USS Bataan (AVT-4)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]Dafler v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 259 N.J. Super. 17, 611 A.2d 136 (App. Div. 1992), aff'd, 132 N.J. 96, 622 A.2d 1305 (1993) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion at 259 N.J. Super. 23-24 (Part III factual recital: Joyce employment window 1942-44; Joyce ship list expressly including Bataan; daily product identifications 'on each of the nine or ten ships'; dust-condition testimony)

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Published New Jersey appellate opinion (affirmed jury verdict; further affirmed by the New Jersey Supreme Court) recites trial testimony expressly naming USS Bataan among the ships built at New York Shipbuilding, Camden amid asbestos insulation work. Coworker Louis Joyce (yard 1942-1944, sheet-metal-department helper installing permanent ventilation in boiler and engine rooms; aboard ships ~90% of his time) remembered 'nine to ten' ships and listed 'the battleship, South Dakota, and the carriers: Princeton, Independence, Langley, Cabot, Cowpens, Monterey, Bataan, Belleauwood, and San Jacinto.' Joyce testified that pipefitters and pipe coverers in the boiler and engine rooms used Ehret asbestos pipe covering, Johns-Manville pipe covering, Baldwin Mono Block asbestos covering, and Ehret and Johns-Manville asbestos-cement bags, observed daily, and that he saw the Ehret cement bags 'on each of the nine or ten ships he worked on,' plus Garlock gaskets punched out on site; he described pipe-covering/cement dust 'like a snowstorm.' The jury found asbestos exposure 'was a substantial contributing cause' of plaintiff Frank Dafler's lung cancer; verdicts affirmed.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1944 exposure window; opinion 1992, affirmed o.b. 1993

   Population

   New York Shipbuilding construction trades aboard USS Bataan during 1942-1944 construction (shipfitters, sheet-metal workers, pipefitters, pipe coverers)

   Limitations

   Ship-naming and product identifications are trial testimony recited in the published opinion - testimony-level product-identification evidence, not an itemized finding of installed materials on this hull; the affirmed verdict found causation for plaintiff's aggregate 1939-45 yard employment, not allocated per-vessel. Plaintiff Dafler's own list of 12-13 ships did NOT include Bataan - the hull is named only by corroborating coworker Joyce. Joyce's products testimony is per-trade daily observation across his ships; it does not quantify asbestos aboard Bataan, does not cover hull/accommodation insulation, and does not address service-era (1943-54) conditions or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-01

2. [2]DANFS, USS Bataan (CVL-29) entry - construction, designation, and service record (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page unavailable) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Bataan entry, full text (spec block through battle-star count)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official ship-history record for this hull (DANFS): Buffalo (CL-99) reclassified CV-29 and renamed Bataan 2 June 1942; reclassified CVL-29 on 15 July 1943; launched 1 August 1943 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J., sponsored by Mrs. George D. Murray; commissioned 17 November 1943, Captain V. H. Schaeffer in command. Spec block: 11,000 tons; 622'6"; 109'2" beam; 26' draft; 32 knots; complement 1,569; Independence class. Service: Hollandia, Truk/Satawan/Ponape, Saipan, Philippine Sea, Bonins (1944); returned to the United States for repairs; TF 58 fleet raids supporting Okinawa (17 March-30 May 1945) including assist in sinking submarine I-56 on 18 April; Third Fleet operations against the Japanese home islands (10 July-15 August); Magic Carpet duty; Philadelphia inactivation arrival 10 January 1946; out of commission in reserve 11 February 1947; recommissioned Philadelphia 13 May 1950; Korean waters strikes December 1950-June 1951; Bremerton overhaul from 9 July 1951; second Korea tour January-August 1952; third Korea tour October 1952-May 1953; San Diego-area overhaul and training to 31 July 1953; final Asiatic cruise; reported for inactivation 26 August 1953; out of commission in reserve at San Francisco 9 April 1954. Six battle stars (WWII) and seven (Korea).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1954

   Population

   Construction trades (1942-43); crew across both commission periods; yard workers at Hunters Point, Bremerton (Puget Sound), San Diego, and Philadelphia

   Limitations

   Authoritative history of this hull including exposure-relevant yard events (1944 U.S. repairs, 1951 Bremerton overhaul, 1953 San Diego overhaul, 1953-54 inactivation); the yard periods are documented but their asbestos rip-out/re-insulation scope is era inference, not a per-hull record. Battle-star discrepancy: this entry gives six WWII battle stars; the DANFS entry for the later namesake LHD-5 recites five - carried as six per this hull's own entry (see gaps). Live NHHC DANFS page 404s; verbatim HyperWar transcription cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-02

3. [3]NavSource Online Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive, USS Bataan (CVL-29/AVT-4) page - captioned Navy yard photographs, Hunters Point, Sept-Oct 1944 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource CVL-29 page, photo entries NS022902/NS022902a (29 Sep 1944) and NS022919 (6 Oct 1944); machinery and chronology blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource photo captions document this hull at Hunters Point (San Francisco Naval Shipyard), San Francisco, on 29 September 1944 (views forward and aft 'showing alterations,' yard photo series 2498-44-S8 / 2499-44-S8) and 6 October 1944 (broadside starboard view, photo 2680-44-S4) - the stateside repair/alteration period DANFS records between the June 1944 Bonins raid and the March 1945 TF 58 Okinawa operations. The same page's machinery block lists 100,000 shp, General Electric geared turbines, four screws; its chronology table gives AVT-4 15 May 1959, stricken 1 September 1959, sold May 1961.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-09 - 1944-10

   Population

   San Francisco Naval Shipyard (Hunters Point) trades; crew during availability

   Limitations

   Photo captions establish the hull's presence at Hunters Point for alterations in Sept-Oct 1944; the work scope and any insulation disturbance are not documented by the captions - asbestos scope of this yard period is era inference, not a record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-03

4. [4]Naval Historical Center Online Library, 'USS Bataan (CVL-29, later AVT-4), 1943-1961' page; corroborated by NavSource chronology table and NHHC carrier data table (Appendix, '29 Bataan ... AVT 4 15 May 1959 Stricken 1 Sep 1959') [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHC Online Library Bataan page, closing paragraph; NavSource CVL-29 chronology block (AVT-4 15 May 1959; stricken 1 Sep 1959; sold May 1961); NHHC carrier appendix (search-indexed, live PDF 404)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Disposition record for this hull: reclassified auxiliary aircraft transport and redesignated AVT-4 on 15 May 1959 while in reserve; stricken from the Navy List 1 September 1959; sold for scrapping in May 1961. The AVT-4 designation was administrative, in reserve - the ship never operated as an aircraft transport. Designation sequence: CL-99 Buffalo (ordered 16 Dec 1940) -> CV-29 Bataan (reordered 2 Jun 1942) -> CVL-29 (15 Jul 1943) -> AVT-4 (15 May 1959) -> stricken 1 Sep 1959.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1954-1961 reserve and disposal

   Population

   Scrapping-yard workers (1961)

   Limitations

   Establishes designation/disposal chronology only. Buyer identity (Nicolai Joffe Corp., Beverly Hills, 19 June 1961) appears in secondary compilations citing DANFS but is not in the print DANFS text - carried in gaps, not asserted here. Sale month discrepancy: 'May 1961' (NHC/NavSource) vs 19 June 1961 (secondary).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-04

5. [5]Shipscribe, 'U.S. Navy Ship Characteristics Board (SCB) Numbers, 1946-1964' - SCB-54 entry transcribing the official SCB document list [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe SCB table, project 54 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship Characteristics Board record (shipscribe transcription of the official SCB list): SCB-54 (FY49, CVE/CVL, Mk 5 arresting gear installation and ASW modernization) - 'Early ASW conversions (FY49?) were CVL 29 and CVE 116 and 119. Ultimately 2 CVLs (29 under FY49 and 28 under FY51) and 10 CVEs were modernized for ASW.' NavSource concurs: 'Refitted as an ASW carrier under FY49 (SCB-54 project), but was used for conventional air strikes and aircraft transport during the Korean War.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   FY1949 program window (circa 1949-1951)

   Population

   Yard workers performing the SCB-54 refit (location not documented)

   Limitations

   Documents an FY49 ASW modernization program applied to this hull - a yard-level event whose location, scope, and insulation disturbance are not recorded in consulted sources (CVL-29 was in reserve 1947-50 and recommissioned May 1950; when/where the refit physically occurred is unresolved - see gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-05

6. [6]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) - specification-level document for Navy shipboard insulation materials [other_primary]

   Locator

   BuShips TM ch.39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials) - verbatim OCR text of retrieved PDF

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era specification (consistent with the Independence-class profile convention): the 1960 Bureau of Ships Technical Manual insulation chapter enumerates the asbestos suite standard to Navy steam plants of this hull's construction era - MIL-P-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 (80-95% chrysotile) as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; molded asbestos block for high-temperature service. Bataan's four-boiler, four-turbine, 100,000-shp plant and cruiser-derived hull are the equipment classes these specifications cover; class-level sources attribute four Babcock & Wilcox boilers to the Independence-class machinery plant (ship-specific boiler make unverified - NavSource's machinery block lists only turbines/shp). Cruiser-keel construction began August 1942 and carrier conversion ran through November 1943 commissioning - both inside the peak asbestos-specification era.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1942-1943 construction; spec text as codified 1959-60

   Population

   Construction trades (1942-43); engineering and maintenance crew (1943-47, 1950-54)

   Limitations

   Specification-level documentation of what the Navy specified, not a ship-specific installation record - establishes the era insulation suite, not confirmed installed materials on this hull; no quantity; does not establish remaining or historical material aboard. Retrieved PDF is a scan hosted in a litigation document repository; the document itself is the government manual.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-06

7. [7]Simmons v. Pacor, Inc., 674 A.2d 232 (Pa. 1996) [court_record]

   Locator

   674 A.2d 232 - factual recital (NYSB Camden insulation-trades asbestos exposure 1952-67)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Builder-yard context (Independence-class profile hit): Pennsylvania Supreme Court opinion documents a pipecoverer/insulator's occupational asbestos exposure at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, 1952-1967 - the yard that built this hull (1942-43) and all nine Independence-class hulls; the documented exposure window immediately postdates class construction but confirms the yard's asbestos insulation trades.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1952-1967 yard employment; opinion 1996

   Population

   New York Shipbuilding insulator/pipecoverer

   Limitations

   Builder-yard context only. The documented exposure period (1952-67) postdates this hull's construction (1942-43); establishes the yard's asbestos work environment in the immediately following era, not material aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-07

8. [8]Giacobbe v. Celotex Corp., 629 F. Supp. 827 (E.D. Pa. 1985) [court_record]

   Locator

   629 F. Supp. 827 - factual recital (Cabot service 1943-46; pipecovering/gasket work)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Sister-ship litigation context (Independence-class profile hit): an E.D. Pa. opinion recites that plaintiff served aboard USS Cabot (CVL-28) - an Independence-class sister built in the same Camden conversion program - during 1943-1946 performing damage-control, shipfitter, hull-technician, and maintenance duties including removing pipe covering, repairing pipes, ripping off gaskets, and replacing pipe covering - the standard insulation-disturbance work of the era aboard a class sister.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1946 service window; opinion 1985

   Population

   Sailor aboard USS Cabot (CVL-28), 1943-1946

   Limitations

   Allegation/deposition-level recital naming sister ship CVL-28 only - describes era duties aboard a class sister, not this hull; not an adjudicated finding on specific installed products aboard either ship.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-08

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 search endpoint, queries '"Bataan" asbestos' (type=o), '"USS Bataan"' (type=o), '"CVL-29"' (type=o), '"AVT-4"' (type=o), executed via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-bataan-avt4-03 through sl-uss-bataan-avt4-06

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener sweeps for this hull (authenticated API v4 via fleet helper, 2026-09-26): opinion search '"Bataan" asbestos' returned exactly 1 hit - Dafler v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 259 N.J. Super. 17 (App. Div. 1992), the qualifying asbestos opinion carried as ev-01 (the only asbestos opinion in the index naming this hull). Opinion search '"USS Bataan"' returned 1 hit - United States v. Benjamin, 184 F. Supp. 622 (S.D. Ala. 1960), a Navy dependent-travel reimbursement recovery in which the defendant officer was ordered to duty aboard USS Bataan in 1951-52 (home port San Diego; berthed Long Beach Sept 1952); classified other litigation / vessel named in service context, non-asbestos. Opinion search '"CVL-29"' returned 0 results. Opinion search '"AVT-4"' returned 2 name collisions - Vacold LLC v. Cerami (2d Cir. 2008, pharmaceutical licensing) and a Texas criminal appeal (Perry, 2015) where the string appears as a code/exhibit artifact; neither involves the vessel or asbestos. Docket-index (type=r) sweeps were attempted but the fleet pacing budget was exhausted - see limitations and ledger.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Sweep covers the CourtListener opinion index for the qualified-asbestos name, the exact-phrase ship name, and both hull strings - the only qualifying asbestos hit is Dafler (carried as ev-01); other hits are non-qualifying (a 1960 travel-pay case naming the vessel; unrelated AVT-4 code collisions). Not exhausted: unqualified 'Bataan' opinion sweep and docket-index (type=r) queries were paced out this session; CourtListener also does not cover state-court filings, unindexed dockets, or MDL-875 pleading-stage references naming the hull. The class-profile sweep (2026-09-16) likewise found no qualifying asbestos opinion for CVL-29 beyond the ship-specific rows recorded there.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-bataan-avt4-09

10. [10]Naval Historical Center, Korean War naval chronology (chron50/chron52 pages) and 'List of Carrier Combat Action Reports for Korea' (declassified; Wayback capture); NavSource CVL-29 page cruise-book links [other_primary]

    Locator

    NHC carrier action-report list, Bataan entry (Nov 1950-May 1953); NavSource CVL-29 page document links

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NHHC Korean War records and archival leads for this hull: the NHHC Korean War naval chronology records Marine fighter squadron VMF-212 embarked aboard Bataan and assignments to TF 77 and TG 96.8 during the Korean deployments; NHHC's Korean Combat Action Reports list (Naval Historical Center, Aviation History Branch) indexes declassified carrier action reports for 'USS Bataan (CVL 29), Nov 1950 to May 1953' - thirteen report periods covering all three Korean tours. NavSource hosts the ship's 1943-45 World War II cruise log (228 pp.) and the 1952 and 1952-53 Far East cruise books scanned by the USS Bataan CVL-29 Association. NARA holdings for the hull (RG 19 BuShips plans, RG 38 deck logs/war diaries) were not retrieved.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1950-1953 reports; 1943-45 and 1952-53 cruise books

    Limitations

    Indexes locate primary records but the documents were not reviewed for asbestos content - action reports cover operations, not material condition; cruise books are crew artifacts. Listed as retrieval leads only.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bataan-avt4-10

11. [11]Batch-3090 search ledger (this record): DANFS (ibiblio transcription); NHC Online Library; NavSource CVL-29; shipscribe SCB table; NHHC Korean action-report index; CourtListener sweeps; va.gov/BVA name check; marketing-source exclusion check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-bataan-avt4-01 through sl-uss-bataan-avt4-09

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Beyond the Dafler/Joyce litigation testimony, no ship-specific asbestos documentation was located for this hull: no insulation survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat disclosure, no material schedule, and no post-service material record. This is structurally expected - the hull was stricken 1959 and scrapped 1961, before asbestos surveying or preservation recordation existed, leaving no survey path.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    search date 2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of a located record is not proof of absence - the litigation record does establish era-typical asbestos products aboard during construction. Negative finding bounded to the repositories actually searched and reachable on the research date.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-bataan-avt4-11