San Diego Naval Shipyard was founded in 1918 and increased in size between 1943 and 1950 to incorporate barracks, fleet training schools, and an amphibious force training unit. In 1943, the shipyard was active as a naval repair base. The shipyard converted, overhauled, maintained, and repaired cruisers, destroyers, and submarines for the Navy during the war. After World War II, the shipyard resumed repairing and dry-docking of ships of the fleet. The San Diego Shipyard provided training for the personnel to operate the graving dock, the floating dry docks, boiler and power plants, and fabrication shops on the base. These servicemen suffered occupational exposure to asbestos from the storage and disposal of products used in routine activities.