The Naval Ship Repair Facility (NSRF) at Yokosuka, Japan has served as the U.S. Navy’s primary ship overhaul and repair yard in the Western Pacific since 1945. Located adjacent to Naval Station Yokosuka — the homeport of the U.S. Seventh Fleet — the NSRF performed major overhauls, drydocking, and machinery repairs on surface combatants, aircraft carriers, and amphibious vessels of the Pacific Fleet throughout the Cold War era. The shipyard employed both U.S. Navy personnel and a large Japanese civilian workforce. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document asbestos at the Yokosuka facility with formal ship repair documentation, Japanese asbestos disease case records, and testimony from veterans who performed repair work at Yokosuka.

Who Was Exposed at NSRF Yokosuka

Navy veterans and civilian employees who served at or worked through Naval Station and Ship Repair Facility Yokosuka in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Shipyard trades workers (Pipefitters, Boilermakers, Insulators, Shipfitters) performing overhaul and repair at NSRF Yokosuka
  • Shipboard engineering crew of vessels undergoing overhaul at Yokosuka who remained aboard during repair periods
  • Navy personnel assigned to NSRF Yokosuka in production, quality assurance, or inspection roles
  • U.S. civilian DoD employees in trades roles at the repair facility
  • Sailors with Yokosuka port calls who worked in engineering spaces during pier-side maintenance

Veterans who served at Naval Station Yokosuka or worked at NSRF Yokosuka and subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) or civil claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing materials used at the facility.

Key documents for a Yokosuka claim:

  • DD-214 — service record documenting Seventh Fleet, Naval Station Yokosuka, or NSRF Yokosuka assignment
  • Service orders — documentation of Japan duty assignment or ship overhaul periods at Yokosuka
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including ship repair facility documentation, Japanese asbestos disease records, formal Yokosuka shipyard correspondence, and testimony from veterans with Japan-based asbestos exposure. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.