Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, John King (DDG-3) - NHHC official page via Wayback capture 2020-10-22 (live history.navy.mil page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'John King' (DDG-3): statistics block + service narrative; Wayback capture 2020-10-22 of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/j/john-king.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine, 25 August 1958; launched 30 January 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Paul J. Kilday; commissioned 4 February 1961 at Boston, Comdr. A. M. Sackett in command. Statistics block: dp. 3,370; l. 437'; b. 47'; dr. 22'; s. over 30 k.; cpl. 354; a. Tartar missiles, 2 5-inch, ASROC, 2 21-inch tt.; cl. Charles F. Adams. Service narrative through June 1967: Guantanamo shakedown; Norfolk homeport from 7 September 1961; Northern Europe/Mediterranean cruise 1961-62; Norfolk Navy Yard availability from 11 October 1962; joined the Cuban quarantine 6 November 1962; Caribbean operations with USS Enterprise; Mediterranean cruises February-July 1963, August-end 1964, October 1965-March 1966, January-May 1967; NATO Exercise Straight Laced; entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard 27 June 1967 for overhaul. Namesake biography: Chief Water Tender John King, twice awarded the Medal of Honor for boiler-accident heroism (Vicksburg 29 May 1901; Salem 13 September 1909).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1958-1967 (narrative); 1865-1938 (namesake)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1958-1961; crew (design complement 354)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, specifications, and service history - it contains no materials or asbestos information. The published entry's narrative ends mid-1967; the ship's remaining 23 years (Vietnam deployment 1972-73, 1983 Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul, Cold War service through 1990) are covered only by secondary sources. Live NHHC URL returns 404; verbatim text read from the Wayback capture of the official page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-01
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register ship detail, JOHN KING (DDG 3), UIC 04669 - via Wayback capture 2011-05-14 (live NVR no longer serves the disposed-ship detail page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail DDG 3: status block, building data block, remarks line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR lifecycle and disposal record for this hull: award date 03/28/1957; builder BATH IRON WKS CORP; keel 08/25/1958; launch 01/30/1960; delivery 01/27/1961; commission 02/04/1961; decommission 03/30/1990 (29.1 years in commission); stricken 01/12/1993; status 'Disposed of, resold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping,' status changed 02/10/1999; remarks: 'DISMANTLED AT INTERNATIONAL SHIPBREAKING LIMITED, BROWNSVILLE, TX. DATE UNKNOWN.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1957-1999
- Population
- Decommissioning/inactive-fleet and shipbreaking workers, 1990-1999
- Limitations
- NVR establishes the official disposal chain-of-custody for this hull - stricken, inactive-ship custody, DRMS resale, dismantling at ISL Brownsville - but contains no asbestos or hazardous-material information. The live NVR page for disposed ships is no longer published; the 2011 Wayback capture of the official NVR page is cited. 'DATE UNKNOWN' for the dismantling is NVR's own qualification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-02
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-953 / DDG-3 USS John King (building/operational data block; dated photo captions) + Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry 15354 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 05/01003 - 'Operational and Building Data' block, machinery line, captioned photos (1961 Boston NSY; 1983-10-06 NNSY overhaul; 1991-07-16 Philadelphia); encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/uss-john-king-ddg-3-15354
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource building-data record for this hull: 'Originally classified as DD-953, classification changed to DDG-3 April 23 1957'; laid down Bath Iron Works 25 August 1958; launched 30 January 1960; commissioned 4 February 1961; decommissioned 30 March 1990; stricken 12 January 1993; 'Sold February 10 1999 to International Shipbreakers, Brownsville for $132,951.03 and scrapped.' Machinery line: 70,000 SHP, geared turbines, 2 screws, 33 knots, crew 333-350. Dated photo captions document post-1967 yard events: Boston Naval Shipyard August 1961; overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth VA, 6 October 1983; Philadelphia inactive lay-up (with DDG-2 and DDG-4) 16 July 1991. Encyclopedia of Arkansas (edited secondary reference) independently corroborates the sale: 10 February 1999, $132,951, International Shipbreaking Ltd., Brownsville.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1957-1999
- Population
- Norfolk Naval Shipyard workers during 1962 availability, 1967 and 1983 overhauls; Boston Naval Shipyard 1961; NISMF Philadelphia custody crews 1991-1999
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run archive republishing official data - building dates corroborate NVR/DANFS exactly; the sale price ($132,951.03 vs. EOA's rounded $132,951) rests on NavSource alone among accessible sources. Photo captions document the 1983 Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul as an event but say nothing about scope, materials, or asbestos. NavSource's 'April 23 1957' reclassification date (also the date the defense expert in Redman attributed to NVR) conflicts with MaritimeQuest's DDG-953 (Aug 16 1956) / DDG-3 (Jun 26 1957) two-step sequence - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-03
-
[4]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. et al., No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal. 2008-2009), removed from San Francisco Superior CGC-08-274617; Viad Corp.'s opposition to remand (ECF No. 20) and Declaration of Charles R. Cushing (ECF No. 22) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 20 pp.9-11 (statement of the claim; Cushing decl. paras. 8-9 recital); ECF No. 22 paras. 3 and 9 (allegation recital; John King hull data incl. NVR exhibit); docket entries 49 (remand denied), 61 (reconsideration denied), 78 (stipulation granted - Viad dismissed with prejudice, remanded), 80 (MDL-875 CTO 318)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury action explicitly naming this hull: plaintiffs (Jeri Redman et al.) alleged the decedent was exposed to asbestos while working at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 1974 through 1984 aboard the USS John King (DD-953/DDG-3), USS DuPont, USS Ingraham, USS Kearny, and USS Reuben James, contending those vessels carried Griscom-Russell distilling plants and that the decedent was exposed to asbestos-containing materials associated with the distilling plants. The case was removed to federal court under 28:1441 (federal-officer removal by Viad Corp., alleged successor-in-interest to Griscom-Russell); the district court denied remand 30 September 2008 and denied reconsideration 25 November 2008; by January 2009 stipulation Viad Corp. was dismissed with prejudice and the case remanded in its entirety to San Francisco Superior Court; MDL-875 Conditional Transfer Order 318 issued 17 February 2009; the federal action terminated 2 February 2009.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1974-1984 (alleged exposure); 2008-2009 (litigation)
- Population
- Alleged: Norfolk Naval Shipyard worker aboard this and four other hulls, 1974-1984
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation, classified down per litigation-stage discipline: exposure aboard this hull was alleged, never adjudicated - the only issues decided were jurisdictional (removal/remand). The defense's own naval-architecture expert (Cushing, ECF 22) stated he was 'not yet able to confirm whether the John King was serviced at the decedent's employment sites' and conditioned the alleged equipment ('if that vessel was equipped with a GR distiller'). Does not establish that exposure occurred, that a GR distiller was aboard, or causation; does not quantify materials. Full text of ECF 20 and 22 read from RECAP documents (Internet Archive mirror).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-04
-
[5]GAO, Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal, NSIAD-99-18 (December 1998) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO NSIAD-99-18, report highlights and pp. 2-4 (backlog, hazardous materials, DRMS pipeline)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level report contemporaneous with this hull's disposal: as of August 1, 1998 the Navy reported 127 surplus ships available to be sold for scrap, 72 of them expected to be sold through the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) - the same channel that sold this hull 10 weeks after the report issued. GAO documents that surplus vessels contain 'materials such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), lead, mercury, and cadmium' and that remediation of hazardous materials takes place prior to and during dismantling.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1998-1999
- Population
- Shipbreaking-industry workers handling the late-1990s surplus-fleet cohort, including this hull
- Limitations
- Fleet-level documentation - no ship-specific finding for this hull; establishes that asbestos-bearing surplus ships were the norm in the DRMS sale pipeline at the time of this hull's sale, not that this specific hull contained asbestos. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; description read via the indexed report text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-05
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 highlights text (Navy asbestos policy summary)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level documentation of Navy shipboard asbestos policy during this hull's active era: from October 1975 the Navy removed and replaced with nonasbestos material only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs; in January 1979 the policy expanded to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. The Navy estimated the program would remove all shipboard thermal asbestos insulation 'except the 30 to 50 percent which normally remains untouched, except for minor maintenance, during the life of a ship.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period described)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and crew, class-wide Cold War era
- Limitations
- Program-level policy record - establishes that asbestos insulation was routine aboard Navy ships of this era and that substantial portions were expected to remain through a ship's life, but makes no finding about this hull. Fieldwork yards for the report were elsewhere (Long Beach, Norfolk per batch-01 ledger); no John King reference located in the report description. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; product-page/indexed description used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-06
-
[7]OSHA CPL 02-00-136, National Emphasis Program on Shipbreaking (referencing the November 16, 1999 DOD/DOT/EPA/DOL-OSHA Memorandum of Agreement on Ship Scrapping) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA directive CPL 02-00-136, Purpose/Scope/References sections
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal regulatory framework for the environment into which this hull was sold: the 16 November 1999 interagency MOA among DOD (U.S. Navy and DLA-DRMS), DOT (MARAD), EPA, and OSHA formalized coordination on ship-scrapping hazards, and OSHA's NEP scheduled programmed inspections of Navy and MARAD shipbreaking operations - the same DRMS channel and ISL-type facilities that handled this hull's February 1999 sale and dismantling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1999-2007 (directive period)
- Population
- Shipbreaking workers at contractor facilities handling government vessels, 1999 onward
- Limitations
- Regulatory context only - the MOA (Nov 1999) and NEP postdate this hull's sale (Feb 1999) by about nine months and name no individual vessel. Establishes that federal agencies treated shipbreaking as an asbestos-hazard operation in the exact period of this hull's dismantling; does not document this hull's materials or the conditions of its specific teardown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-07
-
[8]OSHA IMIS inspection 116399247, International Shipbreaking Limited LLC, 18500 S. Port Road, Brownsville, TX (complaint inspection opened 2 January 1996, closed 13 June 1997) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA inspection 116399247 (Brownsville, TX, opened 1996-01-02): violations table incl. 1915.1001 items 01001A/01001B; air-sampling table
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Facility-level OSHA record for the yard where this hull was dismantled: a January 1996 complaint inspection at International Shipbreaking Ltd., Brownsville, documented 15 serious violations including asbestos citations under 29 CFR 1915.1001 (shipyard employment asbestos standard); OSHA collected 40 air-monitoring samples over 13 substances, with asbestos (all forms) at 0.27-0.61 f/cc, plus lead at 0.358-0.617 mg/m3.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1996 (inspection); hull dismantled 1999+
- Population
- ISL Brownsville shipbreaking workforce (1996 inspection cohort)
- Limitations
- Facility-level record, not a ship record - the inspection predates this hull's February 1999 sale to ISL by three years and samples the yard environment, not this vessel's materials. It documents that asbestos was present and regulated at the facility that later dismantled this hull. OSHA IMIS returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; the inspection contents were read via the public SafetyRecord mirror of OSHA IMIS data - canonical inspection ID 116399247 cited; full-text pull remains the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-08
-
[9]Charles F. Adams-class machinery data (NavSource class line for this hull; Wikipedia class entry) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource machinery line (70,000 SHP, geared turbines); Wikipedia Charles F. Adams-class infobox (4 x 1,275-psi B&W boilers, 2 GE turbines); shipyards.json 'bath-iron-works'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: this hull was built 1958-1961 to the Charles F. Adams design - a 4-boiler, 1,275-psi, 70,000-shp geared-steam-turbine plant - during the period when Navy steam propulsion carried asbestos thermal insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing as standard, and before the Navy's asbestos phase-out policies of the mid-1970s (GAO HRD-80-2 era). Builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset, including a 1942-era industrial-hygiene study of pipe-covering shop dust risk.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1958-1990
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1958-1961; engineering crew 1961-1990
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific survey, bill of materials, or abatement record is cited here, and this row does not establish asbestos content aboard this hull. The ship-specific findings for this record are ev-01 (DANFS), ev-02 (NVR), ev-03 (NavSource), ev-04 (Redman); this row contextualizes, it does not certify. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are an unexplored archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-09
-
[10]Batch-3875 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404, Wayback used); NVR (Wayback); NavSource; OSHA NEP directive; OSHA IMIS (403, mirror-read); GAO product pages (403); NHHC COR archive probe; CourtListener opinion/docket sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-john-king-dd953-01 through sl-uss-john-king-dd953-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Outside the Redman pleading-stage docket (ev-04), no other ship-specific asbestos record was located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or hull-specific government document naming this hull exists in the public sources searched, and no published opinion names the hull (CourtListener opinion sweeps for 'USS John King,' 'DD-953,' and 'DDG-3' + asbestos each returned zero; the seven 'DD-953' docket hits reduce to Redman plus six name collisions - see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1958-1961 steam-plant destroyer is era-consistent with routine asbestos insulation, and the GAO-documented disposal-pipeline profile applies. The Redman allegation is the only litigation link to this hull and is pleading-stage. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-john-king-dd953-10