General Electric Company, with naval turbine manufacturing operations at Lynn, Massachusetts and Schenectady, New York, was the dominant manufacturer of main propulsion steam turbines for US Navy surface combatants throughout World War II and the Cold War. GE manufactured the propulsion turbine sets installed in the Fletcher class, Gearing class, Forrest Sherman class, Charles F. Adams class, Leahy class, and Belknap class destroyers and cruisers, as well as the Iowa class battleships and other major vessel types. GE turbine casings, high-pressure turbine stages, and low-pressure turbine stages all operated at temperatures requiring comprehensive asbestos block insulation, applied by naval shipyard insulators during construction and maintained throughout each vessel’s service life.

GE Turbine Installation and Asbestos

GE main propulsion steam turbines installed in Navy combatants required asbestos insulation on all high-temperature external surfaces:

  • High-pressure turbine casing insulation — asbestos block insulation on the high-pressure turbine stage casing operating at inlet steam temperatures of 850°F to 950°F, several inches thick on the casing external surfaces
  • Low-pressure turbine casing insulation — asbestos block insulation on the low-pressure turbine casing and exhaust connections, covering the turbine casing to reduce heat loss and protect personnel in the engine room
  • Turbine steam inlet connection insulation — asbestos block lagging and lagging cloth at the main steam inlet connections to the GE turbine, covering the high-pressure steam piping run from the main steam stop valve to the turbine steam chest
  • Turbine exhaust connection — asbestos covering on the exhaust connection from the low-pressure turbine to the main condenser, insulating the large-diameter exhaust piping in the engine room
  • Gland steam and leak-off connections — asbestos-insulated small-bore piping on the GE turbine shaft seal steam supply and turbine bleed connections throughout the turbine room

Machinist’s Mate Engine Room Watch Exposure

Machinist’s Mates stood engineering watches in GE turbine engine rooms throughout the steaming period — monitoring turbine operations, adjusting steam conditions, and maintaining watch on turbine bearings and auxiliary systems — in the immediate proximity of the asbestos-insulated GE turbine casings for the duration of each engineering watch period.

GE’s Fleet-Wide Presence

GE’s dominance as the destroyer and cruiser turbine manufacturer meant that their equipment — and its asbestos insulation — was present in the majority of Navy destroyer and cruiser engine rooms across the fleet. A Machinist’s Mate serving successive tours aboard GE-turbine-equipped destroyers accumulated asbestos exposure from GE turbine rooms throughout their engine room watch standing career.

Asbestos Litigation Record

General Electric appears in asbestos litigation filed by Navy veterans documenting exposure from GE turbine rooms aboard destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and carriers. The litigation record documents GE’s Navy turbine supply contracts and the asbestos insulation specifications for their naval propulsion turbine equipment.

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to General Electric (Naval Turbines) Products

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Machinist’s Mates and other engineering ratings who worked in GE turbine rooms aboard Navy vessels and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.