Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, USS Bates (DE-68/APD-47) (verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block (DE-68: 1400 t, 306', 24 kt, cpl 186, cl. Buckley) + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 6 June 1943 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Mass.; sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Mason Bates; commissioned 12 September 1943, LCDR E. H. Maher USNR. Atlantic Fleet convoy escort to the British Isles through May 1944; TF 129 Normandy fire support 6-12 June 1944; rescued 163 survivors of Meredith (DD-726) 8 June. Converted to high-speed transport by Marine Basin Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.; reclassified APD-47 31 July 1944; conversion completed 23 October, departed for Pacific 28 October. UDT training Hawaii/western Carolines Dec 1944-Feb 1945; parent ship for UDT-12 off Iwo Jima 16 Feb-4 Mar 1945; Okinawa UDT ops/patrols/convoy escort 25 Mar-25 May; rescued 23 survivors of Morris (DD-417) 6 April. Sunk 25 May 1945: three-plane attack 2 miles south of Ie Shima, bomb near miss + fantail suicide hit, pilothouse suicide hit, port amidships near miss; abandoned 1145; towed by Cree (ATF-84); capsized and sank 1923 in 20 fathoms; 21 crew dead or missing; three battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943; wartime crew (~186 DE complement; APD complement plus embarked UDT)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity and service history, not materials or asbestos content. Omits the laid-down date (NavSource supplies 29 March 1943). Casualty figure 'twenty-one dead or missing' conflicts with uboat.net's 23 killed/37 wounded - variant in gaps. Live NHHC page 404s; ibiblio mirror cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-01
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[2]U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945, Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy by Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, CNO - Appendix C: Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix C loss table, entry 'Bates | Off Okinawa | 25 May 1945'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The CNO's official wartime loss tabulation lists Bates - 'Off Okinawa, 25 May 1945' - among U.S. naval vessels lost from all causes, corroborating the DANFS loss date and location from an official Navy source.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Tabular loss entry only - date and location, no cause detail, casualty figures, or material information. Confirms loss, nothing about asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-02
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[3]NavSource Online, USS Bates (APD-47) ex USS Bates (DE-68) amphibious + destroyer escort photo archive entries (building/operational data, specifications, milestones) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/04/04047.htm (APD-47 page, milestone block + APD spec block); navsource.net/archives/06/068.htm (DE-68 photo index, building data)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource milestone record for this hull: keel laid 29 March 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Hingham, Mass.; launched/christened 6 June 1943 (sponsor Mrs. Elizabeth [Nason] Bates); commissioned 12 September 1943 at Hingham; APD conversion commenced 27 July 1944 at Marine Basin Co., Gravesend Bay, Brooklyn, N.Y.; reclassified APD-47 31 July 1944; conversion completed 23 October 1944, departed for Pacific 28 October; sunk 25 May 1945 (21 killed, sank 19:23); struck from NVR 25 June 1945 after 1 year 7-1/3 months service; hulk donated to the government of the Ryukyu Islands 1 July 1957. APD spec block: 12 officers/192 enlisted plus troop accommodations 12 officers/150 enlisted, 4 LCVP, 1x 5"/38 DP, 3x twin 40mm, 6x 20mm; two 'D' Express boilers 435 psi/750F, GE turbo-electric drive, 12,000 shp. Commanding officers: LCDR Eugene H. Maher (12 Sep 1943-5 May 1944), LCDR Henry A. Wilmerding Jr. USNR (5 May 1944-25 May 1945). Assigned TransDiv 104.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1957
- Population
- Wartime crew; embarked UDT-12 detachment; Marine Basin conversion-yard workers 1944
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation cross-verified against DANFS on dates it shares; supplies the laid-down date, conversion start date, striking date, and 1957 hulk donation that DANFS omits. Internal conflicts: APD-page text reads 'two battle stars' while its own ribbon bar and DANFS support three; spec block reads Combustion Engineering boilers while navypedia's hull-block map reads Foster Wheeler for the DE-51-98 block - both variants in gaps. Sponsor middle name 'Nason' vs DANFS 'Mason' - DANFS carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-03
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[4]NARA Catalog ID 78381819, 'USS BATES - War Diary, 3/1-31/44' (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, WWII War Diaries; micro serial 69667, serial 60, file A12-1) - via DPLA item metadata [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog ID 78381819 (DPLA metadata); NavSource war-diary link reference on navsource.org/archives/06/068.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull's own war diaries survive in the NARA WWII War Diaries collection: at minimum the cataloged March 1944 entry (NARA ID 78381819), and NavSource references the ship's last official war diary submitted 31 May 1945 (a reconstructed post-loss submission). Ship's own operational records exist at archival level for potential material/maintenance detail.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - war-diary content not reviewed for this record; war diaries record operations, not material schedules, though machinery-casualty entries can surface insulation/gasket work. Digitization status of the full Bates series unverified (Fold3 holds the WWII War Diaries series).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-04
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), destroyer escort design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) - design groups 2-3 (TE turbo-electric) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235, DE design-group table (verified in buckley-class profile research 2026-09-16)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design data for the Buckley (TE) design this hull was built to: destroyer escort design groups 2-3 - 306 ft oa, ~1,400/1,450 t standard, 23.6 kt, 2 shafts, GE turbo-electric machinery 12,000 shp, 2 'D' express boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat; accommodations ~213-215 total. Confirms this hull carried a full steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery configuration - rather than the diesel plant of other DE classes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945 (reference data); construction 1943
- Population
- Design/engineering reference; construction trades and engine-room crew (class level)
- Limitations
- Design-group documentation, not a hull record - does not name DE-68/APD-47 and contains no material schedule. Establishes plant type and steam conditions only; asbestos inference is carried separately in ev-06. OCR of table cells may carry digit-level errors.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-05
-
[6]Class-level inference for a 1943-44 TE-type destroyer escort / APD conversion (Buckley-class profile basis: BuShips SDB 1945 + navypedia member/boiler-block map) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia us_de_te page (boiler block map, member table); SDB 1945 design data per ev-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a steam-plant escort built March-September 1943 at Bethlehem-Hingham and converted to an APD at Marine Basin Co. July-October 1944 would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing, and interior finish materials; APD conversion added troop berthing/mess spaces (150 enlisted troop accommodations per NavSource spec) and a 5"/38 fit, i.e., additional insulation/fireproofing scope - all at peak federal asbestos-priority shipbuilding years.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943; Marine Basin conversion trades 1944; crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, work package, or survey located. Does not establish asbestos content aboard this hull, quantity, or any individual's exposure. navypedia boiler-block map assigns Foster Wheeler to the DE-51-98 block (including DE-68); NavSource's generic APD spec reads Combustion Engineering - unresolved variant in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-06
-
[7]Massachusetts DEP eeaonline scanned-file set, former Hingham Shipyard / Hewitts Cove Marina, 349 Lincoln St., Hingham (MCP disposal site; RTNs 4-3023722, 3-25441, 3-24664) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MassDEP eeaonline BWSC103/BWSC106 scanned forms; RTN 4-3023722 RAM Plan transmittal; RTN 3-25441 RNF (OHM category 'Metals, coal tar, PCBs, pesticides/herbicides, asbestos, cyanide')
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The builder yard's own postwar environmental record: the former Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard site is a MassDEP Massachusetts Contingency Plan disposal site with multiple release tracking numbers; site investigation/release notification forms for 'Hingham Shipyard'/'Hewitts Cove Marina' (past use: Navy ship yard) carry asbestos among listed contaminant categories, and shipbuilding-era dumping-ground soils (1940s-50s operations) were remediated during redevelopment - documents that the wartime yard that built this hull left a hazardous-materials legacy including asbestos in the property record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2005-2008 (site records); wartime deposit 1941-45
- Population
- Yard-site remediation workers (2005-2008 era)
- Limitations
- Yard-property record, not a hull record - documents ground-level contamination at the builder site decades later. Asbestos appears as a contaminant category on notification forms; extent/specificity of asbestos findings in the scanned record set is partial (scanned OCR). Does not establish materials aboard DE-68 or any other hull built there.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-07
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[8]govinfo USCOURTS collection full-text search + CourtListener API v4 (authenticated; type=r docket search) - 'USS Bates' / 'APD-47' / Bates-asbestos queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- govinfo wssearch USCOURTS collection; CourtListener api/rest/v4/search type=r; Dubose opinion text review (dubose.pdf pp. 2-4)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. CourtListener RECAP docket index (authenticated): 'USS Bates' returns one docket - Dubose v. U.S. Steel Corp., N.D. Ala. 2:07-cv-00862, a race-discrimination employment case in which 'Bates' is a coworker and 'USS' is U.S. Steel (name collision, not qualifying); 'APD-47' returns four dockets, all civil-rights/criminal cases matching 'APD' as police-department text (Callaway v. City of Austin; United States v. Kott; Drake v. City of Amsterdam PD; Williams v. Syed) - none asbestos, none maritime. govinfo USCOURTS full text: 'USS Bates' returns the same Dubose opinion only; 'USS Bates' asbestos = 0; 'APD-47' = 0; 'Bates asbestos destroyer escort' surfaces Cortez v. Lamorak (E.D. La. 2:20-cv-02389, Avondale Shipyards asbestos) whose opinion contains no 'Bates' reference (not qualifying). CourtListener opinion-index queries were fleet-rate-limited this session - partial coverage logged honestly.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Negative finding bounded by search scope: CourtListener opinion index was unreachable on repeated spaced attempts (shared fleet pacing budget); the RECAP docket index - where unadjudicated asbestos complaints would surface - executed cleanly for both ship name and hull number, and govinfo USCOURTS gave independent full-text opinion coverage. Asbestos-litigation negatives are never proof of no exposure claims - state-court dockets and MDL-875 pleading text are not fully indexed. Only one USS Bates ever existed (in service 1943-45), so any true vessel hit would be this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-08
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[9]Batch-2434 search ledger (this record): DANFS (ibiblio), NavSource DE/APD entries, CNO loss appendix, NARA catalog/DPLA, MassDEP site files, govinfo USCOURTS, CourtListener API, uboat.net, USNI Naval History Magazine [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bates-apd47-01 through sl-uss-bates-apd47-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship sank in action in 1945, before the asbestos-awareness era; no postwar yard period, museum stewardship, or disposal review exists to generate hull records; the hulk's 1957 donation to the Government of the Ryukyu Islands has no located environmental documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-built steam-plant hull sunk intact is consistent with retained era materials. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bates-apd47-09