Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet fl-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-claxton-dd571-pkt-fl-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Claxton II (DD-571) (NHHC live page 404 as of 2026-09-27; verbatim text captured via Wayback snapshot 2025-12-09 and corroborated by destroyerhistory.org verbatim mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Claxton II (DD-571)', specifications block + service narrative (NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-12-09; destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/ussclaxton mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 1 April 1942 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; sponsored by Mrs. A. D. Bernhard; commissioned 8 December 1942, Commander H. F. Stout in command. Spec block: dp. 2,050; l. 376'5"; b. 39'7"; dr. 17'9"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 320; 5 5-inch, 10 21-inch tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct.; class Fletcher. Service narrative: Casco Bay patrol March 1943; Casablanca convoy escort; Pacific Fleet from May 1943; Rendova landings cover 27 Jun-25 Jul 1943; Destroyer Squadron 23 operations recognized by squadron Presidential Unit Citation; Battle of Empress Augusta Bay 1-2 Nov 1943; Cape St. George action 25 Nov 1943; damaged 4 Feb 1944 at Sarime Plantation (15 wounded), permanent repairs on west coast; Palaus Sept 1944; Leyte landings 20 Oct 1944; Surigao Strait 24-25 Oct 1944; kamikaze damage 1 Nov 1944 (5 dead, 23 wounded; 187 Abner Read survivors rescued); repairs Tacloban and Manus; Lingayen Gulf 9-18 Jan 1945; Philippines ops through May; Okinawa radar picket from 16 May 1945. Postwar: overhaul in New York; decommissioned and placed in reserve at Charleston, S.C., 18 April 1946; loaned under the Military Assistance Program to the Federal Republic of Germany 15 December 1959, serving as Z-4. Eight battle stars plus the squadron PUC.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (DANFS complement figure 320)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, service, and disposition to the German loan - not materials or asbestos content. The entry gives no laid-down date (carried from secondary compilations, see gaps) and no stricken date (entry predates the 1974 striking). Mirror/archived text cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-01
-
[3]U.S. Navy / Bureau of Ships photographs held in the National Archives, captions compiled at NavSource DD-571 index: photo 19-N-66231 (BuShips Collection, NARA); photos 80-G-359488 and 80-G-304058 (Official U.S. Navy, NARA); photo NH 59864 (U.S. Naval Historical Center) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-571 photo caption block (NARA photo numbers 19-N-66231; 80-G-359488; 80-G-304058; NH 59864)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official photograph records document this hull's yard and drydock periods: stern view of battle damage at Mare Island Navy Yard 13 March 1944, with NavSource-compiled overhaul span 10 March - 18 May 1944 (the 'permanent repairs on the west coast' named by DANFS, following the 4 Feb 1944 Sarime Plantation damage); battle-damage repairs in floating drydock ABSD-2 at Manus, Admiralty Islands, 2 December 1944, alongside USS Canberra (CA-70) and USS Killen (DD-593) (post-1 Nov 1944 kamikaze damage); Charleston Navy Yard, February-March 1943 fitting-out period; at Mare Island 29 November 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard and Charleston Navy Yard trades 1943-45; ABSD-2 Manus drydock crews Dec 1944; ship's company during yard periods
- Limitations
- Photo records document the hull's presence at named yards/drydocks on stated dates; the 10 Mar - 18 May 1944 overhaul span itself is NavSource caption compilation, not a retrieved NARA record (photos 19-N-66231, 80-G-359488, 80-G-304058 are cataloged NARA holdings). Scope of yard work (beyond stern repair) and any materials disturbed are not documented by the captions. Live navsource.org was unreachable from this network; content verified via Wayback capture 2025-04-30.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-02
-
[4]NavSource Operational and Building Data for DD-571; corroborating secondary compilations: navypedia Z1-class page; de.wikipedia 'Zerstörer 4' article (citing German naval sources); en.wikipedia 'German destroyer Z-4 (D178)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-571 'Operational and Building Data' + German-service photo captions; navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_dd_z1.htm; de.wikipedia 'Zerstörer 4'; en.wikipedia 'German destroyer Z-4 (D178)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disposition after USN decommissioning, per consistent secondary compilations: laid down 25 June 1941 (NavSource; DANFS omits); in U.S. reserve fleet at Charleston 1946-1959; overhauled and modernized at Charleston Navy Yard in 1959 before transfer (per German-language secondary sources: one 5-inch mount, all 20 mm guns, and forward torpedo-tube bank removed; six 3-inch twin mounts and German navigation equipment fitted; tripod mast; conversion cost ~US$5M); loaned under MAP 15 December 1959 (DANFS) and commissioned in the Bundesmarine as Zerstörer 4 (D 178) 16 December 1959; stricken from the U.S. Naval Register 1 October 1974 while remaining in German service; German service ended 1981; transferred to Greece February 1981 and cannibalized for spare parts.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1946-1981
- Population
- Charleston reserve-fleet/inactivation workforce 1946-59; Charleston Navy Yard conversion trades 1959; Bundesmarine crew 1959-1981; Greek dismantling workforce 1981+
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations only - no primary U.S. or German record retrieved for the conversion scope, striking, or Greek transfer. German Wikipedia's own infobox build dates for this hull (25 Apr 1941 / 21 Jun 1942 / 12 Aug 1942) conflict with DANFS and NavSource and were rejected; its conversion-yard claim is consistent with the hull's reserve location. Post-USN material history (what the 1959 conversion removed or added, German-era maintenance, Greek dismantling conditions) is undocumented. Content verified via Wayback capture 2025-04-30 of navsource.org plus search-index text of navypedia and Wikipedia.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-03
-
[5]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 35 kt) + Fletcher class technical block (4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers; 2-shaft GE geared steam turbines; 60,000 shp) + Atlas shipyard dataset check (Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange TX - absent) + Destroyer History Foundation builder page for the Orange yard [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; Fletcher class profile technical block (ships-worktrees class-c/fletcher-class.class.json); shipyards.json yard_id list (37 entries)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer built 1941-42 with a four-boiler steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. Unlike yard-documented Fletcher builders (Federal Kearny, Bath Iron Works), this hull's builder - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas - is absent from the Atlas shipyard dataset (37 yards checked); no yard-level asbestos documentation for the builder was located to attach even as context. Per the Destroyer History Foundation builder page, the Orange yard was a Consolidated Steel fabrication yard expanded in 1940 under the Navy's crash destroyer program; Claxton was among its first four hulls (DesRon 23's Aulick, Charles Ausburne, Claxton, Dyson), of 12 Fletchers, 102 destroyer escorts, and 27 Gearings built there; peak employment ~20,000. NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications remain an unretrieved archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1981
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1941-42; crew 1942-46; German crew 1959-81
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The class plant and build era make period-standard insulated fit highly probable, but no ship-specific source establishes what was installed aboard DD-571. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report product page and abstract text
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing DD-571's entire U.S. service life (commissioned 1942; decommissioned 1946; on the Naval Register until 1974) inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- report published 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and crews generally, WWII-1970s era
- Limitations
- Program-level finding about Navy shipbuilding generally; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Consolidated Steel or the yards this hull used. Establishes era context only - not that asbestos was aboard this hull, in what quantity, or that any individual was exposed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-05
-
[7]Batch-3543 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (archived), NARA-photo-documented yard records, NavSource/navypedia/Wikipedia secondary compilations, shipyards.json, commercial aggregator pages (excluded), CourtListener sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-claxton-dd571-04, sl-uss-claxton-dd571-06, sl-uss-claxton-dd571-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-571: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract or field report, no museum hazmat disclosure (the hull was cannibalized for parts and scrapped in Greek custody - never preserved), and no qualifying docketed asbestos case naming this hull. Commercial aggregator pages making asbestos claims for this hull (e.g., navyshipexposure.com's litigation-sourced 'equipment manifest' naming Lifting Cruising, Northern Pump, Quimby Pump Co., and Worthington; law-firm vessel-list pages) are non-authoritative marketing content - excluded as citations under the batch sourcing rules, and their claims could not be traced to primary dockets in this sweep.
- 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 - class/era inference (ev-04, ev-05) indicates period-standard materials were probable. The navyshipexposure.com manifest claim asserts litigation provenance but names no docket; if primary equipment-identification records exist they remain unlocated. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search results (type=o opinions and type=r RECAP dockets), queries run 2026-09-27 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger row sl-uss-claxton-dd571-06
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep returned no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull. Opinion queries: '"USS Claxton"' = 0; '"DD-571"' = 0; '"DD 571" asbestos' = 0. Docket queries: '"USS Claxton"' = 0; '"DD-571"' = 3 dockets, all classified as identifier collisions in unrelated non-asbestos matters - Foboha GmbH v. Gram Technology Inc., 1:08-cv-00969 (N.D. Ill., Lanham Act trademark action; 'DD-571' appears in complaint-attachment text), United States v. Tuzman, 1:15-cr-00536 (S.D.N.Y., securities-fraud criminal case; 'DD-571' is a document/Bates-style identifier), and Fieldwood Energy LLC, 20-33948 (Bankr. S.D. Tex., oil-and-gas Chapter 11; 'DD-571' is a filing/exhibit identifier). No indexed opinion or RECAP docket names DD-571 or describes exposure aboard this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes are not exhaustive of state-court and unreported matters; a zero result does not prove no plaintiff ever alleged exposure aboard this hull - only that no indexed opinion or RECAP docket surfaced one in this sweep. The navyshipexposure.com claim of a litigation-derived equipment manifest for this hull could not be traced to any indexed docket.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-07
-
[9]Archival leads: NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications; NARA photo records already identified (19-N-66231; 80-G-359488; 80-G-304058); MAP transfer/1959 conversion work packages (Charleston Navy Yard); Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv holdings for Z-4/D178 period [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19 GIB finding aids; NavSource caption NARA photo numbers; Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv (Freiburg)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Unretrieved archival repositories that could hold hull-level material documentation: NARA RG 19 General Information Books (per-vessel construction/material specifications); the NARA-stored official photographs already identified (Mare Island 1944; ABSD-2 Manus 1944); Military Assistance Program transfer and 1959 conversion work packages (Charleston Navy Yard records); Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv holdings covering the German service period (Z-4/D178, 1959-1981). None retrieved in this session.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Leads only - existence of hull-specific material specifications within these holdings is unverified; retrieval not performed. No spend authorized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-claxton-dd571-08