United States Navy yard craft — designated with “Y” hull classification symbols — included large harbor tugs (YTB), medium harbor tugs (YTM), small harbor tugs (YTL), barracks craft (YRB), floating dry docks (AFDL/AFDB), and a variety of other harbor service vessels operating within naval stations and shipyards. These vessels, while smaller than fleet combatants, used diesel or steam propulsion plants with asbestos-containing gaskets, insulation, and packing materials in their machinery spaces throughout the asbestos era.

Yard Tug Engineering and Asbestos

YTB large harbor tugs and YTM medium harbor tugs used diesel engines to power their propulsion systems. Diesel-engine maintenance on yard craft involved the same asbestos-containing components found in other Navy diesel applications:

  • Diesel engine exhaust manifold gaskets using asbestos sheet gasket material in high-temperature service
  • Turbocharger and air system seals using asbestos-containing packing on high-temperature boost air connections
  • Fuel system valve packing and auxiliary pump seals using asbestos rope packing
  • Electrical switchgear insulation in the vessels’ generator and distribution systems

Steam-powered yard craft (older designs from the World War II era) carried additional asbestos exposure from boiler and steam pipe insulation consistent with other Navy steam vessels.

Shipyard Operations and Shore Exposure

Yard craft operated primarily at naval stations and shipyards, where they towed vessels to and from drydocks, assisted in berth shifts, and supported ship repair operations. Personnel who operated and maintained yard craft worked in the same shipyard environments where Heat & Frost Insulators performed major asbestos insulation work during ship overhauls — environments where airborne asbestos fiber from adjacent ship repair operations could create secondary exposure.

Shipyard workers and yard craft crew at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Long Beach Naval Shipyard, and other major facilities were in asbestos-exposure environments both aboard the craft themselves and in the surrounding shipyard industrial area.

VA Claims for Yard Craft Personnel

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Veterans who operated or maintained yard tugs or other harbor service vessels at Navy shipyards and installations before the early 1980s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits. DD-214 records identifying a yard craft hull number (YTB, YTM, YTL, etc.) as a duty station document the qualifying assignment.

Product & Manufacturer Reference

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.

Pipe Covering & Block Insulation Thermal insulation applied to steam lines, valves, and equipment in engine rooms and fire rooms Marine Products Insulation, gaskets, and packing products specified for naval and commercial marine applications Boilers & Steam Equipment Boiler manufacturers and insulation products — central to the fire room exposure pathway Gaskets & Packing Sheet and ring gaskets used throughout piping flanges, valve bonnets, and pump housings Electrical Products Wire insulation, switchgear arc chutes, and panel liners used throughout electrical spaces Full Product Index Search all 200+ manufacturers and 1,500+ documented asbestos products on AsbestosIndex™

Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Yard Craft / Yard Tugs

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 Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.

Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.

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.