Marine Gaskets & Shipboard Packing — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk

What This Equipment Is

A naval ship or large merchant vessel contains thousands of gasketed connections — every flanged piping joint, every pump and compressor case, every valve bonnet, every heat-exchanger head, every condensate-drum manhole, every steam-drum handhole. From the 1930s through the late 1970s, the dominant sealing products in shipboard service were asbestos-based and Navy specifications drove their continued specification later than in some civilian industries.

The product families include:

  • Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets — flat-flange sealing
  • Spiral-wound asbestos-filled gaskets — high-pressure flanges
  • Asbestos rope packing — valve stems, pump shafts, manhole compression seals
  • Asbestos millboard gaskets — high-temperature applications (see Millboard)
  • Asbestos cloth seals — boiler manhole compression seals, expansion-joint elements
  • Insulating cement at gasket-and-pipe transitions — see Insulating Cement

Why Marine Gasket and Packing Work Was a Heavy Exposure

Marine systems run continuously. Gasket failures and packing leaks are routine maintenance items at sea and in port. The classic shipboard exposure sequence — strip insulation, scrape old gasket residue, install new gasket, re-insulate; or pull old packing, cut new rings, install — happened thousands of times across a ship’s service life, on every machinery system.

Naval ships also undergo periodic yard-period overhauls that involve opening, inspecting, and re-gasketing entire machinery systems — driving compressed peak exposure across boilers, turbines, pumps, evaporators, and refrigeration plants simultaneously.

Manufacturers Named in Marine Gasket / Packing Litigation

  • Garlock Sealing Technologies — sheet gaskets, spiral-wound gaskets, packing
  • John Crane — mechanical seals and packing
  • A.W. Chesterton — packing and gasket products
  • Anchor Packing — packing products
  • Flexitallic — spiral-wound gaskets
  • Johns-Manville — gasket and packing materials
  • Crane Co. — valves shipped with original asbestos gaskets and packing
  • Raybestos-Manhattan — gasket and packing materials

Documented Product References

Images sourced from publicly available product-identification reference materials. Inclusion does not constitute a finding of liability against any company.

Trust Funds That May Apply

  • Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC Asbestos PI Trust
  • Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
  • Flexitallic Group Asbestos PI Trust (where applicable)
  • Raybestos-Manhattan Asbestos PI Trust

Trades and Service Roles Most Exposed at Marine Gasket / Packing Work

Navy ship’s company: machinist’s mates (MM), boiler technicians (BT), enginemen (EN), pipefitters (PF), hull maintenance technicians (HT), damage controlmen (DC), engineering officers performing or supervising maintenance.

Civilian shipyard: pipefitters, boilermakers, machinists, riggers, insulators working alongside gasket and packing work, sheet-metal workers, demolition crews.

Vessels and Yards in the Network

Compiled from publicly filed asbestos litigation, U.S. Navy and shipyard procurement records, and industry-publication histories. Product and company references reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed litigation. This page does not constitute a finding of liability against any company. Not legal advice; consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Navy veterans should also pursue VA service-connected disability benefits in addition to any civil litigation; VA claims and civil litigation can run in parallel.