Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet hw-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS Hepburn DE-1055 → VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hepburn-de1055-pkt-hw-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Hepburn (DE-1055) (namesake biography, builder, dates, spec block; live NHHC page returns 404 - verbatim text from Wayback capture 2004-03-13 of history.navy.mil/danfs/h5/hepburn.htm; identical transcription at losthistory.net hazegray mirror de1055.txt) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Hepburn', namesake biography + specification block + construction paragraph; hazegray transcription de1055.txt bracketed supplement
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Admiral Arthur Japy Hepburn (born 15 October 1877, Carlisle, Pa.; USNA 1897; Commander-in-Chief U.S. Fleet 24 June 1936; head of the 1938 'Hepburn Board' whose report drove the pre-WWII Shore Establishment expansion; Chairman of the General Board of the Navy 1942-1945; retired 10 December 1945; died 31 May 1964). Spec block: dp. 2,624; l. 414'6"; b. 44'; dr. 18'; s. 27.4 k.; cpl. 247; a. 1 5", 4 21" tt, ASROC, DASH; cl. Knox. Laid down 1 June 1966 by Todd Shipyard Corp., San Pedro, Calif.; launched 25 March 1967, sponsored by Mrs. Arthur J. Hepburn and Mrs. Joseph R. Barse; commissioning scheduled for 1969. Hazegray/DANFS bracketed supplement adds: commissioned 3 July 1969; reclassified frigate (FF-1055) 30 June 1975; decommissioned 20 December 1991; stricken 11 January 1995; 'transferred to Greece for spare parts in December 1998.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1966-1995
- Population
- Todd Shipyard Corp. construction trades 1966-69; ship's company 1969-1991
- Limitations
- DANFS documents namesake, construction, and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the narrative entry predates commissioning and covers no operational service. The bracketed supplement's 'transferred to Greece for spare parts' note (Dec 1998) conflicts with the NVR's disposal-by-fleet-exercise record for the hull itself and is carried in gaps. Live NHHC URL returns 404; verbatim text carried from Wayback and hazegray/losthistory transcriptions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register ship detail, HEPBURN (FF 1055) ex-DE 1055, UIC 54050 (disposed-hull page no longer served on live nvr.navy.mil; Wayback capture 2017-01-09, page last updated 2002-06-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR FF 1055 vessel status / milestone dates / physical characteristics tables (UIC 54050)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR milestone record for this hull: class 'FF 1052' (Knox), type FRIGATE, ex-DE 1055; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise', date status changed 06/04/2002; builder 'TODD SY/SAN PEDRO'; award 07/22/1964; keel 06/01/1966; launch 03/25/1967; delivery 06/27/1969; commission 07/03/1969; decommission 12/20/1991; stricken 01/11/1995; 22.0 years commission to decommission. Physical characteristics: overall length 438 ft, waterline 415 ft; extreme beam 47 ft; draft limit 17 ft, max navigational draft 26 ft; light displacement 3,238 tons, full 4,231 tons; steel hull, aluminum superstructure; one propeller, propulsion type 'Steam Turbines'; accommodations 23 officers + 278 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-2002
- Limitations
- Official registry data confirming milestones, physical characteristics, and disposal mechanism; contains no materials or asbestos information and does not name the exercise, sinking location, or any environmental preparation performed. Live NVR no longer serves the disposed-hull detail; Wayback capture verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, 'USS Hepburn (DE 1055)' - specifications block and Building/Operational Data timeline (navsource.net/archives/06/06021055.htm; volunteer archive compiling official data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-1055 page: specifications block; Building and Operational Data list; photo 0602105432 caption (Bremerton mothball nest, Dec 1995)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: class Knox (SCB No. 199C / 1964; 46 ships); displacement 3,020 std / 4,065 full tons; 438' oa; propulsion 2 Combustion Engineering 1,200-psi boilers, 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 35,000 shp, 1 shaft, 27 kts; complement 16 officers / 211 enlisted; armament 1 x 5"/54 Mk 42, Mk16 ASROC, Mk32 torpedo tubes, SH-2 LAMPS. Timeline: keel 1 June 1966 at Todd Shipbuilding Corp., San Pedro; launched/christened 25 March 1967 (sponsors Mrs. Arthur J. Hepburn and Mrs. Joseph R. Barse); commissioned 3 July 1969 at Long Beach Naval Station, Cmdr. S. D. Landersman in command, Destroyer Squadron 13 (DesDiv 132), Long Beach; reclassified frigate (FF-1055) 30 June 1975; assigned Naval Reserve Force, Pacific, San Diego 1 October 1989; decommissioned 20 December 1991; struck from the NVR 11 January 1995; sunk as target 4 June 2002 at 047 deg 05' N, 127 deg 17' W, depth 1,452 fathoms. Photo caption: December 1995, ex-Hepburn moored in the mothballed-ship nest at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, with ex-New Jersey (BB-62) and ex-Gray (FF-1054). Awards list includes Vietnam Service Medal (2 stars) and Navy Expeditionary Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1966-2002
- Population
- Ship's company 1969-1991; inactive-fleet and tow/sinking workforce 1995-2002
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive - not itself an official record, though it reproduces official photo captions and standard reference data; dates agree with DANFS and NVR where they overlap. Contains no materials or asbestos information. The December 1995 Bremerton mothball documentation is a photo caption, not a custody record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-03
-
[5]In re New York City Asbestos Litigation (Seger v. Amchem Products, Inc., et al.; Crosby Valve LLC, appellant), 206 A.D.3d 442, 170 N.Y.S.3d 65, 2022 NY Slip Op 03702 (1st Dept. 2022) (CourtListener opinion 6475542; official text at courts.state.ny.us reporter 2022_03702) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual recital and CPLR 302(a)(1) analysis (NYCAL Index No. 190246/19, Appeal No. 16097; trial order Sup. Ct. N.Y. County, Silvera, J., 2021-06-02)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion naming this hull in qualifying asbestos litigation: plaintiffs George Seger III and Ann Seger 'allege that George developed colon cancer as the result of being exposed to asbestos during his military service aboard USS Hepburn between 1976 and 1980. USS Hepburn was in drydock in San Francisco, California, for about two of those roughly four years, during which time George was responsible for standing watch as workers replaced the boilers in the ship's boiler and engine rooms.' The pleading theory: Crosby manufactured asbestos-containing valves; Crosby sold them to nonparty Combustion Engineering Inc. (CEI); CEI sold boilers with Crosby's asbestos-containing valves to the Navy; 'the Navy installed one of CEI's boilers, with Crosby's asbestos-containing valves, on USS Hepburn while George was stationed aboard and as he stood watch.' The First Department unanimously reversed the trial court and granted Crosby Valve LLC's motion to dismiss for lack of specific personal jurisdiction under CPLR 302(a)(1) - plaintiffs 'failed to present sufficient evidence' that Crosby transacted business in New York or that the claims had a nexus to New York activity; the court further held the 1975 Naval Ship Engineering Center work orders 'do not establish that CEI sold its boilers to the Navy' and 'do not show the work that took place on USS Hepburn, when it took place, or the equipment that was used.' Only one USS Hepburn existed during 1976-1980.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1976-1980 (alleged exposure); 2019-2022 (litigation)
- Population
- George Seger III (USN crewman alleged aboard 1976-1980); drydock/shipyard boiler-replacement workers, San Francisco
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation disposed on procedural grounds - the exposure claim is recited, never adjudicated; the court did not find asbestos was aboard and expressly found the plaintiffs' documentary evidence did not establish which boilers/valves were installed during the drydock work. The opinion resolves Crosby's dismissal only; outcome against the remaining defendants (Amchem Products et al.) is not covered. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure or eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-04
-
[6]Siegfried v. 3M Co. et al., No. 2:18-cv-01575-FMO-E (C.D. Cal., removed 2018-02-26; nature of suit 368 P.I.: Asbestos); Owens-Illinois joinder to removal, ECF No. 50 (filed 2018-03-02), quoting the complaint's ship list (RECAP doc. 50.0) [court_record]
- Locator
- Siegfried v. 3M, ECF No. 50 (Owens-Illinois joinder to notice of removal), preliminary statement para. 1 quoting the complaint's vessel list
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury docket naming this hull: removal papers in the C.D. Cal. case (removed from Los Angeles Superior Court BC691900) recite that plaintiffs allege Terry Lee Siegfried 'was exposed to asbestos from defendants' products' during his tenure as an electrician/marine electrician at Long Beach Naval Shipyard approximately 1969-1996, developing mesothelioma, and the complaint's allegations list vessels on which he purportedly worked - including 'USS Hepburn (FF-1055)' among Knox-class frigates USS Roark (FF-1053), USS Gray (FF-1054), USS Meyerkord (FF-1058), USS Lockwood (FF-1064), USS Marvin Shields (FF-1066), USS Francis Hammond (FF-1067), USS Downes (FF-1070), USS Cook (FF-1083), USS Barbey (FF-1088), and other hulls (USS Ogden LPD-5, USS Duluth) serviced at the shipyard. Hull number FF-1055 is stated in the list, fixing the reference to this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1969-1996 (alleged exposure); 2018 (litigation)
- Population
- Terry Lee Siegfried (LBNSY electrician/marine electrician 1969-1996, mesothelioma)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation - the ship-list reference is an allegation of exposure aboard vessels at the shipyard, unadjudicated as to this hull; it does not establish that asbestos-containing material was aboard, does not identify products, and does not establish individual exposure or causation. Disposition of the claims as to this hull not located in the reviewed documents.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-05
-
[7]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (1979-10-18), incl. the Navy's letter enclosure (CNO ser. 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979) reinsulation cost table listing class FF-1052 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2, Navy letter enclosure pp. 2-7 (reinsulation cost table, FF-1052 row; shipboard-asbestos narrative; Attachment 1 FF-1090-1097 rows)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The Navy's 1979 enclosure to GAO lists 'FRIGATE: FF-1052' in the reinsulation cost table - a tentative estimate of $4.32 million per ship across 45 active ships ($194.40M total) for 'removal of asbestos thermal insulation from piping, equipment and ventilation ducting, excluding nuclear equipment components, and reinsulation with non-asbestos material.' FF-1052 is the Knox class to which this hull belongs. The same enclosure states 'Each ship has several types of asbestos containing materials installed' and 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' - citing resistors, deck tiling, galley-range cabling, piping gaskets and packing, and equipment brakes and clutches - and records that the Navy's no-asbestos specification policy was promulgated as NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 October 1975. The enclosure's Attachment 1 ship-level table (deliveries since 1973) lists late-delivery Knox hulls FF-1090 through FF-1097 as carrying 'Asbestos thermal insulation.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 (documentation); applies to in-service era incl. this hull 1969-1991
- Population
- Navy shipboard and shipyard workforce, class-wide
- Limitations
- Class-level, not hull-specific: the cost table lists class FF-1052 and applies to this hull only as one of 45 active class ships; it does not survey this hull or say what was removed or remained aboard. Estimates are described as tentative and unvalidated and exclude non-thermal-insulation applications. Full text retrieved via the Justia GAO mirror; gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (same standing limitation as BATCH-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-06
-
[8]NavSource Knox-class specification block (SCB 199C plant) + Atlas shipyard dataset check for Todd Shipyards (San Pedro) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-1055 specifications block (propulsion plant); shipyards.json record 'todd-shipyards'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Knox-class ocean escort built 1966-69 with two Combustion Engineering 1,200-psi boilers and a single Westinghouse geared steam turbine (35,000 shp, one shaft, 27 kt) would have carried era-standard asbestos boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings - the same applications the Navy described to GAO in 1979 (ev-06). The Seger allegation of asbestos-insulated valves on CE boilers is consistent with the documented class propulsion plant but is an unadjudicated allegation, not proof of product identity. Builder Todd Shipyards (San Pedro/Los Angeles Division) is carried by the Atlas yard dataset at the corporate level (tier 2; Kaylo insulation, lagging cloth, gaskets, floor tile and related products documented in litigation at yard level).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1966-1991
- Population
- Todd San Pedro construction trades 1966-69; engineering crew 1969-1991; yard workers at documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The ship-specific records are ev-04 (Seger) and ev-05 (Siegfried), both unadjudicated allegations; this row adds context and does not independently establish asbestos aboard this hull, its quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-07
-
[9]MARAD, 'SINKEX' program page + NVR disposal status (ev-02) + NavSource sinking coordinates [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- NVR FF-1055 status field; NavSource DE-1055 operational-data timeline and photo 0602105432 caption; maritime.dot.gov SINKEX page
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Disposal record for this hull: the NVR records 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' effective 06/04/2002 (ev-02); NavSource records the sinking location 047 deg 05' N, 127 deg 17' W in 1,452 fathoms (off the Washington coast) and a December 1995 photograph shows the ex-Hepburn in the inactive-ship nest at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton - placing the hull in Navy inactive custody 1995-2002 until disposal. The disposal mechanism is the Navy's SINKEX (sink-at-sea live-fire training exercise) program, described by MARAD as use of decommissioned warships as live-fire targets providing 'disposal of unwanted, dangerous, and expensive-to-maintain ships at a minimal cost.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1995-2002
- Population
- Inactive-ship and exercise workforce, Puget Sound/Bremerton area 1995-2002
- Limitations
- Ship-specific disposal facts are NVR/photo-verified, but no hull-specific environmental-prep record is public: SINKEX target preparation (hazmat/petroleum removal) is documented at program level only, and no pre-sink survey or manifest for this hull was located. MARAD's program description is general; it does not describe this hull's preparation. Does not establish what material was aboard at sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweeps: opinion search "USS Hepburn" (1 hit) and RECAP docket search "USS Hepburn" (1 hit); opinion query "Hepburn" "1055" (58 hits, page 1 reviewed); hull-number queries "FF-1055"/"DE-1055" interrupted by fleet pacing [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener type=o results (1 opinion, verified); type=r results (1 docket, verified); type=o "Hepburn"+"1055" page 1 (20 of 58)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: the sole opinion-text hit for 'USS Hepburn' is the qualifying Seger NYCAL appellate opinion (ev-04). The sole RECAP docket hit for 'USS Hepburn' is the qualifying Siegfried v. 3M asbestos docket (ev-05). The opinion query '"Hepburn" "1055"' returned 58 hits dominated by token noise (person-name and docket-number collisions on '1055'; page 1 of 20 reviewed: criminal, family, and commercial matters - no vessel reference, no qualifying asbestos case). No name-collision risk: 'Hepburn' as a ship name is distinctive and both hits name this hull (FF-1055 stated in Siegfried's list; the 1976-80 service window in Seger admits no other USS Hepburn).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2018-2022 (litigation dates)
- Limitations
- Opinion and docket exact-name coverage is complete for CourtListener's indexed corpus; unindexed state-court pleadings may contain additional complaints naming the hull. Hull-number docket/opinion queries ('FF-1055', 'DE-1055' alone) and full-text review of the Siegfried complaint were interrupted by the fleet pacing limiter - partial coverage is logged in the search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-09
-
[11]Batch-3985 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback + hazegray transcription), Naval Vessel Register (Wayback), NavSource, GAO HRD-80-2 full text (Justia mirror), CourtListener API v4 name + hull sweeps, MARAD SINKEX program page, NARA Catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hepburn-de1055-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-level asbestos-material record located beyond the litigation allegations: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hull material specification, SINKEX pre-sink hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding names this hull in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship is sunk (2002), foreclosing any future preservation-layer documentation.
- 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 class-level GAO documentation confirms the FF-1052 class carried asbestos thermal insulation, and the litigation records remain unadjudicated allegations. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hepburn-de1055-10