Veterans who served in engineering and technical ratings aboard U.S. Navy ships built before 1980 were regularly exposed to asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and fireproofing. Select your rating below to learn how you may have been exposed and how to document your claim.
Operated steam turbines, pumps, and propulsion machinery in the engineering plant.
Operated and maintained naval boilers — surfaces covered with asbestos block insulation.
Welding, pipefitting, and damage control work throughout the entire ship.
Operated diesel and gas turbine engines on smaller vessels.
Maintained electrical distribution, switchboards, and motor-generators — asbestos cable insulation.
Ship survivability and firefighting — responded to fires in asbestos-insulated spaces.
Machined asbestos gasket sheet stock directly in shipboard machine shops.
Maintained gas turbine propulsion on frigates and later destroyers.
Ran wiring through every compartment, drilling through asbestos-backed bulkheads.
Served aboard minesweepers whose diesel engine rooms used asbestos insulation.
The U.S. Navy used asbestos in the construction and overhaul of virtually all ships built between the 1930s and 1980. Engineering ratings — Machinist's Mates, Boiler Technicians, Hull Technicians — spent entire watches in boiler rooms and engine rooms where asbestos was on every pipe, fitting, and turbine casing.
When VA evaluates an asbestos exposure claim, your rating is one of the primary factors. Ratings that routinely worked in engineering spaces carry a higher presumption of exposure. Select your rating above to read the detailed exposure profile for that specialty.
These pages cover the ratings with the most documented asbestos exposure, but the VA's policy covers all Navy veterans who served aboard asbestos-era ships. If your rating is not listed here, a VA disability claim for asbestos-related disease is still available to you.
Engineering ratings had the highest sustained exposure: Machinist's Mates (MM), Boiler Technicians (BT), Hull Technicians (HT), and Enginemen (EN) worked daily among asbestos-insulated steam systems, boilers, and piping. Electrician's Mates and Interior Communications Electricians faced additional exposure from asbestos-containing electrical cable insulation.
Yes. The VA's asbestos exposure policy covers all veterans who served aboard ships built with asbestos-containing materials. While engineering ratings had the highest documented exposure, the VA does not exclude any rating from an asbestos exposure finding. The key elements are: (1) a diagnosis, (2) evidence of shipboard service, and (3) a nexus statement.