Westinghouse Electric Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the dominant manufacturer of steam turbines for US Navy aircraft carriers and a major supplier of propulsion turbine sets and naval nuclear reactor plants throughout World War II and the Cold War. Westinghouse manufactured the propulsion turbine sets installed in Essex class carriers, Midway class carriers, Forrestal class supercarriers, Iowa class battleships, and numerous other vessel types, as well as the naval nuclear reactor plants for early nuclear-powered surface ships and submarines. The Westinghouse turbine casings and high-temperature steam connections required comprehensive asbestos block insulation applied by naval shipyard insulators during construction and maintained throughout each vessel’s service life.

Westinghouse Turbine Installations and Asbestos

Westinghouse main propulsion turbine sets — the defining mechanical element of US Navy large-deck carrier propulsion plants — required asbestos insulation throughout their engineering plant installation:

  • Turbine casing insulation — Westinghouse turbine casings operating at high steam temperatures required asbestos block insulation on the external surfaces of high-pressure and low-pressure turbine casings, maintained by naval shipyard insulators during overhaul and by ship’s force during steaming operations
  • High-temperature steam connection insulation on Westinghouse turbine inlet connections and steam chest covers — asbestos block insulation and lagging cloth at all high-temperature steam entry points to the turbine
  • Turbine exhaust connection insulation on the low-pressure turbine exhaust connection to the main condenser — asbestos-covered exhaust piping and expansion joint covering throughout the turbine room
  • Gland steam and seal connections on Westinghouse turbine shaft seal steam systems — asbestos-insulated gland steam piping and connections serving the turbine shaft seals throughout the turbine room

Westinghouse also manufactured the S5W, S5W2, A4W, and other naval nuclear reactor plants for US submarines and surface ships. While the primary reactor coolant systems are not asbestos-bearing, the secondary steam circuits — which generate steam from the reactor heat for propulsion — use steam piping and turbine components requiring the same asbestos insulation as conventional steam plants in the early commissioning period of nuclear ships built before the asbestos phase-down.

Carrier Engineering Rating Exposure

Machinist’s Mates who stood engine room watches aboard carriers powered by Westinghouse turbines — Essex, Midway, Forrestal, and Kitty Hawk class carriers — worked in the immediate proximity of the Westinghouse turbine casings and their asbestos block insulation throughout their watch station assignments.

Westinghouse in the Asbestos Litigation Record

Westinghouse Electric is extensively named in asbestos litigation filed by Navy veterans documenting exposure from turbine equipment maintenance. The litigation record documents Westinghouse’s Navy turbine supply contracts, the specifications for asbestos insulation on their turbine equipment, and the exposure pathways for engineering ratings working in turbine rooms aboard Westinghouse-powered vessels.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure in Navy engineering plants. Machinist’s Mates and engineering personnel who worked in turbine rooms with Westinghouse propulsion equipment and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.