Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, headquartered in West Allis, Wisconsin, manufactured a broad range of heavy industrial equipment including steam turbines, electric motors, generators, and switchgear that saw wide application in the US Navy fleet. Allis-Chalmers equipment appeared in destroyer escort, amphibious, and auxiliary vessel engineering and electrical spaces. Navy personnel who operated and maintained Allis-Chalmers turbines and electrical machinery worked in asbestos-containing environments throughout the service lives of these vessels.

Allis-Chalmers Equipment in Navy Vessels

Allis-Chalmers supplied both steam propulsion turbines and electric propulsion systems — including turbine-electric drive arrangements — as well as auxiliary generators and motors used in shipboard electrical distribution. Asbestos appeared in multiple Allis-Chalmers applications:

  • Steam turbine casing insulation applied with asbestos block and sectional covering over turbine outer surfaces in propulsion and auxiliary turbine applications
  • Generator and motor windings insulated with asbestos-containing electrical insulation on high-voltage shipboard equipment manufactured before the asbestos phase-out
  • Switchgear panels and electrical distribution equipment used asbestos-containing arc chutes, insulating boards, and wiring in the main and auxiliary switchboard systems
  • Auxiliary steam equipment including turbine-driven pumps and blowers used asbestos packing in gland and stuffing box assemblies

Engineering and Electrical Personnel Exposure

Machinist’s Mates and Electrician’s Mates assigned to engineering spaces with Allis-Chalmers equipment worked alongside asbestos-insulated turbines and generators throughout their service. Maintenance work on Allis-Chalmers turbines — requiring removal of asbestos block insulation to access the turbine interior — released asbestos fiber in the machinery space. Switchgear maintenance involving asbestos arc chutes and insulating panels exposed electrical workers to friable asbestos in the ship’s electrical spaces.

Publicly filed litigation records from Navy asbestos cases include testimony from engineering and electrical ratings who worked on Allis-Chalmers equipment aboard fleet vessels, describing the condition of asbestos insulation and the work practices in machinery and electrical spaces during the 1950s through 1970s.

Shipyard Overhaul Context

Allis-Chalmers turbine and electrical equipment overhaul at Navy shipyards involved insulators and electricians who removed and replaced asbestos-containing components during major availabilities. Ship’s force personnel and shipyard workers who performed or supervised this work at facilities including Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard were present during asbestos fiber release from disturbed equipment insulation.

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Allis-Chalmers Equipment

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy vessels and in Navy shipyards. Veterans who served in engineering or electrical billets on vessels equipped with Allis-Chalmers turbines, motors, or generators before the early 1980s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.