Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet hf-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Bigelow
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bigelow-dd942-pkt-hf-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Bigelow' (DD-942), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol. I pp. 123-24, NHHC page published 2015-06-25 (live URL 404; Wayback capture 2019-01-28) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Bigelow I' page, specification block and closing paragraph; live page 404, Wayback capture 2019-01-28 (also verbatim at losthistory.net hazegray mirror, DANFS Vol. I pp. 123-24)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC DANFS entry for this hull: namesake Water Tender Second Class Elmer Charles Bigelow, posthumous Medal of Honor for extinguishing a magazine fire aboard USS Fletcher (DD-445) off Corregidor 15 February 1945; DD-942 (dp. 2810; l. 418'6"; b. 45'; dr. 20'; cpl. 337; cl. Forrest Sherman) launched 2 February 1957 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, sponsored by Mrs. Verna B. Perry, commissioned 1 November 1957 per DANFS text, Commander A. H. McCain in command; decommissioned 5 November 1982; struck from the Navy list 1 June 1990; 'disposed of in support of a fleet training exercise on 2 April 2003.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1955-2003
- Population
- Crew 1957-1982 (cpl. 337 design)
- Limitations
- DANFS gives commissioning as 1 November 1957; HAER DC-69 records delivery 1 November and commissioning 8 November 1957 - DANFS likely conflated delivery and commissioning (see gaps). DANFS documents service history and disposal only - it makes no statement about asbestos-containing material aboard. DANFS service narrative ends at 1957 ('Updates pending for 1957 to 1982'), so operational history 1957-82 is not covered by this entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-01
-
[3]Historic American Engineering Record HAER DC-69, 'Forrest Sherman-Class Destroyers' (National Park Service), per-vessel data block for USS Bigelow DD 942 [haer]
- Locator
- HAER DC-69 written data, p. 13 (DD 942 register block) and pp. 18-19, notes 52-55 (machinery description and maker attribution)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NPS HAER class report's per-ship register names this hull: DD 942, Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine (builder's hull no. 329); laid down 6 July 1955; launched 2 February 1957; delivered 1 November 1957; commissioned 8 November 1957; decommissioned 5 November 1982; struck 1 June 1990; 'Sold for scrap 1993, but taken back by the navy in 1996 and sunk as target 2003.' Footnote 53 identifies Babcock & Wilcox boilers for DD 931-933, 940-942, 945-947, 950-951 (DD-942 included) and footnote 54 assigns GE turbines and reduction gearing to all hulls except DD 931-933.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1955-2003
- Population
- Construction crew, Bath Iron Works 1955-57; crew 1957-82
- Limitations
- HAER documents build/disposal dates and machinery makers for this hull but says nothing about asbestos-containing material aboard. The report's machinery narrative was compiled from site visits to ex-Turner Joy, ex-Forrest Sherman, and ex-Edson plus the DD-951 Booklet of Plans - not a DD-942 survey. Boiler/turbine maker attribution corrects the Foster-Wheeler/Westinghouse attribution common in secondary sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-02
-
[4]Walsh v. Air and Liquid Systems Corp., C.A. No. N15C-08-206 ASB (Del. Super. Ct., In re Asbestos Litigation), October 27, 2017 (Scott, J.) - summary judgment GRANTED (also indexed as CourtListener opinion 4438636) [court_record]
- Locator
- Delaware Superior Court opinion PDF, caption and pp. 1-3 (facts, standard, holding); CourtListener /opinion/4438636/
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published Delaware Superior Court decision in the state asbestos docket names this hull: plaintiffs alleged Phillip Walsh developed mesothelioma from asbestos exposure while serving as a U.S. Navy machinist 1975-1977, 'perform[ing] similar work in engine rooms on both the USS Halsey and USS Bigelow,' watching gauges, maintaining equipment, replacing packing and flange gaskets, and removing and applying insulation during repairs. The opinion recites that plaintiffs presented evidence that Buffalo Pumps sold asbestos-containing pumps 1955-1985 and that 'ship records demonstrate that Buffalo pumps were present onboard both the Halsey and Bigelow.' Applying the maritime substantial-factor standard (Lindstrom), the court GRANTED summary judgment to Air & Liquid Systems (successor to Buffalo Pumps) because Mr. Walsh, the only product-identification witness, could not support a permissible inference that he was exposed to asbestos-containing component parts for which the defendant was responsible.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1977 (alleged exposure); 2017 (opinion)
- Population
- Phillip A. Walsh (USN machinist 1975-77); shipyard/engine-room workers aboard DD-942
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline: the shipboard-exposure account is plaintiff testimony recited on summary judgment, not an adjudicated finding - and the motion was GRANTED to the defendant, a merits-level negative for this plaintiff as to Buffalo Pumps products. The opinion does not establish that Walsh was exposed to asbestos aboard this hull, does not quantify asbestos aboard, and does not resolve his claims against other defendants. The 'ship records' recital documents Buffalo pumps aboard DD-942 as litigation evidence, not a court finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-03
-
[5]Walsh v. Warren Pumps, LLC and Walsh v. Aurora Pump Co., C.A. No. N15C-08-206 ASB (Del. Super. Ct., In re Asbestos Litigation), November 29, 2017 - both summary judgments GRANTED (CL opinions 4447334, 4447335) [court_record]
- Locator
- CL opinion 4447334 (Warren Pumps) and 4447335 (Aurora Pump), opinions pp. 1-3
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Two companion summary-judgment opinions on the same Walsh docket repeat the hull-specific recitals: Walsh 'performed similar work in engine rooms on both the USS Halsey and USS Bigelow' (1975-77), replaced packing and flange gaskets, pulled insulation off pumps, removed old gaskets and installed new packing; he recalled Warren and Aurora as pump manufacturers on the ships but could not testify to the equipment's maintenance history and believed the parts contained asbestos from 'common knowledge' and kit packaging. Both motions were GRANTED on the same product-identification failure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1977 (alleged exposure); 2017 (opinions)
- Population
- Phillip A. Walsh (USN machinist 1975-77)
- Limitations
- Same stage limits as ev-03: recited testimony on summary judgment, granted to defendants - a merits-level negative for plaintiff against these two manufacturers, not a finding of exposure aboard. Indexed on CourtListener as published opinions; Delaware Superior Court letter decisions of this type are persuasive, not precedential. No jury or appellate finding exists on this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-04
-
[6]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1509205, Docket No. 11-15 191 (March 3, 2015), appeal from Columbia SC RO [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision text, 'REMAND' analysis paragraph beginning 'The appellant has asserted that the Veteran's disorders are all related to asbestos exposure in service'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A BVA administrative decision names this hull in an asbestos claim: the Veteran (active duty March 1971-March 1974) 'was stationed on the USS Bigelow and USS Canopus'; his military occupational specialty of ship serviceman 'carries a minimal level of asbestos exposure'; the surviving spouse testified he performed cleaning and maintenance aboard ship that 'constantly exposed him to asbestos.' Conflicting medical evidence (2008 private x-ray reading of bilateral interstitial fibrosis consistent with asbestosis vs. a March 2012 VA exam finding no asbestos exposure evidence) left the nexus unresolved; the Board REMANDED for records and an addendum opinion. The claim also asserted asbestos causation for diabetes, CAD, prostate cancer, glaucoma, GERD, psychiatric disorder, and pancreatitis.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-1974 (service); 2008-2015 (claim)
- Population
- Unnamed veteran (ship serviceman, aboard 1971-74) and surviving spouse
- Limitations
- Administrative remand stage - the Board made no finding of in-service asbestos exposure or nexus; the recited exposure account is the appellant's testimony and the Veteran's MOS was rated minimal-exposure under VA guidance. A veteran's presence aboard is documented; asbestos exposure aboard is asserted, not adjudicated. Post-remand outcome not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-05
-
[7]Law360, 'Shipyard Workers Awarded $14M In Asbestos Suits' (Liz McKenzie, April 22, 2009), reporting the consolidated Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas verdict in Hirschberg v. Alfa Laval Inc. et al., Cause No. 002591 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Law360 article 98128 (headline/lede publicly visible; full text paywalled); Phila. CCP cause numbers 002591/003607/004509 per counsel's report
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A Philadelphia jury (Phila. CCP, Judge DiNubile) in a consolidated reverse-bifurcated trial awarded $14 million total to three Navy veterans with mesothelioma in April 2009 - $6.0 million to the estate of Robert G. Hirschberg. Plaintiffs' counsel's published case description states Hirschberg served as a fireman/boiler tender 1961-1964 performing maintenance on and around asbestos-insulated pipes, valves, lagging, gaskets, pumps, oil purifiers and boilers in the forward engine rooms of USS Bigelow and USS Dixie docked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and that the Navy had identified the insulation as asbestos-containing during training. Law360's report independently verifies the consolidated verdict, amount, forum, and defendant set.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-1964 (alleged exposure); 2009 (verdict)
- Population
- Robert G. Hirschberg (USN fireman/boiler tender 1961-64, mesothelioma dx Aug 2007, died ~Jan 2008)
- Limitations
- Ship-name attribution rests on plaintiff counsel's published case summary - a marketing venue barred from citation under batch rules - corroborated for verdict existence only by Law360 (paywalled brief) and unverified against the official Philadelphia CCP record. The Phase-I jury finding (asbestos exposure caused the illness) is a trial-stage result, but Phase-II allocation against specific defendants is not reported in the public sources located. Whether and how the verdict named DD-942 in the official record is unresolved - treat as a lead, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-06
-
[8]HAER DC-69 'Forrest Sherman-Class Destroyers' (NPS) - class machinery description (Part II, Propulsion machinery; notes 52-55) [haer]
- Locator
- HAER DC-69 pp. 18-19 (propulsion machinery narrative and boiler/turbine maker notes)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-level machinery record supporting the era inference: Forrest Sherman-class destroyers carried four high-temperature, high-pressure boilers rated for 1,200 psi steam in two firerooms (nos. 1 and 2), each paired with an engine room containing a geared turbine set of paired high- and low-pressure turbines through double-reduction gearing to twin shafts - 70,000 shp, 33 knots design. A 1955-57 steam-plant destroyer of this arrangement would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation on boilers and steam lines, lagging, flange gaskets, valve packing, and fireproofing - the same products the Walsh opinions recite (packing, flange gaskets, pump insulation) and the same equipment class (boilers, pumps, valves) described in the Hirschberg account.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1955-2003
- Population
- Engineering department crew and yard workers on class machinery, 1957-82
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - HAER documents the machinery arrangement, not the insulating materials aboard DD-942, and never uses the word asbestos. No hull-specific ACM inventory exists to convert this inference into a ship-specific finding. The era inference is consistent with - but does not prove - the litigation recitals in ev-03/04/06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-07
-
[9]U.S. EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' - MPRSA general permit for Navy SINKEX program, 40 C.F.R. 229.2 [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Marine Protection Permitting page, 'What are the permit requirements?' bullet list; 40 C.F.R. 229.2; EPA-Navy SINKEX Agreement (1999 letter; Jan. 2014 Determination)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Disposal-pathway context for this hull's 2003 sinking: EPA's MPRSA general permit (40 C.F.R. 229.2) governs Navy transport and sinking of target vessels, requiring pre-sinking removal 'to the maximum extent practicable' of materials that may degrade the marine environment - enumerated as emptying fuel tanks/lines and removing 'other pollutants and all readily detachable material capable of creating debris or contributing to chemical pollution'; sinking at least 50 nm offshore in 6,000+ ft; and annual EPA reporting of each vessel's name, tonnage, location and date. The 1999 EPA-Navy agreement (and 2014 successor) address PCB-containing materials (insulation, wire, felts, rubber gaskets) specifically. Ex-Bigelow was sunk 2 April 2003 under this regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-2003
- Population
- SINKEX preparation workers and towing crews, 1999-2003
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - the permit's enumerated removal duties cover petroleum, pollutants, debris, and (per the 1999/2014 agreements) PCBs; asbestos is not an enumerated permit material, so no conclusion follows about whether ACM aboard ex-Bigelow was removed, surveyed, or sunk in place. The Navy's vessel-specific SINKEX preparation record for DD-942 is not public in the sources searched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-08
-
[10]GAO NSIAD-99-18, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal' (Dec. 1998); cf. GAO HRD-80-2 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (Oct. 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product pages NSIAD-99-18 and HRD-80-2 (abstract text; full PDFs blocked to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program context for the hull's 1992-2003 disposal saga: GAO documented roughly 200 federal surplus ships awaiting disposal, with ship scrapping requiring remediation of 'asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium' before and during dismantling; the Navy's sale-for-scrap program (under which Bigelow was sold Dec. 1992) stalled amid hazmat-remediation economics and contractor failures - the environment in which this hull sat for over a decade before SINKEX disposal. HRD-80-2 documents the Navy's October 1975 policy of removing/replacing asbestos thermal insulation only when damaged or when repairs required it, and its rejection of a fleet-wide removal program (~$2 billion estimate).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979-1999
- Population
- Shipbreaking workers, Fore River and successor sites, 1992-96
- Limitations
- gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; the product-page abstracts/snippets were used rather than full text (same standing limitation as BATCH-01). Program-level findings - neither report is shown to name DD-942, so nothing here is a ship-specific finding. The scrapping-program context explains the delay but not any asbestos event aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-09
-
[11]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - USS Bigelow (DD-942) logs digitized for 1966-1970 (July 1961 log at catalog.archives.gov id 215647946); plus DANFS-attributed deck-log/muster guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log availability list (Bigelow DD-942: 1966-1970); catalog.archives.gov/id/215647946
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level documentation: NARA has digitized USS Bigelow (DD-942) deck logs for 1966-1970 in the Catalog (series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978'), and a July 1961 deck-log item (NARA id 215647946, via DPLA). Deck logs and NHHC command operations reports are the primary-source trail for in-service maintenance events; builder's records for BIW hull 329 and the ship's SINKEX preparation file (OPNAV/NAVSEA Inactive Ships Office) are the leads for any hull-level asbestos documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-1970
- Population
- Crew 1961-1970 (logged years)
- Limitations
- Lead only - the deck logs themselves were not reviewed and contain operational, not materials, data. No hull-specific ACM survey, abatement contract, or SINKEX preparation report was located for DD-942 in public sources; the sunk hull forecloses any retrospective survey.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-10
-
[12]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1624598 (2016) - non-qualifying name match (tinnitus claim) [other_primary]
- Locator
- va.gov/vetapp16 file 1624598 (facts reciting USS Bigelow DD 942, 1958-59)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Search-sweep classification result: a second BVA decision names USS Bigelow DD 942 but is NOT asbestos-related - a Navy signalman aboard May 1958-November 1959 claimed hearing loss and tinnitus from gun-mount noise. Recorded so the sweep is auditable: the BVA corpus produces two hull-specific hits, one qualifying asbestos claim (ev-05, remand stage) and this non-qualifying acoustic-injury claim. No BVA merits grant of service connection for an asbestos disease tied to this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1958-1959 (service); 2016 (decision)
- Population
- Unnamed veteran (signalman, aboard 1958-59)
- Limitations
- Documents the sweep, not exposure evidence. Absence of a merits grant in the located BVA corpus is not proof none exists - BVA search coverage of the full corpus is incomplete (search-index returns only).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bigelow-dd942-11