Naval Boiler Products — Asbestos Exposure Crosswalk

What This Equipment Is

For most of the twentieth century, U.S. Navy combatants from destroyers through aircraft carriers were propelled by superheated-steam plants centered on large shipboard boilers. The dominant designs were the D-type boiler (Combustion Engineering), the M-type boiler (Babcock & Wilcox / Foster Wheeler), the V2M and similar variants, and many smaller-vessel boilers from the same manufacturers.

A naval main-propulsion boiler is a dense assembly of pressure-bearing components, fuel and combustion systems, and high-temperature internals — all of which historically used asbestos-bearing materials:

  • Refractory brick and castable — furnace lining, burner-front refractory, breeching transitions
  • Block insulation and pipe covering — boiler casing, steam outlet manifolds, downcomers
  • Insulating cement — joints and fittings throughout
  • Gaskets — manhole covers, handhole plates, steam-drum penetrations, casing horizontal joints
  • Packing — soot-blower shaft seals, sample-and-blowdown valve packing
  • Asbestos cloth and millboard — burner-front heat shielding, removable insulation blankets
  • Boiler-saver / amosite block — Navy-specification high-mechanical-strength block insulation

Why Naval Boiler Work Was a Particularly Heavy Exposure

Naval boilers run continuously at sea. They require frequent fireside cleaning, soot blowing, tube replacement, and refractory patching. Boiler outages while in port (or at sea, in emergencies) put boilermakers, boiler technicians (BTs), and ship’s company in confined boiler rooms doing dirty, hot, asbestos-disturbing work shift after shift.

Yard-period overhauls every few years rebuilt entire boilers — full refractory tear-out and reline, casing insulation strip and replacement, full retubing. Civilian shipyard workers and ship’s company turned over the boiler in compressed schedules with limited dust controls.

Decades of ship’s-company exposure. A 20-year Navy career on steam-plant ships meant 20 years of routine and emergency work in environments where asbestos disturbance was unavoidable.

Manufacturers Named in Naval Boiler Litigation

  • Babcock & Wilcox — naval boiler OEM
  • Combustion Engineering — naval boiler OEM (D-type and others)
  • Foster Wheeler — naval boiler OEM
  • Riley Stoker — naval boiler products
  • General Electric — turbines paired with naval boilers
  • Westinghouse Electric — turbines paired with naval boilers
  • Johns-Manville — refractory, insulation, gaskets
  • Owens-Corning / Fibreboard — Kaylo insulation
  • Pittsburgh Corning — Unibestos insulation
  • Eagle-Picher — amosite block and pipe covering
  • Garlock Sealing Technologies — gaskets and packing
  • A.W. Chesterton — packing

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

  • Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust
  • Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust
  • Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust
  • Owens-Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos PI Trust
  • Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Asbestos PI Trust
  • Eagle-Picher Industries PI Settlement Trust
  • Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC Asbestos PI Trust
  • Foster Wheeler related trusts

Trades and Service Roles Most Exposed at Naval Boiler Work

Navy ship’s company: boiler technicians (BT), machinist’s mates (MM), enginemen (EN), engineering officers, damage controlmen (DC), hull maintenance technicians (HT) doing in-house boiler maintenance.

Civilian shipyard: boilermakers, insulators (Heat & Frost), refractory masons, pipefitters, machinists, riggers, painters and laborers working alongside boiler-overhaul crews.

Vessels in the Network Documenting Naval Boiler Products

  • Most U.S. Navy steam-powered combatants built 1930s–1970s and selected later vessels — destroyers, cruisers, frigates, amphibious ships, aircraft carriers
  • Major U.S. Navy yards historically responsible for boiler overhauls: Mare Island, Long Beach, Puget Sound, Norfolk, Charleston, Portsmouth, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Pearl Harbor
  • See companion pages: Shipyard Pipe Covering, Marine Gaskets, Ship Engine Room Insulation, Refractory Brick, Boilers

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.