Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 635-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-fresno-lst1182-pkt-635-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Fresno III (LST-1182)', Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-07-09) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS ship-history page, 'Fresno III (LST-1182)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS establishes identity and construction: Fresno (LST-1182) was named for a city and county in California; laid down 16 December 1967 at San Diego, Calif., by the National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 28 September 1968; sponsored by Mrs. Marilyn Hyde; commissioned 22 November 1969, Comdr. Stanislaus J. Sowinski in command. Assigned to the Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, homeported at San Diego; alternated west-coast amphibious training with extended western Pacific deployments; 'saw extensive service during the latter stages of the Vietnam War' and earned two engagement stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1967-1980 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Crew and embarked Marines, Amphibious Force Pacific Fleet service
- Limitations
- DANFS entry terminates at 1980 ('continues this regimen into 1980'); contains no asbestos, materials, overhaul-scope, or hazmat statement, and gives no complement or propulsion figures for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Fresno (LST-1182) page (last updated 5 May 2025) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource USS Fresno (LST-1182) page, timeline + Specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline and specification block: fourth of twenty Newport-class ships; laid down 16 December 1967 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Corp., San Diego; launched 28 September 1968; commissioned 22 November 1969; Vietnam campaign participation tabulated (Counteroffensive Phase VII Feb-Mar and Apr 1971; Ceasefire Jan-Feb 1973); decommissioned 8 April 1993; laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, category B, at NISMF Pearl Harbor; struck from the Naval Register 1 December 2008; disposed of as a target during SINKEX-2014 on 15 September 2014. Specifications: 5,190 t light / 8,550 t full; 522 ft 3 in overall; six ALCO 16-251E diesels on two shafts (3 per shaft), 15,000 shp; three ALCO 8-251C 1,200 kW generator sets; 800 hp bow thruster; as built two twin 3"/50 mounts; complement 14 officers, 15 CPO, 226 enlisted; troop accommodations 307.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1967-2014
- Population
- Ship's company (~255 per NavSource) and embarked troops (~307 accommodations)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a government record: specification and campaign data are compiled from contributors and official photographs; complement figure conflicts with Jane's-derived secondary sources (213); propulsion figures differ from other compilations (15,000 vs 16,500 shp). Contains no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-02
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register detail page, FRESNO (LST-1182), UIC 20021 - archived copy (live NVR page no longer carries this disposed hull; capture dated 14 May 2011) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback Machine capture 20110514053656 of nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/LST1182.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Vessel Register record (as archived May 2011): builder NATIONAL ST & SB; award date 07/15/1966; keel 12/16/1967; launch 09/28/1968; delivery 11/01/1969; commission 11/22/1969; inactivation and decommission 04/08/1993; stricken 12/01/2008; status 'Stricken, to be disposed of'; berth NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1966-2011
- Limitations
- Archived capture of an official record - the live NVR detail page was removed after disposal; values cited are from the Wayback capture dated 14 May 2011. No asbestos or hazmat content in the NVR record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-03
-
[5]U.S. Navy (Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Joint Information Bureau), 'U.S. joint forces sink former USS Fresno' - archived copy (capture 2014-10-15; also archived at cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/010310, capture 2020-02-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture of navy.mil story, Joint Information Bureau release
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official Navy release: 'Ships and aircraft sank the decommissioned former USS Fresno (LST 1182) at 3:15 p.m. in waters 18,000 feet deep, 215 nautical miles northeast of Guam as part of the exercise Valiant Shield 2014, Sept. 15.' The release states that 'former Navy vessels used in sinking exercises (SINKEX) are prepared in strict compliance with regulations prescribed and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency,' including sinking in water at least 1,000 fathoms (6,000 ft) deep and at least 50 nautical miles from land, and confirming the area clear of marine mammals.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2014-09-15
- Population
- SINKEX range personnel (2014); earlier - ship's company
- Limitations
- Documents the disposal event and that EPA-prescribed preparation applied to SINKEX vessels generally; the release does not publish this hull's hazmat removal inventory or manifest (per the EPA-Navy regime, material-removal inventories are reported to EPA annually, not published per-vessel). Does not establish what materials, asbestos or otherwise, remained aboard at sinking. One secondary site (navysite.de) gives a 19 September date - the release text and photo metadata establish 15 September 2014 (3:15 p.m. local); 19 September is the media-release date of associated imagery.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-04
-
[6]U.S. EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' (MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 for the Navy SINKEX program) incl. January 2014 'Determination by the EPA and Agreement between the Navy and the EPA' (epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/2014_sinkex_agreement_508.pdf) [federal_register]
- Locator
- EPA Marine Protection Permitting page + linked 2014 Determination and Agreement PDF
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Fresno was disposed of under the Navy's SINKEX program governed by EPA's MPRSA general permit (40 C.F.R. 229.2): before sinking, qualified personnel must remove to the maximum extent practicable all materials that may degrade the marine environment (fuel/oil flushed to essentially petroleum-free; other pollutants and readily detachable debris removed); vessels sunk >=50 nm from land in >=6,000 ft. The January 2014 EPA-Navy Determination and Agreement - in force when Fresno sank in September 2014 - adds vessel-specific PCB inventory and removal obligations (bulkhead insulation, wire/cable insulation, felt and rubber gaskets named as candidate PCB materials), with removal inventories reported to EPA in annual reports.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 40 C.F.R. 229.2 permit (program era); Jan 2014 Agreement; sinking 2014-09-15
- Population
- Personnel performing SINKEX vessel preparation (hazmat removal crews)
- Limitations
- Program-regulation record, not a hull record: the permit and 2014 Agreement govern all SINKEX vessels and do not name LST-1182; the hull's actual removal inventory (including any asbestos statement) is in Navy/EPA annual-report records not publicly located. Establishes the legal preparation regime, not what was found aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-05
-
[7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1443604, Decision 09/30/14, Docket No. 09-34 726 (prior remand: Citation Nr 1131695, 08/29/11, same docket, va.gov/vetapp11/Files6/1131695.txt) [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA Citation Nr 1443604 (REMAND section, items 1-2); earlier stage Citation Nr 1131695
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A docketed VA benefits adjudication records a claimed asbestos exposure aboard this hull: a veteran (active duty August 1971-April 1973, including Republic of Vietnam service aboard USS Fresno and USS Okinawa per his service records) sought service connection for autoimmune neuroretinopathy 'to include as due to herbicide and/or asbestos exposure.' The Board's August 2011 remand directed VA to 'develop evidence of whether the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during active duty service, to specifically include seeking information as to whether his job duties involved working with asbestos and whether there was asbestos aboard the USS Fresno or USS Okinawa.' VA queried the National Personnel Records Center (29 September 2011); the 2014 decision records that no response arrived, and the Board remanded again (30 September 2014) for the same development.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Claim filed 2009; remands 2011-08-29 and 2014-09-30
- Population
- Claimant veteran (USMC, 1971-1973); embarked/attached personnel on Fresno in the Vietnam-service period
- Limitations
- Claim-level record at its least-final stage - the asserted exposure is an allegation, and the administrative record expressly shows the ship-asbestos question was asked but never answered (NPRC did not respond; Board remanded without any finding that asbestos was or was not aboard). The veteran served in the Marine Corps; embarkation aboard Fresno is recorded in the claims file but his duties and any exposure location are unadjudicated. No merits finding on asbestos exists anywhere in this docket.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-06
-
[8]Australian National Audit Office, Audit Report No. 8 (2000-01), 'Amphibious Transport Ship Project' (tabled 7 September 2000) - performance audit of Australia's acquisition and conversion of two Newport-class hulls, ex-USS Saginaw (LST-1188) and ex-USS Fairfax County (LST-1193), as HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora [gao]
- Locator
- ANAO Audit Report No. 8 2000-01, sections 2.14, 2.18, and the June 1999 status-report summary
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- An official audit documents asbestos aboard two Newport-class sister ships of the same build era and program: a May 1996 Navy review identified work packages including 'some asbestos removal'; during modification 'equipment on Manoora was stripped down or removed... [disclosing] the need for considerable emergent work relating to engine cracking and asbestos'; and a June 1999 status report records that 'the discovery and removal of more asbestos than anticipated required additional work by Forgacs,' contributing to schedule slippage on a conversion contract that grew from $55 million to $203.8 million.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 1994-2000 (RAN conversion of sister hulls)
- Population
- Forgacs Dockyard conversion workforce (Newcastle, NSW, 1996-2000) - class analogue for yard workers exposed to Newport-class materials
- Limitations
- Sister-hull evidence, not this hull: the audit names no LST-1182 content and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard Fresno, its location, quantity, or that any remained at sinking. It documents class-typical asbestos presence in Newport-class hulls of the same construction era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-07
-
[9]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure', HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights block
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy asbestos use and worker protection at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; the Navy's 1975 policy removed and replaced with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. The report documents that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire 1967-1969 construction period at National Steel, San Diego.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Report 1979; covers construction-era insulation practice through early 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard construction/overhaul workers (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation: fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not National Steel San Diego; the report does not name this hull or the Newport class and does not establish asbestos aboard this vessel. GAO product page used (gao.gov blocks some automated fetches); full-text pull remains the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-08
-
[10]National Steel and Shipbuilding Company's Notice of Removal, Livernois v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al., No. C 19-02277 SBA (N.D. Cal.; state case Alameda County Super. RG18904408; parallel S.D. Cal. action 3:18-cv-01326-BEN-JMA) - via CourtListener RECAP [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP gov.uscourts.cand.341364, document 1 (Notice of Removal), paragraphs 6-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Federal dockets document that this hull's builder defended asbestos personal-injury suits arising from work at its San Diego yard: the complaint in Livernois alleged mesothelioma from asbestos exposure while serving as a Navy boiler tender 1957-1978 aboard vessels at unstated San Diego County locations, charging NASSCO with premises/contractor liability for 'gaskets, packing, insulation, asbestos products, construction products, negligently creating asbestos dust and failing to protect from asbestos dust.' The 1957-1978 alleged exposure window covers this hull's 1967-1969 construction at the same yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Suit filed 2018; alleged exposure window 1957-1978
- Population
- Shipyard workers and Navy personnel at NASSCO San Diego (alleged, 1957-1978)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegations about the yard, not the hull: the complaint does not name LST-1182, and the filing excerpted is the defendant's own notice of removal describing the complaint - an allegation twice removed, never an adjudicated exposure finding. Documents the builder-yard litigation surface only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-09
-
[11]Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Transmittal No. 09-65, 'Peru - Refurbishment of Two NEWPORT Class Landing Ship Tanks' (released 23 November 2009; notified Congress 20 November 2009) - archived copy (live dsca.mil page redirects to the current arms-sales listing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 20170525134911 of dsca.mil Major Arms Sales page, Transmittal 09-65
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DSCA notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Peru for refurbishment of two Newport-class LSTs 'being provided as Excess Defense Articles,' naming Ex-Fresno (LST-1182) and Ex-Racine (LST-1191) with associated equipment and logistics support estimated at $82 million; prime contractors VSE Corporation (Alexandria, VA) and Fairbanks Morse (San Diego, CA). The notice states: 'This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.' The transfer was never executed: the hull remained in U.S. custody at Pearl Harbor and was sunk as a target in September 2014 (disposal documented per ev-02 and ev-04).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2008-2009 (transfer processing); never executed
- Limitations
- Documents a proposed disposition path that was not consummated - the CN is a notification of a possible sale, not a transfer; no asbestos content (refurbishment scope, had it proceeded, would likely have generated hazmat records, a lost documentary avenue). Some press coverage described the ships as 'acquired' by Peru in March 2009, but continued U.S. custody is proven by the 2014 Navy SINKEX record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-10
-
[12]U.S. National Archives catalog: ~460 records naming LST-1182, including monthly ship records (e.g., 'Fresno (LST-1182) - December 1970', NAID 173595257; July 1970 NAID 173594933; October 1976 NAID 329275100) and Vietnam-era photographs aboard the hull (e.g., NAID 266694647, 3rd MarDiv embarked March 1973) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search 'LST-1182'; file units under Bureau of Naval Personnel creators
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds cataloged monthly records for this hull (Bureau of Naval Personnel series, file units by month spanning at least 1969-1976 observed) plus operational photographs. These are the likeliest primary sources for overhaul periods, yard availabilities, and material condition reporting relevant to any insulation/hazmat history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- Records observed spanning 1969-1976 file units
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - contents not retrieved this session; presence of records does not indicate they contain asbestos information. No FOIA/NARA pull performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-11
-
[13]Batch-6671 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live page; archived NVR detail; NavSource.net page; official Navy SINKEX release (Wayback); EPA SINKEX permit page and 2014 EPA-Navy Agreement; DSCA Transmittal 09-65 (Wayback); BVA full-text decision search; CourtListener opinion/docket search; ANAO Audit Report No. 8; NARA catalog; MARAD Vessel History Database; NIOSH HHE index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fresno-lst1182-01 through sl-uss-fresno-lst1182-13a
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat manifest, or adjudicated exposure finding was located for this hull. CourtListener returned zero opinions for 'USS Fresno' and zero for 'LST-1182' (and zero for 'USS Fresno' asbestos); docket-level search for 'USS Fresno' returned three non-qualifying hits (two court clerk-stamp collisions and one unverifiable non-asbestos complaint mention). The only ship-specific asbestos record found anywhere is the unresolved BVA claim (ev-06), which never produced a finding on whether asbestos was aboard. SINKEX preparation followed EPA requirements but its per-vessel hazmat inventory is not public.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-02
- Study period
- 2026-10-02
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - class-level audit evidence (ev-07) shows sister hulls carried asbestos in quantity. The BVA record shows the question was officially asked of NPRC and never answered. This negative finding is bounded by the sources actually searched (see search_ledger); Spanish-language press, MDL-875 dockets, and NAVSEA inactive-ship files may hold further material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fresno-lst1182-12