New York Shipbuilding Corporation (New York Ship), located in Camden, New Jersey across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, was one of the largest and most historically significant naval shipyards in the United States, operating from 1900 until its closure in 1967. New York Ship built more than 500 vessels including aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers for the U.S. Navy — among them USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), USS Constellation (CV-64), and the nuclear cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9). The yard employed tens of thousands of New Jersey workers across all trades throughout its operational life. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document New York Shipbuilding Corporation with exceptional detail — including named amosite asbestos products, the Philadelphia Asbestos Company as the yard’s primary asbestos supplier, internal corporate memoranda, medical documentation, and the Asbestos Textile Institute’s involvement with the yard — making it one of the most thoroughly documented shipyard asbestos exposure venues in the national record.

Who Was Exposed at New York Shipbuilding

Workers at New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Insulation workers who installed amosite asbestos felt and other Philadelphia Asbestos Company products throughout carrier and capital ship construction
  • Pipefitters and Boilermakers who worked in asbestos-insulated engineering spaces during ship construction
  • All trades workers in enclosed aircraft carrier and battleship spaces during active amosite insulation installation
  • Corporate and medical staff who may themselves have been exposed through daily presence at the Camden facility

VA Claims and Legal Options — New York Shipbuilding NJ Workers

Navy veterans who served as pre-commissioning crew at New York Shipbuilding (notably for USS Kitty Hawk, USS Constellation, and USS Long Beach), and civilian workers who built Navy ships at Camden, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for:

  • Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for civilian New York Ship workers
  • Civil claims against the Philadelphia Asbestos Company and other named asbestos product suppliers to New York Shipbuilding
  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for Navy PCU personnel who served at the Camden yard

Key documents for a New York Shipbuilding claim:

  • Employment records — New York Shipbuilding employment records documenting trade and service dates (yard closed 1967)
  • DD-214 or orders — documenting Navy PCU assignment at Camden for Kitty Hawk, Constellation, or Long Beach
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including amosite asbestos felt installation records, Philadelphia Asbestos Company supplier documentation, internal New York Shipbuilding Corporation memoranda, medical documentation, and Asbestos Textile Institute connection records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.