USS LEXINGTON (CV-16)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]National Historic Landmark Nomination, USS Lexington (CV-16), NRHP 03001043 (designated NHL 2003-07-31) [nps]

   Locator

   NHL nomination, Item 7 description continuation sheets (hangar deck paragraph; machinery description); NHL designation stamp p.2

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Federal landmark nomination documents asbestos fabric aboard this hull: 'The hangar deck could be internally divided laterally into three isolated bays. Division was accomplished with asbestos curtains which could be closed from control stations in each bay.' The nomination further states 'Internal crew and machinery spaces are 90% unchanged from the original. Fixtures such as wall lockers, lighting, ventilation and passageway features date mostly from 1943. The machinery spaces (engines and boilers) date from 1943 as do the majority of the lesser machinery such as generators and pumps.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   Nomination ~2003; describes 1943-era fabric

   Population

   Museum staff, volunteers, and visitors (contemporary fabric documentation)

   Limitations

   Documents a specific asbestos application (hangar fire-division curtains) and survival of original machinery-space fabric; it is not an ACM survey - the nomination does not quantify asbestos, characterize its condition, establish exposure for any individual, or inventory other ACM aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-01

2. [2]DANFS, Lexington V (CV-16) - construction, yard periods, training-carrier service (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-19) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS service narrative, 1943-1969 paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented exposure-relevant yard periods for this hull: post-shakedown 'yard work at Boston' 1943 before Pacific transit; Pearl Harbor emergency repairs (arrived 1943-12-09) then Bremerton full repairs 1943-12-22 to 1944-02-20 after the 1943-12-04 torpedo hit off Kwajalein; battle-damage repair at Ulithi (arrived 1944-11-09) after the 1944-11-05 kamikaze hit off Luzon; Puget Sound overhaul early 1945; SCB-27C plus SCB-125 conversion at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard beginning 1953-09-01 (decommissioned 1947-04-23, redesignated CVA-16 1952-10-01 while in reserve); recommissioned 1955-08-15; overhaul at Bremerton 1957-58; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard overhaul early 1960; relieved Antietam as aviation training carrier at Pensacola 1963-12-29 (CVS-16 from 1962-10-01, CVT-16 from 1969-01-01); 200,000th arrested landing 1967-10-17; Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1943-1969

   Population

   Bethlehem Fore River construction trades; Boston, Pearl Harbor, Bremerton/Puget Sound navy-yard trades; Ulithi repair personnel; aircrew and crew

   Limitations

   The yard periods are ship-specific and documented; the asbestos rip-out and re-insulation scope of each is inferred from era practice, not documented per-hull. DANFS does not establish exposure for any individual and does not cover the 1969 Boston Naval Shipyard availability documented separately via deck logs (ev-07). (Batch-03's 'Boston Navy Yard availability late 1944' is corrected: DANFS places the post-kamikaze repairs at Ulithi; the only Boston yard period in DANFS is 1943 post-shakedown work.)

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-02

3. [3]DANFS, Lexington V (CV-16) spec block + NHL nomination machinery description [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; NHL nomination Item 7 machinery paragraph

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Essex-class carriers were built 1941-43 under peak-era Navy insulation specifications; Lexington's eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers and four Westinghouse geared steam turbines (32.7 kn per DANFS spec block and NHL nomination) and associated piping would have been lagged and gasketed with era-standard materials, and boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, deck tile, bulkhead materials, and cable insulation were standard class-era asbestos applications.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1941-1943

   Population

   Construction trades (Bethlehem Fore River, 1941-43); crew across commission periods

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - the hull-specific asbestos documentation located is the nomination's hangar-curtain record (ev-01); no hull insulation survey found. Names the class standard and this hull's documented machinery configuration, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; does not establish what remains aboard today.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-03

4. [4]NHHC, United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, Part 12 'The First Half of the Nineties 1991-1995' chronology (live page 404 on 2026-09-19; verified via Wayback capture 2021-12-14) + contemporaneous UPI reporting (1991-11-08/09) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC Naval Aviation 1910-1995 pt.12, 1991 8-Mar and 8-Nov entries; 1992 14-Nov entry; upi.com/Archives/1991/11/08 and /11/09

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC's official chronology records: 1991-03-08, Lt. Kathy Owens 'became the last pilot to land on the training carrier Lexington after the Navy made a quick decision late in the day to decommission the ship'; 1991-11-08, 'The decommissioning ceremony for Lexington was held at NAS Pensacola, Fla. CNO Admiral Frank B. Kelso II was the principle [sic] speaker'; and 1992-11-14, 'Lexington ... was officially turned over to the city of Corpus Christi, Tex., during a ceremony. Lexington, a memorial/museum ship, was opened for public tours.' Contemporaneous UPI reporting describes the 1991-11-08 ceremony (>4,000 attendees, flags lowered for the final time) and records the ship's 'Lady Lex' and 'Blue Ghost' nicknames.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1991-1992

   Population

   Decommissioning-era crew; ceremony attendees

   Limitations

   Documents the end-of-service and transfer timeline; contains no asbestos content. The ceremony date (11-08) conflicts with NPS's stated decommissioning date (11-26) - both carried, unresolved (see gaps). 'Lady Lex' nickname is contemporaneous-press documented (UPI), museum usage confirms.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-04

5. [5]USS Lexington Museum on the Bay official site ('The Ship' page); NPS article 'The USS Lexington'; NavSource CV-16 entry (secondary, for transfer-date cross-check); NHL nomination disposition paragraph [museum_official]

   Locator

   usslexington.com/about-the-uss-lexington/the-ship/; nps.gov/articles/the-uss-lexington.htm; navsource.net/archives/02/16.htm; NHL nomination Item 8/disposition text

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Museum disposition and operating context: the ship operates as USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at 2914 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi; NPS credits her with the longest service record of the Essex class (1943-1991, nearly thirty years as the Navy's aviation training carrier) and a Navy record of 493,248 arrested landings; first U.S. Navy ship to include women in her regular crew (first female crew aboard 1980-07-19; 273 of ~1,200 complement at career end per NHL nomination). The NHL nomination records the museum opening 1992-10-14; museum title transfer is reported 1992-06-15 by NavSource; NHHC chronology records the official turnover ceremony 1992-11-14 (ev-04).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1992-present

   Population

   Museum staff, volunteers, visitors (contemporary)

   Limitations

   Establishes museum disposition and operating context; the museum publishes no asbestos survey or abatement disclosure. 'Longest Essex-class service' and the 493,248-landing record are NHL-nomination/NPS framings - attributed as such, not independently adjudicated. Transfer/opening-date details vary slightly across records (June title transfer vs October opening vs November ceremony) - consistent on 1992 museum opening.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-05

6. [6]This record's search ledger: CourtListener API v4 opinion index searched 2026-09-19; museum site; press coverage of the November 1991 decommissioning and 1992 transfer [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-lexington-cv16-01 through sl-uss-lexington-cv16-12

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No qualifying tort-asbestos-litigation opinion naming USS Lexington located in the CourtListener published-opinion index on 2026-09-19: '"USS Lexington"' returned 3 opinions (United States v. Jenkins and United States v. Wallis - Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review courts-martial, non-asbestos; Cason v. Baskin, Fla. 1947 - name collision); '"USS Lexington" asbestos' returned 0; '"aboard the Lexington"' returned 2 non-Navy-vessel collisions (Robinson v. Zapata; American Lighterage v. Willard); '"Lexington" "CV-16"' returned 26 docket-fragment/city-name noise hits; broader '"Lexington" asbestos carrier Navy' and '"Lexington" asbestos "aircraft carrier"' queries returned only Lexington Insurance Co. collisions or zero results. No public abatement contract or museum hazmat disclosure located. Ship-specific asbestos-exposure claims DO exist in the VA adjudication channel - three Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions are carried as evidence at ev-07, ev-08, and ev-09 (plus one BVA name collision excluded at sl-11); this negative finding is scoped to the tort-litigation opinion index.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   2026-09-19

   Limitations

   CourtListener indexes published appellate and district opinions, not all filings, state trial verdicts, or administrative claims; absence of a located tort opinion does not prove no suit was ever filed, and does not reach the VA benefits channel (where claims are documented - ev-07, ev-08, ev-09). Absence of a located public survey/abatement record does not prove absence of asbestos - ev-01 documents asbestos fabric aboard. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-06

7. [7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 25000743 (Bd. Vet. App. 2025-01-21), Docket No. 19-37 209 - REMANDED (Veterans Law Judge Jenna Brant) [court_record]

   Locator

   Decision text: 'REASONS FOR REMAND' - deck-log recitals (June 28, 1969 mooring; Aug 1/Aug 27/Sep 14/Sep 18/Oct-Dec 1969 injury entries); benefit-of-the-doubt concession paragraph; remand order

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Adjudicated VA benefit claim naming this hull. A veteran (active service January 1968 - October 1969) asserted exposure to asbestos fibers insulating steam pipes while serving in the laundry room of USS Lexington May 1968 - October 1969; his 2022 hearing testimony described dust and fibers blowing 'up off the floor due to the walls and the ceilings and the pipes shedding this asbestos paste.' The decision quotes USS Lexington deck logs (obtained June 1969 - January 1970) documenting a Boston Naval Shipyard availability: moored 1969-06-28 'receiving various services from the pier' with boilers 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 offline, in drydock at Boston Harbor in October 1969 (personnel records), and a documented series of eye injuries among shipyard workers and sailors working in the #1 fireroom, #1 uptake, and other spaces August-December 1969. The Board held the logs 'do not directly show that asbestos was being removed during that drydock period' but, granting benefit of the doubt 'that the extensive work on the ship would have disturbed asbestos particles,' CONCEDED 'that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos during active service.' The claim was REMANDED for a new pulmonary opinion (the April 2024 examiner's negative opinions were inadequate, having assumed no exposure).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   Service 1968-1969; claim from 2017 rating decision; decision 2025-01-21

   Population

   Sailor serving in USS Lexington laundry room May 1968 - October 1969; Boston Naval Shipyard yard employees and crew during the 1969 availability

   Limitations

   Administrative-adjudication record: the exposure concession rests on the VA benefit-of-the-doubt standard (38 U.S.C. 5107(b)) after the Board expressly found the deck logs 'do not directly show that asbestos was being removed' - it is an adjudicated claim outcome, not a direct ACM identification, and the Board cited era-wide shipbuilding practice rather than a hull survey. Whether the Boston availability involved asbestos insulation removal remains unverified. Service connection for the respiratory disability was not finally granted - the decision is a remand, and its outcome beyond this decision is not located. BVA decisions are nonprecedential and anonymized.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-07

8. [8]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1125073 (Bd. Vet. App. 2011-07-01), Docket No. 10-04 210 - service connection for respiratory disorder (claimed as sarcoidosis, secondary to asbestos/chemical exposure) DENIED on nexus [court_record]

   Locator

   Decision text: service-summary paragraph (Sept 1974 - Sept 1977); 'FINDINGS OF FACT'-era discussion - 'the Board finds it more likely than not that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos'; denial analysis and order

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Adjudicated VA benefit claim naming this hull. The veteran served September 1974 - September 1977, aboard USS Lexington 'almost exclusively during his service' (service treatment records 1975 - August 1977 consistently locate medical staff aboard), with DD-214 duties 'machinist, marine engine.' The Board found 'it more likely than not that the Veteran was exposed to asbestos' aboard - an affirmative in-service-exposure finding - but DENIED service connection for the claimed respiratory disorder (COPD, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis) for want of a nexus: no competent evidence tied any current disorder to service or to in-service asbestos exposure.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   Service 1974-1977; decision 2011-07-01

   Population

   Marine-engine machinist aboard USS Lexington, ~1975 - August 1977

   Limitations

   Administrative-adjudication record: the exposure finding is made on the 'more likely than not' benefit-of-the-doubt balance, not on direct ACM identification or a hull survey - it reflects the veteran's machinery-rating duties and era ship construction. The claim itself failed on nexus grounds, so this is a merits-level negative for the disability claim alongside an affirmative exposure finding; it does not establish disease, causation for any individual, or remaining ACM aboard. BVA decisions are nonprecedential and anonymized.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-08

9. [9]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 22038962 (Bd. Vet. App. 2022-07-07), Docket No. 17-09 593 - service connection for cause of death DENIED [court_record]

   Locator

   Decision text: service-summary paragraph (aboard 1964-06-04 to 1967-06-07); paragraph reciting Feb 2020 Board remand concession; September 2021 VA-opinion analysis; denial order

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Adjudicated VA benefit claim naming this hull. The veteran served aboard USS Lexington 1964-06-04 to 1967-06-07 as an Aviation Boatswain's Mate (deck logs for his shipboard period are in the claims file). The decision recites a prior Board remand (February 2020) that 'conceded that the Veteran was reasonably exposed to asbestos during his active service as an Aviation Boatswains Mate during his first period of active duty in the Navy' - a conceded in-service asbestos-exposure finding aboard this hull. The 2022 decision then DENIED service connection for the cause of the veteran's death (acute respiratory failure from COPD; >30 pack-year smoking history), finding on a September 2021 VA opinion that the conceded asbestos exposure did not substantially or materially contribute to death.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   Service 1964-1967; remand 2020-02; decision 2022-07-07

   Population

   Aviation Boatswain's Mate aboard USS Lexington, 1964-1967

   Limitations

   Administrative-adjudication record: the exposure concession is recited from a February 2020 Board remand (itself not separately retrieved) and rests on benefit-of-the-doubt/occupation reasoning, not direct ACM identification or a hull survey. The merits outcome is a denial - conceded exposure, no causal link to death established; describes the disposition exactly rather than a win or loss on asbestos. BVA decisions are nonprecedential and anonymized.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lexington-cv16-09