United States Navy Enginemen (EN rating) were the enlisted sailors responsible for operating and maintaining diesel engines, gasoline engines, and gas turbine auxiliary equipment aboard Navy ships. Unlike Boiler Technicians (who operated steam boilers) and Machinist’s Mates (who operated steam turbines), Enginemen maintained the diesel and gas engines used for ship’s service generators, auxiliary power plants, and the propulsion systems of smaller ships, landing craft, and auxiliaries. Enginemen also served aboard diesel-powered submarines during the transition era and maintained diesel generators aboard all classes of ships as backup power. Because diesel engines used extensive asbestos gaskets on manifolds, exhaust systems, and heat exchangers, and because the engineering spaces where Enginemen worked were often also insulated with asbestos, the EN rating had significant asbestos exposure across the full range of ship types. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records document Enginemen with personal testimony about asbestos gasket exposure, specific ship and installation assignments, and named career documentation in the national asbestos litigation record.

Documented Asbestos Exposure — Engineman Rating

Personal Testimony — EN Service and Asbestos Exposure

Navy veterans who served as Enginemen (EN), whether aboard diesel-powered ships, landing craft, auxiliaries, or at shore installations, 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 EN rating and documented service aboard ships or at installations with known asbestos use
  • Civil claims against diesel engine manufacturers and asbestos gasket manufacturers for failure to warn about asbestos hazards in engine components

Key documents for an EN asbestos claim:

  • DD-214 — documenting EN rating and ship or shore installation assignments
  • Service records — documenting engineering duty stations and specific diesel engine equipment maintained
  • 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 Engineman testimony at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek and aboard specific ships, asbestos gasket handling documentation, and named career testimony establishing Engineman service and asbestos exposure in the national mesothelioma litigation record. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.