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Did you serve aboard the USS Constellation? This Navy ship carried asbestos in nearly every compartment. Here is where it was, and who is responsible. The USS Constellation was a Navy ship. Public naval references list this equipment aboard the USS Constellation — insulated and sealed with asbestos. Each shipyard overhaul and major repair meant asbestos insulation was torn out and replaced — peak-exposure work for the yard workers and the crew aboard. Exposure was worst in the engineering spaces, where the snipes worked — but asbestos lined the whole ship, so all hands were exposed. The companies that made the asbestos equipment aboard — not the Navy — are who asbestos claims are brought against. According to asbestos litigation records, the equipment aboard the USS Constellation from makers such as Foster-Wheeler, Hardie Tynes, General Electric, and Walter H. Eagan allegedly contained asbestos. If you served aboard the USS Constellation and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the companies that made the asbestos products used aboard your ship. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
USS Constellation (CVA-64) — popularly known as “Connie” — was a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier that served the U.S. Navy from her commissioning on 27 October 1961 through decommissioning on 7 August 2003. The second carrier to bear the name, she was built at New York Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn) and served during the Cold War, Vietnam War, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Gulf War, and operations following 9/11 — 42 years of continuous service.
The 55-entry equipment manifest below is sourced from the 1957 BUSHIPS Equipment Specifications and Manufacturers documentation specific to the Constellation — created during her construction phase to identify the machinery and manufacturers selected for her engineering plant. This is primary-source asbestos-exposure evidence at the highest tier.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Turbines | General Electric | Main propulsion turbines, geared turbines | |
| Main Condenser & Air Ejectors | Foster-Wheeler | ||
| Auxiliary Condenser & Air Ejectors | Westinghouse | ||
| H.P. Air Compressor | Worthington | ||
| M.P. Aviation Service Air Compressor | Worthington | ||
| L.P. Ship's Service Air Compressor | Worthington | ||
| Main Boilers | Foster-Wheeler | ||
| Deaerating Feed Tanks | Permutit | The Permutit Company | |
| Forced Draft Blowers | Carrier | Carrier Corporation | |
| Lube Oil Purifier | De Laval | Deleval Turbine Equipment Company | |
| Diesel Oil Purifier | De Laval | Deleval Turbine Equipment Company | |
| Distilling Plants | Cleaver Brooks | Cleaver Brooks Company | |
| Main Feed Pump | Byron Jackson/Hardie Tynes | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pump | Allis-Chalmers | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pump | Worthington | Turbine reduction gears | |
| Reserve Feed Transfer Pump | Allis-Chalmers | ||
| Emergency Feed Booster Pump | Allis-Chalmers | ||
| Boiler Feed Pumps | Hardie Tynes | Hardie-Tynes Mfg. Co. | |
| Fuel Oil Service Pumps | De Laval | Delaval Steam Turbine Company | |
| Lube Oil Service Pumps | De Laval | Delaval Steam Turbine Company | |
| Fuel Oil Transfer Pumps | De Laval | Delaval Steam Turbine Company | |
| Port Fuel Oil Service Pump | De Laval | ||
| Distiller Sea Water Heater Drain Pumps | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Distiller Distillate Pumps | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Distiller Brine Overboard Pumps | Buffalo | Vertical distiller brine overboard pump | |
| Refrigeration Condenser Circulating Pumps | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Hot Water Circulating Pumps | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Auxiliary Machinery Cooling Water Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Air Conditioning Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Circulating Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Emergency Diesel Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Salt Water Booster Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Refrigeration Condenser Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Drinking Water Refrigeration Condenser Circulating Pump | Buffalo | Buffalo Pumps | |
| Fire Pumps | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| 1500 KW Generator Condenser Circulating Pump | Walter H. Eagan | Walter H. Eagan Co. | |
| 1500 KW Generator Condenser Condensate Pump | Warren | Warren Pumps | |
| 600 KW Generator Condenser Condensate Pump | Warren | Warren Pumps | |
| 600 KW Generator Condenser Circulating Pump | Warren | Warren Pumps | |
| Salt Water Pumps for Gasoline System | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Chilled Drinking Water Circulating Pumps | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Air Conditioning Cooling Pump | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Chilled Water Pump | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Chilled Drinking Water Pump | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Fresh Water Pump | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Air Conditioning Chilled Cooling Water Pump | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Foam Liquid Booster Pumps | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| Main Aviation Gasoline Pumps | Aurora | Aurora Pump | |
| JP-5 Fuel Pump | Warren | Warren Pumps | |
| JP-5 Aviation Gasoline Aircraft Defueling Pumps | Blackmer | Blackmer Pump Company | |
| Aircraft Refueling Pump | Sier-Bath Gear & Pump | ||
| L.P. Steam Drain Pump | Walter H. Eagan | Walter H. Eagan Co. | |
| Fuel Oil and HEAF Tank Stripping Pump | Davis Engineering | ||
| Fuel Oil Heaters | M. T. Davidson | ||
| Hot Water Circulating Pump | C.H. Wheeler |
Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record
The following manufacturers and products are specifically documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation involving USS Constellation (CVA-64):
Boilers — Foster Wheeler: Eight Foster Wheeler D-type main propulsion boilers installed aboard Constellation. Boilers were covered in asbestos-containing insulation and sealed with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing. Component parts included handhold plates, manhole plates, braided rope, and insulation; preformed asbestos pipe-covering insulation used on associated drums. First boiler drums shipped approximately October 1957; keel laid 14 September 1957 at New York Naval Shipyard.
Condensers and air ejectors — Foster Wheeler: Main condensers and air ejectors provided by Foster Wheeler (four condensers). Associated piping insulated with asbestos-containing materials.
Pumps:
- Warren Pumps — condenser condensate pumps (1500 kW and 600 kW), steam-driven; steam turbine component insulated with asbestos-containing insulation; pumps sealed with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing
- Byron Jackson — 16 main feed pumps (two per boiler), turbine-driven; supplied with asbestos packing; replacement packing identified as John Crane 101M Babbitt foil packing
- Aurora Pumps — 38 Aurora pumps aboard Constellation; packing and gasket material containing asbestos; gasket brand identified as Victorite
Insulation products — worker testimony: Worker testimony identifies the following asbestos products used aboard Constellation:
- Asbestos block, asbestos brick, asbestos cement
- Asbestos tape, asbestos millboard
- Asbestos pipe covering, asbestos cloth
December 22, 1958 — Kitty Hawk Class High Temperature Pipe Insulation Forum (New York Naval Shipyard, USS Constellation CVA-64): industry attendees, Navy representatives, and equipment suppliers documented asbestos insulation specifications for the Kitty Hawk-class carriers including Constellation.
Documented crew — ratings and service periods:
- Pipefitter / Machinist (Machinists Union member) — served approximately March 1973 through approximately 1978, docked for repairs/overhauls at North Island, San Diego; exposure through asbestos-containing dust release during maintenance work
Asbestos Exposure Aboard Constellation
Constellation’s engineering plant — General Electric main turbines, Foster-Wheeler main boilers and condensers with air ejectors, Worthington high/medium/low pressure air compressors, Babcock & Wilcox refractory systems — was built to mid-1950s BUSHIPS specifications that called for extensive asbestos-containing insulation:
- Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, JP-5 aviation fuel, and condensate piping throughout four machinery spaces
- Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and burner-front insulation on the eight Foster-Wheeler main boilers
- Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, turbine glands, and air-system manifolds
- Insulation jackets on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, and forced-draft blowers
- Vinyl asbestos floor tile and Marinite paneling throughout berthing, mess, ready rooms, hangar bay, and office spaces
Constellation’s air-wing operations (Worthington H.P./M.P./L.P. compressor systems) meant her crew also worked around aviation-service air systems that used asbestos-gasketed manifolds and high-pressure connections.
VA Benefits for Constellation Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions that may be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure. Constellation’s BUSHIPS-sourced equipment manifest is direct documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around for 42 years.
Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →
Equipment manifest derived from 1957 BUSHIPS Equipment Specifications and Manufacturers documentation specific to USS Constellation (CVA-64). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available.
The asbestos-containing products documented on U.S. Navy vessels and at shipyards are catalogued by manufacturer on AsbestosIndex. These records cross-reference which companies supplied which materials and to which facilities.
Navy Ratings Most Exposed to Asbestos Aboard Constellation
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the public asbestos litigation record document that the following Navy ratings worked routinely in spaces where ACM was installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced:
VA Disability Claims for Asbestos-Related Disease
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates asbestos claims individually. A veteran generally needs medical evidence of a current asbestos-related disease, service evidence supporting in-service asbestos exposure, and a medical opinion connecting the two. Ship assignments, Navy ratings, and equipment records can help document the exposure history but do not create automatic service connection.
Approved claims may provide monthly disability compensation and related benefits. Survivors may separately qualify for Dependency & Indemnity Compensation when the applicable requirements are met. Civil lawsuits and asbestos-trust claims use different standards; claimants should obtain individualized advice about how the processes interact.
How to file a VA disability claim: VA claims are filed directly with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — not with a law firm. Start at VA.gov › Hazardous Materials Exposure, call 1‑800‑827‑1000, or get free help filing from a Veterans Service Organization: DAV, VFW, or American Legion.
VA Claims Guide on This Site › Compare: VA vs. Civil Lawsuit
Source notes: equipment-manifest entries (where shown) are sourced from public-record BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation, NARA archives, and the public asbestos litigation record. Manufacturer attributions link to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Nothing on this page constitutes medical or legal advice.
