Kaiser Company

In 1942, to meet the demand for ships, the Kaiser Company set up a shipyard in Vancouver, Washington. This was one of seven shipyards operated by Kaiser Company on the West Coast. Although the yard was still under construction, labor was needed and recruited from not only the Midwest but as far away as New York. Employment at the shipyard peaked at 38,000 workers, including more than 10,000 women in the workforce.

The yard was originally awarded many contracts for Liberty Ships, but this was soon replaced with orders to build military ships. The surplus of Liberty Ship building materials were send to Swan Island Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. Kaiser Company's Vancouver yard began building LSTs and escort carriers, and it became one of the best emergency yards in terms of layout and equipment. This shipyard managed to produced a new ship almost every week during the war.

Because of its work on military vessels, this yard only built 10 Liberty Ships. However, after the war, the yard became one of the United States Maritime Commission's four stand-by yards.

Asbestos Use at Kaiser Company

The military ships built at this shipyard, as well as the Liberty Ships, required asbestos insulation. The shipyards workers were exposed to the asbestos dust created as these insulating products were cut, sawed, sewn, and shaped for use on these ships. The workers were unaware of the dangers of breathing this dust. The manufacturers of these products failed to warn the shipyards workers or the crewmen who later sailed on these ships about the hazards of asbestos, even though they were aware of them. These seamen and shipyards workers are at risk of developing mesothelioma because of their exposure to asbestos.