Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS BELKNAP' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS BELKNAP' returned 5 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-belknap-cg26-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS BELKNAP' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS BELKNAP' returned 134 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-belknap-cg26-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'CG-26' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'CG-26' returned 1981 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-belknap-cg26-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'CG-26' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'CG-26' returned 62871 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-belknap-cg26-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Naval Vessel Register, BELKNAP (CG 26) ex-DLG 26 status record (UIC 52701; Wayback capture 2020-12-06; page last updated 10/30/2002) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR CG-26 detail page, Vessel Status + Milestone Dates + Physical Characteristics sections (Wayback 2020-12-06)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR milestones and characteristics for this hull: awarded 05/18/1961; keel 02/05/1962; launched 07/20/1963; delivered 11/04/1964; commissioned 11/07/1964; decommissioned 02/15/1995; stricken 12/15/1995; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise,' status changed 09/24/1998. Physical record: steel hull, aluminum superstructure; steam-turbine propulsion; 2 propellers; 547 ft overall, 55 ft extreme beam, 31 ft max navigational draft; full displacement 8,957 tons; accommodations 64 officers + 546 enlisted. Builder: Bath Iron Works Corp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1961-1998
- Population
- Crew 1964-75, 1980-95; disposal-period custody 1995-98
- Limitations
- NVR is an inventory/status record - it contains no materials, insulation, or hazmat detail. It reflects the final commission cycle only and does not show the 1975-1980 out-of-commission rebuild interval or the DLG-to-CG reclassification date. Live NVR site serves a JS shell; full record via the Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-01
-
[6]Hoiberg, A., and B.G. McCaughey, 'Collision at Sea: The Traumatic Aftereffects,' Report No. 81-39, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego (Naval Medical Research and Development Command, November 1981); DTIC ADA113514; companion article Am. J. Psychiatry 141(1):70-73 (1984), PMID 6691466 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC citation ADA113514; report front matter and incident narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy medical-research report on this hull's defining casualty: on the night of 22 November 1975 USS Kennedy and USS Belknap collided during maneuvers in the Mediterranean; the Kennedy's overhanging hangar and flight-deck structure tore away much of Belknap's superstructure, destroying the boiler air-intake system, electrical and communication lines, and fuel lines, which flooded the decks with fuel that immediately ignited; fires burned and reflashed through the night. Of 336 men aboard Belknap, six died of burns that night and a seventh within two weeks; 46 suffered injuries, burns, or smoke inhalation and were air-evacuated; one Kennedy crewman died of smoke inhalation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-11-22 (casualty); 1981 (report)
- Population
- 336 officers and enlisted aboard Belknap at collision (25 officers + 311 enlisted in study)
- Limitations
- Documents the collision, casualties, and material damage (superstructure destroyed; fuel fires) for a psychiatric-outcome study - contains no asbestos information. Automated PDF fetch at dtic.mil returns 'request is blocked'; report content verified via indexed full text and the doi.org/10.21236/ADA113514 metadata record. Injury counts vary slightly across sources (46-50) - the NHRC figure is carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-02
-
[7]Cmdr. Robert C. Powers, USN, 'Proceed to Assist ... The Belknap Ablaze,' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, August 1976 (first-person account by the CO of USS Claude V. Ricketts, DDG-5); companion Proceedings piece 'The Cruel Business of Accountability,' August 1977; AP reports via New York Times 1975-11-24, 1976-05-13, 1976-06-23 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings Aug 1976 'Proceed to Assist'; Aug 1977 'Cruel Business of Accountability'; NYT archives 1975-11-24, 1976-05-13, 1976-06-23
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous professional and press accounts of the casualty and its aftermath: the collision ruptured aviation fuel lines that rained fuel onto Belknap, crushing her mast and superstructure and igniting a fire fought for over two hours alongside USS Ricketts, USS Bordelon (DD-881), USS Pharris (FF-1094), and USS Thomas C. Hart (FF-1092); USS Bordelon then towed Belknap to Augusta Bay, Sicily. Belknap's commanding officer, Capt. Walter R. Shafer, was acquitted of neglect charges at a May 1976 general court-martial; her officer of the deck, Lt.(j.g.) Kenneth M. Knull, was convicted of negligence in June 1976 with no punishment assigned. Press totals: eight dead and 48 injured.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-1976
- Population
- Belknap crew and rescue-ship crews (Ricketts, Bordelon, Pharris, T.C. Hart)
- Limitations
- Professional-journal and wire-service accounts - verified secondary/eyewitness record of the event, not an official investigation and not a materials record. Does not document asbestos; the aluminum superstructure's fire behavior is described anecdotally. Injury total differs slightly from the NHRC figure (46).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-03
-
[8]USS Belknap Association, 'USS BELKNAP - A Capsule History' (compiled by Ross Hatch, 21 May 2005), ussbelknap.org [other_primary]
- Locator
- USS-BELKNAP-Capsule.pdf, year-by-year entries 1962-1998
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Association-compiled year-by-year ship history (no DANFS entry exists for this hull): commissioned 7 November 1964 at Boston Naval Shipyard; Sixth Fleet, WESTPAC/PIRAZ (Oct 1967), PARPRO Sea of Japan (Dec 1969), UNITAS XV (1974); ten-week restricted availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1975; redesignated CG on 1 July 1975 (Navy-wide date is 30 June - see gaps); collision 22 November 1975; decommissioned and placed out of commission, special, 20 December 1975; towed by USS Hoist (ARS-40) to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; Congress appropriated $210M SCN in 1977; modernization commenced 9 January 1978 including 'improved bulkhead insulation for fire protection' and Kevlar armor on critical areas; recommissioned 10 May 1980; post-shakedown availability at Newport News Shipyard 1981; relieved USS Coronado as Sixth Fleet flagship at Gaeta 7 July 1986; relieved as flagship 8 November 1994; decommissioned Norfolk 15 February 1995; sunk as target 24 September 1998 by F-14 strike aircraft expending ~29,000 lbs of bombs.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1961-1998
- Population
- Crew 1964-75, 1980-95; PNSY reconstruction workforce 1976-80
- Limitations
- Veterans-association compiled history - a secondary source filling the DANFS gap, corroborated against NVR where records overlap but not an official record. Its keel date (3 Feb) conflicts with NVR (5 Feb); its CG redesignation date (1 Jul) conflicts with the Navy-wide 30 Jun date. The 'improved bulkhead insulation' line does not identify fiber content of original or replacement material - not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-04
-
[9]Statements by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the President's Meetings with Soviet Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev in Malta, 2 December 1989 (American Presidency Project) + UPI contemporaneous coverage 1989-11-27 and 1989-12-04 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- American Presidency Project document ID for the 2 Dec 1989 Fitzwater statements; UPI Archives 1989-11-27 and 1989-12-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Belknap served as the U.S. host ship for the Malta Summit, 2-3 December 1989: the cruiser anchored in Marsaxlokk Bay, Malta, about 400 yards from the Soviet cruiser Slava; President Bush and his party were quartered aboard Belknap between sessions; summit meetings shifted to the Soviet liner Maxim Gorky as winds gusted over 40 knots and both cruisers dragged their stern anchors. Fitzwater's statements are on-the-record White House press documents; UPI coverage corroborates Belknap's arrival and role.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1989-12-02 to 1989-12-03
- Population
- Belknap crew; U.S. delegation embarked
- Limitations
- Documents the ship's flagship role at a diplomatic event - contains no materials or asbestos information. Meeting details aboard the Gorky are out of scope; this row supports only the vessel-history fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-05
-
[10]USS Grapple (ARS-53) Command History, calendar year 1995 (CO: LCDR William J. Robertson; submitted 18 March 1996 per OPNAVINST 5750.12), NHHC command-operation-reports collection [other_primary]
- Locator
- Grapple ARS-53 1995 COR, Enclosure (2) Ship's Schedule ('17-21 FEB TOW EX-USS BELKNAP') and narrative paragraph on 1995 drawdown tows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC-archived Navy command report documenting the ex-ship's final Navy custody move: the Grapple 1995 ship's schedule lists '17-21 FEB TOW EX-USS BELKNAP,' and the narrative records 'the tows of EX-USS BELKNAP from Norfolk, VA to Philadelphia, PA ... GRAPPLE earned a small footnote in history for the tow of the EX-USS BELKNAP, the former Sixth Fleet Flagship.' Corroborates the ex-hull's transit to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, immediately after her 15 February 1995 decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1995-02-17 to 1995-02-21
- Population
- Inactive-ship custody chain (NISMF Philadelphia)
- Limitations
- A third-party command history naming this hull - documents the tow, not the hull's material condition or contents. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-06
-
[11]U.S. EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' (Marine Protection Permitting) - MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 governing Navy SINKEX vessel preparation; 'Determination by the EPA and Agreement between the Navy and the EPA' (January 2014) [other_primary]
- Locator
- epa.gov Marine Protection Permitting page, 'What are the permit requirements?' section; 40 C.F.R. 229.2
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The regulatory regime under which this hull was sunk: the MPRSA general permit requires qualified personnel to remove to the maximum extent practicable all materials which may degrade the marine environment before sinking - fuel from tanks and lines, other pollutants, and readily detachable debris; vessels must sink at least 50 nautical miles from land in at least 6,000 feet of water; the Navy reports each vessel's name, tonnage, location, and sinking date to EPA annually. EPA interpretation documents target PCB-bearing solid materials - bulkhead insulation, wire and cable insulation, felt and rubber gaskets - not asbestos. Whatever asbestos-containing material remained aboard this hull went down unrecovered.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1998 (sinking); permit framework continuing
- Limitations
- Program-level regulatory framework, not a hull-specific record - the permit's enumerated materials are fuels, pollutants/debris, and PCBs; asbestos is not among them. No per-hull preparation manifest for ex-Belknap was located; the sinking itself is documented by NVR (ev-01). The inference that remaining ACM went down with the hull is logical, not documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-07
-
[12]U.S. Navy fact file, CG-26 Belknap class (4 x 1,200-psi boilers; 2 geared turbines; 2 shafts; 85,000 shp; 1200-psi/950-deg F steam plant shared with the Leahy class - via FAS dod-101 mirror and globalsecurity.org mirror) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works records (OSHA 1987 citations; NIOSH HHE 89-0273-2000; Drinker 1942 pipe-covering study; Austin/Shorette/Grant litigation; NARA RG 19 General Information Books) and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard record (tier 3; Merwitz verdict; product identifications) [other_primary]
- Locator
- man.fas.org/dod-101 CG-26 class page, specifications block; shipyards.json records 'bath-iron-works' and 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: construction of a four-boiler, 1,200-psi geared-turbine steam-plant combatant at Bath Iron Works in 1961-64 falls squarely in the documented peak of naval asbestos-insulation use; era-standard applications for the type include boiler casing and steam-drum insulation, high-pressure steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, gaskets, packing, deck coverings, and bulkhead/cable insulation. The builder yard is documented in the Atlas dataset (tier 2) with OSHA asbestos citations, a NIOSH health-hazard evaluation recording fiber exposures during ship repair/overhaul, and asbestos litigation covering the yard's workforce; the 1976-80 reconstruction yard (Philadelphia NSY) is documented at tier 3 with product identifications and a plaintiff-verdict exposure window overlapping the rebuild era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1961-1995
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1961-64; crew 1964-75, 1980-95; PNSY rebuild trades 1976-80
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no hull-specific insulation record located; this row must not be read as a ship-specific finding. Does not quantify material aboard or establish what remained at decommissioning or sinking. Yard findings document the yards' workforces, not this hull's materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-08
-
[13]GAO PSAD-79-6, 'Better Equipment Maintenance and Personnel Training Needed To Improve Firefighting Capability on Navy Ships' (16 January 1979, report to the Secretary of the Navy) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page PSAD-79-6 + indexed report text (aluminum superstructure passage)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Program-level GAO report on Navy shipboard firefighting in the aftermath of mid-1970s ship fires: 1,346 reported shipboard fires January 1976-August 1977; the report identifies aluminum and other lightweight superstructure materials as making ships 'extremely vulnerable' in a fire - aluminum 'loses nearly all of its strength' at 700 deg F and melts at 1,200 deg F - the exact failure mode of this hull's aluminum superstructure in the November 1975 fire.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1976-1979
- Population
- Navy-wide shipboard firefighting personnel and ship crews 1976-79
- Limitations
- Navy-wide program report, not a hull record - whether it names Belknap is unverified because gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (same standing defect as Batch 01's HRD-80-2); content verified via the product-page description and indexed report text. Context for the class/era materials question; no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-09
-
[14]U.S. Navy JAG FOIA reading room, JAGMAN Investigations listing (Wayback captures 2009-2016): '22 NOV 1975 COLLISION OF USS JOHN F KENNEDY AND USS BELKNAP' in two parts (USS KENNEDY AND BELKNAP 75 PT 1.pdf / PT 2.pdf); live page at jag.navy.mil/foia/manual-investigations (custodian: Admiralty & Claims Division, Code 15) + USS Belknap association command-history/deck-log materials (ussbelknap.org) + NARA RG 19 General Information Books lead per Atlas bath-iron-works record [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2009-05-09 of jag.navy.mil/FOIA/FOIAJAGMANinvestigations.htm (Belknap entry, view-1/view-2 links); jag.navy.mil/foia/manual-investigations; ussbelknap.org; shipyards.json 'bath-iron-works' ev-bath-iron-works-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Leads toward hull-specific documentation: (1) the official Navy JAG investigation of the 22 November 1975 collision exists and was released through the JAG FOIA reading room in two parts - it would document damage extent and possibly materials detail from the fire and subsequent survey; (2) the ship's association site hosts compiled ship records including the capsule history used here; (3) NARA Record Group 19 General Information Books are recorded in the Atlas yard dataset as detailing material specifications for vessels built at Bath Iron Works - a plausible route to a hull-specific insulation record.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-1976 (investigation); 2009-2016 (FOIA posting)
- Limitations
- Leads only - the JAGMAN PDF links are dead on the live site (live listing page is JS-gated; existence verified via the Wayback index), and neither the report's text nor any General Information Book for this hull was retrieved. None establishes any asbestos fact about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-10
-
[15]Batch-189 search ledger (this record): indexed opinion/docket search for 'USS Belknap' / 'U.S.S. Belknap' / 'aboard the Belknap' / 'CG-26' / 'DLG-26'; CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP search (throttled); DANFS index (hull not covered); ussbelknap.org; NVR; NHHC archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-belknap-cg26-01 through sl-uss-belknap-cg26-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials inventory, or docketed/published case naming USS Belknap was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Indexed litigation searches returned only name collisions (attorney Thomas H. Belknap, Jr.; Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP; Fort Belknap Indian Community tribal cases; a 'v. Belknap' party cite). DANFS never published an entry for this hull (postdates series coverage; hazegray index 'NOT LISTED'). A second USS Belknap (DD-251/AVD-8/APD-34, Clemson class, WWII) is a documented name-collision risk for future searches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1961-64 construction is consistent with retained era materials through service life, and the hull's 1998 at-sea sinking means no recovery-level documentation will emerge. The CourtListener API was throttled (125/day shared quota) before this session's sweep; the opinion/RECAP layer is incomplete and logged as blocked, so this negative finding covers indexed-web results only and should be re-run when quota resets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belknap-cg26-11