USS Barb (SSN-596)

Name
USS Barb
Hull designation
SSN-596
Vessel class
Permit/Thresher class
Evidence tier
Tier 3
Evidence entries
14
Record ID
uss-barb-ssn596
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-barb-ssn596

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

  1. [1]navysite.de USS hull page (secondary compilation) - no authoritative DANFS entry located [other_primary]
    Locator
    navysite.de characteristics and history sections
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    No DANFS entry located for this hull (NHHC live page 404; LostHistory/HazeGray mirror index lists an entry that was never transcribed; no Wayback capture). Vessel history rests on NVR milestones and secondary compilation (navysite.de): built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS; award date per secondary compilations (March 1959); keel laid 1959-11-09 (secondary - NVR field unpopulated); launched 1962-02-12 (secondary - NVR 'Delivery Date' carries this date); commissioned 1963-08-24; decommissioned and stricken 1989-12-20; disposed of by submarine recycling (status changed 1996-03-14). NVR's own records document the 1959 name swap: this hull carried the reserved name POLLACK before being renamed BARB (and SSN-603 carried BARB before becoming POLLACK); the modern NVR shell records 'Former, Navy Name' stubs at the original assignments, status changed 07/01/1959. Keel/launch dates are not populated in the surviving NVR record - keel 11/09/1959 and launch 02/12/1962 rest on secondary compilations (navysite); the old-format NVR 'Delivery Date' field carries 02/12/1962, the launch date. Secondary compilation also records a minor collision with USS Sargo (SSN-583) 15 miles west of Oahu 1965-10-13, no injuries.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1959-1989
    Limitations
    No authoritative DANFS entry exists for this hull - secondary compilation used transparently for milestones already verified against NVR; any detail beyond NVR is treated as secondary. No asbestos content.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-01
  2. [2]Naval Vessel Register, SHIPSDETAIL SSN-596 (old-format record) (Wayback capture) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NVR SHIPSDETAIL_SSN_596 milestone table (old nvrships/details URL)
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    NVR milestone data for ex-Barb (old-format record - the modern URL serves only the pre-swap 'Former, Navy Name' stub): builder, award, keel, and launch fields unpopulated in the surviving record; 'Delivery Date' carries 1962-02-12 - the launch date per secondary compilations; commission 1963-08-24; decommission and stricken 1989-12-20; status changed 1996-03-14 - disposed of by submarine recycling; recycling custodian Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton WA. NVR title line carries '(ex - POLLACK)'. NVR's own records document the 1959 name swap: this hull carried the reserved name POLLACK before being renamed BARB (and SSN-603 carried BARB before becoming POLLACK); the modern NVR shell records 'Former, Navy Name' stubs at the original assignments, status changed 07/01/1959. Keel/launch dates are not populated in the surviving NVR record - keel 11/09/1959 and launch 02/12/1962 rest on secondary compilations (navysite); the old-format NVR 'Delivery Date' field carries 02/12/1962, the launch date. Secondary compilation also records a minor collision with USS Sargo (SSN-583) 15 miles west of Oahu 1965-10-13, no injuries.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1959-1996
    Limitations
    NVR milestone table (old-format capture - keel/launch fields unpopulated for this hull). No asbestos content.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-02
  3. [3]Cooks v. General Electric Company, No. 3:07-cv-05451-EMC (N.D. Cal.), complaint Exhibit A work-history, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-10-25) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel list ('BARB (SSN-596)', list dates 1974-1991)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (plaintiff Alvin Cooks's work-history/exposure exhibit) lists vessels and locations of alleged asbestos exposure, expressly including 'BARB (SSN-596)' among dozens of hulls. Cooks worked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard as a marine machinist from April 1974 (helper through general foreman); the exhibit's job-duty recitals describe gasket and valve-packing removal and replacement, lagging-residue removal, and pipe cut-outs aboard listed vessels including work in reactor compartments.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1974-1991 (vessel-list dates); 2007 (filing)
    Population
    Alvin Cooks (Mare Island NSY marine machinist, 1974-1995)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation (complaint exhibit), unadjudicated; a vessel-list entry is not an individualized exposure finding and does not establish that asbestos products were aboard this hull, that any exposure occurred, causation, or legal eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-03
  4. [4]Halseth v. General Electric Co., No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), consolidated complaint Exhibit A work-histories, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-05-14) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A, Robinson section, alphabetical vessel list ('BARB (SSN-596)')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (consolidated multi-plaintiff work-histories; section for plaintiff Larry Robinson, a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard pipefitter 1975-2004) lists 'BARB (SSN-596)' in an alphabetical roster of vessels he worked on or around; duty recitals describe engine-room, fire-room, and reactor-room piping and valve work, steam-trap gasket changes, and close proximity to laggers and other trades 'blowing around asbestos dust', including work around General Electric and Westinghouse turbines and Johns-Manville insulation.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1975-2004 (alleged exposure window); 2007 (filing)
    Population
    Larry Robinson (Puget Sound NSY pipefitter, 1975-2004)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation (complaint exhibit), unadjudicated; an alphabetical roster entry is not an individualized exposure finding and does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, exposure, causation, or eligibility. The roster spans many hulls at one yard (PSNSY Bremerton); it documents a work-assignment universe, not per-hull materials.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-05
  5. [5]Davis v. General Electric Company, No. 3:08-cv-00228-JSW (N.D. Cal.), complaint with consolidated Exhibit A work-histories, ECF No. 1 (filed 2008-01-14) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1, Exhibit A, Watson section vessel list ('BARB (SSN-596)')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (consolidated multi-plaintiff work-histories; section for plaintiff James Watson, a Mare Island Naval Shipyard pipefitter 1975-1981) lists 'BARB (SSN-596)' among the vessels he worked on or around.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1975-1981 (alleged exposure window); 2008 (filing)
    Population
    James Watson (Mare Island NSY pipefitter, 1975-1981)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation (complaint exhibit), unadjudicated; a vessel-list entry is not an individualized exposure finding and does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, exposure, causation, or eligibility. The case is styled Davis v. General Electric but this section is plaintiff James Watson's.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-06
  6. [6]Harris v. CBS Corporation, No. 3:18-cv-07572-YGR (N.D. Cal.), Order granting motion to remand, ECF No. 49 (filed 2019-02-21) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 49, order reciting discovery-response vessel list ('USS Barb (SSN-596)')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Federal order granting plaintiffs' motion to remand in an asbestos case: reciting the parties' discovery record, the court describes plaintiffs' interrogatory responses listing vessels plaintiff worked around at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, expressly including 'USS Barb (SSN-596)' (with USS Barbel, USS Mariano G. Vallejo, USS Parche, USS Flasher, USS Pollack, USS Dace, USS Seawolf, USS Richard B. Russell, and others). Removal was held untimely and the case remanded to Alameda County Superior Court.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2018-2019 (discovery and remand); alleged exposure window per complaint
    Population
    Michael Roy Harris (Mare Island NSY worker)
    Limitations
    Procedural order (remand granted on timeliness), not a merits ruling; the vessel naming reflects plaintiffs' discovery responses as recited by the court - a discovery-stage record, not an exposure finding. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, exposure, causation, or eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-07
  7. [7]McIntyre v. Warren Pumps LLC, No. 3:06-cv-06301-WHA (N.D. Cal.), Order re motion for summary judgment, ECF No. 41 (filed 2007-04-30) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 41, order reciting plaintiff's vessel list ('USS Barb')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Federal summary-judgment order in an asbestos case: the court recites that plaintiff Edward McIntyre, a Mare Island Naval Shipyard worker December 1963 - June 1995 diagnosed with mesothelioma, alleged work aboard vessels including 'USS Barb' (with USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Barb, USS Guardfish, USS Haddock, USS Patrick Henry, USS Permit, USS Seawolf). The order DENIES defendant Warren Pumps' motion for summary judgment, finding triable disputes over the government-contractor defense and product-contact evidence.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1963-1995 (alleged exposure window); 2007 (order)
    Population
    Edward McIntyre (Mare Island NSY worker, 1963-1995)
    Limitations
    Merits-stage order (summary judgment denied - case proceeded), but the vessel naming remains the plaintiff's allegation as recited by the court; the order does not find that asbestos was aboard this hull, that any exposure occurred, or causation - it resolves a legal-defense question only.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-08
  8. [8]Leonard v. CBS Corporation, MDL 875 No. 2:12-cv-60177-ER (E.D. Pa.), Order granting Huntington Ingalls' motion for summary judgment, ECF No. 62 (filed 2014-01-29) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 62, order listing alleged-exposure vessels ('USS Barb (SSN-596)')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Federal MDL-875 summary-judgment order in an asbestos case: the order identifies 'USS Barb (SSN-596)' among the vessels aboard which plaintiff John Leonard's exposure pertinent to defendant Huntington Ingalls was alleged (the full recited list: USS Barb, USS Robert E. Lee, USS Haddock), and GRANTS Huntington Ingalls' motion for summary judgment.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2014 (order); alleged exposure window per complaint
    Population
    John Leonard (alleged exposure aboard named vessels)
    Limitations
    Merits-stage order resolving this defendant's liability - a defense summary-judgment win for that plaintiff's claims against Huntington Ingalls, not an exposure finding and not evidence that no exposure occurred aboard other vessels or involving other defendants. The vessel naming remains the plaintiff's allegation; the order does not adjudicate hull-specific material content.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-09
  9. [9]McIntyre v. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Inc., No. 3:08-cv-03070-EDL (N.D. Cal.), complaint, ECF No. 1 (filed 2008-06-25) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1 complaint (24 pp., scanned); CourtListener index match for 'SSN-596'
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint (McIntyre v. Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - a second, later-filed case in the same plaintiff family as McIntyre v. Warren Pumps): CourtListener full-text search matches 'SSN-596' inside the scanned complaint ECF No. 1 (24 pp.), placing this hull's number in the complaint's vessel universe. The PDF is a scan without a text layer; the exact list line cannot be displayed or quoted.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2008 (filing); alleged exposure window per complaint
    Population
    McIntyre plaintiff (N.D. Cal. asbestos case)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation, unadjudicated; feed-verified string match inside a no-text-layer scan - the exact context (vessel list vs. narrative) is unverifiable, so this is classified below the verified-exhibit namings. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, exposure, causation, or eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-10
  10. [10]Era inference built on: DANFS/navysite spec blocks (S5W-class nuclear plant, steam turbines, single shaft); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for ingalls-shipbuilding, mare-island-naval-shipyard, puget-sound-naval-shipyard (thermal insulation, submarine steam/propulsion lagging, gaskets, packing, block insulation) [other_primary]
    Locator
    DANFS/navysite spec blocks; shipyards.json product lists for ingalls-shipbuilding, mare-island-naval-shipyard, puget-sound-naval-shipyard
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    A Permit/Thresher-class nuclear attack submarine built 1959-1963 at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS and maintained through Navy-yard availabilities across the 1960s-90s sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications on the secondary steam plant and auxiliary systems included thermal/pipe insulation, gaskets, packing, and machinery insulation. The building and maintenance yards' asbestos product use in this period is independently documented at the yard level.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1959-1963
    Population
    Submarine construction trades; Navy-yard overhaul trades; crew
    Limitations
    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located. Names era-standard applications on non-nuclear secondary/auxiliary systems, not confirmed installed materials; the reactor plant establishes nothing. No quantity; material disposition at recycling undocumented per-hull.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-11
  11. [11]Kase v. Metalclad Insulation Corp., Cal. Ct. App. (4th Dist.) 2021 (CourtListener opinions 4324658, 4332654) [court_record]
    Locator
    Opinion, specification-history discussion (SUBSAFE/MIL-I-24244)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    A docketed asbestos personal-injury opinion recounts that after USS Thresher's April 1963 loss the Navy created the SUBSAFE program, which issued procurement specification MIL-I-24244 covering asbestos-containing insulation for submarines. This hull predates that regime - laid down November 1959 - pre-dating the SUBSAFE era it describes, before Thresher's loss - so MIL-I-24244 documents the spec regime in force for her later maintenance and overhaul era, not her original construction.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2021 (opinion); regime described 1963-forward
    Population
    Navy submarine construction/maintenance trades, SUBSAFE era
    Limitations
    Documents the era procurement-spec regime, not this hull's installed materials; the case concerns a different claimant aboard different vessels. Does not establish exposure, causation, quantity, or eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-12
  12. [12]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 - covering this hull's construction (1959-1963) and most service-era insulation events.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-13
  13. [13]Batch-60 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NVR/navysite sweeps; CourtListener Atom-feed exact-name and hull-number searches (opinions + RECAP); verified exhibit-PDF greps (Cooks, Halseth, Cronin, Davis, Turner, Heiser); verified federal orders (McIntyre, Harris, Leonard, Wright, Bryant); GAO HRD-80-2; ACM-survey sweep [other_primary]
    Locator
    See this record's search_ledger rows for repositories, queries, and per-search outcomes
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation material list, or SRP/recycling hazmat disclosure naming USS Barb was located in any searched repository. CourtListener opinion search returned no adjudicated asbestos finding touching this hull.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    negative_finding
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Limitations
    Negative finding is a search result, not proof of absence: Navy hull-level industrial-hygiene records were not systematically published, SRP-era recycling documentation is not indexed by hull in public dockets, and CourtListener coverage excludes most state-court filings. Unverified feed-matched documents are logged as archival leads, not as evidence.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-14
  14. [14]Halseth v. General Electric Co., No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), consolidated complaint Exhibit A work-histories, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-05-14) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A, Wagenman section, dated vessel table ('BARB (SSN-596)' 1970-95)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (consolidated multi-plaintiff work-histories; section for plaintiff Robert Wagenman, Mare Island Naval Shipyard electrician 1970-1976, later shop planner/ship scheduler through 1995) lists 'BARB (SSN-596)' in a dated vessel table (1970-95).
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1970-1995 (alleged exposure window); 2007 (filing)
    Population
    Robert Wagenman (Mare Island NSY electrician/ship scheduler, 1970-1995)
    Limitations
    Pleading-stage allegation (complaint exhibit), unadjudicated; a vessel-list entry is not an individualized exposure finding and does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, exposure, causation, or eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-barb-ssn596-04

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned