Located in the westernmost part of the Florida panhandle, Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola is often referred to as “The Cradle of Naval Aviation.” With a history dating back to the early 19th century, this renowned naval installation has been integral to the development of America’s aviation assets and the training of naval aviators. Unfortunately, like many military installations built before the 1980s, the construction of NAS Pensacola included a great deal of asbestos in its buildings, infrastructure, and aircraft. This has led to many Navy personnel and civilian employees being diagnosed with or at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
The History of Naval Air Station Pensacola
The site now occupied by NAS Pensacola has a rich history. Initially claimed for Spain in the 16th Century, it started as a colony on Santa Rosa Island. Ownership of the area shifted from Spain to Britain to the United States, becoming a permanent American possession in 1821. Quickly thereafter, President John Quincy Adams and Secretary of the Navy Samuel Southard recognized the advantages of Pensacola’s natural harbor and timber reserves for shipbuilding, and in 1825, they established a Navy Yard on the southern tip of Escambia County. Construction began in April 1826 at what was then known by two names: The Pensacola Navy Yard and the Warrington Navy Yard. During its early years, the yard faced significant challenges in hiring enough employees, so workers had to be recruited from naval bases in the north. The yard also has a history of using slave labor until the Civil War.[1]
In 1861, as the Civil War loomed, the Warrington Navy Yard surrendered to secessionists. When Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862, Confederate troops in Florida reacted by retreating, but not before reducing most of the site to rubble. It was rebuilt after the war, but many of the rebuilt structures were destroyed in a hurricane.
As the Navy became more interested in aviation in the early 20th century, the Naval Appropriation Act, passed in 1912, had a significant impact on the Pensacola site. The next year, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels appointed a board that recommended establishing an aviation training station there, and by early 1914, the first aviation units arrived via the former battleship USS Mississippi. The base’s initial complement consisted of nine officers, 23 enlisted men, and seven aircraft, and its first flight occurred on February 2, 1914. This was the beginning of a proud legacy as a naval aviation training center.[1]
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Pensacola was the only naval air station in the country. Though at the time the war started, it had just 38 naval aviators, 163 enlisted men trained in aviation support, and 54 fixed-wing aircraft, by the armistice in November 1918, it had expanded dramatically, training 1,000 naval aviators with a staff of 438 officers and 5,538 enlisted men. The station was home to seaplanes, dirigibles, and free kite balloons, all of which were kept in hangars aligned on one mile of beach.
From World War I to World War II, training at the air station slowed. Roughly 100 pilots graduated from the flight course each year, and officers were only accepted for flight training after they’d spent a minimum of two years of duty at sea. Most of these students were graduates of Annapolis, leading to the site being referred to as the “Annapolis of the Air.”
The site expanded significantly over the next several years, with Station Field (later renamed Chevalier Field) being built in 1922 and the cadet training program starting in 1935.
Once World War II began, NAS Pensacola returned to being a hub for air training activities. It quickly began training 1,100 cadets a month, expanding to eleven times the number that it trained in the 1920s. In 1940, the auxiliary base Saufley Field was added, followed by Ellyson Field in October 1941. The growth of the base during this period transformed Pensacola from a small training facility to the world’s greatest naval aviation center, with naval aviators from NAS Pensacola even training the famous Doolittle Raiders for carrier take-offs in B-25 Mitchell bombers.[2]
During the Korean War, the military transitioned from propeller planes to jet aircraft. This meant that NAS Pensacola had to update its courses and training techniques. During these three years, the air station trained 6,000 aviators, and in 1954 opened Forrest Sherman Field on the western side of the base. After that, the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Blue Angels, relocated from NAS Corpus Christi to Pensacola.
Training criteria changed again for the Vietnam War, and so did the number of service members who trained at the base. As American involvement in the conflict intensified, the number of trainees at the base grew from a low of 1,413 pilots in 1962 to 2,552 graduates in 1968.
In 1971, NAS Pensacola was designated headquarters for the Chief of Naval Education and Training (CNET). This consolidated control of all Navy education and training activities. In 2003, CNET was replaced by the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).[2]
Today, NAS Pensacola is home to several commands and schools, including the Naval Aviation Schools Command, Aviation Enlisted Aircrew Training School, Naval Aviation Technical Training Center, and the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps School of Aviation Safety. The complex employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel across Florida’s Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.[2]
Despite suffering extensive damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the air station survived the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Though many of its facilities were destroyed in that storm, the base has been rebuilt and continues to be a premier training facility for naval aviators and other military personnel.
How Was Asbestos Used at Naval Air Station Pensacola?
Like almost all military installations built before the 1980s, NAS Pensacola made extensive use of asbestos-containing materials in its construction and in various applications. With the material already popular for its characteristic strength, fireproofing abilities, and insulation from heat, the U.S. Navy required its use from early in the 20th century through the early 1980s. The use of asbestos was specified for building construction and hundreds of other applications within the aircraft, ships, and bases where service members trained, lived, served on, and maintained. The material was later recognized as being carcinogenic, but this came too late for the hundreds of thousands of service members and civilian workers whose exposure put them at risk for serious asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
The use of asbestos was especially prevalent during World War II, when naval facilities like NAS Pensacola experienced rapid expansion. It wasn’t until 1971 that the Environmental Protection Agency identified it as a hazardous pollutant, and OSHA didn’t officially declare it a carcinogen until 1975.[3] That was when the Department of Defense discontinued its use of asbestos-containing materials: Asbestos abatement projects weren’t implemented until years later.
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at NAS Pensacola included:
- Aircraft brakes and components
- Boiler and pipe insulation
- Ceiling and floor tiles
- Cement foundations
- Electrical wiring
- Fire-resistant clothing and gear
- Firefighting equipment
- Gaskets and valves
- Heat shields for aircraft engines
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials in buildings
- Paints and adhesives
- Plumbing systems
- Roofing materials
- Soundproofing materials
- Wall insulation
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Naval Air Station Pensacola?
Asbestos-related diseases are unique in many ways, including their extremely long latency periods. Between 20 and 50 years often elapse between exposure to asbestos and symptoms developing. As a result, anyone who spent time at, lived at, or worked at NAS Pensacola between the 1930s and 1980s could potentially be at risk for an asbestos-related disease from the structures and equipment found throughout the base.
While service members and civilians who worked directly with asbestos-containing materials were at the highest risk for exposure, once asbestos-containing materials are damaged, their microscopic fibers easily become airborne, so even people who worked or lived on the base may have been exposed and inhaled or ingested the particles.
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at NAS Pensacola included:
- Aircraft mechanics
- Boiler workers
- Carpenters
- Construction workers
- Electricians
- Firefighters
- Insulators
- Machinists
- Naval aviators and flight crews
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Welders
Expanding the tragedy of asbestos even further, family members of naval personnel and civilian workers were also at risk. Though they may never have worked with or near asbestos, the toxic fibers could be carried home on the clothing, hair, and skin of those who did, potentially exposing their household members to the danger of secondary exposure. Many spouses who laundered base personnel’s clothing and uniforms were later diagnosed with mesothelioma and other diseases.
Though asbestos may be thought of as a twentieth-century illness, the risk of exposure at NAS Pensacola continues today, as legacy asbestos in buildings constructed before the 1980s remains hidden in many of the base’s materials. Though renovations and demolition activities are required to comply with strict asbestos management regulations, adherence does not always happen.
Environmental Concerns and Superfund Designation
In addition to the risk posed by asbestos, personnel at NAS Pensacola faced other environmental challenges. Contamination by heavy metals and other hazardous materials led to the site being designated as a Superfund site that required environmental cleanup.[4]
Help for Asbestos Victims who Served or Worked at NAS Pensacola
Navy veterans and others diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, COPD, or any other asbestos-related disease after being exposed at NAS Pensacola have several options available to them. The first and most important step is arranging medical care and establishing a treatment plan, and veterans can access care at VA Medical Centers. Several offer treatment for those with asbestos-related diseases, and VA benefits can also be used to receive care at some of the nation’s most highly respected cancer centers. Affected veterans may also be entitled to special disability compensation, with mesothelioma diagnoses proven to be linked to military service exposure that warrants a 100% rating.
For more information on pursuing these benefits and other valuable options, seeking help from an experienced asbestos attorney is highly recommended. These knowledgeable legal professionals can help you prepare your VA claim as well as provide information about filing claims with asbestos bankruptcy trust funds, pursuing personal injury lawsuits against the companies responsible for asbestos exposure, or seeking settlements.
It’s crucial for affected individuals to understand that various time limitations apply to filing claims, so prompt action is advisable following a diagnosis related to asbestos exposure.
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