Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Arthur W. Radford (DD-968) (builder, dates, spec block, service narrative through mid-1987; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404; transcription via Wayback capture 2024-05-25) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specification block + service narrative (hazegray transcription, Wayback capture 20240525070826)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 31 January 1974 at Pascagoula, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries; launched 27 February 1975; sponsored by the admiral's widow; placed in 'special service' 4 April 1977 on delivery; commissioned at the builder's yard 16 April 1977, Comdr. David E. Woodbury in command. Spec block: Spruance class, 7,865 tons, 563 ft, 55 ft beam, 30+ kt, complement 289, ASROC/6x21-in tt/Sea Sparrow/LAMPS. Service: post-shakedown availability at Ingalls Sep-Oct 1977; Norfolk Naval Shipyard restricted availability from 25 Oct 1977 into spring 1978; first Mediterranean deployment Mar-Sep 1979; UNITAS XXI flagship and West Africa Training Cruise 1980; overhaul at builder's yard circa 1981-82; Beirut gunfire support 21-22 Sep 1983 (relieved on station by USS New Jersey); Metro Machine Shipyard overhaul Feb-Apr 1984; Middle East Force deployment Feb-Aug 1985 incl. Persian Gulf radar-picket tours as ComMidEastFor flagship. Entry ends mid-1987 with the ship active in the Atlantic Fleet at Norfolk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1974-1987
- Population
- Ingalls construction trades 1974-77; shipyard workers at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Metro Machine availabilities; crew 1977-2003 (design complement 289)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Entry ends mid-1987; post-1987 history sourced from press and court records. Keel date (31 Jan 1974) and launch date (27 Feb 1975) conflict with NVR (24 Jan 1974 / 1 Mar 1975) - carried in gaps. Transcription mirror cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-01
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[2]Naval Vessel Register, SHIPSDETAIL DD-968 (NAVSEA official inventory record; live page removed after disposal - June 2011 Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail fields (status, dates, dimensions)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR record for this hull: UIC 20588; class DD 963 (Spruance); award 15 Jan 1971; keel 24 Jan 1974; launch 1 Mar 1975; delivery 4 Apr 1977; commission 16 Apr 1977; decommission 18 Mar 2003; stricken 6 Apr 2004; status 'Disposed of by Donation for use as Artificial Reefing' with status-change date 7 Apr 2010; final berth NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Philadelphia, PA; builder INGALLS SB CORP/MS; 563 ft overall / 529 ft waterline; 55 ft beam; full-load displacement 9,306 tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-2011
- Population
- Crew 1977-2003
- Limitations
- Administrative inventory record - documents lifecycle dates and disposal method, not materials or asbestos content. NVR keel/launch dates conflict with DANFS - carried in gaps. Live NVR page no longer serves this disposed hull; Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-02
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[3]Bob Considine / The Star-Ledger (nj.com), 'USS Arthur W. Radford to become longest vessel reefed off Cape May coast,' 11 Oct 2010 (Wayback capture; quotes Tim Mullane, project manager, American Marine Group) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Star-Ledger article, paragraphs quoting AMG project manager Tim Mullane (Wayback capture 20250420182158)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific asbestos negative finding from the reef-prep contractor. During the ongoing strip-out of this hull at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (dismantling began June 2010 with 40-60 workers per day; low bid $800,000), American Marine Group project manager Tim Mullane stated the ship had 'less likelihood for toxic chemicals' because it was commissioned in 1977 after PCBs were eliminated as insulators, and reported: 'No asbestos has been found to date. PCB was found on only one piece of wire.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2010 (statement); reef prep 2010-2011
- Population
- American Marine Group reef-prep workforce (40-60/day), Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, 2010-11
- Limitations
- Mid-project press statement ('to date'), not a formal clearance survey or final certification - prep continued into mid-2011 and no final asbestos-specific clearance document was located. A quoted project manager's statement is not a government inspection record. Confirms that no asbestos had been identified during months of dismantling work; does not prove asbestos was never installed in 1974-77, does not address crew-era exposure, and does not quantify what any removed materials contained.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-03
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[4]New Jersey DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife, 'Radford Reef,' New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest, 2012 Marine Issue, pp. 22-30; plus NJDEP news release 'Retired Navy Destroyer Radford Now Part of Artificial Reef,' 17 Aug 2011 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NJ DEP 2012 Marine Digest pp. 22-30 (Wayback capture of nj.gov PDF); NJDEP news page radford_deployed.htm
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official state reef-program record for this hull: after 16 months of preparation by American Marine Group (Norfolk, Va.), the 563-ft ex-Arthur W. Radford was sunk 10 Aug 2011 on the Del-Jersey-Land Reef (28 nm SE of Cape May; N 38 30.850' W 74 30.656'; ~130 ft depth), settling upright as designed - 'the cleanest vessel in the world ever reefed.' Working with EPA officials during cleanup, the reef team removed 'miles of coated copper wire and numerous felt gaskets that could potentially contained PCBs' and paint samples randomly tested across the vessel all came back negative for contaminants. NJDEP called it the first warship sunk off the New Jersey coast; project was a U.S. Navy-Delaware-New Jersey-Maryland collaboration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2010-2012
- Population
- AMG/reef-team workers 2010-11; recreational divers and anglers post-2011
- Limitations
- Agency summary documents PCB-focused removal and paint testing; it does not mention asbestos at all - neither its presence nor its absence. No asbestos survey, removal manifest, or clearance certification is reproduced. 'Cleanest vessel ever reefed' is program characterization, not an asbestos finding. Sinking coordinates and dates are the record's verified content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-04
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[5]EPA/MARAD, 'National Guidance: Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs,' EPA842-B-06-002, May 2006; availability notice 71 Fed. Reg. (E6-7274, 12 May 2006) [federal_register]
- Locator
- Guidance Table of Contents/Asbestos section (~pp. 30-31) and executive summary; FR notice text (statutory mandate paragraph)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The regulatory framework under which this hull's reef prep proceeded: the joint EPA/MARAD guidance (mandated by Sec. 3516, FY2004 NDAA) names asbestos a 'material of environmental concern,' gives asbestos a narrative clean-up goal, and includes 'Where is asbestos found on a ship?' guidance; the statute requires the Secretary of the Navy to ensure that preparing a stricken vessel for reefing is conducted in accordance with the BMPs and applicable environmental laws. Baltimore Sun reported 12 Apr 2011 that the states were 'working closely with EPA and Navy to complete the cleanup and federal approval process' for this hull, and NJ DEP confirms EPA officials were involved during cleanup.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2006-2011
- Population
- Reef-prep regulatory chain: Navy, EPA, MARAD, state reef programs
- Limitations
- National framework, not a ship-specific record - establishes that asbestos was within the mandatory inspection/removal scope for this hull's preparation, but the guidance does not document whether any asbestos was found aboard DD-968. The ship-specific outcome is captured in ev-03 (none found as of Oct 2010).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-05
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[6]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated, 2026-09-28): type=o queries "Arthur W. Radford", "USS Radford", "DD-968", "Arthur Radford" asbestos; type=r queries "Arthur W. Radford", "DD-968" [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results (queries as listed; counts recorded in search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener sweep for this hull. Opinion layer: "Arthur W. Radford" returned 3 hits, all non-asbestos collision litigation (In re National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia, 84 F. Supp. 2d 716 and 147 F. Supp. 2d 425, E.D. Va. 2000; Chang v. Department of the Navy, 314 F. Supp. 2d 35, D.D.C. 2004). "USS Radford" and "DD-968" returned zero opinions; "Arthur Radford"+asbestos returned zero. Docket layer: "Arthur W. Radford" returned 5 dockets - two QUALIFYING asbestos pleadings (Redman v. A.W. Chesterton, N.D. Cal. 3:08-cv-03013; Webb v. Baldor Electric, S.D. Miss. 1:22-cv-00145 - see ev-07, ev-08); Waltman v. Winter and Lowe v. Winter (D.D.C. 2006) are collision-aftermath Navy personnel actions (plaintiffs were counsel tied to the collision discipline; Lowe's filing merely cites Chang); NYT v. Microsoft is a name collision (ship name inside a copyright exhibit). "DD-968" docket query returned the Webb and Waltman dockets plus five noise hits (civil-rights/license-plate exhibits and unrelated MDL text). No merits-stage asbestos adjudication naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-2025 (litigation filings)
- Population
- Litigation plaintiffs/decedents naming this hull: Ronald Redman (d. 2007); Webb plaintiff (Ingalls electrician)
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not the full federal/state docket universe; PACER-only and state-court complaints naming the hull may exist undetected. The qualifying hits are pleading-stage complaints verified by OCR review of the RECAP PDFs; absence of merits-stage opinions is reported, not proof none exist.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-06
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[7]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. et al., No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal.), Notice of Removal with complaint, ECF No. 1 (filed 2008-06-18; from San Francisco County Superior Court CGC-08-274617); docket terminated 2009-02-02 [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.cand.204462.1.0.pdf, complaint Exhibit A jobsite table (~pp. 15-17 of the exhibit; OCR-verified)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull (pleading stage). Complaint Exhibit A: 'Decedent RONALD REDMAN's exposure stemmed from occupational exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products while working as a Pipefitter and Steamfitter. Decedent was exposed to asbestos and asbestos-containing thermal insulation materials while present at Decedent's jobsites, which include but are not limited to the sites listed below.' The jobsite table lists 'SS ARTHUR W. RADFORD' (printed prefix 'SS'; the surrounding rows are all USS warships) among vessels with employer 'Norfolk Naval Shipyard' and date range 1/1/1974-12/31/1984 - a window covering this hull's restricted availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Oct 1977-spring 1978). Decedent died of mesothelioma 21 Oct 2007 per the complaint; the action is survival/wrongful death. Case removed to N.D. Cal. 18 Jun 2008; RECAP docket metadata shows termination 2 Feb 2009.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1974-1984 (alleged exposure); 2008-09 (litigation)
- Population
- Ronald Redman, pipefitter/steamfitter, Norfolk Naval Shipyard jobsites 1974-1984
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only - the ship list is the plaintiff's jobsite enumeration, not an adjudicated finding; no merits disposition was located (docket terminated ~7.5 months after removal, consistent with settlement/stipulated dismissal or MDL-875 consolidation, neither verified). The allegation places the worker at the hull during its NNSY availability rather than as a crew member. Does not establish which products aboard were asbestos-containing, and does not quantify exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-07
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[8]Webb v. Baldor Electric Co. et al., No. 1:22-cv-00145-KHJ-MTP (S.D. Miss.), Notice of Removal with summons and complaint, ECF No. 1-1 (filed 2022-06-10; from Jackson County Circuit Court 2022-003.AS); docket terminated 2025-02-07 [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.mssd.115252.1.1.pdf, complaint pp. 80-86 of the exhibit (Ingalls employment paragraph and naval-vessel list; OCR-verified)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull (pleading stage; hull number explicit). The complaint alleges the plaintiff 'was also exposed to asbestos during his employment as an electrician, technician, foreman and supervisor at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, from approximately 1966 to 2001 during the new construction and overhaul of naval vessels,' working in control rooms and engineering spaces in close proximity to pipefitters, insulators, and mechanics insulating equipment. 'Plaintiff worked on numerous naval vessels including, but were not limited to, the following during the indicated time periods' - the list includes 'USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD - DD-968' (laid down 1974 / commissioned 1977 columns), matching this hull's Ingalls construction window. The complaint also alleges Navy service aboard USS Saratoga (1960-64) and work at Coastal Chemical and International Paper.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1966-2001 (alleged exposure window; hull built 1974-77); 2022-25 (litigation)
- Population
- Webb plaintiff, electrician/foreman at Ingalls Shipyard 1966-2001
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only - an illustrative vessel list ('not limited to'), not an adjudicated finding; no merits disposition located (docket terminated Feb 2025). The claim covers yard-period construction/overhaul work by an Ingalls employee, not shipboard crew exposure. Establishes neither which products were asbestos-containing nor exposure quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-08
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[9]In re National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia, 147 F. Supp. 2d 425 (E.D. Va. 2000) (CourtListener 2409277); earlier opinion 84 F. Supp. 2d 716 (CourtListener 2497484); Chang v. Department of the Navy, 314 F. Supp. 2d 35 (D.D.C. 2004) (CourtListener 2470967) [court_record]
- Locator
- 147 F. Supp. 2d 425 factual findings (collision, trial posture, fault allocation); Chang background section I
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Non-asbestos litigation naming this hull (OTHER litigation classification). The Saudi Riyadh limitation action arose from the 4 Feb 1999 collision ~2335 hrs, ~17.5 miles east of Cape Henry, Va.: the U.S. filed an in rem claim for the destroyer's damage; the Saudi owners petitioned for exoneration/limitation; eight personal-injury claimants joined. After a two-week bench trial, Judge Rebecca Beach Smith allocated fault 65% to M/V Saudi Riyadh (give-way vessel) and 35% to USS Arthur W. Radford (147 F. Supp. 2d at 440 ff.). The Feb 2000 opinion (84 F. Supp. 2d 716) resolved a trial evidence issue. Chang v. Navy records that CO Cmdr. Daniel W. Chang (assumed command 22 Oct 1998) was relieved and NJP'd with a punitive letter of reprimand; his Privacy Act challenge to the Navy's disclosure of the NJP result failed on summary judgment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999 (collision); 2000-04 (litigation)
- Population
- Radford crew at collision (one broken arm, ~12 minor injuries reported); eight personal-injury claimants
- Limitations
- Admiralty/personnel litigation - establishes the collision event, fault allocation, and command consequences; says nothing about asbestos or materials aboard. Damages-phase and any appellate dispositions beyond these published opinions were not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-09
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[10]EPA 'Vessel-to-Reef Projects' page (materials of environmental concern incl. asbestos) + EPA842-B-06-002 'Where is asbestos found on a ship' section; DANFS spec block; Atlas shipyard dataset record 'ingalls-shipbuilding' [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA guidance asbestos section; DANFS DD-968 spec block; shipyards.json record 'ingalls-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Spruance-class destroyer built 1974-77 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, sits in the Navy's transitional asbestos era - EPA's reefing guidance lists asbestos as a material of environmental concern commonly found in ship insulation, lagging, deck tile, gaskets and related applications, and the builder yard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset. As the Navy's first all-gas-turbine combatant class (4 x GE LM2500, COGAG), the ship lacked the boiler/steam-plant insulation load of earlier destroyers, but period-typical asbestos use in piping, ventilation, and accommodation-space materials cannot be excluded absent the hull's material specifications (NARA RG19-era ship records are the archival lead).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1974-2003
- Population
- Ingalls construction trades 1974-77; yard workers at later availabilities; crew 1977-2003
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - the ship-specific record for this hull is the 2010 'no asbestos found to date' statement (ev-03) plus pleading-stage litigation (ev-07, ev-08). This row contextualizes the risk window; it does not assert any material was actually installed aboard DD-968. No ship-specific ACM inventory located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arthur-w-radford-dd968-10