Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 1009-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-aquila-phm4-pkt-1009-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Aquila (PHM-4), Vol. I Part A p.338 - construction, sponsor, commissioning at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Key West service narrative 1982-87 (verbatim transcription; live NHHC DANFS page 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. I Part A p.338 - service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'The second Aquila (PHM-4) was laid down on 10 July 1979 at Seattle (Renton), Wash., by Boeing Marine Systems; launched on 16 September 1981; sponsored by Mrs. John D. Bulkeley, the wife of Rear Admiral John D. Bulkeley, World War II PT-boat hero; and commissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 26 June 1982, Lt. Comdr. David M. Lee in command.' After fitting out she departed Bremerton 15 July 1982 in company with Taurus (PHM-3) and Frederick (LST-1184), transited the Panama Canal 8 August, and arrived Key West 11 August - her home port at the Trumbo Point Annex, NAS Key West. Service narrative: shakedown and post-shakedown repairs 1982-83; Grenada patrol/relief operations with Taurus and Aubrey Fitch (FFG-34) October-December 1983; Coast Guard drug-interdiction duty from May 1984; Caribbean special mission with Taurus fall 1984; restricted availability late July - mid-October 1985; FLEETEX 1-86 and Ocean Venture 86; A-7E Corsair special tests for CNO mid-1986. Entry closes with Aquila operating out of Key West as of the beginning of 1987. Spec block: dp. 214 (f.); l. 133'0"; b. 18'0"; dr. 6'0"; s. 51 k.; a. 1 76mm., 8 Harpoon; cl. Pegasus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979-1987 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Boeing Marine Systems construction trades (1979-82); crew (1982-forward); PSNS commissioning-period yard trades (Jun-Jul 1982)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry ends at the beginning of 1987 - the remaining six and a half years of service (1987-93) come from other rows. Live NHHC DANFS pages returned 404 on 2026-10-04 for all tried URL variants (aquila, aquila-i, aquila-ii, aquila-phm-4); verbatim transcription used via the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (hazegray.org itself fails DNS).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Combatant-Missile (Hydrofoil) Photo Archive, Aquila (PHM-4), 12/1604.htm - milestone timeline, specifications, commanding-officer list, photographic record (live page verified, HTTP 200) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1604.htm header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions (NH 96630; DN-ST-82-10870/71; DN-ST-90-01294/95; DN-SC-93-03749/50; DN-ST-93-05725/26/30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 10 July 1979 by Boeing Marine Systems, Seattle, Washington; launched 16 September 1981; commissioned 26 June 1982; decommissioned 30 July 1993; struck from the Naval Register 30 July 1993; sold for scrap 19 August 1996 by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service. Specifications: displacement 178 t. (lt) / 255 t. (fl); length 133'; beam 28'; 12 kts hullborne / 48 kts foilborne; complement 21; one 76mm Mk 75 gun and eight Harpoon missiles; two 1,600-bhp Mercedes-Benz diesels and one 18,000-shp GE LM2500 gas turbine driving waterjets. Six commanding officers listed, CDR David M. Lee (26 Jun 1982) through LCDR Jeffrey E. Kline (15 Dec 1992 - 30 Jul 1993). Photographic record documents NAS Key West arrival 11 August 1982 after a 5,000-mile voyage from Puget Sound (NH 96630), UNITAS XXV (1 June 1984), Key West moorage with Gemini 1986-89, and the 13 June 1993 six-unit PHMRON TWO formation en route to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek for decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979-1996
- Population
- Boeing construction trades (1979-82); crew (1982-93); DRMS/shipbreaker population (1996)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates track DANFS and the DRMS disposal line consistently with other sources. Contains no asbestos content. Spec-block figures conflict with the DANFS spec block and the class operational notebook (displacement 178/255 vs 214 f. vs 172/237 lt; beam 28' vs 18' vs 24' waterline - different measurement bases, see gaps). The 1996 scrapping location is not stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-02
-
[4]NavalCoverMuseum wiki, AQUILA PHM-4 - designation history and commissioning-cover postmark (live page verified) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum AQUILA PHM-4 page - designation history and postmark table (USPS Type 9 'Naval Base Sta.' Bremerton WA, 1982-06-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborates the milestone chain and the commissioning location: 'Keel Laid 10 July 1979 - Launched 16 September 1981 ... Commissioned 26 June 1982 - Decommissioned 30 July 1993 ... Struck from Naval Register 30 July 1993 ... Scrapped 19 August 1996.' A commissioning cover bears a USPS Type 9 'Naval Base Sta.' Bremerton, WA postmark dated 1982-06-26 - independently placing the commissioning event at Bremerton (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard) on the date DANFS gives; note states 'The ship had no postal facilities.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1982
- Population
- Crew and commissioning-yard trades present at Bremerton, June 1982
- Limitations
- Volunteer-operated postal-cover museum wiki; dates are keyed to physical covers and postmarks. Confirms place and date of commissioning, nothing else - no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-03
-
[5]PHM Operational Notebook, prepared by the Hydrofoil Group, Advanced Vehicles Division, David Taylor Research Center for Naval Sea Systems Command (PMS 314C), April 1989, Revision 1, 22 May 1990 (scan via International Hydrofoil Society, foils.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PHM Operational Notebook Rev.1, sections 1.1 'General Description' and 1.2 'Major Systems' (pp. 1-1ff); distribution list names USS AQUILA (PHM-4)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NAVSEA program documentation establishes the class's material and propulsion baseline: 'PHM has an all welded aluminum hull and superstructure with high strength stainless steel hydrofoils.' Foilborne propulsion is one GE LM2500 gas turbine (17,000 metric hp) driving an Aerojet axial-flow waterjet; hullborne propulsion is twin Mercedes MTU diesels (815 metric hp each) driving two Aerojet waterjets; a hydraulic bow thruster supplements. Displacement 175 t light / 241 t full; length 147 ft with struts retracted. There is no steam plant anywhere in the design - the boiler and steam-pipe insulation/lagging pathway that drove asbestos exposure on steam-era combatants does not exist on this class. A full-text search of the notebook returns zero occurrences of 'asbestos.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1989-1990 (document date); describes fleet as fielded
- Population
- PHM-class crews and maintainers (all hulls, 1977-93)
- Limitations
- Class-level document covering all six PHMs; Aquila is named on the distribution list but no system content is hull-specific. Absence of the word 'asbestos' in an operating manual does not establish a materials inventory - it does not rule out asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, thermal insulation around turbine/exhaust runs, adhesives, or electrical arc barriers, and it does not confirm them either. An operations notebook is not a construction material specification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-04
-
[6]International Defence Review, 'Western Military Hydrofoils Come of Age' (February 1982), scan via foils.org [reputable_press]
- Locator
- IDR February 1982, 'Western Military Hydrofoils Come of Age' - PHM program and production-craft sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Program context for the production series that includes PHM-4: the PHM began as a cooperative US-West German-Italian program; Germany withdrew and the US program was nearly terminated under the Carter administration until 'Congress guaranteed the future of the project by approving a $272.7 million contract for the construction of five further vessels' in 1977 - the five-ship series (PHM-2 through PHM-6) that includes this hull. The article names this hull directly: 'It has since been joined at the Bremerton Shipyard on Puget Sound by PHM-4 Aquila and PHM-5 Aries' - documenting Aquila physically present at the Bremerton yard (Puget Sound Naval Shipyard) in February 1982, ahead of her June 1982 commissioning. The article describes the class's 'all-welded structure of aluminium alloy with most of the machinery housed in three watertight compartments aft,' foils 'manufactured from stainless steel,' and the GE LM2500 foilborne powerplant uprated to 12,700 kW (~17,000 shp) for the production craft; the class is 'fitted out for a crew of 21.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1971-1982 (program history)
- Limitations
- Trade-press program history, not a government record; contract figure is program-level ($272.7M for five craft, not a per-hull award). The Bremerton mention places the hull at the yard in Feb 1982 but documents no work performed there. No asbestos content. The per-ship contract-award date of 20 October 1977 circulating in secondary sources was not verified against a primary contract record - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-05
-
[7]Shipyard context: shipyard-exposure-map yard record puget-sound-naval-shipyard (Tier 1) anchored on DTIC AD0715808 (Mangold, Beckett, Bessmer, March 1970 Puget Sound Naval Shipyard industrial hygiene survey) and peer-reviewed follow-up (PMID 1065583) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json entry puget-sound-naval-shipyard (evidence rows ev-01/02/03/04/09); IDR Feb 1982 (Bremerton presence); DANFS Aquila entry (commissioning, departure)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Aquila's documented fitting-out and commissioning site is a yard with its own asbestos documentation: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard records pulmonary abnormalities in 21% of surveyed insulation workers (1970), airborne levels of 40-150 fibers/cc during insulation rip-out, and a fourfold mesothelioma-mortality increase with moderate exposure; amosite and chrysotile exposure is documented during ship overhaul, rip-out, and installation work including preformed magnesia block insulation (~15% asbestos), asbestos cements, and asbestos cloth. Documented presence of this hull at the yard: IDR (Feb 1982) places 'PHM-4 Aquila... at the Bremerton Shipyard on Puget Sound' during fitting out; DANFS records commissioning at PSNS 26 June 1982 and departure from Bremerton 15 July 1982 - a documented yard presence spanning roughly February-July 1982 (~5-6 months fitting-out/commissioning window).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1962-1993 (yard documentation); Feb-Jul 1982 (this hull's documented presence)
- Population
- PSNS insulation/overhaul trades (documented windows 1962-72, program ongoing); Aquila crew and any yard trades during the Feb-Jul 1982 fitting-out/commissioning window
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: the yard studies survey insulation trades and exposure windows concentrated in 1962-72; Aquila's documented presence is a fitting-out/commissioning window in Feb-Jul 1982 - presence at a documented asbestos yard is not a work record, not an exposure record, and establishes nothing about materials aboard the hull. No specific yard work on Aquila was located. The DTIC citation URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (2026-10-04); the underlying yard record is the Atlas dataset's own documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s. This hull's construction window (laid down July 1979, delivered early 1982) postdates that substitution-program start - era context that lowers, but does not eliminate, the expectation of heavy insulation asbestos aboard compared with steam-era hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Substitution-era start is not proof that an individual hull carried no asbestos-containing components. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed this batch's pattern) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-07
-
[9]CourtListener docket 9612496 / PACER 41487: Bisso Marine Co., Inc. v. Aquilla, USS PHM-4, No. 2:92-cv-03145 (E.D. La.) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener /docket/9612496/ - docket header fields (court, dates, suitNature 120, parties, assigned/referred judges)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docket-level court record naming this hull in rem: Bisso Marine Co., Inc. v. Aquilla, USS PHM-4, No. 2:92-cv-03145, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana; filed 21 September 1992, terminated 7 April 1993; nature of suit 120 'Marine contract actions'; jurisdiction type 'Government defendant'; assigned to Judge Peter Hill Beer, referred to Magistrate Ronald Fonseca; parties listed as 'Bisso Marine Co Inc' and 'Aquilla USS PHM-4' (caption misspells the name). A marine contract action brought by a marine company against the vessel itself while she was in commissioned service - non-asbestos litigation; docket metadata records no claim substance beyond the 120 code and no outcome beyond termination. No RECAP documents are on file for this docket.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1992-1993
- Limitations
- Docket metadata only - no filings, motions, or opinion located (RECAP empty; no published opinion in CourtListener opinion search). The 120 'Marine contract actions' code indicates a contract-type in rem claim; the underlying transaction (plausibly towage/salvage/repair services given the plaintiff's trade, but unverified) is not disclosed by the metadata. Termination 7 April 1993 does not say whether by settlement, dismissal, or judgment - stage is described exactly as the docket leaves it. Not an asbestos case; contains no exposure, product, or health content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-08
-
[10]Batch-8648 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (losthistory.net/hazegray mirror); NavSource live; NavalCoverMuseum live; NAVSEA/DTRC PHM Operational Notebook; IDR Feb 1982; GAO product page; NVR (no entry); NARA catalog (JS-blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener 4 base queries complete [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-aquila-phm4-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum-condition report, or asbestos litigation naming USS Aquila (PHM-4) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener base queries completed: '"USS Aquila"' opinions 0, '"PHM-4"' opinions 0, '"USS Aquila"' dockets 11 (all name collisions - 'Aquila' investment/fund entities in securities and IP matters, none a vessel), '"PHM-4"' dockets 21 (20 on page 1: 1 genuine hit - the Bisso Marine in rem marine-contract action, ev-08 - and 19 name collisions; the 21st result sits on page 2, unfetched, a substring-collision near-certainty). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull - returned litigation results named other vessels (USS Hollister, USS Badger, USS Hornet/Coral Sea matters) and Boeing asbestos matters concern the aircraft plants, not the Renton marine operation. Law-firm listicle content asserting asbestos aboard Navy ships generally was excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and it does not prove presence either. For this hull the net evidence state is genuinely undetermined: class documentation shows aluminum construction and no steam plant (removing the dominant lagging pathways) and the build window postdates the Navy's substitution-program start, while residual components (gaskets, packing, thermal wraps, adhesives, arc barriers, deck tile mastics) are neither confirmed nor ruled out. Deck logs, Boeing/NAVSEA work packages, and the DRMS sale file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquila-phm4-09