Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Buchanan I (Destroyer No. 131/DD-131), modern online entry by Robert J. Cressman, 25 Nov 2005 (history.navy.mil); Wayback capture 20250201212403 consulted because the live page intermittently returns 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (post-WWI through St. Nazaire raid)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS modern entry for this hull (Buchanan I, Destroyer No. 131/DD-131, by Robert J. Cressman, dated 25 November 2005): laid down 29 June 1918 at Bath, Maine, by Bath Iron Works; launched 2 January 1919, sponsor Mrs. Charles P. Wetherbee; commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 20 January 1919. Cuban waters with Division 18, Destroyer Squadrons, Atlantic Fleet, Feb-Apr 1919; plane-guard station ship at Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, for the NC flying-boat transatlantic flight, May 1919; carried Vice President Marshall and cabinet members July 1919; Panama Canal transit 24 July 1919; Pacific Fleet West Coast service incl. reviews by SECNAV Daniels (1 and 15 Sep 1919) and President Wilson (13 Sep 1919); rotating reserve San Diego Feb 1920; Mare Island overhaul Apr-May 1920; designated DD-131 17 July 1920; decommissioned San Diego 7 June 1922. Selected late 1929 to replace Somers (DD-301) under the Destroyer Force ship's-company repair program; recommissioned 10 April 1930; overhauls/repairs at Mare Island (May-Jul 1930; Jul 1932-Feb 1933; Jun-Aug 1936; drydock 28 Oct-2 Nov 1939), Puget Sound Navy Yard (mid-Jan-16 Mar 1931), tender Altair (Jun 1933 and Seattle 13 Jul-2 Aug 1935), New York Navy Yard (Jun-Jul 1919; 31 Mar-20 Apr 1940), Philadelphia Navy Yard (21-22 Apr 1940; 31 Aug-1 Sep 1940 propeller-guard repair by Prairie AD-15), Boston Navy Yard drydock 4 Sep 1940. Fleet Problems XIII (1932), XIV (1933), XVI (1935), XVII (1936); 1934 Alaska ROTC cruise; NRL camouflage tests Nov 1935 ('spotted dog division' with Aaron Ward DD-132, Hale DD-133, Crowninshield DD-134); decommissioned San Diego 9 Apr 1937; recommissioned 30 Sep 1939 (Lt. Jeane R. Clark); Neutrality Patrol Caribbean/Galveston/Key West with DesDiv 65, DesRon 32. Sailed for Halifax 5 Sep 1940 with Welborn C. Wood (DD-195) and Crowninshield; anchored at Halifax noon 6 Sep 1940 as one of the first eight of 50 destroyers transferred under the Destroyers-for-Bases agreement; decommissioned and turned over to the Royal Navy 9 Sep 1940; name stricken from the Navy list 8 January 1941. RN service as Campbeltown (pendant I.42): Belfast 26 Sep, Devonport 29 Sep 1940; 7th Escort Group Liverpool; Liverpool collision repairs Dec 1940-Mar 1941; provisional Royal Netherlands Navy allocation with Polish crew element; reverted to RN Sep 1941; Atlantic convoy escort from Londonderry; present at U-401 sinking 3 Aug 1941; rescued Vinga survivors 15 Sep 1941; aircraft claim 25 Jan 1942. Devonport blockship conversion from 10 Mar 1942 (guns replaced by one 12-pdr and eight 20mm; depth-charge gear removed; armored bridge; two after stacks removed; forward stacks reshaped to mimic a German Mowe-class torpedo boat; armored commando screens). Operation Chariot: sailed Falmouth 26 Mar 1942, Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Halden Beattie RN; rammed the Normandie Dock gate at 0134, 28 Mar 1942 at 19 knots; commandos destroyed dock machinery; four tons of delayed-action explosives detonated 1135, destroying the forward part of the ship, putting the dock out of commission for the rest of the war, and killing nearly 300 Germans; Beattie received one of five Victoria Crosses awarded for the raid.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1942
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1918-19; U.S. Navy crews 1919-1940 (DANFS complement 122); RN crew and embarked commandos 1940-42
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, yard periods, transfer, and destruction - not materials or asbestos content. Modern entry gives 'four tons' of explosives and detonation at 1135 on 28 Mar 1942; the 1959 DANFS Vol. I text gives 'five tons' and 'eleven hours later' - discrepancy carried in gaps. Live NHHC page fetch returned 404 on 2026-09-26; verbatim Wayback capture of the official page cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-01
-
[2]NavSource Naval History - Destroyer Photo Archive, USS Buchanan (DD-131) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- DD-131 page: 'As Built' specification block, Operational and Building Data table, RN service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Naval History DD-131 page (compiled from official records): as built 1,154 tons; 314'5" x 31'8" x 9'10" max; armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA (1 x 3"/23AA in some ships), 12 x 21" TT; machinery 24,200 shp, Parsons turbines, 2 screws; speed 35 knots; crew 103. Operational data: laid down Bath Iron Works 29 Jun 1918; launched 2 Jan 1919; commissioned 20 Jan 1919; decommissioned 7 Jun 1922; recommissioned 10 Apr 1930; decommissioned 9 Apr 1937; recommissioned 30 Sep 1939 (Neutrality Patrol); decommissioned and transferred to Britain 9 Sep 1940, renamed HMS Campbeltown (I42); stricken 8 Jan 1941; fate: destroyed in raid on St. Nazaire, France, 28 Mar 1942. RN service detail on page: commissioned at Halifax as one of the first transfers; arrived Devonport 29 Sep 1940, refitted to 1 Nov 1940; collision with Risoy 2 Nov put her into dockyard hands at Liverpool until 24 Nov 1940; joined 17th Flotilla Western Approaches; further collision with Comus 3 Dec 1940, repairs to 28 Mar 1941; Dutch-manned Apr-late Sep 1941 (proposed rename Middelburg refused); 7th Escort Group; reverted to British manning late Sep 1941; 27th Escort Group West African convoy route; Devonport dockyard late Jan-Mar 1942 for conversion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1942
- Population
- U.S. and RN crews; Devonport and Liverpool dockyard workers 1940-42
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled transcription of official records plus contributed photographs - not an official Navy publication. Conflicts carried in gaps: crew 103 vs. DANFS complement 122; Parsons turbines vs. Wikipedia infobox 'Brown-Curtis'; 24,200 vs. 30,000 shp. Its RN refit date sequence (Devonport refit to 1 Nov; Risoy collision 2 Nov; Comus collision 3 Dec) differs in detail from DANFS (collision at Liverpool 3 Dec, repairs into Mar 1941). Contains no asbestos or hazardous-material statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-02
-
[3]DANFS/NavSource machinery data (4 Normand boilers, Parsons turbines, 300-psi plant); Atlas shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' (yard-level findings incl. 1942 Drinker study, PMID 21016030); Conway's-derived class machinery tabulation (DD-131-134: Parsons turbines, Normand boilers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource machinery block; shipyards.json 'bath-iron-works' evidence rows; naval-encyclopedia.com Wickes-class machinery tabulation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Wickes-class destroyer built 1918-19 at Bath Iron Works with a four-boiler (Normand return-flame type), 300-psi saturated-steam Parsons turbine plant would have carried period-standard insulating materials - boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing - in which asbestos fiber was common in U.S. naval construction of the era. Builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyards dataset (evidence_tier 2), including a 1942 Harvard industrial-hygiene study (Drinker; published 1946) recording 'fairly serious dust risk' in the yard's pipe-covering shops and OSHA-era asbestos sampling; a WWI-era build predates even that study by two decades. NARA RG 19 holdings for this hull (Alphabetical Ship Drawings NAID 53483835; microfilm NAID 175668513) and the class Booklet of General Plans are the archival route to hull- or class-level insulation specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1942
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1918-19; U.S. Navy engineering crews 1919-1940; RN engineering crew 1940-42 (inference only)
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no source inspected names the insulation products fitted aboard this hull, and the hull's 1942 destruction forecloses later survey or abatement records. The BIW yard-level hygiene study dates to 1942, ~23 years after this hull's construction; it documents yard practice, not this build. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, location, or any individual exposure aboard DD-131.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-03
-
[4]Destroyers for Bases Agreement, 2 September 1940 (executive agreement; NHHC FAQ transcription via Wayback) + FDR Message to Congress (3 Sep 1940) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC FAQ faq59-24 (full text of exchanged notes); FDR message to Congress text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement of 2 September 1940 (exchange of notes, British Ambassador Lothian and Secretary of State Hull; FDR message to Congress transmitting the notes and the Attorney General's 27 Aug 1940 opinion) is the legal instrument under which this hull was transferred at Halifax on 9 September 1940 - Buchanan was among the first eight of the 50 'overage destroyers' exchanged for 99-year leases on British base sites in the Western Hemisphere.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940
- Limitations
- Documents the transfer instrument and program, not this hull's material condition; the agreement contains no ship-by-ship condition survey. Hull-level transfer detail comes from DANFS (ev-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-04
-
[5]Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port (Grand Port Maritime Nantes Saint-Nazaire), press release 'Operation Chariot - presentation de la porte du HMS Campbeltown', 28 March 2024 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Press release, 28 Mar 2024 (door recovery, authentication, museum deposit)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port (the port authority) official press release, 28 March 2024: during 2020 excavation for the EMR logistics hub adjacent to the Joubert dock, a riveted ship's door was recovered; authentication work identified it as a bulkhead door of HMS Campbeltown (marked 'DOOR NO.6'), and it was deposited with the Grand Blockhaus museum at Batz-sur-Mer and presented publicly on the 82nd anniversary of the raid. The release confirms that wreck material of this hull remains in and around the Joubert dock and is still being encountered by port construction works.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2020-2024 (recovery events); wreck deposited 1942
- Population
- Port construction workers (2020 excavation); museum staff (2024)
- Limitations
- Confirms persistence and recovery of wreck fragments of this hull; contains no asbestos, hazmat, or material-safety statement - no indication that recovered material was assessed for hazardous content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-05
-
[6]Ouest-France, 'Apres l'operation Chariot sur Saint-Nazaire, en 1942, la porte du navire reapparait' (28 Mar 2024); mechtraveller.com field report (wreck fragment provenance, EDF/Commando Association loan) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Ouest-France article body (Liberation-era wreck position); mechtraveller.com 'The mystery piece of wreckage from HMS Campbeltown in Saint-Nazaire' (2022, updated 2026)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Reputable regional press (Ouest-France, March 2024) records the wreck disposition: 'at the Liberation, the remains of the destroyer HMS Campbeltown lay inside the dock'; the dock remained non-operational until 1948. A second mangled hull fragment attributed to Campbeltown was recovered from silt ~30 m from the Joubert dock gate during EDF Renouvelables dredging works (2020-2022) and loaned to the Commando Association for a planned museum at Spean Bridge, Scotland. The ship's bell is held in Campbeltown, Scotland (secondary sources).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-2024
- Limitations
- Wreck-removal chronology after the war is not officially documented in the sources inspected: press and field-report accounts establish that remains lay inside the dock at Liberation and that fragments persist, but the timing and completeness of postwar clearance are unverified ('scrapped in the 1950s' appears only in AI-generated aggregator text - not carried). No source inspected states whether residual wreck material remains in situ. No asbestos or hazmat statement in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-06
-
[7]National Archives Ship Plan Index (BUCHANAN DD-131 rows); NARA guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961'; archive.org item ddflushdeckersbogp1919 (NARA-derived class plan set); NARA Special List 44 ship-number index (checked, not indexed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index BUCHANAN rows (NAIDs 53483835, 175668513); NARA asbestos guided topic (S39/S48 drawing codes); archive.org/details/ddflushdeckersbogp1919
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov) lists BUCHANAN DD-131 in Record Group 19 under 'Alphabetical Ship Drawings' (NAID 53483835) and 'Microfilm' (NAID 175668513) - confirmed existence of ship-specific engineering drawings. NARA's guided asbestos-research topic ('Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961') identifies S39 insulation-and-lagging and S48 piping drawings within RG 19 Cartographic holdings as the useful records for hull-level asbestos research. A class-level primary artifact is digitized: 'USA - DD Wickes & Clemson Class Booklet of General Plans (1919)' (Navy Yard Newport News, 1 Oct 1919; NARA file unit 'Plans for Flush Deckers, 1789-1967') at archive.org. NARA Special List 44's ship-number index does not index this hull (its list coverage begins with alphanumeric-era hulls); 1919-1940 deck logs for this ship would be held under RG 24 logbooks indexed by name.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation only - the drawings' contents, including any insulation specification, were not retrieved or inspected (College Park pull required, no spend authorized). NARA's asbestos guide covers 1941-1961 correspondence; this hull's build (1918-19) and U.S. career (to 1940) largely predate the guide's correspondence window, so RG 19 drawing files and earlier bureau records are the applicable leads. UK Devonport refit/conversion records are at The National Archives (ADM series), not searched this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-07
-
[8]UK MOD / Disposal Services Authority, 'Recycling of Type 22 Frigates HMS Campbeltown, HMS Chatham and HMS Cumberland' (publishing.service.gov.uk) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MOD recycling report, DRSO preparation section (IHM + Type 2 asbestos survey for tender documents)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- UK Ministry of Defence disposal documentation shows a name-collision risk for 'HMS Campbeltown' in asbestos records: the MOD's 'Recycling of Type 22 Frigates HMS Campbeltown, HMS Chatham and HMS Cumberland' report documents an Inventory of Hazardous Materials and Type 2 asbestos survey for Ex-HMS Campbeltown - the Type 22 frigate F86 (commissioned 1989, recycled at Aliaga 2014) - a different vessel bearing the same RN name. Any UK-source 'HMS Campbeltown' hazmat/asbestos document encountered downstream refers to F86, not the ex-DD-131 I42 destroyed in 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2013-2014 (F86 disposal documentation)
- Limitations
- Correction/disambiguation row only: the F86 asbestos survey is real official documentation but belongs to a different ship; its existence does not evidence asbestos aboard this hull. Prevents misattribution of UK 'Campbeltown' hazmat records to I42.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-08
-
[9]Batch-3137 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, NARA Ship Plan Index + guided asbestos topic + Special List 44, Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port, Destroyers-for-Bases treaty record, UK MOD disposal documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buchanan-dd131-01 through sl-uss-buchanan-dd131-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located in the non-litigation repositories searched: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum condition report, or official material record naming DD-131 or HMS Campbeltown I42 was found (see search_ledger). The hull's destruction by demolition charge on 28 March 1942 predates asbestos survey practice and the litigation era, so no postwar hull record is expected to exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era construction practice is consistent with asbestos-containing insulation in machinery spaces, but nothing inspected establishes it for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search endpoint, query '"USS Buchanan" asbestos' (type=o), executed via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buchanan-dd131-09, sl-uss-buchanan-dd131-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index search for '"USS Buchanan" asbestos' returned 0 results - no opinion naming USS Buchanan in an asbestos context exists in the indexed federal record. Additional sweep legs ('"USS Buchanan"' unqualified, '"DD-131"', '"Campbeltown"', docket index) were attempted across repeated spaced retries over ~80 minutes on 2026-09-26 but the fleet-wide pacing budget rejected every request (cl_ratelimit acquire timeouts); those legs are logged as blocked in the search ledger rather than silently omitted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The executed query covers the opinion index for the exact-name-plus-asbestos surface only (0 qualifying results). Unqualified 'USS Buchanan', 'DD-131', 'Campbeltown', and docket-index legs were not completed - fleet pacing budget spent; any unqualified 'USS Buchanan' hit would in any case require hull attribution, since DD-484 (1942-49) and DDG-14 (1962-91) share the name and dominate asbestos-litigation marketing surfaces. Zero opinion-index hits does not exclude state-court filings, unindexed dockets, or MDL-875 pleading-stage references naming the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buchanan-dd131-10