USS Tidewater (AD-31) was a Klondike-class destroyer tender that served the U.S. Navy from 1946 through 1975 — a 29-year service life that places her squarely within the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy ship construction. Across her service, Tidewater’s crew worked daily in machinery spaces, engineering plant, and habitable compartments constructed with extensive asbestos-containing materials.
The equipment manifest below is drawn from BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) ship-specific documentation that identifies the machinery and equipment manufacturers installed aboard Tidewater. Each entry is a documented item of equipment with verified manufacturer attribution — primary-source evidence for asbestos-exposure case development by Navy veterans and their families.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boilers | Foster-Wheeler | 2 | in MMR |
| Forced Draft Blowers | Westinghouse | 2 | driven by steam turbines, in MMR |
| Fuel Oil Heaters | Griscom-Russell | 1 | in MMR |
| Fuel Oil Service Pumps | DeLaval | 2 | driven by DeLaval Steam turbines, in MMR |
| Main Propulsion Turbine Set | Westinghouse | 1 | in MMR |
| Main Reduction Gear | Westinghouse | 1 | in MMR |
| Ship's Service AC Generators | GE | 4 | 750KW, driven by GE steam turbines, in MMR |
| Ship's Service DC Generators | Westinghouse | 2 | 300KW, driven by WH steam turbines, in MMR |
| Main Condenser | Ingersoll Rand | 1 | in MMR |
| Main Air Ejector | Ingersoll Rand | 1 | in MMR |
| Auxiliary Condensers | C. H. Wheeler Company | 6 | in MMR |
| Auxiliary Air Ejectors | C. H. Wheeler Company | 6 | in MMR |
| Deaerating Feed Water Tank | Worthington | 1 | in MMR |
| Main Feed Pump | Ingersoll Rand | 1 | driven by Westinghouse steam turbine, in MMR |
| Reciprocating Steam Auxiliary Feed Pumps | Worthington | 2 | in MMR |
| Main Circulating Pump | Worthington | 1 | driven by Sturtevant steam turbine, in MMR |
| Main Condensate Pump | Allis-Chalmers | 1 | in MMR |
| Lube Oil Service Pumps | DeLaval | 2 | in MMR |
| Lube Oil Purifiers | DeLaval Separator Company | 1 | in MMR |
| Auxiliary Circulating Pumps | Gardner Denver | 6 | in MMR |
| Auxiliary Condensate Pumps | Worthington | 6 | in MMR |
| Reciprocating Steam Fire and Bilge Pump | Worthington | 1 | in MMR |
| Turning Gear | Westinghouse | ||
| Purifiers | DeLaval | ||
| Gland Condenser & Exhauster | Worthington | ||
| Circulating Pump | Sturtevant | Main Cond. Circ. Pump | |
| Worm Gear | Sturtevant | ||
| Distributed Feed Water Pump | Worthington | ||
| Feed Water Pump | Nash | ||
| Fire & Sanitary Pump | Lombard | ||
| Steam Oil Transfer Ballast & Bilge Pump | Warren | ||
| Emergency Generator Booster Pump | Aurora | ||
| Valves | Reading-Pratt & Cady | ||
| High Pressure Compressor | Ingersoll Rand | ||
| High Pressure Air Compressor | Electro-Dynamics | ||
| Low Pressure Compressor | Gardner-Denver | ||
| Low Pressure Compressor | Ingersoll Rand | ||
| Soot Blowers | Vulcan | ||
| Super Heaters | Foster-Wheeler | ||
| Main Boilers | Robert Wager | ||
| Deaerating Feed Water Heaters | Worthington | ||
| Combined Pressure Regulation & Reducing Valves | Atwood & Morrill Co. | ||
| Fuel Oil Transfer & Ballast Pump | Worthington | ||
| Sanitary Pump, Vertical | Worthington | ||
| Diesel Oil Transfer Pump | Worthington | ||
| Standby Lubricating Oil Pump | Worthington | ||
| Bilge & Ballast Pump | Worthington | ||
| High Pressure Compressor | Worthington | ||
| Evaporators | Foster-Wheeler | ||
| Twin Cylinder "V" Type Freon Compressors | GE | ||
| Fuel Transfer Pump | Worthington |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Tidewater
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy ships of this era are documented to have included:
- Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on 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 turbines, reduction gears, and auxiliary machinery
- 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 spaces
- Asbestos rope, wick, and tape in glands, joints, and seal applications
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, and overhauled.
VA Benefits for Tidewater 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 documented Tidewater equipment manifest is direct evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around.
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 Tidewater (AD-31). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.