Western Pipe & Steel Company

The Western Pipe & Steel Company (WPS) was founded in San Francisco, California in 1906 by T.A. Hays, former steel salesman, and James A. Talbot, a well-known and crafty businessman who would later earn a fortune as the CEO of Richfield Oil Company. WPS was best known for its role as a major World War II shipbuilder, supplying ships for the Maritime Commission.

In 1910, WPS expanded and opened a second operation in Taft, California, where they manufactured and supplied pipes for the oil industry. A third location was opened in Fresno in 1913 and a fourth was built in Phoenix, Arizona in 1915, but the San Francisco location was the site of construction for WWII vessels, including the USS Cavalier, which was built in 1943. In 1941, WPS received a $7 million dollar grant from the U.S. Navy to build a second shipyard in San Pedro. A total of 111 WWII vessels were built at the San Francisco and San Pedro shipyards. Following the war, WPS closed its shipbuilding facilities in San Francisco and San Pedro and were purchased by Consolidated Steel.

Those who worked at Western Pipe & Steel Shipbuilding and constructed World War II vessels may have been exposed to harmful levels of asbestos present within insulation, which was used to insulate the extensive piping aboard ships. Exposure to asbestos is the only confirmed cause of mesothelioma, also known as asbestos cancer, a deadly disease that has no cure and has affected countless numbers of now-retired professionals who worked in the shipbuilding industry.

Ships built by Western Pipe & Steel Company:

Last modified: December 09 2009.