Ford Instrument Company, headquartered in Long Island City, New York, was the United States Navy’s primary manufacturer of mechanical and electromechanical gun fire control computers — the rangekeepers, angle-solvers, and anti-aircraft directors that calculated ballistic solutions for naval gun batteries aboard destroyers, cruisers, and battleships from World War II through the early Cold War era. Ford Instrument’s fire control computing equipment incorporated asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials in the wiring harnesses, motor windings, and electrical components of the electromechanical computing mechanisms. According to asbestos litigation records, Fire Controlmen who maintained and repaired Ford Instrument fire control computers in weapons system spaces aboard surface combatants encountered asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials during computer maintenance and repair operations.

Company History

Ford Instrument Company was founded in 1915 and became one of the Navy’s foremost suppliers of precision fire control computing equipment over the following decades. The company supplied the Navy with mechanical and electromechanical rangekeepers — computing mechanisms that continuously solved the ballistic equations required to direct naval gunfire against surface and aerial targets — for installation in fire control systems aboard destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.

Ford Instrument’s rangekeepers and fire control computers used electromechanical computing mechanisms with electrical motors, servo amplifiers, and wiring harnesses. The electrical insulation materials used in Ford Instrument computing equipment through the mid-twentieth century incorporated asbestos-containing electrical insulation consistent with the electrical engineering specifications of the era. Fire Controlmen maintaining Ford Instrument rangekeepers in the fire control spaces and plotting rooms of surface combatants worked in proximity to the asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials throughout their maintenance and repair duties.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Ford Instrument fire control computing equipment incorporated asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials.

Fire Control Computer Electrical Wiring Insulation

Plaintiffs alleged in asbestos lawsuits that Ford Instrument fire control computers incorporated asbestos-containing electrical insulation in the wiring harnesses and electrical connection points within the computing mechanisms. Fire Controlmen accessing Ford Instrument computer interiors for component replacement, servo adjustment, or circuit repair encountered the asbestos-containing electrical insulation materials during computer maintenance.

Electromechanical Motor Winding Insulation

Ford Instrument fire control computers used small electrical motors in servo drive mechanisms with motor winding insulation incorporating asbestos-containing materials consistent with mid-twentieth century electrical motor manufacturing practice. Fire Controlmen performing motor replacement or motor servicing in Ford Instrument computing equipment encountered asbestos motor winding insulation materials during maintenance.

Occupational Exposure

Navy Fire Controlmen

The primary exposure population for Ford Instrument asbestos materials consists of Navy Fire Controlmen who maintained and repaired Ford Instrument fire control computers in surface combatant weapons system spaces. According to asbestos litigation records, Fire Controlmen assigned to destroyer, cruiser, and battleship fire control systems worked directly with Ford Instrument rangekeepers and fire control computers during maintenance, alignment, and repair operations.

Naval Weapons System Personnel

Ordnance and weapons system technicians performing fire control equipment overhaul at naval ordnance facilities and during ship overhaul availabilities encountered asbestos-containing electrical insulation in Ford Instrument computing equipment during overhaul and repair operations.

Ford Instrument Company has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation brought by Navy veterans who performed fire control equipment maintenance involving Ford Instrument computing systems. No asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been established for Ford Instrument Company. Workers and families with Ford Instrument-related asbestos claims must pursue compensation through the civil litigation system.

If you or a family member developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis after maintaining Ford Instrument fire control computers or rangekeepers aboard Navy vessels:

  • No bankruptcy trust exists for Ford Instrument Company. Claims require civil litigation.
  • Maritime claimants — Navy Fire Controlmen and weapons system personnel — may have options under admiralty and maritime law.
  • Multiple defendants are typically named; other manufacturers of materials incorporated in Ford Instrument fire control systems may have asbestos bankruptcy trusts.
  • Service records documenting rating (FC), vessel assignment, and fire control equipment designations can establish maintenance duties and exposure history.