USS Lawrence (DDG-4) was a Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned 6 January 1962 and serving the U.S. Navy through 31 March 1990 — Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine, Cold War Atlantic Fleet operations, and Operation Desert Storm.
The 32-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Engines | Westinghouse | ||
| Main Reduction Gears | Westinghouse | ||
| Turbo Generators | Westinghouse | ||
| Air Compressors | Worthington | ||
| Forced Draft Blowers | Buffalo Forge | ||
| Forced Draft Blowers | Carrier | ||
| Refrigeration Unit | Carrier | ||
| Distilling Unit | Cleaver Brooks Special Products, Incorporated | ||
| Boilers | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Superheaters | Foster Wheeler | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pumps | Buffalo Pumps | ||
| Brine Pumps | Cleaver-Brooks Company | ||
| Distiller Salt Water Heater Drain Pumps | Cutler Hammer | ||
| Fuel Oil Service Pumps | DeLaval Steam Turbine Company | ||
| Lube Oil Service Pumps | DeLaval Steam Turbine Company | ||
| Fire Pumps | Warren Pumps, Inc. | ||
| Condensate Pumps | Warren Pumps, Inc. | ||
| Main Feed Pumps | Worthington Corporation | ||
| Pumps | Nash Engineering Co. | ||
| Lube Oil Coolers | Ross Heat Exchanger Div. | ||
| Lube Oil Purifiers | Sharples Corp. | ||
| Main Condensers | C.H. Wheeler | ||
| Air Ejectors | C.H. Wheeler | ||
| Lube Oil Preheaters | Davis Eng. | ||
| Spring Loaded Check Valves | Crane Co. | ||
| Relief Valves | Kunkle Valve Co. | ||
| Regulating Valves | Lawler | ||
| Gate Valves | M. Greenberg's Sons | ||
| Globe Valves | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Globe Valves | Ohio Injector Company | ||
| Steam Pressure Regulators | Leslie | ||
| Asbestos Packing | Garlock |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Lawrence
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy destroyers 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence (DDG-4). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.