Todd Shipyards Los Angeles
The Todd Shipyard of Los Angeles was actually formed as the Los Angeles Shipping and Drydock Co. in 1917. The yard was established the United States Maritime Comission as an emergency vessel-construction facility just prior to U.S. involvement in the First World War. Losses to German U-boat torpedoes necessitated strengthening the navy to assure supremacy over the seas. To this end, the Los Angeles Shipping and Drydock Company answered the call and established one of the major warship construction sites of the West coast.
Wartime production was extensive but the naval needs of the U.S. Maritime Commission diminished greatly following the armistice in Europe. After the war, the shipyard remained in business but mainly in a vessel repair capacity. At the onset of WWII, the shipyard was once again called to action. This time however, the shipyard was completely absorbed by the Navy and devoted solely to destroyer production in 1943. Following V-day in 1945, the shipyard was sold to Todd Pacific Shipyards, thus establishing the Todd Shipyard of Los Angeles that many are familiar with. While Todd Shipbuilding could theoretically sustain any of its shipyards considering the enormity of their corporation, peacetime vessel construction gradually depleted following the end of WWII. Todd Shipyard of Los Angeles released its last hull in August of 1989, just a few months before the entire operation ceased.
Shipyards are hazardous places of employment, just as many of those who were employed at the Todd Shipyard will tell you. Danger exists everywhere and only the well trained shipyard employees are able to distinguish a safe situation from an unsafe one. These workers served our country well domestically in wartime and in peace. Unfortunately many of them had no idea that when employed in shipyards they were being unknowing exposed to asbestos. Asbestos was used in many shipyard products, particularly in an insulation capacity.
Those workers who worked around hull insulation or insulation of piping, electrical fixtures, or other materials are most at risk. Asbestos was banned in the late 1970’s because of a conclusive link between asbestos exposure and respiratory illness. Among the many complications it can cause is mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer for which the only know cause is exposure to asbestos. Those who may have worked in the above capacities should be conscious of their respiratory health, particularly if persistent symptoms arise. There are support systems in place for those who act on them.
