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New England Shipbuilding Corporation

In 1940, the USMC commissioned the creation of 9 new ship building sites to help counteract the destruction of the Merchant Marine fleet that was being accomplished by German submarine crews during the second World War. Among those facilities was one charged with building Ocean Class Cargo Ships in South Portland, ME. Before construction on the site was even finished, the US Maritime Commission put in an order for a second facility to be built directly adjacent to the first. They would become known as the East and West ship building yards of the New England Shipbuilding Corporation.

The East facility was originally operated by two companies, Todd-Bath Iron Works and Kaiser. As the war progressed, Todd-Bath purchased Kaiser's share of the shipyards, and took over complete control. In 1941 the South Portland Shipbuilding company was established, and they were placed in charge of the West facility. Both locations worked together to build 266 vessels as the war raged on, and at one point there were more than 30,000 people working at the ME shipyards.

Though there were two separate work sites, the employees who now worked for the New England Shipbuilding Corporation shipyards faced many of the same tasks and challenges. Among them was a very serious health related issue that went unrealized for years - the use of asbestos within the facilities. Asbestos is a strong, durable mineral that was used for insulation, construction materials and a vast array of other products for several decades. Eventually researchers began to realize that the mineral is toxic, and exposure to it regularly leads to tissue scarring, lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Most of those conditions are incurable, and some can be deadly. People who worked at these sites were subjected to massive amounts of this hazardous substance, and often developed severe respiratory issues over a time span of several years.

During the 1970's asbestos was officially recognized as a dangerous material by the United States government, and its use became highly restricted and regulated. Before that happened, work sites such as ship building facilities utilized tons of the mineral, thus allowing for thousands of workers and crew members of the ships they built to be affected.

The end of the war resulted in the closing of the New England Shipbuilding Corporation. Although various companies have attempted to open up the yards again, none of their efforts have been successful, and the sites remain shut down today.

Last modified: December 09 2009.