ship’s service turbine generators in early Ohio class submarines used thermal insulation that included asbestos-containing materials in the transitional construction period before nuclear submarine specifications fully completed the asbestos phase-down
• Later hull construction — Ohio class submarines commissioned from the mid-1980s onward (SSBN-733 and later) were built to substantially asbestos-reduced or asbestos-free construction specifications and have a much lower asbestos exposure profile than the earliest boats in the class

Submarine Interior and Habitability

Ohio class submarines are significantly larger than predecessor SSBNs, with improved habitability:

• Pressure hull interior — the Ohio class design incorporated improved habitability over the Lafayette class, with the submarine interior construction using modern materials that substantially excluded asbestos in the mid-1980s and later construction. Early Ohio class submarines in the 1981-1984 build period may have used transitional materials in some construction areas
• Acoustic isolation systems — the acoustic isolation systems in Ohio class submarine sonar and machinery spaces used modern non-asbestos materials in most installations throughout the class

Deterrent Patrol Operations

Ohio class submarines conduct continuous deterrent patrols under the Blue/Gold crew rotation:

• Ohio class submarines conduct 70-77 day deterrent patrols with crew members spending extended time aboard the submarine throughout each patrol
• Engineering ratings aboard early Ohio class submarines — Machinist’s Mates (MM) and Electrician’s Mates (EM) — served in nuclear engineering billets maintaining S8G reactor plant components with any asbestos-containing materials in the early-boat construction

VA Claims for Ohio Class Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure in nuclear submarine engineering spaces. Engineering ratings who served aboard the earliest Ohio class submarines (approximately SSBN-726 through SSBN-732, commissioned 1981-1984) and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer should discuss their specific vessel’s construction specifications with a VA claims advisor.

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.