Today, Naval Base San Diego is known as Commander Navy Southwest, but a new name and updated mission can’t change the site’s historic use of asbestos from the time it was established through the early 1980s. That use exposed countless service members and civilians to the risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Expanding that risk, in 2006, the Navy identified numerous locations across the 1,100-acre base where asbestos contamination was so significant that it required remediation.
Asbestos at Naval Base San Diego
The use of asbestos at Naval Base San Diego was not unique: most shipyards, whether those under the auspices of the U.S. Navy or private, made extensive use of asbestos in shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair between the 1930s and 1980s. This was largely due to the material’s characteristic strength and resistance to heat and fire. These benefits were made even more attractive by asbestos’ immediate accessibility and low cost. At the San Diego location, asbestos was most heavily used in the years between the country’s entry into World War II and the Korean War.
In addition to its use in Navy vessels, the carcinogenic material was also integral to the construction of structures found in numerous areas of the base and its satellite operations.
The History of Naval Base San Diego
Naval Base San Diego was established in 1919 as U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego. It played an expanded role during World War II when it was renamed U.S. Repair Base San Diego. Through the years the base grew to its present size of over 1,100 acres and employing nearly 15,000 workers. After the war ended, its operational responsibilities shifted again, and it began coordinating logistics and supply provisioning, as well as repairs and dry docking) in support of the active fleet in the Pacific. In 1946, the Secretary of the Navy redesignated the repair base Naval Station San Diego. As the United States entered the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and faced its Cold War commitments, the base continued to be an integral part of naval readiness including training classes offered at the nearby Naval Training Center.[1]
When the Long Beach Naval Shipyard closed in the 1990s, the base became the principal homeport of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the name changed again to Naval Base San Diego. Today it is known as Commander Navy Region Southwest and is the shore installation management headquarters for the Southwest region. It provides expertise in areas such as housing, environmental, security, family services, port services, air services bachelor quarters, supply, medical, and logistical concerns for hundreds of thousands of active duty, reserve, and retired military members in the area. It also coordinates for the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquartered in Hawaii and provides support for bases in Southern California and Nevada.[2]
Following an investigation conducted by the Navy, a report detailed several locations within the naval base that were contaminated with asbestos material, including the salvage yard that contained demolition debris, a material storage area, a building used for metal finishing, and the waste storage area where dry dock and ship repair waste was temporarily stored. Additional contamination was found on the site of the U.S. Naval Training Center which was built in 1923 and which served as a major training command center for more than seventy years. After this site was placed on the military’s national base closure list in the 1990s, more than seventy acres of asbestos-contaminated buildings had to be cleared. This represented the largest single project ever issued from the Demolition Projects Office of Naval Command in Washington D.C.[3]
How Was Asbestos Used at Naval Base San Diego?
In the years that it was called U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego, U.S. Repair Base, San Diego, and Naval Station San Diego, the base was tasked with repairing and maintaining Navy vessels. Those ships were fabricated with hundreds of asbestos-contaminated parts, materials, and equipment, and so were the structures that supported the base activities. These parts and materials included:
- Pipe insulation
- Spray-on insulation
- Other types of insulation
- Boilers
- Bulkheads
- Pumps
- Concrete
- Floor tiling
- Machinery casing
- Ceiling material
- Doors
- Wall panels
- Sealants
- Paints
- Lagging Cloth
- Adhesives
- Gaskets
- Pipes
- Boiler cladding
- Furnace firebricks
- Welding materials
- Safety equipment and protective clothing
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Naval Base San Diego?
Naval Base San Diego was an enormous active shipyard in its heyday, and was comprised of multiple sites that were both constructed using asbestos-contaminated materials and further impacted by the everyday use of asbestos-containing ship parts and equipment. While asbestos use was ubiquitous between the 1930s and 1980 – and particularly during the years that America’s Pacific fleet was actively involved in military defense, the toxic material impacted workers for years, including through the 21st century when it was discovered to be contaminating the base. a wide range of shipyard workers exposed to the toxic material were put at significant risk, and so were their family members and others who may have suffered secondary asbestos exposure to the dust carried home on their clothing.
People at risk of mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases include:
- Naval architects and officers
- Nautical and structural engineers
- Welders
- Steamfitters
- Electricians
- Machine operators
- Crane operators
- Government officials and inspectors
- Repair workers
- Clerical workers
- Boiler workers
- Civilian contractors
- Demolition or shipbreaking workers
- Laborers
- Longshoreman
- Pipefitters
- Painters
- Plumbers
- Electrical engineers
- Insulators
- Ironworkers
- Carpenters
- Janitors
- Truck drivers transporting asbestos-contaminated materials
Compensation for Naval Base San Diego Workers
With 14,000 workers serving at Naval Base San Diego at any one time, and thousands more passing through the base as contractors and serving on ships, it is impossible to tell how many people may have been sickened by asbestos on the base. If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and need assistance in identifying the source of your exposure, an experienced asbestos attorney will be an invaluable resource. They can help you identify the products that may have sickened you, and help you navigate the complicated maze of litigation and compensation.
If you are a veteran, you may be eligible for special disability compensation and medical care through the Veterans Administration.
