Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet zbt-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-aylwin-ff1081-pkt-zbt-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), ship detail page 'AYLWIN (FF 1081) (ex - DE 1081), FRIGATE', page last updated 2006-01-23 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_FF_1081 milestone dates + physical characteristics + status/custodian fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for this hull: UIC 20052; class FF 1052; builder Avondale Industries; award 08/25/1966; keel 11/13/1969; launch 08/29/1970; delivery 03/03/1971; commission 09/18/1971; decommission 05/15/1992; stricken 01/11/1995; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) Section 516, Southern Region Amendment' effective 04/29/1998; custodian TAIWAN; 21.0 years commission to decommission. Physical: steel hull, aluminum superstructure; LOA 438 ft; steam turbines, 1 propeller; accommodations 22 officers / 288 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966-1998
- Population
- Avondale construction trades 1969-1971; ship's company 1971-1992; inactive-status custody 1992-1998
- Limitations
- Authoritative for milestones, builder, propulsion type, and disposal mechanism; contains no materials or asbestos information. Live NVR page no longer serves this hull's record (disposed ships); cited via 2016 Wayback capture of the official page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-01
-
[3]DANFS, 'Aylwin IV (DE-1081), 1971-1995', NHHC ship-history page (verified via Wayback capture 2025-04-27; live page serves HTTP 200 to browsers but 404 to automated fetches) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Aylwin IV (DE-1081)' entry, specification block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull ('the fourth Aylwin', fourth U.S. Navy ship named for John Cushing Aylwin): laid down 13 November 1969 at Westwego, La., by Avondale Shipyard, Inc.; launched 29 August 1970; sponsored by Mrs. Charles K. Duncan; commissioned 18 September 1971 at Boston Naval Shipyard, Cmdr. Dan E. Fenn. Service narrative through early 1987: homeport Norfolk 1971; first Mediterranean deployment Dec 1972-Jun 1973; Indian Ocean/Mideast deployment Jun-Dec 1974; reclassified frigate FF-1081 (narrative dates the redesignation 1 July 1975; Navy-wide DE-to-FF reclassification was 30 June 1975); Charleston Naval Shipyard repairs August 1975; Philadelphia Naval Shipyard overhaul 26 July 1976-6 June 1977 (drydocked 8 August 1976); new homeport Charleston, DesRon 20; 1979-80 Persian Gulf deployment during the Iran hostage crisis; major overhaul at Coastal Drydock & Repair Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y., April 1980-May 1981 (main propulsion plant work, drydock period); June 1982 collision with USS Seattle (AOE-3) during underway refueling; August 1982 PLO-evacuation escort off Beirut (SS Sol Georguis, SS Alkyon); Norfolk drydock March-April 1983; Charleston Naval Shipyard availability November 1984-April 1985; 1986 Mediterranean deployment with USS America during the April Libya strikes. Spec block: displacement 3,963; length 438 ft; beam 47 ft; draft 25 ft; speed 27 kt; complement 245; 1 x 5-inch, ASROC, Sea Sparrow; class Knox.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1969-1987
- Population
- Avondale construction trades 1969-1971; ship's company 1971-1992 (spec complement 245)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Narrative coverage ends at the beginning of 1987 - 1987-1992 service is not in the official DANFS text (post-1986 content on secondary sites is contributed, not DANFS). NHHC page verified via Wayback capture; live URL returns 404 to non-browser requests.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-02
-
[4]Public Law 103-174 (103d Congress, enacted 1993-12-02), Sec. 1(5) - 'AUTHORITY TO LEASE NAVAL VESSELS TO CERTAIN FOREIGN COUNTRIES' (107 Stat. 2000) [other_primary]
- Locator
- P.L. 103-174 Sec. 1(5) (107 Stat. 2000); Sec. 2 (lease terms under AECA ch. 6)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal statute naming this hull: 'To the Government of Spain, the "KNOX" class frigates AYLWIN (FF 1081) and PHARRIS (FF 1094)' - Congress authorized a lease of this hull to Spain in 1993. The Spain lease was never executed: the hull remained in U.S. custody (photographed in the Portsmouth mothball fleet 8 October 1994) and was instead transferred to Taiwan under FAA Sec. 516 grant authority effective 29 April 1998 (NVR). AYLWIN (FF 1081) does not appear in the later vessel-transfer statutes (P.L. 105-85 Sec. 1025 FY1998; P.L. 105-262 Sec. 8110 FY1999) that named other Knox-class hulls for Taiwan - the executed disposal path is the FAA Sec. 516 excess-defense-articles grant recorded in the NVR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1993-1998
- Limitations
- The statute authorized a lease that was not executed - it is evidence of a planned disposition, not the actual one. Documents disposal planning only; says nothing about ship condition, hazardous-material disclosure, or materials content aboard. Whether a separate congressional notification accompanied the Sec. 516 grant is not public in the sources checked.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-03
-
[5]Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, 15 March 1980, contract-award item: 'Coastal Drydock and Repair Corporation, Brooklyn, N.Y., is being awarded a $8,447,003 formally advertised firm fixed price contract for the regularly scheduled overhaul of the USS Aylwin (FF-1081)' (contract N62794-70-C-0010, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, USN, Brooklyn) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Maritime Reporter 1980-03-15, contracts section p.50; Coastal Drydock advertisement, Maritime Reporter 1980-04-15 p.8
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous trade-press record of a Navy overhaul contract naming this hull: $8,447,003 firm-fixed-price overhaul awarded to Coastal Drydock & Repair Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y. - the yard period documented in DANFS as April 1980-May 1981 with major main-propulsion-plant work and a drydock period. Coastal Drydock operated at the former New York Naval Shipyard (Brooklyn Navy Yard) site, Building 131, per the company's own 1980 advertisement in the same journal. A ship-specific, contemporaneous record of heavy machinery-space repair work on this hull at a commercial yard in 1980-81.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1980-1981
- Population
- Coastal Drydock & Repair Corp. shipyard workers and ship's company, 1980-1981
- Limitations
- Documents the overhaul contract and its dollar value, not materials: no asbestos content, abatement scope, or work-package detail is in this source. The 1980-81 yard period is the kind of event where era ACM would have been disturbed, but this record does not establish that. Yard-name attribution: Coastal Drydock was a commercial tenant at the former Brooklyn Navy Yard complex - the naval shipyard establishment closed in 1966.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-04
-
[6]NHHC DANFS 'Aylwin IV' photo records (Catalog# K-92409, ASROC firing at St. Croix Firing Range, 22 January 1972, official U.S. Navy photograph; Catalog# USN 1142873, keel-laying ceremony at Avondale Shipyard, copyright owner National Archives) + NARA NAID 6478955 (USS Aylwin (FF-1081) underway during UNITAS XXXII, 9 August 1991) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Aylwin IV' page image captions (K-92409, USN 1142873); NARA Catalog NAID 6478955; NARA 'Navy Deck Logs' online listing (Aylwin DD-355 only)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official federal holdings for this hull are documented: NHHC photo K-92409 (1972 ASROC firing), NARA-held photo USN 1142873 (Avondale keel-laying), and NARA NAID 6478955 (1991 UNITAS XXXII photo). These establish that NHHC/NARA catalog material for this ship exists - the practical route to ship-specific engineering or materials records (command histories 1971-1992, deck logs, Booklet of General Plans, inactivation/transfer work package). NARA's online deck-log collection currently carries only Aylwin (DD-355) 1941-1945 - no digitized logs for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1972-1991 (photos); archival holdings
- Limitations
- Catalog records only - they document that federal holdings for this hull exist, not their content. No engineering, materials, or hazmat content was retrieved. Digitized deck logs are a Vietnam-era-forward project; DE-1081's 1971-1992 logs are not in the online set.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-05
-
[7]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Aylwin (DE 1081) page - building/operational data, commanding officers, awards board, photo captions incl. official DVIDS images (secondary compilation; accessed via Wayback capture 2025-04-27); navysite.de FF-1081 service narrative (secondary, DANFS text plus contributed post-1986 material) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org DE-1081 page 'Building and Operational Data', awards board, CO table, photo captions; navysite.de/ff/ff1081.htm history + accidents sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-source record for this hull: awarded Avondale Shipyards Corp. 25 August 1966; launched/christened 29 August 1970 sponsored by Mrs. Sheila Duncan (wife of VAdm. Charles K. Duncan, CINCLANTFLT); commissioned Boston Naval Shipyard 18 September 1971 (Cmdr. Dan E. Fenn), Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk; reclassified FF-1081 30 June 1975 (building-data line; DANFS narrative reads 1 July); Philadelphia NSY overhaul begun 26 July 1976, homeport Charleston DesRon 20 from 6 June 1977; 1988 homeport Newport R.I.; decommissioned Newport 15 May 1992; struck NVR 11 January 1995; transferred to Taiwan through SAP 29 April 1998; arrived Taiwan 4 October 1999, renamed ROCS Ning Yang (FF-938); commissioned ROCN 18 October 1999. Photo captions: laid up in Portsmouth mothball fleet with USS Pharris 8 October 1994 (DN-SC-95-01400); operating alongside USS Iowa during BALTOPS '85, October 1985 (DN-ST-86-04964). Awards board: NUC w/1 star, CG MUC w/1 star, Battle 'E' (2), NEM w/2 stars, NDSM w/1 star, AFEM, Sea Service w/3 stars, CG Special Ops. Contributed-text items (navysite/Wikipedia, unverified): disabling casualty towed by USS Petrel (ASR-14); welding fire at Coastal Drydock damaging CIC; first ship to reach USS Iowa after the 19 April 1989 turret explosion; UNITAS XXXII 1991 circumnavigation of South America.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966-1999+
- Population
- Ship's company 1971-1992; reserve/inactive custody 1992-1998; ROC Navy crew 1999-present
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations, not primary records - milestones corroborate NVR/DANFS where both exist; items unique to contributed text (Petrel tow, Coastal Drydock CIC fire, Iowa assistance claim, Taiwan-service detail) are unverified against official records. navysite's 'March 1999' ROCN commissioning conflicts with CNA/NavSource 18 October 1999 - carried at October per contemporaneous CNA wire.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-06
-
[8]Taiwan News / Central News Agency (CNA), 'Taiwan Navy's Ning Yang frigate returns to service after major overhaul' (2025-01-31); corroborating CNA items of 4 and 18 October 1999 (7th and 8th Knox-class frigates arriving Tsoying and joining the ROC Navy) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Taiwan News 6026851 (2025-01-31, citing CNA); GlobalSecurity chi-yang-refs.htm CNA wire summaries (1999-10-04, 1999-10-18)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Press record of this hull's present status: ex-Aylwin continues in ROC Navy service as Ning Yang (FFG-938), Chi Yang class; CNA reported 30-31 January 2025 that the ship returned to active duty after a major overhaul at the ROC Navy's Suao Logistic Support Command (welding, painting, electrical, power-testing work). Earlier CNA dispatches (4 and 18 October 1999, via GlobalSecurity reference list) record the ship's arrival at Tsoying naval base 4 October 1999 and entry into ROCN service 18 October 1999 as the seventh Knox-class frigate in Taiwanese service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1999-2025
- Population
- ROC Navy crew and Suao yard workers, 1999-present
- Limitations
- Reputable press, not an official U.S. record - corroborates current status and continued afloat service of the hull. The 2025 overhaul report describes maintenance work categories only; no hazmat or asbestos content. Continued operation in ROC service means any residual-era material aboard remains undocumented in public U.S. sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-07
-
[9]Builder-yard asbestos record (Atlas shipyards.json 'avondale-shipyard'): Robichaux v. Huntington Ingalls Inc., No. 22-CV-0610 (E.D. La. 2023); Cortez v. Lamorak Ins. Co., No. 20-2389 (E.D. La. 2022); Chaisson v. Avondale Industries, No. 2005-CA-1511 (La. App. 4th Cir. 2006); Granier v. Avondale Industries, No. 2005-CA-1085 (La. App. 4th Cir. 2006); NIOSH HETA-97-0260-2716 (Avondale) [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json 'avondale-shipyard' products_documented pd-avondale-01..06 + underlying court records; NavSource DE-1081 specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard/era inference for this hull: Aylwin was built 1969-1971 at Avondale's Westwego yard, where court records document asbestos products in use across 1961-1979 - Kaylo pipe insulation, Johns-Manville Marinite 36 composite wallboard (40% amosite, installed in galleys/living quarters by Hopeman Brothers contracts 1962-1976, ~72 vessels), Westinghouse Micarta laminate, Uniroyal asbestos cloth ('commonplace' on Avondale ships), and Garlock/Flexitallic gaskets at Avondale's Main/Westwego yards (1963-1976). Combined with the era-standard Knox-class steam plant (2 x Combustion Engineering 1,200-psi boilers; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine; 35,000 shp; 1 shaft), period asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing would have been standard for the type.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1961-1979 (yard documentation); 1969-1971 (this hull's construction)
- Population
- Avondale construction trades (Westwego), 1969-1971
- Limitations
- Yard-level and class/era inference only - no cited source names DE-1081/FF-1081 or any specific hull; the Avondale cases document yard practice, not this ship's bill of materials. Does not establish quantity, location, remaining material, or any individual exposure aboard this hull. NARA RG19/RG181-era ship records and the hull's inactivation/transfer package are the lead for ship-specific content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-08
-
[10]GAO/NSIAD-99-18, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal' (Oct 1998) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO NSIAD-99-18, report body (ship-scrapping/PCB background sections)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level recognition that U.S. surplus Navy and MARAD ships of this era 'contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium'; documents the 1994 EPA-driven halt to overseas scrapping sales and the 1998-1999 moratorium context - the disposal environment in which this hull, decommissioned 1992 and stricken 1995, was instead transferred in commissionable condition to Taiwan (FAA Sec. 516 grant, effective 29 April 1998).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1982-1999
- Population
- Ship disposal program level
- Limitations
- Does not name this hull or the Knox class; describes surplus-ship scrapping policy, not foreign military transfer. Establishes era/program awareness of shipboard asbestos, not the presence, quantity, or location of ACM aboard FF-1081.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated, fleet-paced helper): opinions '"USS Aylwin" asbestos' = 0; opinions '"USS Aylwin"' = 0; opinions '"DE-1081" OR "FF-1081"' = 3 hits, all name/page-number collisions in non-maritime, non-asbestos litigation (Texas criminal writ Allen WR-79,356-38; Lieberman v. Fieger legal-malpractice appeal, 9th Cir.; Graham v. Smith habeas, 2d Cir.); docket-level name/hull queries - see search_ledger for coverage status [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search queries of 2026-09-29 (search_ledger sl-04 through sl-07)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located on CourtListener: no opinion references USS Aylwin / DE-1081 / FF-1081, with or without asbestos qualifiers. The three hull-number opinion hits are collisions in unrelated dockets; none names the vessel or asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29 (sweep date)
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive - state trial courts, unindexed federal complaints, MDL-875 ship lists not OCR'd into search, and BVA decisions (not a CL corpus) are outside the sweep. Docket-level (type=r) queries for the name and hull number were outstanding at writing time due to fleet pacing; coverage status logged in search_ledger. Absence of located litigation is not evidence that no exposure occurred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-10
-
[12]Batch-4608 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Aylwin IV entry exists; live page 404s to automated fetch, verified via Wayback); NVR; P.L. 103-174, P.L. 105-85, P.L. 105-262; Maritime Reporter contract award; NHHC/NARA photo records; NARA online deck logs; CourtListener name + hull-number sweep; BVA/va.gov; CNA/Taiwan press [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-aylwin-ff1081-01 through sl-uss-aylwin-ff1081-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure attached to the 1998 FAA Sec. 516 transfer, museum record, or docketed asbestos case naming DE-1081/FF-1081 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull remains in active ROC Navy service as ROCS Ning Yang (FFG-938); no present-condition ACM disclosure was located in U.S. or Taiwanese public sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1969-71 Avondale-built steam frigate is exactly the era/type profile for which ACM was standard, and builder-yard records (ev-08) document Avondale's asbestos use in this window. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any exposure or legal-eligibility claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aylwin-ff1081-11