The U.S. Navy's use of asbestos spanned more than four decades — from the WWII shipbuilding surge through the Cold War fleet buildup. Veterans who served during any of these eras aboard ships built before approximately 1980 may have been exposed to asbestos. Select your service era for detailed information.
Peak Navy shipbuilding era. ~70,000 workers at some yards. Every ship built with asbestos throughout.
Rapid reactivation of WWII-era ships with deteriorating asbestos insulation shedding fibers.
WWII/Korea-era ships still in service; new construction through the early 1970s still used asbestos.
Sustained naval buildup. Asbestos construction through ~1980; nuclear-era ships included.
No — the VA does not limit asbestos claims to specific conflicts or service eras. Any veteran who served aboard asbestos-era ships in an at-risk capacity may be eligible for VA disability compensation if diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease. Ships built before approximately 1980 are considered asbestos-era vessels.
Not necessarily. The Navy began phasing out asbestos in new construction after 1975, so ships commissioned in the early-to-mid 1980s were largely built asbestos-free. However, ships commissioned before that point — still in service through the 1980s and 1990s — retained their original asbestos insulation. If you served aboard an older ship during a 1980s deployment, you were aboard an asbestos-era vessel.