Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company, headquartered in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, was a long-established manufacturer of industrial and marine service gate valves, globe valves, and check valves for the United States Navy and commercial marine markets throughout the mid-twentieth century. Chapman valves were installed in steam distribution systems, fuel oil systems, feedwater systems, and seawater service systems throughout Navy vessel engineering plants. According to asbestos litigation records, Chapman valve assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing packing materials in valve stem stuffing boxes and asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials at body-to-bonnet flange joints, creating exposure for Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Tenders, and Damage Controlmen who performed valve maintenance and repacking operations aboard naval vessels and at naval shipyards.

Company History

Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company was established in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts in 1888 and became a significant supplier of industrial valve products to the United States Navy over the following century. The company manufactured gate valves, globe valves, and check valves in bronze and steel body configurations for installation in Navy vessel piping systems spanning the full range of shipboard service applications — steam supply and return, fuel oil, feedwater, lube oil, and seawater cooling systems.

Chapman valves were manufactured with asbestos-containing braided or compressed packing in the valve stem stuffing boxes and asbestos-containing compressed sheet gasket materials in body-to-bonnet joints, consistent with the valve manufacturing specifications and Naval Ship Systems Command material standards applicable to Navy valve procurement through the mid-1970s. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Tenders repacking Chapman valve stem stuffing boxes — a routine maintenance task performed regularly throughout each ship’s engineering plant — disturbed the asbestos-containing valve stem packing material during each valve repacking operation.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Chapman valve assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing materials in stem stuffing boxes and body-to-bonnet joints.

Valve Stem Stuffing Box Packing

Plaintiffs alleged in asbestos lawsuits that Chapman gate valves and globe valves incorporated asbestos-containing braided or compressed packing in the valve stem stuffing boxes. Valve stem packing was a routine maintenance item requiring periodic replacement as packing compressed and began to leak past the valve stem. Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Tenders, and Damage Controlmen repacking Chapman valve stem stuffing boxes throughout the engineering plant removed and replaced the asbestos-containing packing material during each repacking operation, with direct handling of the old asbestos packing material during removal releasing asbestos fiber.

Valve Body-to-Bonnet Gaskets

Chapman flanged body-to-bonnet valve assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing compressed sheet gasket materials at the body-to-bonnet joint faces. Maintenance personnel removing valve bonnets for internal valve inspection, disc replacement, or seat grinding encountered and disturbed the asbestos-containing body-to-bonnet gasket material during each bonnet removal operation.

Valve Bonnet-to-Yoke Packing and Gaskets

Chapman valve bonnet assemblies incorporated additional asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials at bonnet-to-yoke connections. Engineering personnel performing valve overhaul encountered asbestos-containing materials at the bonnet-to-yoke connections during comprehensive valve overhaul operations.

Occupational Exposure

Navy Engineering Ratings

The primary exposure population for Chapman valve asbestos materials consists of Navy Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Tenders, and Damage Controlmen who performed valve maintenance and repacking operations aboard naval vessels. According to asbestos litigation records, valve stem repacking was one of the most frequent routine maintenance tasks performed in naval vessel engineering plants, with valve stems requiring repacking whenever the stuffing box began to leak — a continuous maintenance obligation throughout each engineering plant’s operating life. Navy engineering ratings performing valve repacking on Chapman valves throughout the engineering plant accumulated repeated direct handling exposure to the asbestos-containing valve stem packing material.

Naval Shipyard Workers

Pipefitters and valve maintenance personnel at naval shipyards performed valve inspection, bonnet removal, and valve overhaul on Chapman valve installations during ship overhaul availabilities, encountering asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials in Chapman valve assemblies during shipyard overhaul operations.

Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation brought by Navy veterans, shipyard workers, and industrial plant workers who performed maintenance on Chapman valve installations. No asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been established for Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company. Workers and families with Chapman Valve-related asbestos claims must pursue compensation through the civil litigation system.

If you or a family member developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis after performing valve maintenance or repacking operations on Chapman valve installations aboard Navy vessels, at naval shipyards, or in industrial facilities:

  • No bankruptcy trust exists for Chapman Valve. Claims require civil litigation.
  • Maritime claimants — Navy engineering ratings and shipyard workers — may have options under admiralty and maritime law.
  • Multiple defendants are typically named; asbestos packing and gasket manufacturers (such as Garlock, A.W. Chesterton, and John Crane) who supplied the valve packing materials installed in Chapman valves may have asbestos bankruptcy trusts.
  • Service records documenting engineering rating, vessel assignment, and engineering plant maintenance duties can establish valve repacking exposure history.