Naval Station Long Beach and the adjacent Long Beach Naval Shipyard together formed one of the largest Navy shore installations on the Pacific Coast. Naval Station Long Beach served as the homeport for Pacific Fleet surface combatants — including battleships, cruisers, and destroyers — while the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, operated from 1943 until its closure in 1997, performed major overhauls, nuclear refueling, and repair of Navy vessels across multiple classes. The shipyard at its peak employed tens of thousands of civilian workers alongside Navy personnel. Both installations were built and operated during the peak asbestos era in naval construction and shipyard work, and the publicly filed asbestos litigation record documents the Long Beach naval complex with unusual depth — including personal testimony from multiple veterans, a formal asbestos medical monitoring program at the shipyard, and Long Beach Naval Shipyard’s role in the first major asbestos litigation filed in California.

Who Was Exposed at the Long Beach Naval Complex

Navy veterans and civilian employees who served at Naval Station Long Beach or Long Beach Naval Shipyard in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Shipyard trades workers (Pipefitters, Boilermakers, Insulators, Shipfitters, Electricians) in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard’s overhaul and repair operations
  • Civilian Navy employees in engineering and maintenance roles at the Long Beach naval complex
  • Shipboard engineering crew of vessels homeported at NS Long Beach during pier-side maintenance
  • Nuclear vessel overhaul workers during USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and carrier nuclear refueling periods
  • Base maintenance workers in NS Long Beach shore facility operations

Veterans and civilian DoD employees who served at Naval Station Long Beach or worked at Long Beach Naval Shipyard 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) for veterans with documented service at the installation
  • Federal Employee Compensation Act (FECA) claims for civilian DoD employees who worked at Long Beach Naval Shipyard
  • Civil claims against Metalclad Insulation Corporation and manufacturers of asbestos-containing insulation materials used at the shipyard

Key documents for a Long Beach claim:

  • DD-214 or employment records — documenting Naval Station Long Beach assignment or Long Beach Naval Shipyard employment
  • Shipyard trade records — documentation of pipe fitting, boilermaking, insulation, or other trades performed at the shipyard
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including personal testimony from Long Beach Naval Station and Shipyard veterans and employees, formal asbestos medical program records, Metalclad product attribution records, and the national asbestos MDL docket entries naming Long Beach Naval Shipyard. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.