Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 0706622, Docket No. 04-40 382 (on appeal from Atlanta RO) - REMAND decision, decided Mar. 7, 2007, Acting Veterans Law Judge M.E. Larkin [other_primary]
- Locator
- va.gov vetapp07 Citation Nr. 0706622, full decision text (REMAND section: service history and exposure testimony)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Official VA adjudication record naming this hull (spelled 'U.S.S. Chevaliar' [sic] in the decision): a veteran with confirmed Gunner's Mate service aboard the Navy destroyer Chevalier during the Korean Conflict (active duty March 1950-September 1953, a window in which DD-805 was the only commissioned USS Chevalier - DD-451 was sunk Oct. 7, 1943) sought service connection for a lung condition he attributed to in-service asbestos. He testified he 'wore asbestos gloves in order to remove hot shell casings from the ship's guns,' an assertion endorsed by a written statement from his former Gunnery Officer (by then deceased) that the veteran 'was required to wear asbestos gloves for handling shells.' He further testified that 'hundreds of asbestos-insulated pipes' ran through the ship's living quarters 'and that after bombardments these quarters looked as if it had snowed in them,' with gunfire going on 'constantly' during his first two years in Korea. Service department records confirm his Gunner's Mate rating; VA records document hospitalization for a collapsed right lung (pneumothorax) in November-December 2003. The Board REMANDED for development of treatment records, pre-/post-service exposure evidence, and a VA nexus examination.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1950-1953 (alleged exposure); 2003-2007 (medical events and claim)
- Population
- U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate aboard USS Chevalier (DD-805), March 1950-September 1953; pneumothorax/COPD claimant
- Limitations
- Remand/preliminary order, not a merits adjudication (38 C.F.R. 20.1100(b)): the Board recited sworn testimony and remanded for development - it did not find that asbestos was present aboard, did not adjudicate exposure or causation, and identified no product manufacturers. The medical nexus was contested and unresolved (a VA physician attributed the lung disease to tobacco abuse; the claimed asbestos link rested on a private chiropractic statement and a private pulmonologist's reported opinion not of record). Post-remand disposition not located in the public BVA archive. Hull attribution to DD-805 is by date-based elimination (DD-451 lost 1943). Establishes that sworn ship-specific asbestos testimony exists in a government adjudication record - not that the exposure claim was proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-01
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[2]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1544323, Docket No. (2015), and companion decision Nr. 1522918 (2015) - hearing loss/tinnitus claim naming USS Chevalier [other_primary]
- Locator
- va.gov vetapp15 Citation Nr. 1544323 (REMAND section) and Files3/1522918 (findings)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Two 2015 BVA decisions name this hull for a different veteran's non-asbestos claim: a veteran with service July 1967-April 1971 (deck force, later radarman RD3) testified to naval gunfire support missions aboard USS Chevalier in October-November 1970 - corroborating DD-805 Vietnam-era gunline service - and the Board remanded his hearing-loss claim for a VA nexus examination. Reviewed for asbestos content: none; the decisions concern noise exposure only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1967-1971 (service); 2015 (decisions)
- Population
- U.S. Navy radarman/deck-force veteran aboard USS Chevalier (DD-805), 1967-1971
- Limitations
- Non-asbestos adjudication records reviewed and classified non-qualifying for the exposure record. The 1970 gunfire-support recital independently corroborates the hull's Vietnam-era operations but establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-02
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[3]DANFS, Chevalier II (DD-805) (namesake biography, spec block, WWII/Korea service narrative; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404; Wayback capture of official page exists) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec block gives Gearing class, 2,425 t, length 390'6", beam 41'1", 35 kt, complement 367; launched October 29, 1944 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine (sponsor Mrs. G. DeC. Chevalier); commissioned January 9, 1945, Comdr. F. Wolsieffer in command; cleared Guantanamo Bay June 18, 1945, Pearl Harbor July 9, bombardment of Wake August 1, joined TF 38 off Honshu August 18, entered Tokyo Bay August 26; occupation support in the Marianas and Philippines; San Diego April 11, 1946; WestPac tours 1946-47 and 1948-49; reclassified DDR radar picket destroyer March 18, 1949; three Korean War tours (July 6, 1950-Mar. 25, 1951; Oct. 15, 1951-May 31, 1952; Jan. 2-Aug. 22, 1953) screening TF 77 and on Taiwan Strait patrol; 7th Fleet WestPac tours 1954, 1955, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, and 1960; one WWII and nine Korean War battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1960 (DANFS coverage)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1944-45; wartime and postwar crew (DANFS design complement 367)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the published entry predates the 1962 FRAM, the 1972 transfer, and the 1975 striking (post-1960 history carried from NavSource and Destroyer History Foundation records). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page serves 404. DANFS's 367-man complement figure (vs. NavSource's 336) is carried with the conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-03
-
[4]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-805/DDR-805 USS Chevalier (building/operations data) + NavSource FRAM yard table (helpers/fram.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-805 photo index, 'Operational and Building Data' block; helpers/fram.htm yard table (row: 805 Chevalier | Long Beach | 08/62)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource building and operations data for this hull: laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath ME, June 12, 1944; launched October 29, 1944; commissioned January 9, 1945; reclassified DDR-805 March 18, 1949; reverted to DD-805 July 13, 1962; FRAM upgrade completed August 1962 - NavSource's FRAM yard table places Chevalier's FRAM at Long Beach, completion 08/62; decommissioned July 1, 1972; stricken June 2, 1975; transferred to South Korea July 5, 1972, renamed Chung Buk; sold for scrap and dismantled December 2000. Machinery listed as 60,000 shp General Electric geared turbines, two screws.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-2000
- Population
- Bath Iron Works trades (1944-45); Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workers (1945); Long Beach Naval Shipyard FRAM workers (1961-62); crew 1945-72
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable secondary compilation of official records, not a primary document - dates are consistent with DANFS where coverage overlaps. The FRAM yard period is documented as an event; its asbestos-disturbance scope is era inference (see ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-06), not a documented asbestos record. FRAM subtype (II) is asserted by secondary compilation navysite.de only - carried as 'FRAM' here. Crew figure (336) conflicts with DANFS (367); logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-04
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[5]Destroyer History Foundation, 'USS Chevalier (DD-805), Gearing-class destroyer' (Sumner-Gearing class series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyerhistory.org USS Chevalier page, ship history text and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Destroyer History Foundation record for this hull: third Gearing-class destroyer built by Bath Iron Works; after shakedown she 'was taken in hand at the Norfolk Navy Yard and converted as a radar picket destroyer' before deploying to the Pacific (photographed off Norfolk May 24, 1945 'after conversion as a radar picket destroyer'), joining Bath-built sisters Frank Knox, Southerland, and Higbee in Destroyer Division 19, Destroyer Squadron 10; formal DDR-805 reclassification followed March 18, 1949; reverted to DD-805 July 13, 1962; transferred to South Korea July 5, 1972 as ROKS Chung Buk; sold for scrap and dismantled December 2000.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-2000
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard conversion workers (1945); crew
- Limitations
- Foundation-maintained secondary source. Documents a post-shakedown 1945 Norfolk Navy Yard radar-picket conversion as an event - a distinct yard period from the 1949 DDR designation; any asbestos disturbance during that conversion is era inference, not documented. No asbestos content in the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-05
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[6]DANFS specifications block (Gearing class; 4-boiler steam plant per class technical data) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works record (1942 Drinker pipe-covering shop dust study; NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead) + class profile ev-gearing-class-12 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works'; gearing-class.class.json ev-12
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Gearing-class destroyer built 1944-45 with four Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers and 60,000-shp GE geared turbines would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation - boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and accommodation insulation/deck coverings; builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2), including a 1942 Harvard industrial-hygiene study (Drinker) finding 'fairly serious dust risk' in pipe-covering shops; a documented FRAM yard period at Long Beach (completed Aug. 1962) would have disturbed machinery-space insulation under era practice (GAO HRD-80-2: Navy policy left original insulation in place until yard work required its disturbance).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1944-45; Norfolk Navy Yard 1945; Long Beach NSY FRAM workers 1961-62; crew 1945-72
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific findings for this hull are ev-01 (BVA sworn testimony) and the litigation sweep (ev-09); this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. Establishes no quantity aboard and no individual exposure. NARA RG19 General Information Books retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-06
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[7]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) [court_record]
- Locator
- Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171 (engineering-drawing and expert-report recitals); CourtListener docket 6360247
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal omnibus opinion recites that 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class), within which the USS Harlan Dickson fell, specifies the use of amosite felts and asbestos cloths' and quotes a report estimating 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' The Sumner-class DD-692 machinery group is shared by the Gearing class (Gearing is a 14-ft lengthened Sumner derivative); the opinion treats some related exposure conclusions as speculative.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2018 (opinion); underlying records WWII-era
- Population
- Gearing-class destroyer crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Litigation-record recital of an expert report (McCloskey) and a Navy engineering drawing - class-level context only, not a hull record for DD-805; the 30.3-ton figure is an expert partial tally for fire/engine rooms, not a classwide ship inventory and not an adjudicated quantity. Underlying exhibits not retrieved from the docket.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-07
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[8]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)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it (relevant to this hull's 1961-62 FRAM at Long Beach).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific. Supports era context for the FRAM yard period; establishes nothing about materials aboard DD-805. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweep for USS Chevalier (DD-805): opinion and RECAP docket indexes, exact-name and hull-number queries (see search_ledger) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search, type=o and type=r, queries 'USS Chevalier'/'U.S.S. Chevalier'/'Chevalier DD-805'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep 2026-09-27: opinion index returned no hits for either exact-name ('USS Chevalier' / 'U.S.S. Chevalier') or hull-number ('DD-805' / 'DDR-805') queries; RECAP docket-index search returned only the master MDL-875 omnibus docket (In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), JPML MDL No. 875) - a consolidated-docket index artifact indicating the name appears in indexed MDL-875 docket text, not a retrievable case naming this hull. Separately reviewed: BVA Citations 1522918/1544323 name the hull for a non-asbestos hearing-loss claim (ev-02). No qualifying asbestos-litigation case naming DD-805 was located; the ship-specific asbestos record is the VA benefits adjudication at ev-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Index-coverage limitation: RECAP indexes docket metadata, not all filing full text - absence of a named case is a sweep-level result, not proof none exists; the MDL-875 artifact cannot be resolved to a specific case from the public index. Pleadings naming the ship may exist inside consolidated MDL complaints. The hull-number docket-index query (DD-805/DDR-805, type=r) remained pending under fleet pacing at record close - logged in search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chevalier-dd805-09