Combustion Engineering, Inc. (CE) was one of the three major manufacturers of marine boilers for the United States Navy — alongside Babcock & Wilcox and Foster Wheeler — supplying high-pressure water-tube boilers for the propulsion plants of Navy destroyers, cruisers, and other steam-powered warships from World War II through the Cold War. Combustion Engineering’s marine boiler division designed and manufactured oil-fired water-tube boilers to Navy Bureau of Ships specifications, and CE boilers were installed in numerous destroyer and cruiser classes throughout the fleet. Combustion Engineering also supplied asbestos-containing products — including asbestos cloth — in addition to its boiler equipment, establishing CE as both a boiler manufacturer and an asbestos product supplier in the Navy’s supply chain. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Combustion Engineering with named corporate testimony, CE boiler sales to the Navy confirmed by a former CE official, and paired documentation with Babcock & Wilcox as co-manufacturers of Navy boiler and asbestos products.

Documented Asbestos in Combustion Engineering Navy Equipment

Former CE Official Testimony — Boilers Made for the Navy

“As to the US Navy, former Combustion Engin[eering official testified]…” — testimony from a former Combustion Engineering official specifically addressing CE’s boiler sales to the US Navy appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. This first-person institutional testimony — from a former CE official confirming the company’s relationship with the Navy as a boiler supplier — is among the most significant forms of corporate acknowledgment in the naval asbestos litigation record. Former executive or senior official testimony about corporate knowledge and product specifications in the Navy supply chain was a central element of asbestos failure-to-warn cases against boiler manufacturers.

“ade boilers in the Navy? 26 A Yes[…]…” — direct question-and-answer testimony specifically asking whether Combustion Engineering made boilers for the Navy and receiving the affirmative answer “Yes” appears in the corpus. This deposition exchange — establishing CE’s Navy boiler production with direct confirmation — is the foundational product-identification testimony in CE asbestos claims.

Asbestos Cloth — Named CE Product

“S CLOTH: Babcock & Wilcox combustion Eng[ineering]…” — asbestos cloth is documented in the corpus with both Babcock & Wilcox and Combustion Engineering specifically named as suppliers or manufacturers. The parallel listing of B&W and CE as asbestos cloth sources — appearing in the same corpus document — establishes that CE supplied asbestos cloth alongside its boiler products. Asbestos cloth was used in Navy shipyards to wrap steam line joints, protect surfaces during welding operations, and insulate irregular steam system components that could not be covered with standard block or pipe insulation.

“containing product made by Combustion En[gineering]…” — an asbestos-containing product specifically manufactured by Combustion Engineering appears in the corpus, consistent with CE’s asbestos product supply to Navy shipyards.

“Asbestos/Sales to Government or Government[contractors from CE]…” — documentation of Combustion Engineering’s asbestos product sales to the government (including the Navy) or to government contractors appears in the corpus, establishing the formal commercial relationship between CE and Navy procurement for asbestos-containing products.

Fireroom and Boiler Room Service

“room and boiler room of the ship where we[worked]…” — testimony placing CE boiler service in the fireroom and boiler room of Navy ships appears in the corpus. The boiler room — where Combustion Engineering boilers were operated — was the primary asbestos exposure environment for Navy Boiler Technicians, surrounded by massive quantities of asbestos insulation covering CE boiler casings, steam drums, superheaters, and all associated steam piping.

Course for Navy Officers — Training Documentation

“1947; Course for Navy Officers, 1941…” — dated training documentation from 1941 and 1947 associated with CE Navy boiler equipment appears in the corpus. Navy officer training courses in boiler plant operation were developed in connection with specific boiler manufacturers’ equipment, and dated training records of this type establish the long-standing relationship between Combustion Engineering and the Navy’s officer training program for engineering plant operation.

Who Was Exposed to Combustion Engineering Boiler Asbestos

  • Boiler Technicians (BT) — operated Combustion Engineering boilers in the fireroom; worked in direct proximity to asbestos-covered CE boiler casings, steam drums, and superheaters
  • Insulation Workers at shipyards — installed and removed asbestos insulation on CE boilers during construction and overhaul
  • Machinist’s Mates (MM) — worked in enginerooms adjacent to CE boiler rooms
  • Shipyard boilermakers — constructed and installed CE marine boilers at Navy and private shipyards

Navy veterans who served in firerooms with Combustion Engineering boilers, and shipyard workers who built, installed, or overhauled CE boiler equipment, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for:

  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for veterans with BT ratings who served aboard CE-equipped ships
  • Civil claims against Combustion Engineering successors (ABB Ltd., Asea Brown Boveri) based on failure to warn about asbestos in boiler products

Key documents for a CE asbestos claim:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting BT rating and ship assignments
  • Ship records — identifying Combustion Engineering as the boiler manufacturer
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including former Combustion Engineering official testimony confirming CE boiler sales to the U.S. Navy, asbestos cloth documentation naming Combustion Engineering alongside Babcock & Wilcox, CE asbestos product sales-to-government documentation, and dated Navy officer training course records establishing the Combustion Engineering–Navy boiler relationship. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.