USS Opportune (ARS-41)

Evidence

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

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Opportune' (ARS-41) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-08-17; unchanged through the 2023-11-08 capture) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text; specifications block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for this hull (text unchanged across Wayback captures 2019-2023; live NHHC page 404s): 'Opportune (ARS-41) was laid down 13 September 1944 by Basalt Rock Co., Napa, Calif.; launched 31 March 1945; sponsored by Mrs. Kenneth Sanger; and commissioned at Mare Island, Calif., 5 October 1945, Lt. Comdr. Charles L. Knopp in command.' Specifications block: 'dp. 1,990; l. 213-6; b. 43; dr. 13-8; s. 16 k.; cpl. 120; a. 2 twin 40mm.; cl. Bolster.' Narrative covers training on the California coast; homeport San Juan, Puerto Rico from Dec 1945 (salvage schoolship, Atlantic Fleet, air-sea rescue tug duty off Culebra Island); homeport Norfolk from 23 October 1953 with annual resupply deployments to NAS Argentia, Newfoundland; 1960 European goodwill cruise (Agadir, Morocco earthquake relief); 1961 tow of AFDB-7 drydock sections to Holy Loch, Scotland (4,400 nm, 32 days); cable-laying 1962-64; 1965-66 circumnavigation delivering a Royal Navy lift craft to Subic Bay - 'the first Navy salvage ship to circumnavigate the globe'; narrative ends 'Into 1970 Opportune continues to serve the Atlantic Fleet.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1970

   Population

   Construction trades, Basalt Rock Co., Napa, CA, 1944-45; ship's company 1945-70 (design complement 120)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents build, class, specifications, and service history through 1970 only - the page was never updated past that date. It does not mention asbestos, materials, or insulation, and does not cover 1970-1993 service, decommissioning, or disposal. Live NHHC page returns HTTP 404 as of 2026-09-26; text taken from an Internet Archive mirror of the same official URL.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-01

2. [2]NHHC Artifact Collection, 'Command at Sea' presentation plaque, LCDR Darlene Iskra, Accession # NHHC 2016.039.001 (Naval History and Heritage Command) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Artifact description field, NHHC catalog page

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC museum artifact record (Command at Sea presentation plaque, Accession # NHHC 2016.039.001, from the ship's company) states: 'LCDR Darlene Iskra became the first woman to command a US Navy ship when she reported for duty as the Commanding Officer of USS Opportune (ARS-41) on 27 December 1990. While under Iskra's command, the Opportune deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm and assisted in relief efforts following Hurricane Andrew in 1992.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1990-1993

   Population

   Ship's company, USS Opportune, 1990-1993

   Limitations

   Documents command history and two named deployments (Desert Storm, Hurricane Andrew relief); does not address asbestos, materials, or hazard conditions aboard. Live NHHC page returns HTTP 404 as of 2026-09-26; text taken from an Internet Archive mirror of the same official URL.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-02

3. [3]NHHC, National Museum of the U.S. Navy, 'January 28, 1986 - Space Shuttle Challenger' photography/history page (Naval History and Heritage Command) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Page body text naming units involved in the salvage operation

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC museum page on the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51L) disaster and salvage names this hull among the Navy units engaged: 'Involved in the salvage operations for Challenger items (contacts) were USS Preserver (ARS-8), Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two, Explosive Ordinance Disposal Group Two, USS Sunbird (ARS-15), Submersible - Submarine NR-1, USS Opportune (ARS-41), USS Kittiwake (ASR-13), and USS Grapple (T-ARS-53).' Salvage operations ran February-August 1986 across 480+ square nautical miles of ocean bottom.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1986

   Population

   Ship's company and divers involved in Challenger debris recovery, Feb-Aug 1986

   Limitations

   Confirms this hull's participation in the Challenger salvage effort; does not detail Opportune's specific tasking beyond the general unit list, and does not address asbestos or shipboard materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-03

4. [4]U.S. DOT Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database, 'OPPORTUNE (ARS-41)' ship detail record [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory/Detail/3698 - specifications block and Milestones table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database record for OPPORTUNE (ARS-41): Shipyard Basalt Rock Company; Year Built 1945; Ship Length 213.50 ft; Beam 43.00 ft; Draft Summer 13.00 ft; Displacement Summer 1900.00 tons; Displacement Lightweight 1277.00 tons; Fate 'Scrapped'. Milestones: Acquisition 1993-08-05; 'Withdrawn for scrap/DRMS' 1995-01-18; a second Acquisition entry 1995-08-03; Interim Movement 1999-02-01; 'Scrap service contract to BayBridge Entp' 2003-12-05; and a final entry dated 2005-01-12 stating '"Officially destroyed by scrapping on 12 January 2005 in Chesapeake, VA by Bay Bridges Inc."' The database's Documents, Plans, Status Cards, and Images tabs each state no records exist for this vessel; there is no historical narrative.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1993-2005

   Limitations

   Corrects the widely repeated secondary-source claim (Wikipedia and derivative sites) that the ship was 'scrapped 5 December 2003' - MARAD's own milestone data shows 2003-12-05 as the scrap-contract-award/tow date and 2005-01-12 as the date scrapping was officially completed. The database holds no hazmat, asbestos, or abatement documents for this hull (Documents tab: 'No documents for this vessel'). Minor unreconciled spec discrepancy vs. DANFS: MARAD gives displacement 1,900 tons (summer) vs. DANFS' 1,990 tons - both are read directly from their respective primary records and left as-is (see gaps).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-04

5. [5]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 to automated fetch)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. Opportune was homeported at Norfolk continuously from 23 October 1953 through her 1993 decommissioning, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard was accordingly her principal East Coast repair/overhaul yard for four decades.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers, Norfolk and Long Beach Naval Shipyards; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program/yard-level documentation, not hull-specific - the report does not name Opportune, does not describe any specific overhaul of this hull, and does not establish what asbestos-containing material, if any, was aboard or removed from her. Supports only that Norfolk NSY (her home yard for 40 years) was operating under this asbestos-removal policy during part of her service life. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-05

6. [6]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961,' Guided Research Topics for U.S. Navy Records [other_primary]

   Locator

   Guide body text, RG 19 series description and filing-code explanation

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA's research guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' directs researchers to Record Group 19 (Bureau of Ships correspondence, 1940-1961), filed by hull designation (this hull would file under 'ARS41'), then by class ('ARS-Bolster class' via the class namesake USS Bolster, ARS-38), then by type ('ARS') if hull- and class-level files are unproductive; shipyard correspondence is separately filed under 'QM/[private yard name]' for Basalt Rock Co. and 'NY[#]' for public yards including Norfolk.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1940-1961

   Limitations

   This is a finding aid describing where hull-specific and class-specific Bureau of Ships correspondence is held, not itself a record about this hull. It does not confirm, describe, or rule out asbestos aboard Opportune. RG 19 holdings for hull code ARS41 or class code 'ARS-Bolster' have not been reviewed - this is the concrete next research step, not a completed finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-06

7. [7]Hickman v. CBS Corp., No. 1:16-cv-00308 (D. Del.), Reports and Recommendations at Doc. 202 (2017-10-02) and Doc. 253 (2019-07-15) [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener docket 4221110; RECAP documents 202 and 253, highlighted full-text snippets

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener RECAP full-text search (exact phrase "USS Opportune", type=r) returns a genuine, ship-specific hit: Hickman v. CBS Corp. et al., No. 1:16-cv-00308 (D. Del.), docket captioned 'IN RE: ASBESTOS LITIGATION,' terminated 2019-08-19. Two Magistrate Judge Reports and Recommendations resolving defendants' summary-judgment motions contain highlighted matches reciting plaintiff Gerald L. Hickman's alleged/testified service history: '...Mr. Hickman was stationed on the USS Opportune in Little Creek, Virginia while he also worked...' (R&R of 2019-07-15, re: doc. 138) and '...Plaintiff was then stationed aboard the USS Opportune in Little Creek, Virginia, for approximately...' (R&R of 2017-10-02, granting ten named summary-judgment motions: docs. 140, 142, 144, 145, 151, 153, 158, 160, 163, 192). Little Creek, Virginia is in the Norfolk area, where Opportune was in fact homeported 1953-1993 - the allegation is consistent with, not merely coincidentally near, this hull's real service history. Hickman also alleged separate service aboard USS La Salle. Named defendants/parties include Crane Co., CBS Corporation, Owens Corning, General Electric, DeLaval Inc., Buffalo Pumps Inc., Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Eagle-Picher, Manville Trust, and others.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   Alleged Navy service era (exact dates not captured in available snippets); litigation 2016-2019

   Population

   U.S. Navy veteran (Gerald L. Hickman), alleged shipboard service, Little Creek, VA

   Limitations

   This is genuine ship-specific LITIGATION documentation, not asbestos-presence evidence. The docket shows summary judgment GRANTED for at least ten named defendants (2017-10-02 R&R) and further summary-judgment resolution shortly before the case terminated (2019-08-19) - per this batch's litigation-stage discipline, a defense summary-judgment win is a merits-level negative for that plaintiff against those defendants, not exposure evidence, and does not establish that asbestos-containing material was aboard Opportune. The underlying R&R PDFs were not retrieved in full (only CourtListener's indexed highlight snippets were reviewed via the authenticated helper) - the court's actual reasoning for granting summary judgment (e.g., product-identification failure vs. some other ground), and whether the Opportune-specific allegation was addressed by any surviving vs. losing motion, is unknown. Does not establish which of Hickman's two alleged ships (Opportune or La Salle) was the basis for any specific defendant's product-identification claim, does not establish causation, and does not establish whether Hickman recovered from any defendant or bankruptcy trust (Manville, Eagle-Picher, and UNR are listed as parties) for the Opportune-based allegation specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-07

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 search sweep, queries 1-5 above, run 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   See search_ledger rows sl-09 through sl-12

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener sweep for this hull, run via the authenticated fleet helper (cl-auth-search.py): (1) unquoted opinion-type keyword query 'USS Opportune' - 675 raw hits, all reviewed top hits are false positives on 'USS'/'opportune' as ordinary words (none concern this vessel); (2) exact-phrase opinion-type query '"USS Opportune"' - 0 hits; (3) exact-phrase docket-type (RECAP) query '"USS Opportune"' - 1 genuine hit, see ev-07; (4) exact-phrase docket-type query '"ARS-41"' - 45 hits, all 20 reviewed are unrelated noise (civil-rights, ADA, consumer-credit, and other cases where 'ARS-41' incidentally matches a numeric string, not this hull); (5) exact-phrase opinion-type query '"ARS-41"' - not completed (fleet-wide pacing budget exhausted for the remainder of the session).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Summarizes sweep completeness, not a new asbestos finding. Item (5) - the opinion-type hull-number query - was never completed this session; given item (4)'s 45-hit docket-type hull-number query was 100% noise, the expected value of completing (5) is judged low but not zero. This sweep should be treated as thorough-but-not-exhaustive, and re-run to close item (5) before the record is treated as fully final on litigation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-opportune-ars41-08