Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]Webb v. Baldor Electric Co., No. 1:22-cv-00145-KHJ-MTP (S.D. Miss., removed 2022-06-10; federal docket terminated 2025-02-07), Complaint attachment ECF No. 1-1 (Document 1-1, filed 06/10/22), pp. 80-83 of the complaint (document pp. 84-87 of 147); vessel list entry 'USS BRISCOE — DD-977' at document p. 86. [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-1, complaint pp. 80-83 (document pp. 84-87): Ingalls employment allegation at p. 80; 'USS BRISCOE — DD-977' row in the naval-vessel table at document p. 86
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- In Webb v. Baldor Electric Co., No. 1:22-cv-00145 (S.D. Miss.), the removed state-court complaint (ECF No. 1-1) alleges that plaintiff ALLAN WATSON 'was also exposed to asbestos during his employment as an electrician, technician, foreman and supervisor at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, from approximately 1966 to 2001 during the new construction and overhaul of naval vessels.' The complaint's vessel table — captioned 'Plaintiff worked on numerous naval vessels including, but were not limited to, the following during the indicated time periods' with ship lay-down/commissioning date columns — expressly lists 'USS BRISCOE — DD-977' (1975/1978). The complaint alleges mesothelioma and work in control rooms and engineering spaces in proximity to pipefitters, insulators, and mechanics applying asbestos-containing insulation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Approximately 1966-2001 (alleged employment window); Briscoe build period 1975-1978 falls within it
- Population
- Ingalls Shipyard workforce, Pascagoula (alleged); plaintiff Allan Watson
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only — the least-final litigation posture. The vessel-table dates are the ships' build dates, not adjudicated work dates; the complaint does not establish that the plaintiff actually worked aboard Briscoe, that Briscoe contained asbestos, or exposure, causation, or damages as to this hull. The federal docket closed 2025-02-07 without a merits ruling on this allegation being located. OCR of the scanned attachment is reliable for the quoted rows; surrounding table formatting is imperfect.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-01
-
[2]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal., removed 2008-06-18; federal docket terminated 2009-02-02), Complaint Exhibit A jobsite table inside Notice of Removal ECF No. 4 (CourtListener RECAP document plain_text); case nature 'P.I.: Asbestos.' [court_record]
- Locator
- Complaint Exhibit A jobsite table (complaint pp. 9-12; 'Jobsite / Employer / BD / ED' columns): 'USS BRISCOE' row within the Norfolk Naval Shipyard block; decedent-occupation paragraph immediately preceding the table
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- In Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal.), the removed complaint (Jeri Redman et al. v. A.W. Chesterton et al., San Francisco Superior Court No. CGC-08-274617, filed 2008-04-16) alleges decedent Ronald Redman 'died on October 21, 2007, as a result of mesothelioma, which is attributable to exposure to asbestos' and that his 'exposure stemmed from occupational exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products while working as a Pipefitter and Steamfitter' at jobsites including the vessels listed in the complaint's jobsite table. 'USS BRISCOE' appears in that table paired with employer 'Norfolk Naval Shipyard' and a generic beginning date of 1/1/1974 and ending date of 12/31/1984 shared by a run of approximately 50 listed vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1974-1984 (generic table window; Briscoe commissioned 1978)
- Population
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard workforce (alleged); decedent Ronald Redman
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only — the least-final litigation posture. The 1974-1984 window is a generic table-wide range that pre-dates Briscoe's 1978 commissioning; it does not establish that the decedent worked aboard her, that she contained asbestos, or exposure, causation, or damages. OCR flattens the multi-column table, so the per-row employer/date pairing is reconstructed from row order and should be read as approximate. The federal record shows removal and a pending remand motion; no merits ruling on this allegation was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-02
-
[3]United States v. Bulger, 36 M.J. 1031 (N-M.C.M.R. 1993); United States v. Wesley, 19 M.J. 534 (N-M.C.M.R. 1984). [court_record]
- Locator
- Bulger opinion recitation of service aboard USS BRISCOE (DD 977) March 1989-April 1990; Wesley opinion legal-history block naming USS BRISCOE as appellant's unit
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Two published Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review opinions name this hull in non-asbestos military-justice contexts: United States v. Bulger, 36 M.J. 1031 (N-M.C.M.R. 1993), recites that the appellant 'reported for sea duty aboard USS BRISCOE (DD 977)' in March 1989 and served aboard until April 1990 (false official statement and larceny convictions affirmed), and United States v. Wesley, 19 M.J. 534 (N-M.C.M.R. 1984), names USS BRISCOE as the appellant's unit in a desertion/unauthorized-absence statute-of-limitations opinion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1984; 1989-1990
- Population
- USS Briscoe crew members (appellants' duty station)
- Limitations
- Non-asbestos military-justice records reviewed and classified as other litigation in the CourtListener sweep. The hull appears only as a duty station/unit; these opinions do not bear on asbestos but independently confirm hull identity and in-service periods in official reporting.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-03
-
[4]CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweep via fleet helper /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py: type=r (docket) and type=o (opinion) exact-phrase searches 'USS Briscoe' and 'DD-977' (2026-09-28); docket detail + RECAP OCR review for docket IDs 4174328 and 63376371. [court_record]
- Locator
- Helper query records: '"USS Briscoe"' type=r (3 qualifying/collision dockets), type=o (Bulger, Wesley); '"DD-977"' type=o (Bulger), type=r (collision set); see search_ledger sl-uss-briscoe-dd977-05 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweep via the fleet helper (2026-09-28): exact-name docket search 'USS Briscoe' returned two qualifying asbestos pleadings — Webb v. Baldor (S.D. Miss. 1:22-cv-00145, names 'USS BRISCOE — DD-977') and Redman v. A.W. Chesterton (N.D. Cal. 3:08-cv-03013, names 'USS BRISCOE') — plus Log Cabin Republicans v. United States (C.D. Cal. 2:04-cv-08425), non-asbestos constitutional litigation carrying an indexed 'USS Briscoe' text match whose document could not be pinpointed within the pacing budget. Exact-name opinion search returned Bulger and Wesley (other litigation). Exact-hull opinion search 'DD-977' returned Bulger only; exact-hull docket results were name collisions in unrelated matters (Madoff SIPA, Seroquel MDL, N.Y. Times v. Microsoft, Wonser v. Norman, Saki v. Norman). No published asbestos merits opinion naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- CourtListener index searched 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep covers the CourtListener indexed corpus only; state-court filings and unindexed dockets are outside coverage. The Log Cabin Republicans 'USS Briscoe' match was not pinpointed to a document within the pacing budget and is classified conservatively as other litigation. Fleet pacing interrupts intermittently; all queries here completed and produced records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-04
-
[5]Naval Vessel Register, SHIPDETAILS: BRISCOE (DD 977), NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office / Program Executive Office Ships (PMS 333). [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback Machine capture 2017-01-09 of nvr.navy.mil ship-detail page; 'Ship Characteristics' and 'Status Change' tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register detail page for BRISCOE (DD 977) — official NAVSEA inventory data — records: DD 963 class; awarded 1/26/1972 to Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; keel laid 7/21/1975; launched 12/15/1976; delivered 5/8/1978; commissioned 6/3/1978; decommissioned 10/2/2003; stricken 4/6/2004; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' with status-change date 8/25/2005. Characteristics: 563 ft overall length, 55 ft beam, 32 ft maximum navigational draft, 6,765 tons light / 9,255 tons full load, steel hull with aluminum superstructure, gas turbines, 2 propellers, accommodations 31 officers and 312 enlisted; Navy contact point PMS 333.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1972-2005
- Population
- USS Briscoe crew, 1978-2003
- Limitations
- Archived snapshot — the live NVR no longer serves detail pages for disposed hulls. NVR's launch date (12/15/1976) conflicts with secondary sources (12/28/1976 launch; 1/8/1977 christening); the conflict is preserved, not resolved. The page contains no hazardous-material or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-05
-
[6]NavSource Naval History, 'USS Briscoe (DD-977)' (navsource.net/archives/05/977.htm), including photo caption for DN-SC-92-0124; navysite.de, 'USS Briscoe (DD 977)' service narrative. [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-977 page — ship data block and photo captions (christening 1/8/1977; Norshipco overhaul photo 6/19/1991); navysite.de/dd/dd977.htm chronological narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary archival sources NavSource Naval History (DD-977 page) and navysite.de record: fifteenth of the 31 Spruance-class hulls; built at Litton Ingalls, Pascagoula; 7,800 tons full load; four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, two screws, 80,000 shp; Norfolk homeport for the entire career under Destroyer Squadron 22; service narrative including Guantanamo refresher 1979, Battenberg Cup 1980, Operation Urgent Fury and Lebanon MNF 1983, Saratoga battlegroup Mediterranean deployments 1984 and 1985-86, Med 1987-88, UNITAS XXX 1989, BALTOPS '90, overhaul and conversion at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation (Elizabeth River) documented by official Navy photograph DN-SC-92-0124 dated June 19, 1991, North Red Sea Maritime Interception Force 1992-93 with a U.S. record of 275 merchant-vessel boardings, on-scene commander for the Al-Qamar Al-Saudi Al-Misri ferry rescue May 19-20, 1994 (Humanitarian Service Medal), 1996 Mediterranean/Black Sea deployment, Navy Unit Commendation Oct 1997-Apr 1998, Operation Infinite Reach Tomahawk strikes Aug 20, 1998, George Washington battlegroup 2000, Strong Resolve '02, and the final Harry S. Truman battlegroup deployment Dec 2002-May 2003 including Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-2005
- Population
- USS Briscoe crew; shipyard workers during the 1991 Norshipco overhaul
- Limitations
- Secondary archives, not primary Navy records; individual narrative claims were adopted only where internally consistent or corroborated by the official NNS release (Urgent Fury, the boardings record, the 1994 ferry rescue, OIF Tomahawks). Launch/christening dates conflict with NVR and within navysite itself; crew/complement figures differ across sources. The Norshipco 1991 overhaul is documented by an official-photo caption but no work-package or hazmat scope is public.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-06
-
[7]Navy News Service release NNS021002-20, 'Briscoe Decommissioned After 25 Years,' J2 Chris Fiorenza, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic, October 2, 2003. [other_primary]
- Locator
- Release body paragraphs 2-7 (globalsecurity.org verbatim mirror of the NNS wire copy)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Navy News Service release 'Briscoe Decommissioned After 25 Years' (NNS021002-20): USS Briscoe decommissioned October 2, 2003 at Naval Station Norfolk under Cmdr. Robin Sundt, Destroyer Squadron 22; returned from her final deployment in May 2003 with the Harry S. Truman battlegroup, 'firing 25 Tomahawk cruise missiles on targets in Iraq' during Operation Iraqi Freedom; career included Operation Urgent Fury, a U.S. record 275 merchant-vessel boardings in the North Red Sea, and on-scene command of the 1994 Egyptian ferry rescue of more than 500 passengers; after decommissioning the ship was to enter the inactive ships inventory.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1978-2003
- Population
- USS Briscoe crew
- Limitations
- The cited URL is a non-Navy mirror; the text is the verbatim official NNS release with the original byline. The underlying navy.mil/newsstand URL is retired, so a mirror is the accessible copy; milestone dates are corroborated independently by NVR.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-07
-
[8]USS Briscoe (DD-977) official ship site, 'Admiral Robert P. Briscoe' biography page (briscoe.navy.mil/adm.htm, archived 2001-06-10). [other_primary]
- Locator
- Archived ship-site biography page, full text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's official navy.mil site (archived) identifies her namesake: Admiral Robert Pearce Briscoe, USN (February 19, 1897 - October 14, 1968), born Centerville, Mississippi; U.S. Naval Academy class of 1918; World War I service aboard USS Alabama and USS Roe; commanded USS Prometheus and USS Denver (Northern Solomons); commanded Destroyer Squadron 5; served in World War II and the Korean conflict and as Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe; retired January 1, 1959; died October 14, 1968, in Liberty, Mississippi.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1897-1968 (namesake lifetime)
- Limitations
- Namesake biographical context only — establishes who the ship honors, not any material or condition aboard DD-977.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-08
-
[9]Washington Post, 'Kennedy, Bessettes Given Shipboard Rites,' Barton Gellman and Pamela Ferdinand, July 23, 1999, p. A1; corroborated by BBC News and CNN contemporaneous reporting. [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Washington Post article body — fantail committal scene aboard USS Briscoe
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Washington Post reporting documents that on July 22, 1999 the ashes of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and Lauren Bessette were scattered into the Atlantic from the fantail of USS Briscoe, anchored between Martha's Vineyard and Hyannis Port; BBC and CNN contemporaneous coverage places the site roughly three miles from where the three were recovered and confirms the ship's return to Norfolk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-07-22
- Population
- USS Briscoe crew; Kennedy/Bessette family party
- Limitations
- A ceremonial event in the ship's final years; confirms the hull's identity and Norfolk homeport in 1999. No bearing on materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-09
-
[10]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct. 18, 1979), enclosure correspondence quoting the Navy's DD-963-class response. [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 enclosure text — Navy response on 1973 specification change, first-eleven-DD-963 continuation, and DD-964 weight-control figure
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- GAO's 1979 review of Navy asbestos worker protection reports the Navy's own account of the insulation transition: 'product specifications for thermal insulation had been changed in 1973 to specify the use of asbestos-free materials, asbestos materials had already been purchased and in some cases installed in ships under construction. Therefore, some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; 'Decisions to replace asbestos thermal insulation with non-asbestos materials had to be made on an individual ship or ship class basis'; and 'the first eleven of our new DD 963 class ships ... continued through to delivery as late as May 1978 with asbestos insulation.' In response to a congressional question on asbestos quantities, the Navy cited weight-control data: 'The USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD-964) contains 87,634 pounds of thermal insulation' — noting that insulation weight 'will not include the amount of asbestos used in other applications, such as pipe hanger liners, gaskets, etc.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and crews; DD-963-class construction program
- Limitations
- Class-program context only. DD-977 is the fifteenth DD-963-class hull — outside the 'first eleven' explicitly identified with asbestos insulation — but she was delivered May 8, 1978, squarely at the 'as late as May 1978' boundary, and the report does not name her or establish her insulation composition either way. The DD-964 figure is a sister-hull data point at the same yard, not evidence about DD-977. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; quoted language was verified against indexed PDF text of the report.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-10
-
[11]NAVSEA 21 Inactive Ships Program, 'SINKEX' program page; EPA general permit for ocean dumping of vessels, 40 C.F.R. 229.2; EPA/Navy SINKEX determination-and-agreement record (program-level). [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA SINKEX page — 'how ships are prepared' cleaning categories; 40 C.F.R. 229.2 permit conditions
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NAVSEA's official SINKEX program page describes preparation of decommissioned vessels for sinking under the EPA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 (Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act): cleaning removes PCB transformers and capacitors, detachable PCB items, trash and floatable materials, mercury- or fluorocarbon-containing materials, and petroleum products from tanks, piping, and reservoirs. The program-level cleaning categories do not list asbestos, and no hull-specific preparation or hazardous-material record for ex-Briscoe was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Program requirements applicable to the 2005 sinking
- Population
- NAVSEA inactive-ships program; EPA Region permitting
- Limitations
- Program-level requirements only — they govern all SINKEX hulls and say nothing about ex-Briscoe's actual material state at sinking. Asbestos is not among the named removal categories, which neither proves nor disproves asbestos remaining aboard. The EPA/Navy determination PDF was not text-extractable during this session and is cited at program level only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-11
-
[12]Searches of NARA digitized deck-log index, DANFS/NHHC ship histories, NHHC FOIA CHR/COR collection, NAVSEA inactive-ships/SINKEX pages, and EPA SINKEX records, 2026-09-28. [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log availability index (no DD-977 entry); NHHC FOIA CHR/COR paths probed (404); NAVSEA SINKEX program page (no hull-specific record)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Negative finding: no public ship-specific asbestos documentation for DD-977 was located — no hull ACM survey, abatement contract or work package, NSTM/specification itemization, NISMF hazardous-material disclosure, SINKEX-preparation material record naming this hull, or official ship-specific asbestos inventory. NARA's digitized deck-log index contains no Briscoe entry (paper-only lead); DANFS has no Briscoe coverage; no Briscoe command-history/operations report was located in the NHHC FOIA reading room (plausible URL paths returned 404).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Public-record sweep 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record is not proof of absence of asbestos aboard, and does not establish or defeat exposure, causation, or legal eligibility for any person. Undigitized NARA deck logs, NHHC Collection files, and any SEA 21 inactivation/prep work package remain the open ship-specific archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-briscoe-dd977-12