Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet he-packet.md (8 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED (with launch-date flag)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-decatur-dd936-pkt-he-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Decatur IV (DD-936) (entry dated 25 August 2004; live NHHC page serves 404 - Wayback capture 2025-12-11 cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry Decatur IV (DD-936), specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 15 December 1955 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., sponsored by Mrs. W. A. Pierce and Mrs. D. J. Armsden; commissioned 7 December 1956, Cmdr. J. J. Skahill. NATO Strikeback 1957; 6th Fleet tours 1958 and 1959-60; first-of-kind at-sea NASA spacecraft recovery September 1961; 6 May 1964 collision with Lake Champlain (CVS-39) off the Virginia Capes - both masts lost, bridge and both stacks crushed, one sailor injured; temporary repairs alongside Shenandoah (AD-26) at Norfolk; in reserve at Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown) 1 November 1964, decommissioned 15 June 1965; conversion installed TARTAR missile system, ASROC, new fire-control radars and sonar; reclassified DDG-31 15 September 1966; recommissioned 29 April 1967; Pacific Fleet, homeport Long Beach; WestPac deployments 1968-69, 1970, 1971-72, 1973, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1978-79 (Indian Ocean, Bahrain), 1981, and 1982-83 (Persian Gulf); long overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard spring-summer 1975; decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 30 June 1983; struck 16 March 1988; transferred to NAVSEA as experimental test platform out of Port Hueneme; sunk as a target off Hawaii 21 July 2004; six battle stars for Vietnam. DANFS spec block: displacement 3,807 full load; length 418 ft 5 in; beam 45 ft 1 in; draft 14 ft 6 in; 33 kt; complement 311; armament 3x5-inch, 4x3-inch, 4x21-inch torpedo tubes, depth charge track; class Forrest Sherman.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-2004
- Population
- Bethlehem Quincy construction trades 1954-56; crew 1956-1983 (design complement 311); Boston NSY conversion workforce 1964-67; Long Beach NSY overhaul workforce 1975
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry does not state a laying-down date (NVR keel date 13 September 1954 corroborates secondary sources). Live NHHC page returns 404 (2026-09-28); the Wayback capture of the official page is cited. Sinking-date conflict (NVR/DANFS 21 July vs NavSource 14 July vs secondary 22 July 2004) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register ship-detail page, DECATUR (DDG 31, ex-EDDG 31, DD 936), UIC 52196 (NAVSEA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR Ship Details page, Vessel Status + Milestone Dates + Program Characteristics comments
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for this hull: class DDG 31; builder 'Bethlehem Steel Co., SB Div, Quincy Yard, Quincy, MA'; keel 09/13/1954; delivery 11/30/1956; decommission 06/30/1983; stricken 03/16/1988; status 'disposed of in support of fleet training exercise' with status-change date 07/21/2004; comments field records the hull 'served as the EDDG-31 Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) from 2 Feb 96 through Sep 03'; record last updated 08/04/2004.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-2004
- Population
- N/A - registry data
- Limitations
- NVR milestone fields for this hull are internally inconsistent: it lists launch 10/01/1955 and commission 10/07/1956 - the commission date precedes the delivery date (11/30/1956), and both conflict with DANFS/NavSource/press (launch 15 December 1955, commission 7 December 1956); carried as a documented defect in gaps rather than silently reconciled. NVR carries no materials or asbestos data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-02
-
[4]McIsaac v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (successor by merger to Buffalo Pumps, Inc.), No. 19-10282-NMG (D. Mass.), Memorandum & Order, Gorton, J., July 7, 2023 (SJ allowed; Rule 56(d) denied) [court_record]
- Locator
- Memorandum & Order at 2 (Factual Background paragraph reciting Navy archive records) and at 6-8 (summary-judgment analysis)
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- District-court Memorandum & Order in an asbestos wrongful-death case names this hull in a product-identification recital: 'According to United States Navy archive records produced by plaintiff, Buffalo pumps were installed aboard the USS Wasp and the USS Boston, Forrest-Sherman-class ships (including the USS Decatur, the USS Barry and the USS Davis) and Mitscher-class ships.' The opinion further recites that 'between 1955 and 1985 and during at least some periods of time prior to 1955, gaskets and packing supplied in certain original pumps manufactured by Buffalo contained asbestos.' The suit alleged asbestos exposure for rigger John T. McIsaac at Boston Naval Shipyard in 1965 and 1967 through the 1970s (mesothelioma diagnosed August 2018; died March 2019); exposure theory centered on USS Boston and USS Albany. Summary judgment for Buffalo was allowed - no evidence the decedent specifically worked on Buffalo pumps - and the Rule 56(d) application was denied.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1965-1970s (alleged yard exposure window); 2019-2023 (litigation)
- Population
- John T. McIsaac, BNSY rigger 1965 and 1967-1970s (mesothelioma); class-level pump population incl. this hull per Navy archives
- Limitations
- Classified at the less-final stage: the Decatur reference is a discovery-stage recital of Navy archive records inside a summary-judgment opinion, not an adjudicated exposure finding; the case resolved on defense SJ (a merits-level negative for that plaintiff as to Buffalo), and the plaintiff's exposure theory involved USS Boston and USS Albany, not Decatur. The recital ties Buffalo pumps to this hull per Navy records but does not establish that Decatur's specific pumps contained asbestos components, does not quantify anything aboard, and establishes no individual exposure. The Navy archive records themselves are the underlying primary source and are not reproduced in the opinion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-03
-
[5]Naval Historical Center / NHHC, Online Library of Selected Images: USS Decatur (DD-936, later DDG-31), 1956-2004 (verbatim transcription) - incl. photo NH 105939, inclining experiment at Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, May 1967 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library page usnsh-d/dd936.htm, narrative + photo caption NH 105939
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC photo-history page for this hull corroborates: 2,780-ton Forrest Sherman-class destroyer built at Quincy; Cuban Quarantine operations November-December 1962; unrepaired after the 6 May 1964 Lake Champlain collision and placed 'in commission, in reserve' pending modernization; extensively modified at Boston Naval Shipyard over the next two years; reclassified DDG-31 September 1966; recommissioned April 1967; Pacific Fleet thereafter. An official U.S. Navy photograph (NH 105939) shows the ship undergoing an inclining experiment at Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, in May 1967. The DDG conversion replaced her after 5-inch guns with a Tartar launcher and added ASROC, new fire-control radars and sonar - a documented, ~2.5-year industrial yard period involving major equipment removal and installation aboard this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-1967
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard conversion workforce 1964-67; crew
- Limitations
- Documents the conversion yard period and its scope; contains no asbestos or materials content - any disturbance of era insulation during the 1964-67 rip-out is inference, not documented for this hull. Transcription mirror cited (ibiblio HyperWar Online Library); no ACM data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-04
-
[6]York et al., 'Self-Defense Test Ship Remote Combat System Operation,' Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest 22(4), 2001 + NHHC Online Library SDTS page (usnsh-d/sdts.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- JHU APL Tech Digest 22(4) pp. 453-455 (program history, selection, conops); NHHC SDTS page narrative; NavSource DD-936 photo captions (Oct 1993 PSNS; 'Began conversion to the SDTS 04 March 1992'; 'placed in use as EDDG 31 by NSWC, October 1994')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented post-service use of this hull: in 1987 the Chief of Naval Operations selected the decommissioned ex-Decatur (DDG-31) as the Self-Defense Test Ship; conversion was funded in FY1989 and the ship was ready to support test operations by end of FY1994 (NHHC page: ordered converted a month after striking; initial operational capability October 1994). Berthed at Port Hueneme, maintained and operated by NSWC Port Hueneme Division; operated manned or unmanned on the NAWC Weapons Division Sea Test Range near San Nicolas Island; powered by outboard-drive diesel engines. Supported CIWS (1995-97), RAM Block I DT/OT (September 1998-November 1999), and ESSM testing (first firing 4 April 2000). NavSource photographs place the hull at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in October 1993 during the conversion. Taken out of service 2003; replaced by ex-Paul F. Foster (DD-964).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1987-2003
- Population
- NSWC Port Hueneme Division personnel and contractors (embarked test crews up to ~50 during manned runs); PSNS conversion workforce 1992-94
- Limitations
- Documents the hull's conversion to unmanned-capable test platform; no asbestos or hazmat scope of the 1992-94 conversion work (weapons removal, system installation, habitability changes) is documented in these sources. Conversion-yard attribution rests on a NavSource photo caption placing the hull at Puget Sound NSY in October 1993 - secondary-source confirmation only. Establishes no asbestos facts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-05
-
[7]EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' (MPRSA general permit, 40 C.F.R. 229.2) + EPA/Navy SINKEX Determination and Agreement (Jan. 24, 2014, superseding the Aug. 2, 1999 Wayland letter) + NAVSEA release 'Former NSWC PHD Self Defense Test Ship makes Final Departure' (May 14, 2004) + NVR status (disposed in support of fleet training exercise, 07/21/2004) [federal_register]
- Locator
- EPA ocean-disposal permit page; EPA 2014 Determination and Agreement (history of the 1999 Letter and annual-report duty); NAVSEA release via globalsecurity.org mirror mil-040514-navsea01.htm; NVR ship-detail status field
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- This hull's final disposition ran under the federal SINKEX permit regime: sunk as a target off Kauai during RIMPAC 2004 in waters over 12,000 feet deep (NAVSEA release; NVR status-change date 07/21/2004). Under the MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 as interpreted by the EPA-Navy letter of August 2, 1999, the Navy was required to inventory each SINKEX vessel for PCBs, remove PCB-containing materials to the maximum extent practicable, and report each vessel's name, tonnage, and sinking location/date to EPA in an annual report - so a per-vessel preparation and inventory record for ex-Decatur was required to exist. Contemporaneous coverage documents the preparation underway: oil drained, weapons stripped (2003), towed Port Hueneme to Pearl Harbor April 28 - May 8, 2004 under USNS Sioux, moored with the inactive fleet at Pearl City Peninsula pending the exercise.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-2004
- Population
- SINKEX preparation crews (2003-04); tow and exercise personnel
- Limitations
- The SINKEX permit regime centers on PCBs, fuels, and detachable pollutants - it does not quantify or even necessarily remove asbestos, and no per-vessel hazmat inventory for ex-Decatur is public (the Navy-to-EPA reporting chain is the archival lead). Documents disposal under a hazmat-control regime, not the presence or absence of ACM aboard at sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-06
-
[8]Los Angeles Times, 'Sending Dirty D to a Watery Grave' (Apr. 29, 2004); Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 'Warship's final mission' (June 20, 2004) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- LA Times Apr 29, 2004 (departure, SDTS description, prep); Star-Bulletin June 20, 2004 (Pearl Harbor arrival, SinkEx site/depth, companion hulls)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press documents this hull's final disposition: departed Port Hueneme under tow by USNS Sioux on April 28, 2004 with oil drained and no crew; SDTS service at Naval Base Ventura County for the prior ~10 years towing decoy barges on the Pacific Missile Test Range with embarked test crews up to ~50; stripped of weapons in 2003; arrived Pearl Harbor May 8, 2004 and moored with the inactive fleet off Pearl City Peninsula; slated for a SinkEx off the Barking Sands coast of Kauai in waters ~12,000 feet deep alongside ex-Harry W. Hill, ex-Kinkaid, and ex-Peoria.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1994-2004
- Population
- SDTS test crews (to ~50, manned runs); tow/preparation crews 2004
- Limitations
- Press detail of preparation is limited to drained oil and stripped weapons - no mention of asbestos abatement or ACM removal either way; does not establish or rule out asbestos aboard at sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-07
-
[9]Destroyer History Foundation, Forrest Sherman class page (specs citing Bauer & Roberts, Friedman, Silverstone) + Atlas shipyards.json records for Bethlehem Shipbuilding/Fore River (Quincy) and Boston Naval Shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyerhistory.org Forrest Sherman class general-information block; shipyards.json records 'bethlehem-shipbuilding', 'fore-river-shipyard', 'boston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference for this hull: Decatur was built 1954-56 at Bethlehem Steel's Quincy yard with a geared steam-turbine plant (70,000 shp, 2 shafts, 33 kt design) - a period when Navy steam destroyers carried asbestos boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings as standard practice. The Atlas shipyard dataset independently documents the builder (Bethlehem Shipbuilding/Fore River, Quincy, tier 3) and Boston Naval Shipyard (tier 3) with yard-level asbestos product lists including magnesia block, pipe covering, lagging, gaskets, packing, and asbestos cement. The Forrest Sherman class was the first post-WWII destroyer design; 18 ships; Decatur's DDG-31 conversion (1966) was one of four class conversions.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-1967
- Population
- Bethlehem Quincy/Fore River construction trades 1954-56; crew 1956-83
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no hull-level material schedule or BuShips specification for DD-936 was located. The ship-specific finding for this hull is ev-03 (McIsaac product-ID recital); this row supplies context, not an independent ship-specific finding. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications remain an unretrieved archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-08
-
[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)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's shipyard asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Decatur underwent a long overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in spring-summer 1975 - squarely within the policy era GAO described - but the report does not name this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program/yard-level documentation, not hull-specific; establishes the regulatory environment around the ship's 1975 LBNSY overhaul, not asbestos aboard this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, same posture as BATCH-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated), queries "USS Decatur" / "DD-936" / "DDG-31" / McIsaac case identifiers [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search API results; Wallace v. Chappell cluster 385884/8923456
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- SWEEP RESULTS (as of 2026-09-28): 'USS Decatur' (type=o) returned two hits, both the same case - Wallace v. Chappell, 637 F.2d 1345 (9th Cir. 1981) (en banc), a §1985 racial-discrimination action by enlisted Navy personnel against superior officers (the opinion text contains 'USS Decatur'; the case proceeded to the Supreme Court as Chappell v. Wallace, 462 U.S. 296 (1983)) - classified OTHER LITIGATION, not asbestos. 'DD-936' (type=o) returned two hits, both contract/procurement disputes - U.S. v. Foster Wheeler Corp., 316 F. Supp. 963 (S.D.N.Y. 1970) and Bethlehem Steel Corp. v. U.S., 423 F.2d 300 (Ct. Cl. 1970, escalation suit on the Quincy destroyer contracts) - classified OTHER LITIGATION, not asbestos. 'DDG-31' (type=o) returned zero. Separately located via web index: McIsaac v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 19-10282-NMG (D. Mass. 2023) - the qualifying asbestos product-ID record carried as ev-03. No qualifying asbestos opinion naming DD-936/DDG-31 was located on CourtListener.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1981-2023
- Population
- Decatur enlisted crew (Wallace plaintiffs, non-asbestos); McIsaac (asbestos, indirect)
- Limitations
- Name collision manageable: Decatur is a mid-collision name (cities; DD-5 and DD-341 predecessors), but hull-number queries disambiguate - every 'DD-936' hit was litigation touching the actual ship contracts, none asbestos. 'EDDG-31' returned zero. Sweep completeness qualified by fleet pacing: the 'U.S.S. Decatur' variant, 'aboard the Decatur', and a docketNumber-targeted McIsaac lookup could not be completed before cutoff and are logged as pending in the search ledger (sl-16), not silently omitted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-decatur-dd936-10