Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, Skipjack II (SSN-585) - updated entry: construction at Electric Boat, lead ship of her class, first nuclear ship through the Straits of Gibraltar, documented overhaul sequence [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 29 May 1956 by General Dynamics Corp., Electric Boat Division, Groton, Conn.; launched 26 May 1958 (sponsor Mrs. George H. Mahon); commissioned 15 April 1959, Comdr. W. W. Behrens, Jr. Lead ship of the world's fastest class of submarines, combining nuclear power with an advanced hull form. In August 1959 became the first nuclear ship to pass through the Straits of Gibraltar. Overhaul at Portsmouth (N.H.) Naval Shipyard January 1962 (four and one-half months); overhaul at Charleston (S.C.) Naval Shipyard ending 18 October 1966; overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard commencing 9 April 1969, completed fall 1970. Homeports Groton/New London, then Norfolk. Operated with the Atlantic Fleet into 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1956-1998
- Population
- EB construction trades (1956-59); PNSY/CNSY/NNSY overhaul trades; crew (1959-1990)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. Builder is Electric Boat (Groton, CT), not Mare Island - the Leonard litigation alleged exposure aboard this hull during Mare Island work in the early 1960s, but DANFS places this hull at Portsmouth (N.H.) Naval Shipyard for overhaul in early 1962 and on Atlantic operations; no Mare Island availability is documented for the alleged window.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-01
-
[2]Leonard v. CBS Corporation (General Dynamics), No. 2:12-cv-60177-ER (E.D. Pa., MDL-875), Order, ECF No. 63 (dated 2014-01-28, filed 2014-01-29; Robreno, J.) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 63 at 1-2 (vessel list), 6-9 (analysis and order)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Merits-level summary-judgment record naming this hull. The order recites that plaintiff John Leonard alleged asbestos exposure 'while working at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard during the early 1960s' and that 'the alleged exposure pertinent to Defendant General Dynamics occurred during Mr. Leonard's work aboard: USS Darter, USS Skipjack, USS Flasher, USS Nautilus, USS Seawolf'. The court granted General Dynamics summary judgment on ALL claims: (1) strict product liability barred - 'a Navy ship is not a "product"' (Mack v. General Electric Co.); (2) negligence - 'Plaintiffs have no evidence that any of the insulation aboard any of the ships at issue (whether original or replacement insulation) contained asbestos'; the co-worker declaration showed dust exposure from insulation but no asbestos-content proof, and expert Ay's asbestos-insulation testimony covered only ships he had worked on, not Leonard's ships; (3) the government-contractor defense 'need not' be reached.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- early 1960s (alleged exposure); 2012-2014 (litigation)
- Population
- John Leonard (Mare Island Naval Shipyard worker, early 1960s, alleged)
- Limitations
- This is a merits-level NEGATIVE for the Leonard plaintiffs' claims against General Dynamics, not exposure evidence: the court found no evidence that insulation aboard the named ships (including this hull) contained asbestos, and made no finding that asbestos was or was not aboard. The vessel list is a recital of the plaintiff's allegation. DANFS places Skipjack at Portsmouth (N.H.) Naval Shipyard for overhaul in early 1962 and on Atlantic operations - no MINSY availability is documented for the alleged early-1960s window. Unpublished MDL trial-court order; judgment stage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-02
-
[3]Begin v. Air & Liquid Systems, Inc., No. 3:15-cv-00830-SMY-DGW (S.D. Ill.), Defendant General Electric Company's Joinder in Crane Co.'s Notice of Removal and Notice of Removal Based on Assertion of Independent Federal Officer Grounds, ECF No. 10 (filed 2015-08-06) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 10 at 2-3 (paras. 3-4, interrogatory-answer vessel list and deposition recital)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury removal filing recites discovery-stage content naming this hull: the state-court complaint alleged Navy machinist's mate William D. Begin (1953-1973) contracted mesothelioma from defendants' asbestos products but 'No specific allegations with respect to any ships were made in the Complaint'; the Answers to Interrogatories (served 2015-07-16) provide that Begin 'worked aboard the USS Skipjack (SSN585), USS George Bancroft (SSBN643), USS Jallao (SS-368), USS Monrovia..., and USS James K Polk'; at his 2015-07-24 deposition Begin 'specifically identified GE products being present on the ships and submarines on which he served while in the Navy.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1953-1973 (service window); 2015 (litigation)
- Population
- William D. Begin (Navy machinist's mate 1953-1973)
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage material recited in a defendant's removal filing; unadjudicated. The vessel list and the GE-products identification are the plaintiff's own discovery responses - no ship-specific allegation appeared in the complaint, and no court made any finding about asbestos aboard this hull. Establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-03
-
[4]Cooks v. General Electric Company, No. 3:07-cv-05451-EMC (N.D. Cal.), complaint Exhibit A work-history, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-10-25) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel list ('SKIPJACK (SSN-585)')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos complaint exhibit (plaintiff Alvin Cooks's work-history/exposure exhibit; diagnosis asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease) lists vessels and locations of alleged asbestos exposure, expressly including 'SKIPJACK (SSN-585)' among dozens of hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2007 (litigation)
- Population
- Alvin Cooks (shipyard worker; Mare Island Naval Shipyard exhibit context)
- Limitations
- Complaint-exhibit vessel list; unadjudicated pleading-stage allegation. The listed hulls are places the plaintiff claimed exposure occurred, not findings that asbestos was aboard any listed hull. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-04
-
[5]Navysite.de, USS Skipjack (SSN-585) unofficial ship page - post-DANFS disposition data (secondary compilation; not a primary record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navysite SSN-585 general-characteristics and history sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS disposition (secondary compilation): awarded 5 October 1955; decommissioned 19 April 1990; entered the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., recycling completed 31 July 1998. Propulsion: one S5W nuclear reactor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1990-1998
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (unofficial US Navy site), not a primary record - used for post-1974 disposition only, consistent with the NavSource-type citation practice in prior batches. DANFS entry predates disposal and does not cover decommissioning or recycling.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-05
-
[6]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates and yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a first-generation nuclear attack submarine built 1956-59 at Electric Boat in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing around propulsion and auxiliary machinery; documented overhaul periods (Portsmouth 1962; Charleston 1965-66; Norfolk 1969-70) are yard-disturbance windows of the kind in which era insulation was installed and removed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1956-1998
- Population
- EB construction trades; overhaul-yard trades (1956-1990)
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or insulation record was located for this hull. Does not establish asbestos aboard USS Skipjack, any exposure, or any quantity. Never infer ship-specific findings from this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-06
-
[7]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NVR, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger sl-uss-skipjack-ssn585-01..06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/recycling hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Skipjack was located. CourtListener sweeps (exact name + hull number) produced qualifying asbestos-litigation records (Leonard - merits-level negative; Begin - discovery-stage; Cooks - complaint exhibit) plus string-match hits in scanned documents that could not be content-verified (see search ledger); no adjudicated exposure record was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists - the 1998 recycling-disposal path left no retrievable hazmat-disclosure trail in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-skipjack-ssn585-07