North Carolina Shipbuilding Company
Around the time that the United States entered World War II, the Newport News Shipbuilding Company was one of the busiest and most successful producers of large ocean traveling vessels. When the US became actively involved in the war, German submarine commanders targeted the Merchant Marine fleet of ships that made up an auxiliary branch of the Navy. American ships were being destroyed at an alarming rate, and the US Maritime Commission (USMC) recognized the immediate need to have replacements built as quickly as possible. USMC officials turned to many ship builders, including Newport News, for assistance.
Originally the officials at Newport News claimed that they could not help because their schedule was simply too full. By the beginning of 1941, they had finally relented and agreed to do their part. A subdivision of the company was created and dubbed the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company. They began work on a shipyard in Wilmington an by February 17, 1942 the Zebulon B Vance gained the honor of being the first new vessel delivered out of Wilmington.
Before long the facility was expanded to produce even more ships. This greatly increased the original budget for the location, but in the long run it turned out to be very worthwhile. The people at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company proved to be among the fastest and most efficient builders of Liberty style ships. Most of the vessels were produced under budget, and more importantly each one took far less than the allotted amount of time to build.
The craftsmen in Wilmington labored and greatly aided the USMC by producing 126 vessels. Each one of them required a large amount of insulation to keep the ships operating at a safe temperature at all times. One of the materials that helped create effective insulating products was a mineral called asbestos. It was used in thousands of goods for several decades because it boosted the strength of every item it was placed in and made them more enduring and capable of holding up under extreme temperatures. It also became responsible for thousands of severe health related problems.
When asbestos was discovered in America, people were not aware that it is a toxic substance. Manufacturers utilized it for many purposes, and one of the biggest users of asbestos based products was the maritime industry. Ship builders were exposed to vast amounts of the mineral, which led to a variety of problems for them including damaged lung tissue, respiratory disorders, lung cancer and the killer known as Mesothelioma. Employees of the Wilmington plant often developed these conditions after spending time around products made from asbestos, and many lost their lives as a result.
Most of the ship building yards that were specifically created during WWII became non operational after the war was over. The Wilmington facility continued to operate until the 1950's as a partially staffed facility that could be used for emergency situations. Eventually it too was shut down, and the area where it once stood is now part of the port of North Carolina.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
