USS Boxer (CV-21 / LPH-4) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned 16 April 1945 — serving through World War II, the Korean War (including the first U.S. jet combat operations), and conversion to an amphibious assault ship (LPH-4) before decommissioning 1 December 1969. Her 24-year service life spans the full peak period of asbestos use in U.S. naval construction.
The equipment manifest below is drawn from ship-specific BUSHIPS (Bureau of Ships) documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation records identifying machinery and equipment installed aboard Boxer.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Feed Pumps | Buffalo Pumps | 2 | USS Boxer CV-21 boiler room #4, per Becker deposition |
| Booster Pumps | Buffalo Pumps | 2 | USS Boxer CV-21 boiler room #4, per Becker deposition |
| Steam pumps (various types) | Defendant (A. W. Chesterson Co.) | 7 | At least 7 pumps installed in USS Boxer boiler rooms; 51 total pumps of numerous types sold for USS Boxer in 1940s with asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, or external insulation |
| Pumps (bilge) | A. W. Chesterson Co. | Installed in boiler rooms of USS Boxer; McKenzie replaced packing every few months for maintenance | |
| Pumps (fire) | A. W. Chesterson Co. | Installed aboard USS Boxer in boiler rooms; McKenzie disassembled and changed packing multiple times | |
| Pumps (steam) | A. W. Chesterson Co. | At least 7 installed in USS Boxer boiler rooms; insulated with 85 percent magnesia containing asbestos | |
| Steam pumps with insulation | defendant | Cylinders insulated with 85% magnesia material containing asbestos; encased in sheet metal housing | |
| Pump cylinders with asbestos metallic cloth ring | defendant | Asbestos metallic cloth ring encasing |
Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record
The following manufacturers and products are specifically documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation and Bureau of Ships records involving USS Boxer (CV-21):
Pumps — Buffalo Pumps: Buffalo Pumps (main feed pumps and booster pumps) are documented aboard USS Boxer CV-21 in publicly filed product identification records. Buffalo Pumps products contained asbestos gaskets and packing materials throughout this service period.
Pumps and packing — A.W. Chesterton Co.: A.W. Chesterton Co. steam pumps (bilge, fire, and general-service steam pumps) are documented aboard Boxer in publicly filed litigation records. Chesterton supplied braided asbestos packing used in pump glands and valve stuffing boxes across the Essex-class fleet.
Main Feed Pump Turbine — Bureau of Ships records: Bureau of Ships correspondence (Code 5812) documents main feed pump turbine records specific to USS Boxer CV-21. Part records shipped to Boxer are preserved in publicly filed litigation document productions.
Essex-class shared documentation: Publicly filed asbestos litigation identifies equipment “installed in the USS Boxer CV-21 and Essex Class Carriers” — establishing Boxer’s participation in the class-wide pattern of asbestos-containing boiler insulation, pipe covering, valve packing, and gaskets common to all Essex-class vessels. This includes the class-documented 250+ tons of amosite and chrysotile thermal insulation, Babcock & Wilcox main boilers, and Crane Co. steam valves.
Material inspection records (as LPH-4): Bureau of Ships material inspection records for USS Boxer (LPH-4) are preserved in the litigation corpus. Inspections conducted during her amphibious-assault conversion period document the engineering plant condition during the 1960s.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Boxer
The standard asbestos-containing materials installed throughout U.S. Navy aircraft carriers 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 Boxer 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 Boxer 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 entries derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation and publicly filed asbestos litigation specific to USS Boxer (CV-21 / LPH-4). Editorial review applied per site standards.
