Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet kz-packet.md (5 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Alexander J. Luke (DE-577, later DER-577). Designation:
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-pkt-kz-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Alexander J. Luke (DE-577) (Robert J. Cressman biography + Lou Ann Parsons; published 2022-07-08) - live NHHC URL serves 404; verbatim via Wayback capture [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake biography + ship narrative + parenthetical specs block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Platoon Sgt. Alexander Joseph Luke, USMC (born Philadelphia 18 Apr 1916; 4th Marines, Shanghai 1936-38; Company E, 1st Raider Battalion - killed night of 7 Aug 1942 at Tulagi putting a machine gun back into action; posthumous Silver Star and share of 1st MarDiv Presidential Unit Citation). Hull: laid down 5 Nov 1943 at Hingham, Mass., by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard; launched 28 Dec 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Catherine B. Luke; commissioned 19 Feb 1944, Lt. Cmdr. Herbert A. Peterson. Grounded returning to Boston 2 Mar 1944, drydock repairs; Bermuda shakedown 16 Apr-15 May; Norfolk precommissioning-detail training Jun 1944; Escort Division 66 convoy to Bizerte 13 Jul-27 Aug; TG 62.7 convoy to Algeria 27 Sep-4 Nov; Boston drydock then ASW exercises Casco Bay/Argentia/Halifax/New London; convoy to Great Britain 21 Mar 1945 (Londonderry, Liverpool, Falmouth, Loch Alsh); conversion to radar-picket escort at Brown Shipbuilding Corp., Houston, from 22 Jun 1945, completed 7 Dec 1945, redesignated DER-577. 1946-47 east-coast/Caribbean ASW service (maneuvers with Mindoro CVE-120, Salerno Bay CVE-110, Sicily CVE-118; Guantanamo hunter/killer; Culebra landing exercises); New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn hull repairs Sep 1946; out of commission in reserve at Charleston, S.C. 18 Oct 1947. Redesignated DE-577 Aug 1954; never modernized, inspection found her unfit for further service; stricken from the Navy List 1 May 1970 and sold for scrapping. Specs block: 1,740 t, 306 ft, 37 ft beam, 13'6" draft, 23.6 kt, complement 213; 3x 3-inch, 4x 40mm, 10x 20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp; class Buckley.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crew (complement 213); Brown Shipbuilding conversion trades 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-28; the 2024-05-24 Wayback capture of the canonical URL was transcribed. DE-577 redesignation date reads 'August 1954' vs NavSource's 1 December 1954 - conflict carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Alexander J. Luke (DE 577) file - spec block, building/operational data, NHHC-sourced photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/577.htm - specifications block, building & operational data, image captions 0657706-0657708
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline corroborates and supplements DANFS: Buckley class, TE type (turbine-electric drive, 3-inch guns); 2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws; complement 15 officers/198 enlisted; radio call NHNR. Building/operational data: keel 5 Nov 1943 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard Co.; launched/christened 28 Dec 1943 (sponsor Catherine B. Luke); commissioned Hingham 19 Feb 1944; Navy Day celebration Newburgh N.Y. 26-31 Oct 1945 with USS Scott (DE 214); redesignated DER 577 on 7 Dec 1945, conversion completed at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston; decommissioned Charleston S.C. 18 Oct 1947; redesignated DE 577 on 1 Dec 1954; struck from NVR 1 May 1970; sold/scrapped 22 Oct 1970. NHHC photo NH 79724 (New York City, 1 Jun 1946, post-conversion); NHHC photo NH 79812 (laid up at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, May 1970); photo shows ex-Alexander J. Luke towed down the Delaware River by USS Recovery (ARS-43) on 20 Oct 1970 en route to the scrappers, Camden N.J.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Crew (15 officers/198 enlisted per NavSource); reserve-fleet and disposal personnel 1947-70
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled photo archive - used as corroboration against DANFS and as the access point for two official NHHC photos; not a primary text source. Its 1 Dec 1954 DE redesignation date conflicts with DANFS's 'August 1954' (carried in gaps). NavSource's armament/spec block (3x 3"/50 Mk22, 1 twin 40mm, 8x 20mm, Hedgehog Mk10) differs in detail from the DANFS specs block (4x 40mm, 10x 20mm, no Hedgehog listed) - DANFS figures carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-02
-
[4]DANFS print edition Vol. IA pp. 172-73 (hazegray.org mirror via Wayback) vs. derivative-source fate claim [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS de577 final paragraph; NHHC online DANFS final paragraph; NavSource image 0657708 caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Fate correction: both DANFS editions read 'sold for scrapping' (print Vol. IA pp. 172-73 'struck from the Navy list on 1 May 1970 and was sold for scrapping'; identical wording in the current NHHC online entry), and NavSource's data records 'Sold, scrapped' on 22 Oct 1970 with a contemporaneous photograph (David M. Boone, Camden N.J.) of the hull under tow down the Delaware River by USS Recovery (ARS-43) en route to the scrappers on 20 Oct 1970. Derivative sources repeat a different fate - 'expended as a target off Newport, RI, on 22 October 1970' (Wikipedia body and infobox; NavalCoverMuseum designation history) - which is not supported by DANFS in either edition or by the photographic record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1970
- Population
- Disposal/scrapping personnel, Camden NJ, Oct 1970
- Limitations
- Resolves the disposition wording in favor of scrapping per the two authoritative DANFS texts and contemporaneous photo documentation; the erroneous 'sunk as target off Newport RI' claim likely propagates from an unverified secondary compilation. The underlying disposal-sale contract (the final authority on purchaser and price) was not located - scrapping sale documented at summary level only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) + navypedia TE-class block map [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 DE design-group rows 2-3; navypedia us_de_te page block map (DE563-578 -> Foster Wheeler)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the Buckley class (BuShips design groups 2-3, TE turbo-electric drive) is one of only two DE classes carrying a full steam plant - 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750 deg F superheat feeding GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp. A 1943-44 steam-plant destroyer escort of this design would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, steam-line and machinery lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. Navypedia's per-block boiler-manufacturer map assigns Foster Wheeler boilers to the DE-563-578 block built at Bethlehem-Hingham (this hull's block). The ship's June-Dec 1945 radar-picket conversion at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston constitutes a second construction-era yard period in which materials were added and disturbed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943-44; Brown Shipbuilding conversion trades 1945; crew 1944-47
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-block inference only - not a ship-specific finding; no asbestos application is proven for this hull. The boiler-OEM block map is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents; BuShips design-group data is official. Conversion-yard material scope undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-04
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this Bethlehem-Hingham TE destroyer escort was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-05
-
[7]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI eutils esummary 2026-09-28) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- survey ~1944-45; published 1946
- Population
- WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (Bethlehem-Hingham was a Navy contract yard, but whether it was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-06
-
[8]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: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. This hull was sold for scrapping in October 1970 - before either documented policy phase - so no Navy-era abatement record for this ship exists to locate, and its disposal predates modern hazmat-documentation requirements for shipbreaking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policies 1975/1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation postdating this hull's disposal; explains the documentary vacuum rather than evidencing anything about materials aboard. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used, consistent with prior batch records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-07
-
[9]Batch-4388 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS online + print editions via Wayback; NavSource 06/577; NVR; BuShips SDB 1945 (shipscribe); navypedia TE block map; CourtListener sweeps (partially rate-limit blocked); VA BVA index; MassDEP Hingham site docs; indexed-web litigation check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Alexander J. Luke / DE-577 / DER-577 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search for the exact ship name returned zero hits (clean, no collisions). Law-firm marketing pages (shepardlawfirm.com dedicated hull page; mesotheliomahelp.org and elslaw.com navy-ship lists) assert era-typical asbestos content for this hull without primary support - excluded as sources per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam-plant destroyer escort is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and both her construction and 1945 DER conversion are undocumented at material level. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage complete: exact-name opinion (0 hits), 'DE-577' opinion (12 hits, all docket-number/page-break name collisions), 'DER-577' opinion (0 hits), 'Alexander J. Luke' RECAP docket sweep (0 dockets, 0 documents) - no qualifying litigation; all runs via authenticated helper under the fleet pacing limiter.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-08
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships); Navy insulation-spec suite identified in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC exhibit list, ECF 738 att. 1 (W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 24 / RG 19 guides; Jack v. Borg-Warner ECF 738.1 exhibit list items Honeywell-160 through -167
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Alexander J. Luke 1944-1947 (RG 24, NARA College Park); BuShips records incl. TE design-group contract plans, material schedules, and the Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); the DE-era controlling insulation specifications cited in Buckley/Butler-class asbestos litigation - 'Bureau of Ships Manual, Chapter 39, Thermal Insulation, NAVSHIPS 250000(39), dated 24 August 1945' and 'Navy Department Specification, Felt, Insulating, Asbestos, 32F3a, dated 15 October 1945' - identified via the Jack v. Borg-Warner exhibit list; and 1970 disposal-sale records for the scrapping contract (purchaser, price, any material conditions).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1970 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and spec-suite mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. The 32F3a/NAVSHIPS spec references are exhibit-list identifications from a different-hull docket (DE-446, a WGT-class sister-type escort) - era-applicable, not hull-proven. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alexander-j-luke-de577-09