USS Independence (CV-62) — Equipment Manifest & Asbestos Exposure Record

USS Independence (CV-62) was a Forrestal-class supercarrier commissioned 10 January 1959 and serving the U.S. Navy through 30 September 1998 — 39 years of continuous service including Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine, Vietnam War operations, Lebanon, Beirut, the 1986 Libya strikes, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis. The 16-entry equipment manifest below documents key machinery installed aboard, with manufacturer attribution from BUSHIPS records.

Equipment Manifest

Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record

The following manufacturers and products are specifically documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation involving USS Independence (CV-62):

Boilers:

• Erie City Iron Works (Zurn Industries) — boilers with asbestos-containing insulation specified for use thereon
• Babcock & Wilcox and Foster Wheeler — 1200 PSI D-type boilers referenced in plaintiff expert materials
• Bailey Meter Co. — boiler controls

Forced draft blowers and air compressors:

• Hardie-Tynes Mfg Co. — main forced draft blowers
• Worthington Corp. — high-pressure ship’s service and O2N2 air compressors
• Ingersoll-Rand — 30 cu. ft. high-pressure air compressors

Valves (asbestos gaskets and packing documented):

• Crane Co. — gate valves, globe stop valves, globe stop check valves; 1500 LB, 600 LB, 300 LB, and 150 LB auxiliary steam series; 4"-1500 LB auxiliary steam motor-operated gate valves; 8" auxiliary exhaust motor-operated gate valves (per NavShips Technical Manuals 348-1291, 348-1293, 348-1294)
• Leslie Controls — valves regulating high-temperature, high-pressure steam
• ASCO Valves — primary valve brand identified by a machinist who regularly removed and replaced worn gaskets and packing during 1959+ service
• Nimco — valves
• Yarway — steam traps; equipped with internal gaskets, used to remove condensate and gases from steam systems

Pumps (asbestos gaskets and packing documented):

• Warren Pumps — pump packing, internal gaskets, and flange gaskets on associated piping
• Goulds Pumps — pump packing and gaskets

Gaskets and packing:

• Garlock — asbestos gaskets and packing; identified in deposition testimony as used by the boiler tender (1968–1972) aboard Independence

Insulation quantity: 250–325 tons of thermal insulation estimated aboard a carrier of this type; “no asbestos abatement occurred aboard Independence during service period” per deposition testimony.

Main propulsion turbines: Westinghouse (insulated in the same fashion as USS Essex); maintenance of generators and main propulsion units was exclusively within the purview of Machinist’s Mates.

Documented crew — ratings and service periods:

• Boiler Tender (BT) — served approximately 1968–1972; maintained boilers with Crane/Leslie valves, Yarway steam traps, Warren/Goulds pumps; used Garlock gaskets and packing
• Fireman / Machinist’s Mate — 1966–1969 service on Independence (CVA-62)
• Pipefitter, Machinist’s Mate, Rigger/Shipfitter, Electrician’s Mate, Fireman — multiple ratings documented in publicly filed declarations and depositions covering boiler room work approximately 1968–1972

Litigation: Multiple publicly filed cases covering boiler room exposure, valve packing/gasket replacement, and ASCO/Nimco valve maintenance (1959+ service). No settlement amounts in public record.

Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Independence

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 Independence 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 Independence 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 derived from public-record BUSHIPS documentation specific to USS Independence (CV-62). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.