Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, established on Seavey Island at Kittery, Maine — across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire — served as the United States Navy’s primary East Coast submarine construction and overhaul facility for over a century. Portsmouth built over 130 submarines, including fleet submarines during World War II and early nuclear submarines during the Cold War, and conducted submarine overhaul and nuclear refueling operations through the late 20th century. The shipyard employed thousands of civilian shipyard workers — pipefitters, insulators, machinists, welders, and shipbuilders — together with Navy officers and enlisted personnel in the ship construction, testing, and overhaul programs. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s submarine construction and overhaul work involved extensive use of asbestos-containing thermal insulation on submarine steam systems, diesel exhaust systems, and the later nuclear plant systems; asbestos pipe covering on piping throughout submarine hulls; and asbestos-containing gasket materials in piping and machinery connections throughout the submarine systems. Shipyard workers and Navy personnel involved in Portsmouth submarine construction and overhaul accumulated asbestos exposure from the insulation work performed throughout the submarine building and repair process.

Submarine Construction and Pipe Insulation Asbestos

Portsmouth shipyard submarine construction work incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Submarine steam system insulation — WWII fleet submarines built at Portsmouth used diesel-electric propulsion with diesel engines and electric motors; early postwar submarines and nuclear submarines built at Portsmouth incorporated steam plant systems that were insulated with asbestos pipe covering and asbestos block insulation on steam components. Pipefitter and insulator trades at Portsmouth applied asbestos pipe insulation throughout submarine hull piping systems during construction, with construction workers cutting, fitting, and applying asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the confined spaces of submarine hulls during the insulation phase of construction
  • Nuclear submarine reactor plant insulation — Portsmouth-built nuclear submarines, beginning with USS Swordfish (SSN-579) and continuing through the nuclear submarine building program, incorporated nuclear reactor plant steam systems with asbestos-containing thermal insulation on steam generators, steam piping, turbine casings, and associated thermal insulation. Pipefitters, insulators, and Navy personnel involved in nuclear plant construction, testing, and acceptance at Portsmouth encountered asbestos insulation materials throughout the nuclear plant construction
  • Diesel submarine exhaust system insulation — WWII and early Cold War diesel submarines built at Portsmouth used asbestos-containing insulation on diesel engine exhaust piping, muffler systems, and exhaust gas heat exchanger components. Shipyard workers installing exhaust system insulation on fleet submarines worked in confined bilge and machinery spaces with asbestos pipe covering and asbestos block insulation during exhaust system construction and repair

Dry Dock and Overhaul Asbestos

Portsmouth’s submarine overhaul program exposed shipyard workers to asbestos:

  • Submarine overhaul pipe insulation removal — submarines entering Portsmouth for overhaul and nuclear refueling operations required extensive pipe insulation removal and replacement in engineering spaces. Pipefitter and insulator trades performing overhaul insulation removal work in submarine engineering spaces encountered and disturbed asbestos pipe covering throughout the insulation tear-out phase of submarine overhaul, generating airborne asbestos fiber in confined submarine machinery spaces during the disturbance of aged pipe insulation
  • Machinery gasket replacement — overhaul of submarine machinery — diesel engines, reduction gears, steam turbines, and auxiliary machinery — required gasket replacement in machinery joint faces throughout the submarine systems. Shipyard machinists and naval personnel performing machinery overhaul work removed and replaced asbestos-containing gasket materials in machinery flanged connections throughout the submarine overhaul, with gasket removal operations disturbing compressed asbestos sheet materials

Shipyard Building and Support Facility Asbestos

Portsmouth’s permanent buildings incorporated asbestos in construction:

  • Machine shop and fabrication building construction — the machine shops, pipe fabrication shops, and industrial support buildings at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were constructed using WWII-era and early Cold War industrial construction materials with asbestos-containing pipe insulation on building mechanical systems, asbestos-containing building products in shop building construction, and asbestos roofing materials on shipyard industrial facilities

VA Claims for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval shipyards. Navy personnel and civilian shipyard workers who worked at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits or civil legal remedies.