Todd Shipyards and Asbestos Exposure

Todd Shipyards was once a major player in the shipbuilding industry, controlling yards across the United States. However, it exposed thousands of workers and their loved ones to asbestos fibers. Civilians and U.S. veterans who developed mesothelioma after working in Todd Shipyards may qualify for military benefits, low-cost treatments, and compensation.

Written and Fact-Checked by: Christopher Dryfoos Contributing Author

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What to Know About Todd Shipyards and Asbestos Risks

Founded in 1916 as Todd Shipyards Corporation, this dry dock company became one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the country.

From World War II and beyond, the company built and renovated hundreds of U.S. Coast Guard and Navy ships. The company had shipyards in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New York, and many other states.

However, virtually every ship used asbestos products before the early 1980s. Exposure to asbestos put Todd shipyard workers at risk of serious health issues, including a cancer called mesothelioma.

Fast Facts on Todd Shipyard and Asbestos Use

Ships serviced: Cutters, destroyers, destroyer escorts, and more
Asbestos products: Boilers, pipes, insulation, gaskets, and many other products
Health risks: Asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis

If you or someone you loved worked in a shipyard and later developed mesothelioma, you may be eligible for military benefits, treatments, and compensation.

Get a Free Veterans Packet to see all the benefits available to you.

How Was Asbestos Used in Todd Shipyards?

Asbestos was widely used in the shipbuilding industry because of its heat resistance and durability. As a result, virtually every ship built or renovated at Todd Shipyards prior to the early 1980s contained asbestos materials.

In Todd Shipyards, asbestos could be found in:

Boilers
Engines
Gaskets
Insulation
Packing
Panels
Pipes
Pumps
Tiles
Wires

Working with these asbestos-containing products could send fibers flying into the air. Shipyard workers who breathed in or swallowed these fibers ran the risk of developing mesothelioma later in life.

Todd Shipyard workers did not know that asbestos was dangerous. Manufacturers of asbestos-containing products knew the risks but hid them for decades to make significant profits.

List of Ships Built at Todd Shipyards

Hundreds of civilian and U.S. Navy ships were built, repaired, and serviced at different Todd Shipyards locations throughout the country.

Just a few of these include:

Coast Guard cutters: Todd Shipyards’ Houston division delivered medium endurance cutters in the mid-1960s, a time when asbestos was used in almost every vessel. The lead ship of this class was the USCGC Reliance (WTR-615).
Destroyers: World War II-era destroyers like the USS Hollister (DD-788), USS Arcadia (AD-23), USS Everglades (AD-24), and USS Frontier (AD-25) were built at Todd Shipyards’ California locations. Other destroyers like the USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23) and USS Waddell (DDG-24) were constructed at Todd Shipyards in Seattle.
Destroyer escorts: Todd Shipyards helped to build and repair many destroyer escorts. The USS Howard D. Crow (DE-252) was renovated at Todd Shipyards in Galveston, Texas, in the early 1960s, for example.
Tank landing ships: These ships, such as the USS Tuscaloosa (LST-1187), were renovated at Todd’s Seattle shipyard. Renovations could have released asbestos-containing dust into the air.

Any Navy veterans or shipyard workers who worked on vessels serviced by Todd Shipyards could have been exposed to asbestos, putting them at risk of mesothelioma 10-50 years later.

Get a Free Veterans Packet to explore benefits, treatments, and compensation options if you or a loved one developed mesothelioma after working at Avondale Shipyard.

Jobs at Risk of Asbestos Exposure in Todd Shipyards

Anyone working at Todd Shipyards risked asbestos exposure. That said, specific roles at the shipyards put some workers at a higher risk than others.

Some of the most at-risk positions included:

Boilermakers
Carpenters
Electricians
Engineers
Insulators
Pipefitters
Welders

In each of these roles, shipyard workers handled asbestos-containing materials every day. This meant that they could easily inhale or swallow asbestos fibers, putting them at risk of mesothelioma and other illnesses later in life.

For example, the wife of a U.S. Navy veteran filed an asbestos lawsuit after her husband died of lung cancer. She claimed his diagnosis stemmed from serving on the USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13), which was built with asbestos products at Todd Shipyards’ San Pedro, California, location.

List of Todd Shipyards That Used Asbestos

Todd Shipyards Corporation controlled many shipyards and dry docks across the United States.

These shipyards were located in:

California: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, San Pedro, Oakland, and Alameda
Louisiana: New Orleans
New Jersey: Hoboken
New York: Brooklyn and Staten Island
South Carolina: Charleston
Texas: Houston and Galveston
Washington: Tacoma and Seattle

Because so many yards were controlled by Todd, thousands of former shipyard workers were exposed to asbestos and now run the risk of mesothelioma. In fact, shipyard workers have some of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the present day.

Did you know?

Over 4,900 people have died from asbestos-related diseases in Los Angeles county alone — which was just one of many places where Todd Shipyards operated.

The shipyard workers themselves were not the only ones at risk. U.S. Navy veterans who served on ships serviced at Todd shipyards could have also been exposed if asbestos-containing products aboard were damaged or disturbed.

In addition, loved ones were also at risk because the fibers could get stuck to shipyard workers’ clothing, hair, and skin. When the workers returned home, they unknowingly put their family members at risk of secondary exposure.

Compensation for Todd Shipyard Workers With Mesothelioma

If you or a loved one suffered from an asbestos-related disease after working at Todd Shipyards, you might be eligible for financial compensation.

Explore mesothelioma compensation options below.

VA Benefits

Veterans with mesothelioma who worked at Todd Shipyards or served on ships the company serviced may be eligible for U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits.

Mesothelioma is a 100% VA disability, allowing veterans to get the highest monthly compensation rates available.

Mesothelioma VA benefits include:

Disability compensation worth $4,158.17 a month
Free or low-cost health care from doctors
Resources for surviving family and loved ones

Connect with us now to get help filing for or maximizing your mesothelioma VA benefits.

Todd Shipyard Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Todd shipyard workers may qualify to file lawsuits to seek compensation. Mesothelioma lawsuits award $1 million or more on average.

A lawsuit does not affect your ability to file for VA benefits. These lawsuits are not filed against any branch of the military or government.

Our partner mesothelioma lawyers have secured significant compensation for shipyard workers, veterans, and families affected by this cancer.

Some examples include:

$3.19 million

to the wife of a Louisiana shipyard worker

$1.95 million

to the family of a U.S. Navy veteran from Texas

$1.4 million

to a U.S. Navy veteran from New Jersey

$2.5 million

to a U.S. Navy veteran from New York

Get a free case review to find out if you qualify to file a Todd shipyard mesothelioma lawsuit.

Todd Shipyard Asbestos Trust Funds

Former Todd shipyard workers may also qualify for compensation from asbestos trust funds. These trusts were set up by bankrupt companies that made and sold asbestos-containing products.

Over $30 billion is available in asbestos trust funds. You or someone you love may qualify for compensation from multiple trusts, depending on which products you were exposed to while working at Todd Shipyards.

Contact us now to explore compensation options available if you or a loved one is a shipyard worker with mesothelioma. We’re ready to help you pursue compensation.

Help for Todd Shipyard Workers With Mesothelioma

Those who worked at Todd Shipyards didn’t deserve to be put at risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

The Mesothelioma Veterans Center can help veterans, civilian shipyard workers, and loved ones following a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Work with us to:

File for or maximize your VA benefits
Get access to top treatments and doctors
Pursue payouts often worth $1 million or more

Call (877) 450-8973 or get a Free Veterans Packet now to start the process. We’re ready to assist you and your family in any way we can.

Todd Shipyards and Mesothelioma FAQs

When did Todd Shipyard close?

Several Todd Shipyard locations closed in the 1980s. For example, Todd Shipyards in Brooklyn closed in 1986. Todd’s San Diego shipyard shuttered in 1989.

The company itself was sold to Vigor Industrial in 2011, and its remaining yards were rebranded to Vigor Shipyards.

Is asbestos still used in shipbuilding?

By the time of Todds Shipyard’s sale to Vigor Industrial, asbestos was no longer in use to make new ships due to the health risks.

However, anyone exposed to asbestos at Todd Shipyards before the early 1980s could still be in danger today since it takes 10-50 years for this cancer to form.

If you or a loved one developed mesothelioma after working at Todd or Vigor Shipyards, you may qualify for financial compensation and benefits. Contact us now to get started.

Are shipyard workers exposed to asbestos?

Yes, many Todd Shipyard workers were exposed to asbestos between the 1930s and early 1980s. This is because asbestos was used on almost every U.S. Navy ship and many civilian vessels.

Working with asbestos could release fibers into the air, and anyone who breathed them in or swallowed them is at risk of developing mesothelioma later in life.