Charleston Naval Shipyard

Established in 1901, the Charleston Naval Shipyard sits on the Cooper River in the city of North Charleston, South Carolina.  Since that time, the shipyard has played a major role in each of the wars that have involved the United States Navy.

During World War I, Charleston NSY found it necessary to increase its support and maintenance facilities and, at the peak of the war, employed nearly 6,000 civilians.  Before that, the shipyard provided employment for about 1,000 workers.

The disarmament treaties of World War I kept Charleston workers busy building ships during the 1920s and 30s, in accordance with the rules of the treaties, which stated that the U.S. have a minimal number of warships. 

World War II brought yet more business to busy Charleston Shipyard.  Just prior to the war, the CNSY had enjoyed a $3.5 million expansion and the new facilities were put to good use during the war years.  By 1941, the yard employed 2,000 workers, as compared to only about 200 a decade before.  Many destroyers were built here as well as a variety of other wartime vessels.

In 1945, the Navy Department reorganized the various activities at Charleston and created Naval Base, Charleston. The navy yard became a component of the base. After the war, the base became a major decommissioning and storage location for returning ships and was also responsible for the repairs and alterations of captured German submarines.

In 1948, the Navy designated CNSY as a submarine repair and overhaul yard. Workers also activated numerous moth-balled vessels for use during the Korean War. By that time, the number of workers employed by the shipyard reached more than 8,000.

In the 1960s, the yard was building submarines and missiles, and overhauling nuclear subs as well.  In 1968, the Navy awarded the first contracts for the 32-ton, 34-foot long, Poseidon missile to CNSY. The size of the missiles and the fact that they had to be built vertically necessitated the building of a new 6-story packaging building.

The end of the Vietnam conflict brought a slow-down of activity to the yard and it was eventually decommissioned in 1996, after a slight rebound caused by the closure of the Boston Naval Shipyard.  Today, it is home to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.

Building, overhauling, and repairing ships can be a hazardous occupation.  Ships were often hastily dismantled and made ready for service once again, with little regard for the safety of those employed as shipyard workers in various capacities. Accidents happened frequently and workers were exposed to hazardous materials, such as asbestos, on a daily basis.  Many shipyard workers have been sickened with asbestos-related diseases.  Those especially susceptible were insulators, plumbers, electricians, boilermakers, and pipe fitters.

Have you developed mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos at the busy Charleston Naval Shipyard?  If so, you’re not alone.  Dozens of shipyard workers have suffered similar fates.  To learn more about dealing with the disease and your legal recourse as a job-related meso victim, order our free Mesothelioma Information Kit today.