USS El Paso (LKA-117)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet 511-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: USS El Paso (LKA-117)

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-el-paso-lka117-pkt-511-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, 'El Paso II (LKA-117)', Naval History and Heritage Command (verified live 2026-09-30) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body and specification block; NHHC photography page USN 1141920/1141926 (sea trials off Hampton Roads, November-December 1969)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry 'El Paso II (LKA-117)' documents: second ship of the name (first was PF-41), named for El Paso County, Texas and its county seat the city of El Paso; laid down 22 October 1968 at Newport News, Va., by Newport News Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 17 May 1969; sponsored by Mrs. John Tower, wife of Senator John Tower of Texas; delivered 20 December 1969; commissioned 17 January 1970, Capt. Otto D. Tiderman in command; deactivated and decommissioned 21 April 1994; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 31 August 2015; lay awaiting final disposition in late June 2018. Spec block: displacement 18,589; length 576'0"; beam 82'0"; draft 25'0"; speed 20+ knots; complement 409; troop capacity 226; armament four 3-inch guns; class Charleston. The detailed-history section is marked 'pending' (entry author Robert J. Cressman, dated 28 June 2018).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1968-2018

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, milestones, and headline specs; the DANFS entry is a stub with 'detailed history pending' - it contains no operational/deployment narrative and no asbestos or materials information. Draft figure (25 ft) conflicts with NVR (26 ft max navigational) and NAVSEA evaluation (28 ft) - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register (nvr.navy.mil), EL PASO (LKA 117) ship detail page - Wayback Machine capture 2017-02-08 of live page (live page now retired after disposal); ARCHIVED COPY [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR ship detail page, milestone dates and physical characteristics tables (page last updated 09/08/2015); live URL https://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_LKA_117_2288.HTML now redirects to NVR home (ship disposed)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register detail page (archived capture, last updated 09/08/2015): EL PASO (LKA 117), ex-AKA 117, amphibious cargo ship, UIC 20004, class LKA 113; status 'Stricken, to be disposed of' with date of status change 08/31/2015; berth NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Philadelphia, PA; builder Newport News Shipbuilding; contract award 08/22/1966; keel 10/22/1968; launch 05/17/1969; delivery 12/20/1969; commission 01/17/1970; decommission 04/21/1994; stricken 08/31/2015; 24.0 years commission to decommission; overall length 576 ft, beam 82 ft, waterline length 550 ft, max navigational draft 26 ft, draft limit 28 ft; light displacement 10,216 t / full 18,589 t; steel hull and superstructure; one propeller; propulsion type Steam Turbine; accommodations 34 officers / 375 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1966-2015

   Limitations

   Official register of record - archived capture cited because the live detail page was retired after disposal; the NAVSEA historic evaluation and DANFS corroborate the stricken date. NVR 'accommodations' is berthing capacity, not a crew list; no asbestos, materials, or survey information on the page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-02

4. [4]Naval Sea Systems Command (SEA 21), Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation, EL PASO (LKA 117), final determination 2019-03-22 (initial evaluation 2018-06-28, ineligible) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Vessel Snapshot, Vessel History (deployment summary / awards / noteworthy events), Criteria Evaluation tables

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NAVSEA Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation (final determination 22 March 2019) documents the operational record: deployments to Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group 1970, 2-72 and 1-73 (3), Mediterranean (5), North Atlantic 1980, 1984 and 1986 (3), Indian Ocean 1980 and 1993 (2), Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group (5), and CNO Project K310 (1985); operations DEEP FURROW 71, COAST GUARD LAW ENFORCEMENT 88, DRAGON HAMMER 88, PROVIDE COMFORT 91, and RESTORE HOPE 93; 11 PHIBLEX and numerous other named exercises; awards including Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Lebanon, 3; Somalia/Restore Hope, 2), Navy Expeditionary Medal (Iran/Indian Ocean, Lebanon), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy 'E' Ribbon (3), Navy Unit Commendation, Coast Guard SOS Ribbon. Noteworthy events recorded: 1989 CIWS rounds struck the bridge of USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) during an exercise, killing one officer and injuring one sailor; 1992 death of a BM2 who drove a forklift off the flight deck approximately 30 feet onto a barge; 1981 transfer to the Naval Reserve Fleet with return to the active fleet in 1982. Determined ineligible for NRHP listing under the Navy's 2010 Program Comment criteria.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1970-2019

   Population

   Crew (1970-1994); embarked Marine Amphibious Ready Group detachments

   Limitations

   Official hull-specific evaluation and the principal source for operational history given the stub DANFS entry; its 'DANFS Entry: None' field confirms no detailed DANFS history exists. Contains no asbestos or materials documentation. Draft listed as 28 ft (vs DANFS 25 ft, NVR 26 ft max navigational) - conflict carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-03

5. [5]NavSource Naval History, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS El Paso (LKA-117) page (last updated 3 November 2023) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ship chronology, specifications block, commanding-officer list, captioned photo series (USN 1141920/1141926, DN-SC-95-01401, NISMF series 2004-2018)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive record documents: laid down as Attack Cargo Ship AKA-117 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.; redesignated Amphibious Cargo Ship LKA-117 on 1 January 1969; decommissioned 21 April 1994; assigned to Military Sealift Command in 1995 and moved to Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Sparrows Point, MD for conversion to mixed civilian/Naval Reservist manning; conversion canceled, moved to Philadelphia and placed out of service 23 October 1996; laid up at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Philadelphia in maintenance category B; final disposition - arrived at All-Star Metals, Brownsville, TX for scrapping on 17 October 2023. Photographic record corroborates operations (refueling with USS Guadalcanal during Operation 'Snowy Beach,' January 1972; Naval Station Norfolk June 1974; amphibious training off Fort Story January 1976; Barcelona 1977; Genoa 3 July 1991; Naval Operating Base Norfolk summer 1992) and the lay-up timeline at NISMF Philadelphia (October 1994 Norfolk reserve berthing; Philadelphia photos 2004-2018 alongside sisters Charleston and Mobile).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1968-2023

   Limitations

   Non-official photographic archive used for the redesignation, MSC conversion episode, out-of-service date, and scrapping arrival - details the official sources do not carry; consistent with official milestones where they overlap except the stricken date (see correction row). No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-04

6. [6]NVR archived detail page (status-change dates); NAVSEA NVHE (vessel snapshot); DANFS El Paso II - vs NavSource timeline entry [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR 'Date status Changed' and 'Stricken Date' fields; NVHE Vessel Snapshot 'Stricken' row; NavSource chronology line

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Stricken-date discrepancy resolved: the Naval Vessel Register detail page records 'Date status Changed: 08/31/2015' and 'Stricken Date: 08/31/2015'; the NAVSEA historical evaluation states 'Stricken 31 Aug 2015'; DANFS states 'Stricken from then Naval Vessel Register on 31 August 2015.' NavSource and downstream sites print 'struck/stricken 15 August 2015.' The NVR (official register) date of 31 August 2015 is adopted; the 15 August variant is treated as a transcription error propagated through secondary listings.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   2015

   Limitations

   Two-to-one-plus-register agreement makes 31 August 2015 the supportable date; the NavSource 15 August figure is likely a digit transposition but is not formally adjudicated anywhere.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-05

7. [7]Era inference built on: NVR archived detail page (propulsion type Steam Turbine; milestone dates); NAVSEA NVHE propulsion snapshot (two boilers, one geared turbine, 22,000 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 application inventory (see ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR propulsion type field; NVHE vessel snapshot; GAO HRD-80-2 enclosure text

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era-consistent asbestos applications aboard a steam-driven amphibious cargo ship contracted 1966 and delivered December 1969 (well before the Navy's late-1973 asbestos-free insulation specification change): thermal insulation and lagging on boilers, steam lines, machinery, exhaust and piping systems; gaskets and packing in piping systems; deck/floor tiling; electrical components; and brake and clutch linings on cargo gear. These are the applications GAO identifies as the Navy's shipboard asbestos inventory for the era - thermal insulation being the major use, with the remainder in gaskets, packing, deck tile, resistor bodies, galley equipment cabling, brakes and clutches.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1968-2023

   Population

   Newport News construction trades (1966-1969); crew and embarked troops (1970-1994); availabilities/overhaul yard trades; inactive-maintenance personnel (1994-2023); shipbreakers at All-Star Metals (2023-)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or as-built specification was located for LKA-117. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no present-day presence (hull scrapped 2023). Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-06

8. [8]GAO, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 1979-10-18) [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 letter to Reps. Anderson and Patterson; enclosure I (Navy responses on ship asbestos content, NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 Oct 1975, spec-change history); full PDF https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos era: thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; insulation product specifications were changed by late 1973 to require asbestos-free materials, but 'ships well under construction and already insulated at that time continued through to delivery as late as May 1978 with asbestos insulation.' Ships previously purchased materials were installed - 'tens of thousands of pounds of asbestos products remained in warehouses, aboard ships, and in shipyards, in active use.' NAVSEAINST 5100.2 (24 October 1975) directed replacement of asbestos insulation only when damaged or removed for repairs, modified January 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; the Navy estimated 30 to 50 percent of shipboard asbestos insulation would never be touched during a ship's life. GAO further records that every in-service Navy ship contained asbestos in non-insulation applications - piping gaskets and packing, deck tiling, galley equipment cabling, electrical resistors, brakes and clutches. This hull was contracted 1966-08-22, laid down 1968-10-22 and delivered 1969-12-20 - before the specification change existed.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1979 (report); documents practices through the 1970s

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; LKA-117 is not named - the ship-list attachment covers only classes with hulls delivered since 1973 or then under construction. The finding supports era context for a hull delivered December 1969, not a ship-proven material fact. GAO fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Newport News.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-07

9. [9]Quisenberry v. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Record No. 171494, Supreme Court of Virginia, opinion by Senior Justice Millette, 2018-10-11 (official published opinion) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion sections I-II (facts/proceedings, restated question, holding); certified from ED Va. on Rule 12(b)(6) posture

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   The Supreme Court of Virginia answered a certified question from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Rule 5:40): an employer owes a duty of care to an employee's family member who alleges asbestos exposure from the employee's work clothes. The complaint alleged Bennie Plessinger was employed by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock (now Huntington Ingalls) approximately 1942-1977 'in various capacities in which he was routinely exposed to asbestos and in which asbestos dust adhered to his clothing,' and that the Shipyard knew or should have known of the danger to workers' family members, particularly 1950-1969 - the period spanning this hull's 1968-69 construction at that yard. The court answered the duty question in the affirmative 4-3.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1942-1977 (alleged exposure); 2018 (opinion)

   Population

   Newport News Shipbuilding workforce and household contacts (alleged), 1942-1977

   Limitations

   Litigation-stage discipline: this is a certified-question duty ruling on a motion-to-dismiss posture - the exposure allegations were taken as true for the legal question and are NOT adjudicated findings; no merits verdict on exposure entered in this opinion. Yard-level context only: documents asbestos exposure allegations and duty exposure for Newport News Shipbuilding generally; does not name this hull or establish that asbestos was aboard it.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-08

10. [10]MARAD Office of Ship Disposal Programs, 2016 Program Annual Report (Navy inactive inventory table); NAVSEA Inactive Ship Inventory, 2 January 2015; NavSource final-disposition line [marad_nrc]

    Locator

    2016 report 'Navy In-Active Ships Office (SEA 21I)' tables; NAVSEA Inventory-2Jan2015 PDF LKA rows; https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/TeamShips/SEA21/InactiveShips/Inventory-2Jan2015.pdf

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Government disposal-program records track the hull's end of life: the NAVSEA Inactive Ship Inventory (2 January 2015) lists 'LKA 117 EL PASO - Philadelphia - 21-Apr-1994' among inactive ships; the MARAD Office of Ship Disposal Programs FY2016 annual report lists 'Ex-El Paso (LKA-117)' in the Navy In-Active Ships Office (SEA 21I) inventory with disposal disposition 'Scrap' (maintenance type MT), alongside sisters Ex-Charleston (Scrap), Ex-Durham (SINKEX), Ex-St. Louis (SINKEX), and Ex-Mobile (Scrap). NavSource records the outcome: removed from NISMF Philadelphia and arrived at All-Star Metals, Brownsville, TX for scrapping 17 October 2023 (departure from Philadelphia reported 29 September 2023).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1994-2023

    Population

    NISMF maintenance crews (1994-2023); All-Star Metals shipbreakers (2023-)

    Limitations

    Confirms custody and disposal intent, not scrapping mechanics: no hazmat/asbestos survey or abatement record for this hull is public in these documents. Arrival date carried at 17 Oct 2023 per NavSource; a 12 Oct 2023 arrival appears in secondary aggregations (social-media posts by the scrapper dated 12 and 18 October) - conflict carried in gaps.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-09

11. [11]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' index - El Paso (LKA-117) section (Commission January 1970 / Decommission April 1994) [other_primary]

    Locator

    navy-online index, El Paso (LKA-117) panel; month items catalog.archives.gov/id/182605875 - 182606593

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA's Navy deck-log index lists digitized deck logs for El Paso (LKA-117) covering all twelve months of 1970 (RG 24, twelve catalog items, e.g., NAID 182605875 for January 1970). These logs are ship-specific primary records of the commissioning year and are retrievable in the National Archives Catalog.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1970 logs (ship's logs 1970-1994 exist in RG 24)

    Limitations

    Existence and digitization verified via the NARA index; log contents were not reviewed page-by-page - deck logs record operations, not material surveys, so asbestos content is unlikely but not excluded. The index page shows digitized coverage for 1970 only; post-1970 deck logs (RG 24, College Park) are undigitized - no paid reproduction authorized.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-10

12. [12]Batch-5782 search ledger (this record): DANFS stub + NHHC photography page; NAVSEA NVHE + inactive inventory; NVR archived page; NavSource; MARAD 2016 report; NARA deck-log index; GAO HRD-80-2; Quisenberry (Va.) opinion; CourtListener authenticated searches [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-el-paso-lka117-01 through sl-uss-el-paso-lka117-17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS El Paso (LKA-117/AKA-117) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated API queries returned: zero opinions for 'LKA-117' and 'AKA-117' and zero RECAP dockets for 'LKA-117'; two opinions for 'USS El Paso' - both Ayers v. Islamic Republic of Iran (D.D.C. 2022), Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act terrorism default judgments in which the vessel appears as a service-history detail, not asbestos litigation; and 163 results for '"El Paso" ship asbestos' consisting of name collisions (El Paso Pipe & Supply, ASARCO's El Paso smelter bankruptcy, El Paso Framing, energy companies) with no vessel-related case. One name-level RECAP docket query remained blocked by fleet pacing at session end - logged blocked in the search_ledger, not as a negative result. Law-firm 'asbestos ship' listicles naming LKA-117 (e.g., mesotheliomasymptoms.com) exist but are excluded by source policy - they assert asbestos aboard without primary sourcing.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    2026-09-30

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a steam ship delivered December 1969 falls squarely within the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era, making asbestos aboard a reasonable era inference, not a ship-proven fact. The 1995-96 conversion work package, disposal-prep records at NISMF, and the All-Star Metals scrapping contract file (none public) are the most likely repositories of hull-specific materials documentation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-el-paso-lka117-11