Houston Shipbuilding Corporation

Bend Island, which is located in Houston, TX became the home of a ship building yard in 1941. It was built and run by the Houston Shipbuilding Corporation which was managed by the Todd Shipyards Corporation and Kaiser group. Eventually Todd bought out Kaiser and became the sole management for the facility.

This site was built for a specific cause - to help supply new ships to the United States Merchant Marine fleet which had been under attack from German submarines since the country entered World War II. The subs were able to inflict catastrophic results on the fleet, and many new vessels were needed immediately to transport troops and supplies. The Houston facility was built with the expectation of producing up to 260 vessels during the initial phase of production alone.

Progress at the Houston site was slower than expected and very disappointing. In fact the workers were so behind schedule that the US Maritime Commission eventually implemented a policy of offering a bonus for every day a particular ship was being built ahead of schedule, and a penalty for each day the vessel was behind schedule. Even with these policies in place, the Houston Shipbuilding Corporation became well known for being one of the slowest ship building facilities in the country.

When the shipyard on Bend Island was operating at full capacity, there were up to 23,000 people working at the site. These workers shared an employer and a common goal, but also unknowingly shared a serious health hazard. The threat came from asbestos, a mineral that was used to create insulation and other materials that were found in mass quantities at every shipyard for decades. It wasn't until the 1970's that most people began to realize asbestos is a toxic substance which is often to blame for people developing lung cancer, respiratory disorders and Mesothelioma.

People who worked at the Bend Island shipyard were very likely to breathe in trace amounts of asbestos dust that were too small to be seen. When the dust particles are taken internally, they become permanently lodged in the respiratory system where they can become a very destructive force. Victims who have been exposed to asbestos, especially on a regular basis, frequently develop illnesses, and many have lost their lives as a final result. Most symptoms of these health concerns take many years or even decades to develop, so it wasn't until long after they had worked at the Houston facility that the majority of the former employees began to realize what had happened to them.

The US government took over the Houston shipyard after the second World War was over. They later closed down the yard completely, thus putting a final end to the Texas ship building site.

Last modified: December 09 2009.