Marinite, Marine veneer, Micarta, asbestos paper, gaskets, pipe covering insulation - Hopeman Brothers, Inc.
Hopeman Brothers, Inc. (“Hopeman”) was originally incorporated in Delaware in 1930, and was reincorporated in Virginia in 2007. Hopeman’s principal place of business is located in Waynesboro, Virginia. Hopeman became qualified to do business in California in 1942, and ceased doing business in California in 1998.
Hopeman was a joiner (marine carpentry) contractor. Hopeman removed and installed various materials located throughout ships, including engine rooms, boiler rooms, machinery spaces, galleys and living quarters. Some of the materials removed, installed or otherwise disturbed by Hopeman during its work contained asbestos, including:
- Marinite,
- Marine veneer,
- Micarta,
- asbestos paper,
- gaskets and
- pipe covering insulation.
Hopeman worked with these products at various shipyards including the following shipyards in California:
- Bethlehem Shipyard, San Francisco (1941);
- Kaiser Shipyard No. 1, Richmond (1941-1945);
- Kaiser Shipyard No. 2, Richmond (1944-1945);
- Kaiser Shipyard No. 3, Richmond (1943-1945);
- Moore Dry Dock, Oakland (1941-1945);
- National Steel & Shipbuilding, San Diego (1962-1977);
- Todd Shipyard, San Pedro (1961); and
- Consolidated Shipbuilding, Wilmington (1946).
Navy veterans, shipbuilders, and ship yard workers have an even higher occupational risk of exposure to asbestos. Most ships were built with asbestos containing materials until the early 1980’s. Anyone working on board or around ships ran a risk of inhaling or ingesting airborne asbestos while installing, cutting, repairing, cleaning up or removing parts and materials. Exposure to asbestos can cause various asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
If you are a navy veteran or worked in any branch of the military service and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please visit the new section of our site: Helping Veterans with Mesothelioma or call us toll free at 1-866-784-1148.
If you or someone you know has been exposed to asbestos as a result of handling or being involved with Marinite, Marine veneer, Micarta, asbestos paper, gaskets, pipe covering insulation, and if you think such exposure may have caused you or your loved one to become ill with mesothelioma or any other form of asbestos related disease, please contact the lawyers at Clapper, Patti Schweizer & Mason for more information.