The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is located on 270 acres in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Still operational and one of just four public naval shipyards that remain active today, the yard has a history dating back to the year 1800. Over the years it shifted from building warships to submarines in addition to the overhaul and repair of surface vessels. The years surrounding World War II saw tens of thousands of Navy personnel and civilians working at Portsmouth, many of whom were later diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other serious illnesses as a result of the extensive use of asbestos during that time and the years after. Though the base has remained open, it was targeted for investigation by the EPA and was named a Superfund site.
Asbestos at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Over its more than 200-year history, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has built a long and storied record of constructing, repairing, maintaining, and updating ships and submarines. Up until 1980, asbestos was used extensively in all of these activities. The yard’s activities included the construction of several vessels that were later identified as being heavily contaminated with asbestos, including the USS Balao (commissioned on February 4, 1943); the USS Albacore (served from 1053 to 1972); and the nuclear-powered USS Sand Lance.[1] The shipyard’s campus was also the location of a Prisoner of War encampment that was built using asbestos. Named Camp Long and later converted to a Naval Prison, at 265,000 square feet it was considered the largest poured concrete building in the world.[2]
The use of asbestos was so high at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) felt it necessary to include it in a retrospective exposure assessment to distinguish between its role in the incidence of lung cancer at the shipyard and the role of external ionizing radiation that workers were exposed to at the site. The study concluded that asbestos exposure played a significant role, though the exposures were higher in the early years and fell in the mid-1970s.[3]
Asbestos and other toxic material contamination at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was so significant that the Environmental Protection Agency added it to its list of Superfund sites in 1994. Though this action nearly led to the site’s closure, a robust grassroots campaign launched by the shipyard’s employees blocked the closure. Extensive cleanup efforts led to the shipyard being removed from the Superfund list in 2023, though monitoring will continue.[4]
The History of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established by the federal government in 1800, but its history extends even further back in time. Warships were being built on the site for the English government as far back as the year 1690 when The Falkland was commissioned for His Majesty’s Royal Navy. In 1776 The Raleigh was built in sixty days on the site: It was one of the first 13 original frigates ordered by the Continental Congress. In 1789, George Washington visited the site, and the naval yard was officially created on June 17, 1800, under President Thomas Jefferson. [5]
With the War of 1812 looming, the first ship built at the officially designated Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was named Washington and was launched in 1815. In 1850 and again in 1882, the yard was tasked with refitting one of the most famous warships ever built, Old Ironsides, and the yard itself was modernized and expanded. It was home to the largest shipbuilding structure ever built, the Franklin Building, and during the Civil War, the Portsmouth Naval Yard began building ships that were half-steamboat and half-sailing ship.[5]
Following the end of the Spanish-American War, Portsmouth Naval Yard was tasked with housing 1,300 prisoners of war, resulting in the construction of an enormous military jail that later housed 3,000 prisoners during World War II. It was the site of the Treaty of Portsmouth, which formally ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905, and in 1917 it saw the construction of the first submarine built at a naval shipyard.
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard produced more submarines through both world wars than any other naval submarine facility. In the early 1950s, innovations in technology introduced atomic-powered submarines including the Albacore and the Thresher. In 1969, the Sand Lance was the last of 134 subs built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Today, the yard is the leading shipyard for the repair of nuclear-powered submarines.[6]
How Was Asbestos Used at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?
The Navy’s use of asbestos at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was extensive and led to a significant risk of asbestos-related diseases. The carcinogenic material had applications in multiple components of the shipyard itself, as well as the ships and submarines that it built, repaired, maintained, and updated. The Navy ordered that asbestos be used in its ships because of its ability to insulate and protect against fire, as well as for its easy access and low cost.
Most of the submarines that were built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were insulated using asbestos-containing materials, and most of the buildings that were constructed on the site used asbestos in materials ranging from concrete and insulation to roofing shingles, floor and ceiling tiles, and drywall joint compound. Asbestos was used in boiler rooms and to insulate electrical wiring, to protect and insulate water pipes, and in fireproofing supplies. It even infused thermal blankets.
Navy personnel and civilian workers alike were exposed to asbestos in a wide range of materials and parts used within the ships or in their construction, as well as in the structures within which they worked. These parts and materials included:
- Pipe insulation
- Spray-on insulation
- Other types of insulation
- Boilers
- Concrete
- Floor tiling
- Machinery casing
- Ceiling material
- Doors
- Wall panels
- Sealants
- Automobile brake linings
- Paints
- Adhesives
- Gaskets
- Pipes
- Safety equipment and protective clothing
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?
An alarming number of naval and civilian personnel who worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard over its most active years were later diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. They were also diagnosed with other cancers. Though many of these illnesses were attributed to exposure to ionizing radiation from the nuclear-powered submarines that were being built, a significant number of illnesses were attributed to exposure to asbestos dust and fibers that were inhaled or ingested from asbestos-containing materials.
Those at risk include:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Shipyard Workers
- Construction Workers
- Carpenters
Though asbestos use was discontinued in the mid-1970s, many of those who worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard until that time continue to live with the potential of being diagnosed with mesothelioma. Many of those who were diagnosed have filed personal injury lawsuits against dozens of asbestos manufacturers they accuse of negligence in failing to warn of the dangers of the carcinogenic material in their products. Additionally, the constant use of the mineral and improper disposal of asbestos-containing materials left most areas of the shipyard contaminated, leading to a high level of risk for anybody who spent time there for any reason, as well as for any of their family members who may have suffered secondary asbestos exposure from asbestos carried home on their hair, skin, or clothing.
Resources for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Asbestos Victims
Today, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard continues to serve, employing a large civilian workforce that overhauls, repairs, and modernizes the Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet. It is also the source of many asbestos exposures in people who being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
People who worked at the shipyard and are diagnosed with these illnesses have several resources and options available to them, including being able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the asbestos companies whose products put them at risk, or filing a claim with an asbestos trust fund that provides compensation to victims. Some of the companies whose products were used at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard filed for bankruptcy, which led to the establishment of these funds, including:
- Babcock & Wilcox
- Combustion Engineering
- Fibreboard
- Flexitallic
- GAF
- Keene Corporation
- Owens Corning
- Pittsburgh Corning
- U.S. Gypsum
- Yarway
If you are a Navy veteran, you also may be eligible for compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
An experienced asbestos attorney will be able to provide you with answers to your questions and access to helpful resources.
