Warren Pumps, headquartered in Warren, Massachusetts, was a manufacturer of centrifugal pumping equipment supplying the US Navy with seawater service, bilge, ballast, and auxiliary pumps for installation aboard Navy combatants, auxiliaries, and other vessels throughout World War II and the Cold War. Warren’s product line included centrifugal pumps for seawater cooling, fire main, and general auxiliary service applications where reliable seawater and freshwater pumping was required.

Asbestos in Warren Pump Components

Warren centrifugal pumps installed aboard Navy ships used asbestos-containing sealing materials as standard components through the 1970s:

  • Shaft gland packing in the pump stuffing box — braided asbestos packing providing shaft sealing around the rotating Warren pump shaft, requiring periodic adjustment and replacement during routine Machinist’s Mate pump maintenance
  • Pump body gaskets at suction and discharge flange connections — asbestos sheet gasket material at the flanged connections between Warren pump flanges and the connected piping system
  • Mechanical seal gaskets on Warren pump models using mechanical shaft seals — asbestos-containing gaskets between seal housing and pump casing

Seawater Service Pump Maintenance

Seawater service pumps — used for seawater cooling of main engines and auxiliary equipment, fire main pressurization, and bilge service — required regular maintenance by Machinist’s Mates throughout the engineering plant:

  • Stuffing box tightening and packing replacement was a routine task on seawater pumps, which ran continuously during steaming operations and required regular gland nut adjustment as asbestos packing compressed and wore
  • Pump overhaul during shipyard availability periods involved complete Warren pump disassembly with removal and replacement of all asbestos packing and gaskets

Asbestos Litigation Record

Warren Pumps appears in asbestos litigation filed by Navy veterans documenting asbestos exposure from pump packing and gasket maintenance aboard Navy vessels. Their Navy supply contracts and the asbestos-containing components in their centrifugal pump product lines are documented in the public asbestos litigation record.

VA Claims

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