USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD-964)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 1979-10-18, released 1979-10-22), Enclosure I - Department of the Navy (Chief of Naval Operations) letter, CNO SER 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979, with Attachment 1 ship list (gao.gov product page https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2; live gao.gov PDF assets return HTTP 403, Justia mirror used) [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 full report, Enclosure I pp. 1-4 (letter text; the DD-964 sentence appears under the answer to GAO question #3) and pp. 7-8 (Attachment 1, 'DESTROYER - DD' block, PAUL F. FOSTER row)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Primary government document quantifies installed asbestos aboard this exact hull: answering GAO's question on 'the amount of asbestos used as thermal insulation in Navy ships,' the CNO letter states 'The USS PAUL F. FOSTER (DD-964) contains 87,634 pounds of thermal insulation,' cautioning that this 'will be the weight of thermal insulation installed and will not include the amount of asbestos used in other applications, such as pipe hanger liners, gaskets, etc.' The letter further states that 'each ship has several types of asbestos containing materials installed,' that thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems was 'the major application of asbestos' aboard Navy ships, that it is 'nearly impossible to build a Navy ship free of the mineral,' and that 'the first eleven of our new DD 963 class ships ... continued through to delivery as late as May 1978 with asbestos insulation.' Attachment 1 (ENCL 1 TO CNO SER 4542/318054 OF 5 Jan 1979) lists PAUL F. FOSTER, hull 964, construction start 10/72, delivery 2/76, inside the DD-963 block carrying the 'Asbestos thermal insulation' annotation (the asbestos-free annotation begins at JOHN RODGERS, DD-983). DD-964 is the second ship of the class and is unambiguously inside the 'first eleven' (DD-963 through DD-973) delivered with asbestos insulation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1973-1979 (construction through letter date)

   Population

   Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades, Pascagoula 1973-76; ship's company and embarked personnel 1976-2003; shipyard/availability workers at documented yard periods; SDTS-era technicians 2003-present

   Limitations

   The 87,634-lb figure is the weight of installed thermal insulation as documented in a January 1979 Navy letter - it describes as-built/installed material, does not cover non-insulation applications (gaskets, pipe hanger liners, cabling, deck tile, brakes/clutches, resistors - which the letter says exist aboard every in-service ship), and says nothing about how much was later removed under the Navy's 1975/1979 removal policies or remains aboard today. It documents material presence, not any individual's exposure dose, and establishes nothing about legal eligibility. The Attachment 1 'Asbestos thermal insulation' annotation is positioned mid-block (on the ARTHUR W. RADFORD row); reading it as covering DD-963 through DD-982 is consistent with the letter text, but the letter's verbatim ship-specific statement for DD-964 stands alone regardless of the group-boundary reading.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-01

2. [2]Siegfried v. 3M Company et al., No. 2:18-cv-01575-FMO-E (C.D. Cal.; removed from Los Angeles County Superior Court No. BC691900, complaint filed 2018-01-26, removed 2018-02-26), Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s Joinder to Defendant Elliot Company's Notice of Removal, ECF No. 50 (filed 2018-03-02), before Judge Fernando M. Olguin [court_record]

   Locator

   RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384, ECF No. 50 (Document 50, filed 03/02/18), Preliminary Statement para. 1 (numbered vessel list, 'USS Paul Foster (DD-964)'); complaint Exhibit A at RECAP doc. 1-1

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Docketed asbestos litigation naming this hull: the Owens-Illinois removal joinder recites the complaint's allegation that plaintiff Terry Lee Siegfried 'was injured as a result of his exposure to asbestos from Owens-Illinois while an electrician and marine electrician between approximately 1969 and 1996 on the Long Beach Naval Shipyard' and aboard ~45 listed vessels expressly including 'USS Paul Foster (DD-964)' (complaint Exhibit A 'Location of Exposure' list; the joinder's numbered vessel list). DD-964's active service (1976-2003) overlaps the alleged window 1976-1996. Same pleading posture as the Siegfried rows carried for USS Lofberg (DD-759), USS Jouett (CG-29), USS Missouri (BB-63) and other hulls in this corpus.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1976-1996 (alleged exposure window overlap with hull service); 2018 (litigation)

   Population

   Terry Lee Siegfried (electrician/marine electrician, LBNSY and listed vessels, c.1969-1996)

   Limitations

   Pleading-stage allegation only: an undifferentiated ~45-vessel list attached to a personal-injury complaint, recited verbatim inside a defense removal filing (which asserts a government-contractor defense, not exposure facts). It alleges, but does not adjudicate, exposure aboard this hull; no discovery, fact-finding, or merits ruling on the allegation was located. Establishes nothing about materials aboard, products encountered, dates aboard, or legal eligibility. Subsequent case history not located this session (CourtListener search rate-limited - see search_ledger).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-02

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register ship detail pages, PAUL F FOSTER (DD 964) and PAUL F FOSTER (EDD 964), Wayback captures (live SHIPSDETAIL pages retired - redirect to register home) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR SHIPSDETAIL_DD_964 and SHIPSDETAIL_EDD_964 rendered pages (Wayback captures; live pages retired)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR register record for this hull: UIC 20575; class DD 963; builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; award 6/01/1970 (EDD page: 6/23/1970); keel 02/06/1973; launch 02/23/1974 (EDD page: 02/22/1974); delivery 02/01/1976 (EDD page: 02/09/1976); commission 02/21/1976; decommission 03/27/2003; stricken 04/06/2004; status 'Reclassed, hull reclassed to - EDD' effective 03/16/2005. EDD-964 page: type SELF DEFENSE TEST SHIP, status 'Active, in service,' U.S. Pacific Fleet, custodian Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme, planning yard Huntington Ingalls Industries - Ingalls Shipbuilding, register last updated 12/19/2017. Physical characteristics: 563 ft overall / 529 ft waterline, 55 ft beam, 6,824 tons light / 9,282 tons full displacement, steel hull with aluminum superstructure, propulsion type 'Gas Turbines,' 2 propellers, accommodations 24 officers + 272 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1970-2017

   Population

   Crew and maintenance populations 1976-2003; SDTS complement 2005-present

   Limitations

   NVR documents registry milestones, characteristics, and custodial status - not materials or asbestos content. Internal NVR discrepancies (launch 2/22 vs 2/23; award 6/01 vs 6/23; delivery 2/01 vs 2/09) are real between the two register pages and are flagged in gaps rather than reconciled. The EDD page carries no decommission/stricken dates; those come from the DD page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-03

4. [4]USS Paul F. Foster official ship website, 'Stats & History' page (foster.navy.mil), Wayback capture 2002-12-02; approved for release by the Commanding Officer and Command Public Affairs Officer, last updated 2002-09-17 [other_primary]

   Locator

   foster.navy.mil history.htm, 'Statistics' table and 'Command History' section (Wayback 2002-12-02 capture)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official ship-published command history and statistics: built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries, Pascagoula; commissioned 21 Feb 1976; keel 6 Feb 1973; christening 23 Feb 1974; 563'4" length, 55' beam, 32' draft, 9,200 tons displacement, crew 320, propulsion 4 GE LM2500 gas turbines @21,500 hp, 4 Allison 501-K17 gas-turbine generator sets, 2 propellers. First DD-963-class destroyer assigned to Pacific Fleet; first Spruance-class destroyer to deploy to Western Pacific (Mar 1978); joined Destroyer Squadron NINE, homeport Long Beach Aug 1983; Navy's first 'all-electric destroyer' after major modifications at Long Beach Naval Shipyard adding a fourth ship's-service gas-turbine generator; Meritorious Unit Citation for Operation Kernal Potlatch (1986-87 Carl Vinson battle-group deployment); regular overhaul at Northwest Marine Iron Works, Portland, OR, Sept 1987-July 1988 incl. Tomahawk system installation; departed 8 Dec 1990 on seventh deployment - 'the first ship to fire Tomahawk missiles against Iraqi targets' in Desert Storm; overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard following return Oct 1994 through 1995, then homeport shift to Everett Nov 1995; deployments ten through twelve (1997, 1999, 2001) enforcing UN sanctions in the Arabian Gulf.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1973-2002

   Population

   Crew (~296-320) 1976-2003; Long Beach NSY and Northwest Marine Iron Works yard workers at documented availabilities

   Limitations

   Official ship-published page but a public-relations product, not an audited record: its statistics and chronology are self-reported (crew 320 vs NVR 296; deployment dating around the 1986-87 cruise is loose against the overhaul dates). Documents availabilities and operations, not materials or asbestos content. Coverage ends Dec 2002 - predates decommissioning and the SDTS conversion.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-04

5. [5]Navy News Service release, 'NSWC Port Hueneme Welcomes New Self Defense Test Ship' (April 2003, globalsecurity.org mirror of NNS wire) + Office of Naval Research release, 'Maritime Laser Demonstrator: Test Moves Navy Step Closer to Lasers for Ship Self-Defense' (8 Apr 2011) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NNS release text paragraphs 1-4 (turnover ceremony, SDTS operating concept); ONR release (April 2011 MLD test near San Nicolas Island); NVR EDD-964 status block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   SDTS conversion and continued test service: per NNS, in a wharf-side ceremony 27 March 2003 'the decommissioned USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964) was turned over to Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division as the Navy's new Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS),' to be outfitted with remote capabilities and begin SDTS service by FY2005 on the Pacific Sea Test Range, replacing ex-USS Decatur (DDG-31); in live-fire tests the unmanned ship tows a decoy barge ~150 ft astern while navigation is performed from NAVAIR Point Mugu and combat systems controlled from Port Hueneme's Surface Warfare Engineering Facility. Per ONR, on 6 April 2011 the Maritime Laser Demonstrator mounted on ex-Paul F. Foster disabled a small target vessel near San Nicolas Island - the first at-sea solid-state high-energy laser engagement from a surface ship. NVR continues to list EDD-964 'Active, in service' (see ev-03); she is the last Spruance-class hull extant.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   2003-present

   Population

   NSWC Port Hueneme test crews and embarked technicians, 2003-present (unmanned during live-fire events)

   Limitations

   Documents custodial role and test activity only - no statement on materials aboard or any hazmat/abatement work performed in conversion. The NNS release is cited via the globalsecurity.org wire mirror (original navy.mil URL defunct); ONR release text carried verbatim on wire mirrors (phys.org). 'Last Spruance afloat' is corroborated by NVR absence of sisters and public reporting, not by a single official sentence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-05

6. [6]U.S. Naval Academy Notable Graduates biography, Paul F. Foster, Class of 1911 (Medal of Honor recipient); namesake section of the ship's official website [other_primary]

   Locator

   usna.edu Notable Graduates bio; foster.navy.mil history.htm 'Namesake' section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Namesake provenance: Vice Admiral Paul Frederick Foster (1889-1972), USNA class of 1911 - Medal of Honor for Veracruz (21-22 Apr 1914, aboard USS Utah), Navy Distinguished Service Medal (commanding USS AL-2, credited with sinking UB-65, 10 Jul 1918), Navy Cross (USS Trenton turret explosion); the first individual to receive all three of the Navy's highest awards; recalled to active duty 1941 (Inspector General's staff, three inspections at President Roosevelt's direction); AEC special assistant 1954, Assistant General Manager 1956, AEC General Manager 1957-58; U.S. representative to the IAEA, Vienna, with rank of Ambassador 1959-61; died 1972. DD-964 is the first Navy ship named for him.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1889-1972 (namesake); 1972-1976 (naming)

   Limitations

   Biographical context only - no bearing on materials aboard. USNA bio and ship-site namesake section agree on essentials; minor date details differ between secondary retellings (e.g., Navy Cross year) and are not material here.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-06

7. [7]Batch-285 search ledger (this record) - NHHC/DANFS coverage check, CourtListener API v4 and HTML search, va.gov BVA decisions, disposal-record searches [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-01 through -11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No additional ship-specific asbestos record located beyond ev-01 and ev-02: no hull ACM survey, insulation removal/abatement contract, condition report, or hazmat disclosure was found for this hull in the public sources searched. DANFS does not cover this hull (post-1970s construction; NavSource explicitly notes 'built too late to be covered by the DANFS project'; live NHHC ship pages 404). No disposal-path hazmat record exists because the hull was never disposed - it remains in Navy service as the SDTS. CourtListener litigation sweeps were rate-limited this session (API v4 HTTP 429, daily quota, ~19h to reset; HTML search HTTP 403) - the located Siegfried record (ev-02) comes via RECAP storage and the sibling-batch pattern, not a fresh CL sweep. VA BVA decision search produced no qualifying decision naming this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   searches 2026-09-19

   Limitations

   Absence of additional located records is a search outcome, not a fact about the ship: the GAO-quantified insulation (ev-01) is itself proof the hull carried substantial ACM as built. The incomplete CourtListener sweep means qualifying opinions or dockets could exist unlocated - logged as an open task (search_ledger sl-05/-06). Unindexed state filings, settled matters, MDL-875 docket entries, and VA claims are largely invisible to opinion databases. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-07

8. [8]GAO HRD-80-2 (1979) program-level findings, Enclosure I CNO letter + report body; Atlas shipyard dataset 'ingalls-shipbuilding' (tier 2) and 'long-beach-naval-shipyard' (tier 1) records [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 Enclosure I pp. 3-4 (policy text) and report digest pp. i-ii; shipyards.json records 'ingalls-shipbuilding' (ev-04 through -10, osha-1999) and 'long-beach-naval-shipyard' (ev-01, -02, osha-1989)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Removal-policy environment applicable to this hull's service life: the Navy's October 1975 policy (NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 Oct 1975) required removing and replacing asbestos insulation with non-asbestos material only when insulation was damaged or had to be removed for repairs; in January 1979 this was modified to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas where repairs were anticipated in the next operating cycle. The CNO letter states 30-50% of shipboard asbestos insulation 'is normally untouched during the life of the ship' and that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' (non-insulation applications incl. electrical resistors, deck tile, galley-range cabling, piping gaskets/packing, brakes and clutches). GAO's fieldwork yards for this report were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - DD-964 underwent two documented availabilities at Long Beach NSY (all-electric modifications mid-1980s; overhaul Oct 1994-1995). Builder Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula) is a documented Atlas tier-2 yard (products incl. Thermobestos, Superex, Kaylo, Zonolite, Monokote, pipe covering, block insulation, gaskets, packing, cement, tape, fireproofing; documented fiber concentrations 4-20 f/cc; family-disease cohort; OSHA sample records into 1999); Long Beach NSY is an Atlas tier-1 yard (16.0% radiographic-abnormality chest survey of 6,640 employees; OSHA 1989 bulk samples).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1973-2003

   Population

   Ingalls construction trades 1973-76; LBNSY yard workers at 1980s and 1994-95 availabilities; Northwest Marine Iron Works workers 1987-88 (yard not in Atlas dataset); crew 1976-2003

   Limitations

   Program-level policy and yard-level documentation only - NOT ship-specific findings. The policy documents what the Navy did fleet-wide during this hull's service era, not what was removed from or remains aboard DD-964 specifically. Yard-level records cannot be attributed to this hull; the availability work packages are not public. The ship-specific finding stands on ev-01 alone.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-08

9. [9]NVR propulsion/characteristic fields (Gas Turbines, 2 propellers, steel hull/aluminum superstructure) + foster.navy.mil statistics (4 GE LM2500, 4 Allison 501-K17 GTGs) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR EDD-964 physical-characteristics block; foster.navy.mil statistics table; HRD-80-2 Enclosure I p. 1 ('major application' sentence)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Propulsion-type note on era inference: DD-964 is a gas-turbine ship - 4 GE LM2500 main engines and 4 Allison 501-K17 ship's-service gas-turbine generators, 2 shafts, no boilers and no steam propulsion plant - so the classic steam-plant asbestos suite (boiler casings, steam-drum and main-steam-line lagging, turbine lagging) is absent from the machinery arrangement. However, the CNO letter's documented shipboard asbestos application - thermal insulation 'for machinery, equipment and piping systems' - does not depend on steam propulsion, and the letter's own hull-specific figure for DD-964 (87,634 lbs installed thermal insulation, ev-01) demonstrates substantial ACM was installed in this gas-turbine hull. Non-insulation shipboard applications named in the letter (gaskets, packing, deck tile, brakes/clutches, electrical resistors, cabling) likewise apply to gas-turbine ships.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1973-1979

   Limitations

   Inference and boundary analysis only. The gas-turbine plant removes one historical asbestos vector but not the documented one; the ship-specific quantity is established by ev-01, not by this row. Nothing here infers the presence or absence of any material beyond what ev-01 documents.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-paul-f-foster-dd964-09