Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]U.S. General Accounting Office, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct. 1979), Enclosure I - Department of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations letter Ser 4542/318054 (5 Jan 1979), Attachment #1 'List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction (Ship Class, Name and Hull Number and Status of Thermal Insulation)' [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2, Enclosure I, Attachment #1, DESTROYER - DD section, p.8 of enclosure (PDF p.18); row HEWITT 966; merged-cell read confirmed against rendered page
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Attachment #1 lists USS HEWITT by name and hull number - HEWITT, hull 966, construction start 2/73, delivered 9/76 - in the DESTROYER - DD / SPRUANCE section under thermal insulation status 'Asbestos thermal insulation' for machinery, equipment and piping systems (Note 1). The label is a merged cell vertically centered over hulls DD-963 through DD-973 (SPRUANCE through JOHN YOUNG, delivered 5/78), terminated by a horizontal rule; the following merged cell, 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation,' is centered over DD-974 through DD-992. This is the Navy's own contemporaneous listing identifying asbestos thermal insulation aboard this hull as delivered.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (construction through report date)
- Population
- Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades (1973-76); ship's company 1976-2001 (accommodations 25 officers / 273 enlisted per NVR)
- Limitations
- Establishes asbestos thermal insulation installed aboard this hull as delivered, per the Navy's January 1979 response; does not give a hull-specific quantity (the destroyer-class estimate of 87,634 lbs in Enclosure II derives from USS PAUL F. FOSTER DD-964's weight-control report), does not cover non-insulation asbestos applications, and does not track later removal during the 1981 LBNSY or 1987-88 NASSCO overhauls. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; full text verified via 2019 Wayback capture and a rendered-page layout check of the attachment table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-01
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[2]GAO HRD-80-2, transmittal letter and Enclosures I-II (CNO letters Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979 and Ser 454D/318571 of 8 Feb 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 transmittal letter pp.1-3; Enclosure I letter text; Enclosure II estimate table
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Navy program context for this hull's era: thermal-insulation specifications were revised in 1973 to require asbestos-free materials, but 'asbestos materials had already been purchased and in some cases installed in ships under construction. Therefore, some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' The October 1975 policy eliminated asbestos use where suitable alternates were designated; by January 1979 the policy was modified to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas; the Navy declined a one-time removal program estimated at $2 billion and projected removal/replacement of all shipboard thermal asbestos insulation within about five years except the 30-50 percent normally untouched. The CNO enclosure states 'Each ship has several types of asbestos containing materials installed' and 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos,' citing gaskets and pipe hanger liners (no designated asbestos-free substitutes), deck floor tiling, galley-range electric cabling, equipment brakes and clutches, and electrical resistors. Destroyer-class thermal insulation estimate: 87,634 lbs (Enclosure II). GAO fieldwork yards: Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, both found to have comprehensive asbestos control programs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1973-1979
- Population
- Navy shipbuilding and repair workforce, incl. Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyard trades (GAO fieldwork sites); fleet-wide
- Limitations
- Program- and fleet-level statements, not hull-specific for DD-966 beyond the Attachment #1 listing carried in ev-01. The 87,634-lb destroyer figure is a class estimate drawn from DD-964's weight-control report - carried as class context, not Hewitt's measured quantity. Statements reflect conditions as of early 1979.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-02
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[3]Naval Vessel Register, HEWITT (DD 966) vessel status page (NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office, Norfolk Naval Shipyard; page last updated 12/12/2017; retrieved via Wayback capture 2021-02-24) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_DD_966, Vessel Status + Milestone Dates + Physical Characteristics tables (Wayback 2021-02-24)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official register record for this hull: Class DD 963 (Spruance); UIC 20586; builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; award 01/01/1971; keel 07/23/1973; launch 08/24/1974; delivery 09/01/1976; commission 09/25/1976; decommission 07/19/2001; stricken 06/05/2002; status 'Disposed of by Dismantling (Scrapping/Recycling)' effective 12/19/2002. Characteristics: 563 ft overall / 529 ft waterline; beam 55 ft; full displacement 9,403 tons; steel hull, aluminum superstructure; 2 propellers; propulsion type gas turbines; accommodations 25 officers / 273 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1971-2002
- Population
- Ship's company 1976-2001 (accommodations 25 officers / 273 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Official milestones and characteristics only - no materials or asbestos information. The live NVR URL serves the navigation shell without the detail table for this disposed hull; content verified via Wayback capture of 2021-02-24. Full displacement reflects as-disposed condition (post-VLS modernization); the class design figure (~8,040 tons full) differs. Decommission 07/19/2001 is the formal register date; the San Diego ceremony occurred 07/13/2001.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-03
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[4]Siegfried v. 3M Co. et al., No. 2:18-cv-01575-FMO-E (C.D. Cal.), Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s Joinder to Defendant Elliot Company's Notice of Removal, ECF No. 50 (filed 2018-03-02) (RECAP; state case BC691900, L.A. Superior) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 50, Preliminary Statement para. 1 (vessel/exposure list naming 'USS Hewitt (DD-966)') and Summary of Facts paras. 3-6
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull at the pleading stage: the removal joinder recites that the complaint alleges Terry Lee Siegfried was injured by asbestos exposure from Owens-Illinois while an electrician and marine electrician between approximately 1969 and 1996 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard and aboard approximately 45 listed vessels, expressly including 'USS Hewitt (DD-966)'. The removal papers assert Owens-Illinois's government-contractor (federal-officer) defense for Kaylo thermal insulation manufactured to Navy specifications (32-I-3 / MIL-I-2819; 32-P-8 / MIL-I-2781).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1969-1996 (alleged exposure); 2018 (filing)
- Population
- Terry Lee Siegfried (electrician / marine electrician, ~1969-1996); LBNSY workers
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation recited in a removal joinder - alleges, but does not adjudicate, exposure aboard this hull; does not establish that Kaylo was aboard DD-966, individual exposure, causation, or material quantity. Posture at removal (Feb-Mar 2018); later merits disposition not located (CourtListener API throttled this session - see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-04
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[5]Alvin L. Lundy v. Litton Systems, Inc., 624 F.2d 590 (5th Cir. 1980) (per curiam; No. 79-1061, decided Oct. 8, 1980) [court_record]
- Locator
- 624 F.2d 590, opinion text paras. 1-3 (facts) and vessel-status holding
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published opinion naming this hull (non-asbestos litigation): on July 1, 1976, Litton Systems meter calibrator Alvin L. Lundy was working aboard USS HEWITT, DD-966 - then 97% complete and moored at an outfitting dock undergoing construction and preparations for sea trials - when he fell through an escape hatch left open by the ship's crew. The Fifth Circuit held that an incomplete ship under construction is a 'vessel' under LHWCA section 905(b) and reversed summary judgment for the employer. Documents civilian contractor personnel working aboard this hull during final construction - the ship-specific exposure population - but is not an asbestos case.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1976 (injury); 1980 (opinion)
- Population
- Litton Systems / Ingalls contractor employees aboard during outfitting, 1976
- Limitations
- Other litigation (LHWCA injury), not an asbestos proceeding - carried as ship-specific context for contractor workforce presence aboard the hull in 1976; establishes nothing about materials aboard. CourtListener unreachable this session; opinion text verified via Public.Resource.Org reporter archive (624 F.2d 590) and corroborating indexed excerpts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-05
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[6]navysite.de USS Hewitt (DD 966) ship history (USN-derived narrative compilation) + NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-966 (official USN photographs, building data, commanding officers, disposal details) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- navysite.de/dd/dd966.htm 'History of USS HEWITT' + General Characteristics; navsource.org/archives/05/966.htm 'Operational and Building Data' + 'Fate'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service narrative: first WESTPAC deployment Sept 1978-Apr 1979 (7th Fleet; Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hong Kong); second deployment from 15 May 1980 with Battle Group CHARLIE in the Indian Ocean (Iran-hostage-era presence; Navy Expeditionary medal; Humanitarian Service Medal for rescuing Vietnamese boat refugees; Battle 'E', DESRON-21, 1979-80); first overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard from 19 May 1981; fourth deployment 18 Oct 1984; DESRON-31 Pacific Fleet ASW squadron Sep 1985-Apr 1987; second overhaul/modernization (VLS, Tomahawk, CIWS, LAMPS III, SQQ-89) at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO), San Diego, May 1987-Nov 1988; Arabian Gulf deployment 18 Sep 1989-16 Mar 1990; forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, joining DESRON-15 on 25 Aug 1990 - including Desert Storm-era Red Sea Maritime Interception Force operations 15 Jun-12 Sep 1991, a six-month Arabian Gulf deployment ending Apr 1993 (Tomahawk strike against Iraq; Meritorious Unit Commendation), and Operation DESERT STRIKE (two Tomahawks launched 4 Sep 1996); women-at-sea berthing modification May 1997; departed Yokosuka 24 Aug 1997 for San Diego, joining DESRON-23; MEF 99-1 deployment Jan-Jul 1999; final PACMEF 00-4 deployment (departed 9 Nov 2000; Operation Southern Watch; 35 days of maritime interception operations); decommission ceremony 13 Jul 2001, Pier 7, Naval Station San Diego. Disposal per NavSource: sold 19 Dec 2002 to International Shipbreakers / Brownsville International Shipbreaking Corp., Brownsville, TX, for $3,144,520; removed 22 Dec 2002; scrapping completed 7 Nov 2003.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1976-2003
- Population
- Crew 1976-2001; LBNSY (1981) and NASSCO (1987-88) overhaul yard workers; SRF Yokosuka maintenance workers 1990-97
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of USN-PAO-derived text - not itself official. This hull postdates DANFS coverage (NavSource: 'built too late to be covered by the DANFS project'; live NHHC page 404), so this is the fullest narrative located; milestones cross-checked against the NVR record (ev-03) where they overlap. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-06
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[7]Atlas shipyards.json record 'ingalls-shipbuilding' (yard evidence_tier 2): yard-documented asbestos product set incl. Kaylo, Thermobestos, Marinite, Superex, pipe insulation/lagging, gaskets, valve and pump packing, fireproofing; peak employment 27,280 (1977) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'ingalls-shipbuilding' (asbestos_products_documented, product_normalized, employment)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: USS Hewitt was constructed 1973-76 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi - a yard whose Atlas record documents asbestos-containing products (Kaylo, Thermobestos, Marinite, Superex insulation, pipe insulation/lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing) across its Navy build programs. The hull's asbestos thermal insulation is independently ship-documented by ev-01; this row adds only the yard-level environment, and Lundy (ev-05) documents Litton/Ingalls contractor personnel working aboard the hull at outfitting.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1973-1976
- Population
- Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades 1973-76 (yard peak ~27,280 in 1977)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull materials list - establishes the environment in which the hull was built, not specific product installation aboard DD-966 (which ev-01 covers for thermal insulation). NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the unretrieved archival lead for hull-level product detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-07
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[8]Batch-287 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, Naval Vessel Register, GAO HRD-80-2, CourtListener API and web UI (throttled/blocked), web-indexed court records and RECAP storage, NavSource, navysite.de/globalsecurity, Atlas shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hewitt-dd966-01 through sl-uss-hewitt-dd966-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the GAO thermal-insulation listing (ev-01), no additional hull-level asbestos documentation was located in the public sources searched: no ACM survey, abatement contract, overhaul work-package disclosure, or scrapping-era hazmat/ACM record for the 2002-03 Brownsville dismantling; and no merits-stage adjudication of asbestos exposure aboard this hull (the one qualifying case is pleading-stage - ev-04).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence - the 1981 LBNSY and 1987-88 NASSCO overhauls are plausible points where insulation was removed under the Navy's selective-replacement policy, but no work package is public. CourtListener API (throttled, ~5 h initial backoff) and web UI (HTTP 202 empty) were unreachable this session; a direct CL sweep remains an open task (see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hewitt-dd966-08