Foster Wheeler Corporation, headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey, was a major manufacturer of industrial boilers, heat exchangers, and steam generating equipment that supplied high-pressure propulsion boilers to the United States Navy for installation in destroyers, destroyer escorts, cruisers, and auxiliary vessels throughout the mid-20th century. Foster Wheeler supplied propulsion boilers to the Knox-class frigates and other Navy surface combatant classes, with Foster Wheeler-manufactured boilers installed in ships alongside competing boilers from Babcock & Wilcox and Combustion Engineering. Foster Wheeler naval propulsion boilers operated at high pressures and temperatures, requiring asbestos block insulation on the exterior boiler casing to provide thermal insulation and protect engineering space personnel from boiler surface heat. Foster Wheeler boiler installations incorporated asbestos-containing materials in boiler casing insulation, refractory brick and tile in the boiler firebox, and asbestos-containing rope gasket materials in boiler inspection ports and access penetrations. Boiler Tenders maintaining Foster Wheeler boilers aboard Navy ships encountered these asbestos-containing materials throughout their boiler room watch standing and during boiler maintenance operations.

Foster Wheeler Boiler Casing Insulation Asbestos

Foster Wheeler boilers incorporated asbestos insulation:

  • Boiler casing block insulation — Foster Wheeler naval propulsion boilers were insulated with asbestos block insulation applied to the boiler casing exterior surfaces. The asbestos block insulation provided thermal protection on the boiler outer casing, reducing heat radiation into the boiler room work space. Boiler Tenders maintaining Foster Wheeler boilers worked in proximity to the asbestos block casing insulation throughout each engineering watch rotation, with the proximity to the asbestos casing insulation representing continuous background exposure during boiler room watch standing
  • Boiler access door and sight-glass insulation — Foster Wheeler boiler access doors, burner access ports, and sight-glass assemblies incorporated asbestos cloth insulation and asbestos rope gasket materials sealing the access penetrations against heat loss. Boiler Tenders operating burner management and performing boiler inspections through these access assemblies disturbed the asbestos insulation and rope sealing materials at the access points during routine boiler operations
  • Boiler firebox refractory materials — the firebox interior of Foster Wheeler naval boilers used refractory brick and refractory tile materials for heat containment in the firebox combustion chamber. Some refractory materials used in naval boiler fireboxes through the mid-1970s incorporated asbestos in the refractory composition. Boiler Tenders performing firebox inspection and refractory repair operations encountered these asbestos-containing firebox refractory materials during boiler inspection and maintenance

Foster Wheeler Heat Exchanger and Steam Generator Asbestos

Foster Wheeler heat exchange equipment incorporated asbestos in sealing materials:

  • Heat exchanger bonnet gasket materials — Foster Wheeler heat exchangers and steam generators used in Navy ship service systems incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials in heat exchanger channel covers, bonnet flanges, and head-to-shell flange joints. Engineering ratings performing heat exchanger maintenance — removing and replacing channel covers and bonnets for tube inspection and tube plugging operations — encountered asbestos-containing flange gasket materials throughout the heat exchanger maintenance operations
  • Steam generator tube sheet gaskets — Foster Wheeler steam generators used in Navy ship’s service systems used asbestos-containing tube sheet gasket materials in the tube sheet-to-shell joint sealing. Personnel performing steam generator maintenance encountered these asbestos-containing tube sheet gasket materials during steam generator overhaul operations

Knox Class and Other Ship Foster Wheeler Installations

Foster Wheeler boilers were installed in identifiable Navy ship classes:

  • Knox-class frigate installations — Knox-class frigates (FF-1052 through FF-1097) installed Foster Wheeler and Combustion Engineering 1,200 psi high-pressure boilers as the class propulsion plant. Boiler Tenders aboard Knox-class frigates with Foster Wheeler boilers maintained those boilers throughout the ship’s operational service and encountered the asbestos casing insulation and access seal materials during routine boiler room watch standing and maintenance operations

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Foster Wheeler Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy boiler maintenance activities. Boiler Tenders and engineering ratings who maintained Foster Wheeler boilers and heat exchangers in naval vessel engineering spaces and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.