Long Beach Naval Shipyard

Long Beach Naval Shipyard (LBNSY) was located between San Pedro and Long Beach, California. Long Beach Naval Shipyard had three dry docks and five piers which provided the space and capacity for it to undertake almost any repair job.

During World War II, Long Beach was primarily dedicated to rebuilding and repairing damaged warships. Long Beach differed from many of the other shipyards which concentrated on shipbuilding during this time. Peak employment of 16,091 civilian employees was reached in August 1945.

The majority of the ships repaired and overhauled at Long Beach were steam-powered vessels. Literally tons of asbestos insulation were used to insulate the pipes, equipment, and machinery on these ships. The overhaul work required the removal and replacement of these asbestos products which created asbestos dust that the workers inhaled.

Although it was temporarily closed after World War II, Long Beach was reopened in 1950 to meet the demand for warship repairs during the Korean War. From 1950 until 1997 when it closed, Long Beach provided fleet support to ships in the Southern California area and performed overhaul and maintenance for US Navy ships.

Throughout its lifetime, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard completed several special assignments in addition to its primary mission of routine ship repair. Long Beach Naval Shipyard has been regarded as one of the most technologically advanced shipyards of its time.

Asbestos Exposure at Long Beach

The work at Long Beach Naval Shipyard exposed the work force to asbestos dust and fibers on a daily basis as the shipyard workers repaired and overhauled steam-driven Navy ships. Some of the ships repaired at Long Beach were destroyers of the Fletcher and Gearing classes which had over 30 tons of asbestos insulating material installed when these ships were built. During their overhaul and repair, the asbestos materials were disturbed, removed and replaced. Workers did not know of the dangers of breathing the asbestos dust. Years later they are at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma, from their asbestos exposure.