Today, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation specializing in designing and building auxiliary and support ships for the U.S. Navy, as well as for commercial markets. But the company has existed since 1905, and until the 1970s its work involved the use of asbestos parts and products, exposing shipyard employees and others to the risk of asbestos-related diseases including malignant mesothelioma.
NASSCO History and Asbestos
The National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was born from humble beginnings in 1905. It started as a small foundry and machine shop in San Diego under the name California Iron Works. The company specialized in repairing automobiles, elevators, and boilers, as well as in manufacturing refrigeration equipment. By the 1930s, ownership of the company had been assumed by the U.S. National Bank of San Diego and its name had changed to National Iron Works. Its services were in increased demand as World War II loomed. The company collected scrap aluminum and recycled it into products needed for the war, and built cargo barges and industrial gas cooking ranges for use by the military.[1]
When the war ended, the company turned to other needs. With 80 percent of the Pacific-based commercial tuna fishing fleets sailing out of San Diego in the 1940s, the company began building small fishing vessels, and by the late 1950s, the company’s name had been changed to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) and it had been hired to build several C-3 class bulk cargo ships for American Export Lines. The order of these four vessels expanded National’s workforce from 750 workers to more than 2,000 employees and attracted the attention of Kaiser Industries and Morrison-Knudsen.[1]
By the 1970s, NASSCO’s workforce reached over 6,500 workers and had been recognized as one of the world’s top shipyards. It invested in shipyard expansion, including a new building dock and machine shop, a new outfitting pier, and a new steel yard. Though the company generally manufactured single-hulled tankers, the grounding of the NASSCO-built Exxon Valdez in Alaska resulted in those ships being phased out of service internationally.
NASSCO continued to accept orders to design and build new ships. In 1990, it was awarded a contract for the first new commercial ship order in the U.S. in more than five years, and in acknowledgment of its leadership in the shipping industry, in 1992 presidential candidate Bill Clinton chose NASSCO as the site for announcing his support of the Jones Act and in 1998 it was purchased by General Dynamics.[1]
By the 21st century, NASSCO was the first private shipyard in the United States to be certified under the ISO 14001 international environmental standard, and in 2012, NASSCO’s repair department set a record by providing more than 150 maintenance activities on 36 different U.S. Navy ships. The company also began construction of two ships using the Mobile Landing Platform for the U.S. Navy, and in 2015 the company delivered the world’s first liquefied natural gas-powered containership and was responsible for the delivery of U.S. fleet carriers. It is one of the largest manufacturing entities in San Diego and the only full-service shipyard on the West Coast.[1]
Asbestos Use by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
While National Steel and Shipbuilding Company never manufactured asbestos products, the company constructed and repaired ships that contained or used asbestos parts and products made by other companies through the 1970s.
Because asbestos is a material that adds strength and insulates against heat and flame, it was considered essential for it to be included in ships’ insulation, boilers, pipes, ceiling tiles, floors, and other components. Not only were asbestos-containing parts installed when ships were being built, but they were also removed and reinstalled during ship repairs that NASSCO was contracted to complete.
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company built or repaired many military and commercial vessels that included asbestos in their parts. Asbestos-containing parts included:
- Boilers
- Gaskets
- Packing
- Insulation
- Pipe coverings
- Pumps
- Turbines
- Fireproofing material
- Flooring
- Adhesives
- Ropes and fabrics
- Fire protection gear
People at Risk for Asbestos Exposure from National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
The asbestos-containing parts that the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company used in its shipbuilding process exposed a wide range of people to asbestos. From the company’s employees who were involved in the various phases of shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance to those who were contractors and subcontractors involved in the process and those who served on the ships, the risk posed by the highly carcinogenic material included a wide swath of employment categories, including:
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Demolition workers
- Electricians
- Engine Mechanics
- Insulators
- Painters
- Pipe Fitters
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Repair and Maintenance Professionals
- Navy Veterans
- Seamen
In addition to the risk of occupational exposure, there have been a significant number of family members of those in the professions listed above who were exposed to asbestos that their spouses, sons, and fathers inadvertently carried home on their clothing, skin, and hair. Those who suffered this secondary asbestos exposure and who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are eligible to file personal injury lawsuits against their loved ones’ employers, and many of the personal injury lawsuits filed against NASSCO have been on behalf of wives, mothers, and children of NASSCO employees who were sickened by the asbestos that was carried into their homes.
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) Asbestos Lawsuits
NASSCO’s long history of asbestos use in shipbuilding and repair led to countless shipyard workers, Navy veterans, and seamen being exposed to and sickened by the carcinogenic product. As a result, the company has been named in hundreds of personal injury lawsuits filed by individuals or survivors of those diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
Among the lawsuits filed against NASSCO were:
- In 2010, Aida Savelesky filed a personal injury lawsuit against National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in California Superior Court alleging that her husband Allen had worked with asbestos and asbestos-containing products and that she had suffered secondary asbestos exposure as a result of him carrying asbestos into their home. Her claim accused the company of creating a hazardous and unsafe condition, and negligence in its selection of the asbestos-containing materials that caused her illness.[2]
- Renato and Mercedita Pizarro filed a personal injury lawsuit against NASSCO after being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. He blamed his illness on exposure to asbestos while serving as a mechanic aboard various ships in the United States Navy from 1975 through 1998. He named NASSCO in claims for general negligence, vicarious liability, premises liability, and loss of consortium. The suit expressly noted that the company did not design or manufacture any of the equipment that he had been exposed to, and therefore there were no product liability claims lodged against it.[3]
- In 2023, Wayne Butterfield and his children filed suit against multiple companies including National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, seeking compensation for the death of their wife and mother, Charlotte Butterfield. The family accused NASSCO of negligence for “take home” exposure to asbestos from 1963 to 1998 when Mr. Butterfield was a NASSCO employee and worked with and around materials containing asbestos. The suit claims that asbestos dust accumulated on his body and his work clothes, which he brought home with him, exposing his family to carcinogenic toxins.[4]
Were You Exposed to Asbestos at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company?
While many mesothelioma personal injury lawsuits look to asbestos exposure that took place during World War II or shortly thereafter, the claims against National Steel and Shipbuilding Company have been more recent. The company’s use of asbestos began during the World War II years but continued for decades beyond, and the company’s employees, their families, and those who served or continue to serve, repair, or maintain ships built using asbestos-containing materials continue to be at risk for diagnosis with an asbestos-related disease.
Employees of the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, their family members, and anybody who served on a NASSCO ship or who repaired or maintained equipment on the ship may be at risk for asbestos exposure. It’s imperative that you notify your physician of your exposure history so that they can begin screening you for asbestos-related diseases and act quickly if you begin to manifest symptoms of mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural plaques, or any other illness linked to the toxic material.
If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, your first step is to seek expert medical care, but you may also want to consider taking legal action against the companies responsible for your situation. There are many different options available to you depending upon whether you worked for National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, were a family member of an employee, a subcontractor or contractor, or served aboard a NASSCO-built vessel.
An asbestos attorney will be an invaluable resource to help you determine your eligibility for compensation from NASSCO or any of the companies that provided NASSCO with the asbestos-containing products and materials that it used. If your exposure came during your service in the military, you may be able to file for veterans’ disability compensation or other benefits, and employees, contractors, and others exposed to asbestos at a NASSCO site or while working on a NASSCP ship may be able to file lawsuits directly. You may also be able to file a claim with one of the trusts set up by asbestos companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after facing overwhelming asbestos litigation.
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