Bath Iron Works
Shipbuilding has been a way of life along Maine's scenic Kennebec River since at least 1762, when a ship named The Earl of Bute was launched near the present-day site of the city of Bath. During the 19th century, Bath was one of the busiest ports in the United States, rivaling New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore. Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been in business along the Kennebec River in Bath since 1826. It is one of the oldest and most established shipyards in the United States with its first passenger steamship built in 1890. Soon after that, the company got its first military contract, building two iron gunboats for the U.S. Navy.
Originally founded in 1826, the company was taken over by a retired U.S. Army general named Hyde at the end of the Civil War in 1865. At that time the company mainly produced iron castings. In 1888, Bath Iron Works expanded into shipbuilding when it took over a nearby company called Goss Marine Iron Works. Since the first steamship was constructed in 1890, the company has constructed about 450 vessels. Over half of those contracts were with the U.S. Navy.
During World War I, Bath Iron Works kept very busy building destroyers for the Navy. After the war, through the 1920s and '30s, the company concentrated on building private yachts and small commercial vessels.
When the U.S. entered World War II, the company shifted again to military contracts, building 80 destroyers for the Navy - the most by any U.S. shipbuilder during that war. During the war, the shipyard launched a new destroyer once every 17 days. Once again, during the Korean War the military was Bath's main customer, and to this day military contracts make up a significant portion of the shipbuilder's revenues.
General Dynamics purchased Bath Iron Works in 1995. The company has expanded from shipbuilding and is now involved in making turbine casings, water pumps, pulp-processing machinery, and replacement parts for ships. BIW continues to be Maine's largest employer, with over 10,000 workers. The company is booked solid with work through at least the year 2010. The company is currently working on the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers for the U.S. Navy, the most technologically advanced warship in the world. The last commercial contract the company had was for two tankers back in 1981.
In business for over 180 years, workers at Bath Iron Works have had many instances of exposure to asbestos and other toxic substances. Asbestos is a common danger on older ships, as it was used generously in pipes, insulation, boilers, floor and ceiling tiles, and other places where its heat-resistant and flame-resistant properties were useful.
Before the 1970s, shipyard and iron works employees often had inadequate safety equipment to protect them from hazardous cancer-causing substances such as asbestos and were vulnerable to develop lung diseases such as mesothelioma. Types of workers typically exposed to asbestos include machinists, millwrights, welders, metal casters, and operators of various cutting, pressing, and grinding machines.
Last modified: December 12 2007.
