Ingersoll-Rand, a major industrial equipment manufacturer headquartered in New Jersey, was a significant supplier of air compressors, pumps, and compressed air handling equipment to the US Navy throughout World War II and the Cold War. Ingersoll-Rand reciprocating air compressors were installed aboard Navy combatants, submarines, and auxiliaries in high-pressure air (HP air) systems used for submarine ballast tank blowing, torpedo tube air charging, pneumatic system pressurization, and general service compressed air supply.

Asbestos in Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Components

Ingersoll-Rand air compressors installed aboard Navy vessels through the 1970s used asbestos-containing materials as standard sealing components:

  • Cylinder head gaskets on reciprocating compressor cylinders — asbestos sheet or spiral wound gaskets sealing the cylinder head to the cylinder block, disturbed during valve inspection and cylinder maintenance
  • Valve plate gaskets on compressor inlet and discharge valve assemblies — asbestos-containing gaskets on the valve plate assemblies requiring replacement during periodic compressor overhaul
  • Shaft packing on compressor crankshaft seals — asbestos braided packing in the stuffing box on the crankshaft journal, requiring adjustment and periodic replacement during compressor maintenance
  • Intercooler and aftercooler gaskets on multi-stage compressor interstage coolers — asbestos sheet gaskets on the cooler tube-to-header connections disturbed during cooler maintenance and overhaul

High-Pressure Air System and Submarine Use

The US Navy’s submarine force relied on high-pressure air systems for ballast tank blowing and emergency surface operations. Ingersoll-Rand supplied HP air compressors for submarine HP air banks, where their equipment was installed in the confined machinery spaces of conventional and nuclear submarines. Machinist’s Mates maintaining HP air compressors in submarine engineering spaces worked in the fully enclosed environment of submarine hull compartments where asbestos fiber generated during compressor maintenance accumulated.

Machinist’s Mate Maintenance Exposure

Machinist’s Mates with compressor maintenance responsibilities aboard Navy ships performed periodic Ingersoll-Rand compressor maintenance:

  • PM (Preventive Maintenance) card procedures specified periodic valve removal and inspection requiring cylinder head and valve plate gasket replacement using asbestos-containing replacement gaskets
  • Compressor overhaul during shipyard availability periods involved complete disassembly of Ingersoll-Rand compressors with removal of all gaskets and packing

Asbestos Litigation Record

Ingersoll-Rand was named as a defendant in asbestos litigation filed by Navy veterans and shipyard workers documenting asbestos exposure from their compressed air and pump equipment. The litigation record identifies their Navy supply contracts and the asbestos-containing components in their compressor product lines supplied to the Navy fleet.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from equipment maintenance aboard Navy vessels. Machinist’s Mates and other ratings who performed compressor and pump maintenance involving asbestos gaskets and packing and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.