Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet zbu-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-pkt-zbu-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register, Clifton Sprague (FFG 16) ship detail record (UIC 20969) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail table (status block; characteristics block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Vessel Register entry for this hull (UIC 20969, class FFG 7): building contract awarded to Bath Iron Works Corp. 27 February 1976; keel laid 30 July 1979; launched 16 February 1980; delivered 6 February 1981; commissioned 21 March 1981; decommissioned 2 June 1995; stricken 4 September 1997; status changed 27 August 1997 to 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) Section 516, Southern Region Amendment.' Hull material: steel hull, aluminum superstructure; propulsion type gas turbines, one propeller; accommodations 17 officers and 198 enlisted; 445 ft overall length; 3,923 tons full displacement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1976-1997 (US registry record)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1979-81; USN crew 1981-1995 (accommodations 17 officers + 198 enlisted); Turkish crew 1997-present
- Limitations
- NVR documents administrative dates and hull characteristics, not materials content - it does not address asbestos presence, exposure, or the ship's Turkish-service configuration. The live nvr.navy.mil detail page no longer serves this stricken hull's record to automated fetch; the Wayback capture of the official page is cited. Secondary sources variously describe the 1997 transfer as a 'lease' vs. the Section 516 grant mechanism recorded by NVR - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-01
-
[3]NHHC DANFS-format ship history, 'Clifton Sprague (FFG-16), 1981-1997,' Guy J. Nasuti, NHHC Histories Branch (15 October 2019) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC ship-history entry, 'Clifton Sprague (FFG-16)' (narrative + specifications block + commanding officers list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NHHC ship history for this hull: laid down 30 July 1979 at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works; launched 16 February 1980, sponsored by Courtney Sprague Vaughan, daughter of the namesake (Vice Adm. Clifton A.F. 'Ziggy' Sprague, Taffy 3 commander at the Battle off Samar); commissioned 21 March 1981, Cmdr. George M. Musick III in command. Homeported Mayport (1981-83); first guided missile frigate to win the Battle 'E' (FY1981); first of her class to transit the Suez Canal (November 1982, deploying with Sampson (DDG-10) to the Middle East Force); Grenada operations October-November 1983; homeport Philadelphia from September 1983; drydock at Jacksonville Shipyard Inc. 27 February-16 March 1984; counter-narcotics and USCG law-enforcement deployments 1989-93; homeport Naval Station New York, Stapleton (1 August 1992); PASSEX with Russian ships July 1993; homeport Mayport (11 May 1994); first Navy ship into Baie de Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Operation SUPPORT DEMOCRACY/ABLE MANNER (rescued 507 Haitians); decommissioned 2 June 1995; stricken 4 September 1997; transferred to Turkey August 1997 and renamed TCG Gaziantep (F 490).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1979-1997
- Population
- BIW construction trades 1979-81; USN crew 1981-1995 (complement 219 per DANFS)
- Limitations
- Service history and specifications (displacement 3,109 tons; complement 219; armament fit) - contains no materials or asbestos information. The live NHHC page returns 404 (same standing link-rot as other hulls); the verbatim 2021-02-26 Wayback capture is cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-02
-
[4]E. Rodriguez & R. Carey, 'Smoke Management on FFG 7 Class Ships - An Evaluation of Smoke Removal Diagrams and Procedures on USS Clifton Sprague (FFG 16),' David W. Taylor Naval Ship R&D Center report DTNSRDC/SME-87/16 (August 1987), DTIC accession ADA186252 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC_ADA186252 (archive.org), report cover, abstract, and test narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A federal R&D report documenting engineering tests conducted aboard this hull: smoke-migration tests performed on USS Clifton Sprague at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to validate the NAVSEA 'Smoke Removal and Procedures Diagram' for the FFG 7 class; the class is divided into 23 smoke-control zones, of which three were tested aboard Clifton Sprague using a chemical smoke generator; findings document compartment boundaries, cable penetrations, and ventilation control zones.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1987
- Population
- Engineering test personnel and ship's crew, 1987
- Limitations
- Documents smoke-control engineering tests aboard this hull, not materials content. Full text retrieved and searched: it contains no asbestos reference. It evidences the hull's physical presence at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for tests circa 1987 - a yard-presence datum, not evidence of repair scope or any asbestos disturbance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-03
-
[5]The War Zone, 'Project GENESIS: How Turkey Resurrected Its Secondhand Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates' (TCG Gaziantep ex-USS Clifton Sprague commissioned into Turkish service 1997; GENESIS combat-system modernization of the eight-ship Gabya class) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- TWZ article, GENESIS program history (Gabya-class fleet list: 'TCG Gaziantep (ex-USS Clifton Sprague)')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-transfer history: the hull entered Turkish Naval Forces service as TCG Gaziantep (ex-USS Clifton Sprague), first of the eight Gabya-class frigates commissioned from ex-Oliver Hazard Perry stock between 1997 and 2003 (a ninth ex-US hull, ex-Duncan, was acquired as a spare-parts source). Gaziantep received the Turkish GENESIS combat-management-system modernization (HAVELSAN/Turkish Navy program, first delivery 2007) and, per Turkish defense press, an 8-cell Mk.41 vertical launch system with ESSM - a deep material-disturbance refit era in Turkish yards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1997-2011 (transfer and GENESIS refit era)
- Population
- Turkish yard workers (modernization era); Turkish crew 1997-present
- Limitations
- Reputable defense press documenting the Turkish modernization program; establishes that major structural and systems work was performed on this hull in Turkish service but contains no asbestos, hazmat, or occupational-health information. Turkish yard disclosures for this hull not located in public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-04
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep: "Clifton Sprague" (opinions and RECAP dockets), "FFG-16", "FFG 16" [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-03 through sl-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in the executed searches: "Clifton Sprague" returned one opinion hit - Roach v. Sprague, 16 N.Y.S.2d 701 (N.Y. App. Div. 1939), a name collision involving a person surnamed Sprague, excluded - and zero RECAP dockets; "FFG-16" returned zero opinions. The hull-number docket sweep ("FFG-16" type=r, "FFG 16" type=o and type=r) could not be executed before end of session - the fleet-wide CourtListener pacing budget was continuously exhausted for over an hour of spaced retries; logged honestly as pending in the search ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located docket or opinion is not proof that no claim was ever filed - CourtListener's index is not the full PACER record, state-court filings are underrepresented, and settled cases may leave no published trace. The exact-name sweep (both indexes) and the hull-number opinion sweep are complete negatives; the hull-number docket sweep remains unexecuted and is flagged pending rather than claimed. It does not establish or defeat any individual exposure or eligibility question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-05
-
[7]Batch-4617 search ledger (this record): NHHC ship history, Naval Vessel Register, DTIC/NAVSEA technical reports, Turkish-service reporting, asbestos-survey and abatement queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-01 through sl-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull asbestos survey, abatement contract, transfer-condition hazmat disclosure, or occupational-health finding naming USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the 1979-81 build window predates full asbestos substitution, and the hull's continued active service in Turkey means no US-custody survey or disposal documentation exists. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-06
-
[8]Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs CLIK policy 4.4.11, 'Claims relating to asbestos exposure while serving on certain RAN vessels' (vessel list provided by the Department of Defence; verbatim republication at rancba.org.au, last amended 13 May 2020) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DVA CLIK policy 4.4.11 ship list (Adelaide-class entries); mirror https://rancba.org.au/claims-relating-to-asbestos-exposure-while-serving-on-certain-ran-vessels/; build-yard attribution per RAN/Navypedia records (four Todd Seattle-built, two AMECON-built)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A national veterans' compensation authority presumes asbestos exposure - no case-by-case confirmation required - for service aboard a Defence-supplied list of RAN ships (presumption window 1940-2003 in the 2020-amended text, extended to 2010 in the current version). The list includes all six Adelaide-class frigates, the RAN derivative of the Oliver Hazard Perry design. Four of the six were built at Todd Pacific, Seattle - Adelaide II (1980-2008), Canberra II (1981-2005), Sydney IV (1983-2015), and Darwin (1984-2017) - within the USN's own FFG production program, carrying US hull designations (FFG-17, FFG-18, FFG-35, FFG-48) during construction, in the same build window as this 1979-keel, 1981-commissioned Bath Iron Works hull; the remaining two (Melbourne III, Newcastle) were Australian-built to the same design.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1980-2010 (listed service periods); policy current through 2020 amendment
- Population
- RAN crews of the six Adelaide-class (OHP-derivative) frigates, 1980-2010
- Limitations
- A foreign-government compensation presumption covering derivative-design ships, not a materials survey of this hull or of any USN frigate: it establishes that asbestos was 'likely present' aboard the FFG-7 design family as operated by the RAN, not that asbestos was installed aboard FFG-16 by Bath Iron Works, nor quantity or location. The live CLIK page timed out to automated fetch from this network (2026-09-29); policy text and ship entries verified via indexed page content and the verbatim RANCBA republication.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-07
-
[9]Lawrence J. Shorette v. Bath Iron Works Corp. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Benefits Review Board No. 93-1090; ALJ No. 92-LHC-0544 (decision issued 25 July 1996) + OSHA Inspection 101450294 (Bath Iron Works health inspection, 1987) - per Atlas shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB No. 93-1090 decision text; OSHA Inspection 101450294 + Chemical Exposure Health Data (Labs B24809 bulk, B24801 personal, 20 May 1987); shipyards.json 'bath-iron-works'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard asbestos documentation overlapping this hull's construction era: the BRB affirmed work-related asbestosis for a claimant employed at Bath Iron Works from 23 March 1981 who was exposed to asbestos dust in 1981-1982 - the period in which this hull was delivered (6 February 1981), commissioned (21 March 1981), and returned for post-shakedown availability (January 1982). OSHA's 1987 health inspection of the yard recorded asbestos-standard citations with an 80-percent bulk sample result. Era inference for the FFG-7 design (gas-turbine, no boilers) limits candidate applications to pipe/flange gaskets, valve packing, thermal and exhaust insulation, deck tile and adhesives, cable insulation, and fireproofing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1981-1987
- Population
- Bath Iron Works trades 1981-82 and 1987
- Limitations
- Yard-level records about BIW employees and operations, not evidence about this hull: Shorette's exposure finding does not assign it to FFG-16, and the 1987 OSHA inspection postdates her construction. The applications list is era/design inference only - not confirmed installed materials on this hull; no quantity. DOL decision PDF returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; citation verified through the Atlas shipyards.json 'bath-iron-works' record and OSHA establishment-search pages. Related First Circuit decision: Bath Iron Works Corp. v. Director, OWCP, 109 F.3d 53 (1st Cir. 1997).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program as of 1979 - the year this hull's keel was laid: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas, and Navy substitution of alternative insulation materials was underway but incomplete - fixing the transitional-construction era into which this ship was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Bath Iron Works, and the report addresses in-service asbestos management, not a materials certificate for a 1979 new-construction hull. Supports era context only; does not establish asbestos presence or absence aboard this ship. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - description via product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-09
-
[11]NARA History Hub, official Textual Reference Branch (Archives II) response on USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16) 1982-83 deployment records [other_primary]
- Locator
- History Hub thread, NARA Textual Reference Branch reply (RG 24, microfilm deck logs 1941-1983)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead for hull-specific records: NARA's Textual Reference Branch confirms the National Archives at College Park holds unclassified Navy deck logs for commissioned ships 1941-1983 in Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), on microfilm - covering this hull's 1981-1983 logs, the period in which construction-era materials were in original configuration. A crew member's forum post places the ship on Mediterranean/Persian Gulf deployment 1982-83, consistent with the DANFS narrative.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1981-1983 (log coverage)
- Limitations
- Repository-holding confirmation only - the specific FFG-16 log reels were not retrieved or reviewed, and deck logs rarely record insulation materials anyway; value is as a locatable primary record for any future exposure-window or casualty reconstruction (e.g., the September 1988 diesel-generator casualty DANFS describes). Post-1983 logs remain in Navy custody, not NARA.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-clifton-sprague-ffg16-10