The U.S. Navy has been using submarines since 1900, and those in operation today are the deadliest of the military’s weapons. Many submarines built between the 1920s and the 1970s contained multiple asbestos products and materials. This caused exposure in many people who served on submarines, some of whom then developed mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer later.
Is There Asbestos in Submarines?
Along with other Navy vessels built during the same period, submarines contained asbestos materials. Asbestos was used to insulate many components and protect against fire. Among other submarine health risks, asbestos posed a serious risk to those who served.
When Was Asbestos Banned on Navy Ships?
The Navy first officially specified that asbestos should be used in submarines in 1922.[1] Asbestos was never fully banned, but the Navy stopped using it on ships in the 1970s. It then began replacing some asbestos materials around 1975.[2]
Do Navy Ships Still Have Asbestos?
Some Navy ships still contain asbestos, but it should be contained and encapsulated to reduce exposure risks. Even when contained, asbestos materials can be disrupted by repairs or accidents, risking additional exposure for workers and sailors.
Types of U.S. Navy Submarines
Submarines have been in use in the U.S. Navy for over 100 years. Today, modern submarines are high-tech instruments of war and intelligence, seeking and destroying enemy vessels and evading detection to collect information.
Three main types and designations describe U.S. submarines:
- Attack submarines (SSN): These are submarines designed to seek out and destroy enemy ships, both other submarines and surface vessels. They are also loaded with Tomahawk cruise missiles that can be used on shore. Other purposes for attack submarines are powering Special Operation Forces ashore, gathering intelligence, supporting battle fleets, conducting mine warfare, and conducting surveillance and reconnaissance.[3]
- Ballistic missile submarines (SSBN): Ballistic missile submarines are also known as boomers and they have just one purpose, which is strategic deterrence. These ships can accurately launch nuclear weapons.[4]
- Guided missile submarines (SSGN): These submarines were designed for special operation missions and strike missions. They have tactical missiles and high-tech communication devices and work with Special Operation Forces and Combatant Commanders.[5]
Previous classes of submarines included radar picket submarines (SSR), antisubmarine submarines (SSK), and just submarines (SS).
History and Wartime Use of Submarines
Today’s U.S. Navy has had submarines in its fleet since 1900, but one of the earliest uses of this type of vessel in warfare was the Hunley, a submarine used by Confederate forces during the Civil War. It sunk a Union ship in Charleston Harbor, the first sinking of an enemy vessel by a submarine.
Submarines in World War I
Submarines came into their own during World War I. The Navy’s first submarine was the USS Holland. It gave the U.S. an edge in sea warfare. It ran on an electric motor when submerged and used a combustion engine for surface travel.
By 1916, the Navy had a fleet of submarines called the Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The following year, thirty more submarines were ordered to be built to establish the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, the Navy had forty-two submarines, mostly used to defend coasts and harbors. Some were used in anti-submarine efforts in the English Channel and the North Sea.
Interwar Submarines
Between World War I and World War II, the Navy focused on making more submarines that were stealthier, faster, and could range farther. Submarine construction began in 1925, and the first of the new vessels was the USS Argonaut.
Submarines in World War II
U.S. submarines played a significant role in World War II, destroying more than 1,000 enemy vessels during the course of the war, both Japanese in the Pacific and German in the Atlantic. The U.S. fleet was responsible for taking down more than half of the enemy ships.
They also played an essential role in the search and rescue of American pilots. The submarines that served in the war were those of the Gato, Tench, and Balao classes.
Post World War II and the Korean War
Following the war, the submarine fleet was again upgraded to include even newer and better technologies. The Navy developed vessels that could operate even longer underwater and travel faster. The first new class of post-war submarines was the Tang class.
The Vietnam War
In 1955, the USS Nautilus was a newly-designed submarine that would set the stage for operating during the Vietnam War. It was followed by the Skate and Seawolf classes of submarines that no longer needed to surface unless to load or unload men or supplies.
Cold War and Modern Submarines
The Navy has continued to build on older versions of submarines to make more advanced and effective stealth war and intelligence vessels.
Today, there are eighteen Ohio-class ballistic and guided missile submarines, eleven Virginia-class attack submarines, three Seawolf attack submarines, and thirty-four Los Angeles-class attack submarines.
How Was Asbestos Used on Submarines?
Asbestos use in ships was common from the 1930s through the 1970s when federal regulations put limitations on it, and the full health impacts were known. It was a common choice for use in vessels of all types, including submarines, because it excelled at preventing fire and insulating.
It was also useful because it was abundant and inexpensive. For submarines, asbestos’s light weight and flexibility allowed it to fit into small and oddly-shaped spaces.
Fire is always a risk on ships but is especially dangerous on a submarine with no escape for its crew, so asbestos fireproofing was particularly important on these underwater vessels.
In many Navy ships, asbestos could be found in hundreds of materials and components, including:
- Firefighting gear
- Gunner’s protective gear
- Pipe insulation
- Gaskets
- Valves
- Boilers
- Turbines
- Adhesives
- Flooring
- Wall materials
Documentation of the use of asbestos on submarines shows that it was also used in flanged valves, important parts in torpedo rooms, as well as in insulation cloth and felt, drain valves, power cables, and many other components.
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure on Submarines?
The men who served on submarines built before the 1970s were put at risk of asbestos exposure, as were those who built, repaired, and maintained these vessels using asbestos parts and materials.
Asbestos exposure is harmful because the material can have loose fibers that get into the air and are then inhaled. Asbestos is especially dangerous on submarines with poor ventilation in cramped spaces. Any loose fibers circulate through the entire submarine, putting everyone on board at risk.
Although everyone stationed on a submarine was at risk of asbestos exposure and resulting related illnesses, some men were more at risk.
Anyone who worked in the torpedo rooms or maintained or repaired the ship could have disturbed asbestos materials, exposing fibers and risking inhalation.
How Did Asbestos Harm Submarine Veterans?
Asbestos exposure causes illness in some people decades later. The fibers of asbestos lodge in tissues inside the body, causing damage that can lead to cancer or harmful scarring.
There are countless examples of Navy veterans who developed mesothelioma and other asbestos illnesses years or even decades after their services. Many of these incidents are documented in VA claims or lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers:
- A Navy veteran who served on submarines and in other roles between 1964 and 1984. His jobs included electronic technician, nuclear power technician, and submarine nuclear plant supervisor. Years after his service, this veteran developed chronic lymphocytic leukemia attributed to both asbestos and radiation exposure.[6]
- Another veteran served in the Navy from 1961 to 1981. He served on submarines for several years and later developed emphysema and other lung conditions. He reported in his claim that he was responsible for removing asbestos insulation.[7]
- A veteran who served in the Navy from 1961 to 1978 sued private companies, including Armstrong Pumps, after developing mesothelioma. He blamed these asbestos companies that supplied the Navy for his exposure and illness. His roles on a submarine included servicing and maintaining pumps that contained asbestos.
U.S. Navy Submarines with Asbestos
Most of the submarines used in the U.S. Navy were made with asbestos through the 1970s. Those who served their country on these vessels were put at risk, and some of them suffered decades later with diagnoses of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer. Some of the many submarines known to have contained asbestos include:
- USS Abraham Lincoln, commissioned 1961, recycled
- USS Albacore, commissioned 1953, museum ship
- USS Andrew Jackson, commissioned 1963, recycled
- USS Balao, commissioned 1943, sunk
- USS Barracuda, commissioned 1951, scrapped
- USS Batfish, commissioned 1972, recycled
- USS Benjamin Franklin, commissioned 1965, recycled
- USS Dace, commissioned 1964, recycled
- USS Dorado, commissioned 1943, sunk
- USS Daniel Boone, commissioned 1964, recycled
- USS Ethan Allen, commissioned 1961, recycled
- USS Gato, commissioned 1966, recycled
- USS Grouper, commissioned 1942, scrapped
- USS Halibut, commissioned 1960, recycled
- USS Hammerhead, commissioned 1944, sold to Turkey
- USS Icefish, commissioned 1944, sold to the Netherlands
- USS James Monroe, commissioned 1963, recycled
- USS Kamehameha, commissioned 1965, recycled
- USS Lafayette, commissioned 1963, recycled
- USS Lewis and Clark, commissioned 1965, recycled
- USS Lionfish, commissioned 1944, museum ship
- USS Manta, commissioned 1944, scrapped
- USS Nathan Hale, commissioned 1963, recycled
- USS Patrick Henry, commissioned 1960, recycled
- USS Pollack, commissioned 1937, scrapped
- USS Pollack, commissioned 1964, recycled
- USS Pompon, commissioned 1943, scrapped
- USS Robert E. Lee, commissioned 1960, recycled
- USS Runner, commissioned 1945, scrapped
- USS Sailfish, commissioned 1956, sunk
- USS Sam Houston, commissioned 1962, recycled
- USS Sea Devil, commissioned 1969, recycled
- USS Sea Robin, commissioned 1944, scrapped
- USS Spadefish, commissioned 1969, recycled
- USS Tecumseh, commissioned 1964, recycled
- USS Theodore Roosevelt, commissioned 1961, recycled
- USS Ulysses S. Grant, commissioned 1964, recycled
- USS Von Steuben, commissioned 1964, recycled
Benefits and Compensation for U.S. Navy Veterans
Submarines have long been a crucial element of the U.S. Navy’s fleets. These important warships have also caused a lot of harm to some of the men and women who served on them and other Navy ships.
If you or a loved one has mesothelioma and served in the Navy, you can make a claim with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to receive pay and medical care. The VA medical facilities in Boston and Los Angeles include specialists in mesothelioma and are among the best places to receive treatment.
In addition to medical care, veterans can file claims for disability compensation. The VA rates mesothelioma as 100% disabling, so veterans with this illness can potentially receive maximum compensation.
Another compensation option is to take private legal action. While veterans cannot sue the Navy or the government, they can sue the companies that supplied the military with asbestos materials.
An asbestos law firm can help you determine which companies were responsible for your exposure and which legal action to take. You might be able to file a lawsuit to seek a settlement or make a claim with an asbestos trust fund.
It’s important to contact a mesothelioma lawyer as soon as possible after getting a diagnosis of an asbestos illness. They can help you get the benefits and compensation you deserve after serving on a submarine or other Navy vessels loaded with asbestos.
