Premises Description

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, a U.S. Steel subsidiary, operated a major shipyard on the Passaic River waterfront in Kearny, New Jersey, from 1917 through the postwar period. Allegedly, the Kearny yard was one of the highest-volume destroyer and destroyer-escort builders on the East Coast during World War II and also delivered cruisers, cargo hulls, and auxiliary ships, all featuring asbestos-insulated boilers, steam turbines, feedwater/steam piping, condensers, and asbestos-containing gaskets and packing throughout the propulsion plant.

Plaintiffs further alleged that outfitting crews, in-house insulators, and outside insulation contractors applied asbestos block, pipe covering, insulating cement, and sprayed insulation inside boiler rooms and engine rooms as vessels were completed alongside the piers. Plaintiffs alleged that during launch, sea-trial preparation, and repair work in drydock, laggers stripped and re-installed asbestos insulation on hot piping and valves while pipefitters, welders, machinists, and electricians shared the same confined machinery compartments.

Workers Exposed

  • Shipyard insulators applying and cutting block, pipe covering, and sprayed insulation on marine boilers and steam piping
  • Pipefitters installing and reinstalling asbestos-lagged main steam, auxiliary steam, and feedwater piping
  • Boilermakers rolling tubes and setting asbestos-containing gaskets on boiler manways and fittings
  • Machinists installing turbines, reduction gears, pumps, and valves with asbestos gaskets and packing
  • Welders/burners working adjacent to lagger crews in fireroom compartments
  • Electricians pulling asbestos-jacketed cable and installing panels
  • Laborers, riggers, and painters transiting insulated spaces during outfitting

If You Worked at the Kearny Yard

Plaintiffs alleged that workers at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock’s Kearny NJ yard, particularly during the massive WWII destroyer and destroyer-escort programs, received significant daily asbestos exposures from adjacent trade activity in newly built machinery spaces. Yard workers and their household family members have alleged mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis linked to Kearny premises exposures.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956