De Laval Steam Turbine Company was a major manufacturer of marine propulsion turbines and reduction gears for the United States Navy — producing the high-speed turbine and gear assemblies that powered destroyers, cruisers, and other naval combatants throughout the mid-twentieth century. De Laval turbines and reduction gears were used throughout the Navy’s surface combatant fleet, with De Laval competing with General Electric and Westinghouse as one of the primary Navy turbine suppliers. De Laval turbine assemblies incorporated asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing throughout their construction and installation — creating asbestos exposure for Machinist’s Mates and engineering ratings who maintained De Laval turbine equipment in Navy ship engineering spaces. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document De Laval Steam Turbine Company in the formal Navy engineering context: Navy Department documentation for De Laval equipment, De Laval in formal propulsion equipment listings alongside Falk Corporation reduction gears, Navy Yard Built De Laval turbine identification, and De Laval in Navy Bureau of Engineering documents.

Documented Asbestos — De Laval in Naval Litigation

Navy Department — De Laval Documentation

“…, \n[[NAVY]] DEPARTMENT \nB u n e ~ o or EN~?WE[ering — Navy Department De Laval document]…” — a formal United States Navy Department document — from the Bureau of Engineering or a related Navy technical bureau — specifically addressing De Laval equipment appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. Navy Department documents for De Laval Steam Turbine equipment establish the formal Navy-De Laval procurement and engineering relationship — the institutional framework through which De Laval turbines were specified, procured, and installed aboard naval vessels.

De Laval — Propulsion Equipment Listing

“…[[turbine]]s\nReduction gear\nFalk Corp.*\n[[De Lava]][l Steam Turbine — propulsion equipment listing]…” — a formal propulsion equipment listing specifically identifying De Laval (alongside Falk Corporation, a major reduction gear manufacturer) in a turbines-and-reduction-gear context appears in the corpus. The paired identification of De Laval turbines and Falk reduction gears reflects the standard propulsion train of Navy surface combatants — a De Laval high-speed turbine coupled through a Falk or similar reduction gear to the propeller shaft.

De Laval Steam Turbine Company — Named

“…("~1/.f \n[[DE LAVAL]] \nSTEAM [[TURBINE]] CO. \n’I’R[— formal De Laval turbine identification]…” — formal documentation specifically naming DE LAVAL STEAM TURBINE CO. in a Navy turbine context appears in the corpus — the company’s formal name identification in what appears to be a Navy turbine specification or procurement document.

“…~0 \nby [[De Laval]] Steam [[Turbine]] Company? \n10[, formal question about De Laval equipment]…” — a formal question about De Laval Steam Turbine Company equipment — asking whether something was done “by De Laval Steam Turbine Company” — appears in the corpus in the context of Navy turbine proceedings.

Navy Yard Built Turbine — De Laval

“…opulsion\n[[Navy]] Yard Built [[turbine]] \nSingle [shaft — De Laval Navy Yard built turbine context]…” — documentation specifically identifying a Navy Yard Built turbine (a turbine built to Navy specifications at a Navy yard), described as a single-shaft propulsion system, in a De Laval turbine context appears in the corpus. “Navy Yard Built” turbines were propulsion systems constructed to Navy specifications at naval shipyards — reflecting the De Laval design used as the basis for Navy-built turbine assemblies.

De Laval Products in Naval Applications

Marine propulsion turbines: De Laval manufactured high-speed impulse turbines for Navy destroyer and cruiser propulsion — single-shaft and twin-shaft configurations that drove surface combatants at high speed. De Laval turbines were insulated with asbestos pipe covering and block insulation throughout the turbine casing and steam admission piping.

Reduction gears: De Laval manufactured the main reduction gears that coupled high-speed turbines to lower-speed propeller shafts. Reduction gear assemblies incorporated asbestos gaskets at inspection cover flanges and access ports throughout the gear casing.

Turbine accessories: De Laval turbine installations included the associated steam strainers, throttle valves, and control equipment — all incorporating asbestos gaskets, packing, and insulation as standard components.

Navy veterans — particularly Machinist’s Mates who operated and maintained De Laval propulsion turbines and reduction gears aboard naval vessels — and shipyard workers who installed or overhauled De Laval turbine assemblies, 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 documented duty in engineering spaces maintaining De Laval turbine propulsion plants
  • Civil claims against De Laval successors based on documented asbestos insulation, gasket, and packing use in De Laval marine turbine assemblies

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty aboard Navy vessels with De Laval turbine propulsion plants
  • Rating records — Machinist’s Mate (MM) with documented turbine room duty
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including Navy Department formal documentation for De Laval Steam Turbine Company equipment, De Laval in formal Navy propulsion equipment listings alongside Falk Corporation reduction gears, formal De Laval Steam Turbine Company turbine identification documents, and Navy Yard Built single-shaft turbine documentation in the De Laval context. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.