Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet fs-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: Baldwin | Hull: DD-624 | Designation: destroyer, only Navy ship of the name
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-baldwin-dd624-pkt-fs-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Baldwin (DD-624) (namesake biography, spec block, builder, dates, service narrative, loss and disposal; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 14 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Co., Seattle, Wash.; sponsored by Mrs. Ida E. Crawford, daughter of namesake Charles Baldwin (Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, USS Wyalusing); commissioned 30 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. Knuepfer; Atlantic Fleet. Three trans-Atlantic convoy escort crossings to Casablanca 13 Aug 1943-25 Jan 1944; fire support/patrol/escort at Normandy 5 June-15 July 1944 (slight damage from two small-caliber shells 6 June) and southern France 13 Aug-25 Sep 1944; escorted Quincy (CA-71) carrying President Roosevelt to the Yalta Conference 21 Jan-27 Feb 1945; east-coast patrol/plane guard to July 1945; flagship for minesweeping off the Korea and China coasts Aug 1945-Jan 1946; out of commission in reserve at Charleston, S.C., 20 June 1946. 'While under tow, Baldwin grounded on Montauk Point, N.Y. on 16 April 1961. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 June and scuttled on 5 June.' Three battle stars. Spec block: dp 1,630; 348'3"; 36'1"; 17'6"; 35 k.; cpl 276; 4x5", 10x21"tt; cl. Gleaves.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1961
- Population
- Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding construction trades 1941-43; wartime crew (design complement 276)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Spec block carries no laid-down date (carried from NOAA/secondary compilations, ev-04; logged in gaps). Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC pages return 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-01
-
[3]Lt. Cmdr. Frank Kalasinski, USN (Staff, Commander Service Force Atlantic), 'Salvage Operation of USS Baldwin (DD-624),' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 88/2/708 (February 1962) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings Feb 1962 article, narrative opening + concluding refloat/scuttle paragraphs (indexed text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous professional account of this hull's loss and salvage by a Service Force Atlantic staff officer: at 0637 on 16 April 1961 Baldwin, a dead tow en route from the Boston Reserve Group to the Philadelphia Reserve Group, parted tow with USS Keywadin (ATA-213) about 23 miles NE of Montauk Point when the towing-rig swivel failed in winds to 38 knots; drifted ~6 hours and grounded in eight feet of water about two miles southwest of Montauk Point (Atlantic side). Salvage task unit TU 48.7.6 formed under Commander Service Force Atlantic (Keywadin, Luiseno ATF-156, Hoist ARS-40, Windlass ARSD-4, later Salvager ARSD-3 and YFNB-77); dead ship, internal flooding prevented use of her own equipment. Refloated at 1745 on 4 June; towed seaward by Luiseno and scuttled at 1310 on 5 June 1961 at 39deg56'N, 71deg17'W in approximately 258 fathoms.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1961-04-16 to 1961-06-05
- Population
- Salvage task unit crews, April-June 1961
- Limitations
- usni.org returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; content verified via the article's indexed text (title, author, and lead/excerpt blocks), consistent with DANFS and NHHC photo captions. Documents the loss event and salvage, not materials or asbestos content; whether salvage crews disturbed machinery-space insulation is not addressed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-02
-
[4]NHHC (Naval Historical Center) Online Library, 'USS Baldwin (DD-624), 1943-1961' photo page (ibiblio mirror; captions for photos 80-G-367829, 80-G-367828, NH 99107, NH 99108; NARA-held USN 1054320) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio mirror of NHHC Online Library photo page usnsh-b/dd624
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library record for this hull: built at Seattle, commissioned end of April 1943; Atlantic convoy escort to North Africa 1943-early 1944; gunfire support at Normandy and Southern France; escort of Quincy (CA-71) with FDR embarked (Suez Canal photo 80-G-367829, 9 Feb 1945, Camouflage Measure 32 Design 3D; Belfast Lough photo 80-G-367828, 14 May 1944, with Nelson DD-623); Pacific July 1945; minesweeping flagship off China/Korea; decommissioned June 1946 to Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Captions document the 16 April 1961 towline failure and grounding (NH 99107; USN 1054320 aerial view 20 April 1961) and the 28 April 1961 refloat operation at 1030 hrs (NH 99108, NAS Quonset Point aircraft) with Hoist, Salvager, Windlass, and a fleet tug; stricken beginning of June, scuttled at sea 5 June 1961.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Population
- Wartime crew; salvage task unit crews
- Limitations
- Caption-level official summaries consistent with DANFS; adds the 1945 Suez photo and 1961 salvage photo metadata. No materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC pages return 404; ibiblio mirror cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-03
-
[5]NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 'Rediscovering USS Baldwin,' 2019 Technology Demonstration expedition log (Okeanos Explorer EX-19-04; Albiez, Schwemmer, Van Tilburg, White; published 2019-07-31) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NOAA oceanexplorer.noaa.gov feature 'Rediscovering USS Baldwin' (July 31, 2019), sections 'USS Baldwin (DD-624)' and 'Discovery and Exploration'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NOAA expedition record for this hull: laid down 19 July 1941 at Seattle by Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.; wreck surveyed 27 July 2019 by ROV Deep Discoverer with the Kraken SeaVision laser scanner - positively identified by the digits '624' on the starboard bow; bow facing south, lying upright ('lying straight up'); 40mm Bofors gun bases present with barrel breeches removed while in reserve status; derelict fishing gear entangled on the wreck; site first identified as a suspected wreck in 2011 Okeanos Explorer mapping. NOAA's history text states Baldwin 'was scuttled on June 2, 1961, offshore near Block Canyon' - a date variant logged in gaps (DANFS/USNI/NHHC captions give 5 June).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2019 (survey); 1941-1961 (history recap)
- Population
- n/a (uncrewed wreck survey)
- Limitations
- Federal expedition page documents wreck identity, position area, and observed configuration - a cultural-heritage baseline survey, not a hazmat or materials assessment; no statement about asbestos or insulation content. Scuttling date given (June 2) conflicts with DANFS/USNI/NHHC (June 5); carried in gaps rather than reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-04
-
[6]shipbuildinghistory.com Todd Seattle hull list (yard hull 6 = DD 624 Baldwin, delivered 30-Apr-43, 'Scuttled 1961') + Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. corporate lineage (MOHAI 'Facts and History of Todd Shipyards Corporation and its Seattle Division,' 1960) + Gleaves-class machinery per benson-gleaves-class profile (DANFS-type/BuShips figures) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Todd Seattle hull table (hull 6, DD 624); MOHAI digital collections item 2023.36.102; shipyards.json 'todd-shipyards' record; benson-gleaves-class.class.json propulsion_summary
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: DD-624 was yard hull 6 of the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. Harbor Island destroyer facility (built 1940 with $9M Navy funding; 17,000 peak employment), one of ten Gleaves-class hulls (DD-493-497, DD-624-628) laid down there in 1941. The yard was Todd Shipyards' Seattle operation (Todd Dry Docks Harbor Island plant expanded 1940; renamed Todd Pacific Shipyards June 1944) - the Atlas yard dataset carries no discrete Seattle-Tacoma slug, and the todd-shipyards record is a corporate entity whose own evidence covers Seattle-area operations (Herring v. Texaco, Wash. 2007). A Gleaves-class hull carried 4 Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers (575 psi/700degF per BuShips Ships' Data 1945) and geared steam turbines - machinery of the era standardly fitted with asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1943 (construction)
- Population
- Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding construction trades, Harbor Island, 1941-43; wartime crew (276)
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no contract spec, material schedule, or hull survey names DD-624, and no yard-level asbestos record for the Harbor Island construction yard was located (the dataset's todd-shipyards litigation rows concern postwar Seattle repair work, not 1941-43 new construction). Not a ship-specific finding; establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 sweeps via authenticated fleet-paced helper: 'USS Baldwin' type=o (0 hits) and type=r (0 hits); 'DD-624' type=o (0 hits) and type=r (6 hits, all identifier collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search API v4, q='USS Baldwin' type=o and type=r (count=0 each, 2026-09-27); q='DD-624' type=o (count=0) and type=r (count=6, identifier collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: zero CourtListener opinion hits and zero RECAP docket hits for the exact phrase 'USS Baldwin'; zero opinion hits for 'DD-624'; six RECAP-docket hits for 'DD-624' are all identifier collisions - 'DD-624' appears in RECAP document-entry text of unrelated insurance, bankruptcy, contract, medical-liability, and Madoff SIPA dockets (e.g., Underwriters at Lloyd's v. Bear, S.D. Cal. 3:15-cv-00630; SIPC v. Madoff, S.D.N.Y. Bk. 08-01789) - none references a vessel and none is asbestos litigation. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming DD-624 was located. 'Baldwin' is also a common surname - the absence of exact-phrase 'USS Baldwin' hits is the relevant result; unqualified 'Baldwin' hits are party-name collisions, not vessel references.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Search coverage is limited to CourtListener-indexed text; non-indexed dockets and un-digitized records are outside coverage. Identifier-collision classification rests on case captions/nature-of-suit and hit context (docket-entry text), not page-level review of all six dockets. Absence of located litigation does not mean none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-06
-
[8]NARA Catalog, 'USS BALDWIN - War Diary, 4/30/43 to 5/31/43' (NARA ID 134226549; WWII War Diaries microfilm Roll A379; Fold3-scanned digital objects; unrestricted) plus at least one further monthly BALDWIN war-diary unit (8/1-31/43) in the same result set; deck logs for 1941+ in RG 24 Entry 118, National Archives at College Park [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov records search, 'Baldwin DD-624 deck log' / war-diary result set; NARA ID 134226549
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized primary records exist for this hull: NARA's WWII War Diaries microfilm series holds USS BALDWIN monthly file units (confirmed units for 4/30-5/31/43 and 8/1-31/43, Fold3 scans linked from the catalog record, unrestricted); the commissioned-era deck logs (1943-46) are in RG 24 Entry 118 at College Park, partially digitized via the VA/NARA scanning program. War diaries and deck logs chronicle operations and may incidentally record yard availabilities or material conditions; RG 19 General Information Books (per-vessel material specs) are the deeper archival lead for any hull-level materials documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (records); 2026-09-27 (catalog check)
- Population
- USS Baldwin crew, 1943-45 (records coverage)
- Limitations
- Catalog-level confirmation only; file-unit images were not reviewed page-by-page and no asbestos/materials content is expected or asserted - value is as a pointer to underlying official records. NARA deck-log digitization status for this hull's specific logs not individually confirmed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-07
-
[9]Batch-3597 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; ibiblio mirror), NHHC Online Library photo captions, USNI Proceedings salvage account, NOAA OER 2019 wreck feature, NavSource, shipbuildinghistory.com Todd Seattle hull list, MOHAI/HistoryLink yard histories, NARA catalog, NVR scope check, CourtListener opinion and RECAP sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-baldwin-dd624-01 through sl-uss-baldwin-dd624-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material inventory, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed exposure case naming DD-624 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scuttled at ~258 fathoms in 1961 and was never preserved, scrapped at a yard, or surveyed for materials - the usual sources of later asbestos documentation (museum disclosures, abatement records, litigation) do not exist for this vessel.
- 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/yard evidence (ev-05) is consistent with standard wartime asbestos insulation practice. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-baldwin-dd624-08