Garlock Sealing Technologies (originally Garlock Inc.) was the largest single manufacturer of asbestos gaskets and packing products supplied to the United States Navy, producing asbestos sheet gaskets, asbestos spiral-wound gaskets, asbestos ring gaskets, and asbestos braided packing for use throughout the steam and fluid systems of Navy ships from World War II through the late 1970s. Garlock asbestos gaskets were specified in Bureau of Ships (BUSHIPS) specifications and were installed on valves, pumps, flanges, heat exchangers, and machinery throughout the engineering plants of destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and submarines. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Garlock with repeated personal testimonies about cutting, abrading, removing, and scraping Garlock asbestos gaskets, formal BUSHIPS specification documentation, and Garlock invoice records for Navy shipyard deliveries.

Documented Asbestos in Garlock Navy Products

Personal Testimony — Cutting and Abrading Garlock Gaskets

“I cut and abraded Garlock asbestos gaskets…” — direct personal testimony from a Navy veteran or shipyard worker specifically describing cutting and abrading Garlock asbestos gaskets appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. Cutting asbestos gaskets — using hand tools or power tools to cut gaskets to fit specific flange dimensions — was the most common gasket-related asbestos exposure operation, and the term “abraded” specifically identifies the fiber-releasing friction contact involved in fitting gaskets to flange surfaces.

“exposed to asbestos from Garlock gaskets” — multiple independent testimony statements specifically attributing asbestos exposure to Garlock gaskets appear in the corpus across at least two independent documents. The repetition of this attribution across independent proceedings confirms that Garlock gasket exposure was a common and documented finding in the naval asbestos deposition record.

Personal Testimony — Removing and Scraping Garlock Gaskets

“used to remove Garlock asbestos gaskets…” — testimony describing the removal of Garlock asbestos gaskets as a specific work task appears in the corpus. Gasket removal — prying, scraping, and cutting away old asbestos gaskets from flange faces — typically generated more asbestos dust than installation, because deteriorated gaskets crumble and release fibers during removal.

“I scraped Garlock asbestos gaskets from va[lves/flanges]…” — specific testimony about scraping Garlock asbestos gaskets from valves or flanges appears in the corpus. Scraping — using metal scrapers to clean residual gasket material from mating flange surfaces after gasket removal — was the highest-dust operation in the gasket replacement cycle, releasing embedded asbestos fibers from compressed and heat-set gasket residue.

“exposed dust from Garlock asbestos gaskets whil[e working]…” — testimony specifically describing exposure to dust from Garlock asbestos gaskets while performing shipboard work appears in the corpus. The specific identification of Garlock-brand gaskets in dust exposure testimony — rather than generic asbestos gasket testimony — reflects the product-identification standard used in naval asbestos litigation.

BUSHIPS Specification — Navy Documentation

“plaintiffs[asbestos] Buships B-153 - Navy…” — a formal BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) specification associated with Garlock asbestos products appears in the corpus in the context of naval asbestos plaintiff documentation. BUSHIPS specifications were the technical standards that governed what materials could be used in Navy ship construction and overhaul — inclusion of Garlock asbestos products in BUSHIPS specifications established that Garlock gaskets were not merely available to Navy shipyards but were specifically authorized and required by Navy technical standards.

“plaintiffs[asbestos] Garlock Invoices - Navy Ship[yard]…” — formal Garlock invoice records specifically addressed to Navy shipyards appear in the corpus in the asbestos plaintiff documentation context. Invoice records — establishing the commercial delivery of Garlock asbestos gasket products to specific named Navy shipyards — are among the most direct forms of venue-specific product delivery documentation in the asbestos litigation record.

Scale of Garlock Asbestos Use on Navy Ships

The scale of Garlock asbestos gasket use on a single warship was enormous:

  • A destroyer typically had hundreds of flanged connections in its steam system, each requiring an asbestos gasket — valves, pumps, heat exchangers, piping sections, turbine flanges
  • A carrier or cruiser had thousands of flanged steam system connections
  • Every gasket was replaced on a maintenance schedule — some annually, others every 3-5 years — creating recurring exposure events throughout the ship’s operational life
  • During overhaul at a naval shipyard, all steam system gaskets were replaced simultaneously, generating concentrated mass asbestos exposure in the engineroom over the overhaul period

Garlock’s dominant market position in Navy asbestos gasket supply meant that the majority of asbestos gasket exposure experienced by Navy engineroom sailors across all ship classes and all naval shipyards traced back to Garlock-brand products.

Who Was Exposed to Garlock Asbestos Products

  • Machinist’s Mates (MM) — replaced Garlock gaskets and packing on steam valves, pumps, and machinery throughout the engineroom
  • Boiler Technicians (BT) — replaced Garlock gaskets on boiler steam drum flanges, safety valve seats, and feedwater system connections
  • Machinery Repairmen (MR) — cut, fitted, and installed Garlock gaskets during valve and pump overhaul
  • Pipefitters at shipyards — installed Garlock gaskets on all flanged piping connections during ship construction and overhaul
  • All engineering ratings present in enginerooms during active gasket replacement operations

Navy veterans who replaced or handled Garlock asbestos gaskets and packing aboard Navy ships, and shipyard workers who installed or serviced Garlock-gasketed 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 engineering ratings who handled gaskets as part of their duties
  • Garlock Sealing Technologies bankruptcy trust — Garlock’s asbestos liabilities were placed in a 524(g) trust; trust claims may be available for qualifying mesothelioma claimants
  • Civil claims against Garlock (and successors) based on failure to warn about the asbestos hazard in its gasket and packing products

Key documents for a Garlock asbestos claim:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting MM, BT, or MR rating and ship assignments
  • Employment records — shipyard employment documenting gasket or packing installation work
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including multiple personal testimonies describing cutting, abrading, removing, and scraping Garlock asbestos gaskets on Navy ships, formal BUSHIPS specification documentation associating Garlock products with Navy standards, and Garlock Navy shipyard invoice records confirming product delivery to named Navy shipyards. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.