Elliott Company, headquartered in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, was a leading manufacturer of steam turbines, turbo-compressors, and rotating steam-driven equipment supplying the US Navy with auxiliary turbines, turbo-blowers, and special-purpose steam turbine equipment for shipboard applications throughout World War II and the Cold War. Elliott auxiliary turbines — turbo-generators, blower turbines, and special-application steam turbines — were installed in Navy engineering plants and engineering support spaces where steam was available for auxiliary machine driving.

Asbestos in Elliott Turbine Equipment

Elliott steam turbines and rotating equipment operating in Navy auxiliary service used asbestos-containing sealing materials at all high-temperature steam connection points:

  • Turbine casing gaskets at the turbine steam inlet and exhaust casing flanges — asbestos sheet or spiral wound gaskets sealing the turbine casing flanges at all steam connections to the turbine
  • Turbine shaft gland packing — braided asbestos packing in the shaft gland stuffing boxes on turbine shaft seals, requiring periodic adjustment and replacement by Machinist’s Mates during routine turbine maintenance
  • Steam chest and control valve gaskets on the turbine’s steam admission valve chest — asbestos gaskets at the valve chest cover connections, disturbed during control valve maintenance and overhaul
  • Exhaust casing and condenser connection gaskets on the turbine exhaust connection to the condenser or exhaust piping — asbestos gaskets at these large-diameter connections

Turbo-Blower and Forced-Draft Applications

Elliott supplied turbo-blowers — steam-turbine-driven centrifugal blowers — to the Navy for forced-draft air supply and other blower applications. These turbo-blowers combined an Elliott steam turbine drive with a centrifugal blower, with asbestos packing and gaskets on the turbine portion of the unit:

  • Boiler Tenders operating turbo-blowers in forced-draft service were responsible for turbo-blower maintenance, including gland packing maintenance on the turbine shaft seal
  • Engineering watch standing in spaces containing operating Elliott turbo-blowers placed engineering ratings in proximity to the turbine equipment and its asbestos-sealed steam connections

Elliott Company held Navy supply contracts for auxiliary turbine equipment across multiple vessel classes and applications. Their products appear in the engineering plant equipment lists of destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and submarines in auxiliary turbine and turbo-blower applications.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from turbine maintenance in Navy engineering plants. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Tenders who performed auxiliary turbine and turbo-blower maintenance involving asbestos packing and gaskets and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.