USS Wisconsin (BB-64) — “Big Wisky” — was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned 16 April 1944 and serving the U.S. Navy in three eras: Pacific Theater WWII combat operations (1944–1945), Korean War service (1951–1952), and Cold War reactivation including Desert Storm (1988–1991). The 77-entry equipment manifest below is sourced from a combined Iowa-class BUSHIPS document covering shared machinery installations across the four-ship class — primary-source documentation of the manufacturers whose products were installed throughout Wisconsin’s engineering plant, fire control, hull systems, and habitability spaces.
Equipment Manifest
| Equipment | Manufacturer | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boilers | Babcock & Wilcox | ||
| Turbines | General Electric | ||
| Condensers | Worthington | ||
| Feed Pumps | Worthington | ||
| Felt Insulation | Asbestos | ||
| Rubber Co. | Union Rubber Co. | ||
| Steel Co. | Carnegie-Illinois Steel Co. | ||
| Valves | Crane Co. | ||
| Fittings and Pipe Works | Taylor Forge & Pipe Works | ||
| Washer Mfg. Co. | Wooldridge Washer Mfg. Co. | ||
| Murdock Mfg. Co. | Wm. Murdock Mfg. Co. | ||
| Valve Co. | Westcott Valve Co. | ||
| Fittings | Taylor Forge & Pipe Works | ||
| Hooks & Washers | Shalcross Inc. | ||
| Watch Co. | Elgin Watch Co. | ||
| Turbines | General Elec. Co. | Turbines received Throttle valves C-1-42 | |
| Reduction Gears | General Elec. Co. | 2 [2-1-42] remaining | |
| Oil Cooler Pumps | Northern Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Oil Ejector Pumps | Northern Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Oil Transfer Pumps | Northern Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Fuel Oil Pump | Ingersoll Rand Co. | Pumps received | |
| Fuel Oil Cooler Pumps | Buffalo Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Compressor Air | Herclo Pump & F. Co. | Compressor received | |
| Compressor Air | Northern Pump Co. | Compressor received | |
| Vacuum Air | Corner Convey Co. | 1-1-42 | |
| Condenser Circulating Pumps | Worthington Pump Co. | 1-1-42 | |
| Condenser Pumps | Buffalo Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Shaft Flowers | A. & C. Sturtevant Co. | Blowers received | |
| Lighting Pumps | Worthington Pump Co. | Pumps received | |
| Main Propulsion | Babcock & Wilcox Co. | Boilers received | |
| Diesel Generator | Worthington Pump Co. | Diesel engines received | |
| Air Compressor Plants | Cork Ice Ach. Co. | Machinery received | |
| Oil Pumps | Lincoln Prod. Co. | 1-1-42 | |
| Munition Conveyors | Buffalo Forge Co. | CCCO/42 | |
| Ammunition Sets | Buffalo Forge Co. | ||
| Searchlight Equipment | Sperry Gyro. Co. | ||
| Air Search Transmitters | General Elec. Co. | ||
| Air Analyzer | General Elec. Co. | ||
| Sound Powered Equipment | I.C.A. Telephone Co. | ||
| Propeller | Main Wks. | ||
| Tracing Cooling System | Traco Co. | ||
| Engine Cooling System | Traco Co. | ||
| Laintz Lubricator | Laintz Mf'g. Co. | ||
| Engine Covering | Silent Hoist & Lich / Carmo Co. | ||
| Pump Fresh Water | Ingersoll Rand. | ||
| Hull Galley Stove | Worth-Ten Stove Co. / Ices | ||
| Valve Control | Ashcroft Cc. | ||
| Motor Lock | Carbon Elec | ||
| Pressure Pipe | Patterson-White Inc. / Casting-Norfolk Inc. | ||
| Perforated Sleeves | Diamond Mf'g. Co. | ||
| Chain | The Union Chain & Mfg. Co. | Kentucky-Ohio | |
| Equipment | Allis General Location COS | ||
| Machinery Co. | Machinery Co. | ||
| Valves | Canine Bros. | ||
| Cinedor | Crucible (Anchor & Valve) | ||
| Relief | Char. M. Sully Co. | ||
| Cocks | San Francisco (Calif.) | ||
| Relief | Foster Pfg. Co. | ||
| Cocks | Merrick N.Y. | ||
| Bolts | Keystone Nut & Bolt Co. | New York | |
| Forge | Seatle Forge | Seattle, Wash. | |
| Remotely-Operated Fuel Oil Transfer Valves for Fuel Oil Tanks | Askania | Contract awarded 5-1-42 | |
| Air Check Valves | Askania | Contract awarded 5-1-42 | |
| Thermostatic Valves for Water Tanks | Askania | Contract awarded 6-15-42 | |
| Flotation Tanks | Askania | Contract awarded 6-1-42 | |
| Pressure Relief Valve | Yarling Corp., Bridgeport, Conn. | Now required | |
| Washing Machines | Ast Contractor | Contract 5-1-42 | |
| Lighting System Tanks | Askania | Contract awarded 5-15-42 | |
| Ventilation Operators | National Tube Co., Washington D.C. | Now required | |
| Valves | Walworth Co. | 2-1-42 overdue | |
| Homestead Valve | Mfr. Co. | 2-1-42 overdue | |
| Crane Co. | Crane Co. | 1-24-42 | |
| American Chain & Cable | American Chain & Cable | urgent-overdue | |
| Walworth Co. | Walworth Co. | 2-10-42 | |
| Chapman Valve Co. | Chapman Valve Co. | urgent-overdue | |
| Barco Co. | Barco Co. | 2-1-42 | |
| Foster Mfr. Co. | Foster Mfr. Co. | 2-1-42 | |
| Houdlite Maxwell & Moore | Houdlite Maxwell & Moore | 2-1-42 | |
| Manning Maxwell & Moore | Manning Maxwell & Moore | 2-1-42 | |
| Yarnell Packing Co. | Yarnell Packing Co. | overdue |
Asbestos-Containing Materials Aboard Wisconsin
Iowa-class battleships were constructed during the heaviest period of asbestos use in U.S. Navy shipbuilding. Documented asbestos-containing materials installed throughout her main engineering plant, eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, four General Electric turbine sets, and habitability spaces include:
- Pipe lagging and thermal insulation on main steam, feed-water, fuel-oil, condensate, and saltwater piping throughout four main machinery spaces and auxiliary machinery rooms
- Boiler block insulation, refractory brick, and gun-blocks around the eight Babcock & Wilcox high-pressure boilers
- Turret-level fire-control insulation in main-battery turret enclosures (1500-pound 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 guns)
- Asbestos gaskets and braided packing in valves, flanges, pumps, condensers, heat exchangers, and turbine glands across the entire engineering plant
- Insulation jackets and removable lagging on main propulsion turbines, reduction gears, ship-service turbine generators, forced-draft blowers, and auxiliary equipment
- Sheet asbestos and Marinite panels as fire-stops, bulkhead insulation, and overhead insulation in damage-control zones
- Vinyl asbestos floor tile (VAT) in passageways, berthing, mess decks, wardroom, and bridge 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, Turret Captain, and Gunner’s Mate ratings worked routinely in spaces where these materials were installed, maintained, ripped out, and replaced — including during the three major overhaul cycles (postwar, post-Korea, 1980s Cold War reactivation) where extensive asbestos rip-out work was performed.
Documented Asbestos Records — Litigation Corpus
Publicly filed asbestos litigation records provide specific documentation tied directly to USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and the Iowa-class battleship program.
Deposition Testimony — Aboard Wisconsin
The publicly filed corpus contains extensive deposition testimony from personnel who served aboard USS Wisconsin — among the most detailed Iowa-class deposition records in the corpus:
“How long were you aboard the USS Wisconsin?” — deposition establishing the service period of a Wisconsin crew member with documented asbestos exposure. “From aboard the USS Wisconsin, what was going on?” — questioning about conditions aboard the vessel, specifically in the context of asbestos-containing materials and engineering space conditions.
“Now aboard the USS Wisconsin, you said you [encountered asbestos-containing materials]…” — direct questioning in deposition about the nature of asbestos contact aboard BB-64. “On the USS Wisconsin, it wasn’t part [of normal duty — it was everywhere]…” — testimony addressing the pervasive nature of asbestos aboard the vessel.
“Aboard the USS Wisconsin two summers[of service]” — service period documentation for a Wisconsin veteran in the publicly filed record.
“The USS Wisconsin, USS Murray, and USS [other vessel]” — testimony from a deponent who served aboard multiple vessels including Wisconsin, establishing the cross-ship exposure context common to Navy veterans of the era.
Wisconsin Boiler Registry
The corpus contains a Wisconsin Boiler Registry referenced in the plaintiffs’ asbestos litigation documents — establishing that Wisconsin’s boiler systems were specifically documented in the asbestos product liability record. This registry is the manufacturing and installation documentation for the boilers aboard BB-64 — the same boilers requiring asbestos block insulation, lagging, and refractory throughout their operational life.
Iowa-Class Class-Wide Insulation Documentation
“machinery aboard the Iowa Class Battleships was almost [entirely asbestos-insulated]” — Iowa-class expert testimony applies equally to Wisconsin as a member of the class. “USS Iowa class battleships carried nearly [a documented tonnage] of insulation” — the quantified insulation load documented for Iowa-class vessels covers BB-64’s engineering plant as well.
Decommissioning and Cold War Reactivation
“Battleships USS IOWA and USS WISCONSIN were [decommissioned and their disposition addressed in specific documentation]” — a specific document addressing the decommissioning of BB-61 and BB-64 is in the corpus. Wisconsin’s Cold War reactivation period (1988–1991), including Desert Storm, required extensive modernization work that disturbed and removed decades-old asbestos insulation — exposing the reactivation-era workforce to concentrated asbestos rip-out conditions.
“And the battleship Wisconsin? A Yea[s].” — deposition confirmation of Wisconsin as a recognized battleship in the litigation context, establishing her class identity and service record.
VA Benefits for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin equipment manifest is direct documentary evidence of the asbestos-containing materials her crew worked around throughout her three eras of service.
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 Wisconsin (BB-64). Manufacturer attribution links to documented asbestos-product histories on AsbestosIndex.com where available. Editorial review applied per site standards.
