USS NIMITZ (CVN-68)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]Owens Corning v. Bauman, 125 Md. App. 454, 726 A.2d 745 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1999), No. 744 Sept. Term 1998 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion Factual Background section (Navy enlistment 1974; USS Nimitz Apr 1975-Nov 1978; Kaylo pipe covering; sanding; mesothelioma diagnosis May 1995); n.1 (Bauman caption vs. party in interest Hammond); n.35 (85% of piping installed/insulated by 1972 launch); damages and disposition sections

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Published Maryland appellate opinion (official courts PDF re-verified this session): party in interest James R. Hammond - the 'Bauman' caption is the consolidated cluster's lead case - enlisted in the Navy in 1974 and 'was assigned to the USS Nimitz in April 1975 where he served until November 1978.' Running a co-axial cable along a 600-foot passageway, he 'was exposed to pipes that had been insulated with the asbestos-containing kaylo pipe covering manufactured by Owens Corning' and 'was required to sand the insulation around the pipes in order to gain access to the bulkheads,' producing 'clouds of asbestos dust' in small compartments. Footnote 35 recites trial testimony that 'eighty-five percent of the piping systems on the ship had been installed and insulated by the time that the ship was placed in the water in 1972.' Hammond was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma May 1995, age 39; jury awarded $1,286,000 economic and $15,000,000 noneconomic damages (reduced post-trial to the $10M ad damnum).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   1975-1978 exposure window; opinion filed 1999-02-01

   Population

   Sailor James R. Hammond aboard USS Nimitz, Apr 1975-Nov 1978

   Limitations

   Product-identification trial evidence recited in a published appellate opinion with a jury verdict for the plaintiff - stronger than a pleading, still litigation evidence rather than a Navy material survey. The appeal addressed the CJ 11-108 damages cap and punitive damages; the Kaylo identification was not re-adjudicated. Does not itemize other products aboard or quantify installed material; the 85% figure is a witness's testimony, not a measured inventory.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-01

2. [2]McCormick v. C.E. Thurston & Sons, Inc., 977 F. Supp. 400 (E.D. Va. 1997), Civ. No. 4:97cv37 [court_record]

   Locator

   977 F. Supp. 400 - Part I factual recital (Cochran/USS Nimitz; Thurston as 'the distributor of asbestos products aboard the NIMITZ'); holding (remand granted)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published district-court opinion on a remand motion: wrongful-death action by the estate of Paul C. Cochran, 'a former navy officer allegedly exposed to asbestos while serving aboard the USS NIMITZ,' who 'apparently contracted mesothelioma that eventually proved fatal.' Suit against C.E. Thurston & Sons, 'the distributor of asbestos products aboard the NIMITZ,' under the Jones Act, Death on the High Seas Act, and general maritime law for failure to warn. The opinion notes the Nimitz was built at Newport News Shipyard where the decedent began his duty, and that the ship was commissioned May 1975. Court rejected federal-enclave and federal-officer removal and remanded to Newport News Circuit Court.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   exposure era pleaded (pre-1975 onward); opinion 1997-05-28

   Population

   Navy officer Paul C. Cochran (decedent), USS Nimitz service incl. Newport News pre-commissioning period

   Limitations

   Jurisdictional/remand opinion - verifies that a Nimitz-specific exposure claim naming the ship's asbestos distributor was litigated in the ship's home district; it is NOT an adjudicated finding on products installed or causation. CourtListener HTML was blocked to automated fetch this session; opinion text re-verified against the OpenJurist and Justia full-text mirrors of 977 F. Supp. 400. Hit already represented in nimitz-class.class.json (ev-nimitz-class-04); independently re-verified here per batch instruction.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-02

3. [3]DANFS, 'USS Nimitz (CVA(N)-68)' - Naval Historical Center entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block, 'Chronology and Significant Events,' homeport table, and systems-changes appendix (construction milestones; yard-period chronology; 1981 crash; complement 428 officers + 4,154 crew; 2006 manning-experiment figures)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry documents construction and career: FY1967 authorization; $106.3M award to Newport News Shipbuilding 15 May 1968; keel (Hull No. 594) 22 Jun 1968; launched 13 May 1972 from Shipway 11 (sponsor/christened by Catherine Nimitz Lay, eldest daughter of FADM Nimitz); accepted 11 Apr 1975; commissioned 3 May 1975 at Pier 12, NS Norfolk; redesignated CVN-68 1 Jul 1975. Yard periods documented: post-shakedown Norfolk Naval Shipyard Oct 1975; ESDRA NNSY Mar-Jul 1977 (CVAN-to-CVN conversion work); SRA NNSY Oct 1980-Jan 1981; SRA-82 NNSY Apr-Jun 1982; COH-83 complex overhaul at Newport News 17 Jun 1983-22 Jul 1984 (drydocked Shipway 11; crew lived aboard barracks ship General William O. Darby (IX-510), with the 220-foot recreation barge Nimitz Park alongside); NNSY availability Nov 1985-Mar 1986; SRA '87 Aug 1987-Feb 1988; DSRA-90 Drydock No. 6 PSNS 19 Aug 1989-3 Mar 1990; extended drydocking SRA PSNS Dec 1993-Jan 1995; 33-month RCOH at Newport News, deadstick move to Drydock No. 11 on 26 May 1998, redelivered 28 Jun 2001. Also documents the 24-25 Apr 1980 Eagle Claw/Evening Light launch and the 26-28 May 1981 EA-6B flight-deck crash (14 killed, 48 injured). Homeport table: NS Norfolk 1975; PSNS Bremerton 1 Jul 1987; Newport News 1 Sep 1997; NAS North Island 13 Nov 2001.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   1968-2007 (Wayback capture date; post-2007 events absent from this source)

   Population

   Ship's company ~3,000-4,600 plus embarked air wing; Newport News, NNSY, and PSNS yard workforces across listed availabilities

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy history for milestones, yard periods, and casualties; contains no asbestos or insulation-material content - the yard availabilities are documented as events only, their asbestos scope unverified. Live history.navy.mil DANFS URL returns 404; citation is the 2007-05-25 Wayback capture. Hit already represented in nimitz-class.class.json (ev-nimitz-class-03); independently re-fetched this session.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-03

4. [4]Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (airpac.navy.mil), USS Nimitz (CVN 68) 'History' page - official U.S. Navy website [other_primary]

   Locator

   AIRPAC Nimitz History page - 'Ship's History' narrative (homeport moves; EPIA 2016; DPIA 2018)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship's official AIRPAC history page records the post-2001 timeline the 2007 DANFS capture lacks: homeport San Diego 13 Nov 2001; homeport Everett, WA March 2012 (after the 2010-12 docking planned incremental availability at PSNS); homeport Bremerton (Naval Base Kitsap) 13 Jan 2015; 20-month extended planned incremental availability beginning 15 Jan 2016; dry dock six entry 1 Mar 2018 for a docking planned incremental availability at PSNS & IMF.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   2001-2018 events

   Population

   Ship's company and PSNS workforce during 2010-12 DPIA, 2016-17 EPIA, 2018-19 DPIA

   Limitations

   Official Navy source for homeport and availability dates; no materials/asbestos content. Live airpac.navy.mil URL returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch; 2024-02-29 Wayback capture used. Yard availabilities are documented as events only - asbestos scope not public.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-04

5. [5]USNI News (2025-03-26, 2026-03-09); military.com/Virginian-Pilot (2026-07-10); Forbes (2026-07-09) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   USNI 'USS Nimitz Begins Last Cruise Ahead of Decommissioning' (Bremerton departure, homeport shift, defueling plan); military.com/Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk arrival 2026-07-09); Forbes (service extension through March 2027)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   End-of-service sequence: departed San Diego 26 Mar 2025 on her announced final deployment; returned to Bremerton December 2025; departed Bremerton March 2026 on a final cruise (Southern Seas 2026, South America circumnavigation, New York call for the International Naval Review); arrived Pier 14, Naval Station Norfolk 9 Jul 2026 with ~3,000 sailors. Decommissioning originally slated for May 2026 was deferred - Navy extended active service through March 2027 to maintain the statutory 11-carrier force. HII Newport News Shipbuilding is designated for defueling/inactivation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   2025-03 to 2026-07 (reporting dates)

   Population

   ~3,000 sailors on final cruise

   Limitations

   Current-status reporting from specialist/defense press quoting Navy statements - official navy.mil release URLs not located for each step; dates consistent across independent outlets. Extension-to-2027 timing per Forbes and Wikipedia-cited Navy statement; the March 2027 date is a plan, not an executed milestone.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-05

6. [6]U.S. Senate hearing, 'The State of Nuclear Shipbuilding,' S. Hrg. 119-... (govinfo CHRG-119shrg62647) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Hearing transcript - Navy testimony passages on Nimitz final deployment and service-life extension

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Senate Armed Services Committee hearing record ('The State of Nuclear Shipbuilding,' 119th Congress): Navy testimony describes 'our oldest aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz beginning her final deployment after 50 years of service' and notes the Navy 'stand[s] ready to extend the service lives of these 50-year platforms as appropriate, as we have already done on Nimitz and Eisenhower.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   2025 (119th Congress)

   Limitations

   Official congressional record confirming the final-deployment framing and the service-life-extension precedent; no asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-06

7. [7]Nimitz-class profile (class-d/nimitz-class.class.json) rows ev-nimitz-class-06 (BuShips TM ch.39) and ev-nimitz-class-09 (GAO HRD-80-2); cited rather than re-researched per batch convention [other_primary]

   Locator

   Class profile ev-nimitz-class-06 (NAVSHIPS 250-000 ch.39 material suite) and ev-nimitz-class-09 (GAO HRD-80-2 policy)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era context: keel June 1968 at Newport News places construction in the Navy's peak asbestos-insulation era - the 1960 BuShips Technical Manual ch. 39 suite (85% magnesia / amosite pipe covering MIL-P-2781, asbestos felt MIL-I-15091, asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466, millboard, finishing cement, molded block) was the specified insulation set for steam plants of this era. GAO HRD-80-2 documents the Navy policy that asbestos insulation was removed only when damaged or required for repairs (1975), modified 1979 to selective replacement - meaning original-era insulation typically remained unless a yard period disturbed it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   1968-present

   Population

   Newport News construction trades 1968-75; crews and yard workers 1975-present

   Limitations

   Specification-level era evidence only - establishes what the Navy specified, not what is or was aboard this hull beyond the litigation-documented Kaylo pipe covering in ev-01. The BuShips manual predates this hull (1960 vs. 1968 keel) and describes steam-plant insulation; Nimitz's nuclear plant still ran a substantial secondary steam system. Not a ship-specific finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-07

8. [8]Naval Vessel Register (nvr.navy.mil), SHIPSDETAIL_CVN_68 - official Navy ship-status register [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR CVN-68 vessel-status and milestone block; physical characteristics; program characteristics

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register detail page for CVN-68 (2020 Wayback capture of the live page): Award 03/31/1967; Keel 06/22/1968; Launch 05/13/1972; Delivery 04/11/1975; Commission 05/03/1975; 'ex-CVAN 68'; status Active, in commission; homeport Bremerton, WA; builder Newport News Shipbuilding; propulsion 'Steam Turbines (Nuclear)'; full displacement 101,133 tons.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-18

   Study period

   register content last updated 2018, captured 2020-10-27

   Limitations

   Official status register - milestones, status, and accommodations only; no material/insulation data. Live NVR page returns a JS template shell to automated fetch (same defect as batch-10); the 2020-10-27 Wayback capture of the rendered page was used.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-nimitz-cvn68-08