Naval Station Argentia, located on the southern shore of the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada, was established under the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and Britain. The station achieved historical prominence as the site of the August 9–12, 1941 Atlantic Charter conference, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill met aboard ships anchored in Placentia Bay — establishing the framework for postwar international order. Following the Atlantic Charter meeting, Argentia developed into a major WWII convoy escort and patrol base and continued through the Cold War as a critical North Atlantic ASW patrol aviation base monitoring Soviet submarine movements through the North Atlantic. The station closed in 1994 after fifty-four years of operation. Navy personnel stationed at Argentia throughout the WWII and Cold War periods accumulated asbestos exposure from the WWII-era and Cold War construction of the station’s aviation and ship support facilities.

WWII and Cold War Facility Construction and Asbestos

Naval Station Argentia’s facility stock incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Patrol aviation hangars and maintenance facilities — the patrol aircraft hangars and maintenance buildings at Argentia supporting PBY Catalinas, PB4Y Liberators, P2V Neptunes, and P-3 Orions used WWII-era and Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing roofing, asbestos insulation board in hangar construction, and asbestos floor and ceiling materials in the aviation support buildings. Aviation personnel performing patrol aircraft maintenance at Argentia accumulated asbestos exposure from the asbestos-containing hangar and maintenance facility construction
  • Ship support and submarine pier facilities — the pier-side support facilities and submarine support buildings at Argentia used military construction with asbestos-insulated pipe and mechanical systems in the ship support infrastructure
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the enlisted barracks, BOQ, and administrative buildings at Argentia used WWII-era and Cold War military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

Subarctic Climate and Thermal Insulation Asbestos

Argentia’s subarctic Newfoundland climate drove heavy thermal insulation use:

  • Cold-weather building construction — Argentia’s harsh North Atlantic climate on the Newfoundland coast drove the use of extensive thermal insulation in the base’s building stock, with WWII-era and Cold War military construction using asbestos-containing insulation in the building envelopes and pipe insulation systems to maintain habitable and operational conditions in the North Atlantic environment

VA Claims for Naval Station Argentia Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served at Naval Station Argentia during any period from the station’s WWII establishment through its 1994 closure and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.