Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet ks-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Charles E. Brannon
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-pkt-ks-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Charles E. Brannon (DE-446) - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. II (Navy Department / GPO, 1963) print text via Internet Archive scan (archive.org/details/dictionaryofamer02wash), identical to the NHHC web entry (published 2015-06-30; live page serves 404; 2024-05-24 Wayback capture cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. II (1963) entry 'Charles E. Brannon' (scanned print pp. ~426-427 sequence, C-section); NHHC web entry published 2015-06-30
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Ensign Charles E. Brannon, USNR (born 2 Aug 1919, Montgomery, Ala.; Torpedo Squadron 8 aboard Hornet CV-8; killed in action 4 June 1942, Battle of Midway; posthumous Navy Cross). Specifications: dp. 1,350; l. 306'; b. 36'8"; dr. 9'5"; s. 24 k.; cpl. 186; a. 2x5", 3x21" tt., 8 dcp., 1 dcp.(hh.), 2 dct; class John C. Butler. Launched 23 April 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding Co., Newark, N.J.; sponsored by Second Lieutenant D. Brannon, WAC (1963 print; NHHC online text reads WAG); commissioned 1 November 1944, Commander E. W. Todd in command (see gaps - likely D. W. Todd). Departed New York 27 January 1945; cargo escort via Panama Canal, Galapagos, Society Islands to Manus (arrived 15 March); interisland convoy escort from San Pedro Bay, P.I.; screen and call-fire support, Tarakan landings 1-8 May; Brunei Bay assault support from 10 June; convoys Philippines-Okinawa July-mid-September 1945; occupation of China service Okinawa-Hong Kong; returned San Francisco 1 February 1946; out of commission in reserve San Diego 21 May 1946; Naval Reserve training program from August 1946; commissioned status 21 November 1950-18 June 1960; thereafter in service under officer-in-charge. One battle star for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1963 (text coverage)
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding (Port Newark) construction trades 1944; wartime and postwar crew (DANFS design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The 1963 print entry predates the 1968 striking/1969 sale and so ends mid-service ('in service... 1960'); disposal dates come from other rows. The live NHHC page returns 404 (checked 2026-09-28); the 2024-05-24 Wayback capture and the archive.org scan of the GPO print edition carry identical text. CO initial and sponsor-branch abbreviations vary across renderings - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Charles E. Brannon (DE 446) - building and operational data block (compiled from official Navy records incl. NVR-derived data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/446.htm, 'Building and Operational Data' block + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Service/disposal timeline beyond the 1963 DANFS text: keel laid 13 January 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding Co., Port Newark, N.J. (DANFS omits the keel date); commissioned 1 November 1944 at the New York Navy Yard; decommissioned 21 May 1946 at San Diego; placed 'In Service' August 1946 assigned to Naval Reserve Training at San Diego; recommissioned 21 November 1950; decommissioned 18 June 1960 and placed 'In Service' continuing as a Reserve Training Ship; taken 'Out of Service' and struck from the Naval Vessel Register 23 September 1968 (total 23 years 8-3/4 months); sold for scrapping 27 October 1969. Ship specifications block: WGT geared-turbine drive, 1,350 t light/1,745 t full, 2 'D' express boilers, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kt, complement 14 officers/201 enlisted (215 - same figure on the HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-45' ship page); two U.S. Navy NARA photographs of the crew aboard (80-G-444372, 80-G-444364) also indexed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1969
- Population
- Crew and Naval Reserve trainees 1944-1968
- Limitations
- Secondary volunteer compilation, not an official page - the underlying NVR record is not publicly displayed for pre-1987 disposals (nvr.navy.mil carries only 1987-and-later hulls; DE-446 returns no record). The 1968/1969 disposal dates are consistent across NavSource, uboat.net's Allied Warships entry, and the Naval Cover Museum compilation; cited at compilation level. NavSource ribbon board adds an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with no documented qualifying operation in DANFS - carried in gaps, not asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-02
-
[4]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC (f/k/a caption: Jack v. Asbestos Corp. Ltd. et al.), W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537-JLR - Joint Pretrial Order, ECF No. 738 att. 1 (94 pp.; RECAP gov.uscourts.wawd.244111.738.1) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF 738 att. 1, pp. 10 (Lowell witness abstract), 13-14 (Viad/Cushing and Sargent abstracts), 70 (spec-suite exhibit items A-73..A-77), 81 (ship photo + AMSP/Navy records exhibits), 84 (Viad Griscom-Russell succession exhibits)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pretrial materials name this hull in a contested evaporator-insulation theory. Plaintiff-side witness list: 'Captain Lowell may testify regarding the asbestos-containing components and insulation associated with the Griscom Russell evaporators aboard the USS Brannon.' Viad Corp (sued as successor to Griscom-Russell) recites proposed testimony: 'Griscom-Russell supplied the Navy with distilling plants that were bare of insulation in accordance with precise detailed specifications... The Navy insulated the distillers after they were installed on the ship and tested. The Navy decided whether to use asbestos insulation and, at the time it insulated the distiller on the USS Brannon, asbestos insulation likely was not used because asbestos was a critical material during WWII and the temperature at which the distiller operated was low enough that insulations other than asbestos could be used without impairing the function of the distiller. By the time Mr. Jack first boarded the USS Brannon all of the original gaskets in the distiller (only some of which were asbestos) had been replaced.' And per Rear Adm. (ret.) David P. Sargent Jr.: the evaporator was supplied 'without insulation'; 'the Navy did not consult [Griscom-Russell] about the type of insulation it planned to use'; 'On the USS BRANNON this could have included fiberglass, mineral wool or other non-asbestos insulation.' The exhibit list ties the referent to DE-446 via Jane's Fighting Ships 1962-63 p. 343 (John C. Butler class entry) and a 'Photo of U.S.S. Brannon (DE 444-6)' among Ford RFA exhibits, plus 'Patrick Jack Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program record, dated December 8, 1988' and 'Selected Navy Records of Decedent Patrick Jack.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1955-1962 (alleged exposure window); litigation 2017-2019
- Population
- Patrick Jack (USN/Naval Reserve machinist 1955-1962 per the court's recital of the second amended complaint; pleural mesothelioma, died 15 October 2017)
- Limitations
- Pretrial-order/exhibit-list level - witness-abstract and exhibit recitals, not adjudicated fact. The plaintiff's theory is expressly opposed within the same document: Viad's witnesses assert the evaporator aboard this hull likely carried non-asbestos insulation and that original gaskets (only some asbestos) had been replaced before Mr. Jack boarded. Establishes that this hull was named in asbestos litigation and what each side proposed to prove; establishes neither asbestos content aboard DE-446 nor any individual exposure. Whether the Brannon/evaporator theory was tried to verdict against Viad is not in the located opinions - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-03
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[5]Leslie Jack v. DCo. LLC, 9th Cir. No. 19-35563, unpublished memorandum (filed 22 February 2021), affirming Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537-JLR (Order on Motions for Summary Judgment, ECF 706, 17 September 2018, 79 pp.) [court_record]
- Locator
- W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537 ECF 706 (order's caption + conclusions; zero occurrences of Brannon/Viad/Griscom/evaporator in its 79 pp.); 9th Cir. appellate docket 10273 + 19-35563 memorandum pp. 2-4 (memorandum text reviewed from filed PDF; not in CL opinion index)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation-stage documentation for the case that names this hull. The 17 September 2018 order resolved seven summary-judgment motions on other product lines - granting Union Pacific summary judgment on the take-home theory and granting in part Borg-Warner's, Ford's, and DCo's motions; the order nowhere addresses the Brannon/Griscom-Russell evaporator theory. The Ninth Circuit's 22 February 2021 memorandum affirms the district court's summary judgment for Union Pacific and post-trial judgments as a matter of law for Ford and DCo, establishing the case proceeded to trial on other claims. No located opinion adjudicates exposure aboard USS Brannon; the evaporator-insulation claim against Viad Corp (Griscom-Russell succession disputed - 'pass through of BLH-PA's liabilities to BLH-DE') is not resolved in any located opinion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2018-2021 (adjudicated stages)
- Population
- Same decedent (Patrick Jack); no Brannon-specific adjudicated population
- Limitations
- Dispositions documented concern other defendants' products (automotive clutches/brakes/gaskets, railroad take-home exposure) - the record establishes the litigation stage of the Brannon theory (pretrial materials filed; not adjudicated in located opinions) rather than any finding about the ship. The unpublished memorandum is non-precedential (9th Cir. R. 36-3).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group 6 (WGT) table row (shipscribe.com scan) + class boiler-block map (navypedia compilation) + Navy insulation-spec suite identified in the Jack exhibit list [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group 6 row; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt block map; Jack ECF 738-1 pp. 70-71 (exhibits A-72..A-77); shipyards.json 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' (O-I survey Aug 30-Sep 2, 1944)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's plant: BuShips design group 6 (WGT) - 306 ft oa, 1,350 t standard, 24.3 kt, two 'D' express boilers at 435 psi/750 deg F, two Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, accommodations 15 officers/207 enlisted; the class boiler-block map assigns Babcock & Wilcox boilers to DE-438 through DE-452 (this hull's block). The Jack exhibit list identifies the era's controlling Navy insulation-spec suite: 'Bureau of Ships Manual, Chapter 39, Thermal Insulation, NAVSHIPS 250-000(39), dated 24 August 1945' (exhibits A-74/A-75); 'Navy Department Specification, Felt, Insulating, Asbestos, 32F3a, dated 15 October 1945' (A-76); 'General Specifications for Machinery - Subsection S39-1, Navy Department, Bureau of Engineering, dated 3 Feb 1939' (A-72); BuEng 'Engineering Instructions' ch. 13 heat insulation (rev. 1933, repr. 1939, A-73); BUMED Code-55 memo 'Occupational Health Issues for POM-80' (9 June 1977, A-77). A wartime steam plant of this era would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing; the builder corporation (Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock) is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset via a 1944 Owens-Illinois industrial-health survey at its Kearny yard (a different Federal facility from this hull's Port Newark yard).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1939-1977 (spec documents); 1944 construction era
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding (Port Newark) construction trades 1944; crew 1944-1968 incl. Naval Reserve trainees
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-corporation inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or contract document for DE-446 was located. The boiler-block map is a secondary compilation unverified against contract documents; the spec suite was identified via a litigation exhibit list, not retrieved this session; the Kearny industrial-health survey documents Federal's other yard. Establishes no quantity and no individual exposure, and the Jack defense recital asserts non-asbestos insulation may have been used aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-05
-
[7]CourtListener authenticated sweep (2026-09-28, all six queries completed after spaced pacing retries - see search_ledger): exact-name 'Charles E. Brannon' and 'USS Brannon' plus hull-number 'DE-446', opinion + RECAP-docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search type=o/r (2026-09-28): 'Charles E. Brannon' o=0/r=3; 'USS Brannon' o=1/r=1; 'DE-446' o=15/r=81; docket 6100500 + appellate docket 10273 enumerated
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep results for this hull (2026-09-28). Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull: Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec (W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537, docket 6100500; NOS 368 P.I. Asbestos) - the sole docket whose indexed text contains 'USS Brannon' (ev-03, ev-04). One additional asbestos docket carries the name in indexed document text: Johnson v. CBS Corporation (W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00834, docket 6076315; NOS 368 P.I. Asbestos) - plaintiff was a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard rigger 1952-1991; the complaint names no vessels and the Brannon mention's context is unresolved (ev-09, archival lead). Collisions classified: 'Charles E. Brannon' docket index also returned two consumer-bankruptcy cases for persons of that name (M.D. Ala. 04-10648; N.D. Miss. 07-10772) - name collisions, not the ship. 'USS Brannon' opinion index returned one hit, United States v. Motor Ship Hoyanger (W.D. Wash. 1967, USS Whitehurst collision admiralty case) - other litigation, not asbestos, ship name not in opinion body. 'DE-446' opinion index: 15 hits, all docket-number/exhibit-number noise; 'DE-446' docket index: 81 hits, all numeric noise - no qualifying hit in either hull-number index. No opinion-level exposure finding names this hull anywhere in the corpus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Population
- Patrick Jack (ev-03) plus unresolved ship-name mention in a yard-worker's docket (ev-09)
- Limitations
- All six planned queries completed 2026-09-28 after the fleet pacing budget cleared (spaced retries through cl-auth-search.py only). Index coverage only: absence of a docketed case does not prove no DE-446 crewmember ever filed a claim (state-court and PACER-only filings sit outside the indexed corpus), and a document-level name match does not establish that the ship figured in the plaintiff's allegations. The Jack record remains pretrial-stage as to the ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-06
-
[8]Batch-4337 search ledger (this record): DANFS Vol. II 1963 GPO scan (Internet Archive) + NHHC entry (live 404; Wayback 2024-05-24); NavSource operational data; Jack v. Borg-Warner RECAP documents (ECF 738-1 pretrial order; ECF 706 SJ order; 9th Cir. 19-35563 memo); BuShips SDB 1945; class profile (class-f john-c-butler-class); Atlas shipyards.json (37 yards) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-level asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding located for DE-446. The only ship-specific asbestos-adjacent record is pretrial-stage litigation material (ev-03). The hull was sold for scrapping in 1969 - no museum condition report, donation hazmat disclosure, or in-place ACM record can exist; whatever insulation the hull carried left service with the ship.
- 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 at construction - era inference for a 1944 WGT steam plant remains reasonable but ship-unproven, and the Jack defense recital contemplates non-asbestos insulation aboard this hull. Does not establish or defeat any individual claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-07
-
[9]NARA holdings for this hull (not yet retrieved): Navy deck logs (RG 24), USS Charles E. Brannon (DE-446), 1944-1946 and 1950-1960 series; the ship's official war history submission (noted by NavSource); still photographs 80-G-444372 and 80-G-444364; the Navy insulation-spec suite identified in the Jack exhibit list (NAVSHIPS 250-000(39); spec 32F3a; S39-1; BuEng ch. 13; BUMED Code-55 'POM-80' memo 1977) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov RG 24 deck-log series (DE-446); NavSource note of official war history; Jack ECF 738-1 p. 81 (AMSP record exhibit) and p. 70 (spec suite)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Hull-level archival leads exist and are identifiable: NARA deck logs and the ship-submitted war history are the standard sources for underway/overhaul detail that could reveal maintenance of insulated systems; the Jack docket's exhibit identifiers point to the controlling insulation-spec documents and to the decedent's 'Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program record, dated December 8, 1988' - membership in the Navy's occupational asbestos surveillance program is itself a documented exposure-workplace indicator worth pulling.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1968 (records); 1988 (AMSP record)
- Population
- Crew 1944-1968 (potential documented-exposure cohort via AMSP records)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these documents was retrieved or read this session; the NARA catalog migrated to a JS application with no public JSON endpoint reached during research. Identifies where ship-level material detail may be found; asserts nothing about contents.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-08
-
[10]Johnson v. CBS Corporation, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00834-TSZ (docket 6076315; NOS 368 P.I. Asbestos; filed 2017-05-30, terminated 2018-03-27) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 6076315 (RECAP index match on 'Charles E. Brannon', BM25 33.67); ECF 1 complaint plain_text reviewed (no vessels named; PSNS rigger employment 1952-1991)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury docket in which 'Charles E. Brannon' appears in indexed CourtListener document text. The complaint (ECF 1, RECAP text) alleges plaintiff Thomas A. Johnson worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 1952-1991 (Rigger Helper, Rigger, Radiation Monitor, Rigger Foreman, Rigger General Foreman) and names no vessels - defendants are the standard product lineup (CBS/Westinghouse, Foster-Wheeler, Warren Pumps, Crane, IMO, Goulds, Asbestos Corp, Uniroyal, GE, Air & Liquid, MetLife). The hull's appearance is therefore most consistent with a ship-overhauled-at-yard context (PSNS), not shipboard service; the matching document itself is not in the public RECAP store and its context is unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1952-1991 (employment window); litigation 2017-2018
- Population
- Thomas A. Johnson (PSNS yard rigger 1952-1991; not documented as Brannon crew)
- Limitations
- Indexed-text match only - the specific document carrying 'Charles E. Brannon' is not among the two RECAP-available filings (ECF 1 complaint; ECF 52 protective order), so whether the hull appeared in a ship list, deposition, or exhibit cannot be confirmed from the public record. Case terminated 2018-03-27 (FJC disposition 13). Yard-worker asbestos cases routinely list ships only as overhaul venues; no allegation of shipboard exposure is documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-e-brannon-de446-09