Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]Naval Vessel Register, ship detail page DETROIT (AOE 4), NAVSEA/NAVSHIPSO [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page, milestone dates + characteristics + status fields; live page redirects to NVR home (disposed hull dropped) - Wayback capture 2017-01-09 used
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record for DETROIT (AOE 4), UIC 20120, class AOE 1: awarded 1965-12-29; keel 1966-11-29; launch 1969-06-21; commission 1970-03-28; delivery 1970-07-31; decommission 2005-02-17; stricken 2005-02-17; status 'Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling' (status date 2006-11-03). Physical: steel hull/superstructure, steam turbines, 2 propellers; 796 ft overall, 107 ft beam; 20,144 tons light / 51,964 tons full load / 31,820 tons deadweight; accommodations 48 officers / 678 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1965-2006
- Limitations
- Authoritative for milestones, characteristics, and disposal status. Contains no asbestos, materials, or hazmat information; 'disposed of by scrapping' documents disposition, not material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-01
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Detroit VI' (LCS-7) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command; NHHC ship-history index (de-dh ship list) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS Detroit VI page (naming-lineage passage); NHHC ship-histories API subGroupShipList for de-dh names - Detroit I-IV and VI listed, no Detroit V entry
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's DANFS entry for Detroit VI (LCS-7) recites the naming lineage and confirms 'the fifth Detroit, a fast combat support ship (AOE-4), served from 1970-2005.' The NHHC ship-history index lists DANFS entries for Detroit I, II, III, IV, and VI only - no standalone 'Detroit V' / AOE-4 entry exists in the digitized collection.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1970-2005
- Limitations
- Confirms identity, naming ordinal, and service window only - a lineage recital inside another ship's history, not a dedicated ship history. No construction, service-event, or materials detail for AOE-4; absence of a Detroit V DANFS entry means no official narrative history is available for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-02
-
[3]USS Detroit (AOE-4) official U.S. Navy website, facts page (detroit.navy.mil, ship PAO-approved) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture of detroit.navy.mil facts page, January 2005 (pre-decommissioning)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USS Detroit website fact page (detroit.navy.mil, captured January 2005, near end of service): Sacramento-class fast combat support ship; AOE-1, AOE-3, and AOE-4 built at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, AOE-2 at New York Shipbuilding; four boilers, geared turbines, two shafts, 100,000 shp, ~26 knots; 793 ft length, 107 ft beam, ~53,000 tons full load; crew 24 officers / 576 enlisted; two CH-46E helicopters, NATO Sea Sparrow, two Phalanx CIWS; designed to replenish carrier battle groups with fuel, ammunition, dry stores, and refrigerated stores at speed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2005
- Limitations
- Official Navy unit page; class-level characteristics block (figures are the published class spec - e.g., 793 ft / 53,000 t vs. NVR's 796 ft / 51,964 t) plus ship-homeport context. Crew figure (24+576) conflicts with NVR accommodations (48+678) - variance carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-03
-
[4]Beckett, R.R., 'Asbestos exposure control at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,' Environmental Research 11(2):248-260 (1976); DTIC accession AD0715808 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC abstract page AD0715808; journal version DOI 10.1016/0013-9351(76)90083-9
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Navy industrial-hygiene study at this hull's construction yard: a 2.5-year comparison of chest X-ray findings across the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workforce found pulmonary abnormalities in 21% of pipe coverers and insulators handling asbestos, 3.5% of boilermakers (some asbestos/silica exposure), and under 1% of clerical workers (no known dust exposure); time-weighted exposures were evaluated against the then-current 5 mppcf TLV and engineering/work-practice controls were recommended.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- ca. 1970-1972 (2.5-year survey); publication 1976
- Population
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workforce (pipe coverers/insulators, boilermakers, clerical controls)
- Limitations
- Yard-level study of PSNS trades, not a hull record - does not name this vessel or establish that asbestos was or remains aboard. Survey period (~early 1970s) immediately postdates the hull's 1966-1970 construction window at the same yard; documents the exposure environment of the yard workforce that built her, not conditions aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-04
-
[5]Hollins, D.M., Paustenbach, D.J., Clark, K.A., Mangold, C.A., 'A Visual Historical Review of Exposure to Asbestos at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (1962-1972),' Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B 12(2):124-156 (2009) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DOI record and abstract; cited study window 1962-1972
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical review documents asbestos concentrations, materials, and work practices at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard across 1962-1972 - a window spanning this hull's entire construction period (keel 1966-11-29 through commissioning 1970-03-28). The review covers ship overhaul, insulation rip-out, and installation work with amosite and chrysotile products at the yard where this hull was built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1962-1972 (documented window); article 2009
- Population
- PSNS construction/overhaul trades, 1962-1972
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation of asbestos materials and work practices during the hull's construction window; does not name this vessel and does not establish asbestos aboard her, nor quantity, location, or condition. Supports construction-environment inference only - not a hull-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-05
-
[6]Hinds, M.W., 'Mesothelioma in shipyard workers,' Western Journal of Medicine 128(2):169-170 (1978), PMID 18748148; indexed in EPA HERO (ref. 3646592) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record + EPA HERO abstract (reference_id 3646592)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Mortality study of Puget Sound-area mesothelioma deaths (1968-1976 death certificates): 30.3% of male mesothelioma cases were Puget Sound Naval Shipyard employees versus 7.6% of residence-county-matched referents - a significant excess attributable to shipyard employment, with cases spread across a wide range of yard occupations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1968-1976 (mortality window); article 1978
- Population
- Puget Sound-area male mesothelioma decedents 1968-1976; PSNS employees as subgroup
- Limitations
- Regional mortality study tying mesothelioma excess to employment at the yard that built this hull; it does not name this vessel, does not address construction-era vs. later exposure at the yard, and establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-06
-
[7]John Crane, Inc. v. Hardick, 283 Va. 358, 722 S.E.2d 610 (2012), Record No. 101909 - opinion 2012-03-02; modified on rehearing 2012-09-14 [court_record]
- Locator
- Official Virginia Supreme Court opinion PDF (Record No. 101909) and rehearing opinion (opnscvwp/1101909r.pdf); verbatim service-history recital verified against opinion text
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Virginia Supreme Court opinion recites Robert Eugene Hardick's sworn testimony that he served in the Navy 1963-1971 as a machinery repairman aboard USS Everglades, USS Bordelon, and USS Detroit; that he was 'assigned to the USS Detroit, which was located at the naval shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, because the vessel was in the process of being built'; and that after Detroit was commissioned he 'continued to service the vessel as a machinery repairman' - tasks primarily involving repairing valves, occasionally working on piping systems, using gaskets and packing including John Crane, Inc. products. A Newport News jury awarded his widow $5,977,482 on the asbestos-exposure mesothelioma claim, apportioning 50% fault to JCI. The Supreme Court affirmed liability and the pecuniary awards (opinion 2012-03-02), vacating only the $1.15M loss-of-society award under Miles v. Apex as a matter of maritime law; on rehearing (2012-09-14) the court reinstated the $2M pre-death pain-and-suffering award.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Exposure alleged 1958-1971; litigation through 2012
- Population
- Navy machinery repairman (single decedent), service 1963-1971 across three hulls plus prior Newport News Shipbuilding employment 1958-1962
- Limitations
- Affirmed-judgment-stage record on the plaintiff's aggregate asbestos claim - the highest litigation stage located for this hull. The opinion recites Detroit in the decedent's service history and describes machinery-repair duties aboard her during construction at Bremerton, but it never identifies which vessels carried the asbestos-containing products and never allocates exposure to this hull; the one reversal (loss-of-society) was on a non-exposure maritime-law ground. Ship-specific for litigation history; not a finding of asbestos aboard AOE-4.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-07
-
[8]Gordon v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 990 F. Supp. 2d 311 (E.D.N.Y. 2014), No. 13-CV-969 (JFB) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion cluster 2804908 (990 F. Supp. 2d 311); verbatim ship-list passage verified against opinion text
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- E.D.N.Y. opinion on removal jurisdiction recites that the complaint alleges the decedent developed lung cancer from asbestos exposure during a twenty-year Navy career (1955-1975) in which he 'was stationed aboard the USS Cadmus and the USS Detroit, and also worked in several shipyards' - AOE-4 being the only USS Detroit in commission during that window. A defendant removed under the federal-officer removal statute (28 U.S.C. 1442), asserting it manufactured equipment for the named ships under federal officers' direction; the court found the removal nexus satisfied and denied remand.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Exposure alleged 1955-1975; ruling 2014
- Population
- Navy veteran (20-year career, 1955-1975; two named hulls plus shipyard work)
- Limitations
- Removal-stage ruling: the ship list is a pleading allegation and the opinion reaches only jurisdictional questions - no finding on exposure, product identity, or causation aboard this hull. Later merits disposition not located; classified at pleading-allegation stage per litigation-stage discipline.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-08
-
[9]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1210407, Docket No. 03-26 445 (decided 2012-03-20) [court_record]
- Locator
- va.gov vetapp decision text; service-verification passage
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Board of Veterans' Appeals decision in a non-asbestos claim (back and stomach disability) verifies from service personnel records that USS Detroit was on station in the required areas of the Southwest Asia Theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War while the veteran was aboard - an administrative corroboration of this hull's Desert Storm service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Service-era verification; decision 2012
- Population
- U.S. Navy veteran (single claimant)
- Limitations
- Administrative decision in a non-asbestos claim: documents the hull's on-station Desert Storm service and that a veteran served aboard her; contains no asbestos finding and establishes claim context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-09
-
[10]U.S. EPA Superfund Site Profile, 'Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex,' Bremerton, WA (EPA ID WA2170023418); Federal Facility Agreement (NPL listing June 1994) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Superfund site profile background + FFA background section
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The hull's builder, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex (Bremerton Naval Complex), is a federal Superfund site: NPL-listed June 1994, EPA ID WA2170023418; EPA documents that yard overhaul, maintenance, repair, docking, and decommissioning operations generated hazardous wastes including heavy metals, PCBs, VOCs/SVOCs, and petroleum hydrocarbons, with remediation across multiple operable units.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- NPL listing 1994; remediation record ongoing
- Population
- PSNS site workforce and surrounding community (remediation context)
- Limitations
- Yard-site environmental record, not a hull record; documents the construction yard's hazardous-waste/remediation context decades after this hull's 1966-1970 build. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-10
-
[11]GAO NSIAD-99-18, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal' (1999); GAO B-401438 (ESCO Marine protest decision, describing Navy ship-disposal ID/IQ contracts awarded 2004-12-30 covering towing, dismantling, environmental remediation, and disposal) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO NSIAD-99-18 body (hazardous materials passage); GAO B-401438 background (ID/IQ contract scope); NVR status field (ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-01)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Disposal pathway documentation: this hull was dismantled by ESCO Marine, Inc., Brownsville, TX under the Navy's Ship Disposal Program (NVR status 'Disposed of by scrapping, dismantling' 2006-11-03; secondary compilation records scrapping contract award September 2005 and transfer to ESCO 2005-10-17). GAO program documentation establishes that surplus Navy hulls 'typically contain environmentally hazardous materials such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium' and that hazardous-material remediation occurs prior to and during dismantling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- Scrapping 2005-2006; GAO program record 1998-2009
- Population
- ESCO Marine dismantling workforce (Brownsville, TX)
- Limitations
- Program-level hazmat characterization applied to the disposal event: documents that this hull's dismantling occurred under a program that treats surplus hulls as asbestos-bearing, but no hull-specific pre-disposal survey or hazmat inventory was located. Does not establish presence, quantity, or condition of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-11
-
[12]National Archives Catalog, deck-log file units for Detroit (AOE-4), National Archives at College Park (Navy Deck Logs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog API search 'Detroit (AOE-4)' fileUnits (Mar-Dec 1970 digitized; NAID 649711828 Jan 1978); digitized coverage per NARA deck-log index
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Catalog search 'Detroit (AOE-4)' returns deck-log file units for this hull covering March-December 1970 - her commissioning year, digitized and downloadable (e.g., NAID 213352718, 'Detroit (AOE-4) - March 1970') - plus January 1978 (NAID 649711828); later-service logs remain in the paper Navy deck-log series at the National Archives at College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1970, 1978 (located log coverage)
- Limitations
- Deck logs document daily underway/in-port events, not materials or insulation records; their existence and digitized coverage are verified but no asbestos information is expected from them. Open archival lead for operational chronology.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-12
-
[13]National Archives Catalog, Bureau of Ships still-picture items 'AOE-4 Detroit', NAIDs 7574637-7574646 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog API search 'AOE-4 Detroit' item records (10 items, BuShips series)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Catalog holds ten Bureau of Ships still-picture items titled 'AOE-4 Detroit' (NAIDs 7574637-7574646) - construction-era photographs of this hull in the Still Picture Branch collection.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- ca. 1966-1970 (construction era)
- Limitations
- Construction-era photographic record only; images document hull construction/outfitting, not materials inventories. No asbestos information; archival lead for visual documentation of the build.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-13
-
[14]NavSource Online, USS Detroit (AOE-4) photo index 5904 (milestone table, CO list, official US Navy/DoD photo captions, disposal chain); navysite.de USS Detroit (AOE-4) ship-history narrative (secondary transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AOE-4 page (Wayback capture 2025-01-13; live host unreachable) - milestone block, CO table, photo captions; navysite.de AOE-4 history text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilations document the service history that the missing DANFS entry would have covered: NavSource's USS Detroit (AOE-4) photo archive (index 5904) records Atlantic Fleet assignment, homeport at Naval Weapons Station Earle NJ, a Bath Iron Works overhaul period (July 1976), and captioned official U.S. Navy/DoD photos of the ship in Desert Storm UNREP with USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and USS San Jacinto (CG-56) (1991-02-09, DN-SC-91-05321), Southern Watch operations (January 1998), Adriatic Sea replenishment with USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) during the Kosovo campaign (February 1999), Arabian Sea operations with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in OEF (December 2001), Red Sea turnover (March 2002), and Enterprise (CVN-65) strike-group UNREP in OIF (November 2003-January 2004); plus the disposal chain (ESCO scrapping contract September 2005, transfer 2005-10-17, completion 2006-11-03). A secondary ship-history narrative (navysite.de transcription) supplies the Newport/Norfolk/Cyprus-crisis/BIW-overhaul early-career detail.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1970-2006
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official record - the captioned official Navy/DoD photos corroborate the operational events, but the early-career narrative (Newport homeport, Norfolk shift, Cyprus crisis, BIW overhaul dates) is unverified against any official history. Used to indicate service contours only. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-detroit-aoe4-14
-
[15]Batch-1951 search ledger (this record): search_ledger rows sl-uss-detroit-aoe4-01 through sl-uss-detroit-aoe4-17 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-detroit-aoe4-01 through sl-uss-detroit-aoe4-17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos documentation located beyond the litigation rows above: no hull asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat inventory, or court finding that asbestos was aboard this hull was found in the sources searched (NHHC/DANFS index and Detroit VI entry, NVR, detroit.navy.mil, NARA catalog, EPA, DTIC/PubMed, CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes, va.gov vetapp). Qualifying CourtListener litigation is limited to Hardick (affirmed verdict; hull in work history) and Gordon (pleading allegation); 'AOE-4' opinion hits are all NMCCA court-martial token collisions and docket hits are PFAS/criminal/bankruptcy noise.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull's 1966-1970 naval construction and 35-year service are era-consistent with extensive asbestos use, and an affirmed verdict places a machinery repairman aboard her during construction. 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-detroit-aoe4-15