Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, located at League Island in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was one of the Navy’s major East Coast shipbuilding and overhaul facilities. Active through the Cold War until its closure in 1995, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard built aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious ships, and overhauled the full spectrum of Atlantic Fleet vessels. Ship construction and overhaul at Philadelphia required the installation and removal of asbestos pipe insulation, main boiler insulation, and machinery insulation throughout the ships built at the yard — work performed by thousands of civilian shipyard workers and Navy personnel. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as a major site of asbestos exposure, with a Foster Wheeler internal letter specifically referencing the yard, Dunham Bush valve documentation at PNSY, formal main boiler records, pipe insulation exposure testimony, and multiple plaintiff accounts from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard workers.

Who Was Exposed at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

  • Pipecoverers and insulators — the primary asbestos trade at the yard, applying and removing asbestos pipe and boiler insulation throughout ship construction and overhaul
  • Boilermakers — installed and overhauled main boilers with asbestos insulation at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
  • Pipefitters and valve mechanics — serviced Dunham Bush and other gasketed valves throughout ships under construction and overhaul
  • Navy Engineering personnel — Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Technicians assigned to ships at PNSY during overhaul
  • Shipfitters, electricians, and painters — all trades working in spaces where asbestos insulation was being installed or removed

VA Claims and Legal Options — Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Workers

Navy veterans who served at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard or who served aboard ships built or overhauled there, and civilian workers employed at League Island, 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 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian shipyard workers employed at PNSY
  • Civil claims against asbestos product manufacturers including Foster Wheeler boiler manufacturers and valve manufacturers whose products were used at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard or service aboard ships built or overhauled at League Island
  • Employment records — civilian employment records from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
  • 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 a Foster Wheeler internal letter specifically addressing Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, documentation of Dunham Bush valves as asbestos exposure sources at PNSY, formal main boiler records at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, personal testimony of pipe insulation asbestos exposure at the yard, and formal plaintiff documentation of asbestos exposure at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.