USS Guam (LPH-9)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 513-packet.md (7 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-guam-lph9-pkt-513-packet-md

2. [2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Guam III (LPH-9)' (archived capture 2021-03-01; live NHHC page returned 404 when checked) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Guam III (LPH-9) entry: spec block and service paragraphs through 1967

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS 'Guam III (LPH-9)' entry (DANFS coverage ends 1967): laid down by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 15 November 1962; launched 22 August 1964, sponsored by Mrs. Vaughn H. Emory Green; commissioned 16 January 1965, Captain N. E. Thurmon in command. Spec block: dp. 17,000 (f.); l. 592'; b. 84'; dr. 26'7" (f.); s. 20 k.; cpl. 528; a. 8 3", 24 large amphibious transport helos; cl. Iwo Jima. Joined the Atlantic Fleet 21 April 1965, homeport Norfolk; flagship Amphibious Squadron 12 in the Caribbean from 10 December 1965; patrolled south of the Dominican Republic 16-28 February 1966; entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1 June 1966 for post-shakedown availability, departing 2 August; served as primary recovery ship for Gemini 11; participated in Exercise Lantflex 66 (28 Nov - 12 Dec 1966) and became flagship of Amphibious Squadron 8 / Caribbean Amphibious Ready Group.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1962-1967

   Population

   Philadelphia Naval Shipyard construction trades (1962-65); crew and embarked Marines (1965-67 window covered)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific official history; the DANFS entry's coverage ends in 1967 - all later service comes from other rows. The entry's Gemini 11 recovery line reads 'On 18 September at 0959 EDT' - both the date and detail conflict with NASA's record (see correction row ev-uss-guam-lph9-10). No asbestos or material content. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-30; archived capture cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), ship detail page GUAM (LPH 9) (archived capture 2017-01-09; live detail URL returned only the NVR navigation shell when checked) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR ship detail fields: status block, milestone dates, physical characteristics, propulsion/accommodations blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register detail page for GUAM (LPH 9): UIC 07178; class LPH 2; type 'Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter)'; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' with date status changed 10/16/2001; builder Naval Shipyard Philadelphia. Milestones: award 9/21/1961; keel 11/15/1962; launch 8/22/1964; delivery 1/4/1965; commission 1/16/1965; decommission 8/25/1998; stricken 8/25/1998. Characteristics: overall length 598 ft, waterline length 556 ft, extreme beam 84 ft, max navigational draft 29 ft, draft limit 30 ft; light displacement 13,549 tons, full displacement 19,217 tons; steel hull, aluminum superstructure; propulsion type Steam Turbine, 1 propeller; accommodations 77 officers + 601 enlisted. Custodian US Navy; NVR page last updated 9/29/2015.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1961-2001 (registry record through disposal)

   Limitations

   Official registry record. NVR gives stricken 8/25/1998; NavSource carries 8/28/1998 (conflict logged in gaps). 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' is the registry's status phrase for the SINKEX sinking; NVR gives no location, depth, or exercise name. No asbestos or hazmat fields exist in NVR detail pages.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-02

4. [4]Roy A. Grossnick, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995 (Naval Historical Center / Naval History & Heritage Command, 4th ed. 1997), 'Chronology of Significant Events in Naval Aviation' (digitized official publication via Internet Archive) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chronology entries dated 15 Sep 1966, 31 May/21 Jun 1970, 27 Sep 1970, 29 Oct 1971, 18 Jan 1972, 7/16 Sep 1990, 2-5 Jan 1991, 7 Nov 1992, 17 Mar 1993

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The NHHC-published chronology 'United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995' (Grossnick) records ship-specific operations for this hull: 15 September 1966 - a helicopter assigned to HS-3 from Guam recovered Gemini 11 astronauts Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon at sea about 700 miles off Cape Kennedy, Fla.; May-June 1970 - following Peru's earthquake, Guam with HMM-365 delivered over 200 tons of relief supplies and transported over 1,000 evacuees and medical patients on 800 mercy flights before departing the Peruvian coast 21 June; 27 September 1970 - Guam among ships reinforcing the Sixth Fleet standby force during the Jordanian crisis; 29 October 1971 - HS-15, 'the first sea control ship squadron,' established at NAS Lakehurst, with tests subsequently conducted aboard Guam using HS-15 SH-3H Sea Kings and VMA-513 AV-8A Harriers; 18 January 1972 - Guam began the first in a series of tests to analyze the sea control ship (SCS) concept; 7 September 1990 - Guam transited the Suez Canal, arriving in the Gulf of Oman 16 September for Desert Shield; 2-5 January 1991 - CH-53E helicopters from Guam helped insert Marines into the U.S. Embassy compound in Mogadishu, Somalia, during Operation Eastern Exit; 7 November 1992 - an ARG centered on Guam with HMM-261 (reinforced) relieved the Iwo Jima ARG in the Adriatic in support of Operation Provide Promise; relieved in turn by the Saipan ARG, 17 March 1993.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1966-1993

   Population

   Crew, embarked squadrons (HS-3, HMM-365, HS-15, VMA-513, HMM-261) and Marines across the cited operations

   Limitations

   Official Navy historical chronology naming this hull; each entry is a one-line chronicle, so detail is thin (no dates for the 1970 Peru deployment start, no end date for the 1972-74 SCS test series in the quoted lines). The 15 September 1966 Gemini 11 entry corroborates NASA's date and contradicts the DANFS '18 September' line (see correction row). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-03

5. [5]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1433021, docket 07-14 014 (decision text, va.gov vetapp14 archive) [court_record]

   Locator

   Decision sections 'REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION': veteran's contention paragraph; service personnel records sentence; FINDING OF FACT and CONCLUSION OF LAW

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr 1433021 (decision 23 July 2014; docket 07-14 014, Indianapolis RO): the Board records that service personnel records CONFIRM the veteran was assigned to USS Guam, USS Wasp, and USS Yorktown during active service December 1967 - September 1971. The veteran contended his pulmonary disability was due to carbon tetrachloride exposure and 'exposure to asbestos on the ships that he served on in service,' stating in March 2006, June 2006, and May 2007 submissions that 'the flight decks on the ships were redone several times while he was aboard and the tiling was made of asbestos,' that the insulation of 'the World War II ship' on which he served 'had asbestos on the pipes,' and that 'the ships that he decommissioned in the Navy were full of asbestos.' DISPOSITION: the Board DENIED service connection - finding of fact: 'A pulmonary disability did not have its onset during service and is not the result of disease or injury incurred during the Veteran's military service' - after VA examinations in 2010, 2013, and a 2014 addendum found no nexus (examiner emphasized mild COPD attributable to smoking).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   claim period 2006-2014; service window 1967-1971

   Population

   One veteran claimant (service aboard Dec 1967 - Sep 1971 confirmed by personnel records)

   Limitations

   Pleading-level allegation, not an exposure finding: the Board denied service connection on medical-nexus grounds and made NO finding that asbestos was or was not present aboard USS Guam. The 'World War II ship' pipe-insulation remark most plausibly refers to the WWII-era hulls in the veteran's record (Yorktown CVS-10 or Wasp CVS-18), not this 1965-built ship; the flight-deck tiling allegation is unattributed to a specific ship. The decision documents that an asbestos-related claim naming this hull was adjudicated and denied - it neither establishes nor disproves exposure. Any CAVC appeal of this decision was not located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-04

6. [6]U.S. EPA, letter to American Trade Fair Ship, Inc. re acquisition of the decommissioned naval vessel Guam from MARAD, 3 May 1999 (scanned document, epa.gov document collection) [other_primary]

   Locator

   EPA letter dated May 3, 1999, pp. 1-2 (body); p. 3 enclosure cover; scanned images, no text layer

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   EPA Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances letter of 3 May 1999 (John W. Melone, Director, National Program Chemicals Division) to American Trade Fair Ship, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, regarding 'the acquisition from the Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the Guam, a decommissioned naval vessel which is to be transferred to MARAD in October 1999' - describing the vessel as a 'baby helicopter, flat top aircraft carrier' (i.e., ex-USS Guam LPH-9, decommissioned/stricken August 1998). EPA explained that decommissioned naval vessels carry numerous unauthorized PCB applications under TSCA section 6(e) and 40 CFR Part 761, that it lacked data to make a 'no unreasonable risk' finding, and that PCBs at concentrations of 50 ppm or greater would be subject to Part 761 disposal requirements before salvage; it advised the would-be acquirer to 'discuss with MARAD the legal liabilities you will be assuming.' The proposed donation did not proceed - the ship remained in the James River reserve and was sunk as a target in October 2001.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1998-1999 (transfer window); sinking 2001

   Population

   Prospective acquirer's personnel and any MARAD/Navy custodial staff contemplated by the transfer

   Limitations

   Ship-specific regulatory correspondence: the letter names the Guam and its planned October 1999 MARAD transfer/donation. Its hazardous-material content covers PCBs under TSCA - ASBESTOS IS NOT MENTIONED - so it documents disposal-regulation context for this hull, not asbestos content. It also corroborates the post-decommissioning custody path (Navy to MARAD, James River). The 'acquisition' it contemplates never completed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-05

7. [7]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Guam (LPH-9), navsource.net/archives/10/11/1109.htm (live page verified 2026-09-30) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/11/1109.htm header timeline, specifications block, and captioned photo series

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive page for USS Guam (LPH-9): timeline repeats the construction milestones and adds decommissioned 25 August 1998 at Norfolk Naval Station; struck from the Naval Register 28 August 1998; laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, VA; final disposition sunk as a target 16 October 2001 at 31 deg 14' 22" N, 71 deg 16' 35" W, depth 1,166 fathoms. Specifications block: 11,000 tons light / 18,474 tons full; 592 ft length, 84 ft beam (105 ft flight deck), 27 ft draft; 22 knots; complement 667; troop accommodations 2,157; 25 helicopters; two 600-psi boilers, one geared steam turbine, one shaft, 22,000 shp; armament as built four 3"/50, later Sea Sparrow BPDMS and Phalanx CIWS. Captioned photography documents: construction in Drydock No. 5 and christening at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; Gemini 11 recovery operations September 1966 (HS-3 SH-3A helicopters); Caribbean service 1966-67 (Task Group 44.9 with HMM-162); the 17 January 1977 Barcelona harbor accident in which an LCM(6) from USS Trenton carrying Guam and Trenton sailors and Marines collided with a merchant vessel and capsized, killing 49 servicemen (ship's and Trenton's crews memorialized by a monument at Barcelona); underway off Lebanon 1982-83 and off Grenada October-November 1983; flight-deck elevator repair at Old Dominion Shipyard, Norfolk, 1987; and the October 1997 Mediterranean deployment with the George Washington Battle Group.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1962-2001

   Population

   Crew, embarked Marines, and yard workers at documented availabilities (Philadelphia NSY 1962-66; Old Dominion Shipyard 1987)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - its timeline generally tracks NVR/DANFS but the struck date (28 Aug 1998) conflicts with NVR (25 Aug 1998; see gaps), and caption details (e.g., the SINKEX position/depth) carry no cited primary. Official U.S. Navy/DoD photo credits within the captions are noted but the page itself is not an official source. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-06

8. [8]shipyard-exposure-map yard dataset entry philadelphia-naval-shipyard (tier 3; litigation product IDs incl. Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566 (1990) and OSHA inspection 17999079), applied as era/yard context to this hull's documented construction site [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipyards.json record philadelphia-naval-shipyard: asbestos_products_documented field and evidence rows

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/class inference only: this hull is a steam-driven amphibious assault ship built 1962-65 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard - inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era and inside that yard's documented asbestos-use window. The Atlas yard dataset for philadelphia-naval-shipyard (evidence tier 3) documents named asbestos products at the yard (Eagle-Picher Super 60, Onecote cement, Thermasil pipe covering and block, Unibestos, Cary block, Baldwin-Ehret-Hill products, Carey products, Kaylo, Garlock sheet gaskets and packing, Ruberoid, Johns-Manville pipe insulation) via published appellate litigation product identifications and a 1989 OSHA health inspection. For a steam plant of this era the standard asbestos-relevant applications were boiler and turbine lagging, steam-pipe thermal insulation, flange gaskets and valve packing, electrical cable insulation, and deck tile/floor covering - the same categories the veteran in ev-04 gestured at (flight-deck tiling) without adjudication.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1962-2001

   Population

   Philadelphia NSY construction trades (1962-65) and post-shakedown availability workforce (1966); crew 1965-98; Old Dominion Shipyard trades (1987 availability)

   Limitations

   Yard-level documentation applied to construction era - NOT a hull finding: no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or abatement record located. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantities; no manufacturer attribution to this hull. Guam's steam plant makes the boiler/turbine-lagging pathway technically applicable (unlike diesel-electric hulls), but applicability is not documentation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-07

9. [9]U.S. GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979), full PDF via Internet Archive capture of gao.gov (live gao.gov blocked automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-09-30) [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 digest and 'NAVY'S POLICY ON USE OF ASBESTOS' section (PDF pp. 1-3, B-163375)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO report HRD-80-2 (Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, 18 October 1979) documents the Navy asbestos era covering this hull's entire construction and service life: 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation, which was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; the Navy's October 1975 policy eliminated asbestos where alternate materials were designated, yet 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the policy was to remove/replace insulation only when damaged or removed for repairs, with 30-50 percent of asbestos insulation 'never... touched during the useful life of a ship'; GAO fieldwork was at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1979 (report); policy coverage to 1978

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (Long Beach, Norfolk NSY); fleet-level program

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. GAO fieldwork yards (Long Beach, Norfolk) do not include Philadelphia; the 'ships delivered... as late as May 1978' clause covers the tail of the era, not this 1965-delivered hull. Does not establish materials aboard this ship, individual exposure, or quantity.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-guam-lph9-08

10. [10]EPA, 'SINKEX Determination and Agreement' (MPRSA general permit 40 CFR 229.2 review), 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov document (signed determination text reviewed); framework applicable to the 2001 sinking [other_primary]

    Locator

    SINKEX Determination and Agreement, background paragraphs describing the Permit, the 1999 Letter, and vessel-preparation/PCB requirements

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    The October 16, 2001 sinking of ex-Guam occurred under the Navy's SINKEX program conducted under the EPA Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act general permit at 40 CFR 229.2 ('Transport of Target Vessels'), administered under the 1999 EPA-Navy letter agreement on vessel preparation - the regime under which target vessels were evaluated for removal of regulated materials (the EPA correspondence in ev-05 documents the same PCB-focused framework applied to this hull's proposed 1999 transfer). No ship-specific pre-sinking materials survey or PCB/asbestos removal report for ex-Guam was located in public sources.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1999-2001 (framework at time of sinking)

    Population

    Fleet exercise participants; post-disposal environmental regulators

    Limitations

    Program-level regulatory context only: the determination reviewed here is the later (post-2001) clarification document; it establishes the permit framework under which the sinking occurred, not what materials were actually aboard or removed from ex-Guam. No hull-specific survey located; the EPA snapshot is an archived EPA page (live epa.gov URL not separately verified).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-lph9-09

11. [11]NASA NSSDC Master Catalog, Gemini 11 (1966-081A) mission profile (archived capture; live NSSDC page returned a database error when checked) vs. NHHC DANFS Guam III line and NHHC Naval Aviation chronology entry [other_primary]

    Locator

    NSSDC Gemini 11 'Mission Profile' reentry/recovery paragraph; DANFS Guam III service paragraph; Grossnick chronology 15 Sep 1966 entry

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION: DANFS records the Gemini 11 recovery 'On 18 September at 0959 EDT ... 710 miles east of Cape Kennedy.' NASA's NSSDC mission record gives splashdown at 8:59:35 a.m. on 15 September 1966 in the western Atlantic (24.25 N, 70.00 W, 4.9 km from target), with the crew brought aboard USS Guam by helicopter at 9:23 a.m. and the spacecraft recovered at 9:58 a.m.; the NHHC Naval Aviation chronology likewise dates the recovery to 15 September. The DANFS '18 September' date is an error; the correct recovery date is 15 September 1966.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1966-09-15

    Population

    HS-3 detachment and Guam recovery crew, September 1966

    Limitations

    Corrects a circulating official-source date error, not a material claim; the recovery event itself is uncontested. Distance figures differ between sources (DANFS '710 miles east of Cape Kennedy' vs NSSDC position 24.25 N 70.00 W and chronology '700 miles') - reported as stated, not reconciled. No asbestos content.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-lph9-10

12. [12]NARA Catalog API search results for 'Guam (LPH-9)' file units, RG 24 Navy deck logs (VBA Blue Water Navy digitization batches); catalog.archives.gov [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA Catalog search results, file units NAID 212965426 (Feb 1965), 215707444 (Dec 1969), 215286826 (Mar 1970), and companion monthly units

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA holds digitized deck logs for this hull: catalog.archives.gov returns monthly file units titled 'Guam (LPH-9)' in Record Group 24 under the Veterans Benefits Administration / Blue Water Navy deck-log digitization project - observed examples include February 1965 through March 1970 with page-image objects (e.g., NAID 215707444 'Guam (LPH-9) - December 1969'). Deck logs document the ship's daily locations, operations, and evolutions - the authoritative source for confirming yard availabilities, refits, and operations mentioned in secondary sources.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    observed coverage 1965-1970; project scope 1956-1978

    Population

    Crew (logged daily), yard personnel during availabilities

    Limitations

    Archival lead: file units verified to exist via the NARA Catalog API, but the full year range was not enumerated and no individual log page was reviewed for this record. Deck logs record operations/locations, not materials; any asbestos-relevant content would be incidental. The NARA catalog UI is JS-rendered - the public search URL given is the query surface used.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-lph9-11

13. [13]Batch-5798 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NVR, NASA NSSDC, NHHC Naval Aviation chronology, NavSource, NARA Catalog API, GAO (via Wayback), EPA documents, VA BVA decisions, CourtListener via authenticated helper (blocked), secondary web sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-guam-lph9-01 through -14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos documentation located: no hull insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding of asbestos aboard this ship appears in the public sources searched. What exists is: one denied BVA claim at allegation level (ev-04); one EPA transfer letter covering PCBs but silent on asbestos (ev-05); yard-level documentation for the builder (ev-07); and Navy-program-era context (ev-08, ev-09). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper's fleet-wide pacing budget was spent on four spaced attempts over ~25 minutes (exit code 2 each time); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. A second BVA decision (Citation 1331426, 2013) confirms a different veteran's service aboard this hull Feb-Dec 1981 but is a PTSD claim with no asbestos content (see ledger).

    Verification

    partial

    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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). The denied BVA claim is an allegation, not a finding either way. NHHC command-operation-report PDFs for this hull were not located at expected archive paths; deck-log page content was not individually reviewed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-guam-lph9-12