Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Denebola' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Denebola' returned 1 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-denebola-af56-cl-name-opinion
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[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Denebola' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Denebola' returned 2 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-denebola-af56-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AF-56' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AF-56' returned 5447 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-denebola-af56-cl-hull-opinion
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[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AF-56' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AF-56' returned 78566 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-denebola-af56-cl-hull-docket
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[5]Eylers v. Aerco International, Inc. (In re New York City Asbestos Litigation), 2019 NY Slip Op 33101(U) (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County Oct. 17, 2019), Index No. 190364/2017, NYSCEF Doc. No. 169 (Mendez, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- Slip opinion pp. 2-5; verbatim text also mirrored at brownsims.com/assets/htmldocuments/uploads/2019/10/LongshoreUpdateInreNewYorkCityAsbestosLitigation.pdf (retrieval path used; nycourts.gov returns 403 to automated fetches)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Decided summary-judgment order in NYCAL: plaintiff John D. Eylers alleged mesothelioma from asbestos insulation on M.T. Davidson pumps during Navy service 1956-1958 aboard USS Chukawan (AO-100) and USS Denebola (AF-56). His April 10, 2018 deposition testimony described ~2 months aboard Denebola in 1958 as a seaman apprentice making deliveries ship-wide, observing people replacing insulation on gaskets in the engine room and firemen cleaning out boilers, removing soot, and 'working on the asbestos insulation.' Defense expert Clancy Cornwall's review of plaintiff's declassified U.S. Navy records identified one M.T. Davidson pump aboard Denebola - a 30-gpm distiller brine pump in the engine room - which he averred operated below 125 deg F and under U.S. Navy specifications would have carried no external insulation. The court granted SLM's CPLR 3212 motion: mere presence of M.T. Davidson pumps aboard was insufficient to establish actual exposure from that defendant's product; all claims and cross-claims against SLM severed and dismissed (NON-FINAL disposition; claims against remaining defendants continued).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1958 (alleged exposure); 2017-2019 (action); Oct. 17, 2019 (order)
- Population
- Seaman apprentice aboard AF-56 ~2 months in 1958 (alleged bystander exposure)
- Limitations
- Decided-motion record at the discovery/summary-judgment stage - exposure content is plaintiff deposition allegation, not an adjudicated finding. The disposition is a merits-level negative for this plaintiff as to this defendant's product: the only product-identified equipment aboard (one M.T. Davidson distiller brine pump) was averred uninsulated under Navy specs, and the court held presence of the pumps insufficient to establish exposure. Does not establish that asbestos exposure occurred aboard this hull; equally does not establish that asbestos was absent - deposition testimony described insulation work the court did not weigh for other defendants. Uncorrected slip opinion, not selected for official publication.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-01
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[6]Hall v. Aqua-Chem, Inc., No. 3:14-cv-00028 (S.D. Ill.), order denying Crane Co. motion to dismiss (as reported); docket verified in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois administrative case list (AdminOrder163.pdf, '14-0028 Hall v. Aqua-Chem Inc DGW') [court_record]
- Locator
- S.D. Ill. docket 3:14-cv-00028; order text located via secondary reporting (Goldberg Segalla client alert, Mar. 5, 2015, quoting the order); order itself not retrieved from PACER/CourtListener
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage federal asbestos action: the First Amended Complaint in Hall v. Aqua-Chem, Inc. alleged the plaintiff's asbestos exposure 'may have occurred between 1959 and 1977' aboard seven named vessels including 'the USS Denebola AF-56 from 1959-61' (also USS Cadmus AR-14, USS Mauna Loa AE-8, USS Edmonds DE-406, USS Enterprise CVA(N)-65, USS Truxton CVAN-35, USS Milwaukee AOR-2) and various naval shipyards. The district court denied Crane Co.'s Rule 12(b)(6) motion, holding the vessel-specific allegations gave defendants ample notice to build a defense.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1959-1961 (alleged exposure aboard this hull); 2014-2015 (action)
- Population
- Sailor alleged aboard AF-56 1959-1961
- Limitations
- Pleading allegation - a complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding, and AF-56 is one of seven hulls named for a multi-decade career. The 12(b)(6) denial tests pleading sufficiency only and says nothing about exposure aboard this hull. Order text not retrieved from a primary source; the denial is documented through the quoted order language in secondary reporting plus the court's own administrative case list confirming the docket. PACER/CM-ECF pull remains the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-02
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[7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1125726, Docket No. 07-38 718 (decision date July 8, 2011), appeal from Columbia, SC RO [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA decision text: REMAND section, item 4 (ship list incl. USS Denebola 1963-1964)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Board of Veterans' Appeals remand naming this hull: a veteran's service-connection claim for restrictive respiratory disorder 'as due to inservice exposure to asbestos' recorded Navy service aboard eight ships including 'U.S.S. Denebola from 1963 to 1964' (one of four ships the decision characterized as World War II era). Citing M21-1 provisions that chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite 'were used extensively in military ship construction' during WWII, the Board REMANDED for development - directing the RO to determine 'whether it is as likely as not that the Veteran had asbestos exposure in the Navy' and, if necessary, to request ship logs from the Navy and National Archives. No exposure determination was made.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1963-1964 (service); 2007-2011 (claim); July 8, 2011 (remand)
- Population
- Veteran aboard USS Denebola 1963-1964 (claim-stage)
- Limitations
- Administrative remand with no finding - the Board ordered development precisely because exposure had not been determined; the vessel name appears in the veteran's service history, not in any adjudicated exposure finding. The M21-1 'WWII era ships' framing is era-level policy language applied to a hull that is in fact 1944 wartime construction. Does not establish exposure aboard, quantity, or legal outcome (remanded claims may be granted or denied later; no later decision located).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-03
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[8]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Denebola' (AF-56) entry - transcription mirror (live NHHC page not located; consistent with the NHHC link-rot pattern logged in BATCH-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS transcription, auxil/af56.htm (transcribed by Yves Hubert)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: the second Denebola (AF-56) was launched 10 June 1944 as Hibbing Victory by Oregon Shipbuilding Co., Portland, Oreg., sponsored by Miss J. A. Bush; transferred to the Navy 1 May 1952; converted at New York Naval Shipyard; commissioned 20 January 1954, CDR S. E. Ramey in command. From completion of shakedown through June 1960 she alternated eight tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean with local operations out of Norfolk, participated in NATO exercises in 1957 and 1958, carried stores to the Caribbean, served as plane guard for President Eisenhower's plane returning from the 1957 Paris NATO conference, and replenished ships patrolling off Beirut in the aftermath of the 1958 Lebanon crisis. DANFS characteristics: dp. 4,960; l. 455'3"; b. 62'; dr. 28'6"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 250; a. 8 3".
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Authoritative identity/service record through June 1960; DANFS does not cover 1960-1976 operations and contains no asbestos or materials statement. Cited via a verbatim transcription mirror - canonical NHHC URL still needs re-locating before production use.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-04
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[9]USN Ships - USS Denebola (AF-56), 1954-1976 (Naval Historical Center / NHHC Online Library photo page, HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HyperWar 'USN Ships--USS Denebola (AF-56)' page, narrative + photo captions (NH 98382, K-88516, USN 1140684)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Historical Center photo-archive narrative extends the record past DANFS: after 1954 shakedown (Guantanamo Bay), a midshipman training cruise to Ireland, and an Atlantic Fleet exercise, in January 1955 Denebola began an operational routine that continued 'some two decades' - two to four annual Mediterranean trips provisioning Sixth Fleet units, interspersed with Atlantic/Caribbean fleet support and occasional shipyard repair and overhaul. In 1963 a helicopter landing platform was added aft, enabling vertical replenishment in addition to alongside high-line transfer. She left active service at the end of April 1976, a few months after her final Mediterranean cruise, and was sold for scrapping in December of that year.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1954-1976
- Limitations
- Official Navy photo-archive narrative; covers 1954-1976 but at summary level - no deployment-by-deployment log, no asbestos or materials statement. Scrapped-in-December framing conflicts with MARAD's 17 Nov 1976 sale date (MARAD controls; discrepancy logged).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-05
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[10]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - DENEBOLA (AF-56) Detail 5835 and HIBBING VICTORY Detail 2206 (incl. digitized status cards); NavSource AF-56 page (transcription of status-card charter data) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5835 (milestones, name history, specs) and Detail 2206 (NDRF entry/withdrawal/transfer), https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/2206 ; NavSource AF-56 charter chronology at https://navsource.net/archives/09/06/0656.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records establish custody and identity: DENEBOLA (AF-56), Ship History Detail 5835 - U.S. Official No. 245917, built 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Company, MARAD type VC2-S-AP3, 455.25 ft x 62 ft, gross 7,608 / net 4,551 tons, displacement 10,850 summer / 4,960 lightweight; name history '1944-1952: Hibbing Victory, 1952-1976: Denebola (AF-56)'; mission tags World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War; milestones show MARAD took title for disposal 1976-11-17 and sale to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. for scrap the same day. Companion HIBBING VICTORY record (Detail 2206) documents NDRF entry 1948-08-04, withdrawal 1950-08-06, and 'Transfer 1956-05-31: Title transferred to US Navy.' NavSource's transcription of the status-card data supplies the merchant-era charter chain: bareboat charter to Pacific-Atlantic SS Co. 1944-06-30, Seas Shipping Co. 1946-07-03, Black Diamond SS Corp. 1948-02-20, NDRF Wilmington layup 1948-08-04, South Atlantic SS Lines general agency 1950-08-06, American Foreign SS Co. 1950-08-23.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and physical data. The 1956-05-31 title-transfer date conflicts with NavSource's '31 May 1958' (MARAD controls; logged). Mission tags are coarse era labels - the Vietnam tag does not itself document any specific deployment. Charter-chain details rest on NavSource's transcription of the digitized status cards rather than direct card review. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-06
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[11]DANFS (conversion at New York Naval Shipyard) + NARA Bureau of Ships photo captions (NAID 6928383-85) + shipscribe.com AF 56 class page (SCB 57 documentation drawn from BuShips/SCB records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AF 56 class page - class notes and construction table; NavSource AF-56 page reproducing NARA photo captions (NAID 6928383-6928385)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Conversion event: the Navy acquired the laid-up Victory ship in May 1952 and converted her to a refrigerated provisions store ship. DANFS records conversion 'at New York Naval Shipyard'; NARA-captioned Bureau of Ships photos (NAID 6928383-6928385) show the ship at New York Naval Shipyard on commissioning day. Shipscribe class notes document SCB Project No. 57 (approved by CNO 1950-10-27 for the R2-S-BV1 design, applied to two VC2-S-AP3 hulls), George G. Sharp of New York producing contract plans and specifications (submitted 1951-11-14), names DENEBOLA/REGULUS and designations AF 56/57 approved 1951-12-15, and a conversion contract concluded with Todd Shipyards Corp. - a discrepancy with DANFS's New York Naval Shipyard attribution that is logged rather than resolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1951-1954
- Population
- Shipyard workers during 1952-1954 conversion (asbestos scope unverified)
- Limitations
- The conversion is ship-specific and documented; its asbestos scope is NOT documented - any removal or installation of asbestos-containing insulation during the 1952-54 conversion is inference, not record. Conversion-yard attribution is unresolved (DANFS New York Naval Shipyard vs. shipscribe's Todd Shipyards contract note - both may reflect contract-vs-performance split; NARA captions place the ship at NYNSY at commissioning). shipscribe is a reputable secondary compilation of official characteristics data, not a primary record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-07
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[12]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency program under which this VC2-S-AP3 Victory hull was built at Oregon Shipbuilding in 1944 and which her steam plant (geared turbine, two boilers) embodies.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The 1952-54 naval conversion postdates the article's wartime focus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-08
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[13]Batch-551 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NHHC photo archive; MARAD ShipHistory 5835/2206 + status cards; NavSource AF-56; shipscribe AF-56 class; CourtListener API (throttled); web-indexed court/VA records (Eylers, Hall, BVA 1125726) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-denebola-af56-01 through sl-uss-denebola-af56-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos-materials record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or condition report naming this hull was found in the sources searched. The litigation records that do name the hull (Eylers, Hall, BVA 1125726) are allegation- or remand-stage. MARAD records, DANFS, the NHHC photo archive, and the ship's 1976 disposal documents contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. CourtListener's opinion API was rate-limited during research (search logged as blocked); ship-name litigation was located through web-indexed court records instead.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 steam hull converted for naval service in 1952-54 is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and the ship named in allegation-stage litigation remains unadjudicated either way. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-09
-
[14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and deck-log guidance; NARA NAID 6928383-6928385 (Bureau of Ships photos); Eylers slip op. at 3-4 (Cornwall affidavit describing Archives II review) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 19 guide page; NARA NAIDs cited via NavSource captions; Eylers slip op. Mot. Exh. E discussion
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) - SCB Project No. 57 conversion records and AF-56 booklets of general plans may document materials installed/removed at New York Naval Shipyard; the ship's own Bureau of Ships photographs are already in NARA custody (NAID 6928383-6928385). (b) Ship deck logs 1944-1976 (RG 24/RG 313) - the BVA remand contemplated exactly this source for exposure corroboration. (c) The Eylers record shows defense expert Clancy Cornwall reviewed declassified U.S. Navy records at Archives II, College Park, Md., identifying the M.T. Davidson distiller brine pump aboard - those underlying machinery records exist in federal custody and are the strongest documented lead for this hull's equipment list.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1976 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person; the Cornwall affidavit shows relevant machinery records exist at College Park but they were not pulled for this record. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-denebola-af56-10