Brooklyn Navy Yard
The history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is the history of New York itself, going back to the years directly following the American Revolution. The United States government, newly established, purchased this forty-acre plot of land in 1801 from John Jackson and his brothers after having commissioned one of Jackson's frigates for use during skirmishes with the French in the late 1700s. The government paid $40,000 for the acquisition. Five years later, in 1806, the yard became an active naval shipyard.
Like most shipyards of its type and size, the Brooklyn Navy Yard experienced a peak during World War II, when the war effort demanded the rapid production of equipment, rations, ammunitions, and naval vessels. During these years, the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard employed more than 70,000 workers and operated 24 hours a day. From the early years of the Second World War to the mid 1960s, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is known to have constructed at least 65 naval vessels, including some very important and legendary ships, such as the U.S.S. Saratoga.
Today, the facilities at the Brooklyn Navy Yard are once again experiencing a boom in industry, although the face of the business conducted in the yard has changed quite drastically. No longer owned by the United States government, the land at the former Brooklyn Navy Yard is now home to more than 1 million square feet of newly developed industrial space, which will house a number of large manufacturing businesses and retailers.
Although today the people of New York City are proud to be a part of the development of this future center of industrial activity, the history of success and industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard is not untarnished by mistake and regret. While the years of the Second World War were some of the most profitable ever experienced by the shipbuilding industry, the wealth and success of business-owners, industry tycoons, and the United States military itself did not come without a price - a price which was paid by those who labored at the yards.
The shipbuilding facility at Brooklyn Navy Yard was outfitted with all the machinery, materials, and technology necessary to fulfill most aspects of naval vessel construction and repair, including rigging, electrical work, insulating, lagging, sandblasting, welding, woodworking, and pipe fitting. With these capabilities, the workers at Brooklyn Navy Yard were able to produce vessels and other equipment that met the needs of the U.S. military.
However, while this facility and others must be lauded for their work in supporting the United States war effort, many believe that the owners and managers of these facilities are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and other shipyards used asbestos extensively.
Asbestos, a fibrous, naturally-occuring mineral, is durable and highly fire-resistant, and was readily accessible and quite inexpensive. Because of these attractive characteristics, shipyards and similar facilities used asbestos for many purposes, incorporating it into every application imaginable. Asbestos was fashioned into gloves, ropes and blankets used everywhere in the shipbuilding facility. It was used to insulate pipes, and was included in caulks and cements and many other materials employed in shipyard industry. Years later, those who worked with asbestos have been sickened with asbestos-related diseases.
Authorities estimate that nearly 100,000 shipyard workers have died from asbestos-related diseases due to exposure during the World War II years, when shipyards like the Brooklyn Navy Yard were ripe with asbestos. This staggering figure is similar to the number of American soldiers killed at the front!
Many shipyard workers, including those at Brooklyn Navy Yard, have sought compensation from their former employers for their illnesses and suffering. If you worked at Brooklyn Navy Yard or at any other shipbuilding facility, you may have been exposed to asbestos. This exposure puts you at a greater risk for developing life-threatening illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer. If you are a former shipyard worker and have been diagnosed with such a disease, call an asbestos lawyer today to learn more about your right to compensation.
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