St. Johns River Shipbuilding
The 1940's were a major time of production for large cargo vessels in the United States. This was due to the onset of World War II, and the subsequent attacks on American ships by German submarines. The fleet of the Merchant Marine corp was needed to be fully operational to continue transporting military equipment, supplies and even troops, so new ships were needed right away.
Jacksonville, Florida became home to one shipbuilding facility in 1942. It was established by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, which largely overhauled the entire shipyard in 1944 after the Maritime Commission declared they would provide monetary rewards if the level of efficiency could be greatly increased at the site. St. Johns did such an amazing job at improving the operation that their profit margin skyrocketed. By 1946 Congress started to become suspicious about the large amounts of money ship builders were making, and they began what would be known as the 'Investigations in Shipyard Profits'. Executives from St. Johns fought back and claimed that their profits were made because they developed such dramatic improvements, and they pointed out that the original contracts were not changed, altered or infringed upon in any way.
This incident would not be the last time a legal case was brought against the St. Johns company. A large number of former employees filed lawsuits after becoming seriously ill because one of the materials they worked with on a daily basis was toxic. The hazardous material in question was asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that was used to create a great variety of products, including insulation and building materials. Workers at the Jacksonville facility were exposed to large amounts of the hazardous mineral, and began to develop tissue scarring, respiratory disorders and even cancer. Many former employees were struck with Mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is untreatable and life threatening.
From 1942 until the end of the war, the Jacksonville shipyard built 82 vessels in total. As WWII ended, the facility was converted into a repair yard, and remained in operation until the 1980's. The site eventually closed down, and has not been opened up again.
Last modified: December 09, 2009.
