USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) was a Essex-class aircraft carrier that served the U.S. Navy from 1944 through 1971 — a 27-year service life that places her squarely within the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy ship construction. Across her service, Bon Homme Richard’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 Bon Homme Richard. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Compressor | Ingersoll-Rand | ||
| Air Compressor | Ingersoll-Rand | N.P. Stoweavant | |
| Air Compressor | Westinghouse | ||
| Air Compressor | Worthington | L.P. | |
| Air Ejectors | S.H. Wheeler | Distilling Plant (80,000 GPM) | |
| Air Ejectors | S.H. Wheeler | Distilling Plant (12,000 GPM) | |
| Aux. Cond. Circ Pump | Varien | ||
| Auxiliary Feed Booster Pumps | Worthington | Motor Driven | |
| Blowers | Babcock & Wilcox | Main Forced Draft | |
| Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | 3 | |
| Casing Exhauster Condensers | Westinghouse | ||
| Condensers | Westinghouse | Main | |
| Deaerating Fresh Water Tanks | Elliott | ||
| Diesel Engine Fuel Oil Coolers | Cooper-Bessemer | Jacket Water Cooler | |
| Diesel Fuel Oil Purifier | DeLaval | ||
| Diesel Fuel Oil Service Pumps | Northern | ||
| Distilling Plant Air Compressors | Esco-Bell | 1,500 GPM | |
| Drain Pumps | Varien | L.P. | |
| Emergency Feed Pumps | Varien | ||
| Emergency Distilling Plants | Inconel-Fused | ||
| Fire & Flushing Pumps | Narett | Turbine Driven | |
| Fire & Flushing Pumps | Varien | Motor Driven | |
| Forced Draft Blowers | Babcock & Wilcox | ||
| F.O. Booster Water Ejector Pumps | Quimby | Motor Driven | |
| F.O. Service Hand Pump | No manufacturer listed | 1 | Lube Oil |
| Fuel Oil Heaters | Foster | Main Lube Oil | |
| Fuel Oil Heaters | Various | ||
| Fuel Oil Service Pumps | Quimby | Turbine Driven | |
| Fuel Oil Service Pumps | Varien | ||
| Fuel Oil Tank Exch. Pumps | Varien | ||
| Generator Sets | General Electric | 350 | K.W Diesel Driven |
| Generator Sets | Diesel | 600 | K.W Diesel Driven |
| Generators | Westinghouse | Ship's Service | |
| Generators Diesel | Ampel-Bastford | Ship's Service | |
| Jacket Water Cooler Diesel Engines | Cooper-Bessemer | ||
| Lube Oil Purifiers | DeLaval | ||
| Lube Oil Service Pumps | Gusolin | Turbine Driven | |
| Main Cond. Pumps | Varien | Turbine Driven | |
| Main Cond. Pumps | Westinghouse | Motor Driven | |
| Main Condensers | Westinghouse | ||
| Main Feed Booster Pump | Worthington | Turbine Driven | |
| Main Feed Pumps | Worthington | Turbine Driven | |
| Main Oil Coolers | Various | ||
| Main Tube Oil Deaerator Ventilators | Holt | ||
| Motors | Inlet | Ship's Service Motor Driven | |
| N.O. Booster & Transfer Pumps | Quimby | Turbine Driven | |
| N.P. Air Compressor | Ingersoll-Rand | ||
| Oil Regulator | Various | ||
| Port & Cruising Fuel Oil Service Pump | Varien | ||
| Service Generators | Westinghouse | Ship's | |
| Service Generators Turbine | Worthington | Ship's | |
| Ship's Service Turbo-Generators | Westinghouse | ||
| Stoweavant N.P. | Ingersoll-Rand | ||
| Tube Nest Drain Pump | Warin | 12,000 GPM Plant | |
| Tube Nest Drain Pumps | Varien | 80,000 GPM Plants | |
| Vacuum Drain Tank Ejector | Westinghouse | ||
| Water Pump | Varien | Main Cond. | |
| Fresh Water Pump | Westinghouse | ||
| Hot Press Water Circ. Pump | Varien |
Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record
The following manufacturers and products are documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation involving USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31):
Valves — Crane Co.: Deposition testimony addresses a Crane Co. valve manufactured for installation on the USS Bon Homme Richard CV-31. The testimony covers Crane Co.’s understanding that asbestos-containing stuffing (packing) material inside the valve would be periodically replaced by shipmates during normal operation and maintenance — establishing Crane’s knowledge of continuing asbestos exposure during the ship’s service life.
LP Compressors: Low-pressure (LP) compressors supplied to the vessel by a manufacturer described as being “in the industry since 1920” and supplying naval ships including USS Bon Homme Richard.
Manufacturer denial on record: Riley Boilers affirmatively states in litigation records that Riley never designed, engineered, manufactured, sold, or erected any boilers or asbestos-containing equipment/products for USS Bon Homme Richard CVA-31 — distinguishing Riley from the boiler manufacturers actually aboard the ship.
Documented crew — ratings and service periods:
- Navy Airman — first exposed to airborne asbestos fibers in 1955 aboard USS Bon Homme Richard CV-31
- Boiler Tender — documented service 1956–1972 at various Navy jobsites including USS Bon Homme Richard
As an Essex-class carrier, Bon Homme Richard shares class-wide documentation of amosite insulation (250+ tons per carrier), Babcock & Wilcox boilers, Griscom-Russell distillers, Crane auxiliary steam valves, and extensive asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and pipe covering throughout her engineering spaces.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Bon Homme Richard
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 Bon Homme Richard 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 Bon Homme Richard 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 Bon Homme Richard (CV-31). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
