Navy Enginemen (EN) — the enlisted rating responsible for the maintenance, operation, and repair of diesel engines, diesel generators, gas turbine auxiliary units, and small boat propulsion machinery — served aboard diesel-powered auxiliary vessels, landing ships, patrol craft, small combatants, and Coast Guard-type vessels throughout the WWII and Cold War eras, and at naval shore facilities operating diesel generator plants. EN ratings also maintained diesel generator sets and emergency diesel generators aboard steam-powered surface combatants and nuclear-powered vessels where diesel generators provided emergency and auxiliary power. Enginemen overhauling diesel engines — removing and replacing cylinder head gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, turbocharger inlet and outlet gaskets, and fuel injection pump gaskets — handled asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials directly during each diesel engine overhaul and maintenance operation. The high-temperature environment of diesel engine exhaust manifolds and turbochargers required asbestos-containing gasket materials to seal the exhaust system joint faces against exhaust gas leakage, making asbestos gaskets a standard component of diesel engine exhaust system maintenance through the mid-1970s.

Diesel Engine Overhaul Asbestos

EN ratings overhauling diesel engines encountered asbestos in engine gasket materials:

  • Cylinder head gasket removal and replacement — diesel engine overhaul requiring cylinder head removal — for valve grinding, cylinder inspection, piston ring replacement, or cylinder sleeve replacement — required removal and replacement of the cylinder head gasket sealing the cylinder head to the engine block. Enginemen removing diesel engine cylinder heads during major engine overhaul operations removed the asbestos-containing cylinder head gasket material from the head and block joint faces, with direct handling of the old asbestos cylinder head gasket material during removal and scraping of gasket remnants from the joint faces releasing asbestos fiber during the overhaul operation
  • Exhaust manifold gasket maintenance — diesel engine exhaust manifold gaskets sealing the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head exhaust ports used asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials capable of withstanding the high-temperature exhaust gas environment at the exhaust manifold joint. Enginemen removing and replacing diesel engine exhaust manifolds for maintenance or repair encountered and handled asbestos-containing exhaust manifold gasket materials during each exhaust manifold removal and reinstallation operation
  • Turbocharger gasket and packing maintenance — diesel engine turbochargers installed on Navy diesel engines incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials at the turbocharger inlet and outlet connections and turbine and compressor housing joints. Enginemen removing turbochargers for overhaul or bearing replacement encountered and handled asbestos-containing gasket materials at turbocharger housing connection flanges during turbocharger maintenance operations

Diesel Generator and Auxiliary Machinery Asbestos

EN ratings at diesel generator sets encountered asbestos in generator and auxiliary system components:

  • Diesel generator set maintenance — shipboard diesel generator sets — providing auxiliary electrical power aboard steam-powered surface combatants, nuclear-powered vessels, and small craft — incorporated diesel engines with asbestos-containing cylinder head and exhaust system gasket materials. Enginemen maintaining diesel generator sets performed cylinder head and exhaust system gasket maintenance involving direct handling of asbestos-containing diesel engine gasket materials during generator overhaul operations
  • Emergency diesel generator maintenance — emergency diesel generators aboard naval vessels provided emergency power for essential ship systems under casualty conditions. Enginemen responsible for emergency diesel generator maintenance performed periodic engine overhaul operations involving asbestos-containing cylinder head and exhaust gasket materials during emergency generator maintenance

Small Craft and Landing Ship Diesel Asbestos

EN ratings on small combatants and landing ships encountered high-density diesel asbestos:

  • Landing ship and small craft propulsion — diesel-propelled landing ships (LST, LCU, LCVP) and patrol craft aboard which Enginemen served as propulsion plant operators and maintainers operated diesel propulsion engines requiring regular overhaul. Enginemen serving on diesel-propelled small combatants and landing ships performed diesel engine cylinder head and exhaust gasket maintenance as a routine part of propulsion plant maintenance, with repeated direct handling of asbestos-containing diesel engine gasket materials throughout their small craft and landing ship assignments

VA Claims for Navy Enginemen

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy diesel engine maintenance. Enginemen who performed diesel engine overhaul and maintenance involving asbestos-containing cylinder head and exhaust system gasket materials aboard naval vessels and at shore facilities and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.