Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Asbestos Exposure & Compensation

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has been a major hub for American Naval Submarine construction and repair for over a hundred years. Since World War II, submarines have played a key role in American Naval strategy. Shipyard workers and Naval service members working in the confined spaces were exposed to asbestos used in pipe covering, insulation, gaskets, among other common materials.

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Exposure to asbestos in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard caused a significant health risk to Navy veterans, shipyard workers, and their families, leading to potential asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Asbestos lawyers at Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen (ELSM) have worked with mesothelioma victims and their families to secure compensation through lawsuits and trust funds.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at a Glance

• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy’s oldest shipyard still in use today. It occupies 297 acres on Seavey Island in the Piscataqua River, which is located between Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
• The shipyard is also commonly known as Portsmouth Navy Yard, PNSY, PNS, and Kittery Navy Yard.
• During World War II, at the shipyard’s peak of productivity, 23,000 workers built more than 78 submarines for the war effort, at a time when asbestos was widely used in shipyards.
• At least 13 asbestos trust funds identify Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as a known jobsite for asbestos exposure.
• ELSM has successfully handled cases and won compensation for numerous clients who were exposed to asbestos at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard In the News

In February of 2024, after a $25 million cleanup effort, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was officially removed from the nation’s Superfund list.

The shipyard had been added to the Environmental Protections Agency’s (EPA) Superfund site list in 1994 due to the elevated levels of toxic and hazardous materials on Seavey Island. These materials, including asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products linked to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, pose a significant risk to workers and occupants.

Under Superfund law, the Navy is required to conduct a five-year review of the site, with EPA oversight, to ensure that any remaining toxic materials continue to pose no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Asbestos Exposure at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Throughout the 20th century, ship and submarine construction was heavily dependent on asbestos materials. Sailors, civilian and Navy shipbuilders, and bystanders at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, were frequently exposed to asbestos used in insulation, high-temperature machinery, and boiler components common to naval surface vessels.

Some of these materials included:

• Insulation and fireproofing for boilers, turbines, and other high-temperature equipment
• Pipe coverings and gaskets found in ship engine and propulsion systems
• Soundproofing and watertight sealants within submarines’ tight, enclosed spaces

The confined, poorly ventilated interior of Naval submarines came with additional asbestos exposure risks. Mechanical systems that enable submarines to dive, surface, and cool nuclear reactors included asbestos-containing gaskets, valves, pumps, and compressors that circulated gases, water, and fuel throughout tanks and compartments.

Asbestos materials were often cut, sanded, or replaced during construction and repair projects, releasing microscopic fibers into the air. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can cause serious asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

In 1958, the shipyard completed the USS Swordfish (SSN-579), the first nuclear powered submarine built in a naval shipyard. Other diesel-electric and nuclear submarines constructed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard following World War II include:

In 1971, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s purpose changed from construction to overhaul and modernization. Some of the submarines that were modernized and overhauled in the 1960s and 1970s include:

High-Risk Occupations at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers suffered harmful asbestos exposure while working in shops throughout the shipyard and onboard submarines docked in the yard for construction and overhaul.

At Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, certain occupations carried a particularly high risk of asbestos exposure, including:

Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard produced asbestos dust that often clung to workers’ clothing. Family members, especially those who handled or laundered contaminated clothes, could inhale these fibers. Individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, from secondhand exposure may be eligible for the same compensation as workers who were directly exposed on the job.

The nature of a submarine is confined, and the amount of work they tried to do in a very limited time was extensive. It required a lot of people, a lot of different disciplines working together simultaneously. The other crafts; however, complained about working around a bunch of insulators. Depending on the intensity of the work, there were some days there was little to no dust, but other days, you couldn’t see the back of the compartment. Insulator,
Serving aboard the USS Nautilus during overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, 1959-1960

Asbestos Products Used at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Various products used aboard naval ships and submarines once contained asbestos. These products, found on submarines and in the shipyard shops, include but are not limited to:

Compensation for Veterans and Shipyard Workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Mesothelioma

If you or a loved one has been recently diagnosed with mesothelioma from asbestos exposure at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, you may be eligible for financial compensation. ELSM has represented more than 60 clients whose asbestos exposure, at least in part, occurred at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and who were later diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease.

Shipyard and civilian workers may seek compensation from the many companies that supplied asbestos products to the shipyard or the submarines that were constructed or repaired there.

• Lawsuits against solvent companies: If a company that supplied asbestos products to the shipyard or the submarines built or repaired there is still in business, a lawsuit can be filed against any company whose products the injured party can prove they were exposed to.
• Claims with asbestos trust funds: Many companies that supplied asbestos products are now bankrupt. These companies have set up trust funds, and claims can be filed with each trust for workers or veterans exposed to its products at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Financial compensation from these mesothelioma lawsuits and asbestos trust claims can make a significant difference by helping to:

• Cover the costs of medical care and ongoing treatment
• Recover lost income due to time away from work
• Provide financial security for loved ones and help manage daily expenses

Beyond financial compensation, these lawsuits also force these companies to acknowledge the dangers of asbestos and their negligence in failing to protect the workers harmed by their products.

Asbestos Trust Fund Claims

While the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard itself does not have an asbestos trust fund, several bankrupt companies that supplied asbestos products used at the shipyard have established trust funds. These funds compensate individuals who were exposed to asbestos at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard or aboard vessels constructed or overhauled there and who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma or lung cancer.

The following bankrupt companies have asbestos trusts that recognize Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Portsmouth, NH, and Kittery, ME) as approved jobsites.

Bankrupt Asbestos Company	Asbestos Exposure Start Date	Asbestos Exposure End Date
Babcock & Wilcox	1/1/1908	12/31/1982
Combustion Engineering		12/31/1982
Eagle-Picher
Fibreboard Corporation		12/31/1982
Flexitallic	1/1/1941	12/31/1982
GAF	07/16/1959	12/31/1982
Keene Corp.	1/1/1951	12/31/1981
Owens Corning		12/31/1982
Owens-Illinois	03/08/1957	12/31/1958
Pittsburgh Corning	01/01/1969
Shook & Fletcher
United States Gypsum	1/1/1956	12/31/1982
Yarway Corporation	12/26/1980	12/31/1982

Asbestos Lawsuits

Workers and veterans exposed to asbestos at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard may be eligible to file an asbestos lawsuit to hold manufacturers and suppliers accountable and pursue compensation through negotiated mesothelioma settlements. In some cases, an attorney may recommend going to trial to seek a favorable jury verdict and monetary award.

ELSM’s mesothelioma lawyers aim to require as little of their clients’ time as possible so they can focus on treatment and quality of life. In most mesothelioma lawsuits, only a deposition detailing work at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and any other sites where asbestos exposure occurred is necessary.

Veteran Benefits

Veterans exposed to asbestos during military service may qualify for VA Benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ELSM has VA-accredited mesothelioma attorneys who help veterans understand their benefit options and complete all required VA applications.