A female Navy technician who claimed she had suffered abuse in the service, including being hung upside down from a crane for half an hour, has won a battle for a disability pension.

A sailor from 1986 to 1992, the woman claimed multiple traumas sustained in the Navy at HMAS Albatross Nowra in New South Wales, including sexual, physical and psychological abuse.

In 2012, she made a claim for a disability pension over post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

But the Repatriation Commission refused the claim, saying PTSD was not related to her service.

She later appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and also claimed for major depressive disorder.

For the majority of her service, the woman worked as an aviation technician on aircraft at the Navy base that tribunal documents described as being "overwhelmingly male dominated".

"The applicant and her husband (who was also in the aviation branch) described ongoing physical, sexual and verbal harassment and bullying of the female technicians and a prevailing male-dominant culture," it read.

In one incident, she told her psychiatrist about being hung upside down from a crane for 30 minutes at a time and being ridiculed for her reaction.

In 1987, she alleged she was sexually assaulted in a house by a young trainee aviation officer but the tribunal found there were questions as to the reliability and accuracy of the report of rape.

In another incident, she alleged she was asleep one night when a handler allowed his Alsatian patrol dog to burst into her room and bite her, thinking it was a joke.

During her time in the Navy she said she was also exposed to deadly chemicals, and suffered knee and back injuries from heavy manual labour.

This month, the tribunal discounted her service experience as a reason for PTSD, but found her depressive disorder developed from the physical injuries and systematic bullying and harassment she endured.

As a result, the tribunal determined that she was eligible for her a disability pension.