Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Buck II (DD-761) (builder, dates, specifications, Korean service narrative, battle stars; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray transcription via Wayback capture 2006-09-27)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: the second Buck (DD-761) launched 11 March [1945 - transcription misprints 1943] by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco, Calif., sponsored by Miss Mary Nimitz, daughter of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz; commissioned 28 June 1946, Commander H. H. Nielsen in command. Spec block: Allen M. Sumner class; dp. 2200; l. 376'6"; b. 40'10"; dr. 19'; s. 34.2 k.; cpl. 846 [sic - misprint; class design 336]; a. 6 5", 10 21" TT. Service: Pacific Fleet west-coast operations Acapulco to Ketchikan after September 1946 shakedown; Far East cruise December 1948-summer 1949; reserve cruises and Operation Miki off Hawaii; second WestPac tour 11 January-25 April 1950 then overhaul at San Francisco Naval Shipyard; late 1950 with Destroyer Division 71 joined UN forces in Korea - 'suffered considerable damage in a collision with John W. Thomason (DD-760)', temporary repairs at Sasebo then repairs at Bremerton January-March 1951; Korean waters again 30 April-July 1951; January-11 July 1952 WestPac tour (shore bombardment and fast-carrier task force); sixth Far Eastern tour 21 February-22 September 1953 with TFs 72, 77, 95, 96, 97 off Korea through the Armistice; thereafter west-coast operations and three more Far Eastern cruises. Six battle stars for Korean service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1973 (narrative written circa 1960s)
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1944-46; crew 1946-73 (design complement 336); San Francisco Naval Shipyard and Bremerton yard workers during documented 1950-51 availabilities
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry (circa-1960s) predates the 1973 disposal, so transfer and fate come from other sources (ev-02 through ev-04). Two transcription misprints carried in gaps: launch year '1943' (impossible - laid down February 1944; 1945 confirmed by NavSource, Navypedia, NGB, DPHDM) and complement '846' (class design 336). Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC pages return 404 (standing link-rot defect since batch-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-01
-
[2]Departamento de Historia da DPHDM (Diretoria do Patrimonio Historico e Documentacao da Marinha, Brazilian Navy), 'Alagoas, Contratorpedeiro (1973-1995)' official ship history, PDF 4 pp, published 2026-06-25 [other_primary]
- Locator
- repositoriodphdm.marinha.mil.br handle 123456789/849774, AlagoasContratorpedeiro1973-1995.pdf (datas block, historico, machinery list, commander roster)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Brazilian Navy history-department record for this hull: contratorpedeiro of 'Classe Allen M. Sumner-Fram-II', built at Bethlehem Co., California, launched 11 March 1945, incorporated into the U.S. Navy 28 June 1946 as USS Buck (DD 761); 'intense action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars', joint operations with carrier forces in the Gulf of Tonkin and patrol of the South Vietnam littoral; in December 1961 delivered to the Arsenal de Long Beach, California, for FRAM II conversion - received variable-depth sonar and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) installation, 'becoming the first U.S. destroyer qualified to operate such equipment'; transferred to the Brazilian Navy together with Sergipe, Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Norte and Espirito Santo, incorporated by Aviso Ministerial no. 589 of 29 June 1973, Mostra de Armamento 16 July 1973, visual indicativo D 36. Machinery (at Brazilian incorporation): two GE Cross Compound Impulse turbines 60,000 HP total, two shafts; Falk Locked Train reduction gears; four Babcock & Wilcox Express M boilers (615 lb, 850 deg F max); two Westinghouse turbogenerators; two GE 3-268-A diesel-generators; complement 18 officers + 252 enlisted; six 127mm/38 Mk 12 in three twin mounts; two triple Mk 32 ASW torpedo mounts; two Mk 10 grenade launchers; AN/SPS-10B, AN/SPS-40 radars; AN/SQS-45V sonar; first class units in the Brazilian Navy with helicopter hangar and landing platform. Stricken from Brazilian active service under Portaria no. 0267 of 2 May 1995; Mostra de Desarmamento per Ordem do Dia no. 006 of 30 July 1995 (document header reads 'Baixa: 30 de julho de 1995').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1995
- Population
- Long Beach Naval Shipyard trades December 1961-July 1962 (FRAM II); Brazilian crew 1973-95 (18 officers + 252 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Primary source for Brazilian-custody history and for the December 1961 FRAM II start at Long Beach; documents specifications and service, not materials or asbestos content. Does not mention the hull's post-strike fate (1996 target sinking documented by NGB - ev-04). Its 'Baixa: 30 de julho de 1995' header conflicts with the 30 June 1995 date in NGB and Wikipedia - carried in gaps. The 'first U.S. destroyer qualified to operate DASH' claim is carried per this source, not independently verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-02
-
[3]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, DD-761 USS Buck - operational/building data block, machinery line, fate line, namesake biography, NARA photo captions; NavSource FRAM special feature page (Long Beach 07/62) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-761 page - 'Operational and Building Data,' 'Fate,' machinery line, photo captions; navsource.org/archives/05/fram.htm FRAM table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource index data for this hull: laid down by Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco, 1 February 1944; launched 11 March 1945; commissioned 28 June 1946; 'Completed FRAM upgrade July 1962' (FRAM table row: 761 / Buck / Long Beach / 07-62); 'Decommissioned and Stricken July 16 1973'; to Brazil 16 July 1973, renamed Alagoas; 'Stricken June 30 1995, and broken up for scrap in 1995.' Specs: 3,218 t full; 376'6" x 40'10" x 14'2"; 60,000 shp GE geared turbines, 2 screws; 36.5 kt; crew 336. NARA photo captions: under construction at Bethlehem San Francisco 6 January 1945 (19-N-76776); February 1952 photo of damage from the collision with John W. Thomason DD-760 (80-G-653244); moored at Sasebo with Dixie (AD-14), John A. Bole (DD-755), John W. Thomason (DD-760) and Lofberg (DD-759).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1995
- Population
- Construction trades 1944-46; Long Beach NSY FRAM II workers 1961-62; crew 1946-73
- Limitations
- NavSource is a secondary compilation indexing official records, not a primary document. Its 'broken up for scrap in 1995' fate conflicts with the better-sourced NGB record of sinking as a target 19 December 1996 (ev-04) - carried in gaps. Its combined 'Decommissioned and Stricken July 16 1973' conflicts with the 15 July strike date in NGB and Wikipedia. The February 1952 caption date on collision-damage photo 80-G-653244 postdates the DANFS-documented late-1950 collision window and likely reflects cataloging, not the event.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-03
-
[4]Navios de Guerra Brasileiros (NGB), 'Contratorpedeiro Alagoas - D 36' ship page (specialist Brazilian naval-history reference citing official Portarias/Boletins do MM) [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval.com.br/ngb/A/A021/A021.htm - Datas block; Historico sections 1973, 1995, 1996
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Brazilian-service record for this hull with official-instrument citations: dates block - keel 1 February 1944, launched 11 March 1945, USN incorporation 28 June 1946, 'Baixa (USN): 15 de julho de 1973', Brazilian incorporation 16 July 1973, 'Baixa (MB): 30 de junho de 1995'. Transferred and incorporated into the Marinha do Brasil at an Armament Show (Mostra de Armamento) on 16 July 1973 alongside CT Sergipe D-35, ceremony presided by the Naval Attache in Washington, Contra-Almirante Labarthe, at San Diego Naval Base, per Aviso do MM no. 589 of 29/06/1973 signed by Minister of the Navy Adalberto de Barros Nunes; first commander Capitao-de-Fragata Hilton da Silva Sobrinho. Decommissioning and Disarmament ceremony 30 June 1995 per Portaria no. 026, Boletim do MM no. 0267/95 of 02/05/1995, with career totals of 1,298.5 days at sea and 337,726 miles. 'Still in 1995, the hull of ex-Alagoas was delivered to the Targets Division of CASOP. On 19 December [1996], the drifting hull was sunk as a target by an Exocet MM-40 missile fired by the corvette Inhauma - V 30.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1973-1996
- Population
- Brazilian crew and yard personnel 1973-95; target-handling crews 1995-96
- Limitations
- NGB is a private specialist reference that cites official Brazilian Navy instruments (Aviso 589/1973; Portaria 026/Boletim 0267/95); the underlying instruments are official but the page itself is a compilation. It is the located source that documents the hull's 1996 target sinking - contradicting the 'scrapped 1995' wording in NavSource and en-Wikipedia. Does not document materials or asbestos content; the target-sinking position is not given.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-04
-
[5]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (ships list; Ohio Dept. of Veterans Services mirror; identical entry confirmed in the Centre County PA and VFW Florida 2021 mirrors) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA ships list, destroyer entries section (alphabetical 'Buck (DD-761)' entry)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Official VA exposure-list entry naming this hull: 'USS Buck (DD-761) operated on Mekong River Delta and Saigon River during October 1966' - inland-waterway Vietnam service qualifying veterans aboard in that window for presumptive Agent Orange (herbicide) exposure under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6). Independently documents this hull's Vietnam riverine operations in October 1966.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1966 (service window); list current as mirrored
- Population
- Crew aboard during October 1966 Mekong Delta/Saigon River operations
- Limitations
- Herbicide-exposure documentation, not asbestos documentation - included as a ship-specific government record of Vietnam service (corroborating the DPHDM 'intense action' summary) and as exposure-context for the crew population aboard. Establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-05
-
[6]DANFS/NavSource specifications (Allen M. Sumner class; 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 GE geared steam turbines, 60,000 shp) + DPHDM machinery list + documented yard periods + NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; DPHDM machinery list and FRAM II narrative; NavSource FRAM table (Long Beach 07/62); NARA RG19 archival lead
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer built February 1944-June 1946 at Bethlehem Steel San Francisco with a four-boiler, 60,000-shp geared steam-turbine plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation - boiler and steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, gaskets and packing, fireproofing, bulkhead/compartment insulation, and deck coverings - the insulated-steam-plant configuration documented as asbestos-bearing across the WWII-era destroyer fleet. Three documented yard periods on this hull fall inside the pre-substitution era when such material was disturbed: San Francisco Naval Shipyard overhaul (1950), Bremerton collision repairs (January-March 1951), and the FRAM II conversion at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (December 1961-July 1962). NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- Bethlehem SF construction trades 1944-46; SFNSY workers 1950; PSNSY workers 1951; LBNSY workers 1961-62; crew 1946-73
- Limitations
- Class/era and yard-period inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding; no source documents an asbestos product aboard DD-761. FRAM II scope for this hull is documented only at summary level (VDS + DASH installation per DPHDM); insulation disturbance is inference, not record. NARA GIB retrieval not performed. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-06
-
[7]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json) yard-level records: 'hunters-point-naval-shipyard' (tier 3, NPL CA1170090087; Collins v. Plant Insulation Co., 185 Cal.App.4th 260 (2010)); 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard' (DTIC AD0715808 industrial-hygiene cohort: 21% pulmonary abnormalities in pipe coverers/insulators, 40-150 f/cc rip-out); 'long-beach-naval-shipyard' (1979 chest x-ray survey of 6,640 employees, 16.0% asbestos-related abnormalities, PMID 294186) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json records 'hunters-point-naval-shipyard', 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard', 'long-beach-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Yard-level context: all three naval shipyards where this hull had documented availabilities are documented asbestos-exposure sites in the Atlas dataset - Hunters Point/San Francisco Naval Shipyard (1950 overhaul; NPL site with mesothelioma litigation); Puget Sound NSY Bremerton (January-March 1951 collision repairs; DTIC-documented insulator exposure study); Long Beach NSY (December 1961-July 1962 FRAM II conversion; 1979 radiographic survey of 6,640 employees finding 16.0% asbestos-related abnormalities). The builder yard, Bethlehem Steel San Francisco, is not present in the dataset.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1950-1962 (hull availabilities); 1970-2010 (yard studies/litigation)
- Population
- Yard workforces at Hunters Point 1950, Bremerton 1951, Long Beach 1961-62
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation only - establishes that the yards performing documented work on this hull were asbestos-exposure sites, not that specific asbestos work occurred on DD-761 or that any crew member was exposed. Read as context for ev-06, not as ship-specific evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-07
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - this hull's entire U.S. service window (1946-1973) and all three documented yard periods fall inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era context for 1944-1973
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only; does not name this hull or class. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing defect since batch-01); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP docket index type=r) for this vessel's exact name and hull number [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buck-dd761-08 through -12; Siegfried ECF No. 50 PDF pp.1-12 (vessel list at pp.2-3)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Opinion-index sweep complete with zero hits: 'USS Buck' returned 0 opinions and 'DD-761' returned 0 opinions in the authenticated CourtListener v4 index (2026-09-27). The RECAP docket-index sweep ('USS Buck' and 'DD-761', type=r) could not be completed - the fleet-wide pacing budget was continuously spent across spaced retries through the session and every attempt returned the pacing-standdown signal; the docket sweep is deferred as an open item rather than retried into a throttle. Separately resolved by full-text review: the Siegfried v. 3M Co. removal joinder (C.D. Cal. 2:18-cv-01575, ECF No. 50) - the ~45-vessel complaint list that expressly names sister hull USS Lofberg (DD-759) does NOT name Buck (DD-761); not a qualifying record for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- none identified
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes opinions and PACER dockets, not state trial filings, VA claims, asbestos trust claims, or settled/unreported matters - absence here does not prove no claim was ever filed. 'Buck' is a high-collision name (common surname plus two Navy hulls): DD-420 (Sims-class) was torpedoed by U-616 off Salerno 9 October 1943, so any 'USS Buck' exposure allegation dated before June 1946 cannot be this hull; conversely DD-761's June 1946-July 1973 window is the screen for name-only hits. See search_ledger for per-query completeness.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-09
-
[10]Batch-3736 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + hazegray transcription; NavSource; Brazilian Navy DPHDM repository; NGB; Navypedia; NVR; VA ships list; Siegfried ECF 50 full text; Atlas shipyards dataset; asbestos-record web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-buck-dd761-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping hazmat disclosure, NVR entry (hull transferred 1973, before live-register coverage), or museum record naming this hull with asbestos data was found in the public sources searched. The hull's end-state - sunk as a target off Brazil in 1996 - means no scrapping/abatement documentation was ever generated for it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard; Brazilian-custody material history (1973-1996) is undocumented in located sources, and the target sinking leaves no retrievable disposal record. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-buck-dd761-10