Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi is one of the largest naval shipbuilding facilities in the United States, and has built more U.S. Navy ships than any other private contractor — including the entire Spruance-class destroyer fleet, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Wasp-class amphibious assault ships, and other major surface combatants. Operating continuously since 1938, the Pascagoula yard employed tens of thousands of workers across every shipbuilding trade throughout the peak asbestos era. The U.S. Navy maintained a permanent Supervisor of Shipbuilding (Supship) office at Pascagoula to oversee construction and quality assurance. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula with exceptional depth — including a formal asbestos survey, a 1971 Navy warning letter, named asbestos contractor documentation, named asbestos product deliveries to the yard, and extensive personal testimony from workers who built Navy ships there.

Who Was Exposed at Ingalls Pascagoula

Workers and Navy personnel at Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Insulation trades workers — Pipecoverers, Insulators, and helpers who installed Hopeman Brothers and North Brothers asbestos insulation products throughout new ship construction
  • Pipefitters and Plumbers — who cut asbestos gaskets and worked alongside insulation crews on steam and hot water systems
  • Boilermakers and Machinists — who fitted asbestos-insulated boilers and machinery during ship construction
  • Shipfitters and Structural workers — who worked in enclosed hull spaces during active asbestos insulation installation
  • Electricians — who routed cable through asbestos-insulated spaces and used asbestos products in high-temperature electrical applications
  • Pre-commissioning crew (PCU) members — Navy personnel who reported to Pascagoula prior to ship delivery and were present during active asbestos installation
  • Supship Pascagoula personnel — Navy quality assurance and oversight staff who regularly walked through ship construction spaces during the asbestos era

VA Claims and Legal Options — Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula MS Workers

Veterans who served as Supship or PCU staff at Pascagoula, and civilian workers who built Navy ships at Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for:

  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for Navy Supship and PCU veterans
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) claims for civilian shipyard workers
  • Civil claims against Hopeman Brothers (and its successor), North Brothers, manufacturers of asbestos gasket products (including Flexitallic), and asbestos insulation product manufacturers

Key documents for a Pascagoula Ingalls claim:

  • Employment records — Ingalls Shipbuilding employment records documenting trades role and dates at Pascagoula
  • DD-214 or Supship orders — service records documenting Supship Pascagoula or PCU assignment
  • 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 the formal Ingalls Shipbuilding asbestos survey, the 1971 Navy warning letter, Hopeman Brothers and North Brothers contractor documentation, named asbestos product delivery records, personal testimony from Ingalls Pascagoula workers, 1942 and 1945 dated records, Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding corporate officer documentation, and drydock facility asbestos records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.