Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]NHHC DANFS, Will Rogers (SSBN-659) entry - construction, Polaris shot, Rota Spain forward deployment (live history.navy.mil page unavailable in this environment; Wayback capture of the official NHHC page used) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Will Rogers (SSBN-659)' (Wayback capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 20 March 1965 at Groton, Conn., by General Dynamics Corporation's Electric Boat Division; launched 21 July 1966 (sponsor Mrs. Hubert H. Humphrey, wife of the Vice President); commissioned 1 April 1967 (Capt. R. Y. Kaufman, Blue Crew; Comdr. W. J. Cowhill, Gold Crew). Successful Polaris shot on the Atlantic missile range off Cape Kennedy 31 July 1967; first deterrent deployment October 1967; based at Groton until 1974, then forward-deployed from Rota, Spain, conducting additional deterrent patrols over four years into 1978, reaching 35 total patrols (narrative endpoint).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1965-1978
- Population
- Blue and Gold crews (1967-1978 narrative window)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content and no spec block (complement unverified). Live NHHC page unreachable here - official page used via Wayback; defect disclosed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-01
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[2]Halseth v. General Electric Company, No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), complaint Exhibit A work-history, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-05-14); exhibit text extracted from the RECAP mirror at archive.org [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-2, Exhibit A vessel roster, entry 'WILL RODGERS (SSBN-659)' (sic)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos complaint exhibit for a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard pipefitter (alleged 1975-2004 employment window) lists 'WILL RODGERS (SSBN-659)' among vessels in the plaintiff's alleged asbestos-exposure work history. The hull number identifies the vessel as USS Will Rogers despite the exhibit's 'RODGERS' spelling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1975-2004 (alleged employment window); 2007 (litigation)
- Population
- PSNSY pipefitter (alleged 1975-2004 employment window)
- Limitations
- Complaint-exhibit vessel list; unadjudicated pleading-stage allegation. Establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. The source spells the name 'WILL RODGERS' - preserved verbatim; attribution rests on the stated hull number (SSBN-659). Verified by direct text extraction of the archived exhibit.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-02
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register detail page, WILL ROGERS (SSBN 659), via Internet Archive Wayback capture (live nvr.navy.mil detail page not reachable in this environment) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_SSBN_659.HTML, Vessel Status and Milestone Dates tables
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NVR record: WILL ROGERS (SSBN 659), ballistic missile submarine (nuclear-powered), class SSBN 640; status 'Disposed of by submarine recycling', status changed 08/12/1994; builder General Dynamics Corp.; award 07/29/1963; keel 03/20/1965; launch 07/21/1966; commission 04/01/1967; decommission 04/12/1993; stricken 04/12/1993.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1963-1994
- Limitations
- Official register of status and milestone dates only; contains no asbestos or material information. Wayback capture of the official record; live NVR page unreachable here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-03
-
[4]Navysite.de, USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659) unofficial ship page - service compilation and disposition data (secondary compilation, corroboration only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navysite.de/ssbn/ssbn659.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation corroborates the NVR milestones and documents service-era detail for this hull: Poseidon C-3 missile conversion (no Trident backfit), Rota-based forward deterrent patrols, later Atlantic patrol service, and inactivation. Characteristics as compiled: 425 ft length, 33 ft beam, one S5W reactor, two geared steam turbines, one propeller, 16 ballistic-missile tubes, four 21-inch torpedo tubes.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1967-1993
- Population
- Blue and Gold crews; overhaul shipyard trades
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - corroboration and service-era context only; not a primary source and cannot independently establish any material fact. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-04
-
[5]Class/era background - Benjamin Franklin-class SSBN, one of the '41 for Freedom' fleet ballistic-missile submarines [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class-era inference (no per-hull source)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Era context: U.S. submarines of this construction era (keel 1965, commission 1967) were built to military specifications that era-standardly employed asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gasket, and packing materials on steam and auxiliary systems; shipyard overhaul periods are documented peak-exposure settings in the asbestos-litigation record generally.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1965-1994
- Population
- EB construction trades (1965-67); PSNSY overhaul trades; Blue and Gold crews (1967-1993)
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - never a ship-specific finding. No record located documents asbestos-containing material aboard this specific hull; nuclear propulsion, steam auxiliaries, and construction era cannot prove asbestos aboard this submarine.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-05
-
[6]Negative finding - ship-specific ACM documentation sweep beyond the Halseth roster (NHHC, NVR, web/govinfo, RECAP mirrors) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search ledger sl-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-05/06/07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-specific asbestos record located beyond the Halseth complaint roster: no ACM survey, abatement contract, shipyard industrial-hygiene report, or Ship/Submarine Recycling Program hazardous-material disclosure naming USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659) was found in the sources searched.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- research window 2026-09
- Limitations
- Bounded negative: search coverage comprises NHHC/DANFS, NVR, navysite, NavSource compilations, govinfo USCOURTS, and RECAP-mirrored complaint exhibits; CourtListener API/feed search was throttled and blocked during research (documented in search ledger), so litigation coverage is incomplete. Absence of a located record is not proof none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-will-rogers-ssbn659-06