Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Hunley' (AS-31 entry), Naval Historical Center (history.navy.mil/danfs/h9/hunley.htm), via Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture 2013-06-10 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS H-volume page, 'Hunley' (AS-31) section; live history.navy.mil DANFS URL 404s as of 2026-09-26 - archived capture used
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Hunley (AS-31): launched 28 September 1961 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va.; sponsored by Mrs. J. Palmer Gaillard; commissioned 16 June 1962, Capt. Douglas N. Syverson in command; 'the first ship designed and built up from the keel to service and maintain the U.S. Navy's nuclear powered Ballistic Missile Submarine Fleet' with complete facilities for the Polaris Weapons System and any submarine repair other than major shipyard overhaul. Statistics line: dp. 19,000; l. 599'; b. 83'; dr. 23'4"; s. 18 k.; cpl. 1,190; a. 2 5"; cl. Hunley. Service through 1967: shakedown off Cuba 25 Jul-6 Sep 1962; departed Norfolk 29 Dec 1962, arrived Holy Loch 9 Jan 1963; relieved Proteus 15 Mar 1963 as Submarine Squadron 14 tender; conversion for the A3 Polaris missile 12 Apr-15 Jun 1964; 100th SSBN refit December 1965 (Thomas A. Edison alongside); returned to U.S. late 1966, operating from Charleston 1967. Documented repair scope: welding on SSBN pressure hulls and reactor-plant fluid systems; a Sub-Safe package on Theodore Roosevelt installing 40+ fittings and 100+ feet of new piping; an 11-day battery replacement on Ethan Allen; waterborne propeller replacements; encapsulation of AC induction motors.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1962-1967
- Population
- Ship's company repair divisions; submarine crews tended alongside
- Limitations
- DANFS coverage ends in 1967 (entry predates later service); repair-scope text documents welding/piping/machinery work aboard the hull but makes no statement about asbestos-containing materials - exposure-relevant context, not an asbestos finding. Does not establish quantity, presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-01
-
[2]U.S. Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Hunley (AS-31), 1962-1994' (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror of history.navy.mil content) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Vessel narrative paragraph; photo captions NH 96829, NH 96830, NH 69856, USN 1150152, NH 96831
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Historical Center Online Library vessel page: USS Hunley, a 19,000-ton submarine tender built at Newport News, commissioned June 1962; first new tender designed to support SSBNs; based at Holy Loch, Scotland and Charleston, S.C. during 1963-67; SSBN tender at Guam and Charleston over the next twelve years with time out in 1971-72 to be fitted for the larger Poseidon missiles; stationed at Holy Loch again 1982-87; final service as tender to attack submarines at U.S. East Coast ports; 'decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in September 1994.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1962-1994
- Limitations
- Narrative merges decommission and striking into September 1994; NVR records stricken date as 1995-05-03 - NVR adopted as controlling for the milestone. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-02
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA/NAVSHIPSO), ship detail page HUNLEY (AS 31), via Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture 2024-07-10 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vessel Status and Milestone Dates tables; Comments field; live nvr.navy.mil detail page no longer serves post-disposal record - archived capture used
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record for HUNLEY (AS 31), Submarine Tender, UIC 04689: builder Newport News Shipbuilding; award 11/16/1959; keel 11/28/1960; launch 09/28/1961; delivery and commission 06/16/1962; decommission 09/30/1994; stricken 05/03/1995; status 'Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration' effective 05/01/1999; propulsion type Diesel Electric; steel hull and superstructure; dead weight 4,788 tons; NVR comment: 'HUNLEY WAS SOLD BY MARAD FOR SCRAP TO SOUTHERN SCRAP MATERIALS CO., LA ON 05 JAN 07' (record last updated 03/12/2007).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1959-2007
- Limitations
- Authoritative for milestones, hull material, and propulsion type. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - HUNLEY (AS-31), ShipHistory Detail 2276 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Characteristics block and Milestones table, Detail 2276
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for HUNLEY (AS-31): year built 1962; Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company; Naval Auxiliary / AS Submarine Tender; length 598.90 ft; beam 82.98 ft; displacement 19,819 t (summer) / 12,055 t (lightweight); fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Milestones: entry/acquisition (MARAD custody) 10/12/1995; interim movement 8/20/1997 'ENRTE: NISMF Portsmouth for stripping' and 'At NISMF for stripping'; 6/30/1998 'Returning to JRRF following stripping' / 'Returned from stripping at NISMF'; title transfer to MARAD 5/1/1999; NHPA process cleared 3/24/2006 ('VA SHPO concurrence letter on this date cleared ships for disposal'); disposition 1/5/2007 'Vessel sold for scrap on this date'; departed for scrapping and withdrawn 3/7/2007. No status cards, documents, plans, or images are digitized for this vessel in the database.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1995-2007
- Population
- NISMF Portsmouth stripping crews (1997-98); NDRF/JRRF caretakers; Southern Scrap shipbreakers (2007-08)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for MARAD custody and disposal milestones. The 1997-98 NISMF Portsmouth 'stripping' period is a documented parts-removal/disturbance event aboard the hull, but the record states nothing about asbestos or hazardous-material handling; no asbestos claim. No status card scan exists for this hull (unlike many NDRF vessels).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-04
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 searches via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py; Federal Register API (federalregister.gov/documents.json, term 'Hunley') [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hunley-as31-05 through sl-uss-hunley-as31-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep (authenticated API v4, 2026-09-26): opinion search 'USS Hunley' returned 2 results, both military-justice (see ev-06); 'Hunley' AND asbestos returned 11 opinions, all surname/firm-name collisions (e.g., Lemle Kelleher Kohlmeyer Dennery Hunley Moss & Frilot), zero vessel references in result text; '"Hunley" "submarine tender"' returned 0; 'AS-31' alone returned 755 raw hits dominated by reporter-paginate tokens with no vessel relevance in results reviewed; Federal Register API 'Hunley' returned 19 documents, all personal-name collisions. RECAP docket search 'USS Hunley' returned 4 dockets: DUENAS v. GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY (E.D. Pa., filed 2012-02-24, an MDL-875 member-case context); Sloane v. 3M Company (D.S.C., 2021, 3M earplug MDL context - name collision pattern); IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI) (JPML master docket, 1991); Jeffery P. Johnson (Bankr. D. Conn., 2020). Document-level pinpoint for the vessel-name match inside those dockets was not retrievable within session rate limits. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming the hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A docket-level match only proves the string 'USS Hunley' occurs somewhere in a RECAP-indexed docket or filing - stage is pleading allegation at most, and the document pinpoint was not retrieved (fleet pacing). Absence of a located asbestos case does not prove no claim was ever filed; not all filings are indexed, and none of this establishes or defeats any individual exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-05
-
[6]United States v. Swanson, 12 M.J. 869 (N.M.C.M.R. 1982), CourtListener opinion 8663562; United States v. Marshall, 19 C.M.A. 97 (1969), CourtListener opinion 8597109 [court_record]
- Locator
- Swanson lead-opinion text (cable-cutting aboard USS HUNLEY AS-31); Marshall charge specification ('then Ship's Serviceman Third Class, U.S. Navy, USS HUNLEY (AS31)')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Two published military-justice opinions name the hull (non-asbestos, classified 'other litigation'): United States v. Swanson, 12 M.J. 869 (U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review, filed 1982-01-25) - sailor charged after cutting 29 communication cables on board USS HUNLEY (AS-31); United States v. Marshall, 19 C.M.A. 97 / 41 C.M.R. 97 (U.S. Court of Military Appeals, 1969-12-05) - the accused was a Ship's Serviceman Third Class assigned to USS HUNLEY (AS-31) at Guam; the offense occurred ashore at the La Paloma Bar, Agana, on or about 8 April 1968.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1968, 1980-1982
- Population
- Ship's company (context)
- Limitations
- Confirms the hull's name in the published military-justice record and corroborates the Guam basing period; neither case concerns asbestos, occupational disease, or exposure conditions. Not qualifying asbestos litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-06
-
[7]GAO, Maritime Administration: Improved Program Management Needed to Address Timely Disposal of Obsolete Ships, GAO-05-264 (2005) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO-05-264 product page and report abstract (highlights text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO-05-264 documents that the National Defense Reserve Fleet's deteriorating non-retention ships - the disposal queue the ex-Hunley occupied from October 1995 to March 2007 - 'typically' contain hazardous materials 'such as asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and residual oils and fuels,' and describes the MARAD disposal program's regulatory constraints (federal and state environmental and worker-safety compliance for hazardous-material removal) under which the ship was sold to Southern Scrap Materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2005
- Population
- NDRF disposal-program workers and shipbreakers (fleet-level)
- Limitations
- Program/fleet-level statement ('many' ships), not a hull finding - the report does not inventory Hunley or any specific hull's hazmat condition. Supports era/fleet context for the disposal pathway only; does not establish asbestos presence aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-07
-
[8]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 - standing batch limitation)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program era covering this ship's construction and service life: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Hunley's yards or the ship herself. Supports era context for why insulation persisted aboard Navy ships, not any fact specific to this hull; full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - description via product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-08
-
[9]St. Petersburg Times, 'Derelict vessels pinned down in Industrial Canal' (Sept 1, 2008, archived); Times-Picayune (M. Carr live report Sept 1, 2008; S. Grissett Sept 18, 2008, archived) on the Gustav Industrial Canal breakaways and subsequent Coast Guard vessel-removal orders [reputable_press]
- Locator
- tampabay.com Storm Watch 2008-09-01 (two derelict Naval vessels at pump-station barriers); nola.com captures 20180226091910 (2008-09-01) and 20160303200738 (2008-09-18, USCG orders)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- During Hurricane Gustav (night of August 31 - September 1, 2008), dozens of Southern Scrap Material Company vessels and barges broke their moorings in New Orleans' Industrial Canal; contemporaneous St. Petersburg Times photo coverage shows two derelict ex-Navy vessels from Southern Scrap pushed against concrete barriers protecting city pump station 19 and the Florida Avenue Bridge area, and the Times-Picayune reported Coast Guard orders removing all vessels from the canal and barring Southern Scrap from keeping vessels there for the rest of the 2008 season. Post-storm retrospective accounts identify the pair of ex-military hulls at the Florida Avenue Bridge as the former submarine tender Hunley and ex-USNS American Explorer. The event documents that the ex-Hunley was still at the scrapyard, substantially intact, more than a year after the January 2007 sale.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2008
- Population
- Southern Scrap shipbreaking workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous articles describe the vessels without naming Hunley ('decommissioned Navy ship,' 'two derelict Naval vessels'); the Hunley identification comes from post-storm retrospective accounts, consistent with MARAD/NVR records placing the hull at Southern Scrap's Industrial Canal facility at that date. Contains no asbestos or hazmat information; the precise completion date of dismantling is not documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-09
-
[10]Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (D.D.C. 2005), CourtListener opinion 2528779; earlier TRO opinion 285 F. Supp. 2d 58 (D.D.C. 2003), CourtListener opinion 2577191 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion background section (NDRF composition, hazmat content of obsolete ships, export TRO/injunction posture)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Basel Action Network v. Maritime Administration, 370 F. Supp. 2d 57 (D.D.C. 2005): during the period the ex-Hunley lay in the James River Reserve Fleet, MARAD's NDRF disposal program was litigated over hazardous-material export shipbreaking to Teesside, UK (TRO Oct. 2003; summary-judgment posture Mar. 2005). Hunley was not among the 13 vessels proposed for export and was ultimately sold to a domestic breaker; the case is the program-level legal context for why disposal was delayed past the statutory FY2006 deadline.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2003-2005
- Limitations
- Does not name or concern this hull; documents only the disposal-program litigation environment during Hunley's lay-up. Contains no finding about asbestos aboard any specific vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-10
-
[11]NARA deck-log guidance (RG 24; logs 1941+); NHHC ship command operation reports archive (digitized collection lacks Hunley PDFs as of 2026-09-26); Mariners' Museum NNSB collection; EPA/LDEQ shipbreaking NESHAP pathway [other_primary]
- Locator
- Record-group and repository mapping only; no box-level retrieval performed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA deck logs for USS Hunley - logs through 1978 are at NARA (RG 24), later logs are held by NHHC; (b) NHHC ship command histories/operations reports submitted under OPNAVINST 5750.1 - other AS-ship CORs are digitized in the NHHC COR archive but no Hunley PDFs were located; (c) Newport News Shipbuilding hull 550 construction/outfitting records - NNSB records held at The Mariners' Museum Library, Newport News; (d) NISMF Portsmouth inactivation/stripping records for the 1997-98 availability; (e) asbestos NESHAP notifications and OSHA records for the Southern Scrap Materials Industrial Canal facility (EPA Region 6 / Louisiana DEQ EDMS).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1960-2008 records
- Limitations
- Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull in these collections is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-11
-
[12]Batch-2715 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHC Online Library; NVR archived capture; MARAD ShipHistory 2276; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + RECAP docket); Federal Register API; NHHC COR archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hunley-as31-01 through sl-uss-hunley-as31-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, NESHAP notification, or adjudicated/docketed asbestos case naming USS Hunley (AS-31) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NHHC Online Library, NVR (archived), MARAD ShipHistory, CourtListener opinion and RECAP dockets, and Federal Register contain none (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1962 Navy auxiliary built in the asbestos era and scrapped under MARAD's hazmat-regulated disposal program is era-consistent with ACM presence; it proves only that no public ship-specific document was located. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hunley-as31-12