Combustion Engineering, Inc., headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut, was a major manufacturer of steam boilers, steam generators, and power generation equipment supplying the US Navy with naval watertube boilers as a primary alternative to Babcock & Wilcox throughout World War II and the Cold War. CE boilers were installed in Knox class frigates, in some destroyer classes, and in auxiliary vessels, providing the same high-pressure steam propulsion that required extensive asbestos insulation on boiler casings, steam drums, and superheater sections.

Asbestos on CE Boiler External Surfaces

CE naval watertube boilers required the same comprehensive asbestos insulation as B&W boilers, applied in the same pattern to the high-temperature external surfaces of the boiler:

  • Boiler casing insulation — asbestos block insulation on CE boiler casing external surfaces, several inches thick, maintaining safe heat levels in the fireroom and protecting personnel from the 850°F+ boiler casing temperature
  • Steam drum and mud drum insulation — asbestos sectional covering on the CE boiler steam drum and mud drum pressure vessels
  • Superheater section insulation — asbestos block insulation on the superheater tube bundle casing where steam was superheated to 950°F before delivery to the main turbines
  • Uptake and breeching insulation — asbestos on the hot gas path from the CE boiler furnace through the uptakes serving the ship’s stack
  • Access door gaskets — asbestos rope and sheet gaskets at CE boiler access door frames throughout the boiler casing

Knox Class and CE Boiler Use

The Knox class frigates (FF-1052 through FF-1097) used Combustion Engineering boilers as their steam propulsion source — two CE boilers per ship in two firerooms driving the single-shaft steam turbine plant. Knox class Boiler Tenders worked with CE boiler equipment and its asbestos insulation throughout the Knox class service life from the 1970s into the early 1990s.

Boiler Tender Exposure in CE Boiler Rooms

Boiler Tenders assigned to vessels with CE boilers worked in firerooms with the same heavy asbestos environment as B&W-equipped vessels. The distinction between CE and B&W boiler equipment was in design details, not in the fundamental requirement for comprehensive asbestos insulation on the high-temperature external surfaces — both types required and received the same asbestos block insulation in Navy fireroom applications.

Asbestos Litigation Record

Combustion Engineering appears in asbestos litigation filed by Navy veterans documenting exposure from CE boiler rooms. CE’s Navy boiler supply contracts and the asbestos insulation specifications for their naval boiler equipment are documented in the asbestos litigation record.

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Combustion Engineering 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. Boiler Tenders and other engineering ratings who worked in CE boiler rooms aboard Navy vessels and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.