Navy Rating Asbestos Exposure Profiles

How Rating Determined Exposure

Navy enlisted ratings were not equally exposed to asbestos-containing materials. The rating a veteran held determined which compartments they worked in, which equipment they regularly maintained, and how frequently they disturbed insulation, packing, and refractory materials. A Boilerman and a Quartermaster served aboard the same vessel — but in entirely different exposure environments.

Understanding this pattern matters for VA claims and civil litigation alike. VA adjudicators are familiar with the exposure profiles of high-risk ratings. A claim that correctly identifies a veteran’s rate, the vessels they served aboard, and the spaces they routinely occupied is a stronger claim than one that relies only on a general “served in the Navy” statement.

Highest-Exposure Ratings: Engineering Spaces

Boilerman (BT). Boilermen worked in the firerooms — the hottest, most confined, and most heavily insulated spaces aboard pre-1980 vessels. The boilers themselves were wrapped in block insulation that had to be removed for inspection and reinstalled after maintenance. Steam lines running from the fireroom throughout the ship were covered in pipe lagging, valve packing, and fitting insulation. A Boilerman performing a routine boiler inspection or cleaning operation in the 1960s or 1970s was routinely in direct physical contact with deteriorating asbestos insulation. Chrysotile fiber counts in sealed firerooms have been documented at levels far exceeding what OSHA would later set as permissible exposure limits.

Machinist’s Mate (MM). Machinist’s Mates operated and maintained the propulsion plant — main engines, reduction gears, auxiliary machinery, and the steam systems connecting the engineering spaces. Valve maintenance was a daily occurrence in the engine room, and every valve on a pre-1980 Navy ship was packed with compressed asbestos sheet packing. Removing and replacing valve packing was standard MM work. Additionally, turbine casings, steam traps, and auxiliary machinery were lagged with asbestos insulation that deteriorated over the vessel’s operational life. MMs who also stood watches in main control had continuous exposure to airborne fibers from degrading overhead insulation.

Electrician’s Mate (EM). Electrician’s Mates worked throughout the ship, but their highest-exposure environment was the switchgear and cable runs in main and secondary distribution spaces. Pre-1970 electrical switchgear used asbestos board as backing material in high-voltage panels. Wiring throughout Navy vessels — particularly in enginerooms and machinery spaces — was installed with asbestos-containing insulation. EMs cutting, splicing, or routing cable in enclosed spaces generated fiber from wire insulation, and work on aging switchgear panels required handling asbestos board backing that crumbled during disassembly.

Hull Technician (HT). Hull Technicians occupied a uniquely high-exposure position because their work literally took them everywhere asbestos existed: void spaces and ballast tanks insulated against heat transfer, bilge spaces where degraded insulation had accumulated over the vessel’s service life, and ship-repair work that required cutting through decking and overhead insulation to access underlying systems. HTs performing welding, cutting, and repair operations in void spaces and bilges disturbed accumulated asbestos debris as a routine consequence of their duties.

Interior Communications Electrician (IC). IC work involved installing, maintaining, and repairing the internal communications and control circuits throughout the vessel — including cable runs through machinery spaces and insulated enclosures. Many IC cable runs passed through spaces where asbestos was actively deteriorating. IC work in these spaces created secondary exposure from disturbed insulation during cable installation and routing.

Engineman (EN). Enginemen maintained diesel engines and gas turbines on vessels that also used these power plants for emergency generators and auxiliary power. Early diesel installations used asbestos-containing exhaust system insulation and gaskets throughout the exhaust train. EN work on older emergency diesel generators — a common assignment even for otherwise steam-powered vessels — involved regular contact with asbestos-containing exhaust and turbocharger insulation.

Elevated Exposure Ratings: Repair and Damage Control

Damage Controlman (DC). Damage Controlmen maintained the ship’s emergency systems — fire suppression, flooding countermeasures, and structural repair. DC work involved maintaining fire boundaries, which on pre-1980 vessels included asbestos-containing fire curtains, bulkhead insulation, and damage control patches made from asbestos sheet. Damage control lockers stocked asbestos gasket material and packing as emergency repair supplies. DCs who participated in firefighting training or actual firefighting aboard ships with asbestos insulation had elevated acute exposure risk.

Machinery Repairman (MR). Machinery Repairmen operated ship’s machine shops and fabricated or repaired machinery components throughout the vessel. Gasket fabrication from sheet asbestos stock was a standard MR task on pre-1970 vessels. Asbestos-containing gasket sheet was cut to size in the machine shop — creating concentrated fiber exposure in the shop space. MRs also machined asbestos-containing valve and packing components.

Steelworker / Builder (SW/BU — Seabee ratings). Construction Battalion ratings built and repaired shore facilities and expedient structures using asbestos-containing construction materials that were standard issue throughout the postwar period. Seabee construction projects from the late 1940s through the 1970s routinely incorporated asbestos board, asbestos cement products, and asbestos-containing insulation in electrical and plumbing systems.

Utilitiesman (UT). Utilitiesmen maintained shore facility mechanical and utility systems — boiler plants, steam distribution, plumbing, and HVAC. Shore-based utility systems at naval bases were built with the same asbestos-insulated piping and equipment as shipboard systems, and UT maintenance of these systems involved the same insulation removal and reinstallation work performed by BT and MM afloat.

VA Claim Documentation by Rating

VA adjudicators use Block 11 of the DD-214 (Primary Specialty) to identify a veteran’s rating. The combination of rating code and ship assignment creates a strong presumptive exposure record for high-risk ratings.

For high-risk ratings (BT, MM, EM, HT, IC, EN), the claim should document:

• Rating code from DD-214 Block 11
• Vessels served aboard (from DD-214 duty stations or NARA muster rolls)
• The spaces routinely occupied in that rating (fireroom, engine room, void spaces)
• Current diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or related disease

For elevated-exposure ratings (DC, MR, SW, UT), the same documentation applies, with additional description of the specific ACM work performed.

If your rating is not listed here, you still qualify for VA presumptive benefits under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) if you have an asbestos-related diagnosis and a history of active military service. The listing above covers commonly researched ratings with well-documented exposure pathways — it is not a complete list of ratings that may qualify. All Navy veterans who served during the asbestos era aboard pre-1980 vessels or at shore facilities with asbestos-containing infrastructure may be eligible.

No statute of limitations applies to VA claims.