Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), located in Portsmouth, Virginia, is the oldest and largest industrial facility of the United States Navy — a continuously operating naval shipyard that has built and overhauled Navy vessels since the eighteenth century. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Norfolk Naval Shipyard was one of the primary sites for major surface ship and submarine overhaul on the East Coast. Ship overhaul operations at Norfolk involved the systematic removal and replacement of ship insulation, pipework, and machinery — operations performed in confined shipboard spaces with extensive asbestos-containing materials.

Trades and Workers Exposed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s overhaul operations created asbestos exposure across a wide range of trades:

  • Pipecoverers and insulators — applied and removed asbestos pipe insulation and block insulation throughout ship overhaul
  • Pipefitters — worked alongside insulators during pipe replacement and maintained gasketed connections throughout ships under overhaul
  • Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Technicians — Navy personnel performing engineroom overhaul work in spaces where asbestos insulation was being removed or installed
  • Shipfitters and welders — worked in confined spaces where asbestos insulation disturbance occurred throughout the overhaul process
  • Painters and cleaners — cleaned up asbestos debris and dust from overhaul operations throughout ship spaces

VA Claims and Legal Options — Norfolk Naval Shipyard Workers

Navy veterans who served at or were assigned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, shipyard workers who performed ship overhaul and construction at NNSY, and workers at the yard 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 veterans with documented duty at Norfolk Naval Shipyard during ship overhaul operations
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian shipyard workers employed at NNSY
  • Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers whose insulation was used at Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty at Norfolk Naval Shipyard or service aboard ships overhauled at NNSY
  • Employment records — civilian employment at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Documented asbestos exposure information derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.