The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is the largest, most diverse shipyard on the West Coast. It was originally built in 1891 as a repair facility and expanded into a shipbuilding site at the start of WWI. During the war, the shipyards crews doubled in size, employing over 15,000 individuals. Throughout the course of the war, the crews built 25 submarine chasers, six submarines, two minesweepers, seven seagoing tugs, two ammunition ships and 1,700 small boats.
In 1989, ship building at the yard ceased and the crews focused their attention on overhauling naval carriers and submarines that were damaged in the war.
WWII
At the start of WWII, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was the premier navy yard in the Pacific and the only facility large enough to house battleships and other capital vessels. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, five of the surviving battleships were sent to the shipyard for repairs, which took top priority. While the shipyard was used to build new ships during WWI, its primary use was repairing damaged ships during WWII. Few new ships were built.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Today
Today, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard still serves as the largest shipyard on the West Coast and the second largest industrial facility in the state of Washington. It is located adjacent to Bremerton City on the West side of Puget Sound.
The shipyard still serves as a repair facility for all types of U.S. naval ships and is home to three fleet support ships, two nuclear cruisers and a nuclear aircraft. In addition to housing naval ships of all size, the shipyard houses thousands of workers who specialize in cleaning, repairing and modernizing the ships.
Naval Shipyard Workers and Asbestos Exposure
Due to its durability and strength, asbestos was extensively used in the shipbuilding industry from the 1930s. Because of the exposure to high levels of asbestos, thousands of former shipyard workers and Navy veterans have begun to develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Mesothelioma can take up to 50 years to develop from the time of initial asbestos exposure, so many navy veterans and workers who built, repaired and cleaned the vessels during the 40s, 50s and 60s are just now developing the disease.
If you or a loved one worked in the shipbuilding industry and developed an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to money for you medical costs and other damages. Contact us today to learn more.
