Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Piedmont' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Piedmont' returned 6 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-piedmont-ad17-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Piedmont' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Piedmont' returned 283 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-piedmont-ad17-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AD-17' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AD-17' returned 740522 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-piedmont-ad17-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AD-17' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AD-17' returned 973895 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-piedmont-ad17-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Howard v. Owens Corning, 72 Cal. App. 4th 621, 85 Cal. Rptr. 2d 386 (Cal. App. 1st Dist. 1999), No. A079518 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, Part I Factual and Procedural Background (occupational history; USS Piedmont service passage); published at 72 Cal. App. 4th 621
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion in asbestos personal-injury suit (filed March 1995, ~215 defendants) documents plaintiff Denis B. Howard's service aboard USS Piedmont September 1963-June 1965, first as torpedoman's mate then clerk, living aboard; his sworn testimony described insulated pipes running overhead above the top bunks in his berthing compartment with 'dust or other material' found on his bed following work done above, and observation in the ship's machine shop of men 'working on, what looked to me to be pipes with insulation, and there would be dust in the air.' Piedmont is described in the opinion as 'a repair vessel that provided repair services to destroyers home-ported in San Diego.' Special jury verdict for Owens Corning found Howard's asbestos exposure was not a cause of injury; judgment affirmed on appeal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1963-1965 (service); 1995-1999 (litigation)
- Population
- Piedmont crewmember (torpedoman's mate/clerk, 1963-65); alleged asbestos exposure, asbestosis claimed
- Limitations
- Disposition is a defense verdict affirmed - no adjudicated finding that asbestos was aboard this hull or that any exposure was causative; the opinion recounts plaintiff testimony and expert dispute (plaintiff's expert called exposure 'significant and heavy'; defendant contested foundational facts). Fiber content of the described insulation and dust was never adjudicated. Plaintiff's alleged exposure spanned Navy and Army employment 1960-1989 across multiple duty stations. Opinion text reviewed via secondary case-law mirrors (midpage.ai, exa.ai, vLex); Justia canonical URL confirmed via volume listing but blocked automated fetch (HTTP 403); CourtListener URL unretrievable this session due to rate limiting.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-01
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[6]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1306005, Docket No. 08-22 081 (decision Feb. 21, 2013; Pittsburgh RO) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Decision text, 'Facts and analysis' (service personnel records paragraph); 'REMAND' section noting the RO grant
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- VA adjudication record documents that the veteran 'served on board the USS PIEDMONT from July 1977 to December 1980' per service personnel records. During the appeal's pendency the RO granted service connection for 'asthma with interstitial lung disease due to asbestos exposure' (10 percent initial evaluation, August 2011). A March 2011 VA examiner opined the veteran's interstitial lung disease (pulmonary fibrosis) was 'secondary to asbestos exposure' and his asthma was precipitated by occupational circumstances in service. The Board denied a sleep-apnea claim (no nexus to service or asbestos) and remanded other respiratory claims for further development.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1977-1980 (service); 2007-2013 (claim/adjudication)
- Population
- Piedmont crewmember 1977-1980; granted service connection for asbestos-related interstitial lung disease
- Limitations
- Merits-stage administrative benefits adjudication: in-service asbestos exposure is established for a documented Piedmont crewmember, but the decision does not isolate Piedmont as the exposure site - the veteran also had reserve service (USS Glover), was documented in an asbestos surveillance program through 1986, and had post-service employment (Bethlehem Steel, mining repair, truck welding, General Dynamics) with possible exposure. VA service-connection standard (reasonable doubt resolved for veteran) is not tort causation and does not document what asbestos materials were aboard the hull. Service treatment records were largely unavailable.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-02
-
[7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1547237, Docket No. 13-10 338 (remand Nov. 9, 2015; Seattle RO) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Decision text, 'REMAND' section (veteran's assertion; service-record confirmation; concession language)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- VA adjudication record: veteran asserted asbestos-related lung disease from in-service asbestos exposure 'while serving aboard the USS Piedmont as a cook' during active service February 1956-December 1959; service records confirmed he served aboard USS Piedmont and USS Gilligan. The Board conceded the veteran was 'potentially exposed to some degree of asbestos while on active service' on the stated basis that 'it is common knowledge that ships built prior to 1980 contained asbestos materials,' and remanded for development of the exposure circumstances and a VA examination.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1956-1959 (service); 2010-2015 (claim/appeal)
- Population
- Piedmont crewmember (cook, 1956-59); claimed asbestos-related lung disease
- Limitations
- Remand only - no merits finding on exposure circumstances or nexus. The Board's concession is 'potential' exposure grounded in a general proposition about pre-1980 ships, not anything specific to this hull. Record notes confounders: post-service career as a pipe fitter and significant tobacco history; veteran also served a second ship (USS Gilligan). Not evidence that asbestos was aboard Piedmont.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-03
-
[8]DANFS, Piedmont II (AD-17) (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-19) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, full service narrative (specifications block through 1969)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship history: laid down by Tampa Ship Building Co., Tampa, FL, December 1, 1941; launched December 7, 1942; commissioned January 5, 1944. WWII Pacific tender service: Pearl Harbor (7 destroyers alongside; jobs on 50+ in the stream), Eniwetok (99 ships provisioned, 888 tons of stores in July 1944), Manus; survived the November 10, 1944 Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion at Seeadler Harbor with superficial damage and one fatality; Ulithi January-April 1945 with repair department averaging 1,000+ completed job orders and ~100,000 man-hours per month during Lingayen/Iwo Jima/Okinawa; entered Tokyo Bay August 30 and moored at Yokosuka August 31, 1945 as the tender selected to move in with first occupation units. Four Korean War WestPac tours (1950-54), incl. flagship for Commander UN Blockading and Escort Force; four battle stars. FRAM overhaul at Long Beach completed January 31, 1963; Subic Bay Vietnam-era service 1964 and 1968; Pacific Fleet through 1969 (entry ends).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- Crew ~1,181 design complement; repair department personnel; serviced destroyer crews alongside
- Limitations
- DANFS entry text ends circa 1969 - post-1969 events (1970s deployments, Naples homeport, decommissioning, Turkish transfer) are not covered by this source and are carried via secondary compilations (ev-05). DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or abatement statement; repair-workload figures document activity, not materials. Live NHHC DANFS page 404'd (same link-rot defect as Batch 01); verbatim HyperWar transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-04
-
[9]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Piedmont (AD-17) page (specifications, FRAM caption, decommission/transfer milestones); corroborated by destroyers.org (Tin Can Sailors) AD-17 page, navysite.de, NavalCoverMuseum, hullnumber.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AD-17 page (09/03/0317): class/spec block, FRAM photo caption, awards/milestones table; destroyers.org/ships/ad-17 (DANFS Aug-2015 transcription + Wikipedia history)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS record from secondary compilations, mutually corroborated: FRAM modernization at Long Beach Naval Shipyard October 1962-February 1963 (armament reduced to single 5"/38; QH-50 DASH drone hangar/flight deck added aft - per NavSource photo caption); rework at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard dry docks summer 1971 (Wikipedia-sourced on destroyers.org); last WestPac August 1973-February 1974; Atlantic Fleet transfer with homeport Naples, Italy December 1974-June 1976 (repair crews to USS Belknap after November 1975 collision); Norfolk, VA homeport for remainder of career; decommissioned September 30, 1982; leased to Turkey October 18, 1982, renamed TCG Derya (A-576); purchased outright by Turkey and stricken from the Naval Register August 6, 1987 (transfer described as Security Assistance Program, FAA Section 516 Southern Region Amendment); deleted from Turkish Navy register 1994; broken up for scrap 1995. Specifications: 4 boilers, geared turbines, twin screws, 11,300 shp; complement 1,181.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1962-1995
- Population
- Crew and embarked repair department; Turkish Navy crew 1982-1994
- Limitations
- Secondary volunteer compilations, not primary USN records - no official source located for post-1969 events (NVR excludes vessels disposed before 1987; live NHHC page 404). Direct navsource.org fetch failed this session (DNS); content verified via search-index excerpts and cross-corroborating compilations. FRAM completion date discrepancy: DANFS 'completed 31 January 1963' vs NavSource caption 'October 1962 to February 1963' - logged in gaps. Vietnam star count varies by source (NavSource 'two campaign stars' vs Wikipedia 'one'). Turkish-service details from Turkish contributor photos are anecdotal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-05
-
[10]DANFS Piedmont II (specs + repair-mission narrative) with NavSource/navysite machinery spec compilation; era insulation practice per Corn & Starr (see ev-07) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block + Ulithi narrative; NavSource specifications block; Howard opinion Part I
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As built (1941-44), Piedmont was a steam-powered destroyer tender (4 boilers, geared turbines, twin screws per secondary compilations) constructed to WWII Navy specifications under which steam-plant insulation, pipe lagging, machinery gaskets, and packing were commonly asbestos-containing. Her documented tender mission placed crew and alongside workers in sustained contact with insulated systems of serviced destroyers (DANFS-documented repair tempo: 1,000+ job orders/month at Ulithi). Howard trial testimony describes shipboard insulated piping in berthing spaces and insulation work in the machine shop - appearance described, fiber content not adjudicated.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1941-1944 (construction); 1944-1982 (service)
- Population
- Construction trades (Tampa Shipbuilding, 1941-44); repair department and engineering crews; yard workers at documented availabilities (Long Beach NSY FRAM 1962-63; Hunters Point 1971 - secondary)
- Limitations
- Era/class inference plus litigant testimony - no hull-specific insulation survey, product identification, or construction specification for this vessel was located. Tender repair work is a documented activity and plausible exposure pathway, not a ship-specific asbestos finding. Machinery specs derive from secondary compilations, not the DANFS spec line (which gives speed and complement only). Does not establish quantity, present condition (hull scrapped 1995), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-06
-
[11]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents extensive asbestos use as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this Tampa-built destroyer tender was constructed (laid down December 1941, commissioned January 1944) - and documents wartime asbestos exposure conditions for shipyard workers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of WWII shipbuilding asbestos use generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder and establishes nothing specific to this hull - no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-07
-
[12]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)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and insulation-removal policies of the mid/late 1970s, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - both documented Piedmont availability/homeport locations (Long Beach NSY FRAM 1962-63; Norfolk homeport 1976-1982). Piedmont remained in service through the period covered by the Navy's 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Yard/program-level documentation, not hull-specific; Piedmont's FRAM at Long Beach predated the 1975 removal policy, and no record was located establishing what (if anything) was removed from or retained aboard this hull at any availability. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403, standing defect since Batch 01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-08
-
[13]Batch-446 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; NHHC live page (404); NVR detail page (no record - pre-1987 disposal); MARAD ShipHistory (no record); VA BVA full-text decisions (3 hits incl. 1 name collision); CourtListener (blocked - rate limited); case-law indexes (Howard located); GAO product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-piedmont-ad17-01 through sl-uss-piedmont-ad17-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull asbestos survey, abatement contract, donation/transfer hazmat disclosure, product-identification record, or materials specification for USS Piedmont (AD-17) was located in the public sources searched. Ship-specific asbestos documentation is limited to adjudicated claims records: one published appellate opinion with shipboard-exposure testimony ending in a defense verdict (Howard), one merits-stage VA service-connection grant for in-service asbestos exposure for a documented crewmember (BVA 1306005), and one remand-stage VA claim (BVA 1547237). CourtListener hull-name and hull-number searches could not be executed this session - API rate limit (125/day) exhausted. A marketing site's 'equipment manifest' (navyshipexposure.com: Babcock & Wilcox, Allis Chalmers, DeLaval, GE) is unsourced and excluded.
- 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 - a 1944 steam tender is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the scrapped hull leaves no survey opportunity. CourtListener non-execution is a genuine coverage gap, not a negative result; a future pass should run '"USS Piedmont"' and '"AD-17"' plus 'Piedmont asbestos' queries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-09
-
[14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs) and RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - naval shipyard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/24.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads, not retrieved (no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS Piedmont, 1944-1982 - would document underway/availability periods, alongside assignments, and repair activity; (b) NARA RG 181 records of Long Beach Naval Shipyard - 1962-63 FRAM work packages for this hull are the likeliest primary source for any asbestos-scope documentation of that overhaul; (c) Tampa Shipbuilding Co. (TASCO) construction/outfitting records, if extant (WWII-era private-yard records survive inconsistently); (d) NHHC holds ship files and the 2015-updated DANFS source text for Piedmont.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1941-1987 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-piedmont-ad17-10