USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) was a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier (lead ship) that served the U.S. Navy from 1961 through 2009 — a 48-year service life that places her squarely within the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy ship construction. Across her service, Kitty Hawk’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 Kitty Hawk. 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 Engines (turbine) | GE | 4 | |
| Reduction Gear | GE | 4 | |
| Boilers | Foster Wheeler | 8 | |
| Forced Draft Blower | Hardie-Tynes | 24 | |
| Distilling Plants | Cleaver Brooks | 2 | |
| Distilling Plants | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | |
| Refrigeration Plant Compressor | Carrier | 1 | |
| Refrigeration Plant Compressor | York | 4 | |
| Ship Service Generator | Westinghouse | 10 | |
| Emergency Diesel | GE | 1 | |
| Air Compressors | Ingersoll-Rand | 1 | |
| Air Compressors | Worthington | 4 | |
| Steam Governor | Mason-Nielson | ||
| Steam Control Valves | Mason-Nielson | ||
| Regulator Valve | Mason-Nielson | ||
| Exhaust Air Operated Dumping Valve | Leslie | ||
| Regulator or Governor | Leslie | ||
| Pump Regulator | Leslie | ||
| Level Indicator | Jerguson | ||
| Water Level Indicator | Jerguson | ||
| Safety Valve | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | 2 1/2" IPS Type 1553 1 1/2 Bore for FW Boilers | |
| Turbines | GE | ||
| 3000 psi Air Compressor | Ingersoll-Rand | ||
| 85 psi Air Compressor | Worthington | ||
| Fire Control Switchboard | Terrier | ||
| Turbine Driven Main Feed Pumps | Ingersoll-Rand | ||
| Motor Certification | Electro Dynamic | ||
| Bronze Braided Less Reinforcing Wire | American Co. | ||
| 1500 kw Generator Condenser Condensate Pump | Warren | ||
| Main Propulsion Gears | GE | ||
| Fresh Water Booster Pump | Buffalo | ||
| A.C. Motor | Reliance Electric | ||
| Ventilation Fans | Buffalo Forge | ||
| Main Condensate Circulating Pumps | Warren | ||
| Vertical Propeller Pumps | Warren | ||
| 2 1/2" Valve | Mason-Neilan | ||
| Steam Chest | Carrier | ||
| Control Valve Flange | Mason-Neilan | ||
| Relief Valves, Flanged, 3" for Main Feed Pump Discharge | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Economizers | FW | ||
| Soot Blowers | Vulcan | ||
| Pressure Reducing Valves | Leslie | ||
| Diaphragm Control Valve | Leslie | ||
| Relief Valves for Various Piping Systems | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Diesel Oil Transfer Pumps (JP-5 System) | DeLaval | ||
| Electric Motors for Aux. JP-5 | Reliance | ||
| AC Magnetic Controller for Aux JP-5 Pump | Cutler-Hammer | ||
| 1" Relief Valve | Kunkle | ||
| Desuperheater-Reducing Valves, Control Equip. & Accessories | Copes-Vulcan | ||
| Globe Stop, Globe Stop Check & Globe Needle Valve | Velan Steam Specialties, Inc. | ||
| Wing Tank Flooding and Misc. Control Valves | Cla-Val Company | ||
| Gate Valves for Cleaning Fluid Systems | The Okadee Company | ||
| Flanged Relief Valves | J.E. Lonergan Co. | ||
| Feed Water Regulator for FW Boilers | General Regulator | ||
| Globe Valve | Crane | ||
| 2 1/2" Globe Valve Y Pattern, Flgd. w/ Indicator | M. Greenberg's Sons | ||
| Automatic Controls for Main Boilers | Copes-Vulcan | Booster Valve, Air Locking Valve, Feed Water Regulator, Air Pack Air Reducing Valve, Moore Valve Positioner, Cash Air Locking Valve for FW Boilers | |
| 8" Gate Valve – 1500 lb, Operates Keller Air Motor for Steam to Catapults | Crane | ||
| 1/2" Separator for Ships Service | Carlisle and Hammond Co. | ||
| 1/2" Globe Valves | M, M, & M/Hancock Div. | ||
| Globe Stop Valve for Boiler Combustion & Feedwater Control System | M, M, & M/Hancock Div. | ||
| Marine Combustion and Feedwater Control System (FW boilers) | General Regulator Co. | ||
| 2 1/2", 2" and 3" Counter Measure System Valve & Onboard Repair Parts | Cla-Val | ||
| Angle Stop Valve for Boiler and Deaerating Feed Tank Water Sampling Coolers | Edward Valves, Inc. | ||
| Pump Throttle Valve | Mason-Neilan | ||
| Turbine Drives/Parts | Carrier | ||
| Catapult Water Brake Pump | Allis-Chalmers | ||
| Feed Water Regulator installed on test boilers | Copes-Vulcan | ||
| 6" 250# Strainer | Leslie | ||
| Test Boilers Water Gauges Front and Rear | Jerguson Gauge & Valve | ||
| Spring Washers | Yarnall-Warring/Yarway | ||
| Forced Draft Blowers | Hardie-Tynes | ||
| 3/8" Relief Valve | Combination Pump Valve Co | ||
| Control Valves Revers Acting Balanced Single Seat | Foster Engineering Div. | ||
| Electric Tachometers Indicators | Hardie-Tynes | ||
| Main Feed Pump Valves | Byron Jackson | ||
| 4B M.F. Pump | Ingersoll-Rand | serial No. 0257-3127 | |
| 2 1/2" Steam Drum Safety Valves for Main Boilers | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Desuperheater Drain Control Valves | Manning, Maxwell & Moore | ||
| Lifting Gear for Main Propulsion Turbines | GE | ||
| 2" 600 psi and 1500 psi Bonnet less Globe and Angle Valve | Velan Valve Corp. | ||
| Tru-Scale Remote Reading Level Indicator (FW Boiler) | Jerguson | ||
| Remote Level Indicator | Bailey | ||
| Boilers and Automatic Combustion Control System | FW | ||
| Fuel and Lube Oil Service Pumps | DeLaval |
Documented Asbestos Products — Litigation Record
The following asbestos-containing products and manufacturers are specifically documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation involving USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63):
Thermal insulation:
- Approximately 150 tons (300,000 pounds) of amosite asbestos thermal insulation documented aboard Kitty Hawk alone
- Johns Manville pipe covering insulation — identified by brand in Kitty Hawk cases
- Unibestos insulation — identified by product name in Kitty Hawk cases
- Kaylo 10 block insulation (Owens-Illinois / Owens Corning) — documented on boiler exterior, mud drum, and steam drum surfaces; handhold plugs (50–60 plugs per header, approximately 16–18 headers per boiler)
Gaskets and packing:
- Garlock compressed asbestos gaskets and asbestos packing — identified by deponent who saw “Garlock” and “asbestos” on packaging labels and stamped into the gaskets themselves; gasket and packing work performed “a couple of times per week” during service 1974–1984
- Leslie Controls valves — asbestos gaskets and packing; Yarway steam traps and valves — asbestos gaskets and packing
Crane Co. valves:
- Deposition testimony states Kitty Hawk “contained ’thousands of valves,’ the majority of which Defendant Crane manufactured”; each valve required asbestos gasket replacement as part of routine maintenance
Documented work methods generating exposure:
- Cutting Garlock gaskets with a knife and gasket cutter
- Removing gaskets with a flat screwdriver and electric-powered wire wheel
- Cutting packing with a knife; removing packing with a packing hook
- Opening valve bonnets to replace gaskets and packing “a couple of times per week”
Documented worker (rating): Boiler plant machinery repairman (E-6); service period 1974–1984 aboard Kitty Hawk; work performed in boiler rooms, engine rooms, and mechanical spaces.
Note: Pre-1973 refractory materials contained asbestos. By 1982, asbestos materials were posted with notices following a yard overhaul.
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Kitty Hawk
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 Kitty Hawk 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 Kitty Hawk 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 Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
