USS Cimarron (AO-177)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]U.S. GAO, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 / B-163375 (18 Oct 1979), Enclosure I (CNO ltr Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979), Attachment 1 'List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction', OILER - AO section [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 Enclosure I, Attachment 1, p.10 of report PDF (OILER - AO rows: hulls 177, 178); full text via Wayback capture 20221028194417 of https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Enclosure 1 to a Chief of Naval Operations letter of 5 January 1979 (Ser 4542/318054), printed in GAO report HRD-80-2, lists U.S. Navy ships delivered since 1973 or under construction by class, hull number, construction start, delivery, and thermal-insulation status. Under 'OILER - AO,' hulls 177 and 178 are listed (start 1/78 and 5/78; delivery 12/79 and 6/80) with the annotation 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation' - the Navy's representation that this hull, then under construction at Avondale, was being built without asbestos thermal insulation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1978-1979 (as-built documentation)

   Population

   Construction trades (Avondale, 1978-80); ship's engineering/crew complement

   Limitations

   Ship-specific government statement limited to thermal insulation (machinery, equipment, piping per Note 1); the same letter states asbestos remained in gaskets, pipe hanger liners, and other applications fleet-wide. Table dates are planning figures (12/79 delivery vs actual 12/15/80). The letter predates delivery - it documents as-designed/as-built intent, and says nothing about post-delivery alterations (including the 1991-92 jumboization), maintenance materials, or any individual exposure. The 'Asbestos-free' annotation is printed on the hull-177 row of a two-row section; table layout conventions indicate it applies to both listed hulls. Does not establish presence or absence of non-insulation asbestos aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-01

2. [2]U.S. GAO, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 / B-163375 (18 Oct 1979), letter body pp. 1-3 and Enclosure I text and Note 1 [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 pp. 1-3 ('Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos'); Enclosure I narrative and Note 1 (p. 12); Wayback capture 20221028194417 of gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO HRD-80-2 documents the Navy's asbestos phase-out timeline that brackets this hull's construction: product specifications for thermal insulation were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials; the formal policy eliminating asbestos use where substitutes were designated was issued as NAVSEAINST 5100.2 on 24 October 1975; because ship-sets of asbestos insulation had already been purchased and in some cases installed, 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978' - the month this hull was laid down. Note 1 to the ship list defines thermal insulation as insulation for machinery, equipment and piping, and states asbestos remained in applications lacking asbestos-free substitutes, 'i.e., gaskets and pipe hanger liners'; the letter narrative adds electrical resistors, deck/floor tile, galley-range cabling, brakes and clutches, observing it was 'nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1971-1979

   Population

   Navy shipbuilding/repair workforce and crews (fleet-wide, era context)

   Limitations

   Program-level Navy statements to GAO, not a hull record - describes the policy window into which this hull's construction fell and the residual asbestos applications common to all Navy ships of the era. Does not establish which non-insulation asbestos products were actually installed on this hull, their quantity, condition, or any exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-02

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register (nvr.navy.mil, NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office), ship detail page CIMARRON (AO 177) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR SHIPSDETAIL_AO_177 (live page no longer serves the disposed-hull record; Wayback capture 20190324132600 cited)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register detail page for CIMARRON (AO 177), Fleet Replenishment Oiler: UIC 20861; builder Avondale Industries; award 08/09/1976, keel 05/18/1978, launch 04/28/1979, delivery 12/15/1980, commission 01/10/1981, decommission 12/15/1998, stricken 05/03/1999; status 'Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration,' status changed 07/28/2001; berth Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Benecia, CA; steel hull and superstructure, steam turbine propulsion, 1 propeller; accommodations 12 officers / 148 enlisted; 700 ft overall, 88 ft extreme beam, 32 ft max navigational draft, 11,645 light / 36,977 full displacement (post-jumboization figures); page last updated 08/16/2016.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1976-2016

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy inventory record for milestones, status, and characteristics. Contains no asbestos, materials, or hazmat information; the characteristics shown are post-jumboization. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CIMARRON (AO-177), ShipHistory Detail 967 (narrative, milestones, imagery, status card, documents) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 967 - Historical Narrative, Milestones table, Documents table, status-card scan

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory database record (Detail 967) for CIMARRON (AO-177): year built 1979; official/IMO number 7638430; shipyard 'Avondale Marine Ways'; type Naval Auxiliary / AO Oiler; 700.00 ft length, 88 ft beam, 36,977 tons summer displacement. Historical narrative: 'single shaft, steam turbine propulsion, steel hull, 700-foot long oiler... laid down on May 18, 1978 by Avondale Shipyard, New Orleans, Louisiana... launched on April 28, 1979... commissioned on January 10, 1981... Last homeported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii... decommissioned on December 15, 1998 and transferred to the Maritime Administration on July 28, 2001... moored at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet until November 7, 2012, when it was sold for disposition.' Milestones: Entry 2/9/1999 (NDRF custody); Disposition 7/28/2001 'MARAD accepted title 07-28-01'; Cleared Historic Review 6/21/2005 (California SHPO cleared ship for disposal); Withdrawal 11/7/2012 'Vessel departed under domestic sale contract with ESCO Marine, Inc.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1978-2012

   Limitations

   Authoritative for federal custody milestones and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; the ESCO Marine sale contract's environmental terms are not in the public record page. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-04

5. [5]NHHC FOIA release: 'USS CIMARRON (AO-177) 1992, 1993, 1994 CHR_FINAL_Redacted.pdf' - ship's own command histories submitted per OPNAVINST 5750.12 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Command history enclosures: 1992 'Command Composition and Organization' + chronology; heritage/'Ship Characteristics' narrative; 1994 narrative (grounding and CO relief). Live NHHC URL 404 as of 2026-09-24; Wayback capture 20231114003246 cited

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC FOIA-released command histories for USS Cimarron (AO-177) covering 1992, 1993, and 1994. The 1992 history records: mission (underway bulk-petroleum delivery and consolidation among oilers, limited fleet freight/mail/personnel); immediate superior Commander Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific (Pearl Harbor); crew ~16 officers / ~195 enlisted under CDR Deborah S. Gernes; the Avondale 'year-long conversion, or jumboization, which began in August of 1991,' with crew move-aboard January 1992, delivery/departure from Avondale 31 July 1992, Panama Canal transit 6 August 1992, and return to Pearl Harbor 24 September 1992. The heritage section records: launched 29 April 1979 at Avondale; commissioned 10 January 1981 at Naval Supply Center Oakland; first Combat Logistics Force ship to implement Women at Sea (August 1988: two female officers, 22 female enlisted); six WESTPAC/Indian Ocean deployments by December 1990; Persian Gulf deployment during Desert Shield; three consecutive Battle Efficiency 'E' awards and the 1984 Ney Memorial Award; complement 17 officers / ~235 enlisted. The 1994 history records the 31 March 1994 grounding on Waipio Point outside Pearl Harbor during TSTA II, tow by USS Salver, relief of CDR Torkel Patterson, and assumption of command by CAPT Lenny Capello 10 April 1994, plus a 1994-95 WESTPAC deployment delayed by lube-oil-piping repairs.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1981-1995

   Population

   Ship's crew (~16 officers / ~195 enlisted in 1992; ~35% women); Avondale conversion workforce 1991-92

   Limitations

   Primary ship-generated records (OCR of scanned redacted copy; some characters garbled). Documents operations, conversion window, crew figures, and the 1994 grounding - but contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement; the jumboization work description names no hazardous materials. Launch date given as 29 April 1979 vs 28 April in NVR/MARAD/Jane's - logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-05

6. [6]NavSource Naval History, USS Cimarron (AO-177) archive page (navsource.org/archives/09/19/19177.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class line, milestone list, and Commanding Officers roster

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for USS Cimarron (AO-177): 'Cimarron Class Fleet Oiler'; commissioned 10 January 1981 at Oakland, CA, CAPT Robert S. Black in command; decommissioned 15 December 1998; struck from the Naval Register 3 May 1999; 'Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 October 2012, for $991,726, ESCO Marine Brownsville, TX.' Full commanding-officer roster (12 officers, CAPT Black 1981 through CDR Richter 1998) consistent with the NHHC command-history names (Gernes, Patterson, Bergin, Capello, Felmly).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1978-2012

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled archive - corroborative, not authoritative; used for the CO roster and disposal-sale price/date. Two errors corrected against NVR/MARAD in ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-07 (keel date, title-transfer date). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-06

7. [7]Cross-source reconciliation: NVR SHIPSDETAIL_AO_177; MARAD ShipHistory 967 milestones; Jane's class card (MARAD status-card scan); NHHC FOIA command history 1992; NavSource AO-177 page; Shipscribe AO 177 class notes [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR milestone table; MARAD milestone table + narrative; Jane's card image (MARAD status card 967_10323AF); NavSource class line

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Keel date - NavSource prints '18 March 1978,' while the Naval Vessel Register, the MARAD vessel-history narrative, and the Jane's class card all give 18 May 1978; 18 May 1978 adopted as controlling (three authoritative/official concurrences). (b) Disposal sequence - NavSource records 'Title transfer to MARAD, 3 May 1999,' conflating the stricken date; the NVR records disposition 'by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration' effective 28 July 2001, matching MARAD's 'MARAD accepted title 07-28-01' milestone, with NDRF custody entry on 9 February 1999 preceding the strike. (c) Launch date - the ship's own command-history heritage section states 29 April 1979 against the official 28 April 1979 (NVR, MARAD, Jane's); 28 April adopted. (d) Jumboization window - secondary compilations variously give 1990-92 spans; the ship's 1992 command history supplies the on-site window (August 1991 - 31 July 1992), adopted here.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1978-2012

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies among sources; none material to identity or asbestos status. No asbestos content in any cited source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-07

8. [8]U.S. GAO HRD-80-2 (18 Oct 1979), Enclosure I (CNO letter 5 Jan 1979) narrative and Note 1 [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 Enclosure I narrative pp. 7-9 and Note 1 p. 12

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Residual asbestos applications for this hull, per the January 1979 CNO letter printed in GAO HRD-80-2: the same document that lists AO-177 as asbestos-free in thermal insulation states that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' and that asbestos remained in 'shipboard applications for which no suitable (asbestos-free) substitutes have as yet been designated, i.e., gaskets and pipe hanger liners' (Note 1); the narrative additionally names brakes, clutches, electrical resistors and cabling, deck/floor tile, and galley-range cabling among continuing Navy shipboard uses. Applied to this hull: asbestos aboard AO-177, if any, is in these non-insulation product categories, not in boiler/steam-line/machinery lagging.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1981-1998 service life

   Population

   Ship's crew and maintenance personnel (all hands - gaskets/packing throughout piping and equipment)

   Limitations

   Fleet-wide statement applied to this hull by inference - the letter names the hull only for its insulation status; it does not enumerate which non-insulation asbestos products were physically installed aboard AO-177, nor quantity, location, or present-day condition. No hull survey, materials list, or weight-control report for this hull was located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-08

9. [9]Batch-1864 search ledger (this record): NVR, MARAD ShipHistory 967 + status card + documents, NHHC FOIA command histories, NavSource, Shipscribe, CourtListener opinion and docket searches (8 queries), GAO HRD-80-2 [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-cimarron-ao177-01 through sl-uss-cimarron-ao177-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos exposure record located beyond the GAO insulation listing: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/environmental filing, or docketed asbestos case naming Cimarron or AO-177 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener searches by exact name and hull number returned only name collisions - 'Cimarron' hits are overwhelmingly unrelated (Cimarron County OK entities, Cimarron corporate defendants, the Kerr-McGee Cimarron plutonium-facility litigation, Texas/Oklahoma geographic and business names); the single 'AO-177' string hit (Dairies v. LaRose, Fla. 3d DCA 1983) is a dairy dispute with no vessel connection.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   2026-09-24

   Limitations

   Absence of located litigation/survey records does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - residual non-insulation ACM categories are documented fleet-wide. The government insulation listing is the affirmative ship-specific record; no contradicting hull document was found. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-09

10. [10]Cichirillo v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 917 So. 2d 424 (La. 2005), CourtListener opinion 1091027 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, 917 So. 2d 424 (prescription/interruption issue)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Builder-yard litigation context: Cichirillo v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 917 So. 2d 424 (La. 2005) - Louisiana Supreme Court opinion in a mesothelioma suit by a former Avondale electrician (employed 1961-1984, spanning this hull's 1978-80 construction window). The court resolved the case on prescription grounds (reinstating judgment for defendants), leaving the occupational-exposure allegations unadjudicated. Avondale asbestos opinions are numerous in the Louisiana and Fifth Circuit corpus; none located names any Cimarron-class hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1961-2005

    Population

    Avondale Shipyards construction workforce (1961-1984 window in the pleadings)

    Limitations

    Yard-level context only - documents that the builder yard has an extensive published asbestos-litigation history; the case names no vessel and makes no finding about this hull, and it was decided on prescription grounds (pleading-stage allegations never adjudicated). No inference about AO-177 conditions is drawn from it.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-10

11. [11]Shipscribe.com, 'USS Cimarron (AO 177) Class' class data page (compilation of official characteristics and class notes) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Class characteristics block, construction table, and class notes

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Class design context (Shipscribe AO 177 class page, compiled from official ship-characteristics records): Cimarron class, design SAIP Project 739.75; displacement 8,210 light / 27,500 full (11,645 / 36,977 jumboized); 591.3 ft oa as built, 700 ft oa jumboized; steam geared turbines, 2 boilers (600 psi), 1 screw, 24,000 hp; design speed 20 kt (19.0-19.4 sustained jumboized); accommodations 12 officers / 148 enlisted, berthing for 221 (246 jumboized); five hulls all built by Avondale (AO 177 ordered 9 Aug 1976; sisters AO 178-180, 186); class jumboization program 1989-1992 inserting a ~108-ft midbody with additional STREAM stations and ordnance capacity.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1976-2015

    Limitations

    Secondary compilation of official characteristics - corroborates NVR/MARAD where they overlap (displacements, dimensions, complements match post-jumbo NVR figures). Not an asbestos source; class-level only.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-11

12. [12]MARAD ShipHistory 967 documents table (Booklet of General Plans PDF, dated 11/7/1979); NARA record-group guidance (RG 19 ship records; deck logs via NHHC/NARA); MARAD disposal-contract practice [other_primary]

    Locator

    MARAD documents table entry 'Cimmaron-Class Booklet of General Plans.pdf' (image-only scan, no text layer)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) MARAD hosts under this vessel's record the 'Cimmaron-Class Booklet of General Plans' (dated 7 Nov 1979) - the class design booklet that could contain materials/insulation schedule detail if surveyed; (b) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships / NAVSEA predecessor records) for the Avondale construction contract (award 9 Aug 1976) and the 1991-92 jumboization work packages - the conversion's specification documents would settle whether any ACM disturbance was addressed; (c) deck logs 1981-1998 (NHHC custody, migrating to NARA) for shipyard availabilities; (d) the MARAD-ESCO Marine 2012 domestic sale file - MARAD disposal contracts routinely carry environmental/hazmat conditions; not located in public sources.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1976-2012 records

    Limitations

    Record-location mapping only - the plans booklet was downloaded and is a legible image-only scan but was not page-surveyed for materials schedules; existence of asbestos-specific documents in the construction or disposal files is unknown until researched. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-cimarron-ao177-12