Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet es-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-pkt-es-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Charles F. Hughes (DD-428) (builder, dates, service narrative; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake paragraph + specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Admiral Charles Frederick Hughes (1866-1934), Chief of Naval Operations 1927-1930; launched 16 May 1940 by Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., sponsored by Mrs. C. F. Hughes; commissioned 6 September 1940, Lt. Comdr. G. L. Menocal. Specs: 1,620 tons, 348'3" x 36'1" x 11'9", 33 kt, complement 191, armament 5 x 5" + 2 x 21" tt, cl. Benson. Service: Caribbean training; Newport 3 April 1941; western Atlantic convoy escort from September 1941; July 1941 Iceland-escort rescue of 14 survivors incl. four Red Cross nurses; 16 October 1941 rescue of 7; coastal/Caribbean convoys; first complete Atlantic crossing Belfast 30 April-19 May 1942; transatlantic convoys to Northern Ireland from August 1942; escorted first North African reinforcement convoy to Casablanca 2-18 November 1942; 1943 Bristol Channel-Netherlands West Indies tanker convoys (Londonderry 15 February sailing under near-constant wolfpack attack); Casablanca convoy November-December 1943; 8th Fleet Mediterranean from 4 January 1944; Anzio bombardment/screening/patrol from Naples 7 February-early March and again to late May; escort and Gibraltar patrol 3 March-4 April; Naples 30 July 1944 for southern France invasion; night of 19-20 August forced two of three attacking German E-boats to beach and sank the third by gunfire; Gulf of Genoa; call-fire support off Monaco 7-16 December; Brooklyn overhaul from 12 January 1945; final escort voyage to Oran; Pacific duty, Ulithi 13 June; Okinawa convoys; September-October occupation convoys Ulithi/Philippines to Japanese ports; homeward bound from Tokyo 4 November; Charleston, S.C. 7 December; out of commission in reserve 18 March 1946. Four battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- Puget Sound Navy Yard construction trades 1939-40; wartime crew (design complement 191)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcription ends at decommissioning - the 1969 target sinking and strike are carried from NavSource/secondary compilations (ev-02). Commissioning date reads 6 September where NavSource reads 5 September - conflict carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; no Wayback capture of the NHHC URL exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-428 USS Charles F. Hughes (data block + commanding-officer list; corroborated by uboat.net and NavalCoverMuseum entries) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-428 'Operational and Building Data' block, 'Fate' line, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-source corroboration and disposition data absent from DANFS: data block reads laid down by Puget Sound Navy Yard 3 January 1938 (conflicts navypedia 1/1939 and the Wikipedia class table's 3 January 1939 - carried in gaps), launched 16 May 1940, commissioned September 5 1940 (DANFS reads 6 September; NavSource's own CO list dates Menocal's command from Sep 6), decommissioned 18 March 1946, stricken 1 June 1969, sunk as target off Virginia 26 March 1969 - the strike postdating the sinking. As-built block reads 2,395 tons full, 348'4" oa x 36'1" x 13'2" max, 47,000 shp Bethlehem turbines 2 screws, 35 kt, 6,500 nm at 12 kt, crew 208. CO list: LCDR G. L. Menocal (from Sep 6 1940), LCDR B. S. Copping, CDR J. C. G. Wilson, CDR John Shannon (to Mar 18 1946).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1938-1969
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable volunteer compilation of official photos and data, not an official record; figures differ from DANFS in the usual full-load/design and trial dimensions - DANFS values are carried in record fields, NavSource figures noted. Laid-down year (1938) conflicts with navypedia (1/1939) and the Wikipedia class table (3 January 1939) and would predate the May 1938 authorization - carried in gaps. Documents disposition, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-02
-
[4]NARA, 'USS CHARLES F HUGHES - War History,' National Archives Identifier 77631464 - Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories series, National Archives at College Park [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/77631464 (indexed at dp.la/item/e63401beb17717861ea17ccd127960b3)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA custody confirmed for this hull's submitted World War II war history: catalog record 'USS CHARLES F HUGHES - War History' (NAID 77631464) sits in the ONRL World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories collection at College Park. An unretrieved hull-level narrative that may carry construction/material detail DANFS omits; contents unreviewed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - catalog record indexed via the Digital Public Library of America (dp.la) partner feed; catalog.archives.gov returns a JS shell to automated fetch so page content was not directly re-verified, and the document itself was not pulled. Existence is confirmed; contents are unknown and may or may not address materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-03
-
[5]DANFS specifications block (Benson class; 33 kt; cpl. 191) + class-level machinery record (four Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers; 2-shaft Bethlehem geared turbines; 47,000-50,000 shp per NavSource as-built block and class references); era corroboration: Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, et al., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030); NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications cited as archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; NavSource as-built machinery block; class machinery data per naval references; PubMed record PMID 21016030
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Benson-class destroyer built 1939-40 with a high-pressure superheated steam plant (four Babcock & Wilcox boilers; Bethlehem geared turbines, ~47,000-50,000 shp, 2 shafts) would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation on boilers and steam lines, turbine lagging, flange/valve gaskets, pump packing, compartment fireproofing, and deck coverings. The contemporaneous industrial-hygiene literature documents asbestos pipe covering as standard in naval-vessel construction of this era (Fleischer 1946 survey of four anonymized yards). NARA RG 19 General Information Books per-vessel material specifications are the standing hull-level archival lead; retrieval not performed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Population
- Puget Sound Navy Yard construction trades 1939-40; wartime crew 1940-46
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no survey, spec sheet, or contract names materials aboard this hull. The Fleischer survey anonymizes its four yards and cannot be tied to Puget Sound specifically. Not a ship-specific finding; must not be read as 'documented aboard DD-428.' NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-04
-
[6]Atlas shipyard dataset records (shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json): puget-sound-naval-shipyard (builder, tier 1, EPA Superfund WA2170023418; DTIC AD0715808 exposure survey; Hollins DM et al., J Toxicol Environ Health B 12(2):124-156, 2009, DOI 10.1080/10937400902729176, photographic review of asbestos work conditions at the yard circa 1940-1965); brooklyn-navy-yard (January 1945 overhaul, tier 3); charleston-naval-shipyard (1945-46 inactivation/decommissioning, tier 2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json records 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard', 'brooklyn-navy-yard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder- and overhaul-yard documentation: the Atlas dataset documents the builder, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton, WA), at evidence tier 1 - EPA Superfund-listed with documented asbestos products (thermal insulation, gaskets, electrical systems, deck tiles, fireproofing, refractory materials) and quantitative exposure data (rip-out operations 40-150 f/cc per DTIC AD0715808-era studies; 21% pulmonary abnormality rate in a 7,000-worker screen). Brooklyn (New York Naval Shipyard, tier 3 - documented asbestos litigation including In re Eastern & Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation, 772 F. Supp. 1380) overhauled this hull January 1945; Charleston Naval Shipyard (tier 2) hosted the 1945-46 inactivation/decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Population
- Naval shipyard workers at the builder, overhaul, and inactivation yards, 1939-1946
- Limitations
- Yard-level records document asbestos product use at the facilities that built and serviced this hull, not installation aboard DD-428; the flagship PSNY exposure data postdates the hull's 1939-40 construction period. The Charleston yard-role is inferred - DANFS names only 'Charleston, S.C.' as the decommissioning location. Does not address crew exposure aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 search (type=o opinions and type=r dockets), exact-name queries "USS Charles F. Hughes" and "Charles F. Hughes" plus hull-number queries "DD-428" - authenticated via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-27 [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py/cl-patient-search.py session log 2026-09-27 (batch3413-cl-results.log); search_ledger sl-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-09 through -14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. "USS Charles F. Hughes": 0 opinions, 0 dockets - the strongest attribution-clean negative. "Charles F. Hughes": 8 opinion and 13 docket hits, all person-name collisions - the pre-1940 hits (Osborne v. Hughes 1908; Gill 1888; Levy v. Passavant 1897; Hughes v. Patton 1916; David Belasco 1904; Plowman 1909) predate the hull; Diaz v. the S.S. Seathunder (D. Md. 1961) was full-text verified as a maritime lien case where 'Charles F. Hughes t/a Vane Brothers Company' is an intervening libelant-person, not the vessel; the 13 dockets are personal bankruptcy/civil cases for debtors of that name. "DD-428": 1 opinion (Fla. appellate hit where 'DD-428' is a lower-court docket-number string - identical collision pattern to DD-410's Fla. hit) and 3 dockets (Dunsmore prison civil-rights, Oracle securities, Madoff SIPA) where 'DD-428' matches exhibit/Bates identifiers inside unrelated filings.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The attribution-clean queries (exact USS name, hull number) returned zero qualifying results - the strongest obtainable negative. Absence of indexed hits does not prove no litigation exists - RECAP coverage is incomplete for state-court filings and unindexed text, and 'Hughes' is a common surname (and collides with USS Hughes DD-410, a different hull), which is why exact-phrase and hull-number forms were used rather than surname sweeps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-06
-
[8]Batch-3413 search ledger (this record): DANFS (ibiblio verbatim transcription); NavSource; navypedia; NARA (DPLA partner index); Atlas shipyard dataset; web sweep for hull-specific asbestos/abatement/litigation mentions; CourtListener authenticated sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-01 onward
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located in the sources searched: no hull survey, spec sheet, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or museum documentation exists for this hull (sunk as a target off Virginia 1969; no surviving structure), no non-CourtListener source names this hull in an asbestos context, and the CourtListener sweep returned no qualifying litigation. Law-firm marketing ship-lists naming 'USS Charles F. Hughes (DD-428)' (asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomasymptoms.com, mesothelioma.com, nemerofflaw.com) were located and excluded per sourcing rules.
- 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 - 1939-40 construction at an asbestos-documented naval yard is era-consistent with ACM. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Negative finding is bounded by the search_ledger actually completed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charles-f-hughes-dd428-07