For more than three centuries, generations of Plymouth families sent shipwrights, laggers, boilermakers, fitters and apprentices through the gates of the naval dockyard at Devonport, one of the largest naval bases in Western Europe. Asbestos lagging packed around pipework, boilers and machinery on warships and submarines during construction, refit and breaking work has left Plymouth with one of the highest recorded rates of asbestos-related disease of any local authority area in Great Britain. Many of the same workers, and others across Plymouth’s wider maritime and defence industry, also spent years working amid the noise of riveting, chipping, grinding and engine testing during ship repair, often with little or no hearing protection. If you or a family member developed mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural thickening or industrial deafness after working at the dockyard or in Plymouth’s shipbuilding and ship repair trades, you may still be able to bring a claim for compensation, usually against the Ministry of Defence or the relevant employer’s insurers, even many decades after the exposure took place.
Devonport was founded in 1690 as Plymouth Dock, chosen as a new western base for the Royal Navy after the political and naval balance in Europe shifted following the accession of William of Orange. It was renamed Devonport in 1824. In peacetime the yard built and repaired ships; in wartime it maintained the Western Squadron and, later, played a central role through both World Wars. Major twentieth century expansions, including the Keyham Steam Yard and the Keyham Extension completed in 1907, made it what has been described as the largest dockyard of its kind. Today, HM Naval Base Devonport is officially described as the largest naval base in Western Europe and is the only UK facility responsible for the deep maintenance and defuelling of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet, a role that grew from the Nuclear Submarine Refit Complex and Leander Class Frigate Complex established at the yard during the 1970s.
Why does Plymouth have one of the highest asbestos disease rates in the UK?
Plymouth has one of the highest standardised rates of asbestosis mortality of any local authority area in Great Britain. According to the Health and Safety Executive’s Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain 2026, Plymouth recorded a male asbestosis standardised mortality ratio (SMR) of 662.4 for the period 1981 to 2024, the second highest of any Unitary or Local Authority area in the country, based on 352 recorded male deaths where asbestosis was mentioned on the death certificate. An SMR compares an area’s mortality rate with the rate for Great Britain as a whole, which is set at 100; a figure of 662.4 means the male asbestosis death rate in Plymouth was more than six-and-a-half times the national average over that period. HSE’s separate analysis of mesothelioma deaths by area tells the same story: 674 male mesothelioma deaths among Plymouth residents between 1981 and 2024, with an SMR of 256.2, the fifth highest of any local authority area in Great Britain. Nationally, the same HSE report recorded 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in 2024 and estimates that asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, cause around 5,000 deaths a year across the country. Plymouth’s elevated rate reflects decades of heavy asbestos use in local shipbuilding and ship repair, particularly at Devonport dockyard, where asbestos lagging, insulation board and gaskets were used extensively on warships and submarines before the dangers were fully controlled.
Which Devonport dockyard trades faced the highest asbestos exposure?
Almost anyone who worked below decks or in the machinery spaces of a ship undergoing construction, refit or breaking at Devonport could have been exposed to asbestos fibres, particularly where lagging was disturbed, cut or removed in confined, poorly ventilated compartments. Some trades and roles carried a particularly high risk of exposure:
- Laggers, whose specific job was to apply and strip asbestos insulation from pipework, boilers and steam plant
- Shipwrights and boat builders and repairers working throughout the hull during construction and refit
- Boilermakers and pipefitters working on steam and heating systems packed with asbestos lagging
- Fitters, electricians and welders carrying out maintenance in engine rooms and machinery spaces
- Scaffolders and riggers setting up access around asbestos-lagged structures during refits
- Dockyard apprentices, who often assisted tradesmen in the dustiest and most confined areas
- Labourers and construction operatives involved in breaking up decommissioned vessels
What illnesses can result from asbestos exposure at the dockyard?
Asbestos-related diseases typically take decades to develop after exposure, which is why people who worked at Devonport in the 1950s to 1980s are often only being diagnosed now. The main conditions are set out below.
Asbestos-related conditions linked to dockyard and shipyard work
| Condition | What it is | Typically appears | Claimable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesothelioma | An aggressive cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen, almost always caused by asbestos | 20 to 50 years after exposure | Yes |
| Asbestosis | Scarring of the lung tissue caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, which can seriously affect breathing | 20 to 40 years after exposure, usually needing heavy exposure | Yes |
| Pleural thickening | Thickening and hardening of the lung’s outer lining, which can restrict breathing | Often 20 years or more after exposure | Yes |
| Asbestos-related lung cancer | Lung cancer where past asbestos exposure is identified as a contributing cause | Typically decades after exposure | Yes |
| Pleural plaques | Localised areas of thickening on the lung lining, usually without symptoms | Can appear many years after exposure | Not on their own in England and Wales, but worth recording as evidence of exposure |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
Can former Devonport dockyard workers bring asbestos claims against the Ministry of Defence?
Yes. For civilian dockyard employees, the Ministry of Defence was very often the direct employer, which means asbestos claims from Plymouth dockyard workers are frequently pursued directly against the Ministry of Defence as a negligent former employer, rather than against a private insurer. It is a common misunderstanding that Crown immunity blocks these claims. The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 gave the Crown a narrow immunity from being sued in tort, but on its own wording that protection applied only to “a member of the armed forces of the Crown”, meaning serving military personnel, and only for incidents before the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 removed that immunity prospectively for the future. Civilian dockyard workers, such as shipwrights, laggers and fitters employed as civil servants or industrial staff, were never covered by that armed forces immunity and have always been able to bring personal injury and industrial disease claims in the ordinary way. Where a private contractor rather than the Crown was the employer at the relevant time, and that company has since dissolved, it can usually be restored to the register, or the Employers’ Liability Tracing Office can help identify the insurer that covered the risk at the time. Where absolutely no employer or insurer can be traced, the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme, created under the Mesothelioma Act 2014, provides a route to compensation for eligible mesothelioma sufferers, and the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979 provides for lump sum payments in certain circumstances.
Were dockyard and shipyard workers also exposed to harmful noise?
Yes, and this is a separate potential claim in its own right. Ship repair work such as riveting, chipping, grinding, boiler work and engine testing generated extremely high noise levels, often in enclosed steel compartments where sound could not escape, and effective hearing protection was frequently not provided until relatively recently. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that around 15,000 workers a year in Great Britain currently report work-related hearing problems, and dedicated HSE research into the ship repair industry has specifically examined how noise exposure in that sector can be controlled. Employers have owed a general duty to protect workers’ health since the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and specific noise duties were introduced by the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 and tightened further by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, which set a lower action value of 80 decibels and an upper action value of 85 decibels at which employers must act. For claims relating to exposure before those regulations existed, the 1963 Ministry of Labour booklet “Noise and the Worker” is generally treated as the point from which employers ought reasonably to have known of the risk. If you spent years in Devonport’s engine shops, boiler rooms or fabrication sheds and now have permanent hearing loss, tinnitus or difficulty following conversation in noisy rooms, a dockyard workers hearing loss claim may be available even if the noise exposure took place a long time ago.
Devonport dockyard: a brief timeline of exposure risk
| Period | What was happening at the dockyard | Relevance to a claim |
|---|---|---|
| 1690 | Founded as Plymouth Dock, a new Royal Navy base in the west of England | Establishes the yard’s long working history |
| 1824 | Renamed Devonport | Continuity of the same naval base to the present day |
| 1860s to 1907 | Steam Yard and Keyham Extension built, greatly expanding the dockyard | Growth in steam and machinery work using asbestos lagging |
| 1950s to 1980s | Peak use of asbestos lagging, insulation board and gaskets in warship and submarine refit and breaking work | The period most former workers were exposed |
| 1970s | Nuclear Submarine Refit Complex and Leander Class Frigate Complex established | Intensive refit work in confined machinery spaces |
| 1985 and 1999 | Blue and brown asbestos banned, followed by a full ban on white asbestos | Marks the point exposure should have stopped |
| 2000 onwards | HSE guidance says asbestos should be presumed present in any building or structure built or refurbished before 2000 | Relevant to ongoing exposure risk in older dockyard buildings |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table
“Plymouth’s figures are among the worst in the country, and behind every one of them is a tradesman who was simply doing his job. People often assume that because the Ministry of Defence was the employer, or because it was all so long ago, nothing can be done. That is very often not the case, and it costs nothing to find out where you stand.”
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to bring an asbestos claim relating to Devonport dockyard?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, you usually have three years from your “date of knowledge”, normally the date of diagnosis, rather than three years from when the exposure happened. For fatal cases, the three years generally runs from the date of death. Because of this, people diagnosed decades after leaving the dockyard can often still claim.
I am not sure who employed me at the dockyard, does that stop me claiming?
No. If your direct employer was a private contractor that has since dissolved, it can usually be restored to the companies register, and the Employers’ Liability Tracing Office can help trace the insurer that covered the risk at the time. If you were a civilian Ministry of Defence employee, the claim is generally brought directly against the Ministry of Defence.
Does Crown immunity stop civilian dockyard workers claiming against the Ministry of Defence?
No. The historic Crown immunity under the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 applied only to members of the armed forces, and was removed prospectively by the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987. Civilian dockyard workers, such as shipwrights, laggers and fitters, were never covered by that immunity and can bring ordinary negligence claims.
What is mesothelioma and why is it linked to Devonport?
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen that is almost always caused by inhaling asbestos fibres. Devonport’s long history of refitting and breaking warships and submarines, which required extensive stripping and replacing of asbestos lagging, is a recognised source of the heavy historic asbestos exposure linked to mesothelioma in Plymouth.
Can I claim for hearing loss from working in Devonport’s engine rooms or boiler shops?
Potentially, yes. If you worked for years around excessive noise from riveting, grinding, chipping or engine testing without adequate hearing protection, and now have measurable hearing loss or tinnitus, you may have a claim, particularly for noise exposure after 1963, when employers were reasonably expected to know of the risk.
What if my relative has already died from an asbestos-related disease?
You can usually still bring a claim on their behalf, or in your own right as a dependant, within three years of the date of death. Many of the families we help are supporting a claim after a parent or grandparent has passed away from mesothelioma or asbestosis.
What evidence do I need to support a Plymouth asbestos or industrial disease claim?
Useful evidence includes medical records confirming diagnosis, employment records or witness statements confirming where and when you worked, and any recollection of the trades, ships or buildings involved. We help gather this evidence as part of a free initial assessment, so you do not need everything before getting in touch.
How much does it cost to make a claim?
WE Solicitors acts on a no win, no fee basis for asbestos and industrial disease claims, and offers a free initial assessment so you can find out where you stand with no financial risk.
Speak to a specialist Plymouth asbestos and industrial disease solicitor
If you or someone in your family worked at Devonport dockyard or elsewhere in Plymouth’s maritime and defence industry and has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease or industrial deafness, WE Solicitors can help you understand whether a claim is possible, who it should be brought against and what evidence will help. Read more about mesothelioma claims and hearing loss claims, or see examples of cases we have settled for other industrial disease clients.
WE Solicitors LLP is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA number 445359. We are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association.
Sources
The figures and legal references on this page come from the following authorities, checked at the time of publication.
- HSE, Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain 2026, July 2026 (mesothelioma and asbestosis mortality figures, Plymouth asbestosis SMR ranking) https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/asbestos-related-disease.pdf
- HSE, Mesothelioma deaths by geographical area, Great Britain 2026: deaths and standardised mortality ratios for local and unitary authority areas, 1981 to 2024 (July 2026). https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/mesoarea.pdf
- HSE, work-related hearing problems statistics https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/deafness/index.htm
- HSE, Noise reduction in the ship repair industry https://www.hse.gov.uk/Vibration/hav/campaign/fabrication/noisereduction.htm
- HSE, duty to manage asbestos: is asbestos present in your building https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty/is-asbestos-present.htm
- GOV.UK, Defence Secretary champions innovation on visit to largest Navy base in Western Europe https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-champions-innovation-on-visit-to-largest-navy-base-in-western-europe
- Royal Museums Greenwich, Research guide B5: Royal Naval Dockyards (Devonport founding and history) https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/research-guides/research-guide-b5-royal-naval-dockyards
- Naval Dockyards Society, Devonport Dockyard https://navaldockyards.org/devonport-dockyard/
- legislation.gov.uk, Crown Proceedings Act 1947, section 10 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/10-11/44/section/10
- legislation.gov.uk, Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/25/contents
