Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL-875 (J.P.M.L.), Doc. 7717-3 (filed 2011-08-18): Exhibit 3 to Foster Wheeler Energy Corp.'s Response in Opposition to Motion to Vacate CTO-420 - 'Defendants' Style Interrogatories to the Personal Representative of the Estate of Decedent and Answers Thereto' in Cain v. Asbestos Corp., Ltd., et al., King County (WA) Superior Court No. 11-2-12640-2 SEA (removed W.D. Wash. No. 2:11-cv-01102; transferred to MDL-875) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 Doc. 7717-3, PDF pp. 2 and 12-13 (caption; ship-list answer)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Discovery-stage asbestos litigation record naming this hull by hull number. The estate's answers to defendants' style interrogatories (received June 2011 per file stamp) state: 'decedent Gerald Cain was exposed to the asbestos-containing products of defendants during his employment at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) from 1959-1979 as an insulator. The ships the decedent worked aboard while employed at PSNS include, but are not limited to, the following:' - the ~60-vessel list includes 'Gurke (DD-783)'. The claimed employment window overlaps this hull's documented FRAM I overhaul at PSNS (11 Jul 1963 - 1 May 1964).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1979 (claimed exposure window); 2011 (filing)
- Population
- Gerald Ernest Cain, PSNS insulator 1959-1979 (estate claim)
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage allegation (plaintiff's interrogatory answers filed as a defense exhibit opposing CTO vacatur) - an allegation, not an adjudicated finding; the list is 'include, but not limited to' - it does not specify dates, spaces, products, or duration aboard this hull, and does not prove exposure occurred aboard DD-783 specifically. Underlying case disposition not located. Does not quantify any material aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-01
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[2]Crane Co. (EDGAR CIK 0000025445) Form 8-K filed 2009-07-28 (accession 0001193125-09-155988), asbestos-litigation disclosure; reiterated in Crane Co. Form 8-K filed 2011-01-25 (accession 0001193125-11-013067, table footnote 'Includes Joseph Norris and Earl Haupt judgments') [other_primary]
- Locator
- SEC EDGAR accession 000119312509155988, asbestos-litigation paragraph; accession 000119312511013067 table footnote
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Defendant-side confirmation of a tried-to-verdict asbestos case: 'the Company has paid two judgments arising from adverse jury verdicts in an asbestos matter... The second payment in the amount of $0.02 million, was made in June 2009 after an adverse verdict in the Earl Haupt case in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2009.' Trial counsel's verdict reports (Haupt et al. v. A.W. Chesterton Co. et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court No. BC 356536, Hon. Michael L. Stern) describe decedent Earl Ogle Haupt III, USN machinist's mate 1959-1980, as exposed aboard USS Essex, USS Intrepid, and USS Gurke, with jury liability allocated John Crane Inc. 3%, Crane Co. 2%, Elliott Turbomachinery 1% (all others incl. U.S. Navy 94%); total award reported $1.45M.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1980 (claimed exposure); 2009 (verdict/payment)
- Population
- Earl Ogle Haupt III (USN machinist's mate 1959-1980; pleural mesothelioma, died Dec 2006)
- Limitations
- The SEC filing - the authoritative citable record - confirms the verdict, forum and date but does not name any vessel. The USS Gurke attribution is documented only in plaintiff counsel's own verdict reporting, which batch rules exclude from the citation chain; Los Angeles Superior Court file BC 356536 is the retrieval path to verify the hull attribution in a citable court record. Classified archival_lead pending that pull; the verdict itself (Navy machinist's mate, mesothelioma) is defendant-verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-02
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[3]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (July 1, 2019 list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shiplist.docx, alphabetic ship table, 'USS Gurke (DD-783)' row
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- The VA's official ship list (maintained under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii) for Agent Orange herbicide-exposure presumption) names this hull: 'USS Gurke (DD-783) operated on Ganh Rai Bay, Saigon River, and Mekong River during October 1966 and May 1969' - a federal administrative record documenting inland-waterway (brown-water) operations by DD-783 on listed dates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- Oct 1966; May 1969
- Population
- Vietnam-era crew (herbicide presumption context)
- Limitations
- Herbicide (Agent Orange) exposure documentation, not asbestos; included as an official ship-specific record of exposure-relevant operations and because it fixes the hull's Vietnam riverine dates. Establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-03
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[4]DANFS, Gurke (DD-783) (specifications block + service narrative; verbatim transcription via hazegray Wayback capture 2021-04-19 - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (DD-783: dp. 2,425; l. 390'6"; b. 40'11"; dr. 18'6"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 336; a. 6 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 10 21" tt.; cl. Gearing). Launched 15 February 1945 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, Wash., sponsored by Mrs. Julius Gurke; commissioned 12 May 1945, Cmdr. Kenneth Loveland. Occupation of Japan; San Diego homeport; Navy Unit Commendation share (TE 90.62) for Inchon landings 13-15 Sep 1950 (Wolmi Do bombardment, three hits, minor damage); frequent flagship for VADM Struble/TF-77 in first war year; two hits plus air-burst shrapnel 25 Jun 1953; St. Paul/Eisenhower escort 17-18 Jun 1960; Christmas Island nuclear tests Jun 1962; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard FRAM modernization 11 Jul 1963 - 1 May 1964; Vietnam (TG 77.7 plane-guard Ranger/Hancock Jan 1965; Da Nang amphibious escort; Gulf of Tonkin SAR Jun-Sep 1966 incl. 1 Jul PT-boat action and 113 in-flight helicopter refuelings; Mekong/Saigon delta bombardment). Seven Korean battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1967 (narrative coverage)
- Population
- Todd-Pacific Tacoma construction trades 1944-45; crew 1945-1976 (design complement 336)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Entry text ends circa 1967 - post-1967 service, decommissioning, striking and Greek transfer are not covered here. Internal date errors are present in the source ('August 1963' for the armistice; '1966' for the 1965 return transit) - carried as printed, flagged in gaps. Live NHHC page 404s; mirror transcription cited per batch convention.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-04
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[5]DANFS FRAM passage (PSNS entry 11 Jul 1963 - 1 May 1964) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard record (DTIC AD0715808, Mangold/Beckett/Bessmer Mar 1970 hygiene survey; peer-reviewed follow-up PMID 1065583) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS entry (PSNS 1963-64 passage); shipyards.json record 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard' ev-01/-02/-04 (AD0715808; PMID 1065583)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Documented event at a documented-exposure yard: this hull underwent FRAM I modernization overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton) 11 July 1963 - 1 May 1964, a ~10-month yard period. PSNS's own industrial-hygiene record for 1962-1972 documents amosite and chrysotile exposure during ship-overhaul rip-out and installation work, preformed magnesia block insulation (~15% asbestos), asbestos cements and asbestos cloth, with the 5 mppcf reference routinely exceeded and peaks ~10x during insulation cutting/handling. The Cain discovery answers (ev-01) independently allege insulator work aboard this hull at PSNS within the same era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1963-1964 (FRAM window); yard studies 1962-1972
- Population
- PSNS trades (insulators, pipe coverers, shipfitters, welders) and ship's crew during the 1963-64 FRAM
- Limitations
- Yard-level conditions during the period this hull was present - inference, not a hull finding. The hygiene literature does not name DD-783; FRAM scope for this hull (which spaces/systems opened) is not documented. Does not prove any worker aboard Gurke was exposed or that specific material aboard contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-05
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[6]DANFS specifications block (Gearing class; 4 Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers, 2 GE geared turbines, 60,000 shp, 35 kt, cpl. 336) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Todd Shipyards record (corp-level incl. Seattle/Tacoma WWII operations; asbestos litigation documented) + Navypedia Gearing-class member table [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json 'todd-shipyards'; navypedia Gearing member row DD-783
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: a Gearing-class destroyer built 1944-45 by Todd-Pacific at Tacoma with a four-boiler superheated-steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing and deck coverings; builder's parent (Todd Shipyards Corp.) is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2) with asbestos-litigation history for its Pacific Northwest operations. NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Todd-Pacific Tacoma construction trades 1944-45; crew 1945-76
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no construction material schedule for this hull was located; this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-06
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[7]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) - reciting a Sumner/Gearing-class engineering drawing and expert tally (verified in class-profile record ev-gearing-class-04) [court_record]
- Locator
- Goodrich v. (E.D. Va. 4:17-cv-00009) ECF 171 omnibus opinion; class-profile gearing-class.class.json ev rows
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A published federal omnibus opinion in consolidated asbestos litigation recites class-level documentation for Gearing/Sumner destroyers: a Navy engineering drawing specifying amosite asbestos felts and asbestos cloths on forced-draft blower turbines, and an expert's partial tally of roughly 30.3 tons of asbestos thermal insulation/lagging in the fire rooms and engine rooms of Sumner/Gearing-class hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1949 (class construction era); 2018 (opinion)
- Population
- Gearing/Sumner-class engineering spaces (class context)
- Limitations
- Litigation recital, not an adjudicated class-wide quantity - figures are recited party/expert material inside a Rule 56/702 posture opinion; they are not ship-specific to DD-783 and the underlying exhibits were not retrieved. Context for what the class carried, never a finding for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-07
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[8]NHHC-archived OPNAV 5750-1 command history: USS Chevalier (DD-805) 1970 command-operation report (live NHHC DAM URL 404s to automated fetch; retrieved via Wayback capture 2025-12-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chevalier 1970 command history, December narrative section (PDF p. per OCR line 629)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy command-operation report archived at NHHC names this hull: the USS Chevalier (DD-805) 1970 command history records 'On 4 December CHEVALIER in company with the USS BUCHANAN (DLG-14), USS AGERHOLM (DD-826), and USS GURKE (DD-783) departed Subic Bay enroute to the United States' - the TU 70.8.9 high-speed transit ending in San Diego.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1970
- Population
- Crew, December 1970
- Limitations
- Corroborates the hull's Vietnam-era operational record (DANFS narrative ends ~1967); contains no materials/asbestos content. A second indexed NHHC report (Passumpsic AO-107 1968, UNREP with Gurke) was not retrieved - live PDF 404s and no Wayback capture exists; indexed snippet only, not relied on. Scanned PDF, OCR-quality text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-08
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[9]USS Gurke DD-783 Reunion Association, ship history + Tombazis pages (crew-compiled; incorporates DANFS text + member chronology 1969-1998: 1969 gunline/PIRAZ ops, 1970 Battle Efficiency 'E', Oct 1971 DESRON 15 homeport shift to Yokosuka, 1972 Freedom Train/Linebacker NGFS with >100 missions by association count, Jul-Nov 1972 Yokosuka overhaul, Jan-Feb 1973 last DESRON 15 Gulf of Tonkin deployment, 1975 evacuations + Mayaguez recovery support, decommission/stricken 30 Jan 1976, sold to Greece 17 Mar 1977 as H.S. Tombazis D-215, Tombazis flagship refit 1980-81 incl. Otobreda 76mm gun + Harpoon launchers, stricken 1997, Souda Bay lay-up 1998) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ussgurke783.org/history/ (full page); cross-checks in ussgurke783.org/tombazis.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's reunion-association history supplies the post-1967 record absent from DANFS: five Gulf of Tonkin deployments; Wonsan siege duty (CO as 'Mayor of Wonsan' 21-23 Apr 1953); Battle 'E' awards 1969-1970; the 1971 forward-deployment to Yokosuka (DESRON 15 with Rowan, Bausell, Richard B. Anderson, Parsons); 1972 Freedom Train/Linebacker NGFS with interim Shrike/Sidewinder fits; July-November 1972 overhaul at Yokosuka ('first destroyer to do so in many years'); October 1973 onward Midway escort; 1975 Cambodia/Vietnam evacuations and Mayaguez support; decommissioned and stricken 30 January 1976; transferred to Greece 17 March 1977 as Tombazis (D-215); Tombazis stricken January 1997, laid up Souda Bay January 1998.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1950-1997
- Population
- Crew 1945-1976; association membership
- Limitations
- Veterans' association compilation - self-published, not official; used only for post-1967 operational narrative, with divergences from DANFS (1953 air-burst count; Inchon casualties) and registry sources (keel-laying month) flagged in gaps. No materials/asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-09
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[10]Batch-3755 search ledger (this record): CourtListener opinion + RECAP docket sweeps ('Gurke', 'USS Gurke', 'DD-783', 'DD 783', 'Earl Haupt'); LA Superior/UniCourt/PlainSite index checks; NARA catalog check; NHHC, VA, SEC, association sources [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gurke-dd783-01 through sl-uss-gurke-dd783-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying adjudicated asbestos litigation naming USS Gurke/DD-783 was located in CourtListener: the opinion index returns only surname collisions ('Gurke' hits: pension/bankruptcy/criminal parties); exact-name 'USS Gurke' and 'DD-783' opinion queries return zero. RECAP docket sweep: 'USS Gurke' zero; 'Gurke' 78 surname collisions (bankruptcy/domestic/insurance - none maritime or asbestos); 'DD-783' string appears inside MDL-875 bulk docket attachments - resolved to the Cain interrogatory ship list (ev-01). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, ACM inventory, museum hazmat disclosure, or government materials record for this hull was located in sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship's wartime construction and the documented yard/era context argue the opposite is likely; it proves only that no citable hull-level document was found. The Haupt verdict's vessel attribution is SEC-anchored but counsel-reported only; the LA Superior BC 356536 file remains the open verification path. CourtListener coverage excludes un-digitized state-court files.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gurke-dd783-10