Evidence
17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).
-
[1]U.S. Naval Historical Center ship-history file for USS Canopus (AS-34), 'U.S.S. CANOPUS (AS-34)' — PDF reproduction hosted by the USS Canopus Association [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full document — commanding officer roster and chronology listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Historical Center (NHC, now NHHC) ship-history file records USS Canopus (AS-34): keel laid 2 Mar 1964 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS; launched 12 Feb 1965 (sponsor Mrs. Elizabeth S. Sackett, wife of RADM Earl L. Sackett, CO of AS-9 at the outbreak of WWII); commissioned 4 Nov 1965, homeport Charleston SC; shakedown Guantanamo Bay 7 Jan-28 Feb 1966; Cooper River FBM site refits from Jun 1966; deployed/homeported Rota, Spain 24 Sep 1966-20 Apr 1969 (SubRon 16; 42 SSBN refits 1967, 37 in 1968, 11 in 1969); Bremerton overhaul to Poseidon-handling capability 1969-9 Feb 1970 (first tender so capable); deployed/homeported Holy Loch, Scotland from 5 May 1970 through 1975 (SubRon 14; 1970 CPO-baggage-compartment fire killed three sailors); Charleston overhaul 5 Jan-28 Aug 1976; Rota redeployment 7 Dec 1976-10 Jun 1979; Charleston overhaul 16 Jan 1984-16 Jan 1985; homeport shift to Kings Bay GA 15 Jul 1985; DSRA at Bethlehem Steel, Baltimore MD 25 Sep 1989-14 Feb 1990; decommissioned Kings Bay 7 Oct 1994; transferred to Maritime Administration in the James River.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Document is the NHC-produced ship-history file reproduced on a veterans' association site (authoritative content, non-official host). Its '5 Jan 99' MARAD transfer line conflicts with NVR/MARAD dates (custody 29 Jan 1997; title transfer 1 May 1999) — carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-01
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register, ship detail page 'CANOPUS (AS 34)' — Wayback Machine capture of live NVR page dated 21 Oct 2004 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship characteristics and status blocks, AS34 detail page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record for CANOPUS (AS 34): SUBMARINE TENDER, class AS 33; builder INGALLS SB INC MS; contract award 19 Sep 1963, keel 2 Mar 1964, launch 12 Feb 1965, delivery 25 Oct 1965, commission 4 Nov 1965; decommission 30 Nov 1994; stricken 3 May 1995; status 'Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration' effective 1 May 1999; last berth James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis VA. Steel hull, steel superstructure; overall length 644 ft, waterline 620 ft, limiting draft 30 ft; light displacement 14,316 tons, full load 20,922 tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Archived capture; live nvr.navy.mil detail page unavailable during research. NVR administrative decommission date (30 Nov 1994) conflicts with the documented decommissioning ceremony (7 Oct 1994, Kings Bay) — carried in gaps. Propulsion fields blank in capture. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-02
-
[3]MARAD Ship History — Vessel Detail: Canopus (AS-34), MARAD vessel history database record 676 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Milestones table and vessel particulars
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD vessel-history record for ex-USS Canopus: vessel type AS (submarine tender); built 1965 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; length 643.7 ft, beam 85 ft; displacements 14,316 light / 20,922 full. Milestones: Entry and Acquisition 29 Jan 1997 (James River custody); Acquisition/title transfer to MARAD 1 May 1999; scrap-services contract awarded to Able UK Ltd. 16 Oct 2003; Withdrawal 29 Sep 2010; fate 'Sold - Scrap'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Milestone table only — no narrative, status cards, or disposal documents posted for this vessel (ledger 'not digitized'). Records contractual milestones, not shipboard conditions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-03
-
[4]Environment Agency press statement republished as 'Dismantling Ban Applies To Second Two MARAD Vessels', MarineLink, 17 Nov 2003 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body (EA statement verbatim)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Environment Agency announcement (17 Nov 2003): licence-condition modifications applied to all waste ships held by Able UK, covering Canopus and Compass Island alongside already-docked Caloosahatchee and Canisteo — 'no dismantling, cutting or breaking of ships in any way or form is permitted'; storage under EA enforcement powers, Maritime and Coastguard Agency structural assessments, containment booms, and dock/estuary water monitoring.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Trade-press republication of the EA statement; names Canopus expressly and documents the no-dismantling regulatory regime applied to this hull. Regulatory status record — no asbestos quantity, product, or exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-04
-
[5]UK Health and Safety Executive FOI release, 'Information relating to the Ghost Ships originally transported from the USA to Hartlepool, UK' (released 23 Mar 2005) — emails between Julie Gourley (U.S. Dept of State, OES) and Helen Smart (HSE Asbestos Policy Unit), May 2003 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Email thread pages 1-5 of released PDF
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Official U.S.–U.K. regulatory correspondence released by HSE (FOI release of 23 Mar 2005) documents that the MARAD/EPA/State Department export project for obsolete NDRF vessels — the project that exported Canopus — proceeded on the understanding that 'our ships that are proposed for export to AbleUK would almost certainly contain asbestos in some form or another' (State Dept email, 27 May 2003). HSE advised that UK law prohibits asbestos import (Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1999) with HSE exemption certificates possible; that Able UK would require an HSE asbestos licence (Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983); and that Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 duties would apply to the dry-dock dismantling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Cohort-level documentation: the correspondence names no hull and predates the final export list; Canopus's inclusion in the exported four is established by separate records (ev-06, ev-07, ev-04). Supports the conclusion that asbestos was an official regulatory concern for the export cohort including this hull — it does not establish a Canopus-specific inventory, quantity, product type, location, or any individual exposure. Live hse.gov.uk URL returns 404; archived copy cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-05
-
[6]Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 285 F. Supp. 2d 58 (D.D.C. 2003) (Collyer, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion at 58-63 (procedural posture; background facts)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 285 F. Supp. 2d 58 (D.D.C. 2 Oct 2003): on plaintiffs' TRO, the court enjoined export of nine of the thirteen NDRF ships but did not enjoin the first four (the cohort that included Canopus) because MARAD had submitted the 'functional equivalent' of an environmental assessment to Congress. The opinion recites plaintiffs' submission that MARAD had informed UK officials the thirteen ships 'contain up to 100 tons of PCBs, as well as significant quantities of asbestos and fuel oil.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- TRO-stage environmental/export ruling, not an asbestos adjudication. Opinion text names Canisteo and Caloosahatchee; Canopus's inclusion in the four permitted ships is established by the 2005 opinion (ev-07) and MARAD/Hansard records. Asbestos figure is plaintiffs' characterization of MARAD's UK notifications — background, not a finding. Canonical CourtListener URL reconstructed from mirror-embedded opinion ID (2577191); CL API verification blocked by fleet pacing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-06
-
[7]Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (D.D.C. 2005) (Collyer, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- Memorandum opinion, Background Facts section (ship status)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (D.D.C. 2 Mar 2005): on cross-motions for summary judgment the court dismissed the environmental groups' complaint over the NDRF export; the opinion expressly records that 'the CALOOSAHATCHEE, CANISTEO, CANOPUS, and the COMPASS ISLAND — all ships from the JRRF, also known as the Ghost Fleet — safely reached the United Kingdom and are moored at the AbleUK facility in Teesside.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Names this hull and establishes its arrival in the UK under the export program. Merits disposition dismissed the environmental-law claims (incl. mootness as to the four exported ships) — litigation is environmental/export law, not an asbestos-exposure case; no judicial finding about asbestos aboard Canopus. Canonical CourtListener URL reconstructed from mirror-embedded opinion ID (2528779); CL API verification blocked by fleet pacing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-07
-
[8]BBC News, 'Anger as more ghost ships near' (15 Nov 2003), quoting Friends of the Earth on U.S. figures for Canopus; corroborating LA Times (9 Nov 2003) per-ship FoE figures [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body — FoE quote naming Canopus; LA Times 9 Nov 2003 companion figures
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Ship-specific hazardous-materials reporting for the export: Friends of the Earth, citing U.S.-government-supplied figures, told the BBC that 'the Canopus is itself bringing over 500 tonnes of hazardous materials to be disposed of adjacent to the community around Hartlepool' (BBC, 15 Nov 2003); the Los Angeles Times (9 Nov 2003) reported FoE's figures of 61 tons asbestos and 34.1 tons non-liquid PCBs for each of the first two ships and that Canopus and Compass Island 'contain even more of the contaminants.' The per-ship figures trace to a September 2003 inventory (Det Norske Veritas 'Marine Environmental Risk Assessment') prepared for the export.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Primary inventory document (DNV Marine Environmental Risk Assessment, Sept 2003) not retrieved — figures are press-reported via Friends of the Earth and vary by outlet; a detailed ~252 t asbestos breakdown for Canopus circulated in press could not be re-verified and is not asserted. Establishes a ship-specific reported tonnage range, not a regulator-published figure; no exposure or causation content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-08
-
[9]The Northern Echo, 'Go-ahead for ghost ships work to begin' (26 Jun 2008) — EA licence grant; HSE exemption confirmed for the former Marad ships; corroborated by Gazette/Teesside Live same-day report [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body — licence grant and HSE exemption passages
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- In June 2008 the Environment Agency issued the waste-management licence giving Able UK final approval to dismantle the four former MARAD ships held at its Graythorp TERRC site since 2003 — the cohort of which Canopus is a named member — and the Health and Safety Executive confirmed that Able already held an asbestos-import exemption 'for the former Marad ships, which also contain asbestos and other toxic materials' (Northern Echo, 26 Jun 2008); asbestos removal during scrapping proceeded under the UK asbestos licensing and Control of Asbestos Regulations regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Press-reported regulator action: exemption certificate and licence text not retrieved. The June 2008 article describes the MARAD-ships asbestos exemption as already held by Able (grant date not stated) and describes the ships as asbestos-containing — corroborated by HSE's own FOI release framing the cohort as asbestos-bearing (ev-05) and the ships' naming across records (ev-04, ev-07, ev-10). Establishes asbestos regulation applied to this hull at dismantling; establishes no quantity, product type, or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-09
-
[10]BBC News, 'Third ghost ship arrives' (27 Nov 2003): 'The Canopus docked on Thursday afternoon' at the Able UK dock in Hartlepool [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- BBC News, 27 Nov 2003: USS Canopus — third of the four 'ghost ships' — docked at Able UK's Hartlepool facility that afternoon; campaigners cited asbestos and chemical hazards; the ships remained under Environment Agency conditions prohibiting any dismantling pending resolution of permissions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press establishing arrival date and the no-dismantling regulatory posture for this hull; asbestos references are campaign/regulatory context, not a measured finding for this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-10
-
[11]R (Gregan) v Hartlepool Borough Council [2003] EWHC 3278 (Admin) (Sullivan J) [court_record]
- Locator
- Judgment, procedural history sections
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- R (Gregan and Others) v Hartlepool Borough Council, [2003] EWHC 3278 (Admin) (18 Dec 2003): judicial review holding that no valid planning permission existed for ship dismantling at Able UK's Graythorp site; the judgment also records the parallel Friends of the Earth proceedings in which the Environment Agency's waste-management-licence modification for the ships was declared legally flawed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Planning-law ruling about the dismantling site — concerns the four-ship cohort as subject matter but names no hull and makes no asbestos finding. BAILII returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch during research; citation and disposition corroborated via search results and official/parliamentary context; the FoE v EA judgment's neutral citation remains unlocated (gap).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-11
-
[12]Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation Nr 1509205 (3 Mar 2015), on appeal from VA RO Columbia SC [other_primary]
- Locator
- Decision text, REMAND section and medical-evidence recitation
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- VA Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1509205, Docket No. 11-15 191 (decision 3 Mar 2015): surviving-spouse appeal asserting the veteran's disorders were due to in-service asbestos exposure; the veteran had active service March 1971-March 1974 aboard USS Bigelow and USS Canopus (the only Canopus then in commission was AS-34, at Holy Loch). A Feb 2012 private medical opinion attributed the veteran's asbestosis to predominantly in-service exposure (deck cleaning/strapping/painting aboard ship); a March 2012 VA examination found no asbestos-related findings; the Board REMANDED for an addendum etiological opinion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Alleged exposure only — the Board made no finding that asbestos exposure occurred aboard this hull; claim remanded, not adjudicated. Veteran served aboard two ships (Bigelow, Canopus); hull attribution rests on service dates (1971-74 = AS-34 service era; AS-9 scuttled 1942). VA 'ship serviceman' MOS rated 'minimal' exposure category. Classified as a veterans-benefits claim, not qualifying asbestos tort litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-12
-
[13]BBC News, 'Toxic fine for ghost ships firm' (13 Nov 2007); corroborated by Northern Echo same-day report [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Able UK admitted and was fined £22,000 plus £4,522 costs at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court (November 2007) for two asbestos-disposal offences under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 at its Seaton Meadows landfill site — uncovered, undampened asbestos waste found in October 2005 and January 2006 inspections, including crushing/handling by subcontractor bulldozer; the site was operated by subsidiary Alab Environmental Services.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Landfill-level offences predating the four ships' dismantling; no evidence the material came from Canopus or any vessel. Included solely as disposal-chain compliance context for the scrapping contractor; carries no hull-specific asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-13
-
[14]Batch 2717 search ledger — NHHC/DANFS index, NVR, MARAD, HSE/UK regulator, and litigation-source searches (sl-uss-canopus-as34-04 through -13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Search ledger rows; see also gaps[]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Negative finding: no service-era asbestos record for this hull was located — no Navy asbestos survey, abatement contract, product inventory, or asbestos personal-injury litigation naming USS Canopus (AS-34) was found in official sources searched; no DANFS entry exists for AS-34. All located asbestos documentation is disposal-stage (2003-2010).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of located records is not proof none exist: CourtListener name/hull searches were blocked by fleet pacing (not a clean negative), the DNV per-ship inventory was not retrieved, and contractor survey reports (e.g., Franks Portlock) are not public.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-14
-
[15]NVR construction record (ev-02) combined with HSE FOI release framing (ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HSE FOI PDF, 27 May 2003 State Dept email
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference (context only, not ship-specific): Canopus was built 1964-65 at Ingalls as a conventionally powered steam tender; U.S. naval vessels of this construction era commonly carried asbestos in machinery insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and compartment paneling. U.S. government correspondence for this export cohort states such obsolete vessels 'would almost certainly contain asbestos in some form or another.'
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Era-typical product list is inference from construction era and cohort documentation — NOT a finding that specific asbestos products were aboard this hull; no located source itemizes Canopus's asbestos applications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-15
-
[16]Batch 2717 archival-lead list; Franks Portlock case study is a contractor marketing page — noted as a lead only, not cited as evidence [other_primary]
- Locator
- see gaps[] and search_ledger
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archival leads not carried as evidence: Det Norske Veritas 'Marine Environmental Risk Assessment' (Sept 2003, the per-ship hazmat inventory underlying reported tonnage); MARAD/Able UK contract file and per-ship survey documents; Environment Agency waste-management-licence file; HSE exemption certificate text; Franks Portlock contractor case study (states it surveyed all four vessels incl. Canopus for asbestos during 2008-2010 dismantling — survey reports not public); NARA RG 24 deck logs (1965-94); NHHC command operation reports (no digitized AS-34 CORs located).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Leads inventory only — none of these records was retrieved and no claim rests on them. Contractor marketing page excluded from evidence per source rules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-16
-
[17]House of Lords Hansard, HL Deb 6 Nov 2003 vol 654 cc960-2; and HC Deb 3 Nov 2003 vol 412 cc535-42 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Lords Q&A 'US Ships Decommissioning: Environment Agency Role', 6 Nov 2003
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- House of Lords Hansard, 6 Nov 2003, vol 654 cc960-2 ('US Ships Decommissioning: Environment Agency Role'): the minister stated the Environment Agency, as competent authority, made clear to contracting parties and U.S. authorities that 'shipment of the vessels to Hartlepool cannot be completed consistent with international rules and community law'; the waste-management licence 'now appears to be invalid'; and planning permission was before the courts. Companion Commons statement (HC Deb 3 Nov 2003, vol 412 cc535-42) records EA consent to shipment 22 Jul 2003 and subsequent withdrawal of approval.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Official parliamentary record of the regulatory dispute over the export cohort; names no hull and contains no asbestos quantity or exposure finding. Ship-level naming rests on other rows (ev-04, ev-07, ev-10).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-canopus-as34-17