Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 635-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cayuga-lst1186-pkt-635-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC), 'Cayuga (LST-1186)' entry, published 2015-06-30 - live NHHC page returns 404, cited via archived copy [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS > C > Cayuga (LST-1186); Wayback capture 2016-03-04 (9 captures 2016-2025; live URL 404 confirmed 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC) entry for Cayuga (LST-1186): named after a county in New York; laid down 28 September 1968 at San Diego, Calif., by National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 12 July 1969, sponsored by Mrs. Luther C. Heinz; commissioned 8 August 1970, Comdr. William T. Hollenbach in command; assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, homeported at Long Beach; into 1980 alternated amphibious training on the US west coast with extended Far East deployments; earned two battle stars for Vietnam service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1968-1980
- Limitations
- DANFS coverage ends 'into 1980' - no Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia, transfer, or disposal detail. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports identity and milestones only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), CAYUGA (LST-1186) ship detail page - live detail page no longer renders to plain fetches, cited via archived 2011 capture [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail LST-1186; Wayback capture 2011-05-14
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register detail for CAYUGA (LST-1186): UIC 20025; class LST-1179; builder 'NATIONAL ST & SB'; award 15 Jul 1966; keel 28 Sep 1968; launch 12 Jul 1969; delivery 1 Jun 1970; commission 8 Aug 1970; decommission 26 Aug 1994 (24.0 years in commission); stricken 23 Jul 2002; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) Section 516, Southern Region Amendment,' date status changed 24 Jan 2001. Steel hull and superstructure; diesel propulsion; two propellers; overall length 523 ft, waterline 500 ft; beam 70 ft; max navigational draft 18 ft; displacement 5,159 t light / 8,757 t full.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-2002
- Limitations
- NVR is authoritative for US Navy milestones; its decommission date (26 Aug 1994) conflicts with NavSource (29 Jul 1994) and Poder Naval NGB (26 Jul 1994) - see gaps. The 24 Jan 2001 status line records the US-side SAP/FAA-516 disposal; Brazilian sources date the loan transfer to 26 Aug 1994 and NavSource to 30 Nov 1996 - chronology unresolved, in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, 'USS Cayuga (LST-1186)', archive 10/16/161186 (live navsource.net URL verified; navsource.org domain is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page timeline, Vietnam campaign table, awards block, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Cayuga (LST-1186): laid down 28 Sep 1968 at National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp., San Diego; launched 12 Jul 1969; commissioned 8 Aug 1970 with CDR William T. Hollenbach USN in command; Vietnam campaigns - Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase VII (20-23 Mar 1971) and Vietnam Ceasefire (3-26 May 1972), two battle stars; decommissioned 29 Jul 1994 and laid up in the Reserve Fleet; leased under the Security Assistance Program to Brazil 30 Nov 1996 as NDCC Mattoso Maia (G-28); sold to Brazil 19 Sep 2000; Mattoso Maia decommissioned 31 Oct 2023. Eighth of twenty Newport-class ships. Awards list: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive), Navy Unit Citation (x2), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (x2), Vietnam Service Medal (x2), Southwest Asia Service Medal (x2), Humanitarian Service Medal (x2), Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). Spec block: 522'3" oa, complement 255 (14 officers, 15 CPOs, 226 enlisted), troop accommodations 307; propulsion - six ALCO 16-251E diesels (three per shaft), two shafts, controllable-reversible-pitch propellers, one 800-hp bow thruster, three ALCO generator sets.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1968-2023
- Limitations
- Secondary contributed-photo compilation, not an official record; decommission (29 Jul 1994) and lease (30 Nov 1996) dates conflict with NVR and Brazilian sources - NVR and the Brazilian official act carried where conflicted, all variants in gaps. Spec block diverges from Jane's-derived figures (speed 27 kt vs 22 kt; complement 255 vs 213) - conflicts in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-03
-
[5]Office of the Secretary of Defense, GulfLink database, 'United States Navy in Desert Shield/Desert Storm' chronology, page A-13 (usnavy_095) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnavy_095.html, 12 Jan entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- OSD GulfLink declassified history 'United States Navy in Desert Shield/Desert Storm' records that on 12 January 1991 Amphibious Group Three with the 5th MEB embarked arrived on station in the Arabian Sea; its 18-ship list includes USS CAYUGA, which joined the amphibious group already deployed 'creating the largest amphibious task force since the Korean War.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1990-08 to 1991-03
- Population
- embarked 5th MEB / crew (deployment context)
- Limitations
- OCR-scanned document misprints the hull number as 'LST-1184' (also printed for USS Frederick); the CAYUGA name element is correct - no other USS Cayuga was then in service. Documents deployment only; no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-04
-
[6]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions 0639414 (2006) and 1205565 (2012) [other_primary]
- Locator
- va.gov/vetapp06/files5/0639414.txt (BVA 0639414); va.gov/vetapp12/files1/1205565.txt (BVA 1205565)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions naming USS Cayuga (LST-1186): (1) Citation 0639414 (decided 18 Dec 2006, docket 03-25 594) - the Board granted service connection for PTSD, finding credible evidence of combat status for a veteran aboard Cayuga who received the Combat Action Ribbon for participation in Operation Song Thanh 6-72 off the coast of South Vietnam on 24 May 1972. (2) Citation 1205565 (decided 14 Feb 2012, docket 10-27 342A) - the Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus on the herbicide-exposure presumption (38 U.S.C. 1116), finding the veteran served aboard Cayuga from June 1972 to July 1974 and that he 'served on a ship operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways,' crediting shipmate statements that Cayuga briefly went to Vung Tau and patrolled the South Vietnamese coast and Gulf of Tonkin.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2006; 2012 (service period 1970-1974)
- Population
- two adjudicated crewmembers (1970-74 service)
- Limitations
- Administrative adjudications of individual benefits claims; they establish combat service and one inland-waterways finding for Cayuga but adjudicate PTSD and herbicide-related diabetes - neither involves asbestos, and the 2012 'inland waterways' finding rests on lay statements rather than deck-log review (Cayuga is absent from VA's official ships list). Individual-claim findings, not fleet-level determinations; establish no asbestos exposure pathway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-05
-
[7]Poder Naval / Navios de Guerra Brasileiros, 'USS Cayuga - LST 1186' (NGB M052 profile; bibliography: Baker Combat Fleets of the World 1998-99, Friedman U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft 2002, Surface Warfare Magazine 1982) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- NGB M052-LST1186 datasheet 'Historico' sections (1971-1994)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Poder Naval's Navios de Guerra Brasileiros profile of ex-USS Cayuga documents: 1971 - first Newport-class ship to launch amphibious assault vehicles at maximum speed and first US Navy ship to conduct an extended dependents' cruise; 1972 - first ship of her class in combat operations, landing Marines in South Vietnam during 'Operacao Song Than'; 1977-78 - Mk-63 gunfire-control radars removed; 1982 - ComSurfPac battle 'E' award; Jan 1987 - first winter amphibious operations in the Aleutians since WWII; 5 Sep-8 Nov 1990 - Operation Desert Shield with ARG-Alpha (ComPhibRon 5, with USS Okinawa, Ogden, Fort McHenry, Durham, Samuel B. Roberts, carrying 13th MEU), incl. exercise Imminent Thunder 15-21 Nov; Jan-Mar 1991 - Desert Storm with PhibGru 3 / 5th MEB, incl. the 29 Jan 1991 landing on Umm Al Maradim island off Kuwait (second Kuwaiti locality liberated); Apr 1991 - returned to Long Beach; Nov 1993 - Somalia Naval Combat Force (Carrier Battle Group 6, USS America flagship); 26 Aug 1994 - transferred to the Brazilian Navy on a five-year loan with purchase option as NDCC Mattoso Maia (G-28), named for Admiral Jorge do Paco Mattoso Maia (Minister of the Navy 1958-61); 23 Jul 2002 - removed from the US Navy list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-1994
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - career detail beyond official sources (Aleutians 1987, Battle 'E' 1982, Somalia 1993) rests on the profile's bibliography, not on documents reproduced inline. 'Baixa 26 Jul 1994' conflicts with NVR (26 Aug); operation named 'SONG THAN 6-73' vs 'Song Thanh 6-72' in the BVA record - variants in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-06
-
[8]Poder Naval, 'Marinha da baixa no Navio de Desembarque de Carros de Combate (NDCC) Mattoso Maia - G28' (4 Nov 2023), reproducing Portaria 264/MB/MD, Diario Oficial da Uniao 3 Nov 2023 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article text quoting Portaria 264/MB/MD and 'Historico do navio' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Brazilian Navy act reproduced in specialist press: Portaria No. 264/MB/MD of 31 October 2023 (Comandante da Marinha Marcos Sampaio Olsen), published in Diario Oficial da Uniao 3 Nov 2023 (ed. 209, sec. 1, p. 36), orders the baixa (removal from active service) of NDCC Mattoso Maia and alienation of the hull under existing legislation, effective 7 December 2023. The accompanying official-history summary states ex-USS Cayuga was transferred to Brazil on a five-year loan with purchase option on 26 August 1994, arrived Rio de Janeiro via the Panama Canal on 3 November 1994, and was incorporated into the fleet that day; Brazilian service included UN verification-mission support to Angola, MINUSTAH sealift to Haiti (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008), and Operacao Tamandare.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2023 (act); 1994-2023 (summarized service)
- Limitations
- The news article reproduces the official act text; the underlying Diario Oficial record is the authoritative instrument. 'Five-year loan from 26 Aug 1994' conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum's lease date (30 Nov 1996) and NVR's 24 Jan 2001 disposal-status date - unresolved, in gaps. No asbestos or hazmat conditions stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-07
-
[9]Poder Naval, 'Marinha do Brasil afunda ex-NDCC Mattoso Maia em exercicio de tiro no litoral' (15 Dec 2025); corroborating coverage at defesaaereanaval.com.br (live fetch blocked, HTTP 403 - not separately cited) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body - sinking date 13/12, exercise name, range area, participant list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Brazilian Navy sank the ex-NDCC Mattoso Maia (ex-USS Cayuga) as a target on 13 December 2025 during exercise 'Lancamento de Armas IV/2025' (7-13 Dec 2025) off the Rio de Janeiro coast; the hull was towed by ocean support ship Purus to a firing area more than 100 nautical miles offshore (between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio), with frigates Defensora, Liberal, and Independencia, corvette Barroso, SH-16 Seahawk and AF-1 Skyhawk aircraft, and combat divers participating. The Navy did not officially disclose the weapon used - one outlet attributes Penguin anti-ship missiles fired from the Seahawks, while Poder Naval's report suggests a heavyweight submarine torpedo; neither is confirmed. The ship had logged over 1.8 million nautical miles in Brazilian service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2025-12
- Limitations
- Disposal record only - Brazilian SINKEX environmental preparation (any hazmat removal before sinking) is undetailed in public sources, and US EPA/Navy SINKEX rules do not apply to a Brazilian-flag disposal. Sinking date is 13 Dec 2025 per this report and the 7-13 Dec exercise window; English-language secondary sources repeat the article's 15 Dec publication date - corrected in the correction row and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403 confirmed 2026-10-02)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (keel 1968, build/delivery through Jun 1970) and much of her US service era (1970-94).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed this session) - content via product-page description, same treatment as Batch-01/98.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-09
-
[11]National Archives, '1979-1983 and Later Deck Logs' and 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (archives.gov logbook research pages) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-post-1978; companion pages navy-online and naval-deck-logs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deck logs for Cayuga's US commission period (1970-94) exist in federal custody: logs dated 1941-78 fall in NARA's 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' series (catalog.archives.gov/id/594258), digitized in batches including the VA-funded Vietnam-era scan under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019; unclassified 1979-83 logs survive on microfiche at NARA (paper copies destroyed after filming); logs dated 1984 and later are held by the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1970-1994 (log coverage); 2026 (access status)
- Limitations
- Series-level custody documentation only - hull-specific digitization for LST-1186 not confirmed because the National Archives Catalog is JS-rendered and not queryable in this environment. Deck logs are a lead for service history (port calls, yard periods, in-country operations) and are not themselves asbestos documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-10
-
[12]Cross-source reconciliation across NVR (archived), NavSource 161186, NavalCoverMuseum, and Poder Naval NGB/articles (each cited in rows ev-02, -03, -06, -07, -08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Conflicts tracked in gaps; per-source attributions in the cited rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Cross-source date conflicts identified and resolved by source authority: (1) Decommission date - NVR 26 Aug 1994 (carried, official register) vs NavSource 29 Jul 1994 vs Poder Naval NGB 'baixa 26 Jul 1994'. (2) Brazil transfer mechanics - Brazilian official history (via Poder Naval) gives transfer on five-year loan with purchase option 26 Aug 1994 and fleet incorporation 3 Nov 1994; NavSource and NavalCoverMuseum give 'leased 30 Nov 1996' and 'sold 19 Sep 2000'; NVR records SAP/FAA-516 disposal status change 24 Jan 2001. Reconciled as loan beginning at/near US decommissioning (Aug 1994) with outright sale completed 2000-01; the 1996 lease date remains unexplained. (3) Sinking date - 13 Dec 2025 (Poder Naval, inside the 7-13 Dec exercise window) vs '15 Dec 2025' repeated in English-language secondary coverage (the article's publication date).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1994-2025
- Limitations
- Records where secondary sources disagree with the official register or with the reproducing press source; the Brazilian 'lease' date of 30 Nov 1996 (NavSource/NCM) against the 26 Aug 1994 Brazilian transfer date cannot be resolved from public sources and remains open in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-11
-
[13]Batch-6675 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (archived), NVR (archived), NavSource, Poder Naval NGB + articles, OSD GulfLink, VA BVA decisions, VA ships list, NARA logbook series, GAO, OSHRC NASSCO decision, CourtListener API, secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cayuga-lst1186-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying asbestos case naming USS Cayuga (LST-1186) / NDCC Mattoso Maia was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener (authenticated API): 'USS Cayuga' opinions returned a single hit - United States v. Adams, 17 M.J. 604 (N-M.C.M.R. 1983), a court-martial sentencing appeal by a crewmember; classified other litigation, not asbestos; 'LST-1186' opinions returned the same single hit; 'USS Cayuga' dockets returned zero. The 'LST-1186' docket query and a broad 'Cayuga' asbestos opinion query were blocked by fleet-wide API pacing this session - logged blocked, not 'no result.' Cayuga is absent from VA's 2021 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships' herbicide-exposure list. Web sweeps surfaced only law-firm/marketing content (mesothelioma.net and similar listicles) asserting asbestos aboard NASSCO-built or Newport-era hulls without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1968-70 naval amphibious ship sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, and the intact hull went to the seabed in 2025 with whatever materials remained. Two CourtListener query classes remain unsearched (pacing-blocked). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cayuga-lst1186-12