Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Abbot I (Destroyer No. 184) (live NHHC page 404s; Wayback capture 2025-01-21 of the NHHC entry cited; verbatim text independently verified against the hazegray transcription at losthistory.net) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Abbot I (Destroyer No. 184)' spec line + namesake bio + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec line (Destroyer No. 184: displacement 1,306; length 314'4-1/2"; beam 30'11-3/4"; draft 9'3-5/8"; speed 33.2 knots; complement 122; armament 4 4-inch, 2 3-inch, 12 21-inch torpedo tubes; class Wickes). Laid down 5 April 1918 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, Va.; launched 4 July 1918; sponsored by Miss Louise Abbot, great-granddaughter of Commodore Abbot; commissioned 19 July 1919, Lt. Cmdr. William N. Richardson, Jr., in command. Based at Norfolk, operated along the east coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean/Cuban waters; placed out of commission at Philadelphia Navy Yard 5 July 1922; laid up almost two decades; recommissioned 17 June 1940; patrolled east coast; decommissioned at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 23 September 1940 and transferred under the destroyers-for-bases exchange; stricken from the Navy list 8 January 1941. Renamed Charlestown; 17th Destroyer Division; arrived Belfast 8 October; minelaying operations off the west coast of Scotland; September 1943 allocated to Rosyth Escort Force for east-coast convoy escort; damaged in collision with steamer 'Flprizel' (OCR; Florizel) off Harwich December 1944; placed in reserve at Grangemouth; decommissioned (RN) 15 January 1945; eventually scrapped. Namesake paragraph: Commodore Joel Abbot (1793-1855), War of 1812, commanded Macedonian in Perry's Japan expedition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Newport News construction trades 1918-19; crew 1919-1922 and 1940 (DANFS cpl. 122); RN crew as HMS Charlestown 1940-1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and the spec line, not materials or asbestos content. The collision-vessel name is OCR-degraded in the source ('Flprizel'); the older transcription reads 'Florizell' and the RN service history identifies her as HM Minesweeper Florizel - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page returns 404 - the Wayback capture of the NHHC URL is cited. Older DANFS spec-block transcription reads dp. 1,213, cpl. 133, s. 35 k., 'cl. Lamberton' - variances carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-01
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[2]Eisler v. CBS Corporation et al., No. 2:10-cv-01190-R-VBK (C.D. Cal.), Complaint for Personal Injury - Asbestos, dated 2010-01-26 (Simon, Eddins & Greenstone LLP), filed into the MDL-875 JPML master docket as Doc. 6475 attachment 20 (Notice of Related Action, filed 2010-12-13); RECAP pdf gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6475.20.pdf, complaint Exhibit A p.26-27 [court_record]
- Locator
- RECAP document gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6475.20.pdf: complaint Exhibit A, exposure-location table (US Navy vessels incl. 'USS Abbot (DD-184)', Fireman, 1940-1941); complaint paras 13-15 (mesothelioma allegation); caption p.1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage asbestos litigation explicitly naming this hull: the Eisler complaint's Exhibit A ('Plaintiff LEROY EISLER's exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing [products] occurred at various locations...') lists 'US Navy - USS Barry (DD-248), USS Blakeley (DD-150), USS Abbot (DD-184), USS Denebola (AD-12)' with job title Fireman and exposure dates 1940-1941, plus Merchant Marine service aboard six steam merchantmen 1942-1946. The complaint alleges plaintiff Leroy Eisler suffers malignant pleural mesothelioma from asbestos exposure to defendants' products. Hull attribution is explicit - the pleading gives the hull number DD-184, not merely the ship name. The 1940-1941 window brackets DD-184's final USN commission (recommissioned 17 June 1940, transferred to the RN at Halifax 23 September 1940); the 1941 portion postdates the transfer - the allegation at this hull resolves to the 1940 Neutrality-Patrol-period recommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1941 (alleged exposure); 2010 (complaint, MDL-875 related-action notice)
- Population
- Leroy Eisler (USN Fireman, alleged exposure aboard DD-184 and other flush-deckers/auxiliaries 1940-41; merchant marine 1942-46); mesothelioma plaintiff
- Limitations
- Complaint-stage allegation only - recited in a pleading exhibit, never adjudicated: no discovery record, trial finding, or judgment on this hull was located, and the case was among the related actions transferred into MDL-875 (master docket doc 6475). The pleading does not identify which products aboard were asbestos-containing, does not quantify exposure, and its 1940-1941 window is loose as to DD-184 (the hull was Royal Navy property after 23 September 1940). A plaintiff's ship list is an allegation, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-02
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[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, picture data for NH 57709 'USS Abbot (Destroyer # 184) At anchor on 15 November 1919' and NH 42534 'Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company ... Ten destroyers fitting out ... April 1919' (Naval Historical Center/NHHC text mirrored at ibiblio.org HyperWar) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library picture-data records NH 57709 and NH 42534 (ibiblio.org HyperWar mirror)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photographic records for this hull: NH 57709 documents USS Abbot (Destroyer #184) at anchor 15 November 1919. NH 42534 documents ten destroyers fitting out at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company docks, April 1919, captioned 'The destroyers are probably USS Haraden, Abbot, Bagley, Clemson, Dahlgren, Goldsborough, Semmes, Satterlee, Mason and Graham (Destroyer #s 183 through 192)' - placing this hull's fit-out at the builder's yard in spring 1919.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919
- Population
- Newport News fit-out trades April 1919 (NH 42534); crew 1919 (NH 57709)
- Limitations
- Official photo-caption records documenting presence and chronology, not materials or asbestos content. The NH 42534 caption itself says the hulls present are 'probably' Destroyer #s 183-192 - hull-level identification is the Navy's own caption hedge, not a certainty for Abbot specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-03
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[4]NavSource Online Destroyer Photo Archive, USS Abbot (DD-184) page, incl. contributed HMS Charlestown service history (R. Hurst) (Wayback capture 2024-11-26; live navsource.org unreachable this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-184 page operational/building data block + 'On British Service' Hurst narrative + commanding-officer lists
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource operating/building data for this hull: class note 'WICKES (LAMBERTON) - Built to Bath plans, built by Newport News, these Wickes versions were slightly heavier but had a good cruising radius'; displacement 1,213 t; 314'5" x 31'8" x 9'10" max; armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 3"/23AA, 12 x 21" tt; machinery 24,900 SHP, Curtis turbines, 2 screws; 35 kt; crew 101; radio call sign NEZS. Laid down Newport News Shipbuilding 5 April 1918; launched 4 July 1918; commissioned 'June 19 1919' (DANFS reads 19 July - conflict carried in gaps); decommissioned 5 July 1922; recommissioned 17 June 1940; decommissioned 23 September 1940; to Britain 23 September 1940, renamed HMS Charlestown (I21); stricken 8 January 1941; broken up for scrap in 1947. British-service narrative (R. Hurst): RN commissioning at Halifax 23 September 1940; refit at Devonport completing 4 November 1940; arrival Kyle of Lochalsh for 17th Division 6 January 1941, serving until February 1943; 1st Minelaying Squadron Northern Barrage escort; Icelandic Ferry convoys; Clyde troop-convoy local escort; refits at Palmers on Tyneside April-May 1941 and Grimsby from mid-November 1941 (rammed by Marple alongside, repairs to 20 February 1942); refit Newport, Mon., late-October 1942, then Cardiff repair after hitting dockside, to February 1943; work-up Tobermory; Orkney and Shetland Command to August 1943; Belfast repair; October 1943 Rosyth Command east-coast convoys; collision with steamer Florizel off Harwich 10 December 1944; paid off in damaged state, laid up Grangemouth; passed to BISCO control 4 March 1947; arrived Sunderland in tow 3 December 1948 for breaking by Thomas Young & Sons Ltd. USN CO list: LCDR W. N. Richardson Jr. (19 Jul 1919-7 Jul 1920); CDR S. Doherty (7 Jul 1920-); LT G. T. Howard (4 Nov 1920-5 Jul 1922); LCDR L. R. Miller (17 Jun-23 Sep 1940). RN CO list: LCDR T. Johnston DSC (23 Sep 1940-3 Mar 1942); LCDR N. R. Murch (3 Mar 1942-1 Feb 1943); LT W. F. B. Webb DSC (1 Feb-23 Sep 1943); LCDR A. F. C. Gray RNR (23 Sep 1943-15 Jan 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1948
- Population
- Newport News construction trades 1918-19; USN crew 1919-1922, 1940; RN crews 1940-1945; RN/commercial refit workforces (Devonport, Hebburn, Grimsby, Newport Mon., Cardiff, Belfast) 1940-1943
- Limitations
- Volunteer-edited secondary archive, not an official record - the stricken date (8 Jan 1941), machinery figures, scrapping year, and the Hurst RN-service narrative rest on NavSource rather than digitized official documents. Commissioned-date reads 'June 19 1919' vs DANFS '19 July 1919' - probable transcription variant, DANFS carried, conflict logged in gaps. RN refit events are documented as events only; no materials or asbestos content is documented for any of them.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-04
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[5]naval-history.net, 'HMS Charlestown (I 21) - ex-US Destroyer including Convoy Escort Movements', Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2, Lt Cdr Geoffrey B Mason RN (Rtd), 2005 [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval-history.net HMS Charlestown (I 21) service-history page, 'Details of War Service' 1940-1945 + Post War Notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Specialist RN service history for this hull: ex-USS Abbot (Type C - 'NEWPORT-Class'), built by Newport News SB Co., launched 4 July 1918; transferred under the 1940 UK/USA Lease Lend Agreement and commissioned at Halifax into the RN on 23 September 1940 'as HMS ABBOT' (second batch of transfers initially given US names); renamed HMS CHARLESTOWN 2 October 1940; arrived Plymouth 8 October; refit and modifications by HM Dockyard Devonport for convoy-defence deployment (dockyard work completed 4 November, defect work through December); Kyle of Lochalsh (Port ZA) 6 January 1941; attached to 17th Destroyer Division 13 February 1941; Northern Barrage minelaying escorts (Operations SN7A, SN7B/68A, SN69, SN4, SN70A, SN83B) and convoy escort 1941-42; refit at commercial shipyard Hebburn-on-Tyne April-May 1941; Grimsby commercial refit from 20 November 1941 - rammed by ss MARPLE while under repair, resumed duties 21 February 1942; minelaying escorts March-September 1942 (SN87, SN88, SN3A, SN73, SN89, SN65A, SN3E); commercial refit Newport, Mon., November-December 1942; hit dockside after completion, Cardiff repair January-February 1943; work-up Tobermory; Orkney and Shetland Command; convoy escort April-July 1943; Belfast repair August-September 1943; Rosyth Escort Force October 1943; east-coast convoy defence through November 1944; collision with HM Minesweeper FLORIZEL off Harwich 10 December 1944; declared beyond economic repair January 1945, paid off and de-stored; laid up Grangemouth February-August 1945; not returned to USN, placed on Disposal List; sold to BISCO 4 March 1947 for demolition by T. Young at Sunderland; arrived in tow at the breaker's yard 3 December 1948. Battle honours: ATLANTIC 1941-43, NORTH SEA 1943-44; adopted by Darlaston, Staffordshire, after Warship Week February 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1948
- Population
- RN crews 1940-1945; RN/commercial refit workforces (Devonport, Hebburn-on-Tyne, Grimsby, Newport Mon., Cardiff, Belfast); BISCO/breaker's-yard workforce (T. Young, Sunderland) 1947-48
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation (Lt Cdr G. B. Mason RN Rtd service histories), not an official record - the refit/collision/disposal timeline is detailed and internally consistent but rests on the compiler's sources (Naval Staff Histories, convoy records), not digitized primary documents. Collision-vessel identification as 'HM Minesweeper FLORIZEL' differs from DANFS's 'steamer' styling - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-05
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[6]uboat.net Allied Warships entry, HMS Charlestown (I 21), Town-class destroyer (ex-USS Abbot DD-184); companion USN entry USS Abbot (i) (DD 184) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net allied-warships entries ship/4306 (HMS Charlestown) and ship/2121 (USS Abbot DD-184)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specialist database corroboration: HMS Charlestown (I 21), Town-class, built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., laid down 5 April 1918, launched 4 July 1918, commissioned (RN) 23 September 1940, end service December 1944; former name USS Abbot (DD 184); 'sold for scrap on 4 March 1947 at Sunderland'. The companion USN entry (uboat.net/allies/warships/2121.html) reads commissioned '19 Jun 1919' and end service 23 September 1940 - the June commissioning is a recurring transcription variant vs DANFS's 19 July 1919 (carried in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- RN crew 1940-1944
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary database, not an official record. Concurs with Mason/NavSource on the transfer, RN career, and disposal; its '19 Jun 1919' USN commissioning date conflicts with DANFS (19 July 1919) - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-06
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[7]NavSource DD-184 machinery block (24,900 shp, Curtis turbines, 2 screws) + DANFS spec line (class Wickes) + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'newport-news-shipbuilding' (documented asbestos products: Kaylo insulation, Unibestos, Johns-Manville products, raw asbestos mud; Tidewater VA shipyard-mesothelioma cohort studies) + class compilation for boiler fit (Newport News-group Wickes: four water-tube boilers - secondary) + Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2) (2005), ASNE (peer-reviewed era literature: asbestos was used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-184 machinery block; shipyards.json yard_id 'newport-news-shipbuilding'; secondary Wickes-class machinery compilations
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/plant inference: a WWI-era Wickes-class destroyer built 1918 at Newport News Shipbuilding - four water-tube boilers (Newport News 'Lamberton'/Bath-plans group per secondary class compilations) feeding Curtis geared turbines at 24,900 shp - would have carried era-standard asbestos applications: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, flange and valve gaskets, machinery packing, and fireproofing. The June 1940 recommissioning followed ~18 years laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the documented October-December 1940 Devonport refit, April-May 1941 Hebburn refit, November 1941-February 1942 Grimsby refit/collision repair, November 1942-February 1943 Newport/Cardiff refit-and-repair, and August-September 1943 Belfast repair are yard periods where insulation disturbance and replacement would have been routine. Builder yard is in the Atlas dataset with yard-level asbestos documentation (newport-news-shipbuilding: Kaylo, Unibestos, Johns-Manville products, raw asbestos mud; Tidewater cohort studies). NARA RG 19 'General Information Books'/BuShips material schedules and the Mariners' Museum Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. archive are archival leads for hull-level specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Newport News construction trades 1918-19; USN crew 1919-1922, 1940; RN crews 1940-1945; refit workforces 1940-1943
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-level inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No materials schedule, survey, or hull-specific document was located; the hull was scrapped in Britain 1947-48 so no postwar US documentation chain exists. The Newport News yard dataset record's litigation and cohort evidence postdates this hull's 1918 construction by decades; the boiler fit is a secondary class-compilation datum, unverified at hull level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-07
-
[8]The Mariners' Museum and Park Library & Archives (Newport News, Va.) - holder of the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company collections (record prints, details-and-plans, photograph albums covering 1889-1937); catalogs.marinersmuseum.org object records for NNS&DD Co. holdings [museum_official]
- Locator
- marinersmuseum.org Library & Archives page + catalogs.marinersmuseum.org NNS&DD Co. object records (e.g., ARS577 record-prints atlas, ARC864 details and plans, ARS518 photo albums MS0153/03); NARA catalog SPA; NavSource photo caption citing IWM A 4712
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: (1) The Mariners' Museum Library & Archives, Newport News, holds the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company archival collections - record prints, hull details/plans, and photograph albums covering 1889-1937 - the builder-side source most likely to hold hull-level construction and materials documentation for DD-184 (collection existence verified; a DD-184-specific holdings check was not performed). (2) NARA RG 19/BuShips material specifications and RG 24 deck logs for DD-184 are expected holdings - the NARA catalog API returned the SPA shell, no record-level result. (3) UK-side documentation of the six 1940-43 refit/repair periods (The National Archives ADM series; Devonport, Hebburn, Grimsby, Newport/Cardiff, Belfast dockyard and contractor records) is an unqueried lead. (4) IWM Admiralty Official Collection photo A 4712 (King George VI inspecting HMS Charlestown) exists per the NavSource caption reference - Imperial War Museums collection an unqueried lead.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1948 (documentation); present-day (archival holdings)
- Limitations
- Existence of the repository collections is verified; DD-184-specific holdings within them are not asserted and were not retrieved. No asbestos content is established or implied by the existence of these archives.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweeps (authenticated, 2026-09-27): "USS Abbot" type=o; "USS Abbot" type=r; "DD-184" type=o/r; "Abbot" asbestos type=o; "HMS Charlestown" type=o [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py authenticated v4 search results, this session's queries
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep complete: 'USS Abbot' opinion index 0 hits; 'USS Abbot' RECAP docket index 1 hit (the qualifying Eisler complaint, ev-02); 'DD-184' opinion index 0 hits; 'DD-184' docket index 13 hits (1 qualifying - the same Eisler docket - plus 12 text-level collisions in unrelated filings); 'Abbot asbestos' opinion index 27 hits, all non-maritime surname/party-token matches; 'HMS Charlestown' opinion index 0 hits. No published opinion names this hull; the only qualifying litigation record located is the pleading-stage Eisler complaint (ev-02).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (search date)
- Limitations
- CourtListener opinion index does not cover unindexed complaints or state-court records; absence of hits does not prove no one ever sued - it establishes that no qualifying published/docketed opinion naming this hull was located. 'Abbot' is a moderate-collision token (surname litigation); 'HMS Charlestown' and hull-number queries mitigate. The Fletcher-class second USS Abbot (DD-629, 1943-1965) is a distinct hull whose service window covers the peak asbestos-litigation era; hits naming it would not qualify for this record and are classified accordingly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-09
-
[10]Batch-3188 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live + Wayback); NHHC Online Library photo records; hazegray/losthistory DANFS transcription; NavSource DD-184 page (Wayback); naval-history.net Mason service history; uboat.net warship entries; Atlas shipyard dataset; Mariners' Museum archive lead; NARA catalog; CourtListener API v4 sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-abbot-dd184-01 through sl-uss-abbot-dd184-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or adjudicated asbestos finding exists for DD-184. The single located ship-specific asbestos-connected record is a pleading-stage complaint naming this hull (ev-02); no survey or materials schedule was found in any source searched. The hull was scrapped at Sunderland in 1947-48 under BISCO disposal - before asbestos documentation of demolition was routine - so the postwar documentation channels that produce ship-specific asbestos records for surviving or US-disposed hulls (museum drydock reports, MARAD disposal-condition hazmat disclosures, postwar survey chains) do not exist here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials plausibly present are inferred only at class/era level (ev-07); the record does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abbot-dd184-10