World War II drove the largest shipbuilding effort in American history — and it was built on asbestos. The Navy commissioned thousands of ships in a few short years, and every one of them used asbestos insulation throughout its boilers, steam plant, and piping. For the sailors who manned them and the millions of home-front workers who built them, WWII was the beginning of one of the largest asbestos-exposure events in history.

Asbestos in the WWII Fleet

The wartime fleet — battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines, Liberty and Victory ships, landing craft, and auxiliaries — was built fast and insulated heavily. Asbestos was used because it was cheap, abundant, fire-resistant, and ideal for the high-pressure steam systems that powered the fleet:

  • Boiler and turbine insulation in the fire and engine rooms
  • Miles of asbestos-lagged steam and feed piping
  • Gaskets and packing on every valve, pump, and fitting
  • Overhead and bulkhead insulation throughout berthing and working spaces
  • Fireproofing and damage-control materials — critical on warships

Wartime urgency meant this material was installed in enormous quantity with little regard for the dust it created.

The Shipyards — a Home-Front Exposure

WWII shipbuilding exposed not only sailors but a vast civilian workforce — including hundreds of thousands of women (“Rosie the Riveter”) — who cut, installed, and worked around asbestos in yards across the country. Shipyard insulators, pipefitters, welders, and laborers were among the most heavily exposed workers of the era. See the shipyards guide.

Who Was Exposed

Engineering ratings — boilermen, machinist’s mates, watertenders, and firemen — had the heaviest exposure, but the fibers reached the whole crew in the confined quarters of a warship. Shipyard workers who built and repaired the fleet were exposed on the home front.

Decades Later

Because asbestos disease takes 20 to 50 years to appear, the WWII generation faced mesothelioma diagnoses from the 1970s onward. Today, surviving WWII veterans are elderly, and their families — including spouses exposed by take-home fibers on work clothes — are also part of this legacy.

VA and Trust-Fund Claims

WWII Navy veterans and their survivors may qualify for VA benefits for asbestos disease, with no filing deadline, and may pursue asbestos trust-fund and civil claims against the manufacturers separately. See VA claims and trust funds.

If you or a family member was diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease and was exposed to asbestos while serving aboard a WWII Navy ship or building ships in a wartime shipyard, you may be entitled to VA benefits and compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation.

(314) 237-6461 — Free Case Evaluation

Documented asbestos records are drawn from publicly filed U.S. Navy asbestos litigation and public records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.