The Long Beach Naval Complex included both the Long Beach Naval Station and the adjacent Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Located in Long Beach, California, it was the West Coast home port for Pacific Fleet battleships and their support ships. The shipyard, as well as the Navy barracks and other structures, made heavy use of asbestos, leading to many service members and shipyard workers later being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
The History of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and Naval Station
The U.S. Navy originally had a single fleet that served all needs, but in 1919 it created dedicated fleets for the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Long Beach Naval Complex was selected to be the Pacific Fleet battleships’ home, and by 1928 it had become the home port to the Navy’s first two aircraft carriers, the USS Saratoga and the USS Lexington. The Navy Landing was constructed in 1932, and by 1933 there were over four dozen ships at Long Beach, as well as 30,000 sailors.[1]
Almost ten years later with war looming, the Navy asked the city of Long Beach for access to 108 acres of land on Terminal Island to use as a major anchorage and operation area. Though the city retained the mineral rights to the oilfield under the site and offshore, they provided the land for the shipyard in 1940 The Moreell Drydock was completed in April 1942 and began its first major drydocking project later that year.
By 1943, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard was performing routine and battle-damage repairs to naval ships, with as many as 16,091 workers employed at the shipyard in 1945, and the Naval Station established in November 1946 as a homeport that provided port facilities, fleet support personnel, and recreational facilities for the Pacific Fleet ships.
The shipyard and naval station were placed in inactive status in 1950 due to concerns about the land surface of Terminal Island sinking, but when the Korean War broke out, the shipyard was reactivated for ship overhaul and repair. By 1952, Long Beach was home to a rapidly expanding fleet again: A water injection program was put in place to stabilize the island’s surface.
The Long Beach Naval Complex was activated again between 1965 and 1970, when 140 ships and 40,000 personnel were based there for the Vietnam War, but after that conflict, the number of ships homeported there declined. In 1990 the Long Beach Naval Station and Naval Shipyard were closed. After that, the Department of Navy authorized a use and redevelopment program that included environmental cleanup actions. Today the Port of Long Beach is one of the largest and most modern container terminals in the world.[1]
How Was Asbestos Used at the Long Beach Shipyard and Naval Station?
Though today we know that asbestos is a carcinogen linked directly to malignant mesothelioma and other serious diseases, when the Long Beach Naval Complex was being constructed and the shipyard was operational, the mineral’s dangers were an unknown – or at least they were unknown to the military, which valued the material for its strength, its insulating properties, and its ability to withstand heat and flame. Asbestos was an integral part of military construction, and particularly of the Navy ships that were repaired and maintained at the Long Beach Shipyard.
Because the Long Beach Naval Complex was the principal site for the Pacific Fleet during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War, military personnel were constantly exposed to asbestos-contaminated insulation, parts, and construction materials that were used to maintain the ships and to provide housing for the sailors living at the complex.
Boilers, furnaces, and other machinery used aboard the ships contained gaskets, pipes, and valves that were insulated and fabricated with asbestos, and the ships themselves were constructed using asbestos in almost every aspect. The Navy used asbestos in fireproofing and insulation, with peak use of the carcinogenic material being from the 1930s to the 1970s, which is when the Long Beach Naval Shipyard operated.
How Did Asbestos at Long Beach Naval Complex Harm Veterans and Workers?
From the time that the naval complex was under construction through the time that it was deactivated (from 1919 to 1990), any workers or military members who served ran the risk of being exposed to asbestos. Those who handled asbestos-contaminated materials were at particular risk, but anybody involved in repair or maintenance, whether in the shipyard or around the base, could have been exposed to asbestos.
Some of the Navy Yard jobs at greatest risk for asbestos exposure were:
- Insulators
- Boiler Workers
- Pipe Fitters
- Repair and maintenance workers
- Laborers
- Construction workers
- Machinists
- Welders
- Electricians
- Shipyard workers
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry investigated and designated the Long Beach Naval Complex a Superfund site, though it was never placed on the National Priority List. Still, a radiographic study was conducted, with the participation of 6,640 employees of the Long Beach Shipyard, representing 88.6% of the total shipyard population. The study took chest X-rays of all of the participants to determine the level of asbestos-related changes. It found asbestos-related abnormal findings in 1,061 workers, or 16%, most of whom were 65 or older.[2]
The study found that the longer a worker had worked at the shipyard, the greater the chance of asbestos-related changes; those with 22-26 years of work at the shipyard represented 37% of the positive chest film findings, and production workers accounting for 74.5% of those who were affected.[2] It is unknown how many of those who participated in the study were later diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer.
Did You Work at the Long Beach Naval Complex?
If you worked or served at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard or Long Beach Naval Station and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be eligible to pursue legal action for compensation for your damages.
An experienced mesothelioma lawyer will explain your best options, which may include filing a personal injury lawsuit or a claim with an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. They can also direct you to resources that can help you with your medical, financial, and emotional needs.
