Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), SHIPSDETAIL page for SSGN-727 (record footer 'Last Updated: 02/24/2006'; comment field carries post-conversion data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_SSGN_727_4560 - Vessel Status, Milestone Dates, Physical Characteristics, Comments (2017-04-26 Wayback capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NVR record for USS MICHIGAN (SSGN 727) (ex-SSBN 727), class SSGN 726, UIC 21037: award date 02/28/1975; keel 04/04/1977; launch 04/26/1980; delivery 08/28/1982; commission 09/11/1982; builder General Dynamics Corp.; status active, in commission; U.S. Pacific Fleet; homeport Bangor, WA; status changed 01/01/2004; accommodations 13 officers + 140 enlisted; 560 ft x 42 ft x 38 ft, steel hull, 1 propeller, steam turbine (nuclear). NVR comment: 'SSGN 727 WAS DELIVERED FROM CONVERSION ON 22 NOV 06 AT ELECTRIC BOAT, GROTON, CT AND HAD A RETURN TO SERVICE CEREMONY AT NAVAL BASE KITSAP ON 12 JUN 07.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-2017 (record)
- Population
- Ship's company (commissioned 1982; 153 accommodations per NVR)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific milestones/status only - no asbestos or material content. Live NVR detail page renders nav shell only to automated fetch; 2017-04-26 Wayback capture cited. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NHHC URL attempts 404; NavSource confirms none), so NVR+CSP carry the official record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-01
-
[2]Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (csp.navy.mil), USS Michigan (SSGN 727) About page [other_primary]
- Locator
- CSP About narrative paragraphs 1-6 (2017-04-26 Wayback capture; live page returns Access Denied to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official COMSUBPAC About page for this hull: second submarine of the Ohio class and third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name; launched April 26, 1980, christened by Margaret Nedzi (wife of Rep. Lucien Nedzi, D-Mich.); commissioned Sept. 11, 1982, Capt. W.E. Rickman (Blue) and Capt. F.M. Conway III (Gold) first commanding officers; built to carry the third-generation SLBM Trident C-4; arrived Bangor March 1983; conducted 'more than 60 strategic deterrent patrols' over nearly 20 years; 'more than three years of reconfiguration at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard'; rejoined the fleet as a guided-missile submarine June 11, 2007; forward-deployed operations from Polaris Point, Guam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1980-2007 narrative
- Population
- Crew (dual Blue/Gold crews); PSNS yard workforce during 2004-07 conversion
- Limitations
- Ship-specific official narrative; no asbestos or material content. 'Rejoined the fleet' June 11, 2007 vs. NVR's return-to-service ceremony June 12, 2007 - one-day variance carried in gaps. Trident C-4 per CSP; the widespread 'Trident II' secondary claim for this hull is corrected in ev-13.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-02
-
[3]CRS RS21007, Navy Trident Submarine Conversion (SSGN) Program (congress.gov); DoD Inspector General DODIG-2018-127, Evaluation of Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) Sustainment (15 Jun 2018), Table 2; NAVSEA release 3/5/2004 'SSGN 726 Class Conversion - One Shipyard in Action' [other_primary]
- Locator
- CRS RS21007 'Shipyards and Prime Contractor' and note 10; DODIG-2018-127 Table 2; NAVSEA release via globalsecurity mirror
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official program documentation of this hull's SSBN-to-SSGN conversion: CRS RS21007 - 'The refuelings and conversions were performed by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNSY) at Bremerton, WA (SSBNs 726 and 727)... The conversion of SSBN-727 began in March 2004 and was completed in November 2006; the ship reentered service in June 2007'; Electric Boat was prime contractor and conversion execution integrator for all four boats. DoD IG DODIG-2018-127 Table 2 lists USS Michigan, SSBN-727: commission Sep 1982, refueling overhaul Mar 2004-Nov 2006, projected end of life Dec 2026. NAVSEA 2004 'One Shipyard' release: PSNS & IMF scope was routine maintenance, nuclear refueling, removal of legacy systems, and preparation for new-system installation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2004-2007 conversion; 2018 projection
- Population
- PSNS & IMF and Electric Boat conversion workforce; ship's crews
- Limitations
- Conversion scope/dates documented; 'removal of legacy systems' is not an asbestos characterization - no hazmat or ACM scope is stated in any of these sources. Entry into PSNS on 2 Feb 2004 is documented by an official-photo caption (NavSource archive) and secondary compilations; CRS gives the program start as March 2004.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-03
-
[4]DVIDS, 'USS Michigan completes MMP, readies itself for SSGN mission' (Nov 2013); Navy News Service, 'Michigan undocks, ending historic refit' (Jul 2016) [other_primary]
- Locator
- dvidshub.net/news/116497; NNS story mirrored at wiki.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2016/07/mil-160711-nns05.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented post-conversion availabilities at PSNS & IMF: an 11-month Major Maintenance Period completed when Michigan departed the yard 2 November 2013 after entering Bremerton December 2012 - approximately 71,000 man-days at ~$36M (DVIDS/Submarine Group 9 PAO); a Major Maintenance Period begun August 2015, undocked 8 July 2016, including repairs to sail, superstructure, engineering spaces, and missile compartments plus installation of the first enlisted-female berthing aboard a submarine (Navy News Service).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2012-2016
- Population
- PSNS & IMF trades during 2012-13 and 2015-16 MMPs
- Limitations
- Availability scope and dates only; neither release contains asbestos or hazmat characterization. A mid-1990s second Trident engineered overhaul (Oct 1994-Jun 1995, managed by PSNS but executed at Trident Refit Facility Bangor) and a ~2019-2022 extended refit at PSNS appear only in secondary compilations - carried in gaps, not asserted here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-04
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 Oct 1979), Enclosure I Attachment 1 (Navy CNO Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979) and Note 1 [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 Enclosure I Attachment 1, p. 11 of attachment - TRIDENT SSBN block (full text via 2021-07-02 Wayback capture of gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf; live gao.gov 403-blocks automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- SHIP-SPECIFIC federal materials designation: GAO HRD-80-2, Enclosure I Attachment 1 (the Navy's list of ships delivered since 1973 or under construction, per the CNO letter of 5 Jan 1979) lists 'FLEET BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE (NUCLEAR PROPULSION) (TRIDENT) - SSBN' hulls 726-730 with the block annotated 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation.' MICHIGAN 727 is named on the block's second row (listed dates: start 8/75, delivery 11/81). The designation applies to the whole block; sibling records (batch-77) read it the same way for SSBN-730.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1979 statement; hull construction 1977-1982
- Population
- EB construction trades (1977-82); crew (1982-present)
- Limitations
- A designation, not a survey: the Navy's statement names this hull but covers thermal insulation only, was written ~3.5 years before actual delivery (Aug 1982 vs. the table's planned 11/81), and is qualified by the document's own Note 1 - asbestos remained aboard in applications lacking designated substitutes ('i.e., gaskets and pipe hanger liners'), with the letter/main text adding brakes/clutches, deck tile, electrical cabling, galley ranges, and packing ('nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral'). The annotation is printed beside row 728 but is vertically centered on the 726-730 block; read as block-wide per the document's annotation convention. Does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-05
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 Oct 1979), main text and Enclosures I-II [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 summary text and Enclosure II (8 Feb 1979 letter: thermal-insulation weight excludes asbestos in 'pipe hanger liners, gaskets, etc.')
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Class/era federal record framing the designation's limits: GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy changed thermal-insulation product specifications to asbestos-free materials by late 1973; held an October 1975 policy (NAVSEAINST 5100.2) to remove/replace only damaged or work-required asbestos insulation, modified January 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; and stated 'most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation,' while noting 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' - piping-system gaskets and packing among them.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1973-1979 policy record
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; ships delivered since 1973 or under construction
- Limitations
- Program-level policy documentation; contextualizes but does not modify the hull's Attachment-1 designation. Does not establish materials aboard this hull beyond the designation, exposure, causation, quantity, or eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-06
-
[7]NIOSH, Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 78-135-1333, Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp., Groton, Connecticut (August 1983) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HETA 78-135-1333 Background and Results/Discussion sections (asbestos passage; Table 6)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation at Electric Boat Division, Groton (field visits July 1979-March 1981 - inside this hull's construction window; report August 1983): 'Historical reports of overexposure to asbestos were common among workers with eight or more years work experience at Electric Boat,' occurring 'primarily in the course of submarine overhaul and/or retrofit' at the Groton shipyard and a naval base in Spain; 'since the introduction of alternative forms of insulation for the reactor vessel and its complex of piping, asbestos use in the shipyard and on the submarines is slowly being phased out.' The report identifies the Trident class as one of two submarine types then manufactured at Electric Boat.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- field investigation 1979-1981; report August 1983
- Population
- Electric Boat workers (~25,000, incl. ~1,000 painters)
- Limitations
- Yard/era documentation, not hull-specific: no hull number or materials schedule is identified. Documents that asbestos use at the building yard was being phased out during this hull's construction - it neither establishes nor excludes ACM aboard SSGN-727.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-07
-
[8]Halseth, Wagenman, Robinson & Hunter v. General Electric Co. & Viad Corp., No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), Complaint for Asbestos Personal Injury/Products Liability with Exhibit A, ECF 1, 1-2 (filed 14 May 2007; Brayton Purcell LLP) [court_record]
- Locator
- Exhibit A, ECF 1-2, Larry Robinson section - 'US Dept. of Defense / Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton WA / Pipefitter / 1975-2004' vessel roster (Exhibit A p.13) and Job Duties paragraph (p.15)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- QUALIFYING pleading-stage reference naming this hull: Halseth et al. v. General Electric Co. et al., No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal., complaint filed 14 May 2007), Exhibit A (ECF 1-2) - plaintiff Larry Robinson, a U.S. Department of Defense pipefitter at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, 1975-2004, lists 'MICHIGAN (SSBN-727)' in his work-history vessel roster; stated duties were 'repairing, replacing and modifying piping systems both on nuclear and non nuclear ships' in engine rooms, fire rooms, and reactor rooms, working near pipefitters, laggers, machinists, electricians, and painters 'regularly blowing around asbestos dust,' and recalled that 'ships were insulated with JOHNS-MANVILLE insulation.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- alleged exposure window 1975-2004; filing 2007
- Population
- Larry Robinson (PSNS pipefitter, 1975-2004)
- Limitations
- Unadjudicated pleading allegation - a complaint exhibit, the least-final litigation stage. The alphabetical roster lists dozens of vessels worked on across a 29-year PSNS career and does not isolate a Michigan-specific exposure episode, date, or adjudicated finding; no court found exposure aboard this hull occurred. Michigan's documented PSNS availabilities (1994-95 EOH per secondary sources; 2004+ conversion arrival) fall inside Robinson's 1975-2004 employment window, but the exhibit does not tie specific work to this hull. Case outcome beyond the complaint not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-08
-
[9]U.S. EPA Superfund Site Profile, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex (site ID 1001107); ATSDR PHA, Bremerton Naval Complex (16 Sep 2005); Washington Ecology cleanup sites 130/524 contaminant lists [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA site profile (NPL milestones, site description); Ecology apps.ecology.wa.gov site 130 and gsp csid 524 contaminant tables ('Other Contaminant - Asbestos' confirmed)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex / Bremerton Naval Complex (Bremerton, WA) - the yard of this hull's 2004-06 refueling/conversion and later MMPs - is a federal Superfund site: listed on the NPL in 1994 (PSNS Complex proposed 10 May 1993, finalized 31 May 1994); ATSDR issued a public health assessment for the Bremerton Naval Complex 16 Sep 2005; Washington Department of Ecology cleanup-site records for US Navy PSNS (site 130) and OUB (csid 524) list 'Other Contaminant - Asbestos' as a confirmed contaminant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- NPL listing 1993-94; ATSDR PHA 2005; availabilities 2004-06, 2012-13, 2015-16
- Population
- PSNS & IMF workforce and surrounding environment
- Limitations
- Yard-environment documentation only; not a record of asbestos aboard this hull. The ATSDR PHA itself does not list asbestos among evaluated contaminants - the asbestos listing comes from Washington Ecology's site contaminant tables. Documents the contamination profile of the yard where she was overhauled and converted, nothing about the submarine itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-09
-
[10]Verbatim pdftotext search of five archive.org RECAP-mirrored complaint sets (gov.uscourts.cand.192004, .197119, .199308, .204620, .204934) plus domain-scoped indexed-document searches [court_record]
- Locator
- verbatim grep across extracted exhibit texts; CourtListener API inaccessible this session
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Litigation sweep result: exact-name and hull-number searches ('USS Michigan' / 'SSBN-727' / 'SSGN-727') across indexed CourtListener/RECAP documents plus verbatim text search of five retrieved N.D. Cal. asbestos complaint exhibit sets (Halseth 192004, Cooks 197119, Davis/Cronin-estate 199308, 204620, 204934) produced ONE qualifying reference - the Halseth Exhibit A Robinson roster (ev-08). The only other 'Michigan' string was a Chicago street address for Crane Co. (199308); hull-number web-index hits were unrelated (Thresher FOIA complaint's submarine lists; Bankruptcy Code section 727 collisions).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- filings indexed/mirrored through 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Coverage is limited: CourtListener API v4 hard-limited (HTTP 429, 125/day cap exhausted, ~12h reset) and public search/AWS front ends blocked this session; state-court pleadings are outside the sweep; docket 204620's retrieved PDF has no text layer (image-only) so its roster could not be verbatim-searched. Absence of a located pleading beyond Halseth is not proof none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-10
-
[11]Negative finding across NVR, CSP, CRS, DoD IG, GAO, NIOSH, EPA/Ecology, and indexed litigation sources [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger sl-uss-michigan-ssgn727-01..13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Negative finding: beyond the GAO Attachment-1 designation (ev-05) and the unadjudicated Halseth pleading reference (ev-08), no ship-specific asbestos documentation was located for USS Michigan (SSBN-727/SSGN-727) - no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding. Ship-specific asbestos documentation status: designated asbestos-free thermal insulation (1979 Navy statement); residual asbestos applications conceded Navy-wide; hull-level ACM inventory UNKNOWN.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. An active in-commission SSGN's detailed materials/hazmat records are not public; no FOIA-derived hull documentation was located. The 1979 'asbestos-free thermal insulation' designation predates delivery and does not reach gaskets, hanger liners, or other residual applications (Note 1).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-11
-
[12]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' guided topic (archives.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos guided-topic page - RG 19 Entry P 13 (Submarine GIBs 1913-1961) and RG 38 Entry P 1-F (Submarine Material Inspection Reports 1940-1978)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (NARA research guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels'): Bureau of Ships RG 19 Submarine General Information Books run 1913-1961 (predate this hull); RG 38 Submarine Material Inspection Reports and Related Documentation run 1940-1978 - the only series overlapping this hull's early construction (keel 4/1977). No digitized hull-level material for SSGN-727 was located; the series is a physical-records lead only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- series coverage to 1978
- Limitations
- A records-series pointer, not evidence: no SSGN-727 item was retrieved, and the series' 1978 end-date covers only the first ~14 months of construction. Whether any inspection report or materials record for this hull exists in RG 38 is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-12
-
[13]CSP About page (ev-02); CRS RS21007 (first eight boats armed with Trident I C-4) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CSP About narrative; CRS RS21007 Columbia-class/Ohio-class background passage
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: secondary sources (e.g., Wikipedia infobox) describe this hull as built for the Trident II (D-5) SLBM. The official CSP record states she 'was built to carry the Navy's third generation submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the Trident C-4,' consistent with CRS documentation that the first eight Ohio-class boats (SSBN-726 through -733) were C-4 boats. As an SSGN she carries up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles in 22 tubes (CSP spec block).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1982-2004 (SSBN era)
- Limitations
- Corrects an armament misstatement, not a material claim; no asbestos content. Whether this hull ever backfitted to D-5 before conversion is not documented in the sources reviewed (class history suggests the first four boats were converted rather than backfitted).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-michigan-ssgn727-13