Established in 1859, Levingston Shipbuilding Company was a shipbuilding facility located on the Sabine River near Orange, Texas. The first ship was constructed in 1925, and the final ship was finished in 1982 when the shipyard was sold to Ed Paden, the company's CEO. Levingston Shipyard produced tank Barges and Tugboats during World War II. During the peak of asbestos usage, ship conversions and repairs were often done at the shipyard. Navy veterans and shipyard personnel have historically been among the most often exposed to asbestos. Shipyard workers and veterans who served between World War II and the Korean War are likely to have come into contact with harmful quantities of asbestos, increasing their risk of developing asbestos-related pulmonary conditions.