Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Lexington IV (CV-2) - official NHHC text (published 2015-07-29) via Internet Archive capture 2015-12-31; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-19. Verbatim transcription also at HyperWar (ibiblio), whose spec block is corrupted - see gaps [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Spec block (dp. 41,000; l. 888'; cpl. 2,122; a. 8 8", 12 5", 81 ac) and service narrative, 1921-1942 paragraphs; archive capture 2015-12-31 of NHHC page published 2015-07-29
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented history for this hull: originally designated CC-1, laid down as a battle cruiser 1921-01-08 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, Mass.; authorized to be completed as an aircraft carrier 1922-07-01; launched 1925-10-03; sponsored by Mrs. Theodore Douglas Robinson; commissioned 1927-12-14, Capt. Albert W. Marshall. Joined the battle fleet at San Pedro 1928-04-07 and operated with Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet through annual fleet maneuvers in the Hawaiians, Caribbean, Panama Canal Zone, and eastern Pacific. Spec block: dp. 41,000; l. 888'; b. 105'6"; dr. 32'; s. 34.25 k.; cpl. 2,122; a. 8 8", 12 5", 81 ac. At sea with TF 12 ferrying Marine aircraft to Midway on 1941-12-07; TF 11 flagship (Vice Adm. Wilson Brown) from 1942-01-11; Rabaul approach 1942-02-20 (17 attackers splashed; Lt. O'Hare's Medal of Honor sortie); Salamaua-Lae strike 1942-03-10 with TF 17; Pearl Harbor 1942-03-26 to 04-15 availability; Coral Sea 1942-05-07/08 - air group sank light carrier Shoho and damaged Shokaku, then Lexington took two torpedo hits to port and three bomb hits, suffered a gasoline-vapor explosion, abandoned at 1707, and was scuttled by destroyer Phelps; DANFS records two torpedoes into her hull, sinking at 1956 in 15 20'S, 155 30'E. Two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1921-1942
- Population
- Fore River construction trades (1921-27); ship's company ~2,122 plus air group; Puget Sound and Pearl Harbor yard trades; 1942-05-08 damage-control and abandonment crews
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for milestones, specs, service, damage, and loss; contains no asbestos or insulation-material content. The documented exposure-relevant events (battlecruiser-hull construction and 6-year fit-out at Fore River, periodic yard availabilities, battle damage with fires below decks) establish where and when people worked aboard, not what materials they encountered. Narrative conflicts with the ONI combat narrative on scuttling detail (2 torpedoes vs 5 fired/4 detonated), sinking time (1956 vs 1952), and position - recorded as written, not reconciled (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-01
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[2]Office of Naval Intelligence, 'The Battle of the Coral Sea' (Combat Narrative, GPO edition distributed via govinfo) - sections 'Attack on the Lexington,' 'Experiences of ships with the Lexington,' 'Sinking of the Lexington' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Combat narrative pp. 32-37 ('Attack on the Lexington' through 'Sinking of the Lexington'); preliminary-check and complement figures p. 37
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy battle account for this hull: two torpedo hits (1120, 1121) and bomb hits including one on the port forward gun gallery; damage-control parties restored an even keel and 24-25 knots before a 'terrific' gasoline-vapor explosion below decks at 1247 blew XO Comdr. Seligman through a hatch scuttle; progressive fires, secondary explosions, loss of fire-main pressure; engineering plant secured and abandoned at 1630; abandon ship ordered 1707; destroyers Morris, Anderson, Hammann alongside for rescue; Phelps detailed to sink her at 1853, firing five torpedoes (four detonated) 1915-1952; she sank at 1952 in 2,400 fathoms at 15 12'S, 155 27'E. 'More than 92 percent of the Lexington's crew were saved'; a preliminary check accounted for all but 26 officers and 190 men of a total complement of 2,951. Thirty-five aircraft went down with her; 16 airborne planes were landed aboard Yorktown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1942-05-04 to 1942-05-08
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked staffs/air group totaling 2,951 at loss; damage-control parties, engineering watch, and rescue destroyer crews
- Limitations
- Documents the battle, fire, and rescue environment - including personnel fighting fires and working in smoke-filled below-decks spaces after explosions - but says nothing about insulation or other materials aboard; it establishes where and when men were inside damaged spaces, not what they encountered. Torpedo count, sinking time, position, and personnel figures differ from DANFS and the BuShips report (2,770 evacuated; CO action report ~2,735 survivors) - all figures carried as written, not reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-02
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[3]Bureau of Ships, 'Preliminary Report: U.S.S. Lexington Loss in Action, May 8, 1942, Coral Sea' (war damage report; NARA-held record scanned/transcribed at HyperWar) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Preliminary report PDF, damage-narrative and machinery sections; characteristics header (launched Oct. 1925; 850' BP; 106' LWL)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy engineering damage report for this hull: documents hit locations, progressive flooding and fires, flooding of magazines, 27 torpedoes on the hangar mezzanine that could not be removed (sprinkled until firemain pressure failed), 1,000-lb bombs in the machine shop under flooding, ventilation failure to the forward machinery space 'causing this space [to get] progressively worse,' the remaining engineering plant 'secured and abandoned at 1630,' two destroyers alongside passing fire hoses, abandon ship at 1707, and 'a total of 2,770 officers and men... safely evacuated to escorting cruisers and destroyers.' Ship characteristics printed: launched Oct. 1925; length (BP) 850'; breadth (LWL) 106'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1942-05-08
- Population
- Engineering department watchstanders and damage-control/fire parties; 2,770 evacuated
- Limitations
- Primary Navy engineering documentation of the damage, internal-fire environment, and machinery-space conditions at loss; contains no insulation or materials characterization - the asbestos relevance of documented machinery/fire spaces is inference, not content of this report. Scan OCR is fragmentary in places; evacuation count (2,770) differs from the combat narrative's complement accounting (2,951 aboard, 216 unaccounted) and the CO action report (~2,735 survivors) - carried as written.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-03
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[4]NAVSEA / NSWC Carderock, 'Carderock's Unique Capabilities Help Assess Damage to Sunken Lexington' (official U.S. Navy feature; live page returned HTTP 403 on 2026-09-19 - verified via Internet Archive capture 2024-12-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Article body - discovery paragraph (2018-03-04, ~2 miles), Vulcan/NHHC UAB data transfer, ridgeline/section description (550 yards; main hull ~400 ft), F4F-3 detail
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Documented wreck status for this hull: discovered 2018-03-04 approximately two miles down by the Vulcan Inc. team aboard R/V Petrel after ~76 years undiscovered. Vulcan provided NHHC's Underwater Archaeology Branch with wreck-site video footage and side-scan sonar captured by ROVs; NHHC manages the Navy's sunken military craft 'and ensur[es] they remain undisturbed.' The wreck lies separated into multiple sections along an underwater ridgeline spanning 550 yards: bow and stern rest across from each other, the main hull section (~400 ft, split along the centerline, starboard end on the seafloor) sits upright, and the bridge rests by itself between them; successive explosions following the scuttling likely drove the bow/main-hull separation. Aircraft found at the site include a Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat bearing the 'Felix the Cat' insignia.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2018-2021
- Population
- n/a (wreck documentation; war grave - non-disturbance management)
- Limitations
- Wreck discovery, condition, and management documentation only - a weapons-effects damage-assessment feature, not a hazmat or materials survey. Nothing in the source addresses asbestos, and no material characterization of the wreck exists. Precise wreck position is not published (protected site).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-04
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[5]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine, 'The Carrier That Lit Up Tacoma' (Fall 1990); corroborated by HistoryLink.org File 5113 (Washington State online encyclopedia) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI article - drought crisis, Bremerton yard period, Baker Dock hookup, and machinery-description paragraphs; HistoryLink File 5113 (dates, ~25% of city load)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented turbo-electric plant and a famous ship-specific episode: during the 1929 Pacific Northwest drought, Lexington - then finishing annual repairs at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton - was ordered to Tacoma, where she tied up at Baker Dock and supplied roughly a quarter of the city's electricity for about 30 days (on station ~1929-12-17 to mid-January 1930). The article describes the plant: four giant turbine generators supplied by steam from 16 oil-fired boilers, feeding eight propulsion motors (each 15 ft diameter, 22,500 hp, 317 rpm) driving four shafts; 'even in World War II, no other ships had the generating capacity of the Lexington class.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1929-12 to 1930-01
- Population
- Puget Sound Navy Yard trades (1929 annual repairs); engineering department during the 30-day Tacoma generating detail
- Limitations
- Documents the turbo-electric machinery configuration and a documented operation of it - asbestos-relevant only as plant description (a 16-boiler steam plant of this size and era is the frame for era inference); it is a professional-historical secondary source, not a materials survey or a Navy specification sheet. The '140,800 kilowatts' figure is printed as a per-generator capacity but reads as the aggregate plant rating (consistent with the ~190,000-hp nameplate) - carried cautiously in propulsion_summary.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-05
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[6]Commanding Officer, USS Lexington, report to the Chief of the Bureau of Engineering, 'Results of Examination of "D" Unit Following 30 Day's Use at Tacoma' (January 1930) - archival transcription hosted at Researcher at Large; original at NARA [other_primary]
- Locator
- CV2_rep1.html - letter transcription (442 hours; 1,800 rpm; trials 1930-01-19; 149,750 hp max average)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary Navy correspondence documenting continuous operation of this hull's turbo-electric plant as a municipal generator: the 'D' turbine operated 442 hours during the 30 days at Tacoma (at 1,800 rpm, 45 above rated speed) with no major defects on examination; post-repair trials 1930-01-19 developed a highest average power of 149,750 hp at 257 rpm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1929-12 to 1930-01-19
- Population
- Engineering department
- Limitations
- Transcription of an archival primary document hosted on a private research site - the underlying record (Bureau of Engineering correspondence, NARA RG 19) was not directly inspected; the transcription is the lead, not the verified original. Documents machinery operation and condition, not insulation or materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-06
-
[7]DANFS, Lexington IV (CV-2) spec block and construction paragraphs; machinery description per USNI 'The Carrier That Lit Up Tacoma' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block (dp. 41,000; l. 888'; s. 34.25 k.) and construction paragraphs; USNI machinery description (16 oil-fired boilers; 8 motors; 4 shafts)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Lexington-class carriers were converted on battlecruiser hulls laid down 1920-21 and completed 1927 with turbo-electric steam plants - 16 oil-fired boilers feeding turbine generators driving eight motors on four shafts. At this scale and era, boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and deck/bulkhead materials in Navy steam plants commonly contained asbestos. This 41,000-ton, 888-foot turbo-electric plant fits that era pattern.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1921-1942
- Population
- Fore River construction trades (1921-27); crew 1927-42
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - construction predates WWII-era peak insulation use, though asbestos was standard in 1920s naval steam plants. No hull-specific insulation survey or material record exists for this ship (sunk 1942; wreck never surveyed for materials). Does not confirm installed materials, quantities, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-07
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[8]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 of alternative materials until the early 1970s - decades after this ship was built and sunk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; postdates the ship's loss by 37 years. Supports era context only; not a fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - description via product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-08
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[9]This record's search ledger: NHHC DANFS (archive capture + HyperWar transcription); ONI combat narrative (govinfo); BuShips war damage report (HyperWar); NAVSEA/Carderock article (archive capture); USNI and HistoryLink (Tacoma); CourtListener API v4 queries; govinfo USCOURTS; general-web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lexington-cv2-05 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no hull insulation survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material characterization of the wreck, or docketed asbestos case naming CV-2 was found in the sources searched. CourtListener on 2026-09-19 returned zero hits for "USS Lexington" asbestos; the three "USS Lexington" hits are non-asbestos collisions (two Navy-Marine Corps court-martial appeals from the CV-16 training-carrier era; one unrelated privacy case); all 19 "Lexington" "CV-2" hits are name collisions (predominantly Lexington Insurance Co. and Lexington, Ky. real-estate/street names). The 171-hit "Lexington" asbestos carrier query is dominated by Lexington Insurance Co. coverage litigation; its deeper pages were not fully reviewed after the API began throttling (see ledger). Every asbestos record naming 'USS Lexington' located in the general-web sweep resolves to the later Essex-class CV-16 (see ev-10), and law-firm marketing pages listing CV-2 could not be traced to any primary source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - this hull is a war grave whose materials were never surveyed or removed. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos aboard; does not bear on any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Residual CourtListener items (deeper pages of the 171-hit query; a mesothelioma-variant query) remain open - see gaps and search ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-09
-
[10]Collision classification: (a) Sullivan v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 18-cv-3622 (E.D. Pa., MDL-875) - Robreno, J., memorandum 2021-11-04 granting Viad summary judgment, plus 2022-04-01 order granting CBS summary judgment; (b) BVA Decision Citation 25000743 (2025-01-21); (c) United States v. Jenkins (NMCMR 1989) and United States v. Wallis (NMCMR 1976) [court_record]
- Locator
- Sullivan mem., E.D. Pa. 18-cv-3622, D.E. 404 (2021-11-04) - service recital 'aboard the USS Lexington from 1970 to 1972' and disposition; CBS order 2022-04-01 (Westinghouse admission-for-SJ); BVA 25000743 remand items (laundry room 1968-69; Boston drydock 1969); CourtListener opinions 8667465 (Jenkins), 8661264 (Wallis)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Name-collision documentation: asbestos and military records naming 'USS Lexington' that surface in searches refer to the later Essex-class carrier CV-16, not this ship. In Sullivan (MDL-875), the estate alleged occupational asbestos exposure aboard 'the USS Lexington' with service 1970-1972 - CV-16's era as the Pensacola training carrier (CV-2 sank in 1942); CBS admitted for summary-judgment purposes only that Westinghouse turbines were installed on ships Sullivan served, and both defendants won dismissal (the Viad memorandum also records 1975-76 'USS Saratoga' service - CV-60, likewise a successor name). BVA 25000743 concerns a veteran's claimed laundry-room asbestos exposure aboard 'USS Lexington' May 1968-Oct 1969 and a June 1969 Boston drydock asbestos-removal assertion - likewise CV-16. The two NMCMR hits (Jenkins 1989; Wallis 1976) are court-martial appeals from the training-carrier era - not asbestos, same hull. None of these records concerns, or may be attributed to, this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1968-1972 service allegations; opinions 1976-2025
- Population
- n/a (different hull - CV-16)
- Limitations
- Documents a classification decision, not an affirmative fact about CV-2: it prevents CV-16 records from being misattributed to this sunken hull. The Sullivan allegations are pleading-stage claims about CV-16 that ended in defense summary judgments in any event; the BVA matter is a remanded benefits claim about CV-16.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lexington-cv2-10