Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Tarawa' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Tarawa' returned 4 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-tarawa-lha1-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Tarawa' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Tarawa' returned 35 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-tarawa-lha1-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'LHA-1' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'LHA-1' returned 285 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-tarawa-lha1-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'LHA-1' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'LHA-1' returned 6461 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-tarawa-lha1-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 1979-10-18, released 1979-10-22), Enclosure I - Department of the Navy (CNO) letter, Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979, with Attachment 1 ship list (gao.gov product page https://www.gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2; live gao.gov PDF assets return HTTP 403, Justia mirror used - same mirror as Atlas record uss-paul-f-foster-dd964) [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 full report, Enclosure I, Attachment 1, first table page - 'AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP (GENERAL PURPOSE) - LHA' block, TARAWA row; letter text at Enclosure I pp. 1-4
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Primary government document tabulating this exact hull's as-delivered thermal-insulation status: Attachment 1 ('List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction - Ship Class, Name and Hull Number and Status of Thermal Insulation') lists under 'AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP (GENERAL PURPOSE) - LHA': TARAWA, hull 1, construction start 1/71, delivery 5/76, with the status annotation 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation except for boiler casing insulation and removalable pads' (the annotation cell spans the TARAWA and SAIPAN rows; BELLEAU WOOD and NASSAU carry 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation except for boiler casing insulation'; PELELIU carries 'Asbestos-free thermal insulation'). Reading against the table's purpose (tracking the asbestos phase-out), the exception items - boiler casing insulation and removable pads - are the documented residual asbestos thermal-insulation applications aboard this hull. The letter separately states that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' in non-insulation applications (electrical resistors, deck tile, galley-range cabling, piping gaskets/packing, brakes and clutches), and that thermal insulation for 'machinery, equipment and piping systems has been the major application of asbestos.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1971-1979 (construction through letter date)
- Population
- Ingalls Shipbuilding construction trades, Pascagoula 1971-76; ship's company and embarked Marines 1976-2009; shipyard workers at documented availabilities
- Limitations
- The annotation describes thermal insulation status at delivery (5/76) - it does not quantify asbestos weight, does not enumerate the non-insulation applications aboard this specific hull (the 'all ships' list is fleet-level), and says nothing about later removals during the 1977-78 post-shakedown availability or subsequent overhauls, nor about material remaining aboard at sinking in 2024. The 'except for' reading is the natural construction of the table (compare PELELIU's unqualified 'Asbestos-free'), but the letter does not separately state the fiber content of boiler casing insulation or pads. It documents material status, not any individual's exposure, and establishes nothing about legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-01
-
[6]Siegfried v. 3M Company et al., No. 2:18-cv-01575-FMO-E (C.D. Cal.; removed from Los Angeles County Superior Court No. BC691900), Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s Joinder to Defendant Elliot Company's Notice of Removal, ECF No. 50 (filed 2018-03-02), before Judge Fernando M. Olguin [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP gov.uscourts.cacd.702384, ECF No. 50 (filed 03/02/18), Preliminary Statement para. 1 (numbered vessel list, 'USS Tarawa (LHA-1)'); complaint Exhibit A at RECAP doc. 1-1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docketed asbestos litigation naming this hull: the Owens-Illinois removal joinder recites the complaint's allegation that plaintiff Terry Lee Siegfried 'was injured as a result of his exposure to asbestos from Owens-Illinois while an electrician and marine electrician between approximately 1969 and 1996 on the Long Beach Naval Shipyard' and aboard ~45 listed vessels expressly including 'USS Tarawa (LHA-1)' (numbered vessel list in the joinder's Preliminary Statement, para. 1; complaint Exhibit A 'Location of Exposure' list). Tarawa's documented Long Beach Naval Shipyard post-shakedown availability (13 Aug 1977 - 15 Jul 1978, DANFS) falls inside the alleged 1969-1996 window. Same pleading posture as the Siegfried rows carried for USS Missouri (BB-63), USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964), and other hulls in this corpus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1977-1978 (this hull's documented LBNSY window within the alleged 1969-1996 exposure period); 2018 (litigation)
- Population
- Terry Lee Siegfried (electrician/marine electrician, LBNSY and listed vessels, c.1969-1996)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only: an undifferentiated ~45-vessel list recited verbatim inside a defense removal filing (which asserts a government-contractor defense, not exposure facts). It alleges, but does not adjudicate, exposure aboard this hull; no discovery, fact-finding, or merits ruling on the allegation was located. Establishes nothing about materials aboard, products encountered, dates aboard, or legal eligibility. Subsequent case history not located this session (CourtListener API rate-limited - see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-02
-
[7]Winhauer v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al., Civil Action No. 15-00177-RGA-SRF (D. Del.), Report and Recommendation of 2016-07-13 (nine-defendant summary-judgment motions; a companion R&R of 2016-08-09 covers Ingersoll Rand and Honeywell, opinions file 15-177.pdf) [court_record]
- Locator
- ded.uscourts.gov opinion file 15-177_0.pdf, R&R of 2016-07-13, deposition excerpts at D.I. 180 (quoted at pp. of R&R citing Id. at 18:9-19:7 and 29:10-13); companion R&R at opinions file 15-177.pdf
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Discovery-stage ship-specific testimony inside a magistrate's report and recommendation in an asbestos mesothelioma/wrongful-death action: plaintiff Robert Lee Winhauer alleged exposure during employment at Ingalls Shipyard, Pascagoula 1965-1976 - the window covering this hull's construction (keel 1971-11-15, delivery 1976-05-14) - and the R&R quotes his deposition that 'Mr. Winhauer worked on freighter ships, the USS Tarawa, and on some destroyers while at Ingalls Shipyard.' The court recommended granting the moving defendants' summary-judgment motions for want of product-identification evidence under Mississippi's frequency-regularity-proximity standard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1965-1976 (alleged exposure window); 2014-2016 (litigation)
- Population
- Robert Lee Winhauer (Ingalls Shipyard worker, 1965-1976); mesothelioma
- Limitations
- Classify down per litigation-stage discipline: the Tarawa reference is deposition testimony (a discovery record), not a trial or appellate finding of exposure aboard this hull, and the recommendations disposed of the claims against the moving defendants - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff as to those defendants, not affirmative exposure evidence. The testimony places the worker on the hull during construction at Ingalls but does not identify asbestos products aboard. Case outcome beyond the recommendations not traced this session (CourtListener API rate-limited - see search_ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-03
-
[8]Naval Vessel Register ship detail page, TARAWA (LHA 1), Wayback capture 2024-06-24 (register last updated 06/12/2024; live SHIPSDETAIL page retired after disposal) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_LHA_1 rendered page, Wayback capture 2024-06-24 (vessel status, milestone dates, physical characteristics, comments blocks)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR register record for this hull: UIC 20550; class LHA 1; builder Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; award 05/01/1969; keel 11/15/1971; launch 12/01/1973; delivery 05/14/1976; commission 05/29/1976; inactivation and decommission 03/31/2009; stricken 04/30/2024 with status 'Stricken, Final Disposition Pending'; berth/custodian NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance Office, Pearl Harbor, HI. Physical characteristics: 820 ft overall / 778 ft waterline, 106 ft beam, 27 ft draft, 26,255 tons light / 39,925 tons full displacement, steel hull with aluminum superstructure, propulsion type 'Steam Turbines,' 2 propellers, accommodations 86 officers + 979 enlisted. Register comment: 'TARAWA, LHA 1 HELD A DECOMMISSIONING CEREMONY ON 4 DEC 08. SHE WILL OFFICIALLY DECOMMISSION ON 31 MAR 09.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1969-2024
- Population
- Crew and embarked personnel 1976-2009; NISMF Pearl Harbor caretakers 2009-2024
- Limitations
- NVR documents registry milestones, characteristics, and custodial status - not materials or asbestos content. Keel date 11/15/1971 conflicts with DANFS's 'laid down in November 1972' (see gaps). Disposal occurred after the capture: the register still showed 'Final Disposition Pending' on 06/12/2024; sinking documented separately (ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-04
-
[9]DANFS Vol. VII, 'Tarawa (LHA-1)' entry (verbatim transcription - live NHHC page unavailable, 404 on 2026-09-19); NHHC ship command-operation reports for Tarawa LHA-1 (1981, 1985, 1989, 2000 et seq., indexed at history.navy.mil; live PDFs 404 this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS transcription, Tarawa (LHA-1) entry, spec block and narrative; NHHC command-operation-report series indexable at history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/t/tarawa-lha-1-ii/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS ship history: second Tarawa (LHA-1), first of five Tarawa-class general-purpose amphibious assault ships combining LPH/LPD/LKA/LSD functions; laid down November 1972 at Pascagoula, Miss., by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 1 December 1973, sponsored by Mrs. Audrey B. Cushman; commissioned 29 May 1976, Capt. James H. Morris in command. Departed Pascagoula 7 July 1976, transited Panama Canal 16 July, arrived San Diego 6 August 1976 (homeport for entire career). Post-shakedown availability at Long Beach Naval Shipyard 13 August 1977 - 15 July 1978. NHHC command histories document ship's company of 60 officers / 889 enlisted (1989) and 62 officers / 970 enlisted (2000) and a Western Pacific deployment 8 July - 20 December 1990 (Desert Shield era).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1971-2000 (entry covers through 1978; command histories indexed through 2000s)
- Population
- Ship's company ~949-1,032 documented (1989, 2000 command histories); LBNSY yard workers 1977-78
- Limitations
- Vessel history only - DANFS contains no materials or asbestos information. The DANFS 'laid down in November 1972' conflicts with NVR keel date 11/15/1971 and the GAO table's construction-start 1/71; NVR is carried as the register of record and the conflict is flagged in gaps. Live NHHC pages (DANFS entry and command-report PDFs) returned 404 on 2026-09-19 - standing NHHC link rot; verbatim hazegray transcription and search-index content used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-05
-
[10]U.S. Indo-Pacific Command news release, 'US and Partner Nations Conduct Multiple SINKEXs as Part of RIMPAC 2024' (2024); corroborated by USNI News (2024-07-22) and Navy Times (2024-07-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PACOM release paragraphs 1-3 (sinking date, depth, distance off Kauai, munitions); USNI News photo caption (USNS Grasp tow, Pearl Harbor, 16 July 2024)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Final disposition: ex-Tarawa was sunk as a live-fire SINKEX target on 19 July 2024 during RIMPAC 2024, in waters 15,000 feet deep more than 50 nautical miles off the northern coast of Kauai; participating units included HMAS Sydney (Naval Strike Missile) and a U.S. Navy F/A-18F employing a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. Ex-Tarawa had been towed from the NAVSEA inactive berth at Pearl Harbor by USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51). Second Tarawa-class hull expended as a SINKEX target after ex-Belleau Wood (RIMPAC 2006).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2024
- Limitations
- Documents disposal event and location only - no statement on materials remaining aboard at sinking. The 2024 SINKEX cleanup certification for this hulk is not public; published Navy descriptions of SINKEX preparation do not enumerate asbestos removal (see ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-06
-
[11]EPA, MPRSA general permit 'Transport of Target Vessels' (40 C.F.R. 229.2) + EPA-Navy 'Determination and Agreement' (January 2014) + Navy RIMPAC SINKEX-prep description (navy.mil, RIMPAC 2020) [federal_register]
- Locator
- epa.gov 'Transport of Target Vessels for Ocean Disposal' page; EPA 2014 SINKEX Determination and Agreement PDF; navy.mil RIMPAC 2020 SINKEX article (hulk-preparation paragraphs); epa.gov 'Disposal of Vessels at Sea' (229.3, asbestos listing)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Regulatory regime governing this hull's disposal: ex-vessels used in SINKEX are prepared under the MPRSA general permit at 40 C.F.R. 229.2 as interpreted by the January 2014 EPA-Navy Determination and Agreement, which requires removal to the maximum extent practicable of materials that may degrade the marine environment; the Navy's published preparation list covers liquid PCBs from transformers and large capacitors, small capacitors to the greatest extent practical, trash, floatable materials, mercury- and fluorocarbon-containing materials, readily detachable solid PCB items, and petroleum from tanks, piping, and reservoirs, followed by signed Navy environmental certification. The published SINKEX preparation requirements do not enumerate asbestos removal; EPA's separate vessel-reefing guidance (40 C.F.R. 229.3) does list asbestos among pollutants requiring removal for ocean-disposal-to-reef conversions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2014-2024
- Population
- SINKEX preparation and inspection crews, Pearl Harbor 2024
- Limitations
- Program-level permit regime, not a hull-specific record: it establishes what preparation the rules required of ex-Tarawa, not what was actually found or removed aboard her. Absence of asbestos from the published SINKEX prep list is not evidence that asbestos was absent aboard or that it went down with the hull; the vessel-specific certification is not public.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-07
-
[12]GAO HRD-80-2 (1979) program-level findings: Navy October 1975 policy (NAVSEAINST 5100.2 of 24 Oct 1975) and January 1979 modification; CNO letter text on fleet-wide applications; GAO fieldwork yards Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 report body (policy narrative) and Enclosure I pp. 3-4 (spec-revision timeline, NAVSEAINST 5100.2, removal-policy scope)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Policy and application environment for this hull's era: Navy insulation specifications were revised toward asbestos-free materials beginning as early as 1971 and called for asbestos-free materials by late 1973, but shipbuilders had pre-purchased ship-sets and stockpiles, so 'ships well under construction and already insulated at that time continued through to delivery as late as May 1978 with asbestos insulation'; the formal no-asbestos policy (NAVSEAINST 5100.2) issued 24 Oct 1975, during this hull's construction (keel 11/1971 - delivery 5/1976). The October 1975 policy required removal/replacement only of damaged insulation or insulation that had to be removed for repairs; a January 1979 modification added selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. GAO's fieldwork yards for the report were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - this hull's documented post-shakedown availability was at Long Beach NSY (Aug 1977 - Jul 1978).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1971-1979
- Population
- Ingalls construction trades 1971-76; LBNSY yard workers 1977-78; ship's company 1976-2009
- Limitations
- Program-level policy and yard-level fieldwork only - not ship-specific findings beyond what ev-01 tabulates. The 1977-78 availability's asbestos scope (if any) is not documented in public sources; policy documents what the Navy required fleet-wide, not what was done on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-08
-
[13]NVR propulsion/characteristic fields ('Steam Turbines,' 2 propellers, steel hull/aluminum superstructure); secondary class references (Navypedia) specify 2 x Combustion Engineering V2M-VS boilers feeding 2 x Westinghouse geared steam turbines (~70,000-77,000 shp), 2 shafts [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_LHA_1 physical-characteristics block (propulsion type); Navypedia 'Tarawa amphibious assault ships' machinery line (secondary)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Plant-type note on era inference: this hull is a steam ship - oil-fired boilers feeding geared steam turbines, twin screw (NVR propulsion type 'Steam Turbines'). For 1970s steam amphibious construction, the era-typical asbestos applications are boiler casing and steam-system insulation, pipe lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, deck coverings, and accommodation fire/thermal insulation. For this specific hull the GAO attachment (ev-01) supersedes generic inference: main thermal insulation is documented asbestos-free at delivery, with residual applications in boiler casing insulation and removable pads, plus the fleet-level non-insulation applications the CNO letter lists for all in-service ships.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1971-1976
- Limitations
- Era-typical application list is class_or_era inference only; the boiler/turbine manufacturer detail comes from secondary references (Navypedia class page; Wikipedia class article concurs on CE boilers/Westinghouse turbines but gives 70,000 vs 77,000 shp) and is not treated as established. Nothing here adds to or subtracts from the ship-specific tabulation in ev-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-09
-
[14]Batch-307 search ledger (this record): NVR (Wayback), DANFS transcription (hazegray), GAO HRD-80-2 full text (Justia mirror), PACOM RIMPAC 2024 release, EPA MPRSA permit pages, ded.uscourts.gov opinion files, CourtListener RECAP/index; CourtListener API v4 throttled at daily quota [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-tarawa-lha1-01 through sl-uss-tarawa-lha1-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the January 1979 CNO letter's delivery-time insulation annotation (ev-01), no qualifying ship-specific asbestos record was located: no hull asbestos survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat/disposal disclosure for the 2009-2024 reserve period or the 2024 SINKEX preparation, and no adjudicated exposure finding naming this hull. The two court records are pleading-stage (Siegfried vessel list) and discovery-stage (Winhauer deposition) only. The CourtListener docket-level sweep is incomplete due to API daily-quota throttling; the index route returned the Siegfried document plus heavy name-collision noise (Camp Lejeune 'Tarawa Terrace' exhibits).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence of other documentation: SINKEX cleanup certifications, NISMF maintenance records, and availability work packages are not public. The record shows what the Navy reported at delivery in 1976, not the hull's 2009 or 2024 material state. CourtListener coverage gap is logged, not resolved - a re-run after quota reset may surface additional name collisions or, less likely, additional qualifying dockets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tarawa-lha1-10