Navy Port Calls and Asbestos Exposure
Navy veterans who served at overseas ports — Subic Bay, Yokosuka, Rota, Naples — may have encountered elevated asbestos exposure during foreign-port maintenance operations with minimal ACM controls.
Foreign-port maintenance operations often occurred under conditions that would not have been permitted at U.S. Naval installations — minimal dust controls, inadequate respiratory protection, and contractors unfamiliar with ACM regulations. Veterans who remember maintenance work performed while in port at overseas bases may have encountered significant asbestos fiber exposure regardless of which ship they served aboard.
If you remember the ports your ship called at but not the hull designation, use these pages to identify which ships routinely made port at each location. Your DD-214 or service records may confirm the connection needed for a VA claim under 38 CFR § 3.309(d).