Navy Trades
Being a part of the U.S. Navy allows young men and women to become skilled in many different areas, including a number of trades. This has always been the case. Over the years, many veterans have emerged from service in the Navy as skilled tradesmen, adept at performing a wide variety of jobs that were essential to their time in the Navy and would likely guarantee them a job after leaving the armed forces.
Members of the Navy made use of their learned trades wherever needed. In many cases, especially during the war years, these trades were essential in shipbuilding. The World War II era, in particular, represents the time when shipbuilding was at its peak and shipbuilders were constantly busy, including both military and civilian employees. Literally, hundreds of thousands of individuals were employed in the nation’s shipyards during the Second World War and their skills were invaluable.
Unfortunately, some of those much-needed skills put members of the U.S. Navy face to face with dangerous substances, particularly asbestos. From the 1940s through the 1970s, asbestos enjoyed widespread use in the building of war-related vessels and anyone who worked to build or repair these ships was subject to exposure. In halation of asbestos fibers and dust was a common occurrence among individuals who practiced particular shipbuilding trades and, often decades later, the fibers that became lodged in their lungs as they worked would eventually become tumors and diseases like mesothelioma would develop.
It was nearly impossible for these Navy tradespeople to avoid asbestos while on the job. It was literally everywhere and many people were affected by its presence, especially since no protective gear was worn. Those who worked as plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, boilermakers, insulators, welders, carpenters, millwrights, machinists, mechanics, and in many other Navy trades constantly inhaled tiny toxic asbestos fibers and many have died from asbestos-related ailments or are currently fighting a battle against these hard-to-treat diseases, like mesothelioma, which carries a likely death sentence despite advances in treatment.