Victor Manufacturing and Gasket Company, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, was a major manufacturer of asbestos-containing cylinder head gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, and compressed asbestos sheet gasket material for industrial engine and machinery applications — including gasket products used in the auxiliary diesel engines, ship’s service generators, and small craft engines throughout the US Navy. Victor’s asbestos gasket products appeared in Navy applications where diesel engine gaskets were required — including the ship’s service diesel generators aboard steam-powered surface ships, the emergency diesel generators aboard nuclear submarines, the main diesel engines aboard destroyer escorts and patrol craft, and the utility and auxiliary machinery aboard various vessel types. Navy Enginemen performing diesel engine cylinder head removals and gasket replacements accumulated asbestos exposure from handling Victor and competitor asbestos head gaskets during engine maintenance and overhaul operations.

Asbestos in Victor Gasket Products

Victor manufactured asbestos-containing gaskets for diesel engine applications:

  • Cylinder head gaskets — Victor’s asbestos cylinder head gaskets for industrial diesel engines used compressed chrysotile asbestos fiber as the primary sealing component in the head gasket construction. Enginemen removing cylinder heads from diesel engines during overhaul operations — breaking the head gasket seal and lifting the head — encountered asbestos fiber from the deteriorating old head gasket. Installing new Victor head gaskets required handling the gasket and positioning it on the engine block, releasing asbestos fiber from the gasket face and edges during installation
  • Exhaust manifold gaskets — Victor’s exhaust manifold gaskets for diesel engine applications used asbestos-containing sheet material for sealing the manifold to cylinder head connections at high-temperature exhaust gas temperatures. Exhaust manifold gasket removal released asbestos fiber from the deteriorated gasket body
  • Compressed asbestos sheet material — Victor’s compressed asbestos sheet gasket material was cut to size by Enginemen and Machinist’s Mates for custom gasket fabrication in engine and auxiliary machinery repair operations, with sheet cutting releasing asbestos fiber from the cut edges

Victor gasket products appeared throughout Navy diesel engine maintenance:

  • Ship’s service diesel generators — the ship’s service generators aboard steam-powered surface ships used diesel or gas turbine prime movers; diesel generators required periodic cylinder head removals and gasket replacements using Victor and competitor asbestos head gaskets
  • Emergency diesel generators aboard submarines — nuclear submarines carried emergency diesel generators for electrical power backup, with diesel engine maintenance requiring asbestos head gasket replacement using products from Victor and competitor manufacturers
  • Small craft and utility vessel diesels — the diesel engines in Navy small craft, landing craft, utility boats, and yard craft required periodic overhaul with cylinder head gasket replacement using asbestos gasket products

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Victor Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from diesel engine maintenance in Navy engineering spaces. Enginemen, Machinist’s Mates, and engineering ratings who performed diesel engine overhauls using Victor asbestos gasket products and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.