Established as a commercial shipyard in 1870, the yard consisted of two graving docks built by the Union Iron Works Company. The original docks were built on solid stone, and were among the first dry docks on the West Coast. At over 1,000 feet each in length, they were generally acknowledged to be among the largest dry docks in the world, capable of handling the largest passenger steamers or warships on the seas at that time.

By 1916, the Navy was using the docks as a midpoint between two other Naval bases - one at San Diego and the other in Washington state. Recognizing the importance of having an additional location in San Francisco Bay for shipbuilding and repairs, the Navy negotiated for appropriation and use of the dry docks at Hunters' Point during World War I.

In 1920, a Congressional hearing was held at San Francisco City Hall concerning the subject of Pacific Coast Naval Bases. The Navy was, at that point, just realizing that they needed to have a dual-coast Navy, and were seeking to expand their holdings on the West Coast. Among the sites being considered to serve as major shipbuilding, repair, and support bases for the Navy were San Diego, Hunters Point, and Long Beach in Los Angeles. As the war ended, the funding for improvements and acquisitions dried up.

At the start of World War II, the Navy again appropriated the Hunters Point shipyard, and began establishing shipbuilding and repair facilities at the yard. The Hunters Point mission throughout World War II was the repair, maintenance, and building of U.S. Navy ships. The area grew quickly, and the shipyard was kept busy through the war.

In 1946, the Navy established another division at the Hunters Point Naval base - the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL). The mission of the NRDL was to decontaminate and dispose of a number of ships that had been involved in nuclear weapons testing at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. In a number of buildings around the complex, the ships were dismantled and studied. In addition to the actual dismantling and decontamination, the NRDL was commissioned to study the effects of nuclear weapons, and work on developing counter measures. The NRDL was quartered at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard from 1946 to 1969, and in that time, the division used several of the buildings for cyclotron operations, animal research studies, radioactive laboratory operations, and material storage and processing. The end result of the intense use of the Naval Shipyard for this purpose was the contamination of several sites throughout the yard.

By 1974, naval operations at the site had ceased, and the Navy placed Hunters Point on industrial reserve. In 1976, the Hunters Point Navy Shipyard was leased to Triple A Machine Shop. Triple A held the lease through 1986, and for that decade, the base was used for ship repair. Triple A also sublet many of the buildings at Hunters Point to other small businesses. In 1986, there were reports of illegal and improper waste disposal practices at Triple A. The San Francisco District Attorney launched an investigation of 20 areas at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard site. Many of them were found to be contaminated.

The Navy yard was deactivated in 1991 and closed officially on April 1, 1994. The closing of the base was followed by further investigation of the site. Hunters Point was added to the National Priority List for cleanup of toxic wastes in 1989. Currently, the site of the old Hunters Point Navy Yard is on the Environmental Protection Agency list of Superfund sites. It has been parceled into affected areas that include landfill sites and land disposal areas. Toxic wastes, including radioactive materials, have been found at the site.

While the site housed the Navy Shipyard, thousands of workers may have been exposed to asbestos dust in the process of fitting, repairing, building, converting, maintaining and decommissioning ships. Asbestos, widely used by the Navy in the years between World War I and 1980 for its superior insulating and fireproofing properties, was known to cause serious health problems in those who inhaled or ingested the miniscule fibers. Among those health problems are lung cancer, asbestosis, stomach cancer and mesothelioma. Anyone who worked at the Hunters Point Navy Shipyard should be aware of the dangers of working with asbestos, and of the early symptoms of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma News

Asbestos Testing for Oneida County Building Funded by Union
2008-11-20 15:50:02
The Oneida County Office Building in Utica, New York has recently tested negative for airborne asbestos. Apparently though, that isn't good enough for the union, which represents county employees. Uni ...Read More
Asbestos Tests Show New Jersey Sports Field Poses No Risk
2008-11-20 15:36:54
Asbestos was discovered last month at a public area in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, which prompted concerns that there may be exposure risks for locals. Now, however, those fears have been allayed, as tests ...Read More
EPA and Vermont Working Together to Solve Asbestos Mine Problem
2008-11-20 15:19:39
State of Vermont officials have released a new statement about the urgent need for investigating the impact of an abandoned asbestos mine in Colchester. The mine, located near the towns of Eden and Lo ...Read More