H.K. Porter Company and Amatex Corporation were manufacturers of asbestos textile products — woven asbestos cloth, asbestos braided packing, and asbestos tape — supplied to the United States Navy and to naval shipyards for use in heat insulation, pipe wrapping, gasket fabrication, and fire protection applications. Asbestos cloth products manufactured to Federal Specification SS-C-00466 (Navy ships) were used throughout ship construction and overhaul for wrapping hot piping, covering insulated surfaces, and providing fire-resistant barriers in engineering spaces. H.K. Porter Company was one of the major domestic asbestos textile manufacturers; Amatex Corporation was a Pennsylvania-based asbestos textile manufacturer. Both companies are documented in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus in connection with Navy asbestos textile products, personal testimony from Navy veterans, formal corporate correspondence, and the Asbestos Textile Institute — the industry body that represented asbestos cloth manufacturers.
Documented Asbestos in H.K. Porter and Amatex Navy Products
H.K. Porter — Navy Personnel Testimony
H.K. Porter — Corporate Correspondence
Asbestos Cloth — Personal Testimony
Federal Specification SS-C-00466 — Navy Ships
Amatex — Named Asbestos Textile Defendant
Asbestos Textile Institute — Industry Context
Exposure Pathways for Asbestos Cloth Products
Pipe wrapping: Navy enginemen, boiler technicians, and shipyard pipefitters wrapped hot piping with asbestos cloth, cutting sections to fit and securing them with asbestos tape or wire. Cutting and handling asbestos cloth released chrysotile fibers into the breathing zone.
Surface insulation: Asbestos cloth was applied as a fire-resistant outer covering over block insulation on boilers, turbines, and other high-temperature equipment. Fitting and stapling cloth to irregular equipment surfaces generated fiber release.
Removal and overhaul: Hardened or deteriorated asbestos cloth removed from piping and equipment during overhaul operations released concentrated asbestos fiber into confined engineering spaces.
VA Claims and Legal Options — H.K. Porter / Amatex
Navy veterans who worked with or around H.K. Porter or Amatex asbestos cloth products aboard Navy vessels or at naval shipyards, 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 with engineering or insulation-related duties involving asbestos cloth products
- Civil claims against H.K. Porter and Amatex successors based on documented failure to warn about asbestos fiber release from cloth and textile products manufactured to Navy specifications
Key documents:
- DD-214 or service records — documenting engineering ratings or shipyard duty involving pipe insulation and asbestos cloth work
- Employment records — shipyard employment records documenting insulation or pipe covering 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 Navy veterans’ personal testimony identifying H.K. Porter asbestos cloth products, formal corporate correspondence to H.K. Porter about asbestos products, Federal Specification SS-C-00466 (Navy ships) documentation for asbestos cloth, Amatex Corporation’s identification as an asbestos textile defendant, and Asbestos Textile Institute industry documentation. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.