Was Newport News Shipbuilding (HII / Tenneco / Litton) — asbestos documented in litigation?

Newport News Shipbuilding (HII / Tenneco / Litton) — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Newport News Shipbuilding (HII / Tenneco / Litton) — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Newport News Shipbuilding (HII / Tenneco / Litton) — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Marine

Newport News Shipbuilding Naval Aircraft Carrier and Submarine Construction

⚖ Litigation Record1886-present (asbestos era through 1980s)Asbestos marine insulation, asbestos pipe covering, asbestos boiler refractory, asbestos electrical insulation, asbestos gaskets

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Premises Description

Newport News Shipbuilding (founded 1886, headquartered Newport News VA; today operated as the Newport News Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII); previously owned by Tenneco Inc. 1968-1996 and Northrop Grumman 2001-2011) is the largest U.S. shipyard by employment and through the 20th century the historic principal builder of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. The yard has built or refueled essentially every U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carrier from the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) through the Ford-class CVN-78 program and constructs Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines.

Through the asbestos era — particularly the 1940s-1970s WWII, Cold War, and Vietnam-era shipbuilding peak — Newport News Shipbuilding employed tens of thousands of shipyard machinists, marine machinists, ship insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, electricians, welders, riggers, and trade workers. The yard operated multiple covered drydocks, outfitting basins, machine shops, foundries, pipe shops, sheet metal shops, paint shops, and warehouses across its Newport News VA campus.

Newport News built U.S. Navy ships in the asbestos era equipped throughout with asbestos marine insulation on machinery-space steam piping, boilers, turbines, electrical wiring, and bulkhead lining — Marinite, Mundet asbestos-cork, Johns-Manville pipe covering, Owens-Corning Kaylo, Pittsburgh Corning Unibestos, and Standard Insulations and Eagle-Picher products were all specified across the documented shipbuilding era. Shipyard workers worked in confined spaces with limited ventilation, cutting, fitting, and installing asbestos throughout each ship’s construction.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Newport News Shipbuilding — as premises owner of the shipyard — exposed its shipyard workforce and contractor trades to extensive asbestos.

Newport News Shipbuilding has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

Shipyard machinists, marine machinists, and shipfitters at Newport News
Ship insulators (HFIAW Local members) installing marine asbestos insulation
Pipefitters running asbestos-clad steam, hot-oil, and process piping
Boilermakers building ship boilers and pressure vessels
Electricians running asbestos-insulated electrical wiring
Welders, riggers, and laborers working alongside shipboard asbestos
Navy ratings on commissioned U.S. Navy ships built at Newport News

If You Worked at Newport News Shipbuilding

If you worked at Newport News Shipbuilding (under any ownership: independent, Tenneco, Northrop Grumman, or HII) during the asbestos era — as a Newport News employee or as a Navy rating aboard a ship under construction or refit at the yard — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Product Facts

Trade NameNewport News Shipbuilding Naval Aircraft Carrier and Submarine Construction

Years Produced1886-present (asbestos era through 1980s)

Asbestos ContentAsbestos marine insulation, asbestos pipe covering, asbestos boiler refractory, asbestos electrical insulation, asbestos gaskets

CategoryMarine Industrial-Furnaces Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Shipyard machinistsMarine machinistsInsulatorsPipefittersBoilermakersElectricians

Sponsored Legal Resource — Attorney Advertising

Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire
No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

Call: (314) 207-2823 Free consultation — available now

O’Brien Law Firm

Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

Get a Free Case Evaluation

Attorney Advertising. This website is published by Rights Watch Media Group LLC, an independent media organization, and is not a law firm. Visiting this site or submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. O’Brien Law Firm is a licensed Missouri law firm. Free consultations are offered at no obligation. Legal representation is provided on a contingency basis — there is no charge unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf. Individual results vary; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. This site receives compensation when visitors connect with participating law firms.