Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet lx-packet.md (10 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Gridley
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gridley-dlg21-pkt-lx-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Gridley III (DLG-21) entry - builder, launch, commissioning, outfitting, 1963-1967 service narrative, specification block (live NHHC page returns 404; official page via Wayback capture 2023-10-03; verbatim transcription also at losthistory.net/hazegray) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Gridley III (DLG-21)', specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched by Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock Co. of Seattle, Wash., 31 July 1961; sponsored by Mrs. Stewart D. Rose, great-granddaughter of Capt. Gridley; commissioned 25 May 1963, Capt. P. A. Lilly in command; outfitted at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton; acceptance trials out of homeport Long Beach; returned to Puget Sound Shipyard 8 November-9 December 1963; flagship of Destroyer Squadron 19; 1964 WestPac including Gulf of Tonkin screening with Constellation (CVA-64) earning Navy Unit Commendation; 1965-66 deployment with four at-sea pilot rescues; November 1966-June 1967 deployment. Spec block: dp. 7,400 full load; 533'; 53' beam; 26' draft; over 30 kts; cpl. 373; 4 x 3-inch, Terrier missiles, ASROC; class Leahy. Bracketed addendum (Bauer & Roberts/Combat Fleets sources): reclassified CG-21 30 June 1975; decommissioned, stricken, and transferred to MARAD for temporary lay-up 21 January 1994; laid up at Suisun Bay.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1960-1994
- Population
- Construction trades (Seattle, 1960-63); Puget Sound NSY outfitting trades; crew 1963-67
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the narrative ends in 1967 and does not cover the 1968-70 modernization, 1973 overhaul, CG-21 reclassification detail, post-Vietnam service, or disposal. Entry cites a Wayback capture because the live NHHC page 404s; hazegray transcription concurs.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register, GRIDLEY (CG 21) ex-DLG 21 status record (UIC 52692; Wayback capture 2020-10-26; page last updated 12/12/2017) + NavSource DLG/CG-21 building/disposal data [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR CG-21 detail page, Vessel Status + Milestone Dates + Physical Characteristics; NavSource USS Gridley (DLG/CG-21) page, Operational and Building Data
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR milestones: keel 07/15/1960; launched 07/31/1961; commissioned 05/25/1963; delivery date 01/09/1970 (consistent with redelivery at the end of the 1968-70 modernization; recommissioned 01/17/1970 per NavSource); decommissioned and stricken 01/21/1994; status 'Disposed of by Dismantling (Scrapping/Recycling)' changed 03/31/2005. Physical record: steel hull, aluminum superstructure; steam-turbine propulsion; 2 propellers; full displacement 8,160 tons (light 4,650); 533 ft overall; extreme beam 55 ft; accommodations 39 officers + 405 enlisted. NavSource corroborates: decommissioned 10 SEP 1968, recommissioned 17 JAN 1970, reclassified CG-21 30 JUN 1975; sold for scrap to International Shipbreaking Ltd., Brownsville, TX 4 October 2003; reacquired from MARAD 23 January 2004; scrapping completed 31 March 2005; dismantling photographed at ISL Brownsville 27 April 2004 alongside USS England (CG-22).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1960-2005
- Population
- Crew 1963-94; reserve-fleet and disposal-period custody 1994-2005
- Limitations
- NVR is an inventory/status record - no materials, insulation, or hazmat detail. The 01/09/1970 'Delivery Date' is read as post-modernization redelivery; NVR lists no award date. NavSource is a secondary photographic-history compilation used for corroborating dates, the Bath photo caption, and the dismantler name. Live nvr.navy.mil and navsource.org did not serve content this session; Wayback captures cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-02
-
[4]Mitchell v. Atwood & Morrill Co., No. 15-958-SLR-SRF (D. Del.) - Report and Recommendation (D.I. 94, Sept. 16, 2016, Fallon, M.J.), affirmed with judgment entered for defendants by Memorandum Order (Jan. 11, 2017, Robinson, J.); companion R&R (Aug. 2016) covering Atwood & Morrill and Carrier Corp. - all via ded.uscourts.gov opinion files [court_record]
- Locator
- R&R at 1-16 (facts at 2-4; product ID analysis 7-13; conclusion 15); Memorandum Order at 1-5 (D. Del. opinions 15-958.pdf, 15-958_0.pdf, 15-958_1.pdf)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docketed asbestos personal-injury action naming this hull. Jimmy R. Mitchell, a Navy boiler fireman 1976-79, deposed 8 December 2015: assigned to USS Gridley in San Diego 1977 through end of enlistment 1979; his duties aboard included 'cleaning the bilge, painting, replacing steam lines, replacing asbestos on the side of the boilers, [and] making sure that[] the boiler was in shape.' He testified to replacing exterior asbestos-containing insulation on two of the ship's four Foster Wheeler boilers two to three times per week, replacing asbestos padding on the sludge-drum opening at every port call, replacing boiler-door gaskets about twenty times, scraping asbestos-containing mortar/brick in the burner housing in a confined space, and replacing external insulation on Carrier forced-draft blowers 'numerous times.' Disposition: magistrate R&Rs recommended summary judgment for all moving defendants (Atwood & Morrill, Carrier, Nash Engineering, Foster Wheeler) on product-identification/causation grounds under maritime law; Warren Pumps voluntarily dismissed; Judge Robinson affirmed 11 January 2017 over plaintiffs' objections and ordered judgment for Nash and Foster Wheeler.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1977-1979 (exposure allegations); 2015-2017 (litigation)
- Population
- Navy boiler technician/fireman aboard USS Gridley 1977-79; alleged asbestos exposure; lung cancer
- Limitations
- Summary-judgment-stage record: the asbestos work is sworn deposition testimony of record, not an adjudicated finding that the materials contained asbestos; the defense wins are a merits-level negative for this plaintiff's product-attribution theory and do not show asbestos was absent aboard. Does not establish manufacturer responsibility, quantity, causation for this plaintiff, or any other individual's exposure. Adoption order for the Atwood/Carrier R&R was not individually retrieved (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-03
-
[5]Mitchell v. Atwood & Morrill Co., No. 15-958-SLR-SRF (D. Del.) - product-identification record: four Foster Wheeler boilers aboard (district court: 'no dispute that Mr. Mitchell was exposed to the Foster Wheeler boilers'); Navy purchase orders 1968/1971 for Nash asbestos gaskets for the ship's centrifugal pumps; Navy-published Foster Wheeler boiler manual recommending asbestos gaskets for access doors and panels; Carrier forced-draft blowers aboard [court_record]
- Locator
- Memorandum Order (15-958_1.pdf) at 2-4; R&R (15-958.pdf) at 7-11 and n.6; R&R (15-958_0.pdf) at 3
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Product identification in the record for this hull: (1) four Foster Wheeler boilers aboard - testified by plaintiff and treated as undisputed in the adopting order; (2) Navy purchase orders from 1968 and 1971 showing Nash asbestos-containing gaskets used on centrifugal pumps on USS Gridley (held temporally insufficient for this 1977-79 plaintiff and not locating the equipment aboard ship); (3) a Foster Wheeler boiler maintenance manual - a Navy publication - recommending asbestos gaskets on boiler access doors and panels; (4) Carrier forced-draft blowers whose external insulation plaintiff replaced 'numerous times'; (5) Newitts affidavit averring Foster Wheeler supplied some asbestos-containing insulation for use with its boilers (general/utility-plant reference, not marine-specific).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1968-1979 (equipment/procurement window); 2016-2017 (record)
- Population
- USS Gridley engineering-plant equipment 1960s-1970s; boiler-room maintenance personnel
- Limitations
- Identifies products present aboard the hull per litigation evidence; the court held the evidence insufficient to attribute plaintiff's exposure to the moving defendants - product presence, not liability or exposure causation, is what this row supports. Purchase orders predate plaintiff's service. Does not quantify material or establish that identified components remained aboard at any later date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-04
-
[6]Bennett v. Tarquin, 466 F. Supp. 257 (D. Haw. 1979) (CourtListener opinion 2361210); United States v. Edwards, 43 M.J. 619 (N-M. Ct. Crim. App. 1995) (CourtListener opinion 8344575); both discussing Jones v. Frudden, Civ. No. 74-2273 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 22, 1976), reported at 4 Mil. L. Rep. 2606 [court_record]
- Locator
- Bennett v. Tarquin, 466 F. Supp. at 259-60 (Jones discussion); Edwards, 43 M.J. 619 (same)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Non-asbestos litigation naming this hull. Jones v. Frudden (N.D. Cal. 1976) - an action by a Gridley petty officer (respondent Capt. Mark P. Frudden was the ship's commanding officer) held that a sailor 'attached to or embarked in a vessel' could be taken to captain's mast while USS Gridley underwent repairs at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in 1973; dismissed on the merits. Bennett v. Tarquin adopted Jones's reasoning for SSBN-610 sailors; United States v. Edwards discussed Jones in an Article 15 'vessel' analysis. All three concern this hull (CG-21 era) - DD-380 was scrapped 1947 and DDG-101 commissioned 2007.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1973-1995
- Population
- Gridley petty officer, 1973 (Jones); non-asbestos litigation parties
- Limitations
- Not asbestos litigation - these are military-justice jurisdiction cases; their value is corroborating the ship's 1973 Hunters Point repair period and naming this hull in court records. The Jones opinion itself is in the Military Law Reporter, not the CourtListener opinion index; Bennett and Edwards are the indexed citations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-05
-
[7]navysite.de USS Gridley (CG 21) history page (secondary compilation, matching Wikipedia's largely uncited narrative) + corroborating primary points: NVR decommission 09/10/1968 / recommission 01/17/1970 and 01/09/1970 delivery; NavSource photo caption 'off Bath, ME, 23 January 1970'; Jones v. Frudden 1973 Hunters Point record; DANFS bracketed addendum for 1975/1994 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navysite.de/cg/cg21.htm history section; NavSource photo 04012106 caption; NVR CG-21 milestones
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-1967 modernization and overhaul chronology for this hull: July 1968 departed Long Beach for extensive overhaul at Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME - decommissioned 10 Sep 1968 to receive Naval Tactical Data System (first of class per secondary accounts), recommissioned 17 Jan 1970; February 1973 modernization/overhaul at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco (anti-missile defense and EW equipment), new homeport San Diego December 1973; reclassified CG-21 30 June 1975; Operation Frequent Wind air-traffic control and Mayaguez on-station controller (1975); October 1982 extensive upgrade and overhaul of all engineering machinery at Long Beach Naval Shipyard with Phalanx CIWS installed, returned October 1983; February 1990-March 1991 New Threat Upgrade at Southwest Marine Shipyard, San Diego (reported $55M; 'all engineering, berthing and food service areas were upgraded'); January-April 1993 overhaul at National Steel and Shipbuilding (SM-2 Block III backfit).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1968-1993
- Population
- Yard trades at five documented/attributed availabilities; ship's force during in-yard periods
- Limitations
- Secondary-compilation history: DANFS ends in 1967, so the yard attributions rest on navysite/Wikipedia. Partial corroboration only - BIW by the NavSource off-Bath photo caption and NVR delivery date; Hunters Point 1973 by the Jones v. Frudden court record; Long Beach NSY, Southwest Marine, and NASSCO attributions are secondary only and carried as unverified in gaps. Asbestos disturbance at yard availabilities is era-consistent inference, not documented scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-06
-
[8]U.S. Navy fact file, CG-16 Leahy class (4 x 1,200-psi boilers; 2 geared turbines; 2 shafts; 85,000 shp; NTU 'all spaces were renovated... engineering plant was fully overhauled') via FAS dod-101 mirror [other_primary]
- Locator
- man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/cg-16.htm, specifications block + class description + ship table
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: construction of a four-boiler, 85,000-shp geared-turbine steam plant in 1960-63 falls in the documented peak of naval asbestos-insulation use; era-standard applications for the type include boiler casing and steam-drum insulation, high-pressure steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, deck coverings, and bulkhead/cable insulation. The class-wide NTU program statement ('all spaces were renovated, berthing and food service areas were refurbished, and the engineering plant was fully overhauled') describes a whole-hull disturbance consistent with asbestos abatement scope under era practice.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1960-1994
- Population
- Construction trades (1960-63); crew 1963-94; NTU yard trades (class-wide)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - the ship-specific asbestos record for this hull comes from the Mitchell litigation rows, not this row; nothing here is a hull-specific finding beyond what the litigation record independently documents. Does not quantify material aboard. The FAS ship table mislabels this hull's builder as 'Puget Sound NSY' - builder per DANFS and NVR is the private Puget Sound Bridge & Drydock Co.; PSNSY was the outfitting yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json): Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging (ev-puget-bridge-01 - Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wash. 2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987): asbestos insulation on pipes and steam turbines at the yard); Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (ev-01/-02/-03 DTIC AD0715808 cohort/fiber data: 40-150 f/cc rip-out, pulmonary abnormalities, mesothelioma SMR; ev-04/-05 peer-reviewed exposure reviews; ev-09/-13 EPA five-year review); Bath Iron Works (OSHA 1987 citations; NIOSH HHE 89-0273-2000; Austin/Shorette/Grant litigation); Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard (Collins v. Plant Insulation Co., 185 Cal. App. 4th 260 (2010) mesothelioma verdict; EPA NPL 84 FR 21708) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json records: puget-sound-bridge-dredging, puget-sound-naval-shipyard, bath-iron-works, hunters-point-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Every yard documented for this hull - builder Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging (Seattle), outfitter Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton), and modernization yards Bath Iron Works and Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard - carries verified asbestos documentation in the Atlas yard dataset: product-identification litigation (Lockwood for PSB&D; Collins for Hunters Point), government surveys and industrial-hygiene studies (the 1970 DTIC asbestos exposure-and-control study for PSNSY; OSHA and NIOSH HHE for BIW), cohort findings (PSNSY rip-out fiber measurements and mesothelioma mortality), and EPA environmental records (PSNSY complex; Hunters Point NPL).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940s-1990s (yard records); 1960-1993 (hull availabilities)
- Population
- Yard workforces at construction (1960-63), outfitting (1963), modernization (1968-70), and overhaul (1973) availabilities
- Limitations
- Yard-level findings, not hull findings - they establish that the facilities that built, outfitted, and modernized this hull had documented asbestos operations, not that asbestos was installed in or removed from this hull during those availabilities. The Lockwood record concerns an earlier-era liner conversion at the yard; Collins concerns a 1960-73 yard worker. Does not quantify any material aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-08
-
[10]National Archives Ship Plan Index - GRIDLEY DLG-21 row: RG 19, Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings, NAID 153715177; NARA 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' guide (RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence filed by hull designation); NARA Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978 (NAID 594258) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Ship Plan Index, GRIDLEY rows; archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos; catalog.archives.gov/id/594258
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival paths to hull-specific material records: (1) NARA Ship Plan Index carries a distinct GRIDLEY DLG-21 row - RG 19 Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings, NAID 153715177; (2) NARA's asbestos research guide identifies RG 19 Bureau of Ships general/confidential/secret correspondence filed by hull designation ('DLG21') plus shipyard-designated files - the guide's correspondence series span 1940-1961, reaching this hull's 1960-61 construction/fitting-out window (keel 15 July 1960), though not commissioned service; (3) deck logs for 1963-78 fall within NARA's Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series (NAID 594258), with Vietnam-era logs digitized under the VA/Blue Water Navy project; (4) NHHC command history reports for this hull exist (Wikipedia cites 'Command History 1981'). None inspected.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1960-1978 (holdings windows)
- Limitations
- Leads only - catalog entries establish potentially relevant holdings; no drawing, correspondence file, deck log, or command history for this hull was retrieved or reviewed. The asbestos guide's named correspondence coverage (1940-61) captures construction-era documentation only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py: 'USS Gridley' type=o (2026-09-29): 2 hits - Bennett v. Tarquin and United States v. Edwards, both non-asbestos (see ev-05); 'CG-21' type=o: 33 hits, all name collisions on an insurance endorsement code; 'DLG-21' type=o and 'USS Gridley' type=r: blocked by shared fleet pacing budget mid-session [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gridley-dlg21-04 through -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep result: qualifying asbestos litigation for this hull exists but is NOT in the CourtListener opinion index - Mitchell v. Atwood & Morrill (D. Del. 15-958) was located via the district court's own opinions site (ded.uscourts.gov), which publishes the two reports and recommendations and the adopting memorandum order. The indexed opinion corpus holds only the two non-asbestos Jones-line cases. Hull-number opinion search 'CG-21' collides with an insurance form code (33 non-ship hits). Docket sweeps (type=r) and the 'DLG-21' opinion query were blocked by the shared fleet pacing budget (~114/hr across sessions) mid-sweep; retry deferred per helper guidance.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Incomplete sweep: docket-index coverage (type=r) not completed this session, so additional RECAP-only dockets naming the hull may exist unsearched. The Mitchell case demonstrates that CourtListener's opinion corpus under-covers magistrate R&Rs and memorandum orders - an opinion-search null here would be false. Blocked paths logged in search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-10
-
[12]PBS Frontline 'The Choice 2004' John Kerry chronology (reports to USS Gridley; Feb-May 1968 WestPac deployment aboard; June 1968 departure for Swift boat training) + Kerry Navy records coverage (Deseret News/AP 2004: Capt. Allen Slifer fitness-report quote aboard USS Gridley) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- PBS Frontline Kerry chronology; Deseret News Apr 22, 2004 AP records coverage; NavSource CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ensign John Kerry (later Secretary of State and 2004 presidential nominee) served his first sea tour aboard USS Gridley in 1967-68, including the February-May 1968 WestPac deployment that put the ship on rescue station in the Gulf of Tonkin; his Gridley commanding officer was Capt. Allen W. Slifer (matches NavSource CO roster 08/1966-03/1968).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1967-1968
- Population
- Ship's company 1967-68 (notable member)
- Limitations
- Notable-crew documentation only - no asbestos or materials content. Kerry's Gridley dates vary slightly across sources (reported June 1967 in some accounts vs. December 1967 assignment in others); the 1968 deployment window is consistent across all accounts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-11
-
[13]Batch-4578 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NVR; NavSource; District of Delaware opinions site; CourtListener API v4 opinion sweeps; NARA ship-plan index and asbestos research guide; Atlas shipyard dataset; indexed web litigation search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gridley-dlg21-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, donation/sale hazmat disclosure, or government environmental record naming this hull was located in the public sources searched. The only ship-specific asbestos documentation is the Mitchell litigation record (ev-03/-04). No asbestos outcome was adjudicated - all moving defendants won summary judgment on product identification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located survey/disclosure does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the litigation testimony is consistent with era-typical materials remaining in service 1977-79. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not quantifiable aboard; disposal-era hazmat documentation for the MARAD/ISL scrapping was not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gridley-dlg21-12