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San Diego Naval Shipyard - History

In 1907, when the Great White Fleet began its famous navigation of the world, San Diego wasn't even on the list of ports to visit. The fleet, organized by President Theodore Roosevelt to tour the world as a show of U.S. Naval strength, was to sail directly up the West Coast. They began at San Pedro (Los Angeles) and gathered at Puget Sound in Washington. When a group of businessmen from San Diego discovered the fleet would not be stopping at San Diego, they hired a tug to intercept the ships off Baja, California to negotiate a stop in their city. Their plan worked, and the Navy agreed to a three-day stay in San Diego. When the fleet came within sight of San Diego in April 1908, it was met by an enthusiastic crowd of thousands and welcomed to California by the governor himself. The hastily organized event made an indelible mark on Navy command.

It also launched the political career of event's chairman, William Kettner. Soon, as a Congressman, Kettner began an all out effort to entice the Navy to locate a shipyard in San Diego. The Navy was far from positive about the small city. In a letter from the General Board concerning the establishment of a naval station at San Diego, George Dewey wrote, ""Referring to the proposed establishment of a naval station at San Diego, the General Board believes that this place is not naturally well adapted for the purpose and that its strategic value as a supplement to other stations now existing in the same area would be small."

The Navy Establishes a Presence

As World War I began to press its urgency on the Navy, Kettner offered the Navy (free of charge) facilities for a Naval Training Station at San Diego. Once the training station was established, he quietly pressed for and won a naval hospital, a supply depot, and an aviation operation at North Island. By the time the war ended, San Diego was in a position to offer coordinated and connected services to the Navy in a way that no other city on the West Coast could. When the Navy sought to acquire a shipyard for repair and shipbuilding on the West Coast, San Diegans turned out again en masse to woo the Navy. Despite a tug of war between the Navy and a local landowner, Theodore Roosevelt soon issued General Order 78, establishing the facility that began as U.S. Destroyer Base, San Diego.

Over the next several years, the shipyard continued to develop at a rapid pace. Repair facilities were expanded, more shops were constructed, and radio and torpedo schools were established. In 1924 alone, the San Diego Naval Shipyard decommissioned an amazing 77 destroyers and commissioned an additional seven. Under the command of Captain Chester Nimitz, the Navy undertook dredging projects that would deepen the harbor at San Diego, making it fit for larger naval ships and preparing the shipyard for the staggering burst of activity that would come with the onset of World War II.

World War II Launches Expansion

The increase in activity at the San Diego Naval Shipyard during World War II is paralleled only by the same scale of increase at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. By 1942, the Destroyer Base at San Diego included holdings of 29 buildings, as well as expanded fleet training schools and a newly-created amphibious force training unit. In 1943, the Navy determined the facility at San Diego had expanded beyond its definition as a "Destroyer Base," and the San Diego base was re-designated as the U.S. Repair Base, San Diego.

Between 1943 and 1945, over 5,100 ships passed through the U.S. Repair Base, San Diego for repairs, outfitting, conversion, overhaul, and maintenance. Among the maintenance operations was the construction and deployment of 155 floating dry docks to various naval stations around the world.

After the war, the base was re-designated yet again and renamed as the Naval Station, San Diego. By the end of 1946, the base was occupying more than 900 acres and housing 294 buildings. The barracks could accommodate in excess of 18,000 enlisted men and 300 officers. The base expanded again during the Korean War to a regular workforce of over 14,000 employees and maintained that level through the 1980s.

Today, the Naval Shipyard at San Diego is part of the Naval Base San Diego complex, which employs more than 40,000 military personnel. It is a state-of-the-art, modern naval facility that is home to about fifty ships. The shipyard continues to provide repair and support services for the Naval Fleet, and is the center of the West Coast arm of Naval Operations.

San Diego Naval Shipyard and Asbestos Exposure

Anyone who worked at the San Diego Naval Shipyard may have been exposed to asbestos on the job. Throughout most of the twentieth century, asbestos was heavily used in and around naval stations because of its superior insulating and fireproofing qualities. Asbestos and asbestos-containing products were used for pipe insulation, boiler insulation, electrical wire coverings, in spray-on asbestos coatings, and for many other uses. When asbestos is damaged or disturbed, tiny fibers are released into the air and are easily inhaled. Inhalation of asbestos can eventually lead to serious health conditions, including mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that has no other known cause.

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