Todd Shipyards Corporation was one of the largest independent shipbuilding and ship repair contractors in the United States, operating shipyards at multiple locations including the Gulf Coast (Galveston, Texas and New Orleans area), New York, Seattle, and other ports. Todd Shipyards performed construction, conversion, and repair work for the United States Navy under Navy contracts — building and refitting naval auxiliaries and performing emergency repair work during World War II and the postwar period. Todd Shipyards’ ship repair and construction operations involved asbestos insulation throughout the steam and mechanical systems of every vessel worked on at Todd facilities. Todd Shipyards workers — pipefitters, insulation workers, boilermakers, and other shipbuilding trades — were exposed to asbestos from the insulation materials used throughout the vessels under construction or repair. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Todd Shipyards Corporation as a formal asbestos defendant: testimony about the extent of Todd Shipyard work on naval vessels, formal defendant documentation with Todd Shipyards as a named party, and Todd Shipyards in the Louisiana asbestos exposure proceedings.

Documented Asbestos — Todd Shipyards in Litigation

Todd Shipyard Workers — 95% of Work

Todd Shipyards — Formal Defendant

Todd Shipyards — Louisiana Asbestos Exposure

Todd Shipyards Operations and Naval Contracts

Gulf Coast facilities: Todd Shipyards operated major facilities at Galveston, Texas and in the New Orleans area — Gulf Coast shipyards that performed Navy ship construction and repair work throughout WWII and the postwar period. Gulf Coast naval vessel repair included the full range of asbestos insulation work in the engineering spaces of the vessels in for repair.

World War II ship construction: Todd Shipyards was one of the major WWII emergency shipbuilders, constructing vessels for the Navy and the Maritime Commission under wartime contracts. Wartime shipbuilding at Todd involved the same asbestos insulation standards as all naval construction of the era.

Ship repair and conversion: Todd’s post-war operations focused on ship repair and conversion — work that included the removal of old asbestos insulation and the installation of new asbestos insulation systems. Ship repair insulation removal is among the highest-exposure categories of shipyard asbestos work.

Navy contractor status: Todd Shipyards held formal Navy contracts for ship construction, conversion, and repair — establishing the Navy’s direct relationship with Todd as a shipbuilding contractor whose workers performed asbestos-involved construction work on behalf of the Navy.

VA Claims and Legal Options — Todd Shipyards Workers

Navy veterans whose ships were repaired or constructed at Todd Shipyards facilities, civilian workers employed at Todd Shipyards in any construction or maintenance trade, and workers who participated in Todd Shipyards’ Navy contract work, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for veterans with documented duty aboard vessels constructed or repaired at Todd Shipyards facilities
  • Civil claims against Todd Shipyards successors and asbestos product manufacturers based on documented asbestos exposure in Todd’s naval construction and repair operations

Key documents:

  • Employment records — Todd Shipyards employment in any shipyard trade
  • DD-214 or service records — documenting service aboard vessels built or repaired at Todd Shipyards
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including testimony establishing Todd Shipyard workers performing 95% of ship work at the facility, formal defendant documentation with attorneys for Todd Shipyards named in asbestos proceedings, Todd Shipyards in formal asbestos plaintiff litigation records, and Todd Shipyards Louisiana asbestos exposure proceedings. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.