Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]Banner Environmental Services project page, 'Safeguarding History: Asbestos Abatement on the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.' (licensed MA abatement contractor's own project record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- bannerenvironmental.com project page, sections 'Preserving a Naval Icon' and 'Comprehensive Asbestos Abatement Services'
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- First-party project record by the licensed abatement contractor documenting asbestos-containing material aboard this hull at Battleship Cove, Fall River: the museum engaged Banner 'to professionally manage and eliminate asbestos hazards in the engine and fire rooms' before opening new upper-deck areas to the public. Documented work: wet-wrapping all open-ended ACM pipes and repairing pipe collars throughout the upper deck; applying clear encapsulant 'to stabilize remaining asbestos in place'; HEPA-vacuuming pipes, machinery and walkways; third-party final air-clearance testing by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) performed by an independent industrial hygienist as required by Massachusetts law, with stated 'full compliance with MA DEP and DLS regulations.' Documents friable/legacy ACM present in the engineering spaces and upper-deck piping of this specific hull and its abatement (removal plus encapsulation).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Undated (project page live by ~2021)
- Population
- Museum visitors/staff; abatement technicians at Battleship Cove
- Limitations
- Self-published contractor case study (marketing context) - undated, gives no quantities, no full-location inventory, and no pre-work survey; its own text confirms asbestos remains aboard in stabilized/encapsulated form; does not address crew-era exposure, causation, or legal eligibility. No Wayback captures exist to bracket the work date (page live by ~2021).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-01
-
[2]Pitcher v. Union Carbide Corporation et al., No. 1:22-cv-09813 (S.D.N.Y.), removed 2022-11-17; Memorandum Opinion & Order (J. Rochon, 2023-08-16) granting leave to amend [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 65764201 (index text); exa.ai preview of ECF-stage Memorandum Opinion & Order dated 2023-08-16
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos personal-injury litigation naming this hull: Nature of Suit 'P.I.: Asbestos' (removal under 28 U.S.C. 1446). CourtListener indexed docket text recites 'during which time he served aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850). Plaintiffs allege that Pitcher was exposed to...' asbestos-containing products. Case proceeded into discovery: John Pitcher deposed 2023, leave to file an amended complaint granted 2023-08-16 (Rochon, J.), reassigned to Garnett, J. 2024-02. Only commissioned USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. is DD-850.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Alleged service era (dates in complaint text not fully extracted); litigation 2022-2024
- Population
- John Pitcher (alleged service aboard DD-850); asbestos PI plaintiff
- Limitations
- Pleading/discovery-stage allegation - the service and exposure assertions are plaintiffs' allegations recited in docket text, not adjudicated facts; no product identification, quantity, or causation established; merits disposition not located. Full complaint text not pulled this session (CourtListener API 429 + WAF challenge); verified via CL's own indexed docket-text snippets and the court's published case-management record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-02
-
[3]Grelson v. Rapid American Corporation et al. (Pneumo-Abex, Crane Co., Yarway, CertainTeed), No. 1:11-cv-06063 (N.D. Ill.), removed 2011-08-31, terminated 2011-11-10 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 4260226 index text (attachments to Document #7814 Att.3 and #7944 Att.1)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury docket (Nature of Suit 368, P.I.: Asbestos) in which 'USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850)' appears in attachment materials to the complaint-stage record, in a list of named sites that also includes 'Great Lakes Naval Base (Great Lakes, IL)' and 'Engineering Research.' Indexed docket text recites 'allegations that plaintiff Earl Grelson was exposed to asbestos while serving in the United States Navy.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Litigation 2011; alleged exposure era not extracted
- Population
- Earl Grelson (USN veteran, asbestos PI plaintiff)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage material only. The DD-850 entry's role is unresolved from index text: it may reflect a plaintiff work-site/exposure list or a product/site list in defendant or claimant materials - it is NOT read upward as an adjudicated or even unambiguous plaintiff exposure allegation against this hull. Case terminated 2011-11-10; merits posture not located. A class-profile lead describes 'a Foster Wheeler statement confirming boilers/economizers aboard DD-850' in these materials - unverified this session (full attachment text not pulled; WAF).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-03
-
[4]Utterback v. Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., No. 3:08-cv-00983 (N.D. Cal.), complaint for Asbestos Personal Injury/Products Liability filed 2008-02-15 (Betty Utterback), terminated 2008-05-20 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 4171946 index text (Document #1 complaint, 118 pp.; Document #7 notice)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury/products-liability complaint in which indexed docket text lists 'the USS Coral Sea, the USS Norton Sound, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr, the USS Arcadia and the USS Harlan R[. Dickson]' - DD-850 named among vessels in the complaint-stage record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Litigation 2008; alleged exposure era not extracted
- Population
- Utterback plaintiff(s) (asbestos PI/products liability)
- Limitations
- Complaint-stage listing only - the vessel list's role (plaintiff/decedent exposure sites vs. a product-identification or sites list) is unresolved from index text and is not read upward. Terminated 2008-05-20; merits posture not located. Full 118-page complaint not pulled this session (WAF challenge).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-04
-
[5]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) [court_record]
- Locator
- Omnibus opinion pp. 12, 19, 31 (OCR of scanned ECF 171), per class-profile verification 2026-09-16
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Published federal omnibus opinion recites that 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class), within which the USS Harlan Dickson fell, specifies the use of amosite felts and asbestos cloths' and quotes an expert report estimating 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' DD-850 is a Gearing (DD-710-class) destroyer sharing the Sumner machinery design - class-level context for the insulation products this hull's era/design implies.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1940s design era; opinion filed 2018-09-28
- Population
- Destroyer fire/engine-room crews, Sumner/Gearing classes; litigation expert materials
- Limitations
- Litigation-record recital of an expert report and a Navy engineering drawing - not an adjudicated classwide quantity, not a hull inventory, and not a finding about DD-850; the opinion treats some related exposure conclusions as speculative. Underlying exhibits (drawing, report) not in RECAP index. Recital verified against the ECF 171 OCR text in the 2026-09-16 class-profile session; the docket could not be re-pulled this session (API throttle + WAF).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-05
-
[6]DANFS, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative + bracketed strike note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., 26 July 1945; sponsored by Miss Jean Kennedy; commissioned at Boston 15 December 1945 (Comdr. H.G. Moore); Caribbean shakedown Feb 1946; homeport Newport; South America cruise with Wisconsin (BB-64) 1946; 6th Fleet deployments; Korea 1951 - TF 77 carrier screening Feb-Apr, Formosa Patrol, Wonsan bombardment 20 May-13 Jun; round-the-world return via Singapore/Suez/Gibraltar arriving 9 Aug 1951; St. Lawrence Seaway opening Jun 1959; FRAM overhaul at the New York Naval Shipyard from 1 Jul 1961 (new ASW gear, helicopter flight deck and hangar aft) emerging late May 1962; Cuban quarantine Oct-Dec 1962 incl. boarding Marucla 26 Oct; regular 3-month Boston Naval Shipyard overhaul early 1965; Gemini 6/7 (Nov-Dec 1965) and Gemini 12 (Nov 1966) recovery stations; final 6th Fleet cruise Mar-Jun 1967; 'struck from the Navy list 1 July 1973 and donated to the memorial at [Fall River, Mass.] in December of that year.' Two battle stars for Korean service. Specs: 2,425 t; 390'6"; 41'4"; 35 kt; cpl. 367.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Population
- Bethlehem Fore River construction trades 1945; wartime/postwar crew (design complement 367)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Transcription ends the narrative in 1967 - post-1967 activity not covered; no decommission date stated (bracketed strike/donation note only). Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-06
-
[7]NPS National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850), NRHP ref. 76000231 (NPS Form 10-900, prepared by Harry A. Butowsky, May 1985) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NHL nomination form, items 2 (location), 4 (owner), 7 (description incl. ship data), 8 (significance); form prepared May 1985
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Federal landmark nomination record for this hull: built by Bethlehem Steel Company at Quincy, Massachusetts; launched 26 July 1945; commissioned 15 December 1945; Gearing class described as Sumners 'lengthened by 14 feet to increase fuel capacity'; ship data - 391 ft, 41 ft beam, 2,616 t design / 3,460 t full load, 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2-shaft General Electric turbines, 740 t fuel oil, 37 kt maximum, 336 wartime crew; 1961 ASW modernization replaced torpedoes with ASROC launchers and installed a remote-control DASH helicopter deck; 'in good condition and, although modified, retains much of her World War II integrity.' Owner of property: USS Massachusetts Memorial Committee, Inc., Battleship Cove, Fall River.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945; nomination prepared May 1985; NHL designated 1989-06-29
- Population
- Wartime crew; museum visitors/staff
- Limitations
- NPS nomination documents significance, builder, machinery, and condition circa 1985 - it contains NO asbestos statement (contrast sister museum ship USS The Sullivans, DD-537, whose contemporaneous nomination closed the interior for asbestos fibers). Absence is a negative finding for nomination-era documentation, not evidence of absence aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-07
-
[8]Battleship Cove official ship page, USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) [museum_official]
- Locator
- battleshipcove.org ship page, 'Historical Overview' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Museum record for this hull: 'laid down April 2, 1945, by the Bethlehem Steel Company at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, MA'; launched 26 July 1945; commissioned 15 December 1945 - 'completed in only 8 months'; nickname 'Joey P'; Korea (TF 77 February 1951, Wonsan bombardment May 1951); FRAM I at New York Naval Shipyard from July 1961 (new ASW gear, helicopter hangar and flight deck); embarked President John F. Kennedy September 1962 for America's Cup observation; boarded Greek freighter Marucla 26 October 1962; Gemini 6/7 recovery vessel; decommissioned 1973, stricken 1973, acquired by Battleship Cove 1974; houses the Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyer Museum; official memorial to Massachusetts Korean/Vietnam War dead; portrayed herself and USS John R. Pierce (DD-753) in the film Thirteen Days (spring 2000); a National Historic Landmark.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-present
- Population
- Crew 1945-1973; museum visitors/staff 1974-present
- Limitations
- Museum narrative history - confirms build/FRAM/museum dates and custody, contains no asbestos statement and no material disclosures; the JFK America's Cup embarkation is museum-sourced only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-08
-
[9]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 248 (2019) (Kavanaugh, J.) [other_primary]
- Locator
- U.S. Reports slip opinion, syllabus and Part I (supremecourt.gov PDF)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Supreme Court maritime asbestos decision: a product manufacturer has a duty to warn 'when (i) its product requires incorporation of a part, (ii) the manufacturer knows or has reason to know that the integrated product is likely to be dangerous for its intended uses, and (iii) the manufacturer has no reason to believe that the product's users will realize that danger' - rejecting the bare-metal defense for Navy equipment (pumps, blowers, turbines) that 'required asbestos insulation or asbestos parts in order to function as intended.' The underlying exposures arose aboard USS Turner (John DeVries, 1957-60; the only commissioned USS Turner is DD-834, a Gearing-class sister of this hull), USS Wanamassa (Kenneth McAfee, 1977-80), and USS Commodore (1982-86); the holding frames the maritime duty-to-warn rule under which pleading-stage claims naming DD-850 are litigated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Decided 2019-03-19
- Population
- Navy veterans; maritime asbestos claimants
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the opinion makes no finding about DD-850, names no DD-850 claimant, and quantifies nothing; its Turner exposure findings belong to the DD-834 record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-09
-
[10]Consolidated era inference - DANFS/NPS machinery record (4 B&W superheated boilers; 2-shaft GE geared turbines; FRAM I yard period 1961-62) + GAO HRD-80-2 policy context + Goodrich class-drawing recital [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications/narrative; NPS NHL ship-data block; Goodrich ECF 171 recital (ev-05); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-11)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a Gearing-class destroyer built 1945 at Bethlehem Fore River with a four-boiler superheated steam plant at the peak of Navy asbestos use would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, and accommodation fireproofing/deck coverings. The 1961-62 FRAM I modernization at New York Naval Shipyard - documented to have replaced weapons and added an after helicopter hangar/deck - is the kind of machinery-space-disturbing yard period under which GAO records era insulation was removed only when damaged or required for repairs, making yard periods the era's principal disturbance events.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Population
- Bethlehem Fore River trades 1945; crew 1945-73; New York Naval Shipyard FRAM workers 1961-62
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-event inference only - the ship-specific anchors for this hull are ev-01 (abatement) and ev-02/03/04 (litigation); this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. Establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-10
-
[11]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (description text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: 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. Context for DD-850's original 1945 material set persisting through her 1973 striking and into museum custody.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific; full text blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403) - content via product-page description. Does not document DD-850's materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-11
-
[12]Herald News/SouthCoast Today, 'Battleship Cove fighting to keep Kennedy afloat while waiting for repair money' (Aug. 12, 2018); Boston Globe, 'Museum seeks donations to save USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.' (July 20, 2015) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Herald News 2018-08-12 (Ponte/Sawejko quotes; $5.5M authorization); Boston Globe 2015-07-20 (campaign scope)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Museum-era condition record: Battleship Cove's 2014 ship survey recommended a hull overhaul 'ASAP' (facilities director Stephen Ponte); the Massachusetts legislature authorized up to $5.5 million for Battleship Cove ship preservation in July 2018 with 'first on the list' the Kennedy; the museum's campaign targets towing the ship to Boston drydock for hull replating. Globe (2015): $12 million preservation campaign; ship 'last repaired 15 years ago' (~2000); hull, exhaust-system and cosmetic repairs needed. Documents the museum-era repair program in which the Banner abatement sits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2014-2018
- Population
- Museum staff; future drydock/repair workers
- Limitations
- Press coverage of condition and funding - neither article documents asbestos in the repair scope; the planned Boston drydock/hull replating is prospective and its hazmat scope is unrecorded here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-12
-
[13]Morss, Stafford, 'Drydocking ex-USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850): Stabilizing and Restoring a Museum Ship,' Warship International XXVII(1):9-23 (1990) [other_primary]
- Locator
- JSTOR issue i40207412; INRO 'Index of Titles Warship International 1988-1998' (warship.org PDF), 1/90 p.9
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A documented 1989-90 museum-era drydocking and stabilization/restoration of this hull is the subject of a dedicated journal article (existence verified via the INRO Warship International title index and JSTOR issue i40207412). The article plausibly records the hull and preservation work performed - including any hazardous-material handling - but was not retrievable in this session.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1989-1990 (event); 1990 (publication)
- Population
- Museum/drydock workers circa 1989-90
- Limitations
- Article existence and citation verified; full text not retrieved (JSTOR access). Whether it documents asbestos, insulation removal, or only structural work is unknown - carried as a lead, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-13
-
[14]Search-ledger synthesis (see search_ledger): NHHC live 404; NVR unpopulated for pre-1987 disposal; no BuShips material schedule, ACM survey, or earlier museum abatement disclosure located; NPS nomination contains no asbestos statement [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-01 through sl-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Negative finding recorded: beyond the Banner contractor record and the three pleading-stage dockets, no qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located - no BuShips material schedule or contract specification for DD-850, no ACM inventory or survey, no earlier museum abatement disclosure, and no asbestos statement in the ship's own NPS landmark nomination (in contrast to the nomination for sister museum ship USS The Sullivans, DD-537). The live NHHC DANFS page serves 404 and the NVR does not populate pre-1987 disposals.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Research date 2026-09-19
- Population
- n/a - negative finding
- Limitations
- Absence of located documentation is not evidence of absence aboard - it records the limits of this session's search, including a throttled CourtListener API (429) and WAF-challenged docket pulls. See search_ledger for repositories and queries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-joseph-p-kennedy-jr-dd850-14