Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet fq-packet.md (5 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Caldwell (DD-605); designation DD; type destroyer; class Benson
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-caldwell-dd605-pkt-fq-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Caldwell II (DD-605) - NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-02-02 (live page returns 404 on 2026-09-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Caldwell II (DD-605)', specifications block + service narrative (NHHC Wayback capture 2025-02-02)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec block dp. 1,620; l. 348'4"; b. 36'1"; dr. 17'4"; s. 38 k.; cpl. 257; a. 4 5"/38, 5 21" tt.; cl. Benson. Launched 15 January 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco, Calif.; sponsored by Miss A. Caldwell; commissioned 10 June 1942, LCDR J. F. Newman, Jr., in command. Service: Aleutians convoy screen and TG 8.6 operations September 1942-September 1943; Attu bombardment and TG 16.6 assault cover 11 May 1943; Kiska reinforcement screen 16 August 1943; TF 15 Tarawa strikes 18 September 1943; TF 14 Wake Island raids (bombarded Peale and Wake); Makin LST cover, charges delivered 21 November 1943; brief overhaul after escorting San Francisco-bound convoy; TF 52 Kwajalein/Majuro invasion 31 January 1944, collided with White Plains (CVE-66), Pearl Harbor repairs; TF 58 Palau-Yap-Ulithi-Woleai raids 30 March-1 April 1944, New Guinea strikes 22-24 April, Truk-Satawan-Ponape raids 29 April-1 May; Marshall Islands patrol to mid-August, Pearl Harbor upkeep; Philippines convoy screen via Ulithi and Manus; hit on the bridge by a suicide plane and two-bomb straddle fragments 12 December 1944 while escorting landing craft to Ormoc Bay - 33 killed, 40 wounded including the commanding officer; temporary repairs San Pedro Bay; repaired San Francisco; April 1945 convoy escort supporting Tarakan invasion, bombarded Tarakan 11-12 May; covered minesweeping off Brunei Bay; detonated influence-type mine 27 June 1945, moderate damage, no casualties; temporary repairs Victoria, Australia, final repairs San Pedro Bay; September-October 1945 escort of landing-craft convoys to Okinawa and Leyte; Tokyo Bay visit; placed out of commission in reserve at Charleston, S.C., 24 April 1946. Eight battle stars for World War II.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (design complement 257 per DANFS spec block); repair-yard workers at Pearl Harbor and San Francisco
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Repair/upkeep events (post-Makin 'brief overhaul', Pearl Harbor repairs after the White Plains collision, mid-1944 Pearl Harbor upkeep, post-Ormoc San Francisco repair January-March 1945) are named by location only - no yard, scope, or materials detail given. Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim text cited from the 2025-02-02 Wayback capture of the official page. DANFS omits laid-down date and postwar stricken/disposal dates - those come from NHHC photo captions and NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, USS Caldwell (DD-605) photo captions (NH 99685, NH 99686, NH 99687, 19-N-32313) - Naval Historical Center / Bureau of Ships Collection, U.S. National Archives [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Photo captions NH 99685, NH 99686, NH 99687, 19-N-32313 (NHHC Online Library mirror at ibiblio.org/HyperWar)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy photo captions for this hull: keel laid 24 March 1941 at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, San Francisco (photo 19-N-32313, Bureau of Ships Collection, U.S. National Archives, showing early construction 3 April 1941); photographed off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 7 August 1943 (NH 99685, NH 99686); off San Francisco 3 March 1945 (NH 99687) - consistent with the post-Ormoc repair period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard workforce (August 1943 availability); San Francisco Bay Area repair workforce (early 1945)
- Limitations
- Photo captions document presence and dates, not work scope or materials: the Mare Island August 1943 availability is not described in DANFS and its purpose/scope is undocumented; the March 1945 photo is consistent with - but does not itself prove - completion of the post-Ormoc repair. No asbestos content documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-02
-
[4]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Caldwell (DD-605) - Operational and Building Data (compiles DANFS/NVR-type data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page DD-605, 'Operational and Building Data' block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Building and disposition data for this hull: laid down by Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco, 24 March 1941; launched 15 January 1942; commissioned 10 June 1942; decommissioned 24 April 1946; stricken 1 May 1965; sold 4 November 1966 to Boston Metals, Baltimore, and broken up for scrap. Machinery: 50,000 shp, Bethlehem turbines, 2 screws; speed 35 knots; crew 208.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1966
- Population
- Crew 1942-1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet lay-up 1946-1965; scrapping workforce, Baltimore, 1966-67
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable volunteer-compiled naval-history index, not an official record - its dates are consistent with DANFS and NHHC photo captions where those exist (laid-down, launch, commission, decommission), but the stricken (1 May 1965) and disposal (4 November 1966, Boston Metals) entries are not independently confirmed by an official source reached in this batch. 'Crew 208' conflicts with the DANFS spec block's complement of 257 - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-03
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep, 2026-09-27 (authenticated via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py runs: type=o q="USS Caldwell" (count 0); type=o q="DD-605" (count 0)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index sweeps on exact name "USS Caldwell" and hull number "DD-605" returned zero results. No qualifying asbestos-litigation opinion naming this hull was located. A separate RECAP docket-level sweep produced one unverified docket-text hit - see ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-05.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Zero-hit sweep on the opinion index. A zero result proves only that no indexed opinion names this hull - unindexed pleadings, settled cases, and state-court matters are outside coverage. Name collision is low-risk: the only other commissioned USS Caldwell (DD-69) left Navy service in 1922 and was scrapped by 1936, before the asbestos-litigation era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-04
-
[6]In re Lyondell Chemical Company, No. 09-10023 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y., Judge Martin Glenn; filed 2009-01-06, terminated 2021-04-22) - RECAP docket 4326759 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener RECAP docket 4326759 (In re Lyondell Chemical Co., Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 09-10023); matched via type=r query '"Caldwell" "DD-605"' count=1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- RECAP docket-text search hit: 'Caldwell' and 'DD-605' co-occur in indexed docket text of the Lyondell Chemical mega-bankruptcy (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 09-10023), an asbestos-liability chapter 11 case. The exact-phrase 'USS Caldwell' is absent from the same index, so the reference - if it is to this vessel - uses a prefix-less format (e.g., a ship list or service-history attachment, 'Caldwell DD-605'). Whether 'DD-605' names this hull in an exposure allegation, and whether 'Caldwell' refers to the ship or to a person/party of that common surname, is unverified.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2009-2021 (litigation)
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- Docket-index hit only - the matching entry was not retrievable within the fleet's metered CourtListener budget this session, so the vessel's role (exposure-site allegation vs. name collision inside a mega-docket) is unresolved. Even if it names the hull, a bankruptcy proof-of-claim or exhibit reference is an allegation-stage artifact, not an adjudicated finding. Re-run and inspect the matching docket entry before any upgrade.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-05
-
[7]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), DD-605 detail page - NVR coverage note: 'Ships and service craft disposed of prior to 1987 are currently not included' [other_primary]
- Locator
- nvr.navy.mil DD-605 detail request (no ship record returned; coverage notice text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register carries no DD-605 record: the register's own coverage notice states that ships disposed of prior to 1987 are not included. Caldwell was stricken 1 May 1965 and sold for scrap 4 November 1966, so her absence from NVR is structural and uninformative about asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Negative-by-coverage-policy, not a substantive finding - NVR absence cannot distinguish a documented-clean hull from an undocumented one. No NVR materials data exists for any pre-1987 disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (January 1945), destroyer machinery table (shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas class profile benson-gleaves-class [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v1 destroyer machinery table ('No. 421 Class'); class-f worktree benson-gleaves-class.class.json member row for DD-605
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's class: Benson-subclass repeat destroyers (DD-605 is in the 1941 'Laffey group' of Bethlehem-built repeats) carried four superheated Babcock & Wilcox boilers (575 psi/700F per BuShips) and geared steam turbines at ~47,000-50,000 shp, built 1941-43 in the peak Navy asbestos era. Period-standard asbestos applications for the type: boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1941-42; wartime engineering crew (fireroom, engineroom watchstanders)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, contract specification, or survey names DD-605; the BuShips machinery table's per-hull row for DD-605 was not extracted (scanned document, class-lead DD-421 row verified at 47,000 shp). Asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is inferred from era and design, not proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-07
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[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page and abstract
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program as of 1979: standing policy since 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades. For this hull the policy context is moot: she decommissioned in 1946 and was stricken in 1965, before the Navy's substitution and removal policies began.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period); hull context 1941-1966
- Population
- Navy shipyard and fleet workforce (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level context, not hull evidence - the report does not name DD-605 and postdates her entire Navy career; it establishes only that no Navy asbestos-substitution program applied to this hull during or after her service. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; product-page description relied on (per BATCH-01 standing note).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-08
-
[10]This record's search ledger (NHHC DANFS + photo captions, NavSource, NVR, CourtListener API v4, class profile cross-check) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-caldwell-dd605-01 through sl-uss-caldwell-dd605-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials inventory, museum hazmat disclosure (the hull was scrapped, never preserved), government report, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Caldwell (DD-605) was found in the authoritative public sources searched.
- 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 - a 1941-42 steam destroyer of this class is era-consistent with standard asbestos insulation practice, and the 1946 decommissioning means no Navy abatement program ever applied. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-caldwell-dd605-09