GMD Shipyard
Located within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the GMD Shipyard is the largest dry dock operation in New York City. With two 1090-foot long graving docks and 1100 feet of wet berth, this facility offers 24-hour, round-the-clock service to private, commercial, and government ship operators, including oil companies, luxury liners, the New York Department of Transportation, and the United States Coast Guard. The shipyard offers a wide range of marine services, from simple to complex repairs, and has an extensive collection of equipment and service capabilities to perform any maintenance or repair job, including steel fabrication, grit blasting, painting, and ultra high-pressure water blasting. The facility is equipped to handle both routine work and emergency dry-dock services.
Employing hundreds of workers, the GMD Shipyard was instrumental in serving the United States Navy during World War II, building, repairing and maintaining hundreds of ships which were used in combat and combat-related operations. In 1966, the GMD Shipyard was decommissioned by the U.S. Navy and sold to New York City. Today, all operations at the shipyard are performed in accordance with the regulations of the American Bureau of Shipping and the U.S. Coast Guard.
During its decades of successful operation, the GMD Shipyard has employed many hundreds of workers. And prior to the mid 1970s, those workers were regularly exposed, usually on a daily basis, to the dangers of asbestos.
Like shipyards throughout the United States, shipbuilders and repair workers used asbestos-based products everyday, in virtually every area of construction and repair operations. The use of asbestos in marine products was rampant, thanks to the mineral’s high resistance to heat and corrosion. Strength, flexibility, and availability added to the appeal of asbestos, which was routinely used in applications including boilers, marine coatings, valve covers, gaskets, electrical systems, insulation, and propulsion systems.
In the mid 1970s, federal legislators were presented with irrefutable proof of the dangers of asbestos exposure. The use of asbestos in the manufacture of marine products was banned in the United States as it can cause malignant mesothelioma. But by then, the damage had been done to thousands of workers who had been exposed to asbestos, often on a daily basis.
Asbestos is comprised of millions of tiny, lightweight particles, which are borne by the slightest air currents and easily inhaled. Once in the lungs, the fibers can cause potentially terminal conditions, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. The results of asbestos exposure can take years – even decades – to manifest. If you were employed by the GMD Shipyard, consult with your doctor to discuss your possible risks as mesothelioma navy cases are most common.
