Westinghouse Electric Marine Turbines

Product Description

Westinghouse Electric Corporation was among the most significant industrial manufacturers in twentieth-century American history, producing equipment that powered naval vessels, commercial ships, and industrial facilities across the country and around the world. Among the company’s major product lines were marine turbines — large, high-performance steam-driven power units designed to propel naval warships, cargo vessels, tankers, and other oceangoing craft.

Marine turbines manufactured by Westinghouse Electric were complex assemblies engineered to convert high-pressure steam into rotational mechanical energy capable of driving a ship’s propeller shafts. These units were built to withstand extreme operational demands: sustained high temperatures, intense pressure differentials, salt air corrosion, and the continuous mechanical stress of extended voyages. Westinghouse supplied marine turbines to the United States Navy as well as to commercial shipping operators over a span of decades that encompassed World War II, the postwar naval buildup, and the broader expansion of American commercial maritime activity through much of the twentieth century.

The manufacture, installation, maintenance, and eventual overhaul of these turbines brought large numbers of workers into sustained contact with the units across multiple stages of their working lives. Shipyard workers, Navy personnel, merchant mariners, and industrial maintenance workers all had documented occupational contact with Westinghouse marine turbines during the periods when asbestos-containing materials were integral to the construction and insulation of such equipment.

Asbestos Content

Steam turbines of the type produced by Westinghouse Electric for marine applications operated under conditions that demanded extensive thermal insulation. High-pressure steam, when used to drive turbine blades, generates temperatures and pressures that would be hazardous and mechanically inefficient without effective insulation of surrounding casings, pipework, flanges, and associated components. Asbestos was the predominant insulating material used in these applications for much of the twentieth century because of its exceptional heat resistance, durability, and availability.

Litigation records document that Westinghouse marine turbines incorporated or were routinely installed alongside asbestos-containing materials including thermal insulation blankets, pipe covering, gaskets, packing materials, and insulating cements. Plaintiffs in asbestos litigation have alleged that asbestos insulation was applied directly to turbine casings and steam lines during original manufacture and installation, and that asbestos-containing replacement components — including gaskets and packing — were used during subsequent maintenance and overhaul operations throughout the operational life of the equipment.

Plaintiffs have further alleged that Westinghouse, as the original equipment manufacturer, specified or approved the use of asbestos-containing insulation and components in technical documentation, installation instructions, and maintenance manuals associated with these turbines. Litigation records document that the company had knowledge of the potential health hazards associated with asbestos exposure during the period when these turbines were in active production and use.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers generally, and maritime industry workers in particular, faced occupational asbestos exposure associated with Westinghouse marine turbines across multiple work contexts. The nature of turbine construction and shipboard installation meant that asbestos exposure was not confined to a single trade or a single phase of the turbine’s service life.

During original installation aboard naval vessels and commercial ships, workers applied asbestos insulation to turbine casings, steam lines, and associated machinery spaces. This work generated substantial quantities of airborne asbestos dust in enclosed shipboard compartments where ventilation was limited. Litigation records document that workers in Navy shipyards and private shipbuilding facilities performed this insulation work without adequate respiratory protection during the decades when the hazards of asbestos inhalation were not publicly disclosed.

Maintenance and overhaul operations presented ongoing exposure risks throughout the operational life of these turbines. When turbines required servicing, the surrounding asbestos insulation had to be removed, disturbed, or partially demolished to access internal components. Plaintiffs have alleged that this removal work — performed by shipyard workers, Navy machinists, and civilian maintenance personnel — generated intense concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers in confined engine room spaces. After maintenance was complete, new asbestos-containing insulation and replacement gaskets were typically installed, exposing workers to additional fiber release.

Engine room environments on ships presented conditions particularly conducive to asbestos exposure. The confined, enclosed spaces of a vessel’s machinery compartments concentrated airborne fibers with little opportunity for dilution or dispersal. Workers who did not directly handle asbestos-containing materials — bystanders such as electricians, pipefitters, and other tradespeople working in adjacent areas — were nonetheless exposed to fibers released by insulation work performed nearby. Litigation records document that this secondary or bystander exposure was a recognized feature of shipboard asbestos hazards.

Plaintiffs have alleged that industrial workers who maintained, repaired, or overhauled Westinghouse marine turbines at shoreside repair facilities, naval stations, and commercial shipyards were similarly exposed during the course of their work. The long operational lives of many naval and commercial vessels meant that workers could be exposed to the same turbines, and the degraded asbestos insulation surrounding them, repeatedly over careers spanning decades.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation and its successor entities have been named as defendants in a substantial volume of asbestos personal injury litigation arising from the company’s manufacture and supply of turbines and other equipment containing or associated with asbestos-containing materials.

Litigation Framework

Because Westinghouse Electric does not have an established asbestos bankruptcy trust fund specifically designated for marine turbine claims, individuals seeking compensation for asbestos-related illness connected to these products have generally pursued claims through the civil tort litigation system. Litigation records document that plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases have filed lawsuits naming Westinghouse and related corporate entities in connection with their occupational exposure to marine turbines and associated equipment.

Plaintiffs have alleged in these proceedings that Westinghouse knew or should have known of the dangers of asbestos exposure, failed to warn workers and users of those dangers, and continued to manufacture and supply equipment incorporating asbestos-containing materials despite available knowledge of the health hazards involved. These claims have proceeded in state and federal courts across jurisdictions with significant concentrations of shipyard and maritime industry workers.

Eligibility Considerations

Individuals who may have grounds to pursue legal action related to Westinghouse marine turbines generally include those who:

  • Worked in Navy shipyards, commercial shipyards, or at sea aboard vessels equipped with Westinghouse marine turbines
  • Performed installation, maintenance, repair, or overhaul work on these turbines or on insulation and components associated with them
  • Were present in engine rooms or machinery spaces where asbestos-containing insulation on turbines was disturbed
  • Have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease

Workers and surviving family members with potential claims are advised to consult with a qualified asbestos litigation attorney. Because statutes of limitations apply to asbestos personal injury and wrongful death claims, and because the applicable deadlines vary by jurisdiction and by the date of diagnosis, early consultation with legal counsel is important for preserving available legal options. Detailed employment records, military service documentation, and medical records are typically relevant to establishing the facts necessary to support a claim.