EXHIBIT 99.1

(NATCOGROUP LOGO)

2950 North Loop West, Suite 700
Houston, TX  77092                                                PRESS RELEASE
PHONE: (713) 685-8082   FAX: (713) 683-7841

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NATCO GROUP INC. TO REVISE 3Q CASH FLOW STATEMENT     HOUSTON, DECEMBER 23, 2004
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NATCO Group Inc. (NYSE: NTG) announced today that, subsequent to the issuance of
its consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 30,
2004, the company discovered errors in the support schedules used for the
preparation of the Consolidated Condensed Statement of Cash Flows that resulted
in the misclassification of several cash flow items. These errors did not impact
revenues or net income. NATCO Group intends to restate the Consolidated
Condensed Statement of Cash Flows included in the Consolidated Financial
Statements that are contained in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
period ended September 30, 2004 as promptly as practicable following completion
of the review of the report by the company's registered independent public
accounting firm. Therefore, the audit committee of our board of directors has
concluded that the previously issued Consolidated Condensed Statement of Cash
Flows contained in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended
September 30, 2004 should not be relied upon.

NATCO Group Inc. is a leading provider of wellhead process equipment, systems
and services used in the production of oil and gas. NATCO has designed,
manufactured and marketed production equipment and services for more than 75
years. NATCO production equipment is used onshore and offshore in most major oil
and gas producing regions of the world.

Statements made in this press release that are forward-looking in nature are
intended to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and may involve risks and uncertainties.
These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results.
Readers are referred to documents filed by NATCO Group Inc. with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, which
identifies significant risk factors which could cause actual results to differ
from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

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