Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS entry 'Bennington II (CV-20)', NHHC migrated edition [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Construction paragraph and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry documents construction: the second Bennington (CV-20) was laid down 15 December 1942 by the New York Navy Yard, launched 26 February 1944, and commissioned 6 August 1944. DANFS spec block: displacement 27,100 tons, complement 3,448, class Essex.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Bennington crew (3,448 per spec block)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific build record only - no materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-01
-
[2]DANFS entry 'Bennington II (CV-20)' + NHHC Online Library CV-20 page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS final paragraph; OL final paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Final years per DANFS/OL: three Vietnam-era Southeast Asia tours (1965, 1966-67, 1968) as ASW carrier; Apollo 4 recovery ship November 1967; five-month Long Beach Naval Shipyard overhaul November 1968-April 1969; placed out of commission with the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, 15 January 1970; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 20 September 1989; sold September 1993 and towed to India for scrapping. Three WWII and five Vietnam battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1964-1993
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- 20 years in mothballs before 1993 sale/scrapping - disposal-era hazmat paperwork may exist but was not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-03
-
[3]Thrasher v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 3:25-cv-00926-AB (D. Or.), Opinion & Order, Doc. 191, 20 January 2026 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at Complaint para. 14 recital; personal-jurisdiction analysis; Conclusion
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published D. Or. opinion and order in an asbestos action: the court recites that plaintiffs allege Robert Thrasher's asbestos exposure occurred 'during his service in the United States Navy from 1961 to 1963, which included time aboard the USS Bennington' (mesothelioma alleged). The court GRANTED defendant Alfa Laval's personal-jurisdiction dismissal and REMANDED the case to state court - noting plaintiffs provided no evidence the ship ever docked in Oregon during his service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1961-1963 (service); 2026 (opinion)
- Population
- Navy sailor aboard CV-20 1961-63; alleged asbestos exposure, mesothelioma
- Limitations
- Pleading-allegation stage: the opinion recites complaint allegations and disposes of jurisdiction/remand only - it expressly notes no evidence placed the ship (or exposure) in Oregon. No product or exposure issue adjudicated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-04
-
[4]Batch-56 search ledger (this record): govinfo USCOURTS sweeps; DANFS; NHHC OL; appendix; web searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bennington-cv20-01 through -08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No adjudicated ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull: the single qualifying record (Thrasher) sits at pleading stage; no insulation survey, abatement contract, or dismantlement hazmat disclosure naming CV-20 was located; and no opinion identifies a specific asbestos-containing product aboard this ship at fact-finding level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- Negative on adjudicated/surveyed documentation only - a ship-named allegation exists (Thrasher). Her 1954 explosion reconstruction and 1993 India scrapping are undocumented for materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-05
-
[5]Essex-class profile (class-a/essex-class.class.json); O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012) for era Navy spec context [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile era-application list; O'Neil steam-system specification discussion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era context: Essex/Ticonderoga-class carriers were built 1941-45 under peak-era Navy insulation specifications - the class record for this profile lists eight boilers feeding four geared steam turbines, and the published O'Neil record (Cal. Supreme Court 2012, on sister ship USS Oriskany) confirms Navy specifications of the era required asbestos-containing insulation and gasket/packing materials on warship steam systems. Era-typical applications for the class: boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, deck tile, bulkhead insulation, and cable insulation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1944 (construction era)
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- Era-standard application list plus a sister-ship appellate record - prioritizes research only; it is NOT a ship-specific finding and does not confirm installed materials on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-06
-
[6]DANFS entry 'Bennington II (CV-20)' + NHHC Online Library CV-20 page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 1950-55 and 1963 sections; OL summary
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service and yard periods per DANFS: WWII strikes on Japan including the Yamato sinking effort; typhoon flight-deck damage June 1945; decommissioned 1946; moved to the New York Naval Shipyard 29 October 1950 for SCB-27A modernization, recommissioned 13 November 1952 as CVA-20; No. 1 fireroom explosion 27 April 1953 (11 killed); port catapult accumulator explosion and fire 26 May 1954 (103 officers and men killed, over 200 injured - the Navy's worst peacetime carrier disaster); arrived New York Naval Shipyard 12 June 1954 for repairs and major modification including hurricane bow and angled flight deck, completed by 11 March 1955; five-month Long Beach Naval Shipyard overhaul beginning 14 November (1963); reclassified CVS-20 30 June 1959.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1945-1963
- Population
- Casualties of two explosions; yard workforces at New York Naval Shipyard and Long Beach NSY
- Limitations
- Documents SCB-27A, post-explosion reconstruction (major structural work 1954-55), and a 1963-64 yard overhaul - exposure-relevant work settings, not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bennington-cv20-02