Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet hn-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Cochrane | Hull: DDG-21 | Designation: guided-missile destroyer (DDG)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cochrane-ddg21-pkt-hn-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Cochrane (DDG-21), 1964-1990 (2017 entry, J.W. Watts Jr.; verbatim transcription on the USS Cochrane association site - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (1964-1990)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for VAdm. Edward Lull Cochrane; laid down 31 July 1961 at Seattle by Puget Sound Bridge and Dock Co.; launched 18 July 1962 (sponsors Ellen M. and Doris A. Cochrane); commissioned 21 March 1964, Cmdr. Francis W. Benson Jr. in command; homeport Pearl Harbor 1964-83, then Yokosuka from October 1983; seven Vietnam-era WESTPAC deployments (NGFS, Sea Dragon, Linebacker I/II, Frequent Wind April 1975); Sailor Hat shot Bravo (6 Feb 1965); Gemini VII/Apollo 7/8/9 recovery support; Cannikin test surveillance (Oct-Nov 1971); rescued 146 Vietnamese boat people (1-2 Oct 1980); Earnest Will (1987); Meritorious Unit Commendation with Battle Group Alpha (1989); decommissioned 1 October 1990; stricken 20 November 1992; sold for scrap to International Shipbreaking Inc., Brownsville, Texas. Specifications block: displacement 4,500; length 440'3"; beam 47'; draft 23'; speed 30 knots; complement 384; 2x5-inch guns, 6 torpedo tubes, Tartar SAM, ASROC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-2001
- Population
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging construction trades 1961-64; crew (design complement 384) 1964-1990; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard trades during six documented overhaul/availability periods
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction dates, service history, yard periods, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. The verbatim mirror is cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing NHHC link-rot defect). Builder name in the DANFS body reads 'Puget Sound Bridge and Dock Co.'; NVR reads 'PUGET SOUND B & D' - name variants carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), Cochrane (DDG 21) detail page, captured 2004-10-21 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page for DDG-21 (Wayback capture 2004)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR record for this hull: UIC 04687; class DDG 2; builder PUGET SOUND B & D; award date 03/25/1960; keel 07/31/1961; launch 07/18/1962; delivery 03/06/1964; commission 03/21/1964; decommission 10/01/1990; stricken 11/20/1992; status 'Disposed of by scrapping, cannibalization' with date status changed 09/19/2001; overall length 440 ft; light displacement 3,647 tons; steel hull, aluminum superstructure; two propellers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-2001
- Population
- NAVSEA inventory record
- Limitations
- NVR is the official inventory for dates/disposition but does not document materials or asbestos. Live NVR page no longer lists the disposed hull; the 2004 Wayback capture is cited. Disposal status date (19 Sep 2001) differs by nine days from the 28 Sep 2001 completion date given by the ship association and NavSource - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-02
-
[4]Monlux v. 3M Co. (Foster Wheeler et al.), No. 2:24-cv-00912-LK (W.D. Wash.), Order Granting Motion to Remand, ECF No. 175 (filed 2024-12-03) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 175 at 4-6 (quoting Dkt. No. 170-1 at 6, 'PUGET SOUND VESSELS' definition); RECAP document gov.uscourts.wawd.336524.175.0 (full text reviewed)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury litigation in which this hull is expressly named by hull number: plaintiff's September 2024 discovery requests defined 'PUGET SOUND VESSELS' to include 'USS Gridley DLG 2, USS Goldsborough DDG 20, USS Cochrane DDG 21, [and] USS Benjamin Stoddert DDG 22' - Navy ships present at Lockheed Shipbuilding while decedent Richard Monlux worked there as a pipefitter in 1961-62 (the period when DDG-21 was under construction at the same Seattle yard, which was then becoming Lockheed Shipbuilding). The court noted the requests 'could be interpreted to suggest' a vessel-exposure theory and ordered clarification; plaintiff stated her position remained that 'Mr. Monlux was exposed to asbestos-containing Foster Wheeler equipment while working at Lockheed Shipbuilding,' while defendant Foster Wheeler averred the requests 'expressly confirm[]' a vessel-exposure claim. The case was remanded to King County Superior Court on federal-officer removal grounds without adjudicating any vessel exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-1962 (alleged exposure window); 2024 (litigation)
- Population
- Richard Monlux (pipefitter, Lockheed Shipbuilding 1961-62); asbestos P.I. plaintiff Elaine M. Monlux
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage vessel-definition, not even a pleading allegation - the hull is named among vessels present at the plaintiff's worksite, and the plaintiff's stated exposure theory is shipyard-side, not shipboard. The remand order resolves removal jurisdiction only; no exposure finding aboard DDG-21 exists or was alleged in the operative complaint. Per litigation-stage discipline this is classified below pleading level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-03
-
[5]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. et al., No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal., filed 2008-06-18, terminated 2009-02-02), Declaration of Deborah R. Rosenthal ISO remand, ECF No. 11 (323 pp. incl. exhibits) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 4174328; matching document RECAP gov.uscourts.cand.204462.11.0 (retrieved 2026-09-28; image-scanned)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos litigation docket (suit type '368 P.I.: Asbestos', removed from state court under 28 U.S.C. 1441 asbestos-litigation removal) in which 'USS Cochrane' appears in indexed RECAP document text - the match falls within the 323-page declaration exhibit filing at ECF No. 11, a compilation typical of plaintiff exposure/work-history materials. Whether USS Cochrane is referenced as an exposure vessel, a witness-list item, or a list reference is unverified.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2008-2009 (litigation)
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- Index-level reference only: the ECF No. 11 main PDF (323 pp., ~18.6 MB) is retrievable from RECAP storage but is image-scanned with no extractable text layer over the exhibit pages, and the exhibit attachment PDFs (.11.1-.11.7) return 404; the vessel's role in the case is therefore unverified. No allegation of exposure aboard this hull is established by the index hit alone.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-04
-
[6]International Shipbreaking Ltd., L.L.C. v. Smith, 44 F. App'x 653 (5th Cir. 2002) (per curiam, unpublished), appeal from S.D. Tex. No. B-01-CV-48; cert. denied, 537 U.S. 1089 (2002) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion pp. 1-4 (factual recital of Navy contract and tow); cert. denial at https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/125907/
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Non-asbestos litigation naming this hull: the Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for tug contractor Smith Maritime in ISL's suit arising from the sinking of ex-USS Stoddert during tandem tow with ex-USS Cochrane from Pearl Harbor to Brownsville. The opinion recites that the Navy contract obligated ISL to dismantle 'the USS COCHRANE and the USS STODDERT,' 'disposing of hazardous waste, and selling scrap materials,' and towing both ships to Brownsville; that Stoddert flooded and was scuttled after Navy/ISL/Smith conferred; and that 'Smith successfully delivered the other destroyer' (Cochrane) to ISL in Brownsville. Certiorari denied by the Supreme Court 16 December 2002 (CourtListener opinion 125907).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2001-2002
- Population
- ISL/Smith Maritime contract dispute; Navy Ship Disposal Program
- Limitations
- Maritime towage/contract litigation, NOT asbestos litigation - no asbestos claim, product, or exposure is adjudicated or alleged. The 'disposing of hazardous waste' clause is a program-typical contract recital; it does not itemize asbestos or quantify hazardous materials aboard this hull. Cited for the hull's documented disposal contract and tow history.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-05
-
[7]Newsweek, 'Periscope' column (March 2001): seamen's account of the tandem tow of ex-Stoddert and ex-Cochrane [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Newsweek Periscope item (post-3 Feb 2001 issue)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press account corroborating the disposal tow: 'in mid-January a tugboat left Pearl Harbor towing two mothballed Navy ships, the Stoddert and the USS Cochrane'; in 20-foot seas and 40-knot winds Stoddert took on water, crewmen boarded and opened hatches, and the ship sank 'like the Titanic' on 3 February 2001; the scrap yard sued the tug firm alleging scuttling. Corroborates the ISL v. Smith recital and the association's arrival date for Cochrane at Brownsville (26 March 2001).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2001
- Population
- Tow crew; ISL facility
- Limitations
- Press account based on crewman interviews; the Navy made no announcement. Documents the tow and sinking, not materials aboard either hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-06
-
[8]Atlas shipyards.json record 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging' (tier 3): Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wn.2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987) - Raymark asbestos products and asbestos pipe/turbine insulation documented at this yard, 1947-48 liner conversion; plus FAS/DANFS-class data for the DDG-2 plant [other_primary]
- Locator
- Association specifications page (plant detail); shipyards.json 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging' evidence row ev-puget-bridge-01; Lockwood opinion
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Construction-era inference: DDG-21 was built 1961-64 at the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging yard in Seattle with the class-standard 1,200-psi steam plant (four Babcock & Wilcox boilers, two General Electric geared turbine sets, 70,000 shp, two shafts - per the ship association's specification sheet concordant with class references). A steam-plant destroyer of this era would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation on boilers, turbines, and steam piping, plus asbestos gaskets, packing, deck coverings, and electrical cable insulation. The builder yard itself carries yard-level asbestos documentation: the Washington Supreme Court's Lockwood opinion documents Raymark asbestos products in use at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredge on a 1947-48 liner conversion. Neither the hull's material specifications nor any survey is public.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-1964
- Population
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging/Lockheed construction trades 1961-64; crew 1964-90
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific finding that asbestos was installed aboard this hull. The yard's documented asbestos use (1947-48) predates this hull's construction by over a decade. No ACM inventory, specification sheet, or abatement record for DDG-21 was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyards.json record 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' (tier 1): PMID 1065583 (airborne asbestos exposure/control at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, incl. amosite/chrysotile during overhaul rip-out, ~10x TLV peaks); PMID 7918819 (Hawaii mesothelioma case-control, OR ~10.1 for PHNSY work); EPA site HI6170024339 [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' evidence rows; DANFS narrative yard-period dates
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Overhaul-era context: DANFS documents six industrial periods for this hull at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (maintenance Sep-Oct 1964; overhauls Jan-Aug 1967, Feb 1970-?, Jun 1973-Mar 1974, Apr 1977-Mar 1978, Jun 1981-Jun 1982) plus a fuel-system conversion (Feb-May 1972). PHNSY is a yard-level documented asbestos site in the Atlas registry: a peer-reviewed airborne-exposure study records amosite and chrysotile exposure during ship overhaul rip-out and installation work, with peak concentrations roughly ten times the pre-1972 exposure standard, and Hawaii mesothelioma case-control work associates PHNSY employment with approximately ten-fold mesothelioma increase.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-1982
- Population
- PHNSY overhaul trades 1964-1982; crew during availabilities
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation only: these studies quantify exposure for PHNSY trades during the era, not aboard this hull, and do not establish that any Cochrane sailor or yard worker on this hull was exposed. Overhaul work-package asbestos scope for DDG-21 is inference; NARA hull records are the retrieval lead (ev-09).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-08
-
[10]National Archives (NARA) research guide, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels up through 1961' - RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) correspondence arranged by hull designation; class files under namesake hull (DDG-2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topics page, RG 19 file-arrangement section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead for hull-level material documentation: NARA advises that Bureau of Ships (RG 19) correspondence files 1940-1961 are arranged by hull designation (DDG-21) with class-level machinery correspondence filed under the namesake hull (DDG-2, Charles F. Adams), and that VA-claim-relevant asbestos research requires these files. Cochrane's award (25 March 1960) and keel (31 July 1961) fall inside/at the edge of the guide's stated coverage window. Retrieval not performed in this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (guide coverage); hull construction 1961-64
- Population
- N/A
- Limitations
- Lead only - the guide documents where hull-specific material records may exist; no DDG-21 file was pulled, and the guide's stated window ends at 1961, so post-1961 yard correspondence (the bulk of this hull's construction) may sit in later series. Nothing in this row establishes asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-09
-
[11]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 letter body (attachment 1 covers post-1973 ships only)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level government statement covering this hull's in-service era: the Navy told GAO in 1979 that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos,' with thermal insulation of machinery, equipment and piping the major historical application and residual applications (deck tile, electrical resistors/cabling, galley ranges, piping gaskets and packing, brakes and clutches) continuing where substitutes were unavailable. Cochrane was in commissioned service throughout 1979.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- All in-service Navy ships and shipyard workers, 1979
- Limitations
- Program-level statement, not a hull survey - it supports era-wide presence of asbestos aboard in-service Navy ships in 1979 but does not identify materials aboard DDG-21 specifically. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; the letter text was verified via search-index excerpts (same standing block as Batch-01). The report's ship list covers only post-1973 deliveries and does not name this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-10
-
[12]GAO NSIAD-99-18, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal' (1999) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO NSIAD-99-18 report body (hazardous-materials and domestic-scrapping sections)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Disposal-program context for this hull's scrapping contract: GAO documents that Navy/MARAD surplus ships 'contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium,' that remediation takes place during dismantling, and that domestic scrapping of Navy ships had a documented record of environmental and worker-safety compliance problems (20 of 62 Navy ships repossessed 1991-96). This is the program under which Cochrane was sold to International Shipbreaking in 2000-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1991-1999
- Population
- Shipbreaking workers, Navy disposal program
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - does not document asbestos aboard DDG-21 or conditions during this hull's specific 2001 dismantling. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; content verified via search-index excerpts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-11
-
[13]CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull (opinion and RECAP docket indexes) [court_record]
- Locator
- Search ledger sl-uss-cochrane-ddg21-03 through -06
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull as an exposure site. Opinion-index searches for 'USS Cochrane' and 'DDG-21'/'DDG 21' returned zero hits; a broadened 'Cochrane' + asbestos opinion sweep returned 47 results, all surname or name collisions (e.g., Cochrane v. Owens-Corning, a plaintiff surname). RECAP docket search for 'USS Cochrane' returned two dockets: Monlux v. 3M (W.D. Wash.) - hull named in a discovery vessel-definition only, shipboard exposure not alleged (ev-03); and Redman v. A.W. Chesterton (N.D. Cal.) - index-level reference in a scanned declaration exhibit, role unverified (ev-04). The 'DDG-21' docket sweep returned five dockets: Monlux and Redman again; MDL No. 875 (Gerecke v. Huntington Ingalls, N.D. Cal.) complaint materials matching 'DDG-21' in OCR index, role unverified (ev-13); and two name collisions (a 'D D G Construction' contract case; clerk initials 'ddg' stamped on a criminal docket sheet). No survey, abatement record, ACM inventory, or adjudicated exposure finding for this hull was located in any repository searched.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- searched 2026-09-28
- Population
- N/A
- Limitations
- Absence of located records is not proof none exist: PACER-district dockets not captured in RECAP, state-court asbestos dockets (e.g., King County Superior Court after the Monlux remand), and unindexed BVA decision text are not fully covered by this sweep. One BVA grant citing service aboard Cochrane (Citation 19137582, May 2019) was located and classified non-asbestos (herbicide/Procopio theory).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-12
-
[14]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.) - member case Gerecke v. Huntington Ingalls Inc. et al., No. 3:11-cv-03507-JSW (N.D. Cal., filed 2011-07-18, Brayton Purcell LLP); complaint docket sheets and exhibit filings at MDL ECF Nos. 7600-2, 7717-3, 7761-3 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener MDL docket (IN RE Asbestos No. VI); matching documents RECAP gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.7600.2 / .7717.3 / .7761.3 (retrieved 2026-09-28; image-scanned)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos wrongful-death litigation (Nature of Suit '368 P.I.: Asbestos') in which the string 'DDG-21' matches in CourtListener's indexed OCR of complaint-stage materials filed into MDL No. 875 - the complaint docket sheet and exhibit bundles for Gerecke v. Huntington Ingalls (a Brayton Purcell filing typical of complaints carrying vessel/worksite lists). Whether DDG-21 appears as a pleaded exposure vessel, a worksite list entry, or incidental text is unverified. Even at face value, a complaint's vessel list is a pleading allegation, not a finding.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2011 (litigation)
- Population
- Harold Gerecke (decedent); heirs David and Walter Gerecke
- Limitations
- Index-level reference only: all three matching PDFs are image-scanned with no extractable text beyond PACER headers, so the match context is unverified without OCR or PACER retrieval. Classified at pleading-allegation stage per litigation-stage discipline; no exposure finding aboard this hull is established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochrane-ddg21-13