Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1132743 (Sept. 6, 2011), Docket No. 09-22 373, on appeal from VA RO Cleveland - service connection for cause of the Veteran's death GRANTED [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA Citation 1132743, Findings of Fact + Reasons and Bases II (veteran stationed aboard USS Indiana per personnel records; IME July 2011 opinion)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Adjudicated VA benefits decision: the Veteran's service personnel records show he was stationed aboard USS Indiana (BB-58), USS Rocky Mount, USS Campus, and USS Auburn during October 1942-November 1945 service as a radio technician first class; the Board found he served aboard 'ships that contained asbestos,' that he died in February 1973 of mesothelioma (a disorder commonly associated with asbestos exposure), and that an independent medical expert found it 'more likely than not' that the mesothelioma related to in-service asbestos exposure. Service connection for cause of death was granted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (service); 1973 (death); 2011 (decision)
- Population
- USN radio technician first class aboard USS Indiana and three other ships, 1942-45; died of mesothelioma Feb 1973
- Limitations
- Adjudicated single-claim merits decision (nonprecedential BVA ruling), not a general finding about this hull: exposure is attributed to naval service across four named ships collectively and is not apportioned to USS Indiana specifically. Grant standard is benefit-of-the-doubt equipoise (38 U.S.C. 5107(b)), not proof of shipboard conditions. Establishes the veteran's presence aboard this hull and a granted asbestos-related claim; does not identify products aboard, does not establish exposure for any other person.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-01
-
[2]Complaint Exhibit A, Turner v. General Electric Co. et al., MDL-875 Doc. 6548-2 (Jan 4, 2011); refiled MDL-875 Doc. 8596-2 (Apr 2, 2012) (RECAP) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 Doc. 6548-2, Exhibit A p. 17 of 23 (complaint p. 14), Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard vessel list; refiled version Doc. 8596-2 p. 20 of 22 (complaint p. 17, survival/wrongful-death form) verified 2026-09-18
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury complaint Exhibit A lists INDIANA (BB-58) among the vessels at Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard, Bremerton, WA, where plaintiff George W. Turner, a sheetmetal worker (helper), alleges he worked and was exposed to asbestos June 1944-September 1945. The ship's documented Bremerton period (departed for Bremerton, arrived 23 Oct 1944; reached Pearl Harbor 12 Dec 1944 per DANFS) corroborates presence within the alleged window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (alleged); 2011-2012 (filings)
- Population
- PSNS sheetmetal worker (helper), 1944-45
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation; the vessel is named among roughly 25 ships at the yard, not an adjudicated finding. Does not establish which products were aboard, individual exposure, or causation. Exhibit is a scanned image (not text-indexed) - ship names verified by OCR/visual read of RECAP page 17 of 23 (complaint p. 14).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (January 1945), BATTLESHIPS (BB) machinery table - shipscribe.com scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf, BATTLESHIPS (BB) machinery table, book pp. 20-21, row 7 (INDIANA BB58)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The BuShips Ships' Data 1945 battleship machinery table records this hull: Indiana (BB-58) carries 4 propellers, Westinghouse geared turbines rated 130,000 shp (the Indiana row reads '----do----' in the manufacturer column, inheriting Westinghouse via the Illinois row from Idaho's explicit 'Westgh. turb.' entry), and 8 F.W. (Foster Wheeler) boilers at 570 psi / 850 deg F, with Westinghouse reduction gears. This primary record corrects secondary sources that attribute Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric turbines to Indiana.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a (equipment record)
- Limitations
- Primary record of installed machinery as of January 1945; documents the equipment, not its insulation material - asbestos content of lagging/packing is era inference, not stated. The Indiana turbine attribution relies on a ditto-mark chain read against the scanned table (book pp. 20-21, row 7); boiler type 'F.W.' is explicit on the row. Does not record post-delivery machinery changes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-03
-
[4]DANFS, Indiana (BB-58) (builder, dates, repair and overhaul periods, disposition; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-18) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented yard and repair periods for this hull: built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News VA (launched 21 Nov 1941, sponsored by Mrs. Lewis C. Robbins, commissioned 30 Apr 1942, Capt. A. S. Merrill); collision damage repair at Pearl Harbor (arrived 13 Feb 1944, after collision with USS Washington during refueling maneuver night of 31 Jan-1 Feb 1944); Bremerton/Puget Sound Navy Yard period (arrived 23 Oct 1944, departed, reached Pearl Harbor 12 Dec 1944); in reserve in commission at Bremerton 11 Sep 1946; decommissioned 11 Sep 1947, Pacific Reserve Fleet; stricken 1 Jun 1962; sold for scrap. Relics: mast at Indiana University Bloomington, anchor at Fort Wayne, other relics in Indiana museums. 9 battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1939-1963
- Population
- Construction trades (Newport News, 1939-42); yard workers at Pearl Harbor and Puget Sound (1944-46); crew
- Limitations
- Documents events and yard periods only - no asbestos content anywhere in the source. DANFS does not state the laid-down date or the scrap buyer/yard; secondary sources supply 20 Nov 1939 (laid down) and a Sept-Oct 1963 sale. The uboat.net figure 'Decommissioned 11 September 1946' conflicts with DANFS (reserve-in-commission 1946, decommissioned 1947) - DANFS carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-04
-
[5]DANFS BB-58 spec block + service narrative; consistent with BuShips Ships' Data 1945 machinery table (ev-uss-indiana-bb58-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As built, Indiana's eight-boiler steam propulsion plant and associated steam piping, valves, and auxiliaries were insulated under WWII Navy specifications; boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, deck tile, and bulkhead materials were standard class-era asbestos applications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1939-1947
- Population
- Construction trades (1939-42); overhaul/repair yard workers (1944-46); crew
- Limitations
- Inferred from the documented propulsion plant plus era specifications - no hull-specific insulation survey or material schedule located. Names the era standard, not confirmed installed materials; not a quantity; does not establish what was aboard or what was removed during documented overhauls.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-05
-
[6]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 the Navy's asbestos-protection program and that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships, not beginning substitution until the early 1970s - postdating this ship's entire active service (1942-47) and her scrapping (1963).
- 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 quantities or presence aboard 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-indiana-bb58-06
-
[7]NARA RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), File Unit 'Plans for the Battleship USS Indiana (BB-58), 1874-1976,' Ship Engineering Drawings series - Booklet of General Plans dated 22 Feb 1943 (Newport News Shipbuilding, rev. BuShips), scanned at Internet Archive (ship-design-drawings collection) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org/details/bb58bogp1943; NARA file unit 'Plans for the Battleship USS Indiana (BB-58), 1874-1976,' RG 19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A hull-specific Booklet of General Plans (5 sheets, incomplete set, dated 22 Feb 1943, prepared by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., revised by BuShips) exists in NARA RG 19 for this ship; scans are publicly mirrored on Internet Archive. The set covers general information/outboard profile, inboard profile, and deck arrangements.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- n/a (archival record)
- Limitations
- Arrangement drawings do not carry insulation-material specifications; asbestos content, if documented anywhere, would sit in BuShips material/specification correspondence not located online. Scan is a third-party mirror of the NARA file unit; the underlying archival record is verified to exist.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-07
-
[8]VA News (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs), 'The Battleship in Building One' - Hines VA Hospital whole-body counter [other_primary]
- Locator
- news.va.gov/103140/the-battleship-in-building-one/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official VA account of this hull's scrapping-era disposition: during breaking, the Navy removed six 8-inch-thick armor plates (~65 tons total) from Indiana's gun turret; the pre-1945 steel (free of man-made radioactive fallout) was shipped for milling and built into the shielded 'iron box' of a whole-body radiation counter inside Building One at Hines VA Hospital, Chicago.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1960s
- Population
- n/a (disposition context)
- Limitations
- Documents scrapping-era material disposition only - no asbestos content. Article loosely describes the mothballed ship as floating 'in a California shipyard' while DANFS places the reserve berth at Bremerton; the breaking yard is not named. Confirms the hull was being dismantled in the 1960s and that no hull survives.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-08
-
[9]This record's search ledger: CourtListener API v4 (throttled), CourtListener web (403), VA BVA corpus (site:va.gov), general web index, NARA/Internet Archive, NVR [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-indiana-bb58-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the BVA grant (ev-uss-indiana-bb58-01) and the Turner pleading (ev-uss-indiana-bb58-02), no additional qualifying record naming this hull was located: no merits opinion, government survey, abatement record, or product-identification finding. CourtListener API was rate-limited (125/day) and web search returned 403 on 2026-09-18, so the opinion/docket sweep is incomplete.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence - the hull was scrapped in 1963, before disclosure-era documentation and before most asbestos litigation. The throttled CourtListener sweep means docket coverage is partial; a name match inside scanned complaint exhibits (as with Turner) would not surface in text search anyway.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-indiana-bb58-09