Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), located in Bremerton, Washington, is the U.S. Navy’s primary shipyard on the Pacific Coast and one of the four major naval shipyards in the United States. PSNS performs nuclear aircraft carrier and submarine overhaul, repair, and inactivation work for the Pacific Fleet. The yard has employed tens of thousands of civilian workers across all shipbuilding and repair trades since World War II. The publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus documents Puget Sound Naval Shipyard extensively — including the landmark 1978 Bremerton asbestos study, personal exposure testimony from workers who served there, formal contractor documentation, and named asbestos product deliveries to the yard — making PSNS one of the most thoroughly documented Navy shipyard asbestos exposure venues in the national litigation record.

Who Was Exposed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

Workers and Navy personnel at PSNS in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Insulation workers (Pipecoverers, Laggers, Insulators) who installed and removed asbestos insulation in ship overhaul operations
  • Boilermakers who overhauled steam and boiler systems heavily insulated with asbestos
  • Pipefitters and Plumbers who cut asbestos gaskets and worked in asbestos-insulated pipe chases
  • Shipfitters and Structural workers who entered enclosed spaces during active asbestos disturbance
  • Nuclear work personnel who entered adjacent engineering compartments during nuclear vessel overhaul
  • Navy Supship, QA, and inspection personnel present in overhaul spaces during asbestos removal

VA Claims and Legal Options — PSNS Bremerton WA Workers

Veterans assigned to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and civilian workers who performed trades there, 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 personnel assigned to PSNS
  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian PSNS workers
  • Civil claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing insulation, gasket, and packing products delivered to PSNS

Key documents for a PSNS claim:

  • Employment records — PSNS civilian employment records documenting trades role and service period
  • DD-214 or orders — documenting Navy Supship or inspection assignment at Bremerton
  • 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 the 1978 Bremerton study, personal exposure testimony from PSNS workers, formal contractor documentation, named asbestos product delivery records, and the national asbestos MDL docket identifying Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a primary exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.