USS SPRUANCE (DD-963)

Evidence

16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).

1. [1]research packet hh-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Spruance

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-spruance-dd963-pkt-hh-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Spruance (DD-963) entry - live NHHC page returned 404; verbatim capture via Internet Archive Wayback Machine, 2009-02-08 snapshot of history.navy.mil/danfs/s16/spruance.htm [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Wayback capture 2009-02-08, history.navy.mil/danfs/s16/spruance.htm - ship entry at end of page (after namesake biography)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: lead ship of the Spruance class, named for Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, USN (1886-1969); laid down 27 November 1972 by Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Pascagoula, Mississippi; launched 10 November 1973; sponsored by Mrs. Raymond A. Spruance; commissioned 20 September 1975. Specifications block: displacement 7,600 tons full; length 563 ft; beam 55 ft; draft 19 ft; speed 30 knots; complement 250; armament two 5-inch guns, ASROC, Sea Sparrow, two Mk 32 torpedo tubes; class Spruance.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1972-2005

   Population

   Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades 1972-1975; ship's company 1975-2005 (design complement 250 per DANFS)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, construction, and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The entry is the commissioning-era DANFS text (short ship entry appended to the admiral's biography); post-1975 service detail is thin. Live NHHC URL history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/spruance.html returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-28; content verified via the 2009-02-08 Wayback capture of the official page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-01

3. [3]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - Enclosure I (Navy letter), Attachment 'List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction (Ship Class, Name and Hull Number and Status of Thermal Insulation)' [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 PDF, Enclosure I letter and Attachment ship list ('DESTROYER - DD' block, p. of enclosure listing DD-963..DD-992); letter text on the 'first eleven of our new DD 963 class'

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Ship-specific government record: the Navy's enclosure in GAO HRD-80-2 lists 'SPRUANCE 963' (start 6/72, delivery 8/75) under 'DESTROYER - DD' in its ship-by-ship thermal-insulation status table, with hulls DD-963 through DD-973 bracketed under 'Asbestos thermal insulation.' The accompanying Navy letter states 'the first eleven of our new DD 963 class ships' were delivered with asbestos insulation, the change to asbestos-free materials not having been accomplished until later, with insulated ships delivered 'as late as May 1978.' The enclosure further states that each listed ship 'has several types of asbestos containing materials installed,' with 'thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems' the major application.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   construction 1972-1975; report 1979

   Population

   Ship's company 1975+; Ingalls construction trades; later maintenance personnel

   Limitations

   Establishes that the Navy's 1979 materials-status reporting classed DD-963 in the asbestos-thermal-insulation group; it does not state the quantity aboard DD-963 (the 87,634-pound figure in the same letter is specifically for USS Paul F. Foster, DD-964), does not identify locations or condition, does not address later abatement (including the 1986-87 modernization), does not establish what remained aboard at decommissioning or sinking, and does not establish exposure or causation for any individual. The GAO 'START 6/72' column differs from the keel-laying date 1972-11-27 (likely fabrication/contract start vs. keel) - carried in gaps. Full text verified from the PDF (26 pp.) via pdftotext; direct gao.gov fetch returned access-denied, so the Wayback mirror of the same official file is cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-02

4. [4]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - report body: Navy asbestos-control program, applications, and insulation-removal policy [gao]

   Locator

   HRD-80-2 report body (Navy policy discussion) and Enclosure I (application list)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Program-level context for the same record: GAO reported that Navy ships had multiple asbestos-containing applications - besides thermal insulation for machinery, equipment, and piping, the report names electrical resistors, deck/floor tiling, galley-range cabling, piping gaskets and packing, and equipment brakes and clutches - and that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos.' The report describes the Navy's October 1975 policy (remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs) and the January 1979 modification adding selective replacement in high-maintenance areas, with an estimated 30-50 percent of shipboard thermal insulation expected to remain untouched over a ship's life.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1979 (report); policies of 1975 and 1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; ship crews (program scope)

   Limitations

   Fleet/program-level statements, not hull-specific findings: these passages describe Navy-wide applications and policy and do not establish which products were aboard DD-963 or in what locations or condition. The '30-50 percent untouched' figure is a fleet estimate about insulation replacement policy, not a measurement on this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-03

5. [5]Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images: USS Spruance (DD-963), ship-history text and official U.S. Navy photographs (verbatim NHC page transcribed by ibiblio HyperWar project) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NHC Online Library page dd963.htm (ship-history text; NH 96851 caption) and dd963v.htm (construction photos, incl. six Spruance-class hulls fitting out at Litton East Bank, May 1975)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Historical Center record for this hull: 'USS Spruance, lead ship of a class of 8280-ton destroyers, was built at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Commissioned in September 1975, she has since served in the Atlantic Fleet. During her first decade, she went to the South Atlantic and Africa in 1978 and deployed several times to the Mediterranean, with some of those cruises extending into the Black Sea, West Africa, the Persian Gulf and Northern Europe. Spruance was modernized in 1986-87, receiving a vertical missile launching system, and has since continued her travels in Middle Eastern and European waters. At various times during the 1990s, she has also taken an active part in Caribbean counter-drug operations.' Photo NH 96851 caption documents the ship 'after modernization with the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System, circa June 1987'; companion page documents 1972-75 construction at the Litton Ingalls East Bank yard and February 1975 builder's trials.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1975-1990s

   Population

   Ship's company 1975-1990s

   Limitations

   Official Navy historical content covering operations and the 1986-87 VLS modernization; says nothing about materials, asbestos, or yard work packages. Does not identify the modernization yard. The '8,280-ton class' figure differs from DANFS (7,600 full) and NVR (9,036 full) displacement figures - design-vs.-load distinctions, noted in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-04

6. [6]NHHC, 'The United States Navy in Desert Shield/Desert Storm,' Appendix H - Surface Warfare chronology (official Navy history) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Appendix H PDF, pp. H-2 (17-19 JAN 91 entries) and H-3 (8 FEB 91 entry)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official Navy Desert Storm chronology entries for this hull: 17 January 1991 - 'Operation DESERT STORM commenced at 170000Z with cruise missile launches... USS Spruance and USS Virginia have been placed under CINCCENT OPCON'; 19 January 1991 - 'VQ-2 EP-3 tasked to provide I&W to USS Virginia and USS Spruance during evacuation of US Embassy in Beirut. All embassy personnel departed safely, without incident'; 8 February 1991 - 'Spruance (48 TLAM) transits Suez Canal today enroute NRS [northern Red Sea] replacing Philippine Sea.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1991-01-17 - 1991-02-08

   Population

   Ship's company, Desert Storm deployment

   Limitations

   Operational chronology only - documents Red Sea TLAM-shooter duty and the ship's 48-TLAM VLS loadout during Desert Storm, not materials or asbestos. Source PDF is a scanned document without a text layer; entries were verified by OCR (200-dpi, tesseract), and character-level OCR errors are possible though the quoted entries were legible.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-05

7. [7]Naval Vessel Register, SPRUANCE (DD 963) ship-detail page (archived capture; live page no longer publishes the historical data block) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wayback capture of nvr.navy.mil SHIPSDETAIL_DD_963.HTML (data block: Status/Builder/dates/dimensions/propulsion/accommodations)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR administrative record for this hull: builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; award date 06/23/1970; keel 11/27/1972; launch 11/10/1973; delivery 08/12/1975; commission 09/20/1975; decommission date 03/18/2005; stricken date 03/18/2005; status 'Disposed of in support of Fleet training exercise,' status changed 12/06/2006. Characteristics: overall length 563 ft, waterline length 529 ft, extreme beam 55 ft, max navigational draft 32 ft, light displacement 6,649 tons, full displacement 9,036 tons, dead weight 2,387 tons; 'Steel hull, aluminum superstructure'; 2 propellers; propulsion type 'Gas Turbines'; accommodations 35 officers, 318 enlisted.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1970-2006

   Population

   Ship's company; inactive-ships custody 2005-2006

   Limitations

   NVR gives administrative lifecycle dates and characteristics, not materials or asbestos content. The 03/18/2005 decommission/stricken dates are administrative; the public decommissioning ceremony was 03/23/2005 (NavSource, Virginian-Pilot) - distinction carried in gaps. NVR 'status changed 12/06/2006' is the register entry date, while the physical sinking occurred during the 12/07-08/2006 exercise (Virginian-Pilot). Live NVR page is a shell without the historical data block; data verified from the Wayback capture.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-06

8. [8]The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), 'Navy sinks destroyer Spruance in training exercise,' Jack Dorsey, December 20, 2006 [reputable_press]

   Locator

   pilotonline.com article text (Dec 20, 2006)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporary press account of the sinking, reporting Navy-acknowledged details: the ex-Spruance was sunk in a 'sinkex' training exercise conducted 7-8 December 2006 in rough weather about 300 miles off the Virginia coast; an F/A-18F Super Hornet of Carrier Air Wing 8 and a P-3 Orion of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 5 each fired a single 1,390-pound Harpoon anti-ship missile; Second Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Herman Phillips said 'It went down from gunfire, and heavy seas assisted'; the ship had been decommissioned 23 March 2005 and remained in Philadelphia until towed to the sink site earlier that month.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2005-2006

   Population

   Second Fleet exercise participants; no crew embarked (target vessel)

   Limitations

   Reputable regional press quoting a named Navy spokesman; consistent with NVR's 'disposed ... Fleet training exercise' status. The article errs in saying the ship was 'commissioned on Aug. 12, 1975' - that is the NVR delivery date; commissioning was 20 September 1975 per DANFS/NVR. The article does not address hazardous-materials preparation before sinking.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-07

9. [9]EPA, 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' - Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 for the Navy SINKEX program (promulgated 42 FR 2489, Jan. 11, 1977) [other_primary]

   Locator

   EPA marine-protection-permitting page, requirements summary; 40 C.F.R. 229.2 text

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   Regulatory framework for the 2006 sinking: under the MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2, Navy target vessels must be sunk at least 50 nautical miles from land in water at least 6,000 feet deep, and qualified personnel must remove, to the maximum extent practicable, materials that may degrade the marine environment - fuel tanks and lines emptied and flushed, other pollutants and readily detachable debris removed. EPA guidance identifies asbestos among potential shipboard pollutants for SINKEX preparation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2006 sinking; permit regime 1977+

   Population

   Inactive-ships/transport personnel preparing the target vessel

   Limitations

   Regulatory context only: no hull-specific SINKEX preparation record, materials survey, or hazardous-material removal report for ex-DD-963 was located, so this row does not establish what was actually removed from or left aboard this hull. The January 2014 EPA-Navy 'Determination and Agreement' clarifying PCB-related preparation post-dates the 2006 sinking and was not applied to it.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-spruance-dd963-08

10. [10]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index: USS Spruance (DD-963) - operational-data block and photo captions (volunteer-compiled secondary source used for corroboration) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource DD-963 page, 'As Built' machinery block and chronology

    Finding type

    vessel_history

    Finding

    Secondary corroboration for this hull: NavSource records laid down 27 November 1972; launched 10 November 1973; commissioned 20 September 1975; decommissioned 23 March 2005 at Naval Station Mayport; sunk as target off the Virginia Capes during a SINKEX 7-8 December 2006; as-built machinery four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 80,000 shaft horsepower, two screws.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1972-2006

    Population

    Ship's company; engineering rates

    Limitations

    Volunteer-compiled secondary source - corroboration only, consistent with DANFS/NVR on dates and with the Virginian-Pilot on disposal; not itself a primary record. NavSource's as-built complement (296) conflicts with DANFS (250) and NVR accommodations (353) - carried in gaps. LM2500/80,000-shp detail is class-typical and consistent with NVR's 'Gas Turbines' entry but is not here verified from a primary spec sheet.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-09

11. [11]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - U.S. Navy deck-log series (Record Group 24), digitization program description [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA deck-logs research page; RG 24 logbook series

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival lead: NARA holds U.S. Navy deck logs (RG 24) as the ship's contemporaneous operational record. For a 1975-2005 hull, Vietnam-era logs (through the digitization window ending ~1978) may be partially digitized in the National Archives Catalog; later-year logs reside at Archives II, College Park. Deck logs and any associated maintenance/availability records are the likeliest primary sources for in-port periods, yard availabilities, and any shipboard material or insulation work references.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1975-2005

    Population

    Ship's company 1975-2005

    Limitations

    Archival lead only - no DD-963 deck log was retrieved or reviewed; NARA catalog API was not reachable for a hull-specific listing during this sweep, so digitized coverage for DD-963 is unverified. Do not treat as a located record of asbestos work.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-10

12. [12]Batch-3884 search ledger (this record): hull-specific asbestos survey / abatement / industrial-hygiene / SINKEX-preparation record search [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger entries sl-uss-spruance-dd963-* (GAO, EPA, NARA, news, and CourtListener repositories)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Negative finding: no hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement work package, material inventory, industrial-hygiene survey, or pre-sinking hazardous-materials preparation record for DD-963 was located in public sources. The ship-specific asbestos evidence is the 1979 GAO/Navy thermal-insulation listing (ev-02); nothing located documents removal or retention of that insulation during the 1986-87 modernization, later availabilities, inactivation, or SINKEX preparation.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28 search

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record is not evidence that no such record exists; Navy work packages, IH surveys, and SINKEX preparation reports are not public in the sources searched. This negative finding bounds the record's scope - it does not negate the GAO ship-specific listing.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-11

13. [13]Webb v. Baldor Electric Company, No. 1:22-cv-00145-KHJ-MTP (S.D. Miss.), Notice of Removal by Lockheed Martin Corporation, ECF No. 1-1 (Exhibit 1 - Lower Court Summons and Complaint, filed 2022-06-10) [court_record]

    Locator

    ECF No. 1-1 (Exhibit 1), complaint para. e. and attached ship table, PDF pp. 84-87 of 147

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Asbestos personal-injury pleading names this hull with explicit hull number: the removed state-court complaint (S.D. Miss. ECF No. 1-1, 147 pp.) alleges plaintiff Webb was exposed to asbestos 'during his employment as an electrician, technician, foreman and supervisor at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, from approximately 1966 to 2001 during the new construction and overhaul of naval vessels,' working in control rooms and engineering spaces around pipefitters, insulators, and mechanics, and recites that 'Plaintiff worked on numerous naval vessels including... the following during the indicated time periods,' with the attached NAVAL SHIPS/SUBMARINES table listing 'USS SPRUANCE - DD-963 1972 1975' (laid down / commissioned years) among Ingalls-built vessels.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    alleged exposure 1966-2001 at Ingalls; complaint filed 2022

    Population

    Ingalls Shipyard electrician/technician (plaintiff Webb); alleged asbestos exposure 1966-2001

    Limitations

    Pleading-stage allegation only: a complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not an adjudicated finding of exposure, asbestos content, or causation aboard this hull. The table gives build years rather than dates the plaintiff personally worked aboard DD-963, so it situates alleged exposure at Ingalls during the hull's 1972-75 construction window without apportioning shipboard versus yard-situs exposure. Removed under the federal-officer statute (28 U.S.C. 1442); docket terminated 2025-02-07 - merits disposition not examined at document level.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-12

14. [14]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Company et al., No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal.), Notice of Removal from San Francisco Superior Court, ECF No. 1 (filed 2008-06-18) - enclosing complaint for survival/wrongful death (Paul & Hanley LLP) [court_record]

    Locator

    ECF No. 1, complaint Exhibit jobsite table (PDF p. 9 of 27) and paragraphs 1-5 (mesothelioma allegation, PDF pp. 8, 18-20)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Asbestos wrongful-death pleading names this hull: the removed complaint's jobsite table (columns Jobsite / Employer / BD / ED) lists 'USS SPRUANCE / Norfolk Naval Shipyard / 1/1/1974 - 12/31/1984' among approximately nineteen Navy vessels, all with the identical Norfolk Naval Shipyard employer and date range, for decedent Ronald Redman, who died 17 October 2007 of mesothelioma 'attributable to exposure to asbestos.' Named defendants include A.W. Chesterton, Alstom Power, Foster Wheeler, Hopeman Brothers, IMO Industries/De Laval, Metalclad Insulation, Plant Insulation, and Syd Carpenter Marine.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    alleged exposure window 1974-1984; complaint filed 2008

    Population

    Ronald Redman (decedent; mesothelioma, d. 2007-10-17); Norfolk Naval Shipyard worker

    Limitations

    Pleading-stage allegation only: the jobsite table is an allegation, not an adjudicated finding of exposure or asbestos content aboard this hull. Hull number is not stated - 'USS SPRUANCE' in a 1974-1984 Norfolk Naval Shipyard exposure window can only be DD-963 (DDG-111 did not exist until 2011), but the allegation does not state when within the window or aboard-versus-alongside situs. The identical 1974-1984 date range applied to every listed vessel indicates a generic employment window, not ship-specific dates. A defense remand motion was pending when the federal docket terminated 2009-02-02, consistent with remand to state court; subsequent merits history not located.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-13

15. [15]Sclafani v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 2:12-cv-03013-SVW-PJW (C.D. Cal.), Declaration of Bradley Gunning ISO Motion for Summary Judgment, Exhibit 7, ECF No. 128-15 (filed 2013-02-11) [court_record]

    Locator

    ECF No. 128-15 (Exhibit 7), declarant biography, PDF pp. 4-6 of 35 (plain_text OCR of scanned exhibit)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Asbestos litigation in which this hull is named collaterally, not as an alleged exposure site: the defense summary-judgment exhibit is the career biography of Admiral Sargent, who 'served as Executive Officer of USS Spruance (DD-963), the first Gas Turbine propelled US Navy warship' from 1980-1982, 'involved with both overseas deployment and with the first shipyard repair and re-certification of the ship's machinery, fueling equipment and Gas Turbine automatic control systems.' The exhibit supplies litigation-record corroboration that DD-963 underwent a shipyard machinery repair period circa 1980-1982.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1980-1982 (XO tour referenced); litigation 2012-2014

    Population

    Declarant/expert biography; no plaintiff exposure allegation for this hull

    Limitations

    The ship mention is the declarant's service biography inside a defense exhibit - it is not a plaintiff allegation that exposure occurred aboard this hull, and it does not establish asbestos content. The 'first shipyard repair' circa 1980-82 is consistent with (and corroborates) secondary reports of an early Norfolk Naval Shipyard availability, but the yard is not named in the exhibit.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-14

16. [16]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (opinion and docket types) for 'USS Spruance', 'Spruance', 'DD-963', 'DD 963' and asbestos-qualified variants, 2026-09-28 [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger entries sl-uss-spruance-dd963-cl-*; CourtListener opinion hits 8667412, 6771705, 2179514, 4679483, 1957136; docket hits 63376371, 4174328, 4491820

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener sweep results: opinion-type 'USS Spruance' returned 3 hits, all non-asbestos (United States v. Geary, 30 M.J. 855 (N.M.C.M.R. 1990), court-martial with duty-station reference; Strickland v. United States, 69 Fed. Cl. 684 (2006), military records/pay; Phippsburg Shellfish Conservation Commission v. USACE, 800 F. Supp. 2d 312 (D. Me. 2011), environmental). Opinion-type 'DD-963' returned 2 hits, both non-asbestos (Chromalloy San Diego Corp. v. United States, Fed. Cl. 2019, government contracts; Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. v. Department of Navy, 659 F. Supp. 674 (E.D.N.Y. 1987), environmental). Docket-type 'USS Spruance' returned 7 dockets: three asbestos dockets naming the ship (Webb, Redman - pleading-stage exposure allegations; Sclafani - collateral biography mention), four non-asbestos (Navy Seal 1 v. Austin, employment; Phippsburg docket; Northwest Territorial Mint bankruptcy; CNN v. Perplexity, copyright). Docket-type 'DD-963' returned 18 dockets: qualifying exposure-allegation docket Webb recurs (its table states the hull number explicitly; Redman matched only the 'USS Spruance' query because its table omits the hull number), plus eight further asbestos dockets in which 'DD-963' appears collaterally inside defense expert/motion exhibits (Sclafani - Sargent CV; Hutchison - Litton engineering VP's CV reciting DD-963-class design responsibility; Gitto, George, Smargisso, Hammell, and an MDL-875 exhibit - all carrying the same Arnold Moore CV reciting 'Fleet Modernization for Spruance Class Destroyers - DD 963 Baseline'; Kraus - brief quoting the GAO/Navy letter's 'first eleven of our new DD 963 class' passage), the rest non-asbestos collisions (environmental, employment, contracts, fraud, RICO, prisoner, securities, earplug-MDL). No adjudicated exposure finding was located; the qualifying hits are pleading-stage or collateral records.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Limitations

    Sweep limited to CourtListener's indexed corpus; unindexed state-court pleadings may contain additional asbestos complaints naming the hull. Non-asbestos hits classified 'other litigation' or 'name collision.' Bare-name queries ('Spruance' opinions 843 hits, dockets 335 hits) are dominated by person-name collisions and were reviewed at page 1 only; hull-qualified coverage is complete.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-spruance-dd963-15