Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Blessman (DE-69), 1943-1967 (Robert J. Cressman, 26 January 2006) - verbatim NHHC page captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine; live NHHC page returns 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS page 'Blessman (DE-69)' (Wayback capture 2025-02-02); specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (DE-69: dp. 1,400; l. 306'0"; b. 37'0"; dr. 13'6"; s. 23.6 k.; cpl. 213; cl. Buckley). Laid down 22 March 1943 at Hingham, Mass., by the Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard; launched 19 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Helen Maloy Blessman, widow of Lt. Edward Martin Blessman (killed aboard USS Marblehead (CL-12) in the Madoera Strait air attack, 4 February 1942); commissioned at her builders' yard 19 September 1943, Lt. Cmdr. Joseph A. Gillis, USNR, in command. Fitted out at the Boston Navy Yard; shakedown out of Bermuda; CortDiv 19; four round-trip Atlantic convoy crossings Nov 1943-May 1944; Normandy (screened Ancon AGC-4 and the invasion force to seaward, 6-12 June 1944; removed 6 officers and 38 enlisted men from the mined Susan B. Anthony APA-72 on 7 June and 26 wounded from the mined USAT Francis C. Harrington). Entered Sullivan Drydock and Repair Corp. yard, Brooklyn, N.Y., 28 July 1944 for conversion to a high-speed transport; redesignated APD-48; emerged 25 October 1944; embarked UDT-15 at Pearl Harbor; Lingayen Gulf UDT beach reconnaissance 7-10 January 1945; off Iwo Jima 18 February 1945 a 'Betty' bomber scored a direct bomb hit in the starboard mess hall above the No. 1 engine room (second bomb glanced off the stack); fire swept the mess hall, galley, and troop quarters; all power lost; Gilmer (APD-11) came alongside at 2310 and assisted; fire controlled by 0300 on the 19th; dead buried at sea; towed to Saipan (Ardent AM-340, Gear ARS-34, LSM-70, Hitchiti ATF-103), arriving 24 February; permanent repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard 23 April-11 August 1945, during which she was designated flagship of UDRon 1; occupation duty (UDT-17 charted Wakanoura Wan landing beaches); placed in reserve 28 August 1946, San Diego group; decommissioned 15 January 1947; struck from the Navy list 1 June 1967; transferred to Taiwan under MAP sales provisions and renamed Chung Shan (PF-43); remained in Taiwanese service into 1985. Three battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1967 (USN); 1967-1995 (ROC Navy)
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 213); embarked UDT-15 and UDT-17 detachments; conversion-yard workforce (Sullivan Drydock, Brooklyn) Jul-Oct 1944; Mare Island repair workforce Apr-Aug 1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS gives no casualty count for the 18 February 1945 bombing (the Navy Log figure, 40 killed/23 wounded, is cited separately as ev-03). Live NHHC page returns 404; the Wayback capture cited is verbatim NHHC content authored by Robert J. Cressman (26 Jan 2006). DANFS's 'into 1985' phrasing on Taiwan service is stale relative to NavSource's May 1995 stricken/scrapped record - both carried as source-conflict data in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-01
-
[2]NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Blessman (APD-48) ex DE-69 page (operational/building data, APD specifications block, commanding officers, campaign credits) + NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Index DE-69 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/04/04048.htm (APD-48 page incl. spec block and campaign table); navsource.net/archives/06/069.htm (DE-69 operational data, CO list, war-history/press-release scan links)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource build and APD-configuration record for this hull: laid down 22 March 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Corp., Hingham, Mass.; launched/christened 19 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Helen Maloy Blessman; commissioned at Hingham 19 September 1943, LCDR Joseph A. Gillis USNR; converted to a Charles Lawrence-class high-speed transport by the Sullivan Drydock and Repair Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y. (entered 28 July 1944, completed 25 October 1944); redesignated APD-48 31 July 1944; decommissioned 15 January 1947 after 3 years and 4 months of service; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 June 1967; transferred to Taiwan (MAP sale) 3 July 1967, renamed Chung Shan; stricken from the Taiwan naval register May 1995 and scrapped. APD spec block: 1,400 t lt / 2,130 t fl; 306' x 37' x 12'7"; 23.6 kt trial; 2 'D' express boilers 435 psi/750 degF; 2 GE turbines, turbo-electric drive; 2 propellers, 12,000 shp; crew 12 officers + 192 enlisted; troop accommodations 12 officers + 150 enlisted; 4 LCVP; one 5"/38, three twin 40mm, six 20mm, 2 DCT. Campaigns: Invasion of Normandy 6-12 June 1944; Lingayen Gulf landings 3-13 January 1945; Iwo Jima 16-18 February 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1995
- Population
- As ev-01; plus ROC Navy crews 1967-1995
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive transcribing official records (spec block derives from BuShips data); consistent with DANFS on dates. Internal conflicts within NavSource and vs the class profile: decommissioning location reads 'San Diego' on the DE-69 page but 'San Francisco' on the APD-48 page; ROC pennant reads PF-44 (DE page) and PF-843 (APD page) vs DANFS PF-43; APD spec block reads 'Combustion Engineering' boilers vs the navypedia block map's Foster Wheeler for DE51-98. All logged in gaps rather than silently reconciled. Asbestos content is not addressed by these records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-02
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[3]United States Navy Memorial, Navy Log entry 'Blessman' (Ship Designation APD-48) with Lost At Sea Log roster [museum_official]
- Locator
- navylog.navymemorial.org/blessman - 'Air Attack off Iwo Jima' text + Lost At Sea Log (39 names)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Navy Memorial record for this hull's 18 February 1945 loss event: 'During an air attack off Iwo Jima, 18 February 1945, Blessman was hit by a 500-pound bomb which exploded in the mess hall knocking out all power and starting fires; she suffered 40 killed and 23 wounded.' The attached Lost At Sea Log lists 39 named USN sailors killed in the event.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945-02-18
- Population
- Blessman crew and embarked UDT-15, 18 February 1945 (40 killed, 23 wounded per the log text)
- Limitations
- Casualty tribute record, not a formal action report - the log's 39 listed names vs the text's '40 killed' is a count nuance (the 40th may be an embarked UDT-15 member or a count difference; unresolved). The Navy Log text misidentifies the assisting ship as 'Gilmore (DE-18)' - DANFS fixes it as Gilmer (APD-11); DANFS controls. The record establishes casualties and fire extent (mess hall, galley, troop quarters - main-deck enclosed spaces gutted by fire), not materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-03
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) + Buckley class profile (Atlas class-f worktree) + Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal (2005); Franke et al., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: a state of the science evaluation (1900-1970)' (2011) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table; buckley-class.class.json (ev-buckley-class-01/02); Naval Engineers Journal 2005 via doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: the Buckley class (this hull's as-built design) is the turbo-electric destroyer escort design - with the John C. Butler class, the only DE group carrying a full steam plant: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 confirm 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750 degF feeding GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp. Peer-reviewed reviews of U.S. Navy asbestos practice document shipboard asbestos thermal insulation in standard use through this hull's 1943 construction era (the Navy approved and then required asbestos in insulation applications from the mid-1930s). A 1943 steam DE/APD would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing; the July-October 1944 commercial-yard APD conversion and the April-August 1945 Mare Island reconstruction of fire-gutted main-deck spaces are disturbance events where installed insulation would have been worked or renewed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (vessel USN service); 2005-2011 (era reviews)
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1943; Sullivan Drydock conversion workforce 1944; Mare Island repair workforce 1945; crews and embarked UDTs 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The cited reviews are state-of-the-science literature covering 1900-1970 era practice and do not name this hull; the BuShips table documents the design, not this hull's material schedule; no insulation specification, survey, or material test for this hull was located (NARA RG19 GIB is the open lead). Boiler-manufacturer conflict (Foster Wheeler per the navypedia DE51-98 block map vs 'Combustion Engineering' on the NavSource APD spec block) is logged in gaps, not resolved here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-04
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[5]NARA National Archives Catalog, 'USS BLESSMAN - Rep of opers in the invasion of Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, 2/16-18/45' (NAID 83525764; serial 05750, micro serial 137141; report dated 26 February 1945) + NavSource DE-69 page scan links (official press release 31 August 1945; ship-submitted war history) + NHHC photo numbers per NavSource captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/83525764 (record title, serial, and date from the catalog index); navsource.net/archives/06/069.htm (scan links 06069pr.jpg, 06069wh.jpg; photo captions)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: NARA holds the ship's own report of operations for the Iwo Jima operation 16-18 February 1945 (the period including the fatal bombing), serial 05750, dated 26 February 1945; NavSource's DE-69 page links image scans of the official 31 August 1945 press release and the ship-submitted war history; NHHC holds photographs NH 91127 and NH 91839 (the latter showing her off Mare Island 4 August 1945 during repairs); Mare Island Navy Yard photos 5826-45 and 5827-45 (7 August 1945, undergoing repairs). NARA RG19 General Information Books hold per-vessel material specifications that could document this hull's as-built and post-conversion insulation fit - not retrieved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1945 (report/photo subjects); 2026-09-25 (index review)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - none of these sources is stated to contain asbestos or materials data; the action report documents the damage narrative (which spaces burned, what was repaired), not fiber content; the RG19 GIB retrieval was not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-05
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[6]CourtListener API v4 sweeps, 2026-09-25: opinion index 'USS Blessman' = 0; docket index 'USS Blessman' = 0; 'APD-48' (o) = 1, identifier collision; 'APD-48' (r) = 6, identifier collisions; 'DE-69' (o) = 139 and (r) = 2,372, identifier collisions; 'Blessman' (o) = 28 and (r) = 106, person-name collisions [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blessman-apd48-07 through sl-uss-blessman-apd48-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull: exact-name 'USS Blessman' returns zero in both the opinion and RECAP docket indexes - no case naming the ship exists in the index. Hull-designator queries return only identifier collisions: 'APD-48' opinions = 1 hit (Donoho v. Hunter, Tex. Comm'n App. 1925 - a pre-ship land/title appeal containing the string); 'APD-48' dockets = 6 hits (e.g., Diaz v. The Partnership, N.D. Ga. - deposition/exhibit pagination strings); 'DE-69' opinions = 139 and dockets = 2,372 hits dominated by PACER 'DE 69' docket-entry references and penal/exhibit codes (e.g., U.S. v. Merlo-Hidalgo et al., S.D. Fla.; U.S. v. Nunez-Garrido extradition) - the string is a docket-entry designator, not the ship. Bare 'Blessman' sweeps return 28 opinions and 106 dockets matching the surname (State v. Blessman, Kan. 2015; U.S. v. Blessman, N.D. Fla. criminal; civil and bankruptcy party names) - person-name collisions, none maritime or asbestos-related. No qualifying asbestos litigation names DE-69/APD-48.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive of all courts and eras; absence of a hit does not prove no claim was ever filed. The 139/2,372 'DE-69' and 106 'Blessman' sets were sampled (top-ranked results reviewed for mechanism), not read exhaustively - they are classified down as identifier/surname collisions, not read upward as exposure evidence. There is no second USS Blessman; collision risk resolves to person names only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-06
-
[7]Batch-2435 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (Wayback capture of live page); NavSource DE-69 and APD-48 pages; U.S. Navy Memorial Navy Log; NARA catalog index; Naval Vessel Register; Atlas shipyards.json; CourtListener name + hull-designator sweeps; web exclusion check (law-firm marketing page excluded) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blessman-apd48-01 through sl-uss-blessman-apd48-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum custody file, or docketed case naming USS Blessman (DE-69/APD-48) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was stricken in 1967, transferred to Taiwan, and scrapped after its May 1995 ROC striking - it was never preserved or surveyed for materials, so the usual late-life documentation pathways (museum hazmat disclosure, donation-condition survey) never arose.
- 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 steam-plant DE that underwent a 1944 APD conversion and a 1945 fire-damage reconstruction is consistent with era-standard materials, worked or renewed at those events. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blessman-apd48-07