Kaiser Shipyards
Kaiser Shipyards consisted of seven yards along the West Coast that were established to build vessels needed during World War II. The four California sites, built between 1941 and 1942, were known collectively as Kaiser Richmond because they were located in Richmond, California. The Richmond yards had a total of 27 shipways, 56 war industries and produced 747 ships, the highest number of all the shipyard complexes in the country. These yards were closed in 1945.
The other three locations included one in Vancouver, Washington, and two in Portland, Oregon. These sites were built in 1941, and two were closed in 1945. Together the shipyards created a combined total of 743 ships. Only the Swan Island yard in Portland is still in operation today. The installation was constructed on property owned by Portland's Port Authority, and that agency bought the buildings and operations from Kaiser. The Port Authority maintained the facility until 1999 when it sold the yard to Cascade General, Inc., which still operates the shipyard today.
Kaiser Shipyards, just like every other shipyard operating before the 1980s, used asbestos in the construction and repair of all vessels. Asbestos materials were so common in ships and shipyards that many yard workers have since developed dangerous illnesses like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer.
Asbestos Insulation on Ships
When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, the government created three emergency programs to build all the Liberty ships necessary to support the war effort. That meant that materials flow, efficiency of operations and management of huge numbers of workers would necessitate cutting corners, usually at the expense of safety. Asbestos insulation needed to be custom cut to fit the ship's boiler rooms and pipe works. This couldn't be done in fabrication shops where there was ventilation, so workers cut the insulation onsite in the cramped quarters of the ships being built.
The other safety precaution that was eliminated to save time was wearing respirators to inhibit breathing in asbestos fibers. The Navy had instituted a number of safety measures, including wearing respirators, but they were never enforced at Kaiser. The yard employees, who were nicknamed "snowbirds" because they were continuously covered in white asbestos dust, inhaled fibers as a part of their daily routine.
Kaiser Built Ships Faster and Cheaper
Kaiser innovations included fast welding techniques that virtually eliminated labor intensive riveting. Their shipyards built vessels in two-thirds the amount of time and at a quarter of the cost of other yards. Seventeen banks of welding machines were placed on each side of the ship's hull, the deck was preassembled in seven sections instead of 23, and the deckhouses were fully outfitted before assembly. While these innovations may have put Kaiser at the top of the heap in terms of the number of ships produced, some of the innovations were creating a dangerous exposure situation that would manifest into asbestos-related disease many years later.
Exposure at Kaiser Led to Secondary Asbestos Exposure
In March 2009, former welder and boilermaker, Joe Taylor, filed a lawsuit in California against several defendants, including manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-coated welding rods. Taylor alleged that he developed asbestosis and lung cancer because of his long-term handling of these rods to prepare them for use. What was especially interesting about this case was that Taylor claimed that his exposure to the asbestos contained in these rods actually started in childhood because his father was a welding instructor at Kaiser Shipyards during World War II. Known as secondhand asbestos exposure, this kind of exposure was common among family members of shipyard workers who brought asbestos home on their clothing, skin and hair.
Resources are available if you or a family member was exposed to asbestos at a Kaiser shipyard and have since been diagnosed with a related condition. Simply fill out this form to receive a free informational packet to learn more. You can also visit the Mesothelioma Center's Doctor Match Program to be paired with a specialist near you.
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Last Modified Thursday, February 9th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
