Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Steinaker (DD-863) (builder, dates, service narrative; verbatim NHHC text - live page returns 404, Wayback capture 2025-12-09) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Steinaker (DD-863)', specifications block + service narrative (NHHC, published 2016-04-27)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 1 September 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; launched 13 February 1945; sponsored by Miss Carol Steinaker; commissioned 26 May 1945, Comdr. S. A. McCornock in command. Shakedown Guantanamo Bay; training ship at Norfolk; Sixth Fleet deployments 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, Jan-May 1952. Entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard 1 July 1952 for radar-picket conversion, classified DDR-863; work completed 28 February 1953. First picket deployment 16 September 1953-3 February 1954; Sixth Fleet portions of 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1965. FRAM conversion 1964; resumed DD-863 designation 1 July 1964. Two months Red Sea/Indian Ocean (Middle East Force) 1967. Departed Norfolk 26 March 1968 for WestPac; Seventh Fleet 20 May-1 October 1968 - naval gunfire support off Binh Thuan and Phu Yen, Sea Dragon interdiction off North Vietnam, antiaircraft picket off the DMZ; two battle stars. Norfolk 5 November 1968. NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic 9 January-23 July 1970. Mediterranean 23 February-23 July 1971; North Atlantic 10 July-18 November 1972. Destroyer Squadron 10, Naval Reserve Force, from 1 July 1973, home port Baltimore; reserve training ship into December 1974 (end of DANFS narrative). Specifications block: displacement 2,425; length 390'6"; beam 40'10"; draft 14'4"; speed 34.6 kt; complement 345; armament 6 5", 12 40mm., 10 21" tt.; class Gearing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel Staten Island construction trades 1944-45; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 345)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Narrative ends December 1974 - decommissioning, transfer, and Mexican service are not covered in this DANFS edition. Live NHHC page returns 404 (2026-09-28); verbatim text cited via Wayback capture 2025-12-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-01
-
[2]Rogers v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (In re Asbestos Litigation), C.A. No. 17-1570-MN-SRF (D. Del.): Report and Recommendations, D.I. 143 (filed 2019-05-15, Magistrate Judge Fallon); Memorandum Opinion adopting the Report (2019-08-07, Judge Noreika) [court_record]
- Locator
- R&R pp. 3-4 (Steinaker service narrative), pp. 11-13 (pump/turbine product-nexus analysis); Memorandum Opinion p. 1-2 (adoption; procedural posture). CourtListener docket 6525701 companion: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6525701/rogers-v-air-liquid-systems-corporation/
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull: plaintiff Richard Wayne Rogers, a Navy machinist mate (1966-1970), served aboard USS Moale (DD-693), USS Cony (DD-508), and USS Steinaker (DD-863). The R&R recites his deposition testimony that on Steinaker he 'performed maintenance in the engine room similar to the tasks he performed on the USS Moale and USS Cony' (pump packing/repacking, evaporator maintenance, pipe-insulation removal and replacement); that Steinaker 'ran aground' in Norway and was towed to Bergen for approximately five months of repair, during which he was present for (but did not assist in) turbine repair and performed pump maintenance during the overhaul; and that he served on Steinaker until his honorable discharge in 1970. Plaintiff alleged mesothelioma from asbestos exposure in Navy service and at the DuPont Seaford plant. Disposition: the R&R recommended summary judgment for all five moving defendants - Rogers could not identify the manufacturer of any pump he maintained aboard any of the three ships, attributed no asbestos exposure to the turbines themselves, and the court found the causal connection speculative; Judge Noreika overruled plaintiff's objections, adopted the Report, and granted the motions on 7 August 2019.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1966-1970 (alleged exposure); 2017-2019 (litigation)
- Population
- Richard Wayne Rogers (USN machinist mate aboard DD-863 c. 1967-1970; mesothelioma)
- Limitations
- Litigation record at summary-judgment stage: the exposure allegation is recited from deposition, never adjudicated, and the case resolved AGAINST the plaintiff on causation grounds - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence for the hull. The R&R mislabels DD-863 a 'Fletcher-class destroyer' (typo; the hull is Gearing-class). Establishes that DD-863 was named in asbestos litigation and that engine-room work aboard was alleged, nothing more. Complaint (D.I. 44) and deposition exhibits were not retrieved; amended-complaint paragraph 10 lists Steinaker per the R&R's citations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-02
-
[3]CourtListener API v4 sweeps: 'Steinaker' type=o (7 hits, all surname collisions incl. Society of Professional Journalists v. Briggs and Dickson Steinaker LLP references); 'Steinaker' type=r (16 dockets, 15 party-name/document collisions, 1 qualifying: Rogers v. Air & Liquid Systems, D. Del. 17-1570); '"USS Steinaker"' type=o (0 hits); '"USS Steinaker"' type=r (1 docket: Rogers 17-1570); '"DD-863"' type=o (1 hit: Soto v. Commonwealth, Ky. 2000-SC-0828-MR - docket-token collision, not ship-related); '"DD-863"' type=r (19 dockets, 18 collisions - debt-collection/pharma/tech dockets where 'DD-863' matches document text - 1 qualifying: Rogers); '"DDR-863"' type=o (1 hit: United States v. Julius - token collision, not ship-related); '"DDR-863"' type=r (0 dockets) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py authenticated API v4 runs, 2026-09-28 (search_ledger sl-uss-steinaker-dd863-02/03/04/05/06/06b)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull (exact name and hull number, opinions and dockets): no published opinion names USS Steinaker or DD-863 in any ship context; across the 'Steinaker' (16) and 'DD-863' (19) docket result sets every hit is a surname or document-token collision except one docket common to both. The single qualifying hit is Rogers v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (D. Del. 17-1570) - see ev-02. 'DDR-863' radar-picket designation: 1 opinion token collision (United States v. Julius), 0 dockets.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Sweep bounded by CourtListener/RECAP coverage (opinions corpus + RECAP docket text). All eight planned queries completed (exact name, bare name, DD-863 and DDR-863 hull/designation, opinions and dockets); no qualifying hit beyond Rogers. Absence of additional hits is a search result, not proof no other filing names the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-03
-
[4]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (2018-09-28) - class-level recital via internal Gearing-class profile; GAO HRD-80-2 (1979) Navy asbestos-protection program [other_primary]
- Locator
- Gearing-class profile ev-gearing-class-04/-11/-12 (Goodrich ECF 171 OCR pp. 12, 19, 31; GAO HRD-80-2 product page)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: DD-863 is a 1944-45 Bethlehem Steel (Staten Island) Gearing-class destroyer with a high-pressure superheated steam plant (4 boilers, GE geared turbines, 60,000 shp) built at the peak of Navy asbestos use - boiler casing/fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, and accommodation insulation were era-standard. The Goodrich omnibus opinion recites a Navy engineering drawing for forced-draft blower turbine insulation/lagging on the Sumner (DD-692) destroyer group - machinery shared by Gearing-class hulls - specifying amosite felts and asbestos cloths, and quotes a report estimating a 30.3-ton partial tally of asbestos thermal insulation/lagging in fire and engine rooms of Sumner/Gearing-class destroyers. GAO HRD-80-2 documents the Navy's 1975-79 policy of leaving asbestos insulation in place unless damaged or required for repairs - meaning original-era insulation typically remained aboard through decades of service and yard periods.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1982
- Population
- Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1944-45; crews 1945-1982; yard workers Norfolk Naval Shipyard 1952-53 and Boston FRAM availability 1964-65
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - nothing in this row is a hull-level record for DD-863; the Goodrich recitals are litigation-record recitals of an exhibit and expert report (underlying documents not retrieved), and the 30.3-ton figure is a partial expert tally, not a classwide inventory. The ship-specific record for this hull is ev-02 (Rogers). Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-04
-
[5]Historic Naval Ships Association / USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. museum crew / Tin Can Sailors documentation expedition page, 'Museum organizations document an operating US, WW II built destroyer Serving in the Mexican Navy in 2006' (maritime.org via Wayback) [other_primary]
- Locator
- maritime.org Netza page (narrative + linked photo set), Wayback capture 2024-03-09
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Museum-organization record for this hull in Mexican service: in March 2006 (22-24 March) an HNSA/Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850)/Tin Can Sailors team with University of Colima filmed and photographed ARM Netzahualcoyotl (ex-DD-863) at Manzanillo with full access, reporting the hull 'very, very similar to Kennedy and... in good condition' and the last WWII-built American steam destroyer in operation. The page records that Steinaker was stricken from the U.S. register and transferred to the Mexican Navy at Newport, R.I., in February 1982, and that after Kennedy's 1973 retirement 'parts were taken from her to be used on Steinaker.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1982-2006
- Population
- Mexican Navy crew of Netzahualcoyotl; museum documentation team 2006
- Limitations
- Documentation-project record, not an asbestos survey - no material testing was performed or reported; 'good condition' is a lay condition assessment. Confirms Mexican-era custody and material-similarity to museum hull DD-850, which makes the Battleship Cove hull a partial physical proxy for fit-out but not for ACM content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-05
-
[6]SEMAR (Secretaria de Marina - Armada de Mexico) official class page, Destructor Clase 'Quetzalcoatl', unit ARM 'Netzahualcoyotl' (D 102) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SEMAR Quetzalcoatl-class page, characteristics table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Mexican Navy record for this hull in Mexican service: ARM Netzahualcoyotl, pennant D 102, Mexican commissioning (alta) 24 February 1982; characteristics listed include 3,030-ton normal displacement, complement 250 + 40 transportees, and machinery of 4 Foster Wheeler boilers with 2 General Electric turbines (turbo/electric propulsion listed).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1982-2004 (page window)
- Population
- Mexican Navy crew (250 + 40 transportees)
- Limitations
- Official Mexican Navy source but descriptive rather than archival. The Foster Wheeler boiler listing conflicts with the U.S.-era Babcock & Wilcox boiler standard for the class - unresolved (Mexican-era reboilering vs. SEMAR data convention); carried in gaps. Says nothing about asbestos content or condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-06
-
[7]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-863/DDR-863 (building/operations data, FRAM completion March 1965, decommissioned and stricken 24 February 1982) + NavSource FRAM table (yard column: Boston) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-863 index 'Operational and Building Data' + navsource.org/archives/05/fram.htm FRAM table row for 863
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-compilation record filling the post-1974 gap in DANFS: FRAM I conversion at Boston completed March 1965 (drydock window May 1964-April 1965 per hullnumber.com, a secondary deployment compilation); regular overhaul January-July 1969; decommissioned and stricken 24 February 1982; transferred to Mexico the same day and renamed Netzahualcoyotl; still active in Mexican service as of June 2005.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-2005
- Population
- FRAM yard workers Boston 1964-65; overhaul workers 1969; transfer crews 1982
- Limitations
- NavSource is a careful secondary compilation, not an official record - the Boston FRAM yard assignment and the 1969 overhaul window rest on it (and hullnumber.com) rather than on DANFS, which does not name the FRAM yard. Dates that also appear in DANFS agree; Mexican-service retirement year (2014) rests on press/secondary sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-07
-
[8]This record's search ledger (NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NVR SHIPSDETAIL; CourtListener API v4 sweeps; SEMAR; NavSource; maritime.org HNSA; usssteinaker.org; navypedia; hullnumber.com; NARA catalog API) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-steinaker-dd863-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement contract, ACM inventory, materials report, exposure study, or disposal hazmat record for DD-863 was located in any source searched. No published opinion names the hull; exactly one qualifying asbestos docket (Rogers, ev-02) was located, and it resolved against the plaintiff at summary judgment. Law-firm marketing pages asserting Steinaker asbestos exposure exist (e.g., mesothelioma.net, shepardlawfirm.com, mesotheliomasymptoms.com) but are excluded as banned source classes - they are not evidence and are listed only to explain why no claim rests on them.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence - BuShips contract correspondence, SCB/FRAM work packages, and the hull's material specifications likely sit in undigitized NARA RG 19 series and NAVSEA inactive-ship files; deck logs in RG 24. The Rogers record itself shows NARA ship records for DD-863 existed as litigation exhibits (D.I. 122, Exs. C-F).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-08
-
[9]NARA RG 24 deck logs (hull-era) + RG 19 BuShips General Information Books / machinery records - per-hull archival series; Rogers litigation exhibits C-F (D.I. 122) show NARA ship-machinery records for DD-863 were pulled into that case file [other_primary]
- Locator
- Rogers R&R pp. 11-12 (GE turbine discussion citing NARA records); catalog.archives.gov query attempt 2026-09-28
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: the Rogers R&R recites that plaintiff proffered 'National Archives records' establishing that Steinaker's main propulsion engines contained two sets of General Electric turbines (D.I. 122, Exs. C-F) - demonstrating that hull-specific machinery documentation for DD-863 exists at NARA and was litigated. Separately, NARA's U.S. Navy deck-log series (RG 24) is the standard repository for this hull's 1945-1982 logs; a catalog.archives.gov query for 'Steinaker' returned no machine-readable result to automated fetch (JS-gated), so per-hull deck-log holdings are unverified at this record level.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-1982 (records); 2017-2019 (litigation use)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- The NARA machinery records were plaintiff exhibits in Rogers - their existence is documented by the R&R's citations but the documents themselves were not retrieved from RECAP/PACER. Deck-log holdings unverified (catalog API empty to automated fetch).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-09
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program at program level: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. Relevant to this hull's documented insulation-disturbance events (1952-53 DDR conversion, 1964-65 FRAM, 1969 overhaul, 1970 Bergen repair) as era context.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific; full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - content via product-page description, consistent with prior-batch handling). Does not establish that any particular material aboard DD-863 contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-steinaker-dd863-10