Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, Richard S. Edwards (DD-950) (specifications block + service narrative; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404 under both danfs/r/ URL variants) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry for Richard S. Edwards (DD-950), specifications block + full service narrative (Wayback capture of hazegray.org DANFS mirror, 2021-04-21)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: specifications dp. 4,049; l. 418'; b. 45'; dr. 20'; s. 35 k.; cpl. 354; a. 3 5in., 4 3in., 1 dct., 2 dcp., 2 21in. tt.; cl. Hull. Laid down by Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co., Seattle, Wash. 29 December 1956; launched 24 September 1957; sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Franke; commissioned 5 February 1959, Comdr. Richard R. Law in command. Shakedown to Valparaiso, Chile; San Diego 13 May 1959. WestPac deployments 1959-60 (7th Fleet fast carriers, Taiwan Patrol), Feb-Sep 1961, Nov 1962-Jun 1963, Aug 1964-Jan 1965 (18 Sep 1964 engagement with North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Tonkin Gulf alongside Morton DD-948), Mar-Aug 1966 (NGFS Vietnam, plane guard), Aug 1967-Mar 1968 (Da Nang 3 Nov 1967), Jan-Aug 1969. Decommissioned at Long Beach 27 February 1970 and entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for ASW modernization; recommissioned 15 January 1971; homeport shifted to Pearl Harbor (embarked 4 March 1971). Sailed 10 April 1972 on 72 hours notice for the Vietnam gunline, serving until November 1972. Six battle stars for Vietnam service. Entry narrative ends in 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1956-1982
- Population
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging construction trades 1956-59; crew (design complement 354) 1959-82
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Narrative ends in 1974 and does not cover the 1982 final decommissioning or disposal. Laid-down date (29 Dec 1956) conflicts with NVR keel date (20 Dec 1956) - carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC DANFS pages 404 for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-01
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), ship detail page for Richard S. Edwards (DD-950), last updated 2011-02-16 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail DD-950, milestone dates block + vessel status block (Wayback capture 2024-07-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR milestone record for this hull: UIC 04666; class DD 945 (Hull group of the Forrest Sherman class); builder Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co.; award 1956-01-27; keel 1956-12-20; launch 1957-09-24; delivery 1959-01-30; commission 1959-02-05; decommission 1982-12-15; stricken 1990-02-07; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise' with date status changed 1997-04-10; propulsion type Steam Turbines; 23.0 years commission-to-decommission.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1956-1997
- Limitations
- NVR supplies official milestone dates and propulsion class only - no materials, asbestos, or crew data. The live NVR detail URL now 302-redirects to the NVR landing page for this disposed hull; record verified from the 2024-07-26 Wayback capture of the official page. The 1997-04-10 status-change date conflicts with the secondary-source SINKEX date 1997-05-12 - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-02
-
[3]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. A23027603, Docket 230913-375685 (decided 2023-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision A23027603 - Finding of Fact para. 2; 'Asbestos Exposure' section; service-period recitals
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Government adjudication naming this hull in an asbestos-exposure record: VA conceded ('exposure to asbestos has been conceded') that the veteran - a sonarman with honorable USN service May 1961-September 1964 - 'was exposed to asbestos as a sonarman while serving in the Navy.' The decision documents his service aboard USS Richard [S.] Edwards (DD-950) 1962-09-01 to 1963-07-01 and 1963-08-30 to 1964-06-07 (the decision text reads 'Richard E. Edwards' but gives hull number DD-950), alongside USS Prairie (AD-15) and USS Taussig (DD-746). Service connection for bladder cancer was denied - the June 2023 VA examiner found the cancer less likely than not related to service, and the herbicide claim failed because deck logs did not place the named ships within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1962-1964 (service aboard this hull); 2021-2023 (adjudication)
- Population
- One veteran sonarman; DD-950 service 1962-1964
- Limitations
- Administrative benefits adjudication, not tort litigation. The asbestos exposure concession covers the veteran's total Navy service across three vessels - it does not establish that the exposure occurred aboard this hull, does not identify products or quantities, and does not address any other crewmember. The merits (nexus to bladder cancer) were decided against the veteran; the exposure finding itself was conceded at the AOJ level and noted by the Board.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-03
-
[4]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1707301, Docket 11-29 599 (decided 2017-03-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision 1707301 - Issue 2 (respiratory condition); DPRIS service verification recital; October 2014 and November 2015 examiner opinions
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Earlier BVA decision naming this hull in an asbestos claim: the veteran (USN active duty June 1971-May 1979 and September 1986-September 1998, Combat Action Ribbon) claimed a respiratory condition 'as a result of in-service asbestos and/or Agent Orange (herbicide) exposure'; DPRIS records verified his service aboard USS Richard S. Edwards during the Vietnam era. Denied: the Board found no current chronic respiratory disability - a VA examiner found no asbestosis and no chronic respiratory condition in service or post-service records - so the exposure question was never adjudicated on the merits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-1979 (first service period); 2009-2017 (adjudication)
- Population
- One veteran; USS Richard S. Edwards service during Vietnam era (exact dates aboard not stated)
- Limitations
- Claim denied on no-current-disability grounds; asbestos exposure was alleged, not conceded or adjudicated, in this decision. Documents that an asbestos-exposure claim was raised by a veteran of this hull and adjudicated to denial - it neither establishes nor excludes exposure aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-04
-
[5]Rushworth, D.H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (2005), doi:10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x (indexed in EPA HERO ID 3584926) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA HERO index entry 3584926 (title, journal, DOI, abstract)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era-standard shipboard asbestos context: asbestos was used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation and in many other shipboard products; per the author (a Navy industrial hygienist), the most likely source of Navy shipboard exposures was dry, friable thermal insulation, and the article describes the evolution of thermal insulation systems in WWII and post-WWII ships - the era in which this hull was built (1956-59) and operated.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1956-1982
- Population
- Construction trades at builder yard; crew 1959-82
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - a peer-reviewed era source establishing Navy-wide asbestos use in shipboard thermal insulation, not a hull-specific finding; it does not document materials aboard DD-950. No hull-specific ACM inventory, abatement record, or material specification was located for this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-05
-
[6]Lockwood v. AC & S, Inc., 109 Wash. 2d 235, 744 P.2d 605 (1987) - as recorded in the Atlas shipyard dataset record 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging' [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'puget-sound-bridge-dredging', ev-puget-bridge-01; Lockwood opinion text
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard documentation: Raymark asbestos products (asbestos insulation on pipes and steam turbines) were used at Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging during a large liner conversion in 1947-48, per testimony recorded in the Washington Supreme Court opinion. This hull was built at the same yard nine years later (keel 1956, launched 1957, delivered 1959).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1947-1948 (documented); 1956-1959 (this hull's build window)
- Population
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging workers (insulators) 1947-48; construction trades 1956-59 by extension of era practice
- Limitations
- Yard-level, era-proximate documentation - it documents asbestos product use at the builder yard in 1947-48, nine years before this hull's keel was laid; it does not document materials installed aboard DD-950. Recorded here as builder context, not a ship-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-06
-
[7]PMID 294186 - chest x-ray survey of Long Beach Naval Shipyard employees (as recorded in the Atlas shipyard dataset record 'long-beach-naval-shipyard') [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record 294186; DANFS entry (ASW modernization sentence); shipyards.json record 'long-beach-naval-shipyard', ev-long-beach-01
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Modernization-yard context: this hull underwent a documented ten-month ASW modernization at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, 1970-02-27 to 1971-01-15 (DANFS). A 1979 chest x-ray survey of 6,640 Long Beach Naval Shipyard employees (88.6% of workforce) found 1,061 (16.0%) with asbestos-related radiographic abnormalities - documenting the asbestos disease burden at the yard where this hull was modernized during the era when asbestos ship work was routine.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1970-1971 (modernization); 1979 (survey)
- Population
- 6,640 LBNSY employees (survey); DD-950 shipyard/crew interface during the 1970-71 modernization
- Limitations
- Yard-level epidemiology, not a hull finding - it documents asbestos disease among LBNSY workers in the era, not exposure aboard DD-950 or the asbestos scope of this hull's specific modernization. The 1979 survey postdates the 1970-71 yard period; the hull's presence at the yard is documented by DANFS, the yard's asbestos burden by the study.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search sweep (opinions type=o and dockets type=r) for exact name and hull number [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results, queries dated 2026-09-28 (see search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep outcome: no published asbestos opinion names this hull - 'USS Richard S. Edwards' and 'DD-950' opinion searches returned zero hits, and the 'Richard S. Edwards' opinion search returned only an 1876 Missouri probate case (name collision, a person). One qualifying pleading-stage reference WAS located in the docket corpus: the MDL-875 master docket matched 'Richard S. Edwards' via a tag-along complaint attachment in Hilt v. C.C. Moore & Co. Engineers (N.D. Cal. 4:10-cv-05844), whose Exhibit A work-history table lists 'RICHARD S. EDWARDS (DD-950)' among vessels worked on at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard - resolved as ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-09.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a published opinion is not proof of no litigation - state-court suits and non-indexed federal filings are not covered. The 'DD-950' docket-type query was not executed before cutoff (fleet pacing); hull-number-only docket mentions may exist that the exact-name sweep did not catch. Marketing/listicle mentions of DD-950 on law-firm sites (Shepard O'Donnell, Throneberry, ELSM, and similar) are boilerplate fleet lists, were not used as evidence, and are not counted as qualifying litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-08
-
[9]Hilt et al v. C.C. Moore & Co. Engineers et al, No. 4:10-cv-05844-CW (N.D. Cal., removed from San Francisco Superior CGC-10-275703), complaint - as attached to JPML MDL-875 tag-along notice, ECF doc. 6718-3 (filed 2011-02-09); companion case Hilt v. Foster Wheeler LLC, 3:11-cv-02367 [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 ECF doc. 6718-3 (recap gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6718.3.pdf), Exhibit A, pdf p.24 - 'RICHARD S. EDWARDS (DD-950)' ship-list entry
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage asbestos allegation naming this hull by hull number: the complaint's Exhibit A work-history table for decedent Robert Hilt lists employer 'Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA' with job titles Laborer (1965) and Marine Machinist (Helper) (1966-1972), and 'RICHARD S. EDWARDS (DD-950)' appears in the multi-page list of vessels worked on at that exposure location - i.e., the complaint alleges asbestos exposure during work on or around this hull at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in the 1965-72 window. The companion case against Foster Wheeler produced a published appellate ruling (Hilt v. Foster Wheeler LLC, 690 F. App'x 482 (9th Cir. 2017)) reversing summary judgment on expert-testimony grounds, but the ships at issue in that opinion were USS Bradley and USS Constellation - not this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1965-1972 (alleged exposure window); 2010-2011 (pleadings)
- Population
- Robert Hilt (decedent), laborer/marine machinist helper, Hunters Point Naval Shipyard 1965-1972
- Limitations
- Pleading allegation only - a work-history exhibit listing this hull among dozens of vessels; nothing in it is adjudicated as to exposure aboard DD-950, and the per-ship exposure-date column is OCR-flattened (the 1965/1966-1972 employment spans are legible; ship-specific date rows are not cleanly attributable). Documents that a plaintiff placed this hull in his exposure history at Hunters Point NSY - it does not establish exposure occurred aboard the hull, nor product identity, quantity, or causation. Case disposition for the C.C. Moore track not located; the Foster Wheeler appellate posture does not reach this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-edwards-dd950-09