Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS BIDDLE' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS BIDDLE' returned 9 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-biddle-cg34-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS BIDDLE' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS BIDDLE' returned 194 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-biddle-cg34-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'CG-34' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'CG-34' returned 1210 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-biddle-cg34-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'CG-34' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'CG-34' returned 49476 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-biddle-cg34-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]DANFS, Biddle IV (DLG-34), NHHC online entry by Raymond A. Mann (3 Feb 2006); Wayback capture 2021-03-30 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Biddle IV (DLG-34)' entry, specifications block + full service narrative (Wayback capture 2021-03-30)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 9 December 1963 at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works; launched 2 July 1965, sponsored by Mrs. Pearle Jean Bates; commissioned 21 January 1967 at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Capt. Maylon T. Scott in command. Specs: dp. 7,900 (f.); 547 ft; cpl. 418; cl. Belknap - ninth/last of the nine-ship class (DLG-26 through DLG-34). Service: post-shakedown availability Boston NSY Jun-Oct 1967; Vietnam deployments 1968 (circumnavigation), 1969, 1972 (PIRAZ/SAR; 19 Jul 1972 MiG engagement - Terrier kill, possible gun kill credited to gun batteries); overhaul Norfolk Naval Shipyard Jul 1970-Jan 1971; LAMPS modification Norfolk NSY Mar-Apr 1972; Mediterranean 1974 (Cyprus contingency); overhaul Bath Iron Works Apr 1975-Mar 1976 (drydock Bayonne, NJ); reclassified CG-34 30 Jun 1975; Mediterranean 1977, 1978-79 (Constanta visit); overhaul Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Sep 1979-late 1980; Gulf of Sidra FON operations Aug 1981; Lebanon contingency/PIRAZ 1982; SRA at Norfolk Shipbuilding Co. Oct-Dec 1983. Entry closes with 'Updates pending for 1983 to 1993'; decommissioned and struck 30 November 1993; disposed of by scrapping 2 January 2002.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1963-1983 (narrative coverage); 1993-2002 (disposition note)
- Population
- BIW construction trades (1963-1967); crew (1967-1993); yard trades at Boston NSY, Norfolk NSY, BIW, Philadelphia NSY
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service history, and yard periods, not materials or asbestos content; asbestos relevance of the documented overhauls is era inference only. Coverage ends at 1983 ('Updates pending for 1983 to 1993') - the 1986-87 NTU overhaul and 1984-93 service are outside this source. Live NHHC page could not be reached for verification; the 2021-03-30 Wayback capture of the official page is cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-01
-
[6]Naval Vessel Register detail page, BIDDLE (CG 34) (ex-DLG 34), UIC 52709 (data current to 2001-01-18; Wayback capture 2001-12-18) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR detail page CG34.htm (Wayback capture 2001-12-18; 'No changes to this information were reported since 01/18/2001')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR registry record for this hull: Builder Bath Iron Wks Corp; award 16 Jan 1962; keel 9 Dec 1963; launch 2 Jul 1965; delivery 10 Jan 1967; commission 21 Jan 1967; decommission 30 Nov 1993; stricken 30 Nov 1993; overall length 547 ft; light displacement 5,973 tons; steel hull, aluminum superstructure; 2 propellers; status (as of status-change date 7 Dec 2000): 'The Navy awarded a contract for the dismantling of this ship...'; planned disposition TO BE SCRAPPED; force MARAD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1962-2001 (registry data)
- Population
- Disposal/dismantling contract workforce (2000-2002)
- Limitations
- Registry data only - no materials or asbestos information. Confirms stricken 30 Nov 1993 (the NavSource '20 Nov 1993' figure is treated as an outlier, see gaps). The 2001-captured status predates the certified scrapping completion (2 Jan 2002 per DANFS). Contractor is not named in the NVR text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-02
-
[7]Contemporary press clip (Philadelphia Inquirer-era, Sen. John Heinz papers, Carnegie Mellon University archives): 'The Philadelphia Navy Yard has completed NTU renovations on the USS Biddle, and two other ships are in the yard' (c.1987); corroborating ussbiddle.wordpress.com crew-maintained chronology (James A. Treadway) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- CMU Heinz archive clip (Heinz_box00276_fld00017_bdl0013_doc0004.pdf); ussbiddle.wordpress.com 'Biddle at Middle Age' (Wayback capture 2023-02-08); Wikipedia CG-34 article (corroboration only)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-1983 record (outside DANFS coverage): Biddle was the first ship converted under the Navy's New Threat Upgrade (NTU) program - SM-2ER capability, forward superstructure rebuilt - during an eleven-month regular overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; crew chronology gives arrival at PNSY 15 July 1986, homeport change to Philadelphia, overhaul commencement 16 July; contemporary press confirms PNSY 'completed NTU renovations on the USS Biddle' by 1987; post-overhaul NTU testing off Wallops Island and in the Caribbean ran into the first half of 1988.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1986-1988
- Population
- PNSY yard trades (1986-1987 NTU conversion); crew
- Limitations
- The NTU yard phase rests on a crew-maintained chronology, a contemporary press clip, and secondary compilations - exact dates are not primary-verified (no official yard record located). A major yard period at a documented asbestos yard - asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. No asbestos information in the cited materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-03
-
[8]United States v. Sandoval, 787 F. Supp. 275 (D.P.R. 1992); affirmed, United States v. Cardona-Sandoval, 6 F.3d 15 (1st Cir. 1993) [court_record]
- Locator
- 787 F. Supp. 275 facts section (Justia); 6 F.3d 15 section I (midpage mirror)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- OTHER LITIGATION (not asbestos): published federal opinions recite that on 25-26 February 1990 the U.S.S. Biddle, a Navy guided-missile cruiser on Caribbean drug-interdiction patrol with an embarked Coast Guard boarding team, intercepted the 43-foot vessel FL 8304 EM (the WICHO); the boarding led to a contested probable-cause sequence and cocaine convictions. Documents the hull in active service in Feb 1990 - inside the DANFS 'updates pending 1983-1993' coverage gap.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1990 (events); 1992-1993 (opinions)
- Population
- Crew and embarked USCG boarding team (Feb 1990)
- Limitations
- Non-asbestos litigation - a drug-interdiction/probable-cause case that happens to name the vessel. Classified 'other litigation' per batch classification rules; it contributes service-history documentation only and is not evidence of exposure conditions aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-04
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 Oct 1979); Atlas shipyard dataset records for the documented construction/overhaul yards [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 + indexed full-text excerpts (1975/1979 policy language; 30-50% figure); shipyards.json records 'bath-iron-works', 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard', 'norfolk-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: 1963-67 construction at Bath Iron Works falls in the Navy's peak asbestos era; GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy's Oct 1975 policy removed/replaced asbestos insulation only when damaged or disturbed by repairs, modified Jan 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - leaving an estimated 30-50% of shipboard thermal asbestos insulation untouched for a ship's life, and that some shipboard applications still had no acceptable asbestos-free substitute. This hull's documented overhauls (Norfolk NSY 1970-71, BIW 1975-76, PNSY 1979-81 and 1986-87) all postdate or straddle that policy era. Builder yard (BIW) and overhaul yards are documented in the Atlas dataset: BIW tier 2 (OSHA 1987 asbestos citations), Philadelphia NSY tier 3 (litigation-documented asbestos products), Norfolk NSY tier 2 (Superfund contamination incl. asbestos).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1963-1967 (construction); 1975-1987 (overhaul-era policy window); 1979 (GAO review)
- Population
- BIW construction trades (1963-1967); crew (1967-1993); Norfolk NSY, BIW, and PNSY yard trades at documented overhauls
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder/overhaul-yard inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, abatement contract, or material inventory located. Names era-standard applications and yard-level documentation, not confirmed installed materials on this hull; no quantity; does not establish presence aboard. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - the product-page description and indexed full-text excerpts were used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-05
-
[10]McIndoe v. Bath Iron Works Corp. / McIndoe v. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Nos. 13-56762, 13-56764 (9th Cir. Mar. 31, 2016), 817 F.3d 1170 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, Part I (factual recital) and holding summary, 817 F.3d 1170
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published Ninth Circuit asbestos opinion: the panel recites that James McIndoe served aboard USS Coral Sea and USS Worden (CG-18) - a Bath Iron Works-built guided-missile cruiser of the same construction era and design lineage as this hull (Belknap class derived from the Leahy class) - 'which contained pipe insulation made from asbestos,' and affirmed summary judgment for the shipbuilders (warships are not 'products' for strict liability; exposure evidence insufficient on substantial factor). Documents the litigation landscape for era steam cruisers built at this hull's builder.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1961-1967 (alleged exposure); 2016 (opinion)
- Population
- Navy veteran served aboard USS Coral Sea 1961-63 and USS Worden 1966-67; mesothelioma
- Limitations
- Names other vessels (Coral Sea, Worden), not this hull - class/era context only. The exposure recital is allegation-stage; defendants prevailed on summary judgment (a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not affirmative exposure evidence for any other hull).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-06
-
[11]Batch-197 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture); NVR detail page (Wayback); published-opinion web indexes (Justia, midpage, ded.uscourts.gov, ca9 datastore); Siegfried v. 3M complaint Exhibit A (C.D. Cal. 2:18-cv-01575) full-text check; GAO product page; CMU Heinz archive; CourtListener API v4 (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-biddle-cg34-01 through sl-uss-biddle-cg34-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated asbestos case naming USS Biddle (CG-34/DLG-34) was found in the sources searched. The Siegfried Exhibit A vessel list (which names Belknap-class sisters Jouett, Horne, Sterett, and Fox) does NOT include Biddle. Published-opinion web searches returned one non-asbestos case naming the hull (Sandoval, ev-04) and class/era litigation on other hulls (McIndoe, ev-06). The CourtListener API v4 - the batch-standard litigation index - could not be searched: HTTP 429, 'Rate limit exceeded: 125/day,' throughout the session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Litigation coverage is incomplete: the CourtListener block means a qualifying opinion or docket naming this hull (e.g., an MDL-875-era allegation tied to the documented 1979-81 or 1986-87 Philadelphia NSY periods) cannot be excluded. Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-standard materials are consistent with this hull's construction date and documented yard periods. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-biddle-cg34-07