Houston is one of the nation's largest ports, welcoming over 2,100 ships a year and processing well over 15 million tons of freight valued at $500 million. However, Houston is 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and it wasn't until 1914 that the Buffalo Bayou was widened and deepened sufficiently to permit the passage of ocean-going vessels. Initially the Houston Ship Channel was 25 feet deep, but it was re-engineered to a width of 400 feet and a depth of 32 feet in 1932.

Shipbuilding began in Houston during World War I, but fell into hiatus after that war effort ceased. It was revived after 1941 when the United States entered World War II. During World War II, the Houston shipyard complex was home to a number of facilities, including:

Brown Shipbuilding Corporation: This company received more than $300 million worth of contracts from the U.S. Navy for the construction of large destroyer escort vessels, submarine chasers and amphibious assault craft. The most famous craft constructed in this yard was the U.S. Coast Guard destroyer, USS Vance. Destroyer escorts used large volumes of asbestos-containing insulation in addition to other asbestos-containing products.
Platzer Boat Works: This shipbuilder was Houston's premier builder of tugboats, fuel barges and other industrial vessels. Tugboat valves, gaskets and engine room equipment contained large amounts of asbestos.
Schmidt Barge Yard: This shipyard specialized in the construction of freight transportation boats, many contracted by the Defense Plant Corporation. Barge decks were typically made with asphalt containing asbestos to minimize the risk of fire.
Bloodworth Bond Shipyard: This shipyard was a vessel repair facility outfitted with drydocks capable of restoring ships of many different sizes. As the ships were dismantled and put back together, Bloodworth Bond workers were exposed to significant amounts of asbestos dust.
Todd-Houston Shipbuilding Corporation/Houston Shipbuilding Corporation: Both companies were subsidiaries of the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation and responsible for the construction of 208 Liberty ships. Liberty ships were designed to be built quickly and cheaply. The Sam Houston, the first ship built by Todd-Houston, was completed in less than a year.

Asbestos Exposure at Houston Shipyards

Ships used asbestos in a variety of ways before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began protecting workers against asbestos exposure. Walls between compartments, called bulkheads, were typically fireproofed with asbestos. The engine room was also fireproofed with asbestos-containing thermal insulation that covered gaskets, piping and furnaces.

Asbestos was commonly mixed into the bricks and cement used for compressors, condensers and other heat-generating equipment. Because it is such a poor conductor of electricity, asbestos sheathing was wrapped around numerous power lines that carried electricity to all parts of the ship.

Working with asbestos can release clouds of dust filled with microscopic fibers. When shipyard workers inhaled this dust, the microscopic fibers of asbestos could become lodged in the lining of their lungs. Public health scientists estimate that approximately 4.5 million shipyard workers were exposed to asbestos during World War II, placing them at risk for developing asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Resources for Houston Shipyard Workers

Asbestos-related diseases typically have a long latency period. The interval between asbestos exposure and a mesothelioma diagnosis can take up to 50 years. This is why it is important to have regular medical checkups to safeguard your health. The earlier an asbestos-related disease is detected, the better the treatment options. Make sure your physician is aware about your previous asbestos exposure so that he or she will order the necessary chest X-rays as part of regular checkups.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestos-connect conditions such as lung cancer or mesothelioma, the Mesothelioma Center's Doctor Match Program can help pair you with an experienced doctor or treatment center in your area. Patients interested in support resources (such as information packets or books on cancer nutrition and living with mesothelioma) can request them by filling out this form.

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