Tuthill Corporation, an Illinois-based manufacturer of positive displacement pumps and related fluid handling equipment, supplied rotary gear pumps and gear-type transfer pumps for fuel oil transfer, lube oil service, and other fluid transfer applications in US Navy vessel engineering systems and naval facility mechanical systems. Tuthill rotary gear pumps were used for fuel oil transfer, lube oil service, and auxiliary fluid transfer applications requiring the positive displacement characteristics of gear pump design. The Tuthill pump casings and associated piping connections used asbestos-containing gasket materials in casing joints and pipe flange connections throughout the pump assembly, consistent with mid-century Navy pump construction specifications. Navy Machinery Repairmen and Boiler Tenders maintaining and overhauling Tuthill pumps in naval vessel engineering spaces encountered asbestos gasket materials during pump disassembly, gasket replacement, and reassembly operations.

Rotary Pump and Fuel Oil Transfer Applications

Tuthill pump products in Navy engineering systems incorporated asbestos:

  • Fuel oil transfer pump gasket materials — Tuthill rotary gear pumps used in Navy fuel oil transfer service incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials in pump casing joints and pump-to-piping flange connections. Machinery Repairmen overhauling Tuthill fuel oil transfer pumps during pump maintenance encountered asbestos gasket materials during pump disassembly and gasket replacement operations in the confined engineering spaces of naval vessels
  • Lube oil service pump applications — Tuthill gear pumps used in lube oil service applications for Navy propulsion and auxiliary machinery used asbestos gasket materials in pump casing and connection joints, with pump maintenance personnel encountering these asbestos-containing gasket materials during lube oil pump overhaul operations
  • Auxiliary fluid transfer pump maintenance — Tuthill pumps in auxiliary fluid transfer service throughout naval vessel engineering systems required periodic maintenance with gasket replacement, with each gasket replacement event releasing asbestos fiber from the disturbed asbestos casing and connection gaskets during the overhaul process

Tuthill pumps were used in naval facility mechanical systems:

  • Shore facility fuel and fluid transfer systems — Tuthill rotary pumps in naval facility fuel transfer, lube oil service, and hydraulic systems used asbestos-containing gasket materials in their pump and connection assemblies, with naval facility maintenance personnel replacing Tuthill pump gaskets during shore facility mechanical system maintenance

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Tuthill Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy pump systems. Machinery Repairmen and engineering ratings who overhauled Tuthill rotary pumps in naval vessel and facility engineering systems and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.