USS Forrestal (CV-59) was the lead ship of her class — the first U.S. supercarrier and the first U.S. aircraft carrier specifically designed to operate jet aircraft. Commissioned 1 October 1955 and decommissioned 11 September 1993, she served 38 years across the height of the Cold War and Vietnam War, including the catastrophic 29 July 1967 flight-deck fire. Her 28-entry equipment manifest documents the construction-era machinery manufacturers — Blaw-Knox cranes and steam accumulators, Buffalo Forge tanks, Bogue Electric generators, and dozens of other firms whose products were installed throughout her engineering and habitable spaces during the heaviest asbestos-use era of Navy ship construction.
The 28-entry equipment manifest below is sourced from ship-specific BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation identifying machinery and equipment installed aboard. Each entry is documented equipment with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source material for asbestos-exposure case development by Navy veterans and surviving families.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airplane crane, pumps, displacing for boat hoists | Blaw-Knox | Plates, shapes, sheets, bars, forgings, bolts | |
| Lighting fixtures and wiring | Delta and Betts | ||
| Steam accumulators | Blaw-Knox | ||
| Service sinks and galley equipment | Blickman | ||
| Generators | Bogue Electric | ||
| Castings | Bogue Metal Products | ||
| Tanks | Buffalo Forge | ||
| Oil and water meters | Badger Meter | ||
| Electrical connectors | A. M. Byers | ||
| Wrought-iron pipe, plate and shapes | A. M. Byers | ||
| Electrical instruments | Bristol | ||
| Tank gauges | Boston Avto Gage | ||
| Universal joints | Dodge Engineering | ||
| Rubber tubing | Bisco Products | ||
| Fire-fighting equipment | O Two Fire Equipment Co. | ||
| Stainless plate | G.O. Carlson Incorporated | ||
| Air-conditioning and refrigeration | Carrier | ||
| Gate valves | Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company | ||
| Check valves | Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company | ||
| Brass, copper and copper-nickel alloy tubing | Chase Brass & Copper | ||
| Engine Division—Generators, brasses, copper and copper-nickel alloy tubing | Chevrolet | ||
| Heat exchangers | Cochrane | ||
| Pipe and wire rope | Colorado Fuel | ||
| Lubricious valves | Commercial Engineering | Lube-oil purifiers | |
| Telephones | Central Instrument Co. | ||
| Radiant heaters | Crane Company | ||
| Plumbing fixtures—valves, main stem, globe, check, needle, gasoline reducing valves, hangar sprinking system, foam valves | Crane Company | ||
| Alloy and stainless bars and magnets | Crucible Steel Co. of America |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Forrestal
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of this era are documented to have included:
- Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout machinery spaces
- Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the main boilers
- Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands
- Insulation jackets and removable lagging on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, and forced-draft blowers
- Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation
- Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, and habitable compartments
- Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in gland-seal applications throughout the engineering plant
Sailors in Boilerman, Machinist’s Mate, Engineman, Electrician’s Mate, Hull Maintenance Technician, Damage Controlman, and other engineering ratings worked routinely in spaces where these materials were installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced.
VA Benefits for Forrestal Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease as conditions presumed to be service-connected for Navy veterans with documented asbestos exposure. The Forrestal equipment manifest is direct documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around throughout her service life.
Parallel claims against the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by the manufacturers of these products are also available, and do not reduce VA compensation.
Speak with an asbestos attorney with Navy veterans experience →
Equipment manifest derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Forrestal (CV-59). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.