USS Holland (AS-32) — Asbestos Aboard the Nuclear Submarine Tender

USS Holland (AS-32) was commissioned in September 1963 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi as the lead ship of the AS-31 class of submarine tenders designed specifically for support of nuclear-powered submarines. Holland served as the primary submarine tender at Holy Loch, Scotland, supporting the fleet ballistic missile submarine force in the North Atlantic, and subsequently deployed to Guam to support Pacific Fleet attack submarines. As a submarine tender, Holland provided nuclear submarine refit and repair services — nuclear plant support, torpedo and weapons maintenance, machinery repair, hull work, electronics maintenance, and crew habitability support — alongside nuclear submarines during their refit periods. Holland was powered by two Combustion Engineering boilers and two sets of De Laval geared steam turbines producing 20,000 shaft horsepower. The ship’s steam propulsion plant, machine shop equipment, and interior construction incorporated asbestos-containing materials throughout, and tender crew members performing refit work on the nuclear submarines berthed alongside encountered asbestos-containing pipe insulation and equipment materials aboard the submarines they serviced.

Steam Propulsion Plant Asbestos

Holland’s steam propulsion system incorporated asbestos insulation:

• Combustion Engineering boiler insulation — Holland’s two Combustion Engineering boilers were insulated with asbestos block insulation on boiler casing exterior surfaces and asbestos cloth on boiler access doors. Boiler Tenders maintaining Holland’s boilers during underway transits and tender operations worked in proximity to the asbestos boiler casing insulation throughout boiler room watch rotations
• De Laval turbine and steam system insulation — Holland’s De Laval geared steam turbines and the ship’s steam distribution system were insulated with asbestos block on turbine casings and asbestos pipe covering on steam piping. Machinist’s Mates maintaining the propulsion turbines and steam systems encountered asbestos insulation materials during turbine maintenance operations

Machine Shop and Repair Facility Asbestos

Holland’s machine shops and repair facilities incorporated asbestos:

• Machine shop equipment gaskets and packing — Holland’s machine shop equipment — lathes, mills, hydraulic presses, and precision machinery — used asbestos-containing gasket materials in machine hydraulic system connections and asbestos packing in machine tool spindle and valve assemblies. Machinist’s Mates operating and maintaining machine shop equipment encountered asbestos materials in the shop machinery during maintenance operations
• Welding and burning shop operations — Holland’s welding and burning shop facilities produced asbestos exposure from the welding and cutting operations performed in proximity to asbestos-containing materials in the shop construction and in the materials being welded or cut during submarine repair work

Nuclear Submarine Refit Work Asbestos Exposure

Holland tender crew members performing refit work aboard nuclear submarines had additional asbestos exposure:

• Nuclear submarine pipe insulation exposure — tender crew members performing refit and repair work aboard nuclear submarines berthed alongside Holland — working in submarine engineering spaces, machinery rooms, and between-decks areas — encountered asbestos pipe covering insulation on submarine piping systems during the refit work. The confined spaces of nuclear submarines where refit work was performed concentrated asbestos fiber from disturbed pipe insulation during the maintenance and repair operations
• Submarine system gasket and packing replacement — tender Machinist’s Mates performing submarine machinery maintenance and overhaul work aboard submarines alongside Holland replaced asbestos gasket and packing materials in submarine machinery and piping systems during the refit work scope

VA Claims for USS Holland Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy tenders and submarines. Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Tenders, and crew members who served aboard USS Holland (AS-32) and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.

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.