USS Yosemite (AD-19) was a Dixie-class destroyer tender that served the U.S. Navy from 1944 through 1994 — a 50-year service life that places her squarely within the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy ship construction. Across her service, Yosemite’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 Yosemite. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Turbines | Allis Chalmers | 4 | |
| Reduction Gears | Falk | set | |
| Ship Service Turbo-Generators (750KW) | General Electric | 4 | Both generator and drive are GE. 2 in B-1, 2 in B-4 |
| Emergency Diesel Generator (100KW) | General Electric | 1 | General Motors diesel drive. |
| Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | 4 | Mundet cork amosite boiler insulation. |
| Main Forced Draft Blowers | BF Sturtevant | 8 | Sturtevant Turbines |
| HP Air Compressor (MD) | Worthington | 2 | General Electric motor |
| HP Air Compressors (TD) | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant turbine. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-2. |
| MP Air Compressor (MD) | Worthington | General Electric motor. | |
| LP Air Compressor (MD) | Worthington | 2 | General Electric Motor. B-1, B-4. For Ship Service. |
| Gas Mask Testing Compressor | DeVilbiss | 1 | |
| Distilling Plant (40,000 GPD) | Foster Wheeler | 1 | |
| Refrigeration Plant | York | ||
| Gland Leakoff Exhauster | Sturtevant | 2 | Diehl Motor |
| Main Condenser | Struthers Wells | 2 | Schutte & Koerting ejectors. B-1, B-4 |
| Aux. Condenser | Struthers Wells | 4 | Schutte & Koerting ejectors B-1, B-4 |
| Main Feed Pump | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant Turbine. B-1, B-4. |
| Main Feed Booster Pump (TD) | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant Turbine. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-4. |
| Cruising Feed Booster Pumps | Worthington | 2 | General Electric motor. B-1, B-4. |
| Feed Distribution Pumps | Worthington | 1 | Steam reciprocating. B-2. |
| Main Circulating Pump (TD) | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant Turbine. B-1, B-4. |
| Main Condensate Pump (TD) | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant Turbine. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-4. |
| Main Condensate Pump (MD) | Worthington | 2 | General Electric motor. B-1, B-4. |
| Auxiliary Condensate Pump | Worthington | 4 | GE motor. 2 in B-1, 2 in B-4. |
| Fresh Water Pump | Worthington | 2 | General Electric motor. B-1. |
| Priming Pump for Fresh Water Pump | Nash | 1 | General Electric motor. B-1 |
| Hot Fresh Water Pump | Worthington | 5 | General Electric motor |
| Heating System Drain Pump | Worthington | 1 | General Electric motor. B-1. |
| Fire and Flushing Pump | Worthington | 1 | General Electric motor. B-2 |
| Vacuum Pump for Motor-Driven F&F Pump | Nash | General Electric motor. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-2, 1 in B-4 | |
| Fire and Flushing Pump (TD) | Worthington | 2 | Sturtevant Turbine. 1 in B-1, B-4. |
| Emergency and Port Feed Pump | Worthington | 1 | (Steam-reciprocating). B-1, B-4. |
| Destroyer Fire & Flushing Pump | Worthington | 1 | GE motor. B-4 |
| Fire & Bilge Pumps | Worthington | 3 | Steam reciprocating. B-1, B-2, B-4. |
| Hand-Driven Bilge Pump | Douglas | 1 | |
| Refrigerating Cond. Circ. Pump | Allis Chalmers | 3 | Allis Chalmers motor. |
| Dynamo Condenser Circ. Pump | Gardner Denver | 4 | GE motor. 2 in B-1, two in B-4. 2500 GPM |
| Salt Water (SW) Circulating Pump for Emergency Diesel Generator Engine | Worthington | 1 | Electro-Dynamic motor. B-4. |
| L.O. Service Pump | DeLaval | 2 | General Electric motor. B-1, B-4. |
| LO Service Pump (TD) | DeLaval | 2 | DeLaval turbine. B-1, B-4. |
| L.O. Transfer Pump | Northern | 1 | General Electric motor. 1 in B-4 |
| Hand-Driven LO Pumps | Douglas | 2 | B-1, B-4. 9 GPM. |
| Pump for L.O. Purifier | Browne & Sharpe | 2 | General Electric motor. B-1, B-4. |
| L.O. Purifier | Sharples | General Electric motor. B-1, B-4. | |
| Diesel Oil Service Pump | Northern | 2 | General Electric motor. 1 in B-2. |
| Fuel Oil (FO) Service Pump | DeLaval | DeLaval Turbine. B-1, B-4. | |
| Fuel Oil Booster Pump | DeLaval | DeLaval Turbine. B-1, B-4. | |
| Fuel Oil Tank Drain Pump | Northern | 2 | General Electric motor. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-4 |
| Port & Cruising F.O. Pump | Northern | 2 | General Electric motor. 1 in B-1, 1 in B-4 |
| Hand-Driven FO Pump | Northern | 2 | B-1, B-4 |
| Pump for Diesel Oil Purifier | Browne & Sharpe | 2 | General Electric motor. B-2. |
| Diesel Oil Purifier | Sharples | General Electric motor. B-2. | |
| Distiller Cond. Condensate Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Distiller Cond. Circ. Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Distiller Fresh Water Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Evaporator Feed Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Evap. Brine Overb'd Discharge Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Evaporator Coil Drain Pump | Buffalo | 2 | Star Electric motor. B-2 |
| Hydraulic Pumps | Blackmer | ||
| Gland Exhaust Condenser | Struthers-Wells | B-1, B-4 | |
| Deaerating Feed Tanks (Condenser) | Cochrane | ||
| Feed Water Heaters | Cochrane | B-1, B-4 | |
| FO Heaters | Struthers-Wells | 4 | |
| LO Coolers | Struthers-Wells | 2 | |
| 750KW Ship Service Generator | General Electric | ||
| Emerg. Generator (100KW, 450v) | General Electric | ||
| Main Generator & Distribution Switchboards | General Electric | 1 | |
| IC & ACO Switchboards | Wolfe & Mann | ||
| Steering Power Transfer Switchboard | Control Corporation | ||
| Rotaries and Circuit Breakers for switchboards | General Electric | 5 | |
| 5KVA Transformers | Cutler Hammer | 3 | |
| 3KVA Transformers | Allis Chalmers | 5 motors | |
| Electric Specialty | Electric Specialty | Unknown destination/application | |
| Rotary Transfer Switches | Cole Electric | ||
| Transformers and Switches for heavy machine gun aux. control | Allis Chalmers | ||
| Magnetic Controller for Water Cooling Plant | Westinghouse | ||
| Air Circuit Breakers | General Electric | ||
| Valves | AW Cash | ||
| Globe & Angle Valves (Hydraulic) | Crane | Jenkins valve motors | |
| 2 ½" Globe Stop Angle Check Valves | Crane | 9 | |
| Valves (Not otherwise specified) | Crane | ||
| Gate Valves (Hydraulic) | Chapman | Jenkins valve motors | |
| Boiler Safety Valves | Crosby Steam & Gage | ||
| Water Pressure Reducing Valves | Foster Engineering | ||
| Thermostatic Steam Control Valves | Fulton Sylphon | ||
| Refrigeration Compressor Check Valve | Henry Valve | ||
| Pressure Reducing Valves | Leslie | F.O. Service; L.O. Service; Fire and Flushing Piping; et al. | |
| Condenser Valves | Manning Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Reducing Valves | OC Keckley | Originally installed. Most replaced with Leslie valves pre-1950. | |
| Deaerating Feed Tank Valves | Ohio Injector Company |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Yosemite
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 Yosemite 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 Yosemite 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 Yosemite (AD-19). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.