Boston Navy Yard (Charlestown Naval Shipyard) — Boston, Massachusetts

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that civilian workers, Navy personnel, and contractor tradespeople at the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown, Massachusetts were exposed to asbestos-containing materials throughout the asbestos era.

Premises Description

The Boston Navy Yard — formally designated the Charlestown Naval Shipyard — operated continuously from 1800 to 1974, making it one of the oldest U.S. naval facilities and the longest-running naval shipyard in American history. Located on the Boston Harbor waterfront in Charlestown (now part of Boston National Historical Park), the yard built, repaired, overhauled, and decommissioned U.S. Navy vessels for 174 years.

Operational highlights:

  • 1800–1940 — Battleship, cruiser, and destroyer construction; USS Constitution permanently berthed beginning 1897
  • 1940–1945 — World War II peak: destroyer escort and destroyer overhaul at maximum industrial tempo; over 50,000 workers on site
  • 1945–1974 — Cold War ship repair, submarine overhaul, and fleet maintenance through the nuclear era
  • 1974 — Closed by the Department of Defense; transferred to the National Park Service

Asbestos was integral to shipyard operations throughout the facility’s industrial period:

  • Pipe covering and boiler lagging in all engineering and mechanical spaces of vessels under repair
  • Steam system insulation throughout dry docks, piers, and shipboard machinery spaces
  • Boiler brick and castable refractory in the yard’s industrial plant
  • Gaskets, packing, and valve stem materials in high-pressure systems
  • Asbestos rope and cloth used in welding and cutting operations throughout the yard
  • Acoustical tile and thermal insulation installed in vessel berthing and crew spaces

The U.S. Navy (as premises owner) and its civilian contractors — including major maintenance and repair firms — have been named as defendants in publicly filed asbestos litigation arising from the Boston Navy Yard.

Workers Exposed

Workers allegedly exposed to asbestos at Boston Navy Yard include:

  • U.S. Navy enlisted personnel (Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Technicians, Pipefitters, Hull Technicians) who served aboard vessels repaired at the yard or worked in the shipyard’s industrial plant
  • Civilian shipyard workers employed by the Department of the Navy in craft, production, and maintenance roles
  • Pipe coverers and insulators (HFIAW Local 6, Boston) who applied and stripped asbestos insulation on vessels and yard piping
  • Boilermakers (IBB Local 29) on boiler overhaul and new installation
  • Pipefitters and steamfitters (UA Local 537) on vessel steam systems and yard utility piping
  • Electricians (IBEW Local 103) performing electrical work through insulated compartments
  • Shipwright carpenters who worked in asbestos-contaminated vessel interiors
  • General laborers in the yard’s industrial shops and dry docks

Massachusetts & Federal Jurisdiction

Boston Navy Yard claims may be filed under Massachusetts tort law (M.G.L. c. 260, § 2A — three-year SOL from diagnosis) or, for active-duty Navy claimants, under applicable federal statutes. Civilian workers typically file state tort claims in Suffolk County Superior Court (Boston). Federal employees (civilian federal workers) may have Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) claims in addition to, or in lieu of, tort claims.

Asbestos trust funds — particularly the Owens Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos PI Trust, Armstrong World Industries Trust, Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, and others — are commonly implicated in Boston Navy Yard exposure chains. Trust claims can be filed alongside, or independent of, civil litigation.

If You Worked at Boston Navy Yard

If you or a family member served at Boston Navy Yard as a Navy veteran, civilian shipyard worker, or contractor trade worker — and were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease — you may have legal rights under Massachusetts law, federal law, and multiple asbestos trust funds.

Free, confidential case evaluation: contact O’Brien Law Firm at (314) 237-3332. No fee unless a financial recovery is made.