Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet hz-packet.md (12 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Harold E. Holt. Hull/designation: DE-1074 at commissioning, reclassified FF-1074 (1975).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-pkt-hz-packet-md
-
[2]Gotautis et al v. Todd Shipyards Corporation et al., No. 3:11-cv-03404-RS (N.D. Cal. filed 2011-07-12), Complaint for Asbestos Personal Injury / Products Liability / Loss of Consortium - filed into the record as Notice of Potential Tag-Along exhibit, In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.), ECF No. 7601-2 (2011-07-29), RECAP gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.7601.2.pdf [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 docket (J.P.M.L. No. 1245688), ECF No. 7601 attachment 2 (complaint, 20 pp.): Exhibit A exposure table, 'US Navy HAROLD E. HOLT (DE-1074), Todd Shipyard, San Pedro CA', job title 'Boiler Tender (Supervisor)', dates '9/1971-12/1972'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury complaint names this hull: plaintiff Stephen Gotautis (Navy boiler tender, later supervisor) alleges asbestos exposure aboard 'US Navy HAROLD E. HOLT (DE-1074), Todd Shipyard, San Pedro CA' for the period 9/1971-12/1972, his Exhibit A exposure list placing him as 'Boiler Tender (Supervisor)' at the builder's yard during the hull's post-commissioning availability. The complaint (Brayton Purcell LLP) alleges asbestosis diagnosed ~January 2007 and asbestos-related pleural disease ~April 2010; defendants include Todd Shipyards Corp., Foster Wheeler, Crane Co., Crosby Valve, IMO Industries, and Honeywell International. The same exposure list alleges work aboard USS Halsey Powell (DD-686) at Long Beach NSY, USS Uhlmann (DD-687), USS Buchanan (DDG-14), USS Edson (DD-946), USS Berkeley (DDG-15), USS Downes (DE-1070) at Todd Pacific Shipyards Seattle and Puget Sound NSY, and USS Parsons (DDG-33).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-1972 (alleged exposure); 2011 (filing)
- Population
- Stephen Gotautis (US Navy boiler tender/supervisor); asbestosis + pleural disease
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation (complaint filed 2011-07-12, noticed as MDL-875 potential tag-along 2011-07-29) - the exposure allegation aboard this hull is unadjudicated and establishes only that the hull was named as an exposure site, not that asbestos was present or that exposure occurred. Merits outcome beyond MDL transfer (CTO-428) not located in the public index. OCR of the scanned complaint was used to read the exposure table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register, HAROLD E HOLT (FF 1074) ex-DE 1074 - official register entry (NAVSEA/NAVSHIPSO; live page serves JS shell only - cited via 2020-12-05 Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page FF_1074 (Wayback capture 2020-12-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official register record for this hull: class FF-1052 (Knox class), UIC 54069; builder Todd Shipyards Corp., Los Angeles Div.; contract awarded 1964-07-22; keel 1968-05-11; launched 1969-05-03; delivered 1971-03-19; commissioned 1971-03-26; decommissioned 1992-07-02; stricken 1995-01-11; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' effective 2002-07-10; propulsion type 'Steam Turbines'; accommodations 20 officers / 255 enlisted; custodian US Navy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-2002 (register data, last updated 2011-02-16)
- Population
- Todd Los Angeles Division construction trades (1968-1971); crew 1971-1992
- Limitations
- Official milestones, propulsion type, and accommodations only - contains no materials or asbestos information. NVR accommodations figures differ from NavSource's complement line (carried in gaps). Live NVR detail page renders via script and returned only the navigation shell; the 2020-12-05 Wayback capture of the official page is cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-02
-
[4]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Index, USS Harold E. Holt (DE 1074) - building/operational data, class specifications (SCB No. 199C/1964), awards list, commanding officers, photo record citing NHHC accession numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-1074 index page - Building and Operational Data block; Specifications block; awards list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Hull-specific service record: keel laid 1968-05-11 by Todd Shipyard Corp., Los Angeles Div., San Pedro; launched 1969-05-03 sponsored by Dame Zara Bate, D.B.E., widow of Prime Minister Holt; commissioned 1971-03-26 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Cmdr. John P. Leahy in command, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 19 at Long Beach; took part in the SS Mayaguez rescue operation 1975-05-15; reclassified FF-1074 on 1975-06-30; decommissioned at Naval Station Pearl Harbor 1992-07-02 after 21 years 3 months; struck 1995-01-11; sunk as target during RIMPAC 2002 on 2002-07-10 at 23 deg 02' N, 160 deg 04' W, depth 2,560 fathoms. Awards include Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Vietnam Service Medal (1 star), Southwest Asia Service Medal (1 star), and Kuwait Liberation Medals (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). NavSource describes her as the first American warship to bear the name of a foreign head of state. Propulsion: 2 Combustion Engineering 1,200-psi boilers, 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 35,000 shp, 1 shaft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1968-2002
- Population
- Construction trades (Todd San Pedro 1968-71); crew incl. Vietnam (1972) and Persian Gulf-era service
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated naval-history archive compiling official records (photo accessions, NVR dates), not a primary document; its complement line (16/211) conflicts with NVR accommodations (20/255). The 'first foreign head of state' claim is NavSource's characterization. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-03
-
[5]Department of Defense feature story 'Mayaguez Incident Highlights Bravery, Intelligence Failures' + U.S. Air Force official history (media.defense.gov AFD-101027-044 excerpt) + U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 'Mayday for Mayaguez' (Nov 1976, participant account by the ship's officers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- defense.gov feature story; media.defense.gov PDF (USAF history, Mayaguez chapter); USNI Proceedings Nov 1976 'Mayday for Mayaguez'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- On 1975-05-15 this hull executed the recapture of SS Mayaguez: three USAF helicopters delivered a Marine boarding element (Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, plus EOD and a linguist) to Harold E. Holt; the frigate came alongside the merchant ship and at 0725 Marines wearing gas masks boarded, finding her empty; Holt then took Mayaguez under tow away from Koh Tang. Capt. D.P. Roane (ComDesRon 23) was embarked and directed on-scene. The boarding is described in official/press accounts as the first hostile ship-to-ship boarding by U.S. forces since 1826.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975
- Population
- Ship's crew + embarked Marines of D Co, 1/4 Marines, 1975-05-15
- Limitations
- Documents a documented combat operation of this hull - no asbestos content. 'First hostile boarding since 1826' is the repeated official/press framing. Embarked-Marine counts differ slightly across sources (48 vs 57); both carried here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-04
-
[6]Honolulu Advertiser, 'RIMPAC sinkings a success' (2002-07-15) + Honolulu Star-Bulletin SINKEX coverage (2002-07-14) - contemporaneous press documentation of the hull's sinking [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Honolulu Advertiser 2002-07-15; Honolulu Star-Bulletin 2002-07-14 news story 4
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ex-USS Harold E. Holt was sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2002 on 2002-07-10 off Kauai (Pacific Missile Range Facility vicinity): struck by Hellfire missiles from a helicopter, a Standard SM-1 fired by USS Ingraham, a NATO Sea Sparrow fired by USS Foster into her stern, and approximately 30 rounds of 5-inch gunfire from Foster (~75% hits) before sinking just after noon in nearly 15,000 feet of water. Controlled fires had been lit aboard during tow-out preparation. Third of three RIMPAC 2002 sinkings (ex-Rathburne 7/5, ex-White Plains 7/8).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2002
- Population
- SINKEX participants (USS Foster, USS Ingraham, USS Crommelin, allied units)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press documentation corroborated by the NVR disposal entry. The hull is not recoverable - no post-sinking or present-day material survey is possible. Press coverage does not address hazardous-material preparation performed before sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-05
-
[7]NavSource specifications block (Knox class, SCB No. 199C/1964, 2x CE 1,200-psi boilers, Westinghouse geared turbine, 35,000 shp) + NVR propulsion type 'Steam Turbines' + build dates 1968-1971 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-1074 specifications block; NVR propulsion field
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Knox-class destroyer escort laid down 1968 and delivered 1971 with a 1,200-psi steam propulsion plant was built before the U.S. Navy's mid-1970s discontinuation of asbestos insulation in new shipbuilding; ships of this design era carried period-standard asbestos-containing thermal insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and deck/interior materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1968-1971 (construction); service through 1992
- Population
- Todd San Pedro construction trades (1968-71); boiler/engineering crew (1971-92)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, survey, or specification was retrieved for DE-1074. The Gotautis complaint (ev-01) alleges exposure aboard this hull at pleading stage; nothing surveyed or adjudicated. Does not establish quantity or what remained aboard at sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-06
-
[8]Chavez v. Todd Shipyards Corp. and Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., BRB Nos. 86-2456/86-2456A (Benefits Review Board, on remand from the 9th Circuit) - LHWCA decision + MDL-875 orders documenting the San Pedro yard's corporate history (e.g., Robertson v. Todd Shipyards, E.D. Pa. 2:09-cv-64068, Doc. 139) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB 86-2456A decision text (claimant work history 1954-1980, asbestosis); E.D. Pa. Robertson order section quoting Navy-Todd 1944 correspondence re: San Pedro yard
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard asbestos documentation: the DOL Benefits Review Board decision in Chavez records that the claimant worked for Todd Shipyards as a laborer and leadman from 1954 to 1980, was exposed to asbestos, dust, smoke, and fumes, and developed asbestosis - a work history straddling the 1968-71 construction of this hull at the company's Los Angeles Division (San Pedro) yard, the same yard named in the Gotautis exposure allegation for this hull (ev-01). MDL-875 orders document the yard's identity as the former Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Drydock Corporation plant at San Pedro.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-1980 (exposure); 1986+ (adjudication)
- Population
- Todd Shipyards Los Angeles Division workforce (1940s-1980s era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation - establishes asbestos exposure at the builder's premises during the era, not aboard this specific hull. The Chavez decision does not tie exposure to DE-1074 construction or name the ship. San Pedro situs is corroborated by counsel geography in the decision and the documented Todd Los Angeles Division location.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Long Beach NSY commissioned this hull and hosted her early homeport period (Destroyer Squadron 19).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Yard/program-level documentation, not hull-specific; supports era context for naval-shipyard asbestos work during her active years, not conditions aboard this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-08
-
[10]EPA, Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal - MPRSA general permit, 40 C.F.R. 229.2, governing Navy SINKEX vessel preparation; interpreted by the 1999 Navy-EPA agreement and the January 2014 'Determination by the EPA and Agreement between the Navy and the EPA' [federal_register]
- Locator
- EPA SINKEX permit page; 40 C.F.R. 229.2; EPA-Navy 2014 Determination and Agreement (epa.gov)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- This hull's 2002 sinking proceeded under the Navy's SINKEX program governed by EPA's MPRSA general permit, which requires qualified personnel to remove to the maximum extent practicable all materials that may degrade the marine environment - emptying and flushing fuel tanks/lines, removing pollutants and all readily detachable material capable of creating debris or contributing to chemical pollution - and requires sinking at least 50 nautical miles from land in at least 6,000 feet of water. Consistent with the documented sinking at 23 deg 02' N, 160 deg 04' W (~2,560 fathoms).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-2014 (regulatory framework); 2002 (this hull's sinking)
- Population
- SINKEX vessel-preparation workers (certified facility), 2002
- Limitations
- Program-level regulation: the permit's public requirements center on petroleum and PCBs and do not itemize asbestos handling; no vessel-specific environmental-preparation report for this hull was located. Applicability to this hull is via the documented SINKEX event, not a hull-named record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-09
-
[11]Batch-4006 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; NavSource; CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket indexes; DOL/BRB decisions; EPA MPRSA materials; GAO; contemporaneous Honolulu press [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record beyond the Gotautis pleading (ev-01): no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Harold E. Holt was located in the public sources searched. No DANFS entry exists for this hull - NavSource notes the NHHC DANFS history 'is not presently available,' and no DANFS page is indexed. CourtListener opinion search returned 8 results, all name collisions (military-justice cases, drug/bank-robbery appeals matching 'Holt' or hull-number strings); RECAP docket search returned 6 results - 5 name collisions (personal bankruptcies, securities class action, unrelated matters) plus the MDL-875 master docket via the Gotautis tag-along complaint, which is carried at ev-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull's construction era (1968-71) and 1,200-psi steam plant are consistent with era-standard asbestos materials, and the hull is not recoverable for survey. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility beyond what ev-01 documents as allegation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-e-holt-de1074-10