Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Simon Lake' (AS-33) entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-09-09; text ends September 1974) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Simon Lake' entry, specifications block and service narrative (live NHHC URL returned 404; verbatim Wayback capture of the official page used)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Simon Lake (AS-33): laid down 1963-01-07 by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA; launched 1964-02-08, sponsored by Mrs. Cecil Ford and Mrs. Herbert Diamond; commissioned 1964-11-07, Capt. James B. Osborn in command; specifications dp. 12,686, l. 644', b. 85', dr. 30', s. 20 k., cpl. 1,420, a. 4 3-inch, cl. Simon Lake. Service record: shakedown Pearl Harbor Jan-Feb 1965; Charleston SC arrival 1965-05-01, tender duty to 1966-07-11; Holy Loch, Scotland, relieving Hunley (AS-31) as tender for SubRon 14, operating until 1970-05-24; first overhaul at Bremerton 1970-07-06 to March 1971 including conversion to Poseidon missile capability; Charleston tender duty until 1972-11-19; then Rota, Spain, relieving Holland (AS-32); still operating from Rota into September 1974 (entry ends there).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1963-1974
- Population
- Crew (complement 1,420)
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; establishes identity, construction, and service through September 1974 only - the entry was never extended past that date (the 2014 NAVSEA evaluation notes the DANFS entry was a December 2013 placeholder). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-01
-
[2]NAVSEA 21 (Inactive Ships), Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation Final Determination, SIMONLAKE-AS-33-Final-Determination03-24-14 (initial evaluation 2013-12-17, final 2014-03-24; NHPA Section 106 Program Comment triggers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Final Determination PDF, Vessel Snapshot / Deployment Summary / Noteworthy Events sections (live navsea.navy.mil page returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; Wayback capture used; evaluation index page confirms Portsmouth, VA + comment period 2013-12-30 to 2014-02-28)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NAVSEA Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation, Final Determination for SIMON LAKE (AS 33) (2014-03-24): full-load displacement 20,088 tons; length 644 ft; beam 85 ft; draft 27 ft; speed 18 knots; propulsion two boilers, four ship-service turbine generators, one shaft, one 1,000 kW emergency diesel generator; armament 4 x 25 mm Mk38 guns, 2 x 40 mm grenade launchers, 2 x .50 cal machine guns; delivered 1965-01-15; inactivated 1999-06-25; decommissioned 1999-07-31; stricken 2006-04-25; location Portsmouth, VA, stricken/to be disposed of. Deployment summary: USEUCOM 1966-1970 and 1987-1992 (Holy Loch, Scotland), 1972-1977 (Rota, Spain), 1993 and 1998-1999 (La Maddalena, Italy); USCENTCOM 1998 (Operation Southern Watch, Arabian Gulf). Noteworthy events: 1970 Poseidon conversion; 1978-79 Trident conversion; 1979 first tender certified to handle Trident; 1981 first tender certified to off-load a damaged Trident missile from an SSBN launch tube; 1986 rescue of 13 Haitians off Cuba; 1991 conversion from SSBN tender to SSN tender. NRHP eligibility: Ineligible; no stakeholder comments received.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1962-2014
- Limitations
- Official Navy document naming this hull; establishes specifications, milestones, deployment summary, and disposal-path status through 2014. The document contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-02
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA for CNO), SHIPSDETAIL_AS_33 record, last updated 2016-04-21 (Wayback capture 2017-02-01) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page, milestone dates / physical characteristics / status block (live page now returns nav shell only - hull removed from register after disposal; Wayback capture used)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record for SIMON LAKE (AS 33), UIC 04697: submarine tender; builder Naval Shipyard Puget Sound; award date 1962-08-08, keel 1963-01-07, launch 1964-02-08, commission 1964-11-07, delivery 1965-01-15, decommission 1999-07-31, stricken 2006-04-25; status 'Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration' effective 2016-04-01; steel hull, steel superstructure; propulsion type steam turbine, one propeller; accommodations 64 officers / 1,133 enlisted; light displacement 13,797 tons, full load 20,088 tons.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1962-2016
- Limitations
- Official register; establishes milestones, propulsion type, accommodations, and the 2016 title transfer to MARAD. Contains no asbestos or hazardous-material statement; supports no asbestos claim by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-03
-
[4]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 19132696, Docket No. 15-37 383 (decision date 2019-04-26) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision text, Issue 2 (COPD) - 'REASONS FOR REMAND' section
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation Nr. 19132696 (2019-04-26, Docket No. 15-37 383): on the veteran's COPD service-connection claim, the decision records that the veteran 'claims his COPD is a direct result of serving as plankowner... aboard the USS Simon Lake,' that 'he served as fireman apprentice in the boiler room where he helped install lagging to steam lines,' that his DD-214 'confirms that he served aboard the vessel,' that his service treatment records show multiple complaints of chest pain and coughing, and that 'there is documentation that he was under a medical surveillance program for exposure to asbestos and there is evidence he was likely exposed to asbestos dust.' The Board tentatively found adequate evidence of an in-service event under the McClendon test and remanded for a VA examination and etiological opinion on whether the COPD stems from asbestos exposure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1964-1972 service periods (claimant served 1964-1972 and 1978-1981); decision 2019
- Population
- One USS Simon Lake plankowner/fireman apprentice (boiler room, 1964-65 commissioning era); COPD claimant
- Limitations
- Administrative-adjudication record at REMAND stage, not a final grant: the Board tentatively accepted an in-service asbestos-exposure event (boiler-room lagging work; documented asbestos medical surveillance; likely asbestos-dust exposure) sufficient to order a medical examination, but made no final finding of service connection or causation. Records one claimant's evidence aboard this hull; does not quantify shipboard asbestos, does not establish exposure or disease for any other person, and is not a survey or material record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-04
-
[5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9817374, Docket No. 95-01 246 (decision date 1998-06-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision text, REMAND section
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Board of Veterans' Appeals decision, Citation Nr. 9817374 (1998-06-05, Docket No. 95-01 246): a veteran who served aboard USS Simon Lake July 1970-October 1971 contended he was exposed to benzene (not asbestos) while cleaning and scrubbing inside the ship's boiler room for six to eight hours straight without protective gear; the record confirmed his service aboard the hull and in the engine room; the Board remanded for development including a request that the Department of the Navy describe the boiler-room cleaning process, chemical agents used, protective gear issued, and ventilation aboard USS Simon Lake.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1970-1971 service; decision 1998
- Population
- One USS Simon Lake crew member (carpenter-rated, fireman-trained, boiler-room detail 1970-1971); CLL claimant
- Limitations
- Ship-specific adjudication record for a NON-asbestos hazard (alleged benzene exposure, unconfirmed); documents enclosed-space boiler-room cleaning duties aboard this hull in 1970-71 and the absence of protective gear alleged. It is not an asbestos finding and establishes no asbestos presence; included only as a documented in-service exposure-claim record naming this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-05
-
[6]Marietta Dianne Yaw, Individually and as Executor of the Estate of Donald Arthur Yaw v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. C18-5405 BHS, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129716, 140152, 142278 (W.D. Wash. Aug. 2, 19 & 21, 2019) (Settle, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- Order on Dkt. 95 motion (filed 2019-08-02), Factual Background and Order sections; companion order filed 2019-08-19; reconsideration denial 2019-08-21. CourtListener sweep blocked at research time (fleet quota) - document text verified from filed-order copies of record (Dkt. 255).
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Yaw v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al., No. C18-5405 BHS (W.D. Wash.): asbestos personal-injury litigation in which the decedent, Donald Yaw, a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard shipfitter (1964-2001), 'recalled working on numerous ships including the USS Simon Lake, USS Kitty Hawk, USS Cusk, USS Seattle, USS Ranger, USS Sacramento, USS John Adams, USS Constellation, USS Enterprise, USS Truxton, USS Bainbridge, and USS Ulysses S. Grant.' The court noted 'it is undisputed that, at some point, some of these ships were equipped with products that either included parts with asbestos such as gaskets and seals or required additional parts with asbestos such as insulation,' but held the plaintiff 'failed to remember working on any particular product on any particular ship,' found the expert product-causation opinion speculative, and granted defendants' motions for summary judgment - orders of August 2, 2019 (Dkt. 255, GE/CBS-Westinghouse/Foster Wheeler), August 19, 2019 (Warren Pumps/ALS/Armstrong/Ingersoll-Rand), and denial of reconsideration August 21, 2019 (Judge Benjamin H. Settle).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1964-2001 alleged exposure window; 2018-2019 litigation
- Population
- PSNSY shipfitter (1964-2001), mesothelioma claimant; estate litigation
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage discipline applies: the hull naming is the decedent's deposition recollection (one of twelve ships), and the case ended in defense summary judgment on product-identification/causation grounds - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not an exposure finding. The court's 'undisputed' statement covered 'some of these ships' generally and made no finding that asbestos was aboard USS Simon Lake specifically. Establishes that asbestos litigation naming this hull exists and its disposition; establishes nothing about actual conditions aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-06
-
[7]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - program-level documentation; product-page description (full text blocked, gao.gov HTTP 403) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program for shipyard workers and its insulation-removal policies of the era in which this hull was built (1963-64) and repeatedly overhauled (PSNS Bremerton 1970-71 documented in DANFS; later availabilities ~1977 Charleston, ~1985-86 Pascagoula, 1992-93 Norfolk per secondary compilations, yards not named in the NAVSEA evaluation). The class/era pattern for a steam-propelled submarine tender of the period is extensive asbestos thermal insulation on boilers, steam lines, and machinery, plus asbestos gaskets and packing - the same materials the tender's own repair shops handled when servicing submarines alongside.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979 report; hull era 1963-1999
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level); tender repair-department personnel (function inference)
- Limitations
- Program/era documentation only - HRD-80-2 fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Puget Sound, and the report does not name this hull. Nothing here establishes asbestos was or was not installed aboard AS-33, its quantity, or remaining material. The repair-shop pathway described is class function, not a ship-specific record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-07
-
[8]U.S. Maritime Administration, Office of Ship Disposal Programs Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2019 (signed 2020-09-17), Table 1 and recycling-capacity narrative [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- FY2019 report - Table 1 'Vessel Removals in FY 2019'; 'Best Value Procurement' narrative; qualified-recycler section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Office of Ship Disposal Programs FY2019 annual report records: SIMON LAKE removed from the James River Reserve Fleet for disposal on 2019-02-06 under a single-ship best-value recycling sales contract of $1,737,576 (narrative dates the award October 2018; Table 1 lists a December award month); and identifies HRP Brownsville, LLC as the facility dismantling the vessel ('HRP is currently dismantling the SIMON LAKE'). The same report describes environmental remediation of hazmat streams 'such as asbestos, PCB and loose exterior paint' as a cost factor for non-retention vessels program-wide.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2018-2019
- Population
- HRP Brownsville recycling workers (2019)
- Limitations
- Establishes MARAD custody, sale, removal date, and dismantling facility for this hull. The asbestos/PCB hazmat-stream language is program-wide, not hull-specific - the report contains no asbestos survey or itemization for Simon Lake and establishes no quantity or location of ACM aboard. Contract award month conflicts internally (October in narrative vs December in Table 1); shipscribe's independent tabulation gives MA sale 2018-12-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-08
-
[9]Batch-2716 search ledger (this record): DANFS, NVR, NAVSEA DOI evaluation, MARAD FY2019 disposal report, NRC license file, BVA decisions, court records, and secondary compilations [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-simon-lake-as33-01 through sl-uss-simon-lake-as33-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazardous-material inventory, or material itemization for this hull was located in the public sources searched. The 2011-2015 NISMF Portsmouth deactivation/decontamination that preceded disposal is documented only in secondary compilations (NavSource); no public primary document itemizes what hazardous materials were removed from this hull during that process. No as-built asbestos bill of materials is public.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1963-64 steam auxiliary that underwent deactivation-hazmat preparation before recycling is era-consistent with retained ACM, and the BVA record documents asbestos-surveillance evidence for at least one crew member. Does not establish presence or absence beyond the cited administrative records; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-09
-
[10]U.S. National Archives RG 330 photos DN-SC-82-00002 and DN-ST-82-02303 (described in shipscribe.com AS-33 class photo catalog) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com AS-33 photo page, NARA photo captions for DN-SC-82-00002 and DN-ST-82-02303
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. National Archives still-picture record (RG 330, photo DN-SC-82-00002) documents USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) taking on Trident C-4 missiles from USS Simon Lake at Kings Bay, Georgia, on 1981-10-02, and photo DN-ST-82-02303 shows the tender moored at Kings Bay supporting Submarine Squadron 16 refit/repair/supply functions (1981-12-01) - corroborating the ship's documented 1979 first-tender Trident certification and its Kings Bay assignment.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1981
- Population
- Tender crew; SubRon 16 SSBN crews
- Limitations
- Photo descriptions were verified through the shipscribe.com catalog, not by pulling the NARA still-picture records themselves - the photo identifiers and captions are accepted as described. Documents the Kings Bay/Trident mission only; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-10
-
[11]NRC public document ML19259A985 - CO USS Simon Lake ltr to NRC/NMSS, Quality Assurance Plan for Radioactive Material Shipping Packages (1976-12-27, incl. SIMON LAKE INST 9900.2F) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NRC ADAMS accession ML19259A985
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A 1976-12-27 letter from the Commanding Officer, USS Simon Lake (AS-33), to the NRC Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards submits the ship's quality-assurance plan for radioactive-material shipping packages under NRC byproduct-material license 31-18182-01 (formerly 08-00038-20), enclosing USS Simon Lake Instruction 9900.2F covering receipt, transfer, storage-vault procedures (compartment 3-100-1-Q), and inspection of Cobalt/Iridium radiography sources - documenting the tender's organic industrial-radiography and depot-level repair capability.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1976-1978
- Population
- Repair Department / radiography personnel
- Limitations
- Primary government record naming the hull; documents the Repair Department's industrial-radiography function (the depot-repair mission under which crews disturbed insulated machinery aboard tended submarines and the ship's own plant). Contains no asbestos statement; supports no asbestos claim by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-11
-
[12]Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, 'Brief in Support of Veteran's Application for Service Connected Compensation' (publication copy dated 2015-04-27, claimant anonymized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Published brief, service-history section naming AS-33 (Exhibit D/E references)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A Connecticut Veterans Legal Center brief in support of a veteran's service-connection application for COPD, laryngeal polyps, and lung tumor due to asbestos (publication copy, claimant anonymized) alleges the veteran transferred to USS Simon Lake (AS-33) on 1976-12-15, that the ship then underwent an extensive overhaul at the Charleston, SC naval shipyard, and that the veteran 'performed the same tasks on the SHIP as he did on the [prior] SHIP and suffered through the same exposure to asbestos for another year' - citing VA Manual M21-1MR asbestos-claim procedures.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1976-1977 alleged exposure; brief published 2015
- Population
- One claimant (asbestos-related COPD/polyps/lung tumor)
- Limitations
- Pleading-level claim document only - an anonymized advocacy brief asserting alleged asbestos exposure aboard this hull during the 1976-77 Charleston overhaul period; the claim's adjudication outcome is not known and the underlying exhibits are not attached to the publication copy. Establishes that such a claim was asserted; establishes nothing about actual conditions aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-12
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 via fleet-authenticated helper (cl-auth-search.py) - searches queued but blocked by shared-quota throttle [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-simon-lake-as33-09 through sl-uss-simon-lake-as33-11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull (exact-name 'Simon Lake' opinion search; 'AS-33' hull search; Yaw v. Air & Liquid Systems docket verification) was attempted repeatedly on 2026-09-26 but the authenticated fleet-wide request budget was exhausted (helper's pacing throttle, exit 2) - searches not completed at research time and are logged blocked in the search ledger. The Yaw orders were nonetheless verified from filed-order copies (Dkt. 255 et al.); other asbestos cases naming this hull may exist in MDL-875 and state dockets not yet swept.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Incomplete sweep - the absence of additional located cases is NOT a negative finding; CourtListener queries were not executed to completion. The Yaw case was located via web index and verified from filed documents, not via CourtListener.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-simon-lake-as33-13