Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]DANFS, Blue I (DD-387) (namesakes, builder, dates, service narrative, loss; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block + service narrative (complete entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: first Blue named for Rear Admiral Victor Blue (1865-1928); launched 27 May 1937 by Norfolk Navy Yard, sponsored by Miss Kate Lilly Blue (sister of the admiral); commissioned 14 August 1937, LCDR J. Wright. Pacific 1938 as flagship DesDiv 7 Battle Force; Pearl Harbor base from April 1940; Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul Feb-Mar 1941. In port during the 7 Dec 1941 attack, made sea with only four ensigns aboard; offshore patrol Dec 1941-Jan 1942; Enterprise (CV-6) raids on Wotje, Maloelap, Kwajalein (1 Feb 1942) and Wake Island (24 Feb); convoy escort Pearl Harbor-San Francisco Mar-Jun 1942; Wellington NZ 18 Jul; TG 62.2 Guadalcanal landings 7 Aug; present but no active part at Savo Island 9 Aug; Noumea patrol 13-17 Aug; torpedoed 0359 22 Aug 1942 by Japanese destroyer Kawakaze in Ironbottom Sound - main engines, shafts, steering wrecked, 9 killed and 21 wounded; tow attempts to Tulagi failed; scuttled 2221, 23 Aug 1942. Five battle stars for nine months of WWII service. Spec block: dp 1500, l 341'4", b 35'6", dr 17'1", s 36.5k, cpl 172, a. 4x5" 16x21"TT, 'cl. Gridley'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1935-1942
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction workforce 1935-37; wartime crew (design complement 172 per DANFS); 9 KIA / 21 WIA at loss
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The spec block's 'cl. Gridley' label conflicts with NHHC Online Library and standard references that assign DD-387 to the Bagley class - carried in gaps. No laid-down or stricken date in the entry text. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-01
-
[2]Naval Historical Center (NHHC) Online Library of Selected Images, USS Blue (DD-387) page, 1937-1942 (verbatim transcription incl. official photo captions NH 97684, NH 61680, NH 63134, NH 97796-8) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library DD-387 ship page, narrative + photo captions NH 97684/NH 61680/NH 63134/NH 97796-97798
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC ship page for this hull: 'a 1,500 ton Bagley class destroyer' built at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va.; commissioned August 1937; western Atlantic/Caribbean then Pacific Battle Fleet; base changed to Hawaii spring 1940; moored in Pearl Harbor during the 7 December 1941 attack; Enterprise task-force raids early 1942; convoy escort Hawaii-California to June 1942 then New Zealand; gunfire support and screening during the 7-8 August landings; on picket duty off the northern tip of Guadalcanal during the 9 August Battle of Savo Island; torpedoed by Kawakaze 22 August; 'her severely twisted stern prevented towing the damaged ship to nearby Tulagi'; scuttled 23 August 1942 'as strong Japanese naval forces approached in the early stages of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.' Photo captions document the hull off Mare Island Navy Yard 11 April 1942 (NH 97796-8) and at sea during President Roosevelt's cruise 27 February 1939 (NH 63134).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1937-1942
- Population
- Crew at Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal (1941-42)
- Limitations
- NHHC narrative and captions document the hull's history and yard presences; contain no materials or asbestos information. The 'Bagley class' assignment here is the authoritative NHHC usage that conflicts with the DANFS spec block's 'cl. Gridley.' The Mare Island captions establish presence at the yard on 11 April 1942, not the scope of any availability or repair work performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-02
-
[3]USS Blue (DD-387) action report, 'Air Raid on Pearl Harbor, T.H. December 7, 1941 - report of action by U.S.S. Blue (DD387)', Ensign N.F. Asher to Cincpac, 11 Dec 1941, with first endorsement by CO Cdr. H.N. Williams, 12 Dec 1941 (DD387/A16 Serial 062; HyperWar transcription of the Navy document) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Action report basic letter, chronological summary (0800-1055 entries) + ammunition expenditure table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous primary record for this hull: moored Berth X-7 Pearl Harbor with Ensigns Asher, Moldafsky, Wolfe, and Scott the only officers aboard; underway 0847 under Asher; fired .50-cal and 5"/38 batteries during sortie (507 rounds 5"/38, 4,000 rounds .50 cal); depth-charge attacks on two submarine contacts off Diamond Head; screened USS St. Louis; no damage and no personnel casualties (three minor injuries). Engineering detail recorded: '1055 - All four boilers on the main steam line' - the ship's own wartime report documents the four-boiler steam plant in operation aboard this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-12-07/08
- Population
- Crew aboard during the 7 Dec 1941 attack (four ensigns the only officers)
- Limitations
- A combat action report - documents machinery operation, not materials; contains no insulation or asbestos statement. Transcription hosted by HyperWar/ibiblio of the NARA-held original; page image not independently verified against the archive copy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-03
-
[4]Bureau of Construction and Repair, General Information Book, USS Bagley (DD-386) class (Construction and Repair Drawing Room, Norfolk Navy Yard) - 19-page scanned excerpt via Destroyer History Foundation; full series at NARA RG 19 (publications concerning naval vessels, 1900-45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GIB excerpt pp. 13-15 'PROPELLING MACHINERY' (Boilers, Turbines, Propellers tables; DD387 column)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The class General Information Book tabulates DD-387 individually among DD-386 through DD-393: propelling machinery section lists four express-type boilers with superheaters, economizers and desuperheaters, designed working pressure 465 lbs, manufactured for DD386-7-8 (i.e., including this hull) by Norfolk Navy Yard and Babcock & Wilcox; Curtis geared turbines for DD386-7-8 manufactured by Norfolk Navy Yard and General Electric Co. Documents this hull's steam plant builder and type from a contemporaneous Navy specification document.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- circa 1937 (document); 1935-1942 (hull)
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction and machinery workforce; engineering crew 1937-42
- Limitations
- The public excerpt (General A-1 sections: dimensions, capacities, machinery, armament) contains NO insulation, lagging, covering, or asbestos itemization - it neither establishes nor excludes asbestos materials aboard. The complete GIB volumes at NARA RG 19 remain the archival lead for hull-level material specifications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-04
-
[5]DANFS spec block + BuC&R GIB machinery section (4x465-psi express boilers, geared turbines) + Atlas shipyards.json records for norfolk-naval-shipyard and puget-sound-naval-shipyard (documented yard-level asbestos product inventories) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; GIB propelling-machinery tables; shipyards.json records 'norfolk-naval-shipyard', 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a navy-yard-built Bagley-class destroyer constructed 1935-37 with a four-boiler 465-psi express steam plant and geared turbines would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, flange gaskets, valve and machinery packing, and fireproofing; builder Norfolk Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2; asbestos product inventory incl. boiler/turbine insulation, pipe lagging, gaskets, packing) and overhaul yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard likewise (tier 1; thermal insulation documented). No hull-level itemization located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1935-1942
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1935-37; Puget Sound overhaul trades Feb-Mar 1941; crew 1937-42
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no document reviewed itemizes insulation or coverings aboard this hull, and the ship sank before any post-war asbestos survey era. This row contextualizes; it is not a ship-specific finding. NARA RG 19 GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-05
-
[6]U.S. Navy News Service, 'Expedition Reveals Thirteen Shipwrecks from WWII Battles off Guadalcanal' (1 Aug 2025) - Ocean Exploration Trust NA173 expedition, E/V Nautilus [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navy News Service release, site list paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy account of the July 2025 NA173 archaeological survey of Iron Bottom Sound: 13 wreck sites surveyed in high resolution (USS Vincennes, Astoria, Quincy, Northampton, Laffey DD-459, DeHaven, Preston, Walke, HMAS Canberra, IJN Teruzuki, IJN Yudachi, the New Orleans bow section, and a landing barge). USS Blue (DD-387) is not among the surveyed sites; the release notes 'in deep water, dozens of ships remain to be located.' Establishes that the wreck of this hull was not identified or imaged in the most recent systematic survey.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2025 (survey)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence from this survey's site list does not prove the wreck has never been located - it establishes only that the wreck was not among the 13 sites surveyed in 2025. No authoritative source reviewed identifies a surveyed wreck as this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-06
-
[7]DANFS, Manley (DD-74) - cross-reference passage naming this hull [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Manley (DD-74) entry, Guadalcanal paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS Manley entry documents the loss response aboard this hull from a second-ship perspective: 'Manley was ordered to take torpedoed Blue (DD-387) in tow for Tulagi harbor before nightfall. Since a Japanese surface force was approaching, it was necessary to scuttle the destroyer. Manley took 99 survivors on board.' Corroborates the scuttle decision and records that 99 survivors were received by USS Manley.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-08-22/23
- Population
- USS Blue survivors (99 received aboard Manley)
- Limitations
- Cross-reference in another vessel's DANFS entry; corroborates casualty/evacuation figures indirectly (99 survivors received aboard Manley). Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-07
-
[8]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-387 (Wayback capture 2024-05-25; live site unreachable this session) quoting official U.S. Navy/National Archives photo captions incl. 80-G series and Naval Historical Center images [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-387 page, photo-caption blocks (80-G-266634; BuShips Collection Mare Island pair; Canberra/Savo captions)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official-caption photo references for this hull: National Archives 80-G-266634 shows Blue and Ralph Talbot at Midway 26 Dec 1941; Bureau of Ships Collection photos show Blue outboard of Ralph Talbot at Mare Island Navy Yard 11 April 1942 with newly installed 20mm guns and Mk 33 directors visible; official USN photos show Blue alongside HMAS Canberra's port bow removing survivors after the Battle of Savo Island and transferring survivors to USS Fuller (AP-14) and USS Melville (AD-2), 9 Aug 1942. Documents a Mare Island yard presence and the Canberra rescue work - relevant to repair/upkeep exposures and to the ship's documented service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Crew during Apr 1942 west-coast availability window and 9 Aug 1942 rescue operations
- Limitations
- Photo captions establish presence and events, not materials. The Mare Island images place the hull at the yard on 11 April 1942 but do not record the scope of work (an upkeep/modification availability is plausible but undocumented). NavSource is a secondary aggregator citing official captions - the underlying NARA/NHHC images are the primary records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated; fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py): exact-name and hull-designator queries across opinion index [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py results: type=o '"USS Blue"' count=2, '"DD-387"' count=1; type=r '"USS Blue"' count=26 (both pages reviewed), '"DD-387"' docket query blocked by pacing
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep, exact name + hull designator. Opinion index: '"USS Blue"' = 2 hits, both collisions (United States v. Barunas, C.M.A. 1986 - USS Blueback SS-581 submarine urinalysis appeal; United States v. Walker, 4th Cir. 1986 - espionage appeal); '"DD-387"' = 1 hit (State v. Loyal, N.J. 2000 - full text verified as a page-number collision on reporter cite '107 Cal.App.3d 387'; no vessel reference). Docket index '"USS Blue"' = 26 hits, all reviewed: the qualifying-looking asbestos dockets resolve AGAINST this hull - Gorton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (M.D. Pa. 1:17-cv-01110, suitNature '368 P.I.: Asbestos') names 'USS Blue' in the Eaton summary-judgment opinion reciting decedent Thomas Gorton's service as electrician mate aboard 'USS Blue' 1959-1961, which can only be DD-744 (Sumner class, 1944-1974) since DD-387 sank in 1942; Boesenhofer v. AECOM (E.D. Pa. 2:17-cv-01072, asbestos removal) involves a Philadelphia Naval Shipyard civilian worker 1966-1997 - any aboard-ship exposure there postdates this hull's loss by decades. Remaining hits are Fat Leonard-era criminal dockets naming USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), the MDL-875 master docket (list-level reference), and civil-rights/criminal collisions. NO qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Docket-level review: the asbestos-looking hits were classified at entry/metadata level and resolved to DD-744 or a shore facility by exposure-window arithmetic; the '"DD-387"' docket-index query was repeatedly blocked by fleet-wide pacing (HTTP 429 stand-down) and remains unrun - logged in search_ledger, not a completed negative. A pleading-stage complaint naming 'USS Blue' without a hull number could still exist in unindexed text; any future hit requires the DD-387-vs-DD-744 attribution check before it can qualify for this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-dd387-09