Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1009-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-aries-phm5-pkt-1009-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Aries III (PHM-5)' (Paul J. Marcello and Robert J. Cressman, 6 July 2016) - construction, sponsor, commissioning, full service chronology, decommissioning, DRMS sale [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Aries III (PHM-5)' service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: third U.S. Navy ship named Aries; laid down 7 January 1980 at Seattle [Renton], Wash., by Boeing Marine Systems; launched 5 November 1981; sponsored by Mrs. Earl B. Fowler, wife of Vice Admiral Earl B. Fowler, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command; commissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, 18 September 1982, Lt. Cmdr. Carl E. Weiscopf in command. Homeported Key West, FL (arrived 15 December 1982 via San Francisco, San Diego, Panama Canal transit 11 December). Service: acceptance trials Jan 1983; recurring counter-drug operations with Coast Guard District 7 from Feb 1983; post-shakedown at Atlantic Dry Dock Corp., Jacksonville, May-mid-June 1983; Ocean Venture 84 (Apr 1984); UNITAS XXV (Jun 1984), READEX 1-85 (Mar 1985), Solid Shield 85 (May 1985), UNITAS XXVI (Jun 1985); three-month Mayport availability Jan-Apr 1986; UNITAS Caribbean cruise summer 1986 (La Guaira, St. Johns); CNO special project off Virginia capes Oct-Dec 1986; 33 days of Florida Straits drug patrols Jan-Mar 1987 (1,046 contacts evaluated, 20 boardings, five seizures); Carib 1-88 overseas deployment Jan 1988; Venezuelan joint ops Apr 1988 and Unitas XXX Phase 9 Nov-Dec 1989 (five alongside refuelings with Manitowoc LST-1180); FLEETEX 1-91/2-91 Nov 1990; grounded at Corpus Christi, TX 3-10 May 1991; final CO Lt. Cmdr. John Wallace Riley III from 15 Jan 1993; decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register 30 July 1993; sold for scrap 19 August 1996 by DRMS to Eliot James and B.J. Meinhardt; 'currently undergoing restoration at Brunswick, Mo. as a museum ship' (entry written 2016). Spec block: dp. 214 (full load); l. 133'0"; b. 18'0"; dr. 6'0", 23'3" (foils extended); s. 51 knots; cpl. 24; a. 1 76mm, 8 Harpoon; class Pegasus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1980-1996
- Population
- Boeing Renton construction trades (1980-82); crew (1982-93); Atlantic Dry Dock Jacksonville trades (1983); Mayport availability trades (1986)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Written in 2016 - 'restoration at Brunswick, Mo.' predates the November 2015 move to Gasconade (ev-03). Commanding-officer names/dates conflict with NavSource in two places (Kieth/Keith spelling; Higgins-Nichols turnover date - see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Combatant-Missile (Hydrofoil) Photo Archive, Aries (PHM-5) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding-officer roster, captioned photo record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1605.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 January 1980 at Boeing Marine Systems, Seattle, Washington; launched 5 November 1981; commissioned 18 September 1982; decommissioned 30 July 1993; struck from the Naval Register 30 July 1993; sold for scrap 19 August 1996 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to Eliot James and B. J. Meinhardt; 'Undergoing restoration at Brunswick, MO.' Spec block: displacement 178 t. (lt), 248 t. (fl); length 133'; beam 29'; speed 51 kts; complement 24; one 76mm gun mount and eight Harpoon missiles; two 1,600 bhp Mercedes-Benz marine diesels (hullborne) and one 18,000 shp GE LM2500 gas turbine (foilborne), two water jets. Commanding officers: Weiscopf (18 Sep 1982 - 5 Oct 1984); Keith (5 Oct 1984 - 29 Nov 1986); Shuford (29 Nov 1986 - 12 Jan 1989); Hering (12 Jan 1989 - Jan 1991); Higgins (Jan 1991 - 25 May 1991); Nichols (25 May 1991 - 15 Jan 1993); Riley (15 Jan 1993 - 30 Jul 1993). Photo record: UNITAS XXV Puerto Rico June 1984; foilborne turn during UNITAS XXVI (DN-ST-85-08191); NAS Key West April 1993 (DN-SC-93-03753); all six PHMRON 2 ships in formation en route to Little Creek for decommissioning, 13 June 1993 (DN-ST-93-05725, DN-SC-93-05730); Grand River, Brunswick, MO, 26 May 2014.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1980-2014
- Population
- Boeing construction trades (1980-82); crew (1982-93)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates here track DANFS and the two sources conflict on the Higgins-Nichols turnover (DANFS 14 May, NavSource 25 May 1991) and the second CO's name spelling (DANFS 'Kieth', NavSource 'Keith'). Spec figures conflict with DANFS (displacement, beam) and the museum table (complement) - see gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-02
-
[4]USS Aries Hydrofoil Museum (USS Aries PHM-5 Hydrofoil Memorial, Inc.), 'About Us' and 'USS Aries PHM-5' ship's-characteristics pages - acquisition, self-powered transit to Missouri, move to Gasconade, current museum status [museum_official]
- Locator
- ussaries.org 'About Us' narrative; 'USS Aries PHM-5' characteristics table; main-page status line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The operating organization's own account: in 1996 Bill and Bob Meinhardt and Eliot James acquired Aries after the whole class was decommissioned; four of the six ships were scrapped and one was stripped of foils and rebuilt as a private yacht (later scrapped); Aries alone survived intact. The buyers spent four months gathering spare parts from the sister ships in cooperation with the Charleston ship-breaking company, then sailed Aries about 2,500 miles under her own power with a volunteer crew of three or four from the Charleston Navy shipyard, past the Florida Keys, and up the river system to Brunswick, Missouri, where the 501(c)(3) memorial was established. The museum acquired the Gasconade boat yard in June 2015 and Aries moved under her own power from the Grand River at Brunswick to Gasconade beginning 22 November 2015 (a three-day trip); she is permanently moored at the Old Government Ship Yard, Gasconade, MO. The ship 'is quite complete and utilizing the original Mercedes-Benz MTU diesels she is capable of getting underway hullborne'; the museum lacks the ACS and LM2500 gas turbine and cites eligibility for the Navy ship-donation program to obtain them. The organization's characteristics table gives: awarded 20 October 1977; keel laid 7 January 1980; launched 5 November 1981; commissioned 18 September 1982; decommissioned 30 July 1993; complement 4 officers + 19 enlisted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1996-present
- Population
- Restoration volunteers and visitors (1996-present)
- Limitations
- Self-published museum account - plausible and consistent with DANFS/NavSource on dates but not independently verified for the transit details. Its spec table mislabels the ship 'PHM-3 Taurus Class' (the class is Pegasus, PHM-1 lead - see gaps) and gives a 23-man complement conflicting with DANFS/NavSource (24). The '10 years of service' phrasing understates Aries's own 11-year commission. No asbestos content; no hazmat/abatement disclosure for the restoration was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-03
-
[5]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979), Attachment 1 - CNO enclosure (Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979), 'List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction (Ship Class, Name and Hull Number and Status of Thermal Insulation)' [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 Attachment 1, PHM class row (Pegasus, hull 1); cover enclosure CNO Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Navy's own January 1979 list, published by GAO, places the PHM class under the entry for Pegasus (PHM-1) - hull 1, started 2/73, delivered 6/77 - with the class annotation: 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation. However, non-structural bulkheads constructed for Marinite which contains asbestos.' This is a primary government document attributing a specific asbestos application (Marinite non-structural bulkhead panels) to the PHM class while recording its thermal insulation as asbestos-free. PHM-5 was on order at list date (contract awarded October 1977; keel laid January 1980) and is one of the five production hulls sharing the Pegasus design.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- list compiled January 1979; reflects deliveries 1973-forward and ships under construction
- Population
- PHM construction trades (aluminum hull structure excluded; joiner/bulkhead installers) and crew in bulkhead-adjacent spaces
- Limitations
- Class-level, not hull-specific: the table names Pegasus (PHM-1), the only PHM delivered or under construction at the January 1979 list date; PHM-5 is not individually listed, and applying the Marinite finding to this hull is a class-design inference resting on the shared PHM design. The column is 'status of thermal insulation' - the Marinite note is a qualification within it; the list does not purport to enumerate all asbestos applications (the cover letter states every ship has several asbestos-containing material types). Does not establish quantity, location aboard, present condition, or individual exposure. Direct fetch of gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated clients; text verified via Firecrawl render, which reads 'constructed for Marinite' where the original reads 'constructed of Marinite' (OCR).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-04
-
[6]GAO, HRD-80-2 - Navy asbestos-use policy narrative and Navy response letter: NAVSEAINST 5100.2 (24 Oct 1975), 1973 spec changes, May 1978 last asbestos-insulated deliveries, residual applications without designated substitutes [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 cover letter summary and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section; Navy response enclosure (attachment #1 cover letter)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO documented the era boundary this hull's construction postdates: 'The Navy's policy to eliminate the use of asbestos and materials containing asbestos, where suitable alternate materials have been designated, was issued in October 1975 after specifications had been revised to eliminate asbestos as an acceptable material for thermal insulation' (the instruction is identified in the Navy's response as NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 October 1975; thermal-insulation specs called for asbestos-free material by late 1973). Because purchased ship-sets remained in stock and installed, 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978' - all before this hull's January 1980 keel and September 1982 delivery. Simultaneously, the Navy's response letter states that ships under construction then 'have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation' but that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' because 'a few shipboard applications' lacked technically acceptable substitutes - enumerating electrical resistors, deck tiling, galley-range electric cabling, piping-system gaskets and packing, and equipment brakes and clutches, and concluding it is 'nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1971-1979 policy window; list compiled January 1979
- Population
- Navy-wide shipbuilders and crews of the period
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation: supports the era context for a 1980-82 new construction (asbestos-free thermal insulation expected; residual asbestos applications still present fleet-wide) but names no PHM and establishes nothing about this specific hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. Direct fetch blocked (HTTP 403); content verified via Firecrawl render of the official PDF.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-05
-
[7]Naval Sea Systems Command FOIA Reading Room, 'Asbestos Related Files' - index of military specifications and qualified-products lists with revision/effective dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA FOIA Reading Room 'Asbestos' table - MIL-I-24244/24244A rows; QPL-15342, -16265, -17340, -17472, -16680, -19564, -19565 rows
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- NAVSEA's own published index of asbestos-related specifications corroborates the transition timeline during this hull's build era: the thermal-insulation military specification MIL-I-24244 is listed in its asbestos-era form through 9/5/73, with the revised MIL-I-24244A spanning 2/12/74-4/21/76; meanwhile asbestos-containing qualified products remained on QPLs through and past the 1980 keel date - e.g., metallic-asbestos spiral-wound gaskets (QPL-15342 revisions to 11/13/1974; QPL-16265-5 piping gaskets), asbestos rod packing (QPL-17340/17349), compressed asbestos sheet gasket material (QPL-17472), magnesia-aggregate deck covering (QPL-16680 to 10/12/1978), thermal-insulation bedding compound (QPL-19564 to 3/17/1980) and pipe-covering coating compound (QPL-19565b to 8/7/1980).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- spec revisions 1949-1996; relevance window 1973-1982
- Limitations
- Specification-level context only: the index lists spec and QPL revision dates, not installations - presence of a spec or qualified product does not establish its use aboard this hull, and a spec's dated span does not prove availability or use in 1980-82. Corroborates that asbestos-containing product categories remained qualified Navy material during the build window; names no vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-06
-
[8]George Jenkins, 'Patrol Combatant Missile (Hydrofoil): PHM History 1973-1993' (International Hydrofoil Society, presented 14 Jun 1995, epilogue 1 Nov 2000) - insider program history by the former OPNAV PHM program coordinator [other_primary]
- Locator
- PHM History pp. 1-17: contract award (p. 8), aluminum-welding problems (p. 2), decommissioning scheme and ceremony (pp. 15-16), scrap-sale epilogue (p. 16)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class/program documentation including this hull's procurement and disposal: the contract to complete PHM-2 and build the four production ships was awarded to Boeing on 20 October 1977 (delivery sequence PHM 3, 4, 5, 6, 2 - this hull third in sequence); Boeing's documented manufacturing problems on the class included aluminum welding, foil and propulsor cracking, and gearbox design (aluminum-hull construction); the six PHMs transited to Little Creek, VA in June 1993 for a joint decommissioning ceremony on 30 July attended by ~400 guests, with ADM H.H. Mauz (CINCLANTFLT) as keynote; the class was then 'stripped of all salvageable systems including electronics, turbines, diesel engines and the like' and sold as scrap to a commercial enterprise in Charleston, SC; 'one ship with foil systems intact was bought by B. J. Meinhof and Elliot James and transported to Missouri' - this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1972-1993 (narrative); epilogue to 2000
- Population
- PHMRON 2 crews; Boeing Renton production trades
- Limitations
- Class/era insider account: self-described partisan advocacy piece written by the program's OPNAV coordinator, published by a hobbyist society - used for program milestones corroborated by DANFS/NavSource, not as sole support for any material claim. Aries's individual decommissioning date is from DANFS/NavSource (this document confirms the shared 30 July 1993 ceremony). Names the buyers as 'Meinhof' where DANFS/NavSource say 'Meinhardt.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-07
-
[9]Washington State Department of Ecology, Cleanup Site Details - 'Boeing Renton' (Cleanup Site ID 820, Facility/Site ID 2097, 737 Logan Ave N, Renton, WA) - MTCA/RCRA corrective-action site [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ecology cleanup-site detail page - location block, Affected Media & Contaminants table (Asbestos row: S/S/S), Site Activities
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The Boeing Renton plant - the facility where Boeing Marine Systems assembled the PHMs 'in a large building adjacent to the 707/727/737/757 jet airplane line' (Boeing corporate literature) - is a registered Washington State cleanup site: Site Rank 1 (highest assessed risk), status 'Cleanup Started' under MTCA (RCRA corrective action). Affected-media table lists asbestos as SUSPECTED in soil, groundwater, and surface water (code S; not 'Confirmed above cleanup level'). Activities: interim action completed 1991-2004; remedial investigation/feasibility study 1997-2008; cleanup action plan completed 2008-2012.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- listing active 1996-present; contamination era unspecified
- Population
- Boeing Renton workers (facility-wide)
- Limitations
- Facility-level environmental record, not a hull or worker-exposure record: the Renton site covers the whole Boeing complex (principally aircraft production); asbestos is listed as suspected, not confirmed, in environmental media - the listing does not identify a building, operation, or era, and does not connect to PHM construction or to this hull. Cited as builder-site context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-08
-
[10]National Archives Catalog search, '"Aries" "PHM-5" deck log' - 14 textual file units, all 'Available to access online' (digitized deck logs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search results page - '1-14 of 14 results', all File Unit / Textual Records / 'Available to access online'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds 14 digitized textual file units for this hull's deck logs (1982-1993 commission era) available online - an unexamined primary-source pool that could document underway periods, availabilities, casualties (including the May 1991 Corpus Christi grounding), and any recorded material/hazmat events.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1982-1993 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the catalog is JavaScript-rendered; the result count and 'available online' status were captured from the rendered search page (firecrawl), but individual file units were not opened or their year coverage verified. Deck logs rarely address insulation or hazardous material; no asbestos content should be presumed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-09
-
[11]Batch-8649 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS; NavSource; ussaries.org pages; GAO HRD-80-2 full text (via Firecrawl - direct fetch 403); NAVSEA FOIA asbestos reading room; Jenkins PHM history PDF; WA Ecology site 820; NARA catalog search; CourtListener; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-aries-phm5-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for PHM-5: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, donation-condition material inventory, or museum restoration hazmat report was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener base queries (authenticated API v4): "USS Aries" dockets - 0 results; "PHM-5" opinions - 0 results; "PHM-5" dockets - 7 hits, all name collisions on the 'PHM-5' string (opioid MDL, county/municipal, medical-board and commercial dockets - none vessel-related, none asbestos); "USS Aries" opinions - fleet pace-limited for the entire session and logged blocked (not a negative result). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content (mesothelioma/asbestos-ships listicles asserting asbestos aboard Navy vessels without primary sourcing - 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 the class-level Marinite documentation (ev-04) plus the Navy's own 'all ships contain some asbestos' statement (ev-05) make residual asbestos aboard this hull plausible at era level even while ship-specific proof is absent. The 'USS Aries' opinion query specifically remains unsearched (pace-blocked), so the litigation gap is genuinely open on that axis. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. NARA deck logs (ev-09) and Boeing/NAVSEA work packages remain unexamined leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aries-phm5-10