Pipefitters at United States Navy shipyards were among the most heavily exposed workers in the naval shipyard asbestos environment. Pipefitters installed, maintained, and repaired the piping systems aboard Navy vessels under construction and overhaul — systems that ran throughout ship engineering spaces, berthing areas, and machinery rooms, and that were insulated with asbestos pipe covering along every run. Pipefitters worked constantly alongside insulators (pipecoverers) as ships were built and overhauled, sharing the same enclosed spaces where asbestos insulation was being installed, trimmed, and removed. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document shipyard pipefitters at specific Navy facilities including Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, formal groupings of pipefitters with insulators as primary asbestos-exposed trades, and pipefitters specifically identified in the context of cutting and disturbing asbestos insulation at naval shipyards.

Documented Asbestos Exposure for Shipyard Pipefitters

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — Pipefitter Documentation

Pipefitters and Insulators — Primary Asbestos Trades

Bethlehem Steel Shipyard — Pipefitter Exposure

John Crane — Named Gasket Product at Dilling[ham/Navy Shipyard]

How Pipefitters Were Exposed to Asbestos at Navy Shipyards

Shipyard pipefitters encountered asbestos across the full range of their work:

Cutting and fitting asbestos gaskets: Pipefitters cut compressed asbestos sheet gaskets (from manufacturers including Garlock, John Crane, Anchor Packing, and Sepco) to fit pipe flanges throughout every ship system. Each gasket cut released asbestos fiber from the cut edge.

Working adjacent to insulation installation: Pipefitters installed pipe systems before insulators applied asbestos pipe covering, and remained in the same spaces while insulators worked. The asbestos dust generated by insulation cutting settled on pipefitters’ tools, clothing, and skin throughout the workday.

Pipe covering removal for repairs: When a pipe section required repair, pipefitters removed the surrounding asbestos pipe insulation before accessing the pipe — disturbing and breaking up the insulation to reach the pipe beneath.

Valve packing: Pipefitters replaced asbestos stem packing in gate valves, globe valves, and other packed valves throughout ship piping systems — removing old compressed asbestos packing and installing new braided asbestos packing.

Steam trap and fitting maintenance: Steam traps, unions, and threaded fittings throughout ship steam systems used asbestos pipe compound (pipe dope) and asbestos gaskets that pipefitters cut, applied, and removed during maintenance.

VA Claims and Legal Options for Pipefitters — Navy Shipyards Veterans

Navy veterans who served in shipyard pipefitter roles, and civilian pipefitters employed at Navy shipyards including Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, and other naval facilities, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans with documented shipyard duties involving pipe system installation and maintenance
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian pipefitters employed at naval shipyards
  • Civil claims against asbestos gasket and packing manufacturers whose products were installed by pipefitters at Navy shipyards

Key documents:

  • Employment records — Navy shipyard or contractor employment records documenting pipefitter trade classification and work location
  • Union records — UA (United Association) Pipefitters union membership records documenting shipyard work history
  • DD-214 or service records — for Navy veterans who performed pipefitter duties during service
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including pipefitter identification at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, formal documentation of insulators and pipefitters cutting and trimming asbestos insulation at naval shipyards, grouping of pipefitters among primary asbestos-exposed shipyard trades in the litigation and epidemiological record, and Bethlehem Steel Shipyard pipefitter exposure documentation. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.