Swan Island Shipyard
Located on Swan Island in Portland, OR, the Swan Island Shipyard was originally formed as an "emergency yard" to service the naval vessels engaged in the Pacific conflict of WWII. Needing repair facilities for the Pacific Rim fleet, the United States Marine Commission designated $23 million for the expansion of a smaller shipbuilding operation located in the Port of Portland. The yard was one of four naval yards designated for the construction of T-2 Tankers. Through the war, the Swan Island Shipyard was responsible for the construction of 153 vessels.
The facility was sold back to the Port of Portland Shipping Administration following the war in the Pacific, which continued to operate the yard until 1999, when it was sold to Cascade General Shipyards. Cascade General now operates the original Swan Island facility as its primary yard, with satellite locations in the Puget Sound and Astoria. The Cascade Group has become an important element of the Pacific commercial fishing industry, with its modern repair capacities having established the company as the primary repair yard in the region. Their full range of services now include but are not limited to welding, structural steel servicing, grit blasting, compressed air servicing, electrical installation, and pipe fitting. Each vessel repair and servicing is done within the regulations of the U.S. Bureau of Shipping and the U.S. Coast Guard. All of their services are performed by skilled mechanics and laborers with decades of experience and accountability as skilled craftsmen.
The labor required in shipyards is one in which the worker takes great pride in. The skills needed to safely and effectively service vessels of any size require years of apprenticeship and training. These employees have worked hard to gain the necessary knowledge to effectively service sea-going vessels and have occasionally put their own personal safety in the balance to ensure a job well done. The nature of shipyard work is dangerous in itself, with large machinery and sea-going repairs; personal safety is an important part of daily life for shipyard workers. Some of the dangers they encounter however, are not easily recognized, such as the exposure to potentially dangerous toxins. It is important to recognize the possibility of exposure to these toxins if you or someone you know has serviced older vessels. Work involving plumbing, electrical, floor or ceiling panels, and boiler work all pose a particular risk to those who labored in these fields. One of the more common toxins encountered by laborers in these areas was asbestos, which has been linked to myriad respiratory ailments. Please seek a licensed physician's consultation for more information if you believe you may have been exposed, as symptoms can take years, and perhaps even decades to surface from prior exposures. There are medical, emotional, and legal support systems available to you if you have been affected by exposure.
