Flexitallic is the manufacturer of spiral-wound asbestos gaskets — the metal-and-asbestos ring gaskets used on high-pressure, high-temperature steam flanges throughout United States Navy ships. Flexitallic spiral-wound gaskets combined a metallic spiral with asbestos filler material to form a resilient seal capable of handling the extreme pressures and temperatures of naval steam systems. These gaskets were specified by the Navy for use on steam pipes, valves, heat exchangers, and flanged connections throughout the engineering spaces of surface ships and submarines — wherever high-pressure steam demanded a compressed gasket capable of surviving repeated thermal cycles. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Flexitallic extensively in the naval asbestos context: a formal Navy study of steam pipe gaskets conducted at Flexitallic, the Navy’s requirement for asbestos gaskets including Flexitallic specifications, comparison of Flexitallic against Garlock asbestos gaskets in Navy documentation, and personal testimony about Flexitallic gaskets used on Navy vessels.

How Flexitallic Gaskets Exposed Navy Personnel

Flexitallic gaskets created asbestos exposure at multiple points in the naval maintenance cycle:

Gasket removal: Compressed asbestos gaskets — including Flexitallic spiral-wound gaskets — fused to metal flanges during high-temperature service. Removing used gaskets required scraping, grinding, or wire-brushing the gasket material off the flange face, releasing asbestos fibers directly in the faces of Machinist’s Mates, Boiler Technicians, and Pipefitters performing the work.

Gasket cutting and fitting: Sheet asbestos gaskets were cut to size from raw sheet stock using knives or die punches, releasing asbestos dust during the cutting operation. Even pre-cut spiral-wound gaskets were trimmed or modified during installation.

Valve and flange work: Every valve, pump, heat exchanger, and flanged steam fitting on a Navy ship required asbestos gaskets at its connection points. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Technicians who overhauled steam valves and flanged connections encountered Flexitallic gaskets throughout their careers.

Bystander exposure: Workers who were in engineering spaces while others performed gasket work — including electricians, damage controlmen, and rates unrelated to mechanical work — were exposed to asbestos fiber from adjacent gasket operations.

VA Claims and Legal Options — Flexitallic Gaskets

Navy veterans who worked in ship engineering spaces where Flexitallic asbestos gaskets were installed and removed, and who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans who performed gasket work or worked in engineering spaces where gasket operations occurred
  • Civil claims against Flexitallic based on the documented sale of asbestos-containing gaskets to the Navy, Navy specification of asbestos gaskets, and failure to warn of asbestos hazards

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting service aboard ships equipped with asbestos-insulated steam systems requiring asbestos gaskets
  • Rating and trade records — Machinist’s Mate, Boiler Technician, Pipefitter, or similar roles involving steam system maintenance
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including the Navy steam pipe gasket study conducted at Flexitallic, formal Navy asbestos gasket requirement documentation, Garlock-and-Flexitallic co-identification in multiple independent Navy gasket documents, Navy ship asbestos gasket specifications, and personal testimony about Flexitallic gaskets in naval service. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.