USS Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]research packet ki-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (primary DANFS mirror; secondary conflict resolved in DANFS's favor)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Limitations

   qualifier: VERIFIED (primary DANFS mirror; secondary conflict resolved in DANFS's favor)

   Evidence ID

   uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-pkt-ki-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366), updated entry by Robert J. Cressman dated 29 March 2016 (published 2021-08-03; NHHC live page returns 404 - 2025-12-08 Wayback capture cited) + verbatim 1969 print transcription at hazegray/losthistory (DANFS Vol. IA, pp. 231-234) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366)' entry (updated 2016-03-29), specifications block + service narrative; print DANFS Vol. IA pp. 231-234 via https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/escorts/de366.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: named for 1st Lt. Alvin Chester Cockrell Jr., USMCR (Navy Cross, posthumous - killed 24 September 1942 leading his platoon against a Japanese position on Mount Austen, Guadalcanal, in Puller's 1st Battalion, 7th Marines). Laid down 1 May 1944 at Orange, Texas, by Consolidated Steel Corp.; launched 27 June 1944, sponsored by Mrs. James A. Perkins (namesake's sister); commissioned 7 August 1944 at her builder's yard, Lt. Cmdr. Merrill M. Sanford, USNR, in command. Fitted out at Orange City Docks, then Todd-Galveston Shipbuilding yard (arrived Galveston 14 October; completed 25 October); Bermuda shakedown with sister French (DE-367); Boston Navy Yard post-shakedown availability; Norfolk; Panama Canal transit 20 December 1944; Pearl Harbor 7 January 1945. Convoy escort Eniwetok-Guam-Saipan-Ulithi-Kossol; air-sea rescue missions (PBM Mariner tow attempt 23-24 February; Apra Harbor rescue of Lt.(jg) Coleman and ARM3/c Moorhead 22 March); Palau patrol and escort; Indianapolis (CA-35) sinking-site search and body recovery 5-6 August 1945; CortDiv 86 at Ulithi; Okinawa 5th Fleet duty; TU 56.5.2 Wakanoura Wan POW evacuation 11-15 September; mine screen for Makin Island (CVE-93) and Santee (CVE-29) during the Wakayama occupation (sank two mines by gunfire); search for the PBM carrying RAdm. Sample 7-17 October; courier Yokosuka-Kure-Wakayama November-December. Relieved 5th Fleet 2 January 1946; decommissioned in reserve San Diego 2 July 1946. Recommissioned 27 June 1951 (Lt. Cmdr. Thomas R. Pearson), CortRon 3, Fleet Sonar School training ship San Diego; WestPac August 1953-March 1954 (Hong Kong station ship; Gulf of Siam training for Thai Armed Forces Academy); regular overhaul Long Beach Naval Shipyard March-April 1955 (converted for flagship service); WestPac October 1955-March 1956 as CortRon 3 flagship; 1957 WestPac (Kwajalein, Auckland, Manus, SEATO exercise 'Astra', Carolines-Marianas-Bonins surveillance); overhaul Mare Island Naval Shipyard October 1957-January 1958; central/western Pacific deployment first half of 1958. Assigned NRT duty Reserve Escort Squadron 1 on 1 July 1958 homeported San Francisco; decommissioned 17 January 1959 and designated Group II destroyer escort in the ASW selected reserve 'in service' (2 active-duty officers + 36 enlisted maintainers; reserve crew of 161 embarking monthly and for two-week annual cruises); homeport Alameda NMCRTC May 1959. Recommissioned 1 October 1961 for the Berlin crisis (Cmdr. Robert A. Bush, USNR), homeport Pearl Harbor, CortDiv 72 flagship with Vammen (DE-644), Marsh (DE-699), and Charles E. Brannon (DE-446); Subic Bay TF-72; Danang training assistance to the South Vietnamese Navy March 1962; Saigon port visit; decommissioned at San Francisco 1 August 1962 reverting to 'in service' NRT status for the rest of her career (1963 Hawaii cruise; 1964 San Diego refresher; 1965 Vancouver/Esquimalt; 1966 San Diego; 1967 Vancouver/Seattle). Decommissioned 20 September 1968; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 23 September 1968; hulk utilized in weapons testing; sunk 19 September 1969. Specifications block: displacement 1,350; length 306'0"; beam 36'8"; draft 9'5" mean; speed 24 k.; complement 186; armament 2 5-inch, 4 40mm, 10 20mm, 2 dct, 6 dcp, 1 dcp hedgehog, 3 21-inch tt; class John C. Butler.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Consolidated Steel construction trades (Orange, Tex., May-October 1944); Todd-Galveston fitting-out workers Oct 1944; Boston Navy Yard availability workers Dec 1944; wartime crew (design complement 186); Long Beach NSY overhaul workers Mar-Apr 1955; Mare Island NSY overhaul workers Oct 1957-Jan 1958; NRT reserve crews and caretaker cadre 1959-68; Mare Island inactivation workers Sep 1968

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Date conflicts: DANFS (both versions) reads launched 27 June and commissioned 7 August 1944, while the builder-yard production table (Colton) reads launched 8 August and delivered/commissioned 7 October 1944, and the ship's own NARA logbook series begins 10/7/1944 - conflicts carried in gaps, not reconciled. Live NHHC page returns 404; the 2025-12-08 Wayback capture of the updated Cressman entry and the hazegray verbatim print transcription are cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-01

3. [3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Alvin C. Cockrell (DE 366) - Building and Operational Data block, commanding-officer list, photo captions (volunteer-compiled archive) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/06/366.htm - 'Building and Operational Data' block, commanding-officers table, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Operational data corroborating and extending DANFS: keel laid 1 May 1944 Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; launched and christened 27 June 1944 (sponsor Mrs. James A. Perkins); commissioned 7 August 1944, Lcdr. Merrill M. Sanford, USNR; decommissioned San Diego 2 July 1946 after 1 year 11 months and 75,586 miles steamed; inactivation completed at San Diego, assigned Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 27 June 1951 (Lcdr. Thomas R. Pearson), CortRon 3; NRT 12th Naval District San Francisco 1 July 1958; decommissioned 17 January 1959 'in service' Select Reserve ASW Force; NRT homeport Alameda NMCRTC May 1959; recommissioned 1 October 1961 (Cmdr. R. A. Bush, USNR) homeport Pearl Harbor, CortRon 7/CortDiv 72; decommissioned Treasure Island Naval Station 1 August 1962 'in service' (Capt. Bush OinC); placed 'out of service' 20 September 1968 at the Naval Inactivation Facility, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, after 17 years 3 months; struck from the NVR 23 September 1968 (19 years 2 months total); sunk as target off California 19 September 1969. Call sign NTOQ / tactical voice call 'White Russia'. Photo NH 107605 (NHHC) shows her underway 26 April 1958; BuShips photos BS 132072/132073 (NARA) show her near Beaumont, Tex., October 1944 in measure 31/3D - one caption reads 'probably not long after commissioning on 07 October 1944.' Commanding officers: Sanford (Aug 1944-Jul 1946), Pearson (1951), Anderson (Jul 1955-Jul 1957), LaCava (1957-58, 1958-60), Drumheller OinC (1960-61), Bush (Oct 1961-Aug 1962, then OinC to Sep 1962), Colmie OinC (1962-64), Erner OinC (1964-67), Gaukroger OinC (Apr-May 1967).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Wartime and postwar crew; NRT reserve crews (161) + caretaker cadre (2 officers/36 enlisted) 1959-68

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary archive - corroboration layer, not an official record. Its own photo caption (commissioning '07 October 1944') contradicts its data block ('07 August 1944') - the conflict is documented in gaps. Mileage, service-length totals, and OinC roster are compiled, not verified against logs. No material or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-02

4. [4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), 'Consolidated Steel, Orange' yard production table, row for Alvin C. Cockrell DE-366 [other_primary]

   Locator

   consolidatedorange.htm production table, row 'Alvin C. Cockrell ... DE 366 ... 7-Aug-42 | 1-May-44 | 8-Aug-44 | 7-Oct-44'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Builder-yard production-table row for this hull: 'Alvin C. Cockrell / U.S. Navy / Destroyer Escort / DE 366 / 1,200 / contract 7-Aug-42 / keel 1-May-44 / launched 8-Aug-44 / delivered-commissioned 7-Oct-44 / 99 (days on ways) / 60 (days fitting) / 159 (total days) / Sunk as target 1969.' Documents the yard-side record set for the hull - and conflicts with DANFS on launch (8 August vs 27 June) and commissioning (7 October vs 7 August); the 7 October date coincides exactly with the start of the ship's own NARA logbook series (see gaps).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1944 (build); 1969 (fate)

   Population

   Consolidated Steel Orange yard workforce (peak ~20,000 per destroyerhistory.org)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation (Colton yard table) - not a contract document; its launch and delivery/commissioning dates conflict with DANFS - documented in gaps rather than silently reconciled. Days-on-ways/fitting figures (99/60/159) uncorroborated. No material or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-03

5. [5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table row 6 (shipscribe.com scan) + navypedia WGT page boiler-block map [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table row 6; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt boiler-block map

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: DE-366 is a John C. Butler-class (BuShips design group 6, WGT) hull - the official 1945 BuShips table reads 306 ft oa, 1,350 t standard, 24.3 kt, 2 shafts, 12,000 shp, 2 'D' express boilers at 435 psi/750F; the navypedia boiler-block map places DE-339 through DE-372 (including this hull) on Combustion Engineering boilers with Westinghouse geared turbines. A superheated steam plant built May-October 1944 sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era and would have carried period-standard boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings - maintained or disturbed across documented overhauls at Boston Navy Yard (Dec 1944), Long Beach NSY (Mar-Apr 1955 flagship conversion), and Mare Island NSY (Oct 1957-Jan 1958, and Sep 1968 inactivation).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Consolidated Steel construction trades (Orange, Tex. 1944); wartime crew 1944-46; recommissioned crew 1951-59 and 1961-62; NRT reserve crews and caretaker cadre 1959-68; overhaul-yard workers (Boston, Long Beach, Mare Island); weapons-test and tow personnel 1968-69

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No per-hull material schedule, insulation spec, or survey for DE-366 was located; the BuShips table documents design, not materials, and the boiler-maker attribution rests on the navypedia block map (secondary compilation, unverified against contract documents). Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-04

6. [6]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial/exhibit-list materials naming sister ship USS Brannon (DE-446, John C. Butler class) and identifying the Navy insulation-spec suite [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener docket 6100500, ECF 738 att. 1 (pretrial order materials / exhibit list)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Class-level litigation context (sister ship, not this hull): pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name USS Brannon (DE-446, John C. Butler class per the docket's own Jane's Fighting Ships exhibit entry) and recite a Griscom-Russell evaporator installed per Navy specifications 'without insulation... The Navy did not consult it about the type of insulation it planned to use,' with proposed testimony that 'asbestos was a critical material during WWII when the Navy installed the distiller on Mr. Jack's ship' alongside the caveat that 'on the USS BRANNON this could have included fiberglass, mineral wool or other non-asbestos insulation.' The exhibit list identifies the primary Navy insulation-document suite used in DE-era asbestos litigation: BuShips Manual ch.39 Thermal Insulation NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) (24 Aug 1945); Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' (Oct 1945); BuEng ch.13 (1933/39); BUMED 1977 memo. Proximity note: DE-366 served as CortDiv 72 flagship with Charles E. Brannon (DE-446) as a division mate on the 1962 WestPac deployment.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2017-2019 (litigation); 1943-45 (construction era at issue)

   Population

   John C. Butler-class crew and construction/maintenance trades (class context)

   Limitations

   Pretrial/exhibit-list level material concerning a different hull (DE-446) - allegation and expert-recital stage, no adjudicated exposure finding even for Brannon, and nothing in this docket names DE-366. Class context establishing the documented insulation-spec framework for the type, not ship-specific evidence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-05

7. [7]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 9828426 (decision 1998-09-23, docket 94-15 783, RO Houston) [other_primary]

   Locator

   BVA Citation Nr. 9828426, Findings of Fact 1-3 and coworker-letter recitals

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Builder-yard exposure record (adjudicated): a veteran employed as a driller (boilermaker department) at Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas, 1942-46 - the same yard and period as this hull's construction (keel May, fitting through October 1944) - sought service connection for asbestos disease. The Board's findings of fact: (1) 'the veteran was not exposed to asbestos during his periods of employment with Consolidated Steel Corporation in Orange, Texas' - supported by coworker letters that hull-side drilling occurred before asbestos-containing materials appeared in the construction sequence; (2) 'the veteran was exposed to asbestos when serving aboard Navy vessels in service' (his ships were USS Prince William, AN-37 Teakwood, and a WWI-era destroyer - not this hull); (3) asbestos-related lung disease service-connected. Documents that the Orange yard's wartime workforce included boilermaker-department trades and that asbestos exposure aboard WWII Navy vessels of the era was adjudicated as factual - while the specific yard-floor claim was rejected for that worker.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1946 (employment/service); 1993-1998 (adjudication)

   Population

   Consolidated Steel (Orange) boilermaker-department trades 1942-46; Navy crew of the claimant's actual vessels

   Limitations

   Context only: names the builder yard and era but not this hull, and the Board found AGAINST yard-floor asbestos exposure for that claimant's particular job (outside hull drilling) - it must not be cited as proof of asbestos conditions at Consolidated Steel, nor of any condition aboard DE-366. It is evidence that era Navy service (not yard work) grounded that claimant's exposure finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-06

8. [8]NARA Navy deck-log holdings for USS Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366): digitized online logs for 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965; Special List 44 WWII logbook coverage 10/7/1944-6/30/1945; ship-submitted war history scan (NavSource 06366wh.jpg); NHHC photo NH 107605; BuShips photos BS 132072/132073 (NARA) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' page, DE-366 entry (years 1961-1965); Special List 44 named-vessels table row 'Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366) 10/7/1944-6/30/1945'; navsource.net images/366/06366wh.jpg

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Hull-specific primary records exist, partly digitized but not retrieved: NARA's online Navy deck-log collection includes DE-366 logs for 1961-1965 (covering the Berlin-crisis recommissioning and NRT era); Special List 44 lists DE-366 WWII logbooks spanning 10/7/1944-6/30/1945 - the 10/7 begin date coincides with the disputed 7 October commissioning date (see gaps); NavSource hosts a scan of the ship-submitted official war history (06366wh.jpg); NHHC photo NH 107605 (26 April 1958 underway) and BuShips photos BS 132072/132073 (October 1944 near Beaumont, camouflage 31/3D) are at NARA/NHHC. Deck logs document operations and movements, not materials - but the overhaul-period and inactivation logs (Long Beach 1955; Mare Island 1957-58 and Sep 1968) are the likeliest contemporaneous paper trail for hull work that would have disturbed era insulation; those specific yard periods fall outside the digitized set.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1945; 1961-1965

   Population

   NRT crews and caretaker cadre 1961-65 (digitized logs); wartime crew 1944-45 (SL44 logs)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: the digitized log run (1961-65) does not cover the asbestos-relevant construction or overhaul yard periods; logs are operational records that typically do not enumerate insulation materials. Nothing in this lead establishes asbestos presence aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-07

9. [9]Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (C.D. Cal. 2013), Case Nos. CV 12-00793-MWF (AGRx) and CV 12-00811-MWF (AGRx) - ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS' MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT (Fitzgerald, J.) [court_record]

   Locator

   926 F. Supp. 2d 1120, service-history recital at *1123-1124 (Dkt. 137-1 quotation) and product-ID analysis; CourtListener cluster 8723156

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published federal asbestos-litigation opinion naming this hull: decedent Roger Nelson 'served in the United States Navy and Navy Reserves as an Operations and Communications Officer aboard the USS Mansfield from 1960 to 1963 and the USS Alvin C. Cockrell from 1963 to 1968' (recited from Plaintiff's Statement of Controverted Facts, CV 12-00811 Dkt. 137-1) - the 1963-68 window coincides exactly with this hull's 'in service' Naval Reserve Training period at San Francisco/Alameda, and DE-366 was the only Navy ship of that name. His widow Rosalie Nelson alleged he was exposed to asbestos from defendants' products, causing an asbestos-related disease and death; the case (filed Hawaii state court May 2011, removed/transferred through MDL-875, refiled Cal. Super. Ct. Dec. 2011, removed under 28 U.S.C. 1442 to C.D. Cal.) resolved at the located stage in an order granting all six defendants' summary-judgment motions (Crane, Nash Engineering, Alfa Laval, Kaiser Gypsum, Buffalo Pumps/Air & Liquid, Union Carbide) on product-identification grounds. The product-specific exposure evidence discussed in the located opinion text (Buffalo pumps, forward engine room) concerned USS Mansfield; the located text identifies no asbestos product aboard this hull. Nelson's reserve-era service aboard is documented: he 'did not personally perform any maintenance or repair on any piece of equipment' but 'did work in the presence of others performing maintenance on pumps' and testified he 'spent time in the machinery spaces aboard these ships to conduct emergency drills and check on shipyard repairs' (Moore Declaration recital).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1963-1968 (service); 2011-2013 (litigation)

   Population

   Roger Nelson (USN/USNR Operations and Communications Officer, USS Alvin C. Cockrell 1963-68, deceased of asbestos-related disease); NRT-era reserve crew of this hull

   Limitations

   Merits-stage disposition FAVORING defendants: summary judgment granted on failure to tie Nelson to the defendants' products - the hull naming is a service-history recital, not an adjudicated finding of exposure aboard DE-366. Classified at recital/SJ stage per litigation-stage discipline; does not establish causation, quantify asbestos aboard, or identify which products aboard were asbestos-containing. Docket lineage confirmed via RECAP search (Hawaii federal action 1:11-cv-00406 Nelson v. Crane Co., MDL-875 master-docket transfer filings); whether any filing in those dockets addresses DE-366-specific products is unverified at document level. NOTE: a same-captioned later case, Nelson v. Air & Liquid Sys. Corp., 2014 WL 6982476 (W.D. Wash. Dec. 9, 2014, C14-0162JLR), involves a DIFFERENT plaintiff - Richard J. Nelson, machinist's mate aboard USS Kitty Hawk 1961-64 - not this decedent and not this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 search - opinion index (type=o) and RECAP dockets (type=r), authenticated via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-07 through -10

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation sweep substantially complete: '"Alvin C. Cockrell"' opinion query = 1 hit (Nelson 2013, ev-08 - qualifying asbestos litigation); '"USS Cockrell"' opinion query = the same Nelson hit only (no USS Cockrill DE-398 collision, no second Cockrell vessel); '"DE-366"' opinion query = 16 hits, all collisions on statute/address/docket-number fragments (Puerto Rico and federal opinions; none names this vessel or involves asbestos or a naval ship); '"Alvin C. Cockrell"' RECAP docket query = 3 hits - the MDL-875 master docket (Nelson plaintiffs' motion to vacate conditional transfer order, re Hawaii actions 1:11-cv-00405/00406), Nelson v. Crane Company (D. Haw. 1:11-cv-00406, 'In re: Hawaii State Asbestos Cases' - the Nelsons' original Hawaii asbestos action), and Seigfried v. Allegheny Ludlum (W.D. Pa. 2009, name-collision - the string appears inside a document, ship not a case subject). Only the '"DE-366"' RECAP-docket leg remained blocked by fleet pacing at close of research - logged blocked, not a negative.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Limitations

    One leg incomplete ('"DE-366"' docket-type query, blocked by fleet pacing). All completed legs converge: the only ship-linked litigation naming this hull is the Nelson asbestos case (2011 Hawaii filing through 2013 C.D. Cal. SJ order). '16 hits all collisions' on the hull-number opinion query is a verified negative for that leg; the blocked docket leg could in principle hide unindexed filings using bare 'DE-366' - logged as a residual gap.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alvin-c-cockrell-de366-09