Westinghouse Electric Corporation was one of the United States Navy’s primary suppliers of main propulsion turbines, auxiliary turbines, pumps, and electrical equipment — competing with General Electric as the dominant manufacturer of Navy warship propulsion systems throughout most of the twentieth century. Westinghouse turbines powered aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, with Westinghouse and GE between them supplying the propulsion turbines for the vast majority of Navy surface combatants built during the WWII and Cold War eras. Westinghouse turbines, pumps, and auxiliary equipment incorporated asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing throughout their design and installation — creating asbestos exposure for Machinist’s Mates, Enginemen, and other engineering ratings who maintained Westinghouse equipment throughout their Navy careers. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Westinghouse turbines extensively in the naval asbestos framework: direct testimony about asbestos exposure from Westinghouse turbines, aircraft carrier turbine identification for Westinghouse, Westinghouse pumps in the forced draft system context, and the documented Navy transition away from asbestos components in Westinghouse equipment.

Documented Asbestos — Westinghouse in Naval Litigation

Testimony — Asbestos Exposure from Westinghouse Turbines

Aircraft Carrier — Westinghouse Turbine

Westinghouse and GE Pumps — Forced Draft

Navy Transition — Asbestos to Non-Asbestos

Testimony — Westinghouse Equipment Work

Westinghouse Equipment in Naval Applications

Main propulsion turbines: Westinghouse manufactured main propulsion turbines for Navy aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers — competing with GE for the propulsion turbine market on every new ship class. Westinghouse turbines operated at the highest steam pressures and temperatures in the Navy’s engineering spaces, requiring the most robust asbestos insulation systems.

Auxiliary turbines and turbo-generators: Westinghouse manufactured ship service turbines and turbine-generators that provided auxiliary power for Navy ships. These smaller turbines used the same asbestos gasket and insulation materials as the main propulsion turbines.

Forced draft turbines and pumps: Westinghouse supplied forced draft turbine blowers that provided combustion air to naval boilers — turbine-driven equipment that incorporated asbestos packing in its mechanical seal systems and asbestos insulation on the turbine body.

Turbine gears and reduction equipment: Westinghouse manufactured the main reduction gears that coupled high-speed turbines to the propeller shafts of naval vessels — equipment that incorporated asbestos gaskets at every inspection plate and flange connection.

VA Claims and Legal Options — Westinghouse (Turbines)

Navy veterans — particularly Machinist’s Mates who maintained Westinghouse main propulsion turbines, auxiliary turbines, and pumps aboard naval vessels — and shipyard workers who installed or overhauled Westinghouse turbine equipment, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease, may qualify for:

  • VA service connection under VA asbestos-claim guidance for veterans with documented duty in engineering spaces maintaining Westinghouse turbine systems
  • Civil claims against Westinghouse Corporation successors based on documented asbestos component use in Westinghouse marine turbines and pumps and failure to warn

Key documents:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting duty aboard Navy vessels with Westinghouse propulsion turbine plants
  • Rating records — Machinist’s Mate (MM) rating with documented turbine room and engineering space duty
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including direct testimony establishing asbestos exposure from Westinghouse turbines in Navy service contexts, aircraft carrier Westinghouse turbine product identification, Westinghouse and GE pump co-documentation in forced draft system contexts, testimony about breathing asbestos dust from Westinghouse turbines before safety measures, and the Navy’s documented transition from asbestos to non-asbestos Westinghouse components. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.