Ingalls Shipbuilding

Situated on the Pascagoula River in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Ingalls Shipbuilding is owned by Northrup Gruman Corporation.  Opened in 1938, it’s currently the largest private employer in the state, with about 10,000 workers performing various shipyard duties.

Ingalls Shipbuilding is positioned for easy access to the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, via a totally unobstructed 350-foot-wide by 40-foot-deep, 12-mile channel.  The facility sits on about 800 acres.

Since its early years, Ingalls has produced a wide variety of ships for both commercial and military use such as luxury cruise liners, general cargo vessels, container ships, tankers, amphibious assault ships, cruisers, destroyers, submarine tenders, ammunition ships, and submarines, including 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines. 

In the last 30 years, Ingalls has built 82 new major surface warships for the U.S. Navy.  They’ve also built ships for the Israeli and Venezuelan navies. Employment at the yard was at its all-time high in 1977, when more than 25,000 individuals held jobs there.

Overhauls, repairs, restorations, and new construction kept employees at Ingalls quite busy, especially during World War II and the Cold War.  Employees at this and many other shipyards were often exposed to dangerous asbestos-containing materials while on the job, found in such items as insulation, gaskets, floor and ceiling tiles, boilers, cement, and many other products used in the shipbuilding and repair business.  Workers often lacked proper protective clothing such as face masks, gloves, aprons, and other things that may have protected them from inhaling asbestos fibers or bringing them home on their clothing.

If you or a loved one has been affected by mesothelioma due to employment at Ingalls Shipbuilding, you should take time to gather information about the disease, its treatments, financial assistance, and other issues that will affect your life and the lives of those who depend on you.  Order our free Mesothelioma Information Kit for more information.