Cleaver-Brooks, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a major manufacturer of packaged fire-tube boilers and boiler auxiliary equipment supplying both commercial and industrial markets — including the US Navy for auxiliary steam service at naval installations and aboard surface ships and auxiliary vessels. Cleaver-Brooks packaged boilers were used in ship’s service auxiliary boiler roles aboard vessels where a packaged boiler design was more practical than the Navy’s primary high-pressure main propulsion boilers, and at naval shore installations for base heating and utility steam supply.

Asbestos in Cleaver-Brooks Boilers

Cleaver-Brooks auxiliary boilers used asbestos insulation and asbestos-containing materials in their construction:

  • Boiler casing insulation — Cleaver-Brooks packaged fire-tube boilers used asbestos block insulation and asbestos blanket insulation on the boiler casing exterior to reduce heat loss and surface temperature. Boiler casing insulation was disturbed during boiler maintenance, inspection, and repair procedures
  • Boiler firebox door and access insulation — asbestos rope packing and asbestos blanket material were used as seals and insulation at firebox access doors and inspection ports on Cleaver-Brooks boiler designs
  • Steam drum and associated piping insulation — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation on the steam drum, feedwater connections, and steam outlet piping on Cleaver-Brooks boilers
  • Burner and combustion equipment — asbestos-containing materials in burner assemblies and combustion equipment refractory surfaces consistent with the industry practice of the boiler manufacturing era

Shore Installation Boiler Plant Service

Cleaver-Brooks boilers at Navy shore installations — base heating plants, steam generating stations, and utility facilities — served as the primary steam source for base heating and utility steam supply:

  • Naval station heating plants — Cleaver-Brooks packaged boilers in Navy base boiler rooms generated heating steam for older base buildings at naval stations, naval air stations, and support facilities. Shore-side boiler plant operators — Navy Utilitiesmen (UTs) and civilian boiler plant operators — performed daily operation and maintenance of Cleaver-Brooks boilers in base heating plant service
  • Naval shipyard steam systems — Cleaver-Brooks boilers in naval shipyard utility systems provided steam for shipyard shop heating and process steam in the era before district chilled water systems replaced steam heating

Shipboard Auxiliary Boiler Service

Some surface ship and auxiliary vessel classes used packaged auxiliary boilers for emergency and auxiliary steam supply:

  • Gas turbine-powered surface ships carrying an auxiliary boiler for hotel steam and emergency use — including some Perry class frigates and Spruance class destroyers — used packaged auxiliary boiler designs with asbestos-containing insulation consistent with their construction period
  • Auxiliary vessels — repair ships, store ships, and submarine tenders — used auxiliary boilers for hotel steam loads beyond their main propulsion boiler capacity

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Cleaver-Brooks Products

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Engineering ratings and shore facility operators who performed maintenance on Cleaver-Brooks and other auxiliary boilers with asbestos-containing insulation and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.