US Navy submarine tenders — the AS class — served as floating headquarters and comprehensive repair ships for submarine squadrons, providing turbine overhaul, nuclear plant support equipment maintenance, weapons system repair, electronic system maintenance, and logistic resupply for assigned submarines. Major AS class vessels include the Fulton class (AS-11 through AS-15, WWII-era diesel submarine support), Hunley class (AS-31 through AS-32, Cold War nuclear submarine support), L.Y. Spear class (AS-36 through AS-37), and Dixon class (AS-37). Submarine tenders served at Pearl Harbor, Subic Bay, Holy Loch Scotland, Rota Spain, and other forward-deployed submarine bases during the Cold War, supporting both diesel and nuclear-powered submarines in fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) and attack submarine (SSN) operations. AS class tender crew members accumulated asbestos exposure from the tender’s own steam propulsion systems and from performing repair work on assigned submarines that incorporated asbestos-containing materials in their propulsion and interior construction.
Tender Steam Plant and Asbestos
AS class submarine tender propulsion systems used asbestos insulation:
- Submarine tender boiler rooms — AS class submarine tenders used steam propulsion with Babcock & Wilcox or Combustion Engineering boilers insulated with asbestos block on boiler casings and asbestos pipe covering on steam distribution systems throughout the tender’s engineering spaces. Boiler Tender ratings maintaining the tender’s steam plant accumulated asbestos exposure from the installed boiler and steam system insulation
- Turbine room steam systems — steam turbines and reduction gears driving submarine tender propulsion were served by steam distribution piping with asbestos pipe covering and asbestos gasket materials throughout the tender’s turbine rooms
Submarine Repair Operations and Asbestos
Submarine repair work created additional asbestos exposure pathways:
- Diesel submarine machinery repair — Machinery Repairmen and Enginemen performing propulsion system maintenance on diesel submarines during repair availabilities worked with asbestos-containing gasket materials from submarine diesel engine assemblies, asbestos-covered auxiliary system piping from submarine engineering spaces, and asbestos pipe insulation from the diesel submarine’s interior mechanical systems during repair operations
- Nuclear submarine auxiliary system support — submarine tender crew members supporting nuclear submarine maintenance operations worked with asbestos-containing materials from nuclear submarine auxiliary systems — including asbestos pipe insulation from submarine auxiliary steam and hot water systems and asbestos gasket materials from submarine auxiliary machinery — during periods when submarines were in tender availability for repair work
- Interior construction repair work — submarine tender Hull Technicians performing hull and interior repairs on submarines in repair availability disturbed asbestos-containing interior construction materials from submarine living and working spaces during repair operations
Cold War SSBN Support Operations
Submarine tenders supported the strategic deterrent force:
- Cold War submarine tenders at Holy Loch, Rota, and other forward bases provided continuous repair support to SSBN squadrons maintaining nuclear deterrent patrols, with tender crew members performing constant repair work on rotating SSBN and SSN availabilities throughout Cold War deployments
VA Claims for Submarine Tender Veterans
VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy auxiliary vessels and repair ships. Machinery Repairmen, Hull Technicians, and engineering ratings who served aboard submarine tenders and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.
The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Submarine Tender (AS)
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:
VA Presumptive Benefits — No Filing Deadline
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). No statute of limitations applies to VA disability compensation claims.
Available benefits may include monthly disability compensation, Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses, priority VA healthcare enrollment, and Special Monthly Compensation for severe cases. Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products do not reduce VA compensation.
How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.
VA Claims Guide on This Site › Compare: VA vs. Civil Lawsuit
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.
