Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Naval Vessel Register, live record for HOUSTON (SSN 713), shipId 2207 (site updated 08/11/2026; record last updated 11/06/2024); corroborated by NVR Wayback capture 2019 (physical characteristics and accommodations) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- NVR getHull shipId=2207 (live); web.archive.org NVR SHIPSDETAIL_SSN_713 captures
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for this hull: Class SSN 688; UIC 20994; builder NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING; award 08/01/1975; keel 01/29/1979; launch 03/21/1981; delivery 09/21/1982; commission 09/25/1982; inactivation ceremony 07/28/2016; decommission 08/24/2017; stricken 08/24/2017; status 'stricken, to be disposed of by dismantling (scrapping/recycling)'; assigned PSNS&IMF Bremerton. 2019 capture adds: steam turbine (nuclear), 1 propeller; accommodations 12 officers/98 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1975-2017
- Population
- Crew (1982-2017); NNS construction trades (1979-82); yard trades at documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Ship-specific administrative record only; no asbestos or material content. NVR milestone dates are official register figures and may differ from ceremony dates in secondary sources (decommissioning ceremony held 08/26/2017 per navysite). Does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-01
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[2]WILLIAMS v. AIR & LIQUID SYSTEMS CORPORATION AS SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO BUFFALO PUMPS, INC (E.D. Pa. 2:26-cv-02179), ECF No. 1-3 Exhibit A-F (filed Apr 2, 2026) — asbestos complaint exhibit; document text verified [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-3, Exhibit A 'Government Ships' table (PDF p. 320)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- PLEADING-STAGE allegation, document-verified: plaintiff Antonio R. Williams's asbestos complaint (Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, removed to E.D. Pa.) includes a 'Government Ships' work-history table listing 'Houston (SSN-713) 1/79-9-82' — a date range matching this hull's Newport News Shipbuilding construction window (keel Jan 1979, delivery Sep 1982). The exhibit package includes a 'RADM Sargent Declaration in Williams, Antonio for Huntington Ingalls' — consistent with a Newport News Shipbuilding construction-period exposure allegation (Air & Liquid = Buffalo Pumps as defendant).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1979-1982 (alleged work period); filed 2026
- Population
- Newport News Shipbuilding construction trades (alleged period 1/79-9/82)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only — a complaint work-history table, never adjudicated. It alleges the plaintiff worked around this hull during construction at the shipyard; it does not establish asbestos was present aboard, that he was exposed aboard it, causation, quantity, or eligibility. Table OCR artifacts (e.g., 'S6SN716') noted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-02
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[3]COOKS v. GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (E.D. Pa. 2:25-cv-01871), ECF No. 1-2 Exhibit A (filed Apr 17, 2025) — asbestos complaint exhibit; document text verified [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel/work-history list
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- PLEADING-STAGE allegation, document-verified: plaintiff's Exhibit A Mare Island Naval Shipyard work-history list names 'HOUSTON (SSN-713)' among vessels worked aboard (same exhibit also names LA JOLLA (SSN-701)). The complaint is an asbestos personal-injury action against General Electric.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- alleged Mare Island work period; filed 2025
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard trades (alleged work windows)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only — complaint exhibit, never adjudicated. Vessel naming alleges the plaintiff worked around this hull during a Mare Island availability; it does not establish asbestos was present aboard, that he was exposed aboard it, causation, quantity, or eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-03
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[4]GUTHRIE v. BUFFALO PUMPS INC (E.D. Pa. 2:25-cv-03826), ECF No. 1-2 Exhibit A (filed Jul 16, 2025) — asbestos complaint exhibit; document text verified [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A work-history list + narrative declaration
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- PLEADING-STAGE allegation, document-verified: plaintiff Guthrie's Exhibit A work history names 'HOUSTON (SSN-713)' among vessels worked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where he was employed as a marine machinist 1975-1980 and 1984-1995; his declaration describes tearing out pumps, valves, and other equipment while other trades installed new equipment during ship refurbishment. His second employment window overlaps this hull's documented Mare Island selected restricted availability (28 Feb - ~May 1985) and emergent drydocking (9-14 Sep 1985).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1975-1980, 1984-1995 employment (alleged); filed 2025
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard trades (alleged 1985 window overlaps documented SRA)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only — complaint exhibit + plaintiff declaration, never adjudicated. The temporal overlap with the documented SRA window is a correlation, not a verified account of his specific work on this hull. Does not establish asbestos was present aboard, exposure, causation, quantity, or eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-04
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[5]navysite.de secondary compilation, USS Houston (SSN 713) — narrative built from NHHC command histories (26th of class, eighth built by Newport News; sponsored by Barbara Bush; NNS post-shakedown availability Apr-Aug 1983; Mare Island SRA Feb 28-May 1985 + emergent drydock Sep 9-14, 1985; homeports Norfolk, San Diego, Guam 2004, Pearl Harbor 2012) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navysite.de/ssn/ssn713.htm (characteristics block, history narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service narrative for this hull (secondary compilation): 26th Los Angeles-class boat, fourth USN ship named Houston, hull number chosen to match Houston's area code; sponsored at launch by Barbara Bush; commissioned 25 September 1982; post-shakedown availability at Newport News Shipbuilding beginning 29 April 1983 (~4 months); ten-week selected restricted availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 28 February 1985 plus emergent drydocking 9-14 September 1985; homeports Norfolk, San Diego, Apra Harbor Guam (Dec 2004), Pearl Harbor (Jan 2012); departed Pearl Harbor for Bremerton inactivation June 2016; decommissioning ceremony 26 August 2017.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1975-2017
- Population
- Crew (1982-2017)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary source — used for service narrative only, consistent with prior-batch practice; never sole support for an asbestos claim. The NNS/Mare Island yard windows are context only — they do NOT establish asbestos exposure or disturbance. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-05
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[6]Era inference built on: NVR record (S6G-plant 688-class build window 1979-82 at Newport News; NNS PSA Apr-Aug 1983; Mare Island SRA + drydock 1985; PSNS inactivation/recycling pending post-2017); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for newport-news-shipbuilding, mare-island-naval-shipyard, and puget-sound-naval-shipyard (thermal insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing); GAO HRD-80-2 substitution timeline [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR record (build window); navysite PSA/SRA narrative; shipyards.json product lists for newport-news-shipbuilding, mare-island-naval-shipyard, puget-sound-naval-shipyard; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A Flight I Los Angeles-class submarine built 1979-82 at Newport News sits inside the Navy's late asbestos-use transition: GAO documented the Navy began substituting alternative insulation materials in the early 1970s, while asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and residual insulation products persisted in shipboard applications into the 1980s. This hull's construction, NNS post-shakedown availability (Apr-Aug 1983), and two documented Mare Island availabilities (Feb-May and Sep 1985) are the asbestos-relevant yard windows — three pleadings independently name this hull across both yards — residual asbestos applications were era-plausible but are otherwise undocumented for this hull; nuclear propulsion itself establishes nothing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1979-2017
- Population
- NNS construction trades (1979-82); NNS PSA trades (1983); Mare Island SRA/drydock trades (1985); crew (1982-2017); PSNS inactivation/recycling trades (2016+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only — weaker than for pre-1970 hulls because construction post-dates the Navy's documented substitution start. No hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for SSN-713. Names era-possible applications and documented yard windows, not confirmed installed materials or disturbance; no quantity. Does not establish exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-06
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[7]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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s — the boundary regime applicable to this hull's 1979-82 construction at Newport News and its 1983-85 availabilities.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to 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-houston-ssn713-07
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[8]Kase v. Metalclad Insulation Corp., Cal. Ct. App. (4th Dist.) 2021 (CourtListener opinions 4324658, 4332654) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, specification-history discussion
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Court-documented era regime: the Navy's submarine insulation procurement specifications (SUBSAFE's MIL-I-24244 post-1963; predecessor BuShips practice before) covered insulation for submarine construction and overhaul — the regime applicable to this hull's 1979-82 build and 1983-85 availabilities.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2021 (opinion); regime described post-1963
- Population
- Navy submarine construction/maintenance trades
- Limitations
- This hull is not named in the opinion; documents the era spec regime only. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, exposure, causation, quantity, or eligibility. Description follows the batch-08 verified reading of the opinion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-08
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[9]CourtListener sweep 2026-09-18: "USS Houston" (type=r; type=o); "SSN-713" and "SSN 713" (type=r) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-houston-ssn713-04 through -06
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Sweep summary: 'SSN-713' returned the three verified pleading namings (Williams, Cooks, Guthrie) plus Motors Liquidation (S.D.N.Y. 2010, GM bankruptcy) — a likely fragment collision (unverified). 'USS Houston' returned 12 docket hits: Hornsby v. United States x3 (E.D. Va. 2025, unverified pro-se filings), Akorn bankruptcy x7 (D. Del. 2023-24, pharmaceutical bankruptcy — string is a non-vessel context), Bryant v. Dep't of the Navy (D.D.C. 2019, employment/FOIA) — none verified as this hull in an asbestos context. Zero opinions. Collision note: WWII namesakes CA-30 (sunk 1942) and CL-81 are high-collision; both predate this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Name-match hits are unverified at document level; Motors Liquidation is a likely fragment collision by pattern. Negative findings bounded by Atom-feed recency (~20 newest documents) and index coverage. Absence of a located record does not prove absence of exposure or asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-09
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[10]ACM survey / abatement / SRP-disclosure sweep (web) + search ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger row sl-uss-houston-ssn713-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/recycling hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Houston (SSN-713) was located. The hull is stricken and moored at PSNS&IMF Bremerton awaiting Ship-Submarine Recycling Program dismantling; SRP hazmat documentation is not publicly retrievable for any 688-class hull reviewed in this or prior nuclear batches.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2017+; sweep 2026-09-18
- Population
- PSNS&IMF Ship-Submarine Recycling Program trades (2017+)
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. Recycling-yard material characterization is not public. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-houston-ssn713-10