USS Flasher (SSN-613)

Name
USS Flasher
Hull designation
SSN-613
Vessel class
Permit (Thresher/Permit class - corrected from task-brief 'Skipjack-class')
Evidence tier
Tier 3
Evidence entries
9
Record ID
uss-flasher-ssn613
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-flasher-ssn613

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

  1. [1]Navysite.de, USS Flasher (SSN-613) unofficial ship page - construction, class, and disposition data (secondary compilation; the strongest located source - no live NHHC DANFS page exists for this hull) [other_primary]
    Locator
    navysite SSN-613 history and general-characteristics sections
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Documented for this hull (secondary compilation): one of the Permit-class nuclear-powered attack submarines; contract awarded 9 June 1960 to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, Groton, Conn.; keel laid 14 April 1961; launched 22 June 1963 (twin launch with Tecumseh SSBN-628); during construction she was extensively modified - hull lengthened, sail lengthened, watertight integrity of seawater systems improved, in the wider period of post-Thresher loss changes; commissioned 22 July 1966; decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list 14 September 1992; entered the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, recycling completed 11 May 1994. Propulsion: one S5W2 nuclear reactor.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1960-1994
    Population
    EB construction trades (1961-66); crew (1966-1992)
    Limitations
    Secondary compilation (unofficial US Navy site), not a primary record - no live NHHC DANFS page was located for this hull (negative finding, see search ledger). Builder/era is independently corroborated by the Speck order's recital that General Dynamics built this hull in Connecticut between 1953 and 1966. NavSource separately reports a decommission date of 26 May 1992 that conflicts with navysite's 14 September 1992 - discrepancy carried in gaps, navysite value used for the record's decommissioned field pending an authoritative source.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-01
  2. [2]Leonard v. CBS Corporation (General Dynamics), No. 2:12-cv-60177-ER (E.D. Pa., MDL-875), Order, ECF No. 63 (dated 2014-01-28, filed 2014-01-29; Robreno, J.) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 63 at 1-2 (vessel list), 6-9 (analysis and order)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Merits-level summary-judgment record naming this hull. The order recites that plaintiff John Leonard alleged asbestos exposure 'while working at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard during the early 1960s' and that 'the alleged exposure pertinent to Defendant General Dynamics occurred during Mr. Leonard's work aboard: USS Darter, USS Skipjack, USS Flasher, USS Nautilus, USS Seawolf'. The court granted General Dynamics summary judgment on ALL claims: (1) strict product liability barred - 'a Navy ship is not a "product"' (Mack v. General Electric Co.); (2) negligence - 'Plaintiffs have no evidence that any of the insulation aboard any of the ships at issue (whether original or replacement insulation) contained asbestos'; the co-worker declaration showed dust exposure from insulation but no asbestos-content proof, and expert Ay's asbestos-insulation testimony covered only ships he had worked on, not Leonard's ships; (3) the government-contractor defense 'need not' be reached.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    negative_finding
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    early 1960s (alleged exposure); 2012-2014 (litigation)
    Population
    John Leonard (Mare Island Naval Shipyard worker, early 1960s, alleged)
    Limitations
    This is a merits-level NEGATIVE for the Leonard plaintiffs' claims against General Dynamics, not exposure evidence: the court found no evidence that insulation aboard the named ships (including this hull) contained asbestos, and made no finding that asbestos was or was not aboard. The vessel list is a recital of the plaintiff's allegation - and for this hull it is facially inconsistent: Flasher was under construction at Electric Boat, Groton, CT until her July 1966 commissioning and could not have been at Mare Island 'in the early 1960s' (see gaps). Unpublished MDL trial-court order; judgment stage.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-02
  3. [3]Speck v. 3M Company, No. 3:20-cv-05845-JD (N.D. Cal.), Order Re Summary Judgment, ECF No. 475 (filed 2024-04-05; Donato, J.) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 475 at 12-13 (General Dynamics analysis)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Merits-level summary-judgment record naming this hull. The order recites as undisputed 'that General Dynamics built three submarines -- the USS Seawolf, USS Thomas Edison, and USS Flasher -- in Connecticut between 1953 and 1966, which Speck worked on in California in the 1970s and 1980s.' The court granted General Dynamics' summary-judgment motion because plaintiffs 'have not identified evidence from which a jury could conclude that Speck was "actually exposed" to asbestos from equipment that General Dynamics placed on those ships' - plaintiffs recited expert qualifications and general conclusions but pointed to no actual evidence of exposure caused by General Dynamics.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    negative_finding
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1953-1966 (build); 1970s-1980s (alleged work); 2020-2024 (litigation)
    Population
    Charles Anthony Speck (California shipyard/submarine worker, 1970s-1980s)
    Limitations
    Merits-level NEGATIVE for the Speck plaintiffs' claims against General Dynamics: an undisputed builder/era/work-location recital plus a holding that no actual-exposure evidence existed. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull; establishes that General Dynamics built her in Connecticut 1953-1966 and that Speck worked on her in California in the 1970s-1980s. Unpublished trial-court order; judgment stage.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-03
  4. [4]Harris v. CBS Corporation, No. 3:18-cv-07572-YGR (N.D. Cal.), Order Granting Motion for Remand, ECF No. 49 (filed 2019-03-28; Gonzalez Rogers, J.) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 49 at 3 n.3 (interrogatory-response ship list)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Remand order in an asbestos personal-injury case recites, in a footnote, the ship list from plaintiffs' interrogatory responses: 'The ships include the USS Barbel (SS-580), the USS Barb (SSN-596), USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658), the USS Parche (SSN-683), the USS Flasher (SSN-613), the USS Pollack (SSN-603), the USS Dace (SSN-607, the USS Seawolf (SSN-575), and the USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687).' The order granted remand to state court - no merits record on exposure was reached in the federal proceeding.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2018-2019 (federal litigation); remanded to state court
    Population
    Harris plaintiff (submarine work across nine listed hulls, per discovery responses)
    Limitations
    Discovery-stage material (plaintiffs' interrogatory responses) recited in a procedural order; unadjudicated. The list records where the plaintiff claimed work/exposure - no finding about asbestos aboard any listed hull. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-04
  5. [5]Halseth v. General Electric Co., No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), complaint Exhibit A work-history, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-05-14) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel list ('FLASHER (SSN-613)')
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (plaintiff Michael Halseth's work-history exhibit) lists vessels the plaintiff worked around as an electrician at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo (1970-1976 employer entry), expressly including 'FLASHER (SSN-613)' among dozens of hulls.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1970-1976 (alleged exposure window); 2007 (litigation)
    Population
    Michael Halseth (Mare Island Naval Shipyard electrician, 1970-1976)
    Limitations
    Complaint-exhibit vessel list; unadjudicated pleading-stage allegation. The listed hulls are places the plaintiff claimed to work around, not findings that asbestos was aboard any listed hull. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-05
  6. [6]Cooks v. General Electric Company, No. 3:07-cv-05451-EMC (N.D. Cal.), complaint Exhibit A work-history, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-10-25) [court_record]
    Locator
    ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel list ('FLASHER (SSN-670)' - hull-number anomaly)
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Asbestos complaint exhibit (plaintiff Alvin Cooks's work-history/exposure exhibit) lists vessels and locations of alleged asbestos exposure, expressly including 'FLASHER (SSN-670)' among dozens of hulls.
    Verification
    disputed
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2007 (litigation)
    Population
    Alvin Cooks (shipyard worker; Mare Island Naval Shipyard exhibit context)
    Limitations
    Complaint-exhibit vessel list; unadjudicated pleading-stage allegation AND internally inconsistent: 'FLASHER' is paired with hull number SSN-670, which is USS Finback's number - and FINBACK (SSN-670) is separately listed in the same exhibit. The name matches this hull but the paired number does not; recorded as a flagged name-mention only, not a reliable identification. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-06
  7. [7]Class correction: task-reference material described this hull as 'Skipjack-class'; located sources identify her as Permit-class (Thresher/Permit class) [other_primary]
    Locator
    navysite SSN-613 page header; NavSource 08/08613
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Class assignment corrected: located sources (navysite: 'one of the PERMIT-class nuclear-powered attack submarines'; NavSource SSN-613 page) identify this hull as a Permit-class (Thresher/Permit-class) submarine, not a member of the Skipjack class. The hull was extensively modified during construction - lengthened hull and sail, improved seawater-system watertight integrity - in the post-Thresher-loss period.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    correction
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Limitations
    Correction applied to the task-brief class label, which read 'Skipjack-class'. Secondary-compilation sources agree on Permit class; no primary class designation was located (no live DANFS page).
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-07
  8. [8]Era inference anchored to documented construction period for this hull (EB, 1961-1966) [other_primary]
    Locator
    construction-era inference from documented build dates
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    Era inference: a Permit-class nuclear attack submarine built 1961-66 at Electric Boat in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing around propulsion and auxiliary machinery.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1961-1994
    Population
    EB construction trades (1961-66)
    Limitations
    CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or insulation record was located for this hull. Does not establish asbestos aboard USS Flasher, any exposure, or any quantity. Never infer ship-specific findings from this row.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-08
  9. [9]Negative finding: no live NHHC DANFS page and no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located [other_primary]
    Locator
    see search_ledger sl-uss-flasher-ssn613-01..07
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No live NHHC DANFS page exists for this hull (DANFS F-index and direct URL variants returned no ship page - negative source result). No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/recycling hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Flasher was located. CourtListener sweeps produced qualifying litigation records (Leonard and Speck - merits-level negatives; Harris - discovery-stage; Halseth - complaint exhibit; Cooks - flagged name-mention) plus a string-match hit in a scanned Estes v. GE complaint that could not be content-verified; no adjudicated exposure record was located.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    negative_finding
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Limitations
    Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. The missing DANFS page materially weakens the identity/history source layer relative to sister hulls - history rests on secondary compilations partly corroborated by the Speck order's undisputed facts.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-flasher-ssn613-09

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned