Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]Hickman v. CBS Corp. (A.W. Chesterton Co. et al.), No. 1:16-cv-00308 (D. Del.), Report and Recommendations, ECF No. 202 (filed 2017-10-02, recommending grant of defendants' summary-judgment motions; case terminated 2019-08-19) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 202, Facts section, recital at cited deposition pp. 125-134 (ship list incl. USS Northampton; lagging/asbestos removal)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Report and Recommendations recites the plaintiff's deposition testimony: in 1975 the Navy transferred him to Philadelphia for three years, where he removed valves and pumps from decommissioned ships for reuse aboard active vessels - 'Some of the ships he went aboard include the USS Iowa, the USS Wisconsin, the USS Intrepid, the USS Keasarge [sic], the USS Northampton, the USS Salem, and "a f[e]w smaller ships"' - and the plaintiff 'associates asbestos exposure in Philadelphia with removing lagging or asbestos material from the pumps and valves, though he does not know who manufactured these materials.' This is a hull-specific asbestos exposure allegation aboard the decommissioned CLC-1 during her Philadelphia inactive-ship lay-up (1970-1977), i.e., reserve-fleet salvage work rather than active-service exposure. QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1975-1978 (alleged exposure); 2016-2017 (litigation)
- Population
- Navy machinist performing reserve-fleet salvage (Philadelphia, 1975-78); CLC-1 in inactive-ship custody at Philadelphia
- Limitations
- R&R-stage recital of deposition testimony, not an adjudicated finding - the magistrate recommended granting the defendants' summary-judgment motions, a merits-level negative for this plaintiff that leaves the allegation untried. The work described is salvage/removal aboard a decommissioned reserve-fleet hull, not operation-era service. Manufacturer identity unknown even to the plaintiff; does not quantify material aboard or establish causation or legal eligibility for any other person.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-01
-
[2]Akers v. A.W. Chesterton Co. et al. (Nancy R. Akers, personal representative of the Estate of Homer E. Rodgers, and Ilene Rodgers), R.I. Super. Ct. PC07-6984 -> removed D.R.I. 1:11-cv-00281 -> MDL-875 potential tag-along (E.D. Pa. 2:11-cv-67338); complaint text reproduced in the JPML tag-along exhibit, MDL-875 ECF No. 7667-2 (filed 2011-08-11) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 ECF No. 7667-2, p. 35 of the scanned R.I. complaint exhibit (paragraph 1, exposure recital); OCR-verified 2026-09-19
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The complaint alleges: 'Mr. Rodgers was a member of the United States Navy from approximately June of 1956 to January of 1959. During this time he operated and maintained the generators in the fire room aboard the USS Northampton and the USS Constitution. Mr. Rodgers was also docked at the Boston, Norfolk and Newport Navy Yards...' and that '[a]s a direct result of his exposure to asbestos, he suffered and died from mesothelioma.' A shipboard asbestos-exposure allegation naming this hull during her active-service period. QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull - pleading stage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1956-1959 (alleged exposure); 2007-2011+ (litigation)
- Population
- USN fire-room/generator crewman, 1956-1959; mesothelioma (decedent); estate and spouse plaintiffs
- Limitations
- Complaint allegation - the least-final litigation stage; the ship list is an unadjudicated pleading recital. Does not establish that asbestos products were aboard this hull, does not identify manufacturers, does not establish causation for any other individual, and does not quantify material. The 1956-59 service window is temporally consistent only with CLC-1 (the prior Northampton, CA-26, was sunk in 1942). Case outcome beyond the MDL tag-along not located in indexed sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-02
-
[3]DANFS, Northampton III (CLC-1), Vol. V p. 112 (builder, dates, overhaul, NECPA-era service; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. V p. 112 entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down as CA-125, 31 August 1944, by the Fore River Yard, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Quincy, Mass.; work suspended 11 August 1945 - 1 July 1948; launched as CLC-1, 27 January 1951; commissioned 7 March 1953, Capt. William D. Irvin in command. After OpDevFor evaluation she served repeatedly as flagship (Amphibious Force Atlantic; Commander 6th Fleet Dec 1954-Mar 1955; Commander Strike Force Atlantic); first overhaul at the Portsmouth, Va., Naval Shipyard (Norfolk NSY) completed 24 February 1956; operated with CruDiv 6 in the first public Terrier demonstration; six months with the 6th Fleet in 1956. Redesignated CC-1 on 15 April 1961; remained in the western Atlantic until decommissioning in 1970, hosting dignitaries including Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Specs block: dp. 12,320 (lt.); l. 677'2"; b. 70'3"; dr. 19'2" (mean); s. 33 k.; cpl. 1675; cl. Northampton.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1970
- Population
- Construction trades 1944-45/1948-53; crew 1953-70
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the Vol. V entry text predates the 1977 strike and 1977-80 disposal. The narrative says 'decommissioning in February 1970' while the formal decommission date is 8 April 1970 (NavSource/USNI) - inactivation-start vs. formal-date difference carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-03
-
[4]NavSource Online Cruiser Photo Archive, USS Northampton (CA-125/CLC-1/CC-1) page - building/disposal data and captioned official USN photographs incl. K-121961 (National Archives); corroborated by USNI Naval History Magazine, 'Part II - A Matter of Class' (Feb 1995) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource CA-125/CLC-1/CC-1 page, Operational and Building Data block + photo captions (0584735 Jul 1976; K-121961 Oct 1978; 0412513 Kearny scrapping); usni.org Feb 1995
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Building and disposal record for this hull: construction stopped 12 August 1945 at 56.2% complete; resumed 1 July 1948 under a command-cruiser design with an added deck for command-and-control spaces; converted to a National Emergency Command Post Afloat (NECPA) in 1961; decommissioned 8 April 1970; stricken 1 December 1977; sold for scrap December 1977; scrapping completed 1 March 1980. Official USN photographs place the ex-hull at Philadelphia Navy Yard in July 1976 and in the Philadelphia Naval Base Reserve Basin in October 1978 (with ex-Newport News and ex-Springfield) awaiting disposal - the reserve-fleet custody setting of the Hickman allegation. NavSource captions and reunion material identify the scrapping site as Federal Shipyard on the Hackensack River, Kearny, NJ. USNI confirms 'both ships were struck on 1 December 1977 and sold for scrap.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1980
- Population
- Inactive-ship maintenance personnel (Philadelphia, 1970-77); scrapping-yard workers (Kearny, 1978-80)
- Limitations
- NavSource is an unofficial photo archive, but the cited captions credit official USN/National Archives photography; disposal dates corroborated by USNI Naval History Magazine. Documents custody and disposal, not materials or asbestos content. The lay-up location corroborates the setting - not the truth - of the Hickman allegation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-04
-
[5]Declassified Department of Defense letter to DCI John A. McCone on National Emergency Command Post Afloat status (1965), CIA-released scan RDP80B01676R000400040003-3, mirrored by navy-radio.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- NECPA-DOD-1965.pdf, NECPA discussion paragraphs (Northampton vs. Saipan/Wright comparison)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous government documentation of the NECPA program: 'the two NECPA ships authorized are the USS NORTHAMPTON and the USS WRIGHT. The NORTHAMPTON was placed in operation as an interim measure pending conversion of the WRIGHT and the SAIPAN' - and enumerates her command-post deficiencies (2,400 sq ft contiguous command-post deck space vs. 12,000 on Saipan; no VLF; no automatic data processing; limited helicopter operation; antenna mutual interference). Secondary program histories date her NECPA entry to March 1962. Documents the role that defined the hull's 1961-70 configuration as the presidential emergency command post afloat.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1961-1965
- Population
- Embarked NECPA/command staff 1961-70
- Limitations
- Mirror-hosted scan of a genuinely declassified government document - content is official but the host is unofficial. Documents the communications/command role and program status, not materials or asbestos. The 'interim measure' characterization explains the marginal (not full) NECPA upgrade noted elsewhere.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-05
-
[6]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) - same citation carried on uss-rochester-ca124 (batch-172) and the baltimore-class class profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips TM ch.39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The 1960 BuShips Technical Manual insulation chapter enumerates the asbestos material suite standard to Navy steam plants of this ship's era: MIL-P-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber for strength and bond' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091 'composed of medium long asbestos fiber'; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 'made of good quality chrysotile asbestos' in grades running 80-95 percent asbestos as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; and molded asbestos block for high-temperature service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960 (manual); describes era-standard specifications applicable to 1944-53 construction
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Specification-level documentation of what the Navy specified, not a ship- or class-specific installation record - establishes the era insulation suite applicable to a 1944-53 high-pressure steam plant like Northampton's, not what is or was aboard this hull. Retrieved PDF is a scan of the government manual hosted in the Garlock bankruptcy Daubert-appendix repository.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-06
-
[7]DANFS specifications block (Northampton class; 33 kt) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bethlehem Shipbuilding/Fore River yard records (documented asbestos litigation and product use) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS CLC-1 specifications block; shipyards.json records 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' and 'fore-river-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: an Oregon City-class hull laid down 1944 and completed 1948-53 to the SCB-13 command-cruiser design at the Fore River/Bethlehem yard falls squarely in the documented asbestos-insulation era; her retained steam plant (4 boilers, 4 GE geared steam turbines, ~120,000 shp, 4 shafts) is the type the BuShips specification suite covered, and the builder yard is documented in the Atlas dataset (tier 3) with asbestos litigation and product-use records covering the same decades. Era-standard applications on a ship of this plant and period would have included boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, deck covering, bulkhead insulation, and cable insulation - consistent with, but independent of, the lagging material described in the Hickman recital.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1980
- Population
- Bethlehem/Fore River construction trades 1944-45/1948-53; crew 1953-70; Philadelphia lay-up personnel 1970-77; Kearny scrapping trades 1978-80
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific evidence for this hull is the litigation rows (ev-01, ev-02); this row must not be read as an independent ship-specific finding. Does not quantify material aboard; does not establish what was installed, disturbed, or retained during the 1948-53 completion, the 1955-56 Norfolk overhaul, the 1961-62 NECPA conversion, or the 1978-80 scrapping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-07
-
[8]Batch-221 search ledger (this record): CourtListener 'USS Northampton' returned zero opinion results (type=o) and two qualifying RECAP documents (Hickman ECF 202; Akers MDL-875 ECF 7667-2); 'CLC-1' (type=o) returned 13 identifier collisions; NVR carries no record (pre-1987 disposal); LoC/HAER returned no documentation; live NHHC DANFS page 404; no museum custody (hull scrapped 1980) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-northampton-clc1-04 through sl-uss-northampton-clc1-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding was located for this hull in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship's asbestos documentation is litigation-recital level only: one R&R recital of deposition testimony (defense summary-judgment posture) and one complaint allegation - both verified court documents naming this hull, neither adjudicated. No government survey or ship-specific materials record exists in indexed public sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located survey/abatement record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1944-53 steam-plant construction, a documented 7-year Philadelphia lay-up, and 1978-80 scrapping are consistent with era materials, and the allegation records point that way without adjudicating it. The CourtListener sweep is incomplete: the 'U.S.S. Northampton' variant and 'CA-125'/'CC-1' identifier strings were not fully run (API daily-cap throttling mid-session; logged in the ledger). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-08
-
[9]NARA ship records (deck logs, Command Operations Reports); naval shipyard availability records (Norfolk NSY 1955-56 overhaul; 1961-62 NECPA conversion work package); Philadelphia inactive-ship facility records 1970-77; Navy sale/disposal file December 1977; Bethlehem Fore River construction records for hull CA-125 [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger sl-uss-northampton-clc1-09 and gap list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA deck logs and CORs for CLC-1/CC-1 (1953-70); the Norfolk NSY 1955-56 overhaul records; the 1961-62 NECPA conversion work package (performing yard not confirmed in indexed sources - a genuine gap, not an oversight); Philadelphia NISMF/inactive-ship maintenance records 1970-77, which would document material condition during the lay-up period at issue in Hickman; the Navy sale/disposal file for the December 1977 scrap sale, which would settle the 1 Dec vs. 31 Dec strike-date conflict; and Bethlehem Fore River construction records for CA-125, including the suspended-1945/resumed-1948 material split.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these records was retrieved or read; their contents are unknown. No claim is made from them.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-northampton-clc1-09