Gulfport Exposure Map
Documented Exposure Sites
| # | Facility | Area | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulfport Shipbuilding Corporation | Gulfport | Shipbuilding | Critical |
| 2 | Gulf States Marine Industries | Gulfport / Pascagoula | Ship Repair | High |
| 3 | Port of Gulfport (Longshoremen) | Gulfport | Maritime / Shipping | High |
| 4 | Camp Shelby (WWII / Cold War) | Hattiesburg | Military | Moderate |
| 5 | Mississippi Power Moselle Plant | Moselle | Power Generation | Moderate |
| 6 | Seabee Base Gulfport (Naval Station) | Gulfport | Military / Naval | High |
Gulfport’s Maritime Industrial Heritage
Gulfport developed as a deep-water port in the early 20th century and became an important regional shipbuilding and repair center during World War II. Gulfport Shipbuilding Corporation and Gulf States Marine Industries built and repaired vessels for the war effort, using asbestos insulation, pipe lagging, and fireproofing throughout each vessel in the same manner as every other American shipyard of the era.
Naval Station Gulfport — home to Navy Seabees (Construction Battalions) — is a significant military installation that exposed sailors and construction workers to asbestos in barracks buildings, shipboard facilities, and construction equipment. Seabees who worked on construction projects aboard ships or at facilities with asbestos-containing building materials have a documented elevated risk of mesothelioma.
Longshoremen at the Port of Gulfport also faced asbestos exposure when unloading bulk asbestos fiber shipments that arrived through the Gulf of Mexico throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Dock workers who handled asbestos fiber bags during loading and unloading operations had some of the highest asbestos exposures of any American worker group during that era.
Yes. Navy Seabees (Construction Battalions) based at Naval Station Gulfport who worked with or around asbestos-containing building materials, ship insulation, or construction equipment may be eligible for both VA disability benefits and civil lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers. Mississippi’s 3-year statute of limitations (Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49) begins on the date of confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis. VA benefits and civil claims can be pursued simultaneously.