Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet hs-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bostwick-de103-pkt-hs-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Bostwick (DE-103) (namesake, builder, dates, hunter-killer service narrative, transfer and striking; verbatim transcription on hazegray mirror - live NHHC page serves 404 and the ibiblio HyperWar mirror lacks a DE-103 page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Bostwick' - namesake biographical note + DE-103 specification block + service narrative (hazegray mirror at losthistory.net)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 30 August 1943 by Dravo Corp., Wilmington, Del.; sponsored by Mrs. F. D. Pierce, a cousin of Admiral Bostwick; commissioned 1 December 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. H. Church Jr., USNR, in command. Spec block: dp. 1,240; l. 306'; b. 36'8"; dr. 11'8"; s. 21 k.; cpl. 186; a. 3 3", 3 21" TT.; cl. Cannon. Joined TG 21.16 (Block Island CVE-21) hunter-killer group 15 February 1944, Hampton Roads-North Africa cruise 16 February-31 March; on 1 March joined Thomas (DE-102) and Bronstein (DE-189) in sinking U-709 at 49 deg 10' N, 26 deg 00' W; Mediterranean convoy escort 11 April-30 May; Northwest Atlantic patrol 25 June-7 July; Card (CVE-11) hunter-killer group to 20 August 1944; Bermuda training and convoy run October-11 November 1944; east-coast patrols 20 December 1944-27 October 1945; on 30 April 1945 assisted Thomas, Coffman (DE-191) and Natchez (PF-2) in sinking U-548 at 36 deg 34' N, 74 deg 00' W; arrived St. John's River, Fla., 19 November 1945; decommissioned 30 April 1946; transferred to China 14 December 1948; three WWII battle stars. Namesake: Rear Admiral Lucius Allyn Bostwick (b. Providence RI 21 Feb 1869; USNA 1890; Navy Cross for WWI command of South Dakota ACR-9; d. Washington DC 14 Jan 1940).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1869-1940 (namesake); 1943-1948 USN
- Population
- Dravo Corp. Wilmington construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 186); ROCN crew 1948/49-disposal
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Its U-709 and U-548 attributions predate the Niestle reassessment: the 1 March 1944 attack is now assessed to have damaged U-441 (U-709 missing since 19 February 1944, cause unknown) and the 30 April 1945 sinking is assigned to U-879 - see ev-02 correction row. DANFS omits the laid-down date (6 February 1943 per NavSource/uboat.net). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-01
-
[3]uboat.net U-879, U-709, and U-441 fate entries, reflecting the Axel Niestle reassessments of 1944-45 U-boat losses [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/boats/u879.htm fate block + 'previously recorded fate' note; uboat.net/boats/u709.htm fate block + 'previously recorded fate' note; uboat.net/allies/warships/1456.html notable-events list (1 Mar 1944 U-441 entry)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U-boat attribution conflicts on this hull's two credited kills. (1) DANFS credits Bostwick, Thomas (DE-102) and Bronstein (DE-189) with sinking U-709 on 1 March 1944 at 49 deg 10' N, 26 deg 00' W; the Niestle reassessment (January 2001, via uboat.net) assesses U-709 as missing since 19 February 1944 with no explanation for its loss, and the 1 March attack at that position is now attributed to severe damage to U-441 - uboat.net notes the attack 'was earlier credited with the destruction of U-709'. (2) DANFS credits Bostwick with assisting Thomas, Coffman (DE-191) and Natchez (PF-2) in sinking U-548 on 30 April 1945 at 36 deg 34' N, 74 deg 00' W; the Niestle reassessment (January 1990) assigns that sinking - east of Cape Hatteras, same position, 52 dead - to U-879, and reassigns U-548's loss to a 19 April 1945 attack southeast of Halifax (42.19N, 61.45W) by Reuben James (DE-153) and Buckley (DE-51). uboat.net additionally notes residual ambiguity between U-879 and U-857 for the 30 April sinking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (actions); 1990/2001 (reassessments)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary reference indexing the published Niestle reassessments, not an official record. The corrections concern which U-boats the attacks destroyed, not whether the actions occurred: DANFS and uboat.net agree on the dates, positions, participants, and outcomes of both attacks. No asbestos relevance; carried so the record does not silently propagate superseded identifications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-02
-
[4]DANFS specifications block (Cannon class; 21 kt; diesel-electric DET design per class profile) + Bureau of Ships Ships' Data 1945 Vol. I DET-design roster grouping (shipscribe.com SDB1945v1.pdf) + Atlas class profile cannon-class [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; SDB1945v1.pdf DET roster grouping DE-99-113; class-c cannon-class.class.json evidence rows ev-cannon-class-01/-02
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: DE-103 sits in the April 1945 BuShips roster's DET-design (Cannon-class) block DE-99 through DE-113, built by Dravo Corp., Wilmington. A Cannon-class destroyer escort built 1943 with a diesel-electric plant (four GM 16-278A diesel-generator sets, electric drive, 6,000 shp, ~21 kt) would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-electric ship - exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck coverings - but no boilers or steam lagging.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945 construction/era
- Population
- Dravo Corp. Wilmington construction trades 1943; wartime crew 1943-46
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No material schedule, insulation specification, or hull survey for DE-103 is public; the diesel-electric plant means the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply; does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder Dravo Corp. Wilmington is not in the Atlas shipyard dataset - no yard-level asbestos tier exists for it (carried in gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-03
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-103's entire 1943 construction and 1943-46 USN service fall inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program scope)
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only; not hull-specific. GAO full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - content via product-page description (standing limitation shared with batch-01 records). Does not establish that any particular material was installed aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-04
-
[6]DANFS transfer entry + navypedia TAI CHAO escort-destroyers page (China/Taiwan) + NavSource DE-103 photo archive index (2024-05-10 wayback capture) + NTU-hosted ROCN history page for Taitsang (de24taichang.htm, 2015 wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia ch_es_tai_chao.htm member table (Tai Tsang ex-Bostwick, Dravo Wilmington, ROCN comm 31.12.1948, deleted 1973); NavSource archives/06/103.htm date lines via 2024-05-10 wayback capture; NTU homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~yingshao/de24taichang.htm via 2015-06-03 wayback capture; uboat.net/allies/warships/1456.html history block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-USN disposition of this hull: transferred to the Republic of China Navy 14 December 1948 per DANFS, NavSource, and uboat.net (navypedia gives a 31 December 1948 ROCN commissioning); renamed Tai Tsang / Taicang (太倉) - NavSource's rendering 'T'ai Hu (F-25)' is an apparent error (T'ai Hu was sister Breeman DE-104); pennant numbered 25 (Wikipedia DE-25) or 24 (NTU-hosted ROCN page). Struck from the US Navy list 10 February 1949; escaped to Taiwan with Nationalist forces 1949 (navypedia: February 1949); early ROCN fleet unit. Deleted/stricken and scrapped under the ROC flag - 1973 per navypedia and Wikipedia, 1972 decommissioning per the NTU page, 1975 stricken per uboat.net and NavSource; scrapped in Taiwan; no preservation, wreck, or salvage documentation located. The NTU page's own hull attribution is internally inconsistent (labels the source vessel 'USS Breeman ... DE-103' - mixing the DE-104 name with this hull's number).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1948-1970s
- Population
- ROCN crew 1948/49-disposal; Taiwan scrapping workers
- Limitations
- US-side dates (transfer 1948-12-14, stricken 1949-02-10) are DANFS-verified; all ROCN-side details rest on secondary compilations (navypedia, NavSource, Wikipedia, NTU-hosted page) that conflict on pennant number and disposal year, and the NTU page internally confuses Bostwick with Breeman. No material, overhaul, hazmat, or scrapping documentation exists in any located source - the post-1948 material history is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-05
-
[7]In re Dravo LLC - Derivative Claims Against Carmeuse Lime, Inc. (Pa. Super. 2023, 307 A.3d 146, J-A15029-23; rev'd Pa. May 22, 2026, Nos. 33-34 WAP 2024, J-79A/79B-2025) [court_record]
- Locator
- Pa. Super. opinion J-A15029-23 pp.2-3 (Undisputed Facts paras. 4-7); Pa. Sup. Ct. opinion J-79A/79B-2025 (decided May 22, 2026; argued Oct 7, 2025), conclusion section
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-level asbestos-litigation context: this hull's builder, Dravo Corporation, is the subject of a stipulated record in Pennsylvania asbestos litigation - Dravo was 'involved in a number of businesses involving heavy industry,' including 'manufacturing watercraft and industrial heating equipment and providing construction and engineering services in steel mills, chemical plants, and other industrial settings,' and 'since at least the early 1990s, Dravo had been sued in a number of lawsuits that sought damages due to alleged bodily injury caused by exposure to asbestos, where the exposure typically occurred during its operations from the 1940s through the 1980s' (Stipulation of Undisputed Facts as recited by the Superior Court). Disposition: trial court (C.C.P. Allegheny, Oct 5, 2022) granted summary judgment to parent Carmeuse Lime; Superior Court reversed and remanded (Dec 19, 2023); the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the Superior Court on May 22, 2026, holding the equitable remedy of veil piercing unavailable for claims time-barred against the dissolved LLC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940s-1980s (alleged exposure window); 2020-2026 (litigation)
- Population
- Dravo Corp. workforce and asbestos claimants (builder-wide)
- Limitations
- Builder-level context only - does not name DE-103 or any vessel, does not tie the alleged exposures to the Wilmington, Del., yard specifically (Dravo also ran the Pittsburgh/Neville Island yard and non-shipbuilding operations), and adjudicates successor liability and claim timeliness, not any shipboard exposure question. A merits-level procedural bar, not evidence about materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-06
-
[8]Batch-3962 search ledger (this record): losthistory/hazegray DANFS transcription; NVR; NavSource/wayback; navypedia China page; NTU-hosted ROCN page; uboat.net fate entries and warship page; CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket queries; Atlas shipyards dataset; PA courts official opinions [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bostwick-de103-01 through sl-uss-bostwick-de103-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-103: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, or donation-condition document exists (the hull was scrapped under the ROC flag; no museum pathway). No qualifying asbestos litigation names the vessel: CourtListener exact-phrase 'USS Bostwick' returned zero opinions and zero RECAP dockets; 'Bostwick' + 'DE-103' returned zero opinions; 'DE-103' returned 62 opinions, all federal/state docket-entry-number ('DE 103'/'DE#103') string collisions in unrelated civil and criminal matters with no vessel or asbestos content in any fetched snippet; 'Bostwick' + asbestos returned 32 opinions, all surname collisions (attorneys and firms named Bostwick - e.g., Murane & Bostwick, Bostwick & Lyons, Dwight P. Bostwick - appearing in unrelated matters incl. asbestos dockets as counsel, never the vessel); the 'Bostwick' + asbestos RECAP docket sweep returned 140 dockets, likewise all surname or party-text collisions - including two asbestos personal-injury dockets where the plaintiff's surname is Bostwick (Bostwick v. Anchor Packing Co., E.D. Pa. 2:89-cv-00373, MDL-875 era; Bostwick v. ACandS, N.D. Ohio 1:01-cv-23989) - none vessel-related. Law-firm asbestos-ship listicles enumerate the hull but are excluded per batch source rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials could have been installed and later removed under foreign custody with no surviving public documentation; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bostwick-de103-07