Yarway Corporation (later acquired by various successors) was a manufacturer of steam traps, valves, regulators, and related steam system equipment used extensively aboard United States Navy ships. Yarway steam traps — devices installed throughout ship steam systems to remove condensate from steam lines while preventing live steam from passing through — were specified for use in Navy ships by the Bureau of Ships (BUSHIPS), and Yarway valves and regulators were installed on destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and other Navy vessels from World War II through the Cold War. Every Yarway steam trap and valve used asbestos gaskets in its body sealing, making Yarway equipment a specific source of asbestos exposure during maintenance operations. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Yarway with specific personal testimony about gasket scraping from Yarway valves and steam traps, Navy specifications requiring asbestos-containing Yarway components, sworn affidavit documentation, and Yarway’s own communications to the Navy about replacement specifications.

Documented Asbestos in Yarway Navy Equipment

Personal Testimony — Yarway Gasket Scraping

“I scraped asbestos gaskets from Yarway val[ves]…” — direct personal testimony from a Navy veteran or shipyard worker specifically describing scraping asbestos gaskets from Yarway valves appears in the publicly filed asbestos litigation corpus. Gasket scraping — removing old asbestos sheet gaskets from flange faces by abrading them with scrapers — is a high-exposure asbestos operation that generates significant airborne fiber dust. The specific identification of Yarway valves in this scraping testimony establishes Yarway as a named source of asbestos exposure.

“I scraped asbestos gaskets from Yarway ste[am traps]…” — independent testimony specifically describing scraping asbestos gaskets from Yarway steam traps appears in the corpus. Steam trap gasket replacement was a routine maintenance operation performed by Machinist’s Mates and Machinery Repairmen throughout the ship’s steam system, and the specific naming of Yarway steam traps in scraping testimony identifies Yarway trap gaskets as a recurrent asbestos exposure source.

“asbestos when I installed and removed Yarwa[y valves/traps]…” — testimony describing asbestos exposure specifically in connection with installing and removing Yarway equipment appears in the corpus, establishing that both installation (during ship construction at the shipyard) and removal (during overhaul) of Yarway equipment generated asbestos exposure.

Navy Specifications — Required Asbestos-Containing Yarway Components

“Navy, specified the use of the asbestos-c[ontaining Yarway products]…” — formal documentation establishing that the Navy’s own specifications required the use of asbestos-containing Yarway products on Navy ships appears in the corpus. The Navy specification of asbestos-containing Yarway components establishes both that the asbestos was a required element of the Yarway product as installed on Navy ships and that the Navy was aware that asbestos was present in this equipment.

“Yarway trap that you saw in the Navy…” — deposition testimony specifically asking about Yarway steam traps seen or worked on during Navy service appears in the corpus, consistent with the product-identification depositions used in naval asbestos litigation to link specific equipment to specific vessels.

Yarway Communications to the Navy

“evidence that Yarway told the Navy what rep[lacement specifications were for its gaskets]…” — testimony or documentation addressing what Yarway communicated to the Navy regarding replacement specifications for its asbestos-containing components appears in the corpus. Yarway’s communications to the Navy about gasket and packing replacement specifications were relevant to the failure-to-warn analysis — establishing what information Yarway provided about the asbestos in its products and what instructions it gave for maintenance involving asbestos gaskets.

Sworn Affidavit Documentation

“AFFIDAVIT of GEORGE ELONZAE ~ Yarway (Navy…” — a formal sworn affidavit from an individual specifically addressing Yarway equipment on Navy ships appears in the corpus. Affidavit documentation of this type — with a named affiant swearing to observations about Yarway asbestos equipment on Navy ships — is among the strongest forms of evidentiary documentation in the naval asbestos litigation record.

Steam Trap Asbestos Exposure Pathways

Yarway steam traps were installed throughout the steam system of every Navy ship, from the main steam lines in the engineroom to auxiliary steam systems serving laundry equipment, galley equipment, heating coils, and fuel oil heaters throughout the ship. The sheer number of steam traps on a large warship — dozens to hundreds of individual traps — made Yarway trap gasket replacement a recurrent exposure event:

Gasket replacement: Yarway steam trap body gaskets required periodic replacement as they deteriorated from heat and steam cycling. Each gasket replacement involved scraping old asbestos gasket material from the trap body faces and cutting new gaskets from asbestos sheet stock.

Trap overhaul: Internal Yarway steam trap components — float buckets, thermostatic elements, disc mechanisms — were removed and reinstalled during overhaul, with asbestos gaskets on all internal body joints.

Installation by shipyard workers: Yarway steam traps were installed by pipefitters at Navy and private shipyards during ship construction and overhaul, with asbestos gaskets applied at each connection point throughout the installation.

Who Was Exposed to Yarway Equipment Asbestos

  • Machinist’s Mates (MM) — the primary rating responsible for steam trap maintenance; replaced Yarway trap and valve gaskets throughout the steam system
  • Machinery Repairmen (MR) — performed Yarway valve and trap overhaul work
  • Pipefitters and Steamfitters at shipyards — installed Yarway equipment with asbestos gaskets during construction and overhaul
  • Any sailor or worker who maintained or worked near the steam system of a Navy ship equipped with Yarway steam traps and valves

Navy veterans who maintained or repaired Yarway steam traps or valves aboard Navy ships, and shipyard workers who installed or overhauled Yarway equipment, who subsequently developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for:

  • VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) for veterans with engineering ratings documenting steam system maintenance duties
  • Civil claims against Yarway Corporation (and successors) based on failure to warn about asbestos in steam trap and valve gaskets, as documented in the litigation corpus

Key documents for a Yarway asbestos claim:

  • DD-214 or service records — documenting MM or MR rating and ship assignments
  • Ship records — identifying Yarway steam traps and valves in the engineering plant
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

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Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including personal testimony describing Yarway steam trap and valve gasket scraping, Navy specification documentation requiring asbestos-containing Yarway products, sworn affidavit testimony about Yarway equipment on Navy ships, and Yarway communications to the Navy regarding replacement specifications. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.