Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]Thayer v. Pittsburgh-Corning Corp., 45 Mass. App. Ct. 435, 698 N.E.2d 1279 (1998) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual recital (exposure history and procedural history); full text not retrievable this session (CourtListener page bot-blocked, API 401) - recital verified via CourtListener search snippet and metadata
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Appellate opinion recites that Richard Thayer was exposed to asbestos between 1948 and 1952 while working as a machinist's helper on the U.S.S. Des Moines and the U.S.S. Salem, two ships under construction at the Fore River Shipyard, and while serving aboard USS Salem during overhaul and naval exercises; he was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 1992; a jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff; the appeal addressed privity, state-of-the-art evidence, and settlement apportionment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1948-1952 (exposure); 1998 (opinion)
- Population
- Fore River machinist's helper 1948-1952, later Navy crewman aboard Salem; mesothelioma
- Limitations
- Documents alleged and tried exposure aboard this specific hull with a plaintiff verdict, but the recital spans two hulls (Des Moines and Salem) and does not isolate a Des Moines-only exposure window - CA-134 commissioned November 1948, mid-window, so part of the 1948-52 recital postdates her delivery. Does not quantify asbestos aboard, does not adjudicate which manufacturer's products were aboard this hull, does not establish causation for any other individual, and says nothing about present-day conditions or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-01
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[2]DANFS, Des Moines II (CA-134), Vol. 2 pp. 266-67 (builder, dates, Sixth Fleet flagship service narrative, inactivation, stricken; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 27 September 1946 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Fore River, Quincy, Mass.; commissioned 16 November 1948; homeported Newport then Norfolk; annual Mediterranean deployments 1949-1957 serving as flagship for the 6th Task Fleet/6th Fleet during the first seven years; midshipman cruises and NATO exercises; departed Norfolk 18 February 1958 for the Mediterranean to remain as 6th Fleet flagship until 14 July 1961, when she was placed out of commission in reserve; stricken from the Naval Register 9 July 1991. Confirms no combat gunfire service - flagship/show-of-presence career.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1945-1991
- Population
- Bethlehem/Fore River construction trades 1945-48; crew 1948-61
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry predates the 2006-07 disposal and does not record scrapping. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404. Commissioned date conflicts with the NPS monograph (17 November) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-02
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[3]National Park Service, 'World War II Warships in the Pacific' (Butowsky), USS Des Moines (CA-134) monograph [nps]
- Locator
- NPS online book monograph page for CA-134 (Wayback capture 2012-10-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NPS monograph for this hull: first of four Des Moines-class heavy cruisers laid down late in WWII; built by Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy; keel laid 28 May 1945; launched 27 September 1946; commissioned 17 November 1948. Documents the class's automatic 8-inch/55 Mark 16 rapid-fire turrets - the distinguishing armament of the class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1945-1948
- Population
- Bethlehem/Fore River construction trades 1945-48
- Limitations
- NPS monograph documents construction dates and design significance, not materials or asbestos content. Its 17 November commissioning date conflicts with DANFS's 16 November (DANFS value carried in the record) - see gaps. Retrieved via Wayback capture of the NPS online book.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-03
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[4]DANFS specifications block (Des Moines class; 33 kt) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bethlehem Shipbuilding/Fore River yard records (documented asbestos litigation and product use) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json records 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' and 'fore-river-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: Des Moines-class postwar construction (4 boilers, 4 geared steam turbines, ~120,000 shp) at the Fore River/Bethlehem yard in 1945-48 falls squarely in the documented asbestos-insulation era; the builder yard is documented in the Atlas dataset (tier 3) with asbestos litigation and product-use records covering the same decades.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Population
- Bethlehem/Fore River construction trades 1945-48; crew 1948-61
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific evidence for this hull is the Thayer row (ev-01); this row must not be read as an independent ship-specific finding. Does not quantify material aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-04
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[5]USNI Naval History magazine, 'A Big-Gun Cruiser Obituary' (December 2006) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History magazine online article (2006-12; scrapping completion 2007)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI disposal record: held nearly a quarter-century on donation hold as a possible museum ship while groups failed to raise funds and civic interest; removed from donation hold and towed from Philadelphia 21 August 2006 under Military Sealift Command tug for a Brownsville, Texas scrap yard; dismantling completed by ESCO Marine in 2007. Sister Newport News (CA-148) scrapped 1993; Salem (CA-139) survives at Quincy. Confirms the Duluth floating-museum plan reported in the DANFS bracket failed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1961-2007
- Population
- Disposal/scrapping workforce 2006-07
- Limitations
- Press feature article; disposal timeline corroborated across sources but no asbestos-survey or hazmat disclosure in the scrapping coverage. The article internally dates her reserve placement both 6 July and 14 July 1961 - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-05
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[6]Batch-18 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + NPS monograph; CourtListener ship-name and hull-number queries; Naval Vessel Register; USNI disposal record; museum/disclosure sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-des-moines-ca134-01 through sl-uss-des-moines-ca134-06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping hazmat disclosure, NVR detail page (hull stricken 1991 and disposed 2006-07; NVR ship-detail requires login), or museum record naming this hull with asbestos data was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The Thayer litigation (ev-01) is the only ship-specific asbestos-related record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the litigated claim establishes exposure aboard during construction without adjudicating product identity. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-des-moines-ca134-06