Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (NAVSHIPS 250-010, 1945), destroyers (DD) section, per-hull rows for BERNADOU DD-153 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 destroyer (DD) tables, book pp. ~118-137: dimensions row 23/37, construction row 37 ('BERNADOU DD153 ... Wm. Cramp & Sons., Philadelphia, Pa. ... June 4, 1918 ... May 19, 1919'), machinery row ('2 | Parsons turb. | 26,000 | 4 | W.F. | 265 | Sat.')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 carries per-hull rows for BERNADOU DD-153 across the destroyer tables: builder 'Wm. Cramp & Sons., Philadelphia, Pa.'; keel laid June 4, 1918; launched November 7, 1918; first commissioned May 19, 1919; dimensions 314'5" overall / 310'0" waterline, standard displacement 1,090 tons, full load 1,600 tons, trial speed 32.5 knots; machinery row: 2 propellers, Parsons turbines, 26,000 shaft horsepower, 4 boilers type 'W.F.' (White-Forster), 265 psi, saturated steam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945 (as of April 1945 edition)
- Limitations
- Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, builder, machinery plant, and dates. The source is a scanned table; OCR is columnar and partially garbled - values cross-verified against DANFS and NavSource. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-01
-
[2]DANFS, 'Bernadou' (DD-153) entry, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (live NHHC page returns 404 - verbatim transcription via hazegray/losthistory mirror; same text at hazegray.org/danfs/volume_b/vol_b_05.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block + full service narrative (DD-153 section, Volume IB)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec block (DD-153: dp 1154; l 314'5"; b 31'8"; dr 9'; s 35 k; cpl 122; a 4 4", 2 3", 12 21" TT; cl. Wickes); launched 7 November 1918 by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia; sponsored by Miss Cora Winslow Bernadou (namesake's sister); commissioned 19 May 1919, Lt. Cmdr. L. G. Farley. Europe cruise summer 1919; Division 19, Atlantic Fleet; out of commission Philadelphia Navy Yard 1 July 1922; Squadron 7, Scouting Force after recommissioning 1 May 1930; out of service September 1936-October 1939; Destroyer Division 6, Atlantic Squadron, Neutrality Patrol. Convoyed Marines to Iceland 1-7 July 1941; Newfoundland-Iceland convoy run to fall 1942 (one Britain crossing); departed Norfolk 25 October 1942 for North Africa invasion 8-11 November; Presidential Unit Citation for landing assault troops inside Safi harbor, French Morocco; Boston 26 November; east coast convoys to February 1943; Gibraltar convoy March-April; departed Norfolk 10 May for Oran; Sicily occupation 9-12 July; Salerno landings 9-10 and 21-23 September; Mediterranean convoys to December 1943; two North Africa convoys 22 February-9 June 1944; plane guard/escort for carrier exercises October 1944-May 1945; arrived Philadelphia Navy Yard 8 June 1945; decommissioned 17 July; sold 30 November 1945. Five battle stars plus the PUC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Cramp construction trades 1918-19; interwar and wartime crew (design complement 122)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and design specifications - not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not state a stricken date (carried from secondary sources, see ev-03 and gaps). Decommissioning date 1 July 1922 conflicts with NavSource's 21 July 1922 - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim transcription mirrors cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-02
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Archive, USS Bernadou (DD-153) photo index - operational/building data block and verbatim Presidential Unit Citation text (Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox); commanding-officer table; official U.S. Navy photo series incl. NARA 80-G-31434 (Safi, November 1942) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource file 05/153 - 'Operational and Building Data' block; PUC citation panel; photo index
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled archive record for this hull: flag hoist/radio call sign NESS; class Wickes; as-built machinery '26,000 SHP; Parsons Design Turbines, 2 screws'; laid down by Cramp, Philadelphia June 4, 1918; launched November 7, 1918; commissioned May 19, 1919; decommissioned July 21, 1922; recommissioned May 1, 1930; decommissioned September 1936; recommissioned October 1939 (Neutrality Patrol); decommissioned July 17, 1945; stricken August 13, 1945; sold November 30, 1945 and broken up for scrap. Reproduces the verbatim PUC citation: 'For outstanding performance in leading the attack on Safi, French Morocco, November 8, 1942 ... beached at Petite Jetee, and disembarked a company of U. S. Army assault troops without personnel casualty or loss of life.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Crew at the Safi landing 1942-11-08 (PUC subject); crew generally 1919-1945
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not a primary source - used here for the reproduced PUC citation text (an official document), the stricken date (13 August 1945, absent from DANFS), and the alternate 21 July 1922 decommissioning date that conflicts with DANFS (carried in gaps). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-03
-
[4]Lowcountry Digital Library / Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, Charleston Naval Shipyard Photographs: 'USS Bernadou', 1943 - caption '706-43 US Navy Yard, SC, May 1, 1943. (DD 153), Stern View. File 15358.' [museum_official]
- Locator
- LCDL catalog record lcdl:704, Charleston Naval Shipyard Photographs collection, image file 15358
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy yard photograph documents this hull physically present at the Charleston Navy Yard (US Navy Yard, SC) on 1 May 1943 - a documented in-port availability between the March-April Gibraltar convoy run and the 10 May 1943 Norfolk departure for Oran. Navy-yard availabilities are the documented maintenance/disturbance context for WWII-era hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-05-01
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard workers potentially in proximity, May 1943; crew
- Limitations
- The photograph documents presence at the yard only; it records no work scope, no materials, and nothing about asbestos. Whether an overhaul or material work occurred during this availability is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-04
-
[5]United States ex rel. Harris v. Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, 279 F. 844 (2d Cir. 1922) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, 279 F. 844 at ~845 (facts section); CourtListener opinion 8839592
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal appellate opinion naming this hull in a NON-asbestos matter: the relator 'enlisted in the Navy of the United States on February 21, 1919' and 'On March 18, 1920, he was tried on charges by a summary court-martial on board the United States ship Bernadou.' The Second Circuit reviewed whether the Secretary of the Navy's disapproval of the court-martial sentence restored enlisted status (habeas/jurisdiction question); conviction and bad-conduct discharge had been executed aboard the ship in March 1920.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1920 (events); 1922 (opinion)
- Population
- Relator William Robert Harris (crew member, 1919-1920)
- Limitations
- Military-justice litigation that happens to name the ship as the court-martial venue - it is NOT asbestos litigation and establishes nothing about materials or exposure aboard. Classified 'other litigation' per the batch discipline: name match is real (ship named in the opinion) but non-qualifying for asbestos purposes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-05
-
[6]NARA, 'USS BERNADOU - War Diary, 6/1-30/43' (micro serial 53718), Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, WWII War Diaries collection (catalog.archives.gov, digitized; also surfaced via DPLA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAID 135915006; DPLA item 74a2f39318ee346551398ea26b355ad7
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized ship-specific primary record exists: this hull's own monthly war diary for June 1943 (covering the Oran-based Mediterranean operations period between the Gibraltar convoy run and the Sicily operation). Existence and catalog location verified.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-06
- Population
- Crew, June 1943 (operations record)
- Limitations
- Existence verified in the National Archives Catalog; contents not reviewed in full for this record. War diaries are operational narratives and rarely address materials; no asbestos content is asserted or expected - carried as a retrieval lead, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-06
-
[7]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030); Corn JK, Starr JA, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' Am J Ind Med 1987;11(3):359-373 (doi:10.1002/ajim.4700110311); BuShips SDB 1945 v1 machinery row for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMID 21016030 record; J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946;28:9-16 (pipe covering material section); Am J Ind Med 1987;11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: this hull's documented plant (4 White-Forster boilers, 265 psi saturated steam, 2-shaft Parsons turbines - SDB 1945 v1) is the WWI-era destroyer steam type whose boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing were commonly asbestos-containing. The 1944-45 USMC-commissioned survey of pipe covering in Navy and contract yards found amosite 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U. S. Navy vessels' (Fleischer 1946), and peer-reviewed scholarship documents Navy reliance on asbestos fireproofing/insulating materials in shipbuilding across this hull's design and service era (Corn & Starr 1987).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945 service era; surveys 1944-45 and 1987
- Population
- Pipe coverers/insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context); WWI-WWII destroyer engine-room personnel (era context)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - none of the cited sources names this hull, and neither establishes that this specific vessel contained asbestos, in what quantity, or in what condition. The Fleischer survey covered 1944-45 wartime yards, not the 1918 Cramp build; it supports era-typical practice, not a ship-specific finding. (The Fleischer study's 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-07
-
[8]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov HRD-80-2 product description and summary text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO program-level review of Navy asbestos exposure control (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards): 'Although recently constructed Navy ships have little or no asbestos thermal insulation, other Navy ships contain large quantities of asbestos'; the Navy's 1975 policy removed/replaced only damaged insulation, modified 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; estimated $2 billion cost made fleet-wide removal unjustifiable.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context, 1979)
- Limitations
- Program-level context for Navy asbestos exposure generally - fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk; it does not name this hull or any WWI-era destroyer and establishes nothing about this vessel's materials. gao.gov product-page text used; full PDF not fetched this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-08
-
[9]Batch-3159 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/losthistory mirrors; BuShips SDB 1945 v1; NavSource 05/153; CourtListener API v4; NARA catalog; NVR; VA BVA index; indexed-web litigation check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bernadou-dd153-01 through sl-uss-bernadou-dd153-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Bernadou / DD-153 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: zero opinions for exact 'USS Bernadou' and 'DD-153'; full-text 'Bernadou' returned six surname collisions plus Harris v. Daniels (non-asbestos, ship named as court-martial venue). Law-firm marketing pages naming the hull (mesotheliomahelp.org, mesotheliomasymptoms.com, mesothelioma.com destroyer list) assert era-typical content without primary support - excluded source class, logged in the batch report.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1918-19-built steam destroyer with documented WWII yard availabilities is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and no material survey of this hull is public. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The CourtListener RECAP docket sweep (type=r) for 'Bernadou' was throttle-blocked at session end - logged as blocked; opinion-level coverage is complete.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - incl. 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications), RG 80 (General Records of the Department of the Navy - 80-G photo series) [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/080.html ; NAID 135915006
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order): Navy deck logs for USS Bernadou 1919-1945 (RG 24); BuShips Wickes-class design records and the Cramp contract file for DD-153 (RG 19), including the RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications that could hold hull-level insulation data; official photo 80-G-31434, Bernadou in the North African invasion November 1942 (RG 80, NARA collection); the June 1943 war diary NAID 135915006 (see ev-06) is already digitized.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bernadou-dd153-10