Charlestown Navy Yard / Boston Navy Yard

Along with five additional locations on the Northeastern coast of the U.S., the Charlestown (Boston) Navy Yard was established at the turn of the 19th century by mandate from the Secretary of the Navy.

The first ship ever built in this yard was the USS Independence, a 74-gun battle ship that was later used in the War of 1812.  This shipyard grew immensely during and after the war and was soon renowned not only for its fine shipbuilding but also for the rope-making facility that was located here.  It was also one of the first shipyards to build steamer ships.  By the 1850s, civilian and military employees at Charlestown were also trained in the new-fangled ironclad technology and a brand new modern machine shop opened onsite.

The years during the Civil War were the busiest for this naval yard but after the war, jobs were few and shipbuilding was at its lowest.  During this time, the Charlestown Yard became largely responsible for the dismantling of old vessels and many shipyard employees found themselves without a job.

The shipyard became busy again during the early years of the 20th century.  Now known as the Boston Navy Yard, the shipyard was kept busy during World War I and the Spanish American War.  A lull in the 1920s was followed by another busy time just prior to and during World War II.  Steel had replaced wood in the building of ships and fuel switched from coal to oil.  Ships of many sorts were built, reconditioned, and repaired here as the U.S. Navy aimed to create a two-ocean military force. 

After World War II, throughout the 50s and 60s, the Boston Navy Yard began to modernize old ships through the through Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program.  The yard was used for little else during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and eventually closed in the mid-1970s. 

During the decades that ships were built, repaired, and rehabilitated by both military and civilian workers at the Boston Navy Yard, thousands of employees were exposed to asbestos-containing products.  Welders, electricians, iron workers, steel workers, plumbers, boilermen, insulators, and many others may have inhaled dangerous fibers caused by asbestos that was damaged in the shipbuilding or re-building process.

Were you employed at the Charlestown/Boston Navy Yard?  Have you been diagnosed with malignant Mesothelioma?  If so, you’ll want to learn everything you can about this disease, its treatments, and your legal rights as a victim.  For the facts on this asbestos-related cancer, order our free, no-obligation Mesothelioma Information Kit.