USS AMERICA (CV-66)

Evidence

19 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-19).

1. [1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AMERICA' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS AMERICA' returned 659 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-america-cv66-cl-name-opinion

2. [2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AMERICA' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'USS AMERICA' returned 15318 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels

   Evidence ID

   uss-america-cv66-cl-name-docket

3. [3]CourtListener opinion search: 'CV-66' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener opinion search 'CV-66' returned 62803 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-america-cv66-cl-hull-opinion

4. [4]CourtListener docket search: 'CV-66' [court_record]

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener docket search 'CV-66' returned 645368 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed

   Evidence ID

   uss-america-cv66-cl-hull-docket

5. [5]Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. Watson, 243 Va. 128, 413 S.E.2d 630 (Va. Jan. 10, 1992), Record No. 910073 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion cluster 1331037 (Supreme Court of Virginia, Hassell, J.); verbatim opinion text retrieved

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. Watson, 243 Va. 128, 413 S.E.2d 630 (1992). Opinion text (CourtListener cluster 1331037, verbatim): Wilbert Watson began work at Newport News Shipbuilding May 25, 1964; during his first six months as a pipe coverer he spent 'the majority of his time insulating pipes and valves on the aircraft carrier America,' handling asbestos-containing insulation daily in 'the reactor, engine, and boiler rooms.' Pipe-coverer foreman John C. Scruggs Jr. testified Owens-Corning's Kaylo was 'the predominant type of asbestos block used on the America' during Watson's work period and that 30-40 cartons of Kaylo were typically stored on the America's flight deck. Jury verdict: $900,000 compensatory + $100,000 punitive; judgment affirmed on appeal.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   work period May-November 1964; trial and appeal through January 10, 1992

   Population

   construction-period shipyard workforce aboard hull (pipe coverers/insulators); by extension commissioned crew for any retained material

   Limitations

   Affirmed-judgment-stage litigation evidence: sworn trial testimony plus appellate affirmance - the strongest procedural posture located for this hull. Identifies Kaylo asbestos block as predominant aboard during Watson's May-November 1964 work window (post-launch fit-out at Newport News). Does not enumerate other products, ship-wide locations, dose, or crew exposure after commissioning. The opinion's 'reactor, engine, and boiler rooms' phrasing is loose drafting - CV-66 was conventionally powered; Watson also worked on nuclear submarines at NNS - quoted verbatim and flagged. Litigation testimony evidences product identification and work practice, not a hull material survey.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-america-cv66-01

6. [6]Gehant v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., 2:20-cv-381 (E.D. Va.), Mem. Op. denying summary judgment (Mar. 3, 2022) [court_record]

   Locator

   govinfo docket landing USCOURTS-vaed-2_20-cv-00381 (JS shell, no posted documents); opinion full text verified via public mirror (brownsims opinion archive / exa.ai)

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Gehant v. Foster Wheeler Energy Corp., No. 2:20-cv-381 (E.D. Va.), memorandum opinion filed March 3, 2022, denying Foster Wheeler's summary-judgment motion. Court recites: the Navy contracted with Foster Wheeler to manufacture boilers for aircraft carriers including USS America; plaintiff Jerome Gehant served aboard America March 1967-December 1970 as a boiler technician; a co-sailor described scraping and replacing asbestos insulation on the boilers roughly monthly; a 1954 Foster Wheeler boiler-manual diagram in evidence lists asbestos insulating cement and asbestos gaskets. Exposure alleged from boiler insulation, gaskets, cement, and packing disturbed by maintenance.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   service aboard 1967-1970; litigation through March 3, 2022

   Population

   engineering-plant crew, specifically boiler technicians, 1967-1970

   Limitations

   Summary-judgment posture: pleadings plus discovery record, no trial finding. Boiler-supply recital and asbestos-component allegations are taken in the light most favorable to plaintiff for SJ purposes - they are uncontested for the motion, not adjudicated fact. Product identification rests on the litigation record (Navy contract recital, manual diagram, co-sailor testimony), not an independently retrieved procurement document. Outcome after the SJ denial not determined. Not indexed in CourtListener's opinion search (unreported district memorandum) - see ledger.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-america-cv66-02

7. [7]Cox v. Foster Wheeler LLC, 2:24-cv-00305-HB (E.D. Pa.), Doc. 198 memorandum and Doc. 199 order (Sept. 15, 2026) [court_record]

   Locator

   govinfo USCOURTS-paed-2_24-cv-00305 granule PDFs (Doc. 198 memorandum; Doc. 199 order) - verbatim text retrieved

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Cox v. Foster Wheeler LLC et al., No. 2:24-cv-00305-HB (E.D. Pa.), memorandum (Doc. 198, filed Sept. 15, 2026; order Doc. 199): the court granted John Crane's motion to exclude Captain Woodruff's opinion that John Crane products were aboard USS America from 1970 to 1974, after plaintiff conceded 'there is no evidence identifying the products onboard the USS America between 1970 and 1974' and no intent to elicit such testimony. Decedent's Navy service aboard USS America during that window is recited in the litigation record.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   service window at issue 1970-1974; ruling September 15, 2026

   Limitations

   Merits-level negative on a proffered product identification, per batch litigation-stage discipline: the exclusion means no adjudicated product finding exists for John Crane aboard this hull in 1970-74. It does NOT establish that John Crane products were or were not aboard, and says nothing about other manufacturers. Recorded as a negative finding - never as exposure evidence and never as affirmative evidence of absence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-america-cv66-03

8. [8]BVA Decision, Citation No. 1338260 (Board of Veterans' Appeals, Nov. 21, 2013; archived Dec. 6, 2013) [court_record]

   Locator

   Official VA BVA decisions archive, full text

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation No. 1338260 (Nov. 21, 2013): veteran reported that 'between November 1974 and June 1975 he was assigned to the USS America CVA-66, where he was in port for 1 year performing an overhaul assignment to the ship'; he completed a Navy Asbestos Survey Questionnaire in February 1986 reporting he was 'unsure if he was installing or removing asbestos'; in June 1986 he was placed in the Asbestos Monitoring Surveillance Program. The Board remanded with direction to concede in-service asbestos exposure.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   assignment November 1974-June 1975; questionnaire February 1986; AMSP placement June 1986; decision November 21, 2013

   Population

   one veteran; overhaul-period shipyard and crew population by analogy

   Limitations

   Individual administrative record: the Board's concession of in-service asbestos exposure spans the veteran's approximately 17-year Navy career - it is service-wide, not a ship-specific finding. The record corroborates that a servicemember performed a year-long overhaul assignment aboard during 1974-75 (consistent with the ship's documented Norfolk Naval Shipyard yard history) and that Navy asbestos-surveillance processes engaged his America service. It identifies no product, shipboard location, quantity, or ship-wide inventory.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-america-cv66-04

9. [9]DANFS, America III (CVA-66), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Live NHHC page; full entry retrieved via browser-UA fetch (plain fetch returns 404 - UA filter, not absence)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'America III (CVA-66)' (NHHC, live page verified this session): laid down January 1, 1961 at Newport News by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp.; launched February 1, 1964; commissioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard January 23, 1965. Spec block: displacement 83,573; length 1,048'; beam 249'; draft 38'; complement 5,186; class Kitty Hawk. Yard history: nine-month Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul from January 24, 1969; Norfolk restricted availability 1971; repairs and alterations at NNSY from November 6, 1979 through much of 1980; NNSY overhaul November 20, 1986-February 11, 1988. Five Vietnam battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1961-1988 (entry coverage)

   Population

   ship's company plus embarked air wing (5,186 per spec block)

   Limitations

   Official milestones, complement, and yard chronology. Narrative coverage ends with the 1986-88 overhaul - decommissioning (1996) and sinking (2005) are not in this entry; covered by NNS050419-14 and press rows. No material-composition content. Laid-down date of January 1, 1961 conflicts with the NVR-derived January 9, 1961 in the class profile - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-america-cv66-05

10. [10]NNS050419-14, navy.mil story_id=17984 (April 19, 2005) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Wayback capture of navy.mil release (2013 crawl)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Navy News Service release NNS050419-14, 'Carrier Ex-America Departs Philadelphia' (April 19, 2005, story_id=17984): ex-America departed the Philadelphia inactive-ships facility under tow for its final mission as a live-fire test, evaluation, and weapons-effect platform supporting next-generation carrier design; release recounts the August 9, 1996 decommissioning at Norfolk and nine years in the inactive fleet.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-17 (capture text verified by Batch 10); re-verification attempted 2026-09-19 - Wayback HTTP 429

    Study period

    release April 19, 2005; recounts 1996-2005 inactive period

    Limitations

    Official release for departure and program description; the archived capture was verified 2026-09-17 but Wayback rate-limiting prevented re-verification this session - departure date and test-program facts are independently corroborated by contemporaneous AP reporting (ev-uss-america-cv66-07). The release describes test objectives, not the material condition of the hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-06

11. [11]Associated Press via NBC News: 'Navy plans to sink America' (Mar. 3, 2005); 'Aircraft carrier laid to rest on bottom of Atlantic' (May 20, 2005) [reputable_press]

    Locator

    NBC News AP wire pieces wbna7081234 (Mar. 3, 2005) and wbna7925696 (May 20, 2005) - full text retrieved

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Contemporaneous AP reporting: (a) March 3, 2005 - Navy announces plan to sink America in explosive tests costing ~$22 million; NAVSEA spokeswoman Pat Dolan states 'The Navy has already removed some materials from the ship that could cause environmental damage after it sinks'; veterans held a February 25, 2005 farewell ceremony, artifacts removed for museums. (b) May 20, 2005 - America sunk May 14 after ~25 days of explosions, unmanned, resting 'about 60 miles off the coast and more than 6,000 feet down' per Dolan; no announcement made at the time.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    March-May 2005

    Population

    none aboard (unmanned test)

    Limitations

    Reputable wire reporting quoting a named NAVSEA spokeswoman - reliable for the sinking date, position statement, cost, unmanned status, and the materials-removal statement. 'Some materials removed' is not itemized; which materials (and how much asbestos, if any) is not stated - the PCB remainder figure is in ev-uss-america-cv66-09. The ~60-mile position conflicts with the ~300-nmi figure in the 2012 AP retrospective - unreconciled, see gaps.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-07

12. [12]DOT&E FY2006 Annual Report, Navy Programs - CVN 21 (Director, Operational Test and Evaluation) [other_primary]

    Locator

    PDF full text retrieved via globalsecurity.org document mirror (official DoD report)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    DOT&E FY2006 Annual Report, CVN 21 section: the Navy conducted a four-test LFT&E series including 'testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, "test pond" of a 1/4-scale section of the CVN 21 replicated an underwater explosion test event on the ex-America (a decommissioned aircraft carrier)'; 'significant progress continues on the vulnerability assessment report based on the Navy's extensive modeling and simulation analyses comparing data to the ex-America sinking exercise during the summer of 2005.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    FY2006 report covering summer 2005 test series

    Limitations

    Primary government document confirming the sinking's role in the CVN 21 vulnerability assessment and the Aberdeen replication shot. Contains no material-condition or hazmat content for the hull. Report section extracted verbatim from the mirrored PDF; the mirror host is reputable but not the issuing agency site.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-08

13. [13]AP Enterprise, 'Navy Sinkex raises pollution fear' (Mar. 3, 2012) [reputable_press]

    Locator

    Salon.com AP Enterprise wire text (same piece at foxnews.com, heraldtribune.com) - full text retrieved

    Finding type

    environmental_record

    Finding

    AP Enterprise review of Navy sinking-exercise records (March 3, 2012): 'Navy documents state that among the toxic substances left onboard the America were more than 500 pounds of PCBs'; the carrier 'came to rest... about 300 nautical miles southeast of Norfolk, Va.'; disposal cost more than $22 million. Context: EPA exempted SINKEX from federal toxic-pollution laws the year after a 1999 agreement conditioned on toxics documentation, with sinkings at least 50 nmi offshore in at least 6,000 ft.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    2005 sinking; review published March 3, 2012

    Limitations

    The >500 lb PCB figure is attributed to Navy documents by AP - the underlying document was not independently retrieved (FOIA survivability report remains an open lead). Establishes retained toxics aboard at sinking and is the closest located ship-specific hazmat datum; it quantifies PCBs, not asbestos - no asbestos figure exists in any located source. The ~300 nmi position conflicts with the contemporaneous ~60-mile NAVSEA statement - unreconciled, see gaps.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-09

14. [14]NavSource Naval History, USS America (CV-66), navsource.org/archives/02/66.htm [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource CV-66 page - content cross-checked earlier this session; final-pass fetch failed (site unreachable from environment, transient)

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    NavSource Naval History, USS America (CV-66) page: machinery spec block - 8 boilers, 4 G.E. geared steam turbines, 4 screws, 280,000 shp; decommissioned and stricken August 9, 1996; crew figures 4,154-4,580; NARA-captioned shipyard photographs documenting Norfolk Naval Shipyard periods including the 1969 DSRA and a circa-1980 availability.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1961-2005

    Population

    crew 4,154-4,580 (NavSource accounting)

    Limitations

    Respected secondary reference used for the machinery spec block, stricken date, and yard-photo captions only - official milestones come from DANFS. Crew range 4,154-4,580 conflicts with the official DANFS complement of 5,186 (different accounting: ship's company vs. ship-plus-air-wing) - unreconciled, see gaps. Final-pass re-fetch failed (connection refused); content was verified earlier in the session and matches Batch-10's independently verified extraction.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-10

15. [15]CourtListener API v4 opinion search sweeps, 2026-09-19 [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-america-cv66-03 through sl-uss-america-cv66-06

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CourtListener opinion-index result for this hull: "carrier America" asbestos returns exactly one hit - Owens-Corning v. Watson (cluster 1331037, the ev-01 record). "USS America" asbestos and "USS America" mesothelioma return zero; "CVA-66" asbestos zero; "CV-66" asbestos returns three name collisions (Creech, Dutch West Indies Trading, Cochran v. SEC); "America (CV-66)" surfaces two non-asbestos matters naming the hull (Duwors military-review case; Cushing v. Tetter due-process case). Gehant and Cox are not indexed in CL's opinion search (unreported district memoranda) and were verified via govinfo; a further CL sweep for Gehant was throttled (HTTP 429, 125/day shared quota).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    searches run 2026-09-19

    Limitations

    Documents both a positive (Watson) and the index's limits: exact-name queries miss Watson because the opinion says 'aircraft carrier America,' never 'USS America,' and miss Gehant/Cox entirely because unreported district memoranda are not scraped. A null CL result is a search-outcome artifact, not a fact about the ship - this row corrects Batch-10's 'zero qualifying hits' conclusion, which narrower queries produced. Settled and unindexed matters (e.g., Lindenmayer) are invisible to the index.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-11

16. [16]Batch-234 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, NVR, NHHC command-history index, govinfo USCOURTS packages, VA BVA archive, AP wire archives, NavSource [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-america-cv66-01 through sl-uss-america-cv66-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No hull insulation survey, abatement contract, ship-specific asbestos-quantity figure, or pre-sinking asbestos disclosure was located in any public source searched (DANFS, NVR, NHHC command histories, govinfo, VA BVA archive, AP/UPI wire archives, NavSource photo captions). The only ship-specific hazmat quantity found is the >500 lb PCB figure in Navy documents cited by AP.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    searches run 2026-09-19

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - litigation testimony (ev-01, ev-02) establishes asbestos materials were installed. The gap is in survey/abatement-type documentation. The hull is destroyed (sunk 2005), foreclosing any future direct survey; the FOIA-released survivability report may contain material-condition detail and remains an open lead.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-12

17. [17]U.S. Navy ship-disposal EIS language as carried in kitty-hawk-class.class.json (ships-worktrees/class-d); construction dates per DANFS (ev-05) [other_primary]

    Locator

    class profile ev rows (EIS-0524 era statement; era application list) - background only per batch protocol

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Class/era context only: a 1961-1965 Newport News construction window is peak-era for marine asbestos applications. The Navy's own environmental impact statement for the ship-disposal program states asbestos-containing material 'is found throughout Navy ships' of the era. Kitty Hawk-class era applications documented in the class profile include pipe covering, block insulation, insulating cement, gaskets, and packing on steam plants.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    construction era 1961-1965; EIS program documentation 1990s-2000s

    Limitations

    Class/era evidence may prioritize research but NEVER becomes a ship-specific finding: it cannot establish installation aboard this hull, locations, or exposure. Included to contextualize the ship-specific litigation record (Watson's Kaylo identification is the era-typical product this context predicts).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-13

18. [18]GAO HRD-80-2, Navy asbestos insulation policies (title/abstract page verified) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page verified; full-text PDF returned HTTP 403 this session

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO HRD-80-2, 'Asbestos in Navy Ships' (1979-80 era report): documents the Navy's insulation-material policies - post-1975 procurement of non-asbestos insulation and the 1979 policy that existing asbestos insulation typically remained in place unless disturbed by yard work - relevant because America's repeated Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhauls (1969, 1974-75, 1979-80, 1986-88) were exactly the disturbance events that triggered removal-and-replacement.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    policies of 1975 and 1979; report circa 1979-1980

    Population

    fleet-wide

    Limitations

    Navy-wide policy context, not a ship-specific finding: the report characterizes fleet-wide insulation policy, not this hull's material. The 1979 retention policy makes yard-disturbance events the decisive variable for this ship's installed-material history - and DANFS documents several such events - but which compartments were disturbed and what was reinstalled is undocumented. Full text blocked (403); policy characterization rests on the abstract page and the class profile's earlier extraction.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-14

19. [19]BuShips Technical Manual ch. 39 era insulation specification (via kitty-hawk-class.class.json ev rows) [other_primary]

    Locator

    class profile era-specification row - background only per batch protocol

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Bureau of Ships Technical Manual era specification (ch. 39 insulation, as carried in the Kitty Hawk class profile): marine insulation specifications of the construction era called for asbestos-containing pipe covering, block, and cement on high-temperature steam systems - the application categories matching Watson's described pipe-and-valve covering work aboard America in 1964.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    construction-era specifications

    Limitations

    Specification-level era context only - a manual describes what the era specified, not what was installed on this hull. Consistent with, but not proof of, the ship-specific Kaylo identification in ev-01. Retained so the record shows the era-application categories the litigation record independently confirms.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-america-cv66-15