Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]DANFS, Morton (DD-948) (verbatim transcription via Wayback capture of hazegray.org mirror; live NHHC DANFS page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (full entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 4 March 1957 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, Miss.; launched 23 May 1958, sponsored by Miss Edwina R. Morton; commissioned 26 May 1959, Comdr. John M. DeLargy in command. Spec block: dp. 4,200; l. 418'; b. 45'; dr. 20'; s. 33 k.; cpl. 338; armament 3x5", 4x3", 1 dct. ASROC, 2 ASW, 6 tt.; class field 'cl. Hull' (the DANFS label for the ASW-modernized Forrest Sherman subgroup). Service: Caribbean shakedown, San Diego arrival 20 Oct 1959; WestPac Jan 1960 incl. Operation Blue Star (Mar) and Bombay People-to-People visit; Formosa Patrol/Operation Handclasp, returned 28 Sep 1961; WestPac Nov 1962-Jun 1963; Gulf of Tonkin operations Aug 1964-Feb 1965; Vietnam gunfire support Apr 1966 (4 months); Sea Dragon ops May 1967 incl. NGFS for 12th Marine Regiment near the DMZ, returned San Diego 3 Nov 1967; departed 31 Oct 1968 for final WestPac tour 'into 1969.' Entry was written while the ship was in service and ends in 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1957-1969
- Population
- Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades 1957-59; crew (design complement 338) 1959-1982
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry predates the 1969-70 modernization, the 1982 decommissioning, and disposal. The 'cl. Hull' spec-block label is DANFS's subgroup usage for the ASW-converted Forrest Shermans - it does not make Hull the class name and does not support the primary hull list's 'Hopkins' value. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-01
-
[2]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-948 USS Morton (operational/building data, commanding-officer roster; verified via Wayback capture - live page blocks automated access) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-948 page, 'Operational and Building Data' block + commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS chronology for this hull: class 'FORREST SHERMAN' stated explicitly; as-built data (4,619 tons full; 418'6" oa; 3x5"/54, 4x3"/50, 2 Hedgehog ASW mortars, 6 Mk 32 ASW TT; 70,000 shp geared turbines, 2 screws, 33 kts; crew 324). Laid down by Litton Ingalls, Pascagoula, 4 Mar 1957; launched 23 May 1958; commissioned 26 May 1959; decommissioned 26 Sep 1969; recommissioned 15 Aug 1970; decommissioned 22 Nov 1982; stricken 7 Feb 1990; sold 17 Mar 1992 for scrapping. The 1969-70 out-of-commission window aligns with the ASW modernization at Long Beach Naval Shipyard reported by secondary sources (ASROC + SQS-23/SQS-35 VDS).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1969-1992
- Population
- Crew 1969-1982; Long Beach NSY workers during the 1969-70 modernization
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run photographic archive, not an official records repository - dates corroborated across NavalCoverMuseum and other secondary sources. Live page returns HTTP 406 to automated fetch; content verified via Wayback capture and search-index text. The 4 Mar 1992 sale date in navysite.de/globalsecurity conflicts with 17 Mar 1992 (NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum/Wikipedia) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-02
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[3]Sclafani v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 14 F. Supp. 3d 1351 (C.D. Cal. 2014), No. CV 12-3013 SVW (Wilson, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- 14 F. Supp. 3d 1351, background section (service recital) and disposition ('Defendants' motion granted'); CourtListener opinion 7306021
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal merits opinion naming this hull: in a wrongful-death mesothelioma action, the court recited that decedent David Sclafani enlisted January 1960 and 'serv[ed] as a boiler technician aboard the U.S.S. Morton from 1960 until 1963 and the U.S.S. Rogers for approximately six months in 1963,' performing 'maintenance and repair work on various pumps, valves, and boilers aboard each ship,' and claimed inhaled asbestos-laden dust caused his fatal mesothelioma. The joint defense motion for summary judgment on causation by the four remaining defendants (Air & Liquid Systems, successor to Buffalo Pumps; Goodyear; Foster Wheeler; Crane Co.) was GRANTED: plaintiffs' experts' 'every exposure' causation theory (Drs. Horn and Brody) was excluded under California's Rutherford standard, leaving no admissible evidence of substantial-factor causation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960-1963 (alleged exposure); 2012-2014 (litigation)
- Population
- David Sclafani (USN boiler technician, USS Morton 1960-63; USS Rogers 1963); mesothelioma decedent
- Limitations
- Merits-stage disposition AGAINST the plaintiff: the exposure allegation was litigated and lost on causation at summary judgment - per batch discipline a defense SJ win is a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence. The court assumed product contact arguendo; it never adjudicated that asbestos exposure occurred aboard this hull, that any specific component aboard contained asbestos, or causation. No appellate history located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-03
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[4]Siegfried v. Owens-Illinois, Inc. et al., No. 2:18-cv-01575-FMO-E (C.D. Cal.; removed from Los Angeles Superior Court No. BC691900), Owens-Illinois's Joinder to Defendant's Notice of Removal, ECF No. 50 (filed 2018-03-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 50, Preliminary Statement para. 1 (exposure allegation + vessel list); complaint Exhibit A at ECF No. 1-1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage asbestos allegation explicitly naming this hull: removal filings recite the complaint's claim that plaintiff Terry Lee Siegfried was injured by exposure to Owens-Illinois asbestos products while working as an electrician/marine electrician c. 1969-1996 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard and aboard a list of vessels that includes 'USS Morton (DD-948)' (hull number stated in the filing); malignant mesothelioma diagnosed October 2017. During 1969-1996 the only USS Morton in service or existence was DD-948, which was itself at Long Beach Naval Shipyard for ASW modernization in 1969-70.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1969-1996 (alleged exposure); 2018 (removal)
- Population
- Terry Lee Siegfried (LBNSY electrician/marine electrician c. 1969-1996; mesothelioma diagnosed Oct 2017)
- Limitations
- Unadjudicated pleading-stage allegation recited in removal papers - the vessel list is an allegation, not a finding; the ship is one of roughly 40 named alongside the shipyard itself. Does not establish exposure aboard this hull, asbestos presence, product identity aboard, or legal eligibility. Case disposition beyond the removal filings not located (CourtListener docket view rate-limited this session).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-04
-
[5]UPI, 'Recycling firm fined $81,000 over asbestos' (Dec. 23, 1992) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- UPI Archives item, Dec. 23, 1992 (San Francisco dateline)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- OSHA announced an $81,000 fine against Southwest Recycling of Terminal Island, Los Angeles - the facility dismantling this hull - for 42 violations of federal asbestos standards: 19 workers allegedly exposed to more than double the permissible asbestos level 'during removal of the material from the Navy ships,' with workers wearing paper masks instead of required respirators. Morton was sold to Southwest Recycling on 17 Mar 1992 and was under scrapping at this facility in exactly this window (breakup completed 1993); a contemporaneous LA Times piece shows the yard simultaneously breaking USS Bon Homme Richard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1992
- Population
- Southwest Recycling ship-breaking workers (19 allegedly over-exposed), Terminal Island, 1992
- Limitations
- The OSHA citation does not name any hull - 'the Navy ships' plural, and at least two Navy hulls (Morton and Bon Homme Richard) were being broken at the facility concurrently. Documents asbestos-removal violations at the disposal site during this hull's dismantling window, not asbestos content or exposure aboard this specific hull. DOL aggregator figures (53 citations / $24,075 proposed, inspection opened 1992-07-22) conflict with UPI's 42 violations / $81,000 - possibly a separate inspection or proposed-vs-final amounts; unresolved in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-05
-
[6]DANFS spec block armament/propulsion-era data + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'ingalls-shipbuilding' (yard-level documented asbestos products: Thermobestos, Superex, Kaylo, Zonolite, Monokote, pipe covering, block insulation, gaskets, packing, cement, tape, fireproofing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json record 'ingalls-shipbuilding'; navysite.de DD-948 machinery block (secondary)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a 1957-59 Ingalls-built Forrest Sherman-class destroyer with a four-boiler 1,200-psi Foster-Wheeler steam plant and Westinghouse turbines would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings; builder Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula) is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2) with era products including Thermobestos, Superex, Kaylo, Zonolite, Monokote, pipe covering, block insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. The Navy did not begin substituting insulation materials until the early 1970s, spanning this hull's construction and the 1969-70 ASW modernization at Long Beach NSY.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1957-1982
- Population
- Ingalls construction trades 1957-59; crew 1959-82; Long Beach NSY workers 1969-70
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull (the litigation rows document claims disposed of or unadjudicated, not findings). Nothing in this row establishes that any particular material aboard DD-948 contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-06
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[7]Batch-284 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (Wayback/hazegray); NavSource (Wayback); NVR detail page; CourtListener API v4 exact-name/hull-number opinion search; RECAP document retrieval; UPI Archives [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-morton-dd948-01 through -08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No affirmative ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Morton (DD-948) was found. The only merits-stage litigation outcome located is a defense summary-judgment grant on causation (Sclafani, ev-03); the only other litigation naming the hull is an unadjudicated pleading (Siegfried, ev-04). CourtListener exact-name opinion search completed (Sclafani qualifying; State v. Head collision); RECAP docket search and two query variants were rate-limited and are carried as blocked rather than retried.
- 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 of asbestos aboard. The hull was scrapped 1992-93 at a facility OSHA cited for asbestos-removal violations, but which ship's material drove the citations is not public. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-07
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[8]U.S. DOL/OSHA establishment enforcement records for Southwest Recycling Inc., 985 S. Seaside Ave., Terminal Island, CA (inspection opened 1992-07-22); NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA Establishment Search (osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.html) for 'Southwest Recycling'; NARA RG19 GIB; C.D. Cal. dockets CV 12-3013 and 2:18-cv-01575
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Archival leads not fully pursued this session: (1) OSHA establishment inspection file for Southwest Recycling Inc., Terminal Island - the case opened 1992-07-22 during this hull's dismantling window and produced the asbestos citations reported by UPI (ev-05); the inspection's citation-level detail may identify which Navy ship's material drove the violations. (2) NARA RG19 General Information Books / Ingalls builder records may hold hull-level material specifications for DD-948. (3) The full Sclafani docket (C.D. Cal. CV 12-3013) and the Siegfried merits history beyond removal were not retrieved due to CourtListener throttling.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1992; 2012-2018
- Population
- Southwest Recycling ship-breaking workers, 1992
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these records was retrieved and their contents are unverified. The DOL aggregator figures (53 citations, $24,075 proposed) conflict with UPI's contemporaneous report (42 violations, $81,000 fine) and may reflect a different inspection or proposed-vs-final amounts.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-morton-dd948-08