Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]USS Laffey Association drydock field report, 'Dry Dock Photos Sept 01, 2009' (project marine surveyor Joseph W. Lombardi, AMS, Ocean Technical Services LLC), laffey.org [museum_official]
- Locator
- laffey.org drydock field report dated Sept. 1, 2009 (paragraph on interior blasting/remediation)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous field report from this hull's 2009 drydocking at Detyens Shipyards (North Charleston, S.C.) for bow-to-stern hull replating: 'The hull has been cleaned and access cuts have been made in the hull for the sand sweeping of spaces... US COATINGS is presently blasting the interior spaces where new plate is to be installed removing red lead, zinc chromate. Friable asbestos is also being remediated as needed. This work is required to allow the steel fabrication teams a safe environment in which to work.' Documents friable asbestos-containing material present aboard this hull and being remediated during the 2009 yard period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2009
- Population
- Drydock, blasting, and steel-fabrication workers at Detyens Shipyards (US COATINGS blasting; M&M and Detyens fab crews; MMIF plating), 2009
- Limitations
- Confirms friable ACM present and remediated 'as needed' in spaces being prepared for steel work; does not quantify ACM, does not inventory all locations or state what remains aboard, does not address crew-era exposure, and does not speak to legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-01
-
[2]USS Laffey Association drydock field report, 'September 24, 2009 Dry Dock Progress (1)' (Joseph W. Lombardi, AMS, Ocean Technical Services LLC), laffey.org [museum_official]
- Locator
- laffey.org drydock progress report dated Sept. 24, 2009 (first progress paragraph)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Follow-up field report from the same 2009 drydocking: 'Remediation of interior spaces to allow shipyard workers has been completed from the stem to Frame 72 (fwd bulkhead of Boiler Room #1) and from Frame # 148 (aft bulkhead of Engineroom #2) to stern. #1 Boilerroom and #1 Engineroom have also completed the remediation phase with all remediation to be completed by next Wednesday.' Read with ev-01 (same project, same author), locates the friable-asbestos remediation envelope inside the hull's machinery block including Boiler Room #1 and Engine Room #2 boundaries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2009
- Population
- Shipyard workers in remediated interior spaces (machinery spaces, tanks), 2009
- Limitations
- This report itself says 'remediation' without naming asbestos; the asbestos identification rests on the Sept. 1 report (ev-01) from the same project and author. No quantities, product identities, or post-work survey are given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-02
-
[3]Anderson v. Crown Cork & Seal Co., 93 F. Supp. 2d 697 (E.D. Va. 2000) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual recital (service history of decedent); disposition (remand granted)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal opinion names this hull: decedent Gerald Thomas 'was enlisted in the Navy from 1950-1954... served aboard the USS Laffey, as a boilermaker' and 'also worked in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard during his service in the Navy.' The estate's asbestos personal-injury action (executrix Marie Anderson; filed Portsmouth Circuit Court June 13, 1999) was removed by defendant Porter Hayden; the opinion resolves removal/remand and federal-enclave issues - holding that 'the vessel in question, the U.S.S. Laffey, is not a federal enclave' - and grants remand to state court. During 1950-54 the only extant USS Laffey was DD-724 (DD-459 sunk November 1942).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1954 (exposure); 1999-2000 (litigation)
- Population
- Navy boilermaker aboard USS Laffey 1950-1954; Norfolk Naval Shipyard worker
- Limitations
- Removal/remand opinion - the exposure allegation is recited, not adjudicated; plaintiff's interrogatory answer placed the decedent's exposure 'in Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.' Does not establish causation, does not quantify asbestos aboard, and does not identify which products aboard were asbestos-containing. Subsequent merits history not located. Opinion text verified verbatim via vLex and exa.ai full-text mirrors; CourtListener page exists (HTTP 202) but automated content fetch was blocked this session - canonical CL URL retained, access defect noted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-03
-
[4]Scott v. 84 Lumber Co. et al., No. 3:22-cv-00613-SMY (S.D. Ill.), Memorandum and Order (Yandle, J., 2022-05-20) and Amended Complaint (ECF No. 63, filed 2022-04-28) [court_record]
- Locator
- S.D. Ill. 3:22-cv-00613: remand order (Doc. 40/46 posture, decided 2022-05-20); Amended Complaint ECF No. 63 para. 1 (exposure allegation) and para. 8 (2021 diagnosis) per prior docket review
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury case filed in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, St. Clair County, Illinois; removed by Carrier Corp. under the federal-officer removal statute (28 U.S.C. 1442(a)(1)); plaintiff's amended complaint dropped Carrier (April 19, 2022) and remand was granted May 20, 2022 to St. Clair County (verified via the order's full text). Prior full-text docket review (2026-09-15, RECAP) located the amended complaint's allegation that plaintiff Walter R. Scott, a U.S. Navy electrician 1963-1967, was first exposed to asbestos serving aboard USS Gearing (DD-710) and USS Laffey (DD-724), working in and around engineering spaces (engine room, boiler room; maintenance/repair of boilers, pumps, valves, steam pipes), with asbestos-related lung cancer diagnosed March 10, 2021.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1963-1967 (alleged exposure); 2022 (litigation)
- Population
- Walter R. Scott (alleged USN electrician aboard DD-724 1963-67; lung cancer)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation, unadjudicated; remand means no federal merits ruling and the state-court merits history is unknown. The order itself does not name the vessel; the Laffey allegation rests on the amended complaint text as reviewed in the prior session - RECAP/CourtListener was throttled (HTTP 403/429) this session so the complaint could not be re-verified today; carried at pleading level with the verification gap stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-04
-
[5]Krik v. Crane Co. et al., MDL-875 order (E.D. Pa., May 11, 2012 hearing; paed.uscourts.gov); aff'd sub nom. Krik v. Exxon Mobil Corp., 870 F.3d 669 (7th Cir. 2017); N.D. Ill. 1:10-cv-07435 docket, Defendants' Exhibit List ECF No. 209-8 [court_record]
- Locator
- E.D. Pa. MDL-875 order pp.1-2 (service history) via paed.uscourts.gov; 870 F.3d 669 via media.ca7.uscourts.gov; exhibit entry per N.D. Ill. ECF No. 209-8 p.38 (prior review)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- NOT qualifying as an exposure-site case for this hull. The official E.D. Pa. MDL-875 order states plaintiff Charles Krik 'worked as a boilerman and boilermaker during his Navy career, from 1954 to 1970' with duties including 'pipefitting and insulation work,' and 'worked on repair ships for about six (6) years of his naval career, including some work in the valve shop when repairing the USS Tutuila'; his claim was asbestos exposure from Owens-Illinois Kaylo insulation. The Seventh Circuit affirmed a jury verdict that cigarettes were the sole cause of his lung cancer (870 F.3d 669). 'USS Laffey' appears in this docket not as an exposure site but in defendants' 168-page exhibit list (ECF No. 209-8, filed 2014-02-21) as the subject of a 10/23/2003 Boelter & Yates bulk sampling and asbestos analysis of Crane valve insulation materials removed from USS Laffey (BAI Project #1418A-4943) - i.e., insulation removed from the museum hull was itself a litigation exhibit, an independent indication that hull materials were professionally sampled for asbestos.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1954-1970 (Krik service); 2003 (Laffey materials sampling); 2010-2017 (litigation)
- Population
- Charles Krik (Navy boilerman/boilermaker 1954-70, repair ships); museum-hull insulation sampled 2003
- Limitations
- Corrects the docket hit: Krik's exposure vessels were repair ships (USS Tutuila named in the order; his service record lists repair ships AD-36, ARG-4, AR-5 et al.), not this destroyer. The exhibit-list entry is verified as to its existence in prior docket review but the Boelter & Yates study itself is not public and the entry could not be re-verified this session (CourtListener throttled). Establishes nothing about exposure causation or the study's findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-05
-
[6]DANFS, Laffey II (DD-724) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative + bracketed disposition note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 28 June 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 21 November 1943 (sponsor Miss Beatrice F. Laffey); commissioned 8 February 1944. Specs: 2,200 t; 376'6"; 34 kt; complement 336. Normandy (Utah Beach screen on D-Day; Cherbourg bombardment 25 June 1944); Boston overhaul July-August 1944; Pacific from September 1944 (TF 38 screen, Ormoc Bay, Mindoro, Lingayen); radar-picket duty off Okinawa from 14 April 1945; mass air attack - 'badly damaged by four bombs and five kamikaze hits... 103 casualties: 32 dead and 71 wounded'; towed off Okinawa 17 April; repairs at Todd Shipyard Corp., Seattle, until 6 September 1945; Bikini atomic tests 1946; decommissioned 30 June 1947 (Pacific Reserve Fleet); recommissioned 26 January 1951; Korea 1952 (TF 77, Wonsan Harbor); Sixth Fleet/Mediterranean service into the 1960s; bracketed note: 'struck from the Navy list on 1 March 1975 and is now a memorial at the Patriots Point Museum in Charleston, S.C.' Five WWII and two Korean battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 336)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The narrative sequence (station arrival 14 April, 'the next day' the mass attack) implies 15 April 1945 while NPS and museum sources date it 16 April - carried in gaps. The transcription prints the first CO as 'Comdr. F. J. Beston'; the officer was Frederick J. Becton. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (2026-09-19).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-06
-
[7]NPS National Historic Landmark nomination, USS Laffey (DD-724) (nomination asset NHLS/83002189; NHL program record indexes the vessel as NR# 83004519 - number conflict carried in gaps) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS NHL nomination form, items 4-5 (owner, location), 7 (description incl. FRAM II passage), 8 (significance)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS NHL nomination record for this hull: built by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched November 21, 1943; commissioned February 8, 1944; on April 16, 1945 fought 'one of the most famous destroyer-kamikaze duels of the Pacific war' - attacked by 22 Japanese kamikazes and bombers in 90 minutes, hit by five kamikazes and two bombs, 32 killed and 71 wounded, 11 attackers shot down; five battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. Asbestos-relevant ship events documented: 'During mothballing and reactivation in 1947-51, USS Laffey's 40mm and 20mm guns were removed. In 1962 the ship underwent a Fram II overhaul (Fleet Repair and Modernization) during which a helicopter platform was mounted for the DASH (Drone Antisubmarine Helicopter) weapon system'; condition circa 1985 'fair... retains much of her integrity as an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer. Her hull, superstructure, main guns, and much of her equipment date from World War II.' Owner of record: Patriots Point Development Authority, State of South Carolina.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1945; 1947-51 reactivation; 1962 FRAM II; nomination circa 1985
- Population
- Wartime crew; 1962 FRAM II yard workers (yard not named); museum visitors/staff
- Limitations
- NPS nomination documents significance, builder, modifications, and condition circa 1985 - not asbestos content. The documented 1962 FRAM II overhaul is a pre-substitution-era modernization event for this hull; any asbestos disturbance from it is inference (no scope records located). Its hit/shot-down figures differ from DANFS - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-07
-
[8]Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum official posts ('Laffey in dry dock...' 2009-08-26; 'Laffey drydock complete!' 2010-01-12; 'USS LAFFEY Reopens...' 2012-03-07; USS Laffey ship page) and Post and Courier coverage (2009-08-19 tow; 2026-04-21 drydock planning) [museum_official]
- Locator
- patriotspoint.org news posts dated 2009-08-26, 2010-01-12, 2012-03-07; ship page 'Statistics for USS Laffey (DD-724)'; postandcourier.com 2009-08-19 and 2026-04-21 articles; PPDA form SE-210
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-of-record documentation of the hull's stewardship: August 2009 floating drydock AFDL-47 at Detyens Shipyards, North Charleston - 'fitted for a new 3/8" bottom from bow to stern, five new bulkheads in the four machinery spaces, and new transverse/longitudinal frames and foundations in Machinery Rooms 1-4'; Post and Courier (Aug. 19, 2009) reports the tow, >100 hull leaks, a $9.2M state loan, and 'ridding the ship of hazardous materials' as part of pre-move preparation. Departed Detyens January 11, 2010; reopened to the public March 11, 2012. Museum ship page: April 16, 1945 attack by 22 bombers and kamikaze killed 32 and wounded 71 of the 336 crewmembers; 'In 1975, the Laffey was decommissioned and stricken as the last of the Sumner class destroyers. She was added as a museum ship at Patriots Point in 1978.' April 21, 2026 Post and Courier: ship closed to visitors for a planned ~$3.8M '10-year tune-up' drydocking; PPDA procurement form SE-210 (April 2026) shows the project in solicitation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1978-2026
- Population
- Museum visitors/staff; 2009-10 and 2026 drydock workers
- Limitations
- Museum posts and press document project scope, dates, and cost - not asbestos handling detail (the hazmat reference is generic preparation, not an ACM disclosure). The 2026 drydock's hazmat/asbestos scope is not public. Museum arrival year conflicts with the association's '1981-present' framing - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-08
-
[9]DANFS specifications block (Allen M. Sumner class; 34 kt; cpl. 336) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works record (Drinker 1942 Harvard industrial-hygiene study of pipe-covering-shop dust risk, PMID 21016030; OSHA inspection 101450294 (1987); NIOSH HHE 89-0273; Austin v. Raybestos-Manhattan, 471 A.2d 280 (Me. 1984); NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler, 60,000-shp geared steam plant (class design) would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (evidence_tier 2), including the 1942 Drinker study of pipe-covering-shop dust risk and later OSHA/NIOSH records; NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are an open archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-75
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific findings for this hull are ev-01 through ev-05; this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-09
-
[10]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (published Oct. 18, 1979; publicly released Oct. 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov product page HRD-80-2 (Highlights + report summary text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level GAO findings: 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' thermal insulation was the Navy's major shipboard asbestos use; 'other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos'; the October 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation damaged or removed for repairs, modified January 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; no one-time removal program (~$2 billion estimate); fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Contextualizes both Laffey's 1943-44 construction-era insulation and the Navy-side posture during her final service years (1975 decommission/struck) - though not yard work on this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-1979
- Limitations
- Program-level context, not hull evidence: fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Detyens or BIW. gao.gov PDF fetch returned a stub/403 to automated requests this session; product-page description and search-index text used - full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-10
-
[11]Batch-278 search ledger (this record): Patriots Point official site and news archive; laffey.org drydock-report series and site index; press coverage (Post and Courier, USNI Proceedings); NPS NHL/NRHP records; CourtListener/RECAP (throttled); GAO; shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-laffey-dd724-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No comprehensive ACM inventory, hull survey, or museum hazmat/abatement disclosure located for this hull beyond the two 2009 Lombardi field reports (ev-01, ev-02): the museum publishes no asbestos statement, the 2009 remediation's scope and quantities are undocumented, whether friable ACM remains outside the worked spaces is unknown, and the referenced 2003 Boelter & Yates sampling study of hull insulation (Krik exhibit list) is not public. No docketed case adjudicating exposure aboard this hull was located - all litigation naming DD-724 is removal/remand or pleading-stage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence or presence of asbestos aboard - the 2009 field report confirms friable ACM was present and remediated 'as needed,' which implies neither total removal nor retained material elsewhere. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-laffey-dd724-11