Asbestos Exposure at Mare Island Naval Shipyard

By David Meldofsky, California-licensed attorney · Founder, Lawsuit Informer

Last updated: June 6, 2026

Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, was the first U.S. Navy base on the Pacific Coast and one of the most significant asbestos exposure sites in the West. For generations — and especially during decades of submarine construction and overhaul — the people who built and repaired ships there worked around asbestos every day, often without knowing it. This page explains, in plain terms, how and where exposure happened at the yard, who was affected, the illnesses linked to it, and why that history can still matter today.

About Mare Island Naval Shipyard

Established in 1854 on Mare Island in Vallejo, California — about 25 miles northeast of San Francisco — Mare Island was the first U.S. Navy base on the Pacific Coast. It operated for 142 years, until it was closed in 1996 under the federal Base Realignment and Closure process, and is now a National Historic Landmark. Over its history the yard built roughly 500 vessels and overhauled thousands more.

Mare Island reached its peak during World War II, when more than 40,000 civilian and military personnel worked there and the yard became one of the busiest in the world, building submarines, destroyer escorts, and landing craft. In its later decades it was the leading submarine port on the West Coast, building its first nuclear-powered submarine in the 1950s and its last submarine in 1970, then continuing as a major submarine overhaul facility. Through the decades when the yard was most active, asbestos was a standard shipbuilding material, which is why so many of the people who worked there were exposed.

Why Asbestos Was Present

Asbestos resists heat and fire and was inexpensive, so it was used heavily throughout shipbuilding and ship repair. At a yard like Mare Island, it appeared as insulation on boilers, steam lines, turbines, and piping; in gaskets and valve packing; in insulating block and cement; and in materials lining hulls and enclosed compartments. For a fuller explanation of why ships were saturated with these materials, see asbestos exposure in shipyards and naval service.

Where Exposure May Have Happened

Exposure was not limited to one task or one part of the yard. Fibers could be released whenever asbestos materials were cut, mixed, applied, removed, or disturbed — during new construction, overhauls, and routine maintenance alike. Common settings included:

• Engine and boiler rooms, where insulation covered boilers, turbines, and high-pressure steam lines
• Pipe runs throughout vessels, where insulation and lagging were applied and torn out
• Work installing or replacing gaskets and valve packing
• Mixing and applying insulating cements and block insulation
• The yard's shops, where asbestos-containing equipment was repaired and rebuilt
• Repair and overhaul work that disturbed older, already-installed asbestos materials

Submarine Work and Enclosed Spaces

Mare Island's long focus on submarines made it a distinctive exposure environment. Submarines pack extensive insulated piping and equipment into extremely tight quarters, and construction and overhaul work meant long hours inside small, poorly ventilated compartments where any disturbed asbestos dust concentrated and lingered. Workers who never personally handled asbestos could still breathe significant amounts simply by working near others in those enclosed spaces — a pattern that affected many submarine trades at once.

Who May Have Been Exposed

Many trades worked in and around asbestos at the yard, including:

• Insulators who applied and removed insulation
• Pipefitters and steamfitters and boilermakers
• Shipfitters, welders, machinists, and electricians
• Submarine construction and overhaul workers
• Laborers and cleanup crews who handled debris

Exposure also reached beyond the yard's own workforce. Navy personnel who served aboard ships and submarines built or overhauled there encountered the same materials, and family members were sometimes exposed to fibers carried home on work clothing — a pattern often called take-home or secondary exposure.

Illnesses Linked to the Exposure

The diseases associated with asbestos exposure can take decades to appear after the exposure itself. They include mesothelioma (including pleural and peritoneal forms), asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis. Because of this long delay, a diagnosis today can trace back to work done at the yard many years ago.

Why This History Can Matter in a Claim

Mare Island Naval Shipyard is widely recognized in asbestos litigation as a significant exposure site. A documented history of work or service connected to the yard — including which shops, vessels, and time periods were involved — can be an important part of reconstructing where and when exposure happened, which is often central to these claims.

Because asbestos illnesses surface so long after exposure, the time to bring a claim is generally measured from diagnosis rather than from the original exposure, and the applicable deadline varies by state. If you are researching on behalf of yourself or a family member, our companion directory can connect you with California asbestos lawyers who handle these matters, and you can also see who may qualify for an asbestos claim.

Records That Can Help

A complete file is rarely available at the start, and that is normal. Even partial information can help establish a connection to the yard. Useful records and details include employment or union records, Navy or merchant marine service documents, job titles and dates, the trades performed, the ships, submarines, or shops worked on, and the names of coworkers who can describe the conditions. For more, see records that help support an asbestos claim.

Common Questions

Why was asbestos used at Mare Island Naval Shipyard?

Because it resists heat and fire, asbestos was a standard material in shipbuilding — used for insulation on boilers, steam pipes, turbines, and hulls, and in gaskets, packing, and insulating cement. The yard built and repaired ships and submarines through decades when this use was routine.

Who may have been exposed there?

Insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, shipfitters, welders, electricians, and machinists worked directly around asbestos, and submarine work in particular meant long hours in tight, enclosed compartments. Navy personnel aboard yard-built or yard-overhauled vessels, and family members exposed through take-home dust, are also part of the pattern.

I worked there decades ago. Could it still matter?

Possibly. Asbestos illnesses often appear decades later, and the time to file is generally measured from diagnosis rather than exposure. A documented history at a known exposure site like Mare Island can be relevant. Deadlines vary by state and are best confirmed with a licensed attorney.

Related Pages

About the Author

David Meldofsky is a California-licensed attorney and the founder of Lawsuit Informer, an educational platform focused on helping people understand lawsuits, consumer safety issues, and legal rights related to defective products and toxic exposures.

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Last Updated: June 6, 2026

Educational information only. Not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is formed.