Asbestos In Shipyards

Long Beach Naval Shipyard - World War II

From the years leading up to the beginning of the Second War World in 1930 to the end of the war in 1945, the ship building industry in the United States saw a boom in demand to which it had never before stood witness. That the warfront was overseas required the United States military to command a huge fleet of sea vessels with which to do battle and transport equipment, rations and soldiers to Europe and Asia. Acknowledging such a need for expansion of the Navy and its fleets of sea vessels, the United States military came to operate a number of large shipyards on either coast of the United States, as well as ordering ships produced and repaired by civilian-owned industry facilities. This boom in industry was sort of the American answer to the German concept of total war; while the Nazi party allocated factories and workers using force, the government of the United States used its demand for military supplies, equipment and vehicles as a much needed stimulant for the economy. In some ways, this boom benefited many millions of Americans, whose qualities of life had staggered under the weighty pressures of a depressed economy.

Thus, the major shipyards on the coasts of the United States saw a record surge in business and production, as well as a record need for employees and materials with which to manufacture and repair naval vessels, creating and securing jobs for thousands of Americans. One such facility was the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, previously known as Terminal Island Naval Facility, which acted on official terms as a Navy-owned base during the years of the Second World War. Long Beach Naval Shipyard was located on the south side of Terminal Island, on the Roosevelt Naval Base, between San Pedro and Long Beach, California, about 20 miles away from Los Angeles. This base was particularly vital to the United States war effort, as it was close to the open sea, making it ideal for quick dispatch of fleets in times of need; yet, it was protected on two sides by the Port of Long Beach, keeping it relatively safe from foreign attack.

During the years of the Second World War, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard performed its intended duties of production and repair at a record speed. Throughout those 5 years alone, the facility housed - at one point or another - more than 400 ships, performing repairs, overhauls and conversions on over 300 ships, comprising battleships, destroyers, cruisers, cargo ships, oil tankers, and other types of naval vessel. In order to accomplish this dizzying feat of industry, the facility employed more than 15,000 workers in its four categories of work zones, each with its own shipbuilding and repair function. At this time in its history, the shipyard facilities probably at their very largest, encompassing a total of more than 100 government-owned acres of land on the west coast.

Long Beach Naval Shipyard was vital to the Navy's ability to repair and build ships on the west coast of the United States. The shipbuilding facility was equipped with the space and technology necessary to fulfill most aspects of naval vessel construction and repair, including rigging, electrical work, insulating, lagging, sandblasting, welding, woodworking, and pipefitting. With these capabilities, the workers at Long Beach Naval Shipyard were able to expedite the repairs necessary for a number ships essential to the war effort overseas.

Toward the tail end of the war, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard served as a demobilization center for ships coming back from the war front overseas. Following the ceasefire, ships brought to the facilities at Long Beach were repaired and overhauled, deactivated or converted before being dry-docked or otherwise put into storage. In 1950, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard was put on the list of inactive naval bases, but was reinstated as an active naval base in 1951, several months after the beginning of United States involvement in the Korean War.

Let us go back, however, to the early years of the Second World War, when, with the great need for quick ship manufacture, asbestos became a popular material for use in the production and repair of ships built and repaired at Long Beach Naval Shipyard and similar facilities. Asbestos was a highly sought-after material, because it was easily acquired, very cheap and was extremely fire-resistment, rending it a seemingly ideal material for use on ships that were prone to fires, explosions and other disasters associated with naval warfare.

Sadly, the popularity of the fibrous mineral asbestos would mean terrible suffering, illness and death for many thousands of workers occupied in the shipbuilding industry at shipyards and facilties like Long Beach Naval Shipyard. It is estimated that more than 100,000 World War II shipyard workers died as the result of being exposed to asbestos, which was used in rope, gloves, welding materials, insulation and caulking, and many other products used in the shipbuilding industry. These 100,000 innocent men and women represent the majority of the American killed as a result of America's engagement in the war. More men and women died in the shipbuilding industry than soldiers at the battlefront.

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