USS Hermitage (LSD-34)

Evidence

16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).

1. [1]research packet 517-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced)

   Evidence ID

   uss-hermitage-lsd34-pkt-517-packet-md

2. [2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Hermitage II (LSD-34)' (NHHC) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry text and spec block; DANFS coverage ends 1967

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS (NHHC): Hermitage (LSD-34), second ship of the name (for Andrew Jackson's estate near Nashville, TN), Thomaston class; launched 12 June 1956 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, MS; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred M. Pride; commissioned 14 December 1956, Captain Leonard A. Parker in command. Service 1956-1967: Caribbean shakedown (informally inspected by CNO Arleigh Burke); Mediterranean deployment August-16 November 1957 (6th Fleet, NATO exercises; Sicily, Crete, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Spain); 2 December 1959 sailed to Karachi via Atlantic, Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Red and Arabian Seas carrying Presidential helicopters for Eisenhower's Asian/European tour, returned via Barcelona 17 January 1960; 28 November 1960 flagship for Admiral A. L. Reed, COMSOLANT goodwill cruise to South America and Africa, diverted 19 January 1961 to carry grain to the Congo for UN famine relief, relieved as flagship 3 May 1961 by Spiegel Grove, returned to Virginia 16 May; October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis - transported Marines to Guantanamo; May-October 1963 second Mediterranean cruise (Naples, Athens, Genoa, Cannes, Sardinia, Malta, Rota); February 1964 Caribbean Ready Squadron 12 (Panama); May 1964 logistics lift to Bermuda, Sydney and Halifax; fall 1964 Operation Steel Pike I (Malaga, Gibraltar); June 1965 three-month Caribbean deployment during the Dominican Republic crisis with practice landings at Vieques; overhaul completed February 1966; May 1966 transported a Marine battalion to the Caribbean; Atlantic Fleet through 1967. Spec block: lt. dp. 6,880; l. 510'10"; b. 84'4"; dr. 19'; cpl. 301; s. 23 k.; a. 12 x 3" guns.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1956-1967

   Limitations

   Authoritative identity/construction/early-service source; contains no asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene information and does not state a keel-laying date. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details - HERMITAGE (LSD 34), nvr.navy.mil shipId 2307 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR ship detail page, Vessel Status and Milestone Dates blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register ship detail for HERMITAGE (LSD 34), dock landing ship, class LSD 28, UIC 03134, builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.: Award Date 10/14/1954 (14 October 1954); Keel Date 04/11/1955; Launch Date 06/12/1956; Commission Date 12/14/1956 (delivery same date); Decommission Date 10/02/1989; Stricken Date 01/24/2001; status 'disposed of through the security assistance program (sap), transferred, foreign assistance act (faa) section 516, southern region amendment,' status changed 01/24/2001; custodian BRAZIL; page last updated 08/02/2001.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1954-2001

   Limitations

   Authoritative for milestone dates and disposal status. Physical Characteristics section suppressed by NVR public-information policy ('currently unavailable'). No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-02

4. [4]USS Hermitage (LSD-34) Command History for 1967, OPNAV Report 5750-1 (NHHC Command Operations Reports collection, Vietnam section) [other_primary]

   Locator

   PDF enclosures (1) chronology, (2) ship's history narrative, (3) people-to-people programs, MUC citation

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own 1967 command history (OPNAV Report 5750-1 submission to CNO, Ser 576, with enclosures (1) chronology, (2) ship's-history narrative, (3) people-to-people programs, (4)-(5) CO biography/photo, (6) July 1967 newsletter, (7) CTG 76.4 dispatch 080218Z Sep 67, (8) ship photograph; the PDF also appends the Meritorious Unit Commendation citation on CNO letterhead with CNO ref. ser. P09B1 of 6 May 1968): member of CARIB 4-66 (27 November 1966-24 January 1967); two-month availability at Little Creek; Captain H. Spencer Matthews Jr. relieved Captain J. E. McCauley as eleventh CO on 14 April 1967; departed Little Creek 25 April 1967 for WESTPAC, embarked 10 MSBs at Charleston for Long Beach; 30 April took aboard eight passengers of the sinking pleasure craft 'Billy H' ~300 miles off Panama and towed the craft to Panama; transited the Panama Canal 1 May; delivered the MSBs at Long Beach; embarked Marine Air Control Squadron FOUR at San Diego; on 4 June relieved USS Point Defiance at sea and joined Amphibious Ready Group ALFA (TG 76.4); served as Primary Control Ship for the waterborne assaults and Area Defense Control Ship for six combat amphibious operations - Bear Claw, Bear Bite (landings 3-18 July, DMZ), Beacon Guide (from 21 July, ~20 miles north of Da Nang), Beacon Gate (landing 7 August, lasting a week), Beacon Point (1 September, near DMZ), and Formation Leader; on 5 September suffered a material casualty that caused complete flooding of the after engine room - dewatered in an all-hands effort, arrived Subic Bay 10 September, fully repaired and departed 6 October; then ARG BRAVO (TG 76.5); relieved 8 November by a Pacific Fleet LSD; five days Hong Kong, Yokosuka restricted availability (arrived 21 November), Pearl Harbor (3 December), Panama transit, arrival Little Creek 19 December 1967. The submission also includes the Meritorious Unit Commendation citation (on Chief of Naval Operations letterhead, 'For the Secretary') for 26 May-29 November 1967 service with TG 76.4/76.5. Vietnam campaign per NavSource: Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase III (one campaign star).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1966-11-27 to 1967-12-19

   Population

   Ship's crew and embarked Marine units, 1967 deployment

   Limitations

   Primary ship-generated record; the 5 September after-engine-room flooding casualty is a ship-specific damage-and-repair event (engineering spaces dewatered and machinery restored at Subic Bay) but the report contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement - does not establish exposure. OCR quality of the scanned PDF is imperfect; dates read as printed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-03

5. [5]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'Today in Naval History - June 24' (1982 entry) [other_primary]

   Locator

   1982 dated entry; NavSource LSD-34 awards/ribbons block for medal attributions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC 'Today in Naval History' (June 24): in the wake of Israel's June 1982 invasion of Lebanon, amphibious ships Nashville (LPD-13) and Hermitage (LSD-34) evacuated nearly 600 Americans and foreign nationals from Juniyah near Beirut, 24-25 June 1982. NavSource awards list corroborates Lebanon service: Navy Expeditionary Medal (2-Lebanon) and Humanitarian Service Medal (Beirut Lebanon evacuation; also Guatemalan earthquake).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1982

   Population

   Crew and ~600 evacuees, June 1982

   Limitations

   Documents operational service only; no asbestos information. Ribbon attributions are from NavSource's compiled awards table (secondary but ship-specific).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-04

6. [6]NavSource Naval History, 'Dock Landing Ship Photo Index LSD-34 Hermitage' (page last updated 19 January 2024) [other_primary]

   Locator

   LSD-34 index page: spec block, milestones, awards, CO roster, Brazil transfer/disposal notes, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Hermitage (LSD-34): laid down 4 November 1955 and launched 21 June 1956 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula (conflicts with NVR/DANFS/DPHDM - see gaps and correction context); commissioned 14 December 1956; decommissioned 2 October 1989; transferred on loan to Brazil as Ceara (G-30); sold outright and stricken from the Naval Register 24 January 2001; Ceara decommissioned 31 March 2016; final disposition sunk as a target (date unknown on the page; photo captions document a fire aboard the hulk months after striking from Brazilian records and the later sinking as a target). Spec block: 8,899 t light / 11,525 t full; 510' x 84' x 19'; 20 knots; 18 officers + 330 enlisted + 325 troops; armament as built four twin 3"/50, four twin 40mm, six twin 20mm; well deck 3 LCU / 9 LCM-8 / 50 AAV-LVTP-7; propulsion two 600-psi D-type boilers, two steam turbines, two propellers, 24,000 shp. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon; Navy Unit Commendation; Meritorious Unit Commendation (2); Battle 'E'; Navy Expeditionary Medal (2-Cuba, 2-Lebanon); National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Congo, Cuba, Dominican Republic); Vietnam Service Medal (1); Humanitarian Service Medal (Guatemalan earthquake, Beirut evacuation); RVN Gallantry Cross; RVN Campaign Medal. Commanding-officer roster 1956-1989 (23 officers). Photo captions date Hermitage at anchor in the Kithira Strait, Eastern Mediterranean, 30 September 1975 with the USN Amphibious Ready Group after exercise Deep Express-75 (photos credited to the Soviet Kashin-class DDG Krasny Krim).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1955-2016

   Limitations

   NavSource is a compiled secondary archive, not an official record - its 4 November 1955 keel date and 21 June 1956 launch date conflict with NVR (04/11/1955, 06/12/1956) and DANFS (12 June 1956); the official dates are carried in the record fields and the variants logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-05

7. [7]Arquivo da Marinha (DPHDM), Fundo NDDCEA - Navio de Desembarque Doca-Ceara, ref. RJDPHDM NDDCEA [other_primary]

   Locator

   DPHDM archive page, 'Historia administrativa' narrative and 'Datas' block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Marinha do Brasil historical archive (Diretoria do Patrimonio Historico e Documentacao da Marinha, DPHDM) 'Fundo NDDCEA': the NDD Ceara (G-30), ex-USS Hermitage (LSD-34), fifth Brazilian ship of the name, built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula; transferred on a five-year loan with purchase option and incorporated into the Brazilian Navy 28 November 1989 (first commander CMG Asclepiades Jose Colmerauer dos Santos); arrived Rio de Janeiro December 1989; February 2001 - Brazil received the US Government transfer certificate, definitively acquired 24 January; Brazilian service includes Operation ONUMOZ I/94 (UN peacekeeping, Mozambique), UNAVEM III/95 (Angola), COMSOL 97 carrying President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, POIT-I/99 (~500 tons helo-lifted to Trindade island - largest such Brazilian Navy lift), and MINUSTAH Haiti sealift from May 2004. Date block: keel 11 April 1955; launch 12 June 1956; USN commissioning 14 December 1956; USN decommissioning 2 October 1989; Brazilian incorporation 28 November 1989.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1989-2005 (narrative coverage)

   Limitations

   Official Brazilian Navy archive record (Portuguese); independently confirms keel (11 Apr 1955) and launch (12 Jun 1956) dates against the NavSource variants. Contains no asbestos, materials-condition, or hazmat information; the physical archive fonds (documents relating to the ship) is flagged 'open access' but not digitized for this record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-06

8. [8]Defesa Aerea & Naval: 'E o fim chegou para o NDD Ceara (G 30)' (7 Apr 2016, republishing Portaria 118/MB in full) and 'Esquadra realizou lancamento real de armas afundando o ex-NDD Ceara' (11 Jun 2021) plus 'Video: Afundando o ex-NDD Ceara' (13 Jun 2021) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Portaria text at /naval/e-o-fim-chegou-para-o-ndd-ceara-g-30; sinking coverage at /naval/esquadra-realizou-lancamento-real-de-armas-afundando-o-ex-ndd-ceara and /naval/video-afundando-o-ex-ndd-ceara

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Brazilian Navy Portaria No. 118/MB of 31 March 2016 (text republished by Defesa Aerea & Naval, 7 April 2016): Article 1 gives 'baixa do Servico Ativo da Armada' (removal from active service) to the NDD Ceara; Article 2 designates EMGEPRON to dispose of the hull; Article 3 makes the order effective 29 April 2016. In June 2021 the Brazilian Navy expended the hull as a live-fire target in exercise Missilex 2021 in the ocean area between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio (per a Marinha do Brasil release republished by DAN, 11 June 2021): the hull was towed to the exercise area by ocean support ship Purus (G152); participants included submarine Tupi (S30), multipurpose dock ship Bahia (G40), submarine rescue ship Guillobel (K120), frigates Liberal (F43) and Independencia (F44), AF-1B/C Falcon aircraft (which dropped BAFG-230 bombs), and AH-11B/UH-12/SH-16 helicopters; weapons employed included torpedoes, surface-to-surface missiles (an Exocet MM-40 launch by Independencia is captioned), aircraft bombs and machine-gun fire, and frigate guns, 'culminating with the sinking of the target.' Exercise launches ran 3-10 June 2021; the sinking is reported as 10 June 2021.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   2016-2021

   Limitations

   Defense-trade press republication of official Brazilian Navy documents/imagery, not the Navy's own site (marinha.mil.br primary release not independently located); the 10 June 2021 sinking date is consistent across secondary coverage but the record carries 'exercises 3-10 June, sunk 10 June' at reputable-press confidence. No asbestos or pre-sinking hazmat-survey information is included - no statement that the hull was or was not remediated before sinking.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-07

9. [9]MDL No. 875 docket, doc. 7369 attachment 2 (Complaint, Timmons v. General Electric Co. et al., orig. Conn. Super. Ct. Bridgeport; removed D. Conn. 3:11-cv-00940), retrieved via CourtListener/RECAP [court_record]

   Locator

   JPML doc 7369-2 (12-page PDF): D. Conn. docket sheet (3:11-cv-00940-JBA) pp. 1-3; complaint para. 3 service history naming LSD-34, paras. 4-5 exposure/death allegations, pp. 4-12; RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.7369.2.pdf

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Pleading-stage asbestos allegation naming this hull: the complaint in Josephine M. Timmons, Administrator of the Estate of Thomas F. Timmons v. General Electric Company; CBS Corporation (successor-by-merger to Westinghouse Electric); Air & Liquid Systems Corporation (successor to Buffalo Pumps) - filed in Connecticut Superior Court, Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport (No. 11-6019287-S); removed 13 June 2011 by Air & Liquid Systems to the District of Connecticut (No. 3:11-cv-00940-JBA, Judge Janet Bond Arterton); the removed-case docket sheet and complaint were attached to the MDL-875 docket (In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation No. VI, J.P.M.L.) as document 7369 attachment 2, filed 15 June 2011, on designation as a potential tag-along action. The complaint alleges Thomas F. Timmons served in the U.S. Navy ~1954-1977 (retired 1977), including aboard 'the USS Hermitage ((LSD-34), from on or about 1965 to on or about 1967,' lists four other vessels (Compass Island AG-153 ~1959-63, Lookout AGR-2 ~1963-65, Gridley DDG-101 ~1970 [pleading's designation], Newport News CA-148) and naval facilities in Washington DC and Maryland, alleges he 'worked in areas where he was exposed to asbestos' during naval service and during subsequent civilian work removing equipment from submarines undergoing overhaul (~1980-1994), and that he 'suffered asbestos related disease and his death was directly related thereto.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-30

   Study period

   1965-1967 alleged shipboard service; ~1980-1994 civilian overhaul work; 2011 filing

   Population

   Thomas F. Timmons (decedent; alleged service aboard ~1965-1967); estate administrator

   Limitations

   PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - classified at the least-final stage per batch discipline. The complaint names this hull in a five-vessel service-history list and alleges asbestos exposure during Navy service generally; it does NOT attribute exposure to Hermitage specifically, identifies no shipboard location or product aboard this hull, and contains no adjudicated finding. Case disposition after the MDL tag-along notice is not verified. Existence of the pleading is verified; the exposure allegation is unadjudicated.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-08

10. [10]Franklin v. 3M Company, The, No. 2:22-cv-03083-RMG (D.S.C.), complaint doc. 1 via CourtListener/RECAP docket 65357679 [court_record]

    Locator

    Complaint paras. 109-111; RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.scd.274552.1.0.pdf

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Other litigation (non-asbestos exposure pleading naming this hull): Franklin v. 3M Company et al., D.S.C. 2:22-cv-03083 (filed 8 September 2022, terminated 12 July 2024; member of MDL No. 2873 AFFF litigation). The complaint alleges plaintiff Robert Franklin 'was a member of the Navy and stationed aboard the USS Hermitage from approximately 1987 to 1990,' used AFFF containing PFAS in firefighting training and response exercises aboard, ingested PFAS-contaminated water, and has PFAS in his blood serum (paras. 109-111).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1987-1990 alleged service; 2022-2024 litigation

    Population

    Robert Franklin (plaintiff; alleged service aboard ~1987-1990)

    Limitations

    PFAS/AFFF exposure allegation, NOT asbestos - carried so the litigation landscape for this hull is fully classified. Pleading-stage allegation (complaint only); docket shows terminated 12 July 2024 but the precise disposition basis is not verified from the record retrieved. Names the hull in a service period ~1987-1990, which overlaps the final two years of USN service.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-09

11. [11]United States v. Hutchinson, 15 M.J. 1056 (N.M.C.M.R. 1983), CourtListener opinion 8664213 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, sentencing section XII, service-record discussion

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Other litigation (non-asbestos, name mention only): United States v. Hutchinson, 15 M.J. 1056 (Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, decided 22 April 1983) - general court-martial opinion in which 'USS HERMITAGE' appears solely as a duty station in the appellant's service record ('a letter of commendation for his performance as an assistant navigator aboard the USS HERMITAGE'), in a sentencing-review discussion of a Marine convicted of murder and robbery conspiracies. No asbestos, exposure, or vessel-condition content.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1983 opinion; service period referenced circa early 1980s

    Limitations

    The only opinion-database hit literally naming 'USS Hermitage'; it is a criminal court-martial opinion with the ship named incidentally in a service record - classified as other litigation, not an asbestos or ship-condition record. Included to make the collision/classification audit trail explicit.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-10

12. [12]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979; released 22 October 1979), incl. enclosures with CNO correspondence of 5 January 1979 [gao]

    Locator

    Product-page highlights; full report PDF https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf (letter and Enclosures I-II)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    GAO HRD-80-2 (October 1979) documents Navy-wide shipboard asbestos policy and extent for the era covering this hull's construction and service: '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'; 'other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos'; 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos'; thermal insulation specifications were changed by late 1973 to asbestos-free materials but 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy's October 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation, modified January 1979 to selectively replace insulation in high-maintenance areas; estimated $2 billion fleet-wide removal rejected; '30 to 50 percent' of shipboard thermal asbestos insulation normally remains untouched except for minor maintenance during a ship's life; asbestos also in shipboard applications lacking substitutes - 'gaskets and pipe hanger liners.'

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    report October 1979; policy period 1971-1979

    Population

    Navy ship crews and shipyard workers fleet-wide (program context)

    Limitations

    Program-level Navy documentation - does not name this hull. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards (neither built nor overhauled this vessel per available records). Establishes that a 1955-1956 steam amphibious ship was built and operated in the period when asbestos thermal insulation was standard Navy practice and that no one-time removal program existed - it does not establish the material aboard this specific hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-11

13. [13]Jackson v. Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc., BRB No. 93-0712 (Benefits Review Board, July 1996), Longshore Act claim file 91-LHC-1000 [court_record]

    Locator

    BRB 93-0712 decision text, procedural history and nn. 1-3 (unpublished decision, dol.gov repository)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Builder-yard asbestos documentation: U.S. DOL Benefits Review Board, Jackson v. Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc., BRB No. 93-0712 (Decision and Order, July 1996) - claimant was an Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula) worker found to have a work-related pulmonary impairment diagnosed as asbestosis; his 21 November 1978 third-party suit named 12 manufacturers/sellers of 'asbestos products allegedly used at Ingalls Shipbuilding,' ending in a May-June 1982 jury verdict against Johns-Manville Sales Corp. and Raybestos-Manhattan/Raymark for $1,070,750, affirmed in Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 781 F.2d 394 (5th Cir. 1986); related BRB Ingalls asbestos claims noted (Parker v. Ingalls, 28 BRBS 339 (1994); Deakle v. Ingalls, 28 BRBS 343 (1994)).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1978-1996 litigation; underlying exposure period decades earlier

    Population

    Ingalls Shipbuilding workers (yard context)

    Limitations

    Yard-level record for the builder (Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula), not a hull record - documents that asbestos-containing products were alleged and adjudicated as used at the yard where this ship was built in 1955-1956; does not name this hull, does not establish exposure of this ship's crew, and does not itself prove asbestos was installed aboard LSD-34. Jackson's own work dates at the yard are not stated in this decision.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-12

14. [14]Inference from GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy-wide asbestos applications) combined with the hull's documented steam plant (NavSource) and documented 1967 engineering casualty (1967 command history) [other_primary]

    Locator

    GAO HRD-80-2 enclosures; NavSource LSD-34 spec block; Hermitage 1967 command history narrative

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era application inference for a 1955-1956-built steam-powered amphibious ship: the Navy's major shipboard asbestos application was thermal insulation of machinery, equipment, and piping (GAO HRD-80-2), with additional shipboard uses in gaskets, pipe hanger liners, clutches, and electric cables; this hull's twin 600-psi D-type boiler / twin steam turbine plant (NavSource spec block) is of the type that era practice insulated with asbestos-containing materials, and its 1960s-80s overhauls and the documented September 1967 after-engine-room casualty repair (flooding, dewatering, machinery salvage at Subic Bay) are maintenance-disturbance events of the kind that disturbed insulation in this era.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1955-1989

    Population

    Construction trades (Ingalls, 1955-56); engineering crew and repair personnel (1956-1989)

    Limitations

    Era/design inference only - no document names asbestos aboard this hull. The 1967 casualty repair is documented as an event; that it disturbed asbestos insulation is inference, not established by the command history (which does not mention insulation material). Under the Navy's 1975/1979 policy, damaged insulation on in-service ships was replaced with non-asbestos material where disturbed - so post-1975 repairs may have reduced original ACM; net quantity aboard at any date is unknown.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-13

15. [15]Batch-5823 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, NVR, NavSource, Marinha DPHDM, Defesa Aerea & Naval, NARA, GAO, DOL BRB, CourtListener API v4 (opinion and RECAP docket indexes) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-hermitage-lsd34-01 through sl-uss-hermitage-lsd34-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos documentation located beyond the pleading-stage Timmons allegation: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, transfer hazmat disclosure, environmental remediation record, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Hermitage (LSD-34) / NDD Ceara (G-30) was found in the sources searched - DANFS, NVR, NHHC command-history and 'Today in History' pages, NavSource, the Marinha do Brasil DPHDM archive fonds description, Brazilian decommission Portaria 118/MB and sinking coverage, NARA deck-log digitization index, GAO HRD-80-2, and CourtListener opinion/docket searches (see search_ledger).

    Verification

    verified

    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 - a 1956 steam amphibious hull is era-consistent with ACM insulation, and transfer-era hazmat documentation (1989 loan, 2001 sale, 2016 Brazilian disposal, 2021 sinking) is unpublished or not located. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-14

16. [16]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' index; NHHC ZC-files-H index; Marinha do Brasil DPHDM 'Fundo NDDCEA' description [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA navy-online index, 'Hermitage (LSD-34)' section (years 1966-1970); NHHC zc-files-h.html; DPHDM fonds RJDPHDM NDDCEA

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (located but not retrieved at item level): NARA's digitized Navy deck-log series includes Hermitage (LSD-34) logs for 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 (National Archives Catalog series 594258, per the NARA deck-logs index page); logs for 1956-1965 and 1971-1989 are not listed in the digitized index and would be paper holdings if extant. NHHC ZC files list 'Hermitage (LSD-34), 1973-1975, Change of Command' material. The Brazilian Navy archive holds an open-access fonds 'NDDCEA' of documents relating to the ship.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-30

    Study period

    1966-1970 logs; 1973-1975 ZC files; 1989-2016 fonds

    Limitations

    Index-level confirmation only - individual deck-log images and the ZC-file/DPHDM folder contents were not reviewed; existence of asbestos-relevant entries (e.g., 1967 casualty repair detail, overhaul work notes) is possible but unknown until inspected. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-hermitage-lsd34-15