Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet gi-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-collett-dd730-pkt-gi-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Collett (DD-730) - NHHC page captured 2021-01-16 via Wayback Machine (live page served 404 on 2026-09-27); verbatim NHHC text [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake biography + specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for LCDR John Austin Collett (b. 31 Mar 1908, Omaha; USNA 1929; KIA 26 Oct 1942 commanding Torpedo Squadron 10 in Enterprise CV-6); launched 5 March 1944 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. C. C. Baughman as proxy for Mrs. J. D. Collett; commissioned 16 May 1944, CDR J. D. Collett in command. Specs: 2,200 t; 376 ft; beam 41 ft 1 in; 34 kt; complement 336; six 5-inch, ten 21-in torpedo tubes, 6 dcp, 2 dct. WWII: screened TF 38/TF 58 (Luzon, Formosa, Lingayen, Honshu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa); with four other destroyers and carrier aircraft sank I-56 on 18 Apr 1945; Tokyo Bay 14 Sep 1945. Korea: Inchon pre-invasion bombardment 13 Sep 1950, hit four times, five wounded; Navy Unit Commendation; Wonsan 26 Oct; two further Korea tours to Apr 1953. Far East tours through 1959; extensive modernization early 1960-July 1960; 19 Jul 1960 collision with Ammen (DD-527) off Long Beach, 11 killed and 20 injured (all Ammen); repaired at Long Beach Naval Shipyard with bow grafted from incomplete reserve destroyer Seaman (DD-791); departed 5 Nov 1960. Six WWII battle stars; NUC plus six Korean battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1960 (DANFS coverage)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 336)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service history, and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS coverage ends in 1960 - decommissioning (1970), striking (1974), and Argentine service are outside its scope. Live NHHC page returned 404; 2021 Wayback capture of the NHHC page is the cited text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-730 USS Collett (operational and building data block; volunteer archive compiling official records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-730 page, 'Operational and Building Data' block and specifications header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource building/operations record for this hull: built by Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME (yard no. 231); laid down 11 October 1943; launched 5 March 1944; commissioned 16 May 1944; completed FRAM upgrade August 1960; decommissioned 18 December 1970; stricken 1 February 1974; transferred to Argentina 4 June 1974 for spares; found in good condition, refurbished and renamed Piedra Buena (D-29), commissioned 17 May 1977; sunk in an Argentine Navy missile exercise (NavSource prints 15 September 1988 - see ev-04 on the target-designation vs. sinking date). Machinery: 60,000 shp, Westinghouse turbines, two screws.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1988
- Population
- USN crew 1944-1970; Argentine crew 1977-1985
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run archive transcribing official records, not itself an official publication; dates agree with DANFS-era conventions and multiple secondary sources. Its '15 September 1988' sinking entry conflicts with the Argentine record (target designated 15 Sep 1988; sunk 6 Nov 1988) - carried in the Argentine-service row and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-02
-
[4]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Agent Orange' (VBA ships list; mirrored official PDF reviewed - the va.gov ship-list page now redirects to the general Agent Orange eligibility page, so a verbatim mirrored copy is cited) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA ships list, destroyer entries (DD-730 line item); mirrored copies at vvanjsc.org and dd729.com verified identical wording
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal exposure record naming this hull: the VA ships list carries 'USS Collett (DD-730) provided naval gunfire support while in the Mekong River on August 19, 1965' - an inland-waterway operation qualifying personnel aboard that day for the Agent Orange herbicide-exposure presumption under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1965 (operation); list current as of review
- Population
- Crew aboard 19 August 1965 (Mekong River NGFS)
- Limitations
- Documents a herbicide-exposure presumption for one operating day in 1965, not asbestos: presence on the VA list establishes nothing about materials aboard, asbestos exposure, or any claimant's eligibility on asbestos grounds. Included as evidence that this hull appears in a federal ship-level exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-03
-
[5]Armada Argentina official pages (argentina.gob.ar/armada: 'Gesta de Malvinas' fleet history naming Piedra Buena in FTA 40 and quoting her rescue SITREP; 'Crucero ARA General Belgrano' page confirming GT 79.3 composition) + USS Collett Association compilation 'Operational History ... as ARA Piedra Buena (D-29) 1974-1988' (1993 Argentine Navy Attache letter + historian Santiago Aversa's reviewed corrections) + Fundacion Histarmar ship index [other_primary]
- Locator
- argentina.gob.ar/armada 'Gesta de Malvinas' and 'Crucero ARA General Belgrano' pages; usscollett.com 'Collett as Piedra Buena' year-by-year history; Histarmar ListGralBuques900a2003 entry 'PIEDRA BUENA D-29 Destructor USS Collett DD 730 1977-1988'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Argentine-phase record for this hull: purchased with USS Mansfield (DD-728) 'as is' for $336,000 total as a spares source; towed from San Diego to Puerto Belgrano by ARA Zapiola (A-2) and ARA Sobral (A-9), arriving Rada La Plata 1 Oct 1974; found in good enough condition to rehabilitate (secret decree 1496/75; work at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base arsenal began 4 Feb 1976 using material cannibalized from Mansfield); commissioned ARA Piedra Buena (D-29) 17 May 1977; MM38 Exocet fitted 1979. Falklands War (official Argentine Navy record): Piedra Buena was one of the FTA 40 destroyers and a unit of Task Group 79.3 with the cruiser ARA General Belgrano and destroyer ARA Bouchard; after HMS Conqueror torpedoed Belgrano on 2 May 1982 (323 killed of 1,093 crew; 770 rescued), Piedra Buena conducted ASW maneuvers then rescue operations - the association history credits her with 278 survivors in 18 rafts, and the Navy's official account quotes her rescue SITREP. Final voyage 29 Nov 1983; decommissioned and stricken 18 Feb 1985 (decree 305/85); designated target 15 Sep 1988; sunk 6 Nov 1988 under tow by ARA Sobral by an MM38 missile fired by ARA Espora (P-41).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1974-1988
- Population
- Argentine Navy crew 1977-1985; Puerto Belgrano arsenal workers 1976-77
- Limitations
- Falklands participation (TG 79.3 escort of Belgrano, rescue role) is confirmed by the official Armada Argentina history pages on argentina.gob.ar. Acquisition/rehabilitation/stricken/sinking specifics rest on the association compilation built from Argentine Navy attache correspondence (marked partial for those details); Histarmar's general index corroborates identity (ex-USS Collett DD-730), pennant D-29, and the 1977-1988 window. No asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene content in any source; the 1976-77 arsenal rehabilitation's material scope is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-04
-
[6]NARA digitized deck logs, USS Collett (DD-730), January 1956 - December 1970 (minus September and October 1963); NARA identifier index compiled by the USS Collett Association (log-months searchable as 'Collett (DD-730) - <month> <year>'; e.g., Feb-Jul 1960 series NARA IDs 214151517-214151909 logging the ship at Long Beach 'undergoing FRAM MK II'); some logs supplied via the VA/Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project. FRAM scope per firsthand memoir of a serving officer (Brooks, aboard 1959-60): after deckhouse removed to main deck and replaced with aluminum deckhouse with DASH flight deck/hangar; 40mm battery, torpedo tubes, and depth-charge gear landed; electronics replaced [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov vessel deck-log series; access guide at usscollett.com 'Accessing the 1956 to 1970 Deck Logs' (rev. Mar 2022)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific primary records exist and are digitized: NARA holds deck logs for this hull covering Jan 1956-Dec 1970 (except Sep-Oct 1963). The association-compiled access index documents the ship pierside at Long Beach 'undergoing FRAM MK II' February-July 1960, corroborating the DANFS 'extensive modernization' and placing the FRAM work at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard complex. A firsthand officer memoir on the association site describes the FRAM II scope aboard this hull (after deckhouse removed to the main deck and replaced with an aluminum deckhouse carrying a DASH drone-helicopter flight deck and hangar; 40mm battery, torpedo tubes, and depth-charge gear landed; electronics replaced). Vietnam-era detail (1961 repairs; Yokosuka homeport 1962-64 and 1966-68; variable-depth sonar installed at Yokosuka autumn 1964; Sea Dragon/NGFS/SAR/plane-guard operations, five shore-battery engagements, RAN consorts Perth and Hobart; 1969-70 deployment with Yankee Station periods, a seven-survivor helicopter rescue, and Operation Dung Son 3/70 bombardment; two Vietnam battle stars) rests on the ship's command history 'USS Collett DD 730 Westpac deployment 1966-1968' and the 1969-70 cruise summary as compiled in secondary sources - primary cover for these years exists in the digitized deck logs, but the command-history document itself was not located among NHHC's digitized reports (filename probes 404). 1944-1955 logs exist at NARA but were not digitized as of the association's 2020-2022 guide.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1956-1970 (digitized coverage); FRAM Feb-Jul 1960
- Population
- Crew and yard workers, 1956-1970 log coverage
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - deck logs record positions, operations, and events, not materials or asbestos content; individual log pages were not pulled this session. The 'FRAM MK II at Long Beach' placement derives from the association's log-location index, not from a reviewed log page; the FRAM-scope description is a firsthand memoir (association-hosted), and the Vietnam-era detail rests on cited-but-unretrieved command documents via secondary compilation - all marked partial. The yard-level asbestos record for Long Beach Naval Shipyard (ev-06) does not establish that work on this hull disturbed ACM.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-05
-
[7]DANFS specifications block (Allen M. Sumner class; 34 kt) + Atlas shipyard dataset records 'bath-iron-works' (Drinker 1942 pipe-covering-shop study; OSHA 1987 asbestos citations) and 'long-beach-naval-shipyard' (Kilburn 1979 radiographic survey of 6,640 workers, 16.0% asbestos-related abnormalities; household-exposure study PMID 4003623; OSHA 1989 samples); NARA RG19 'General Information Books' archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json records 'bath-iron-works' and 'long-beach-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Sumner-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2), including the 1942 Drinker industrial-hygiene survey finding 'fairly serious dust risk' in the pipe-covering shop and OSHA's 1987 asbestos citations. The 1960 FRAM II modernization and collision repair occurred at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, documented at yard level by the 1979 radiographic survey (16.0% of 6,640 workers with asbestos-related abnormalities). NARA RG19 'General Information Books' holding per-vessel material specifications are an archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1970 (USN service); yard studies 1942-1989
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-70; Long Beach Naval Shipyard workers 1960
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull (see ev-uss-collett-dd730-11 negative finding); this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. Yard-level documentation does not establish that work on this specific hull disturbed asbestos-containing material. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-06
-
[8]Halseth v. General Electric Company, 3:07-cv-02543 (N.D. Cal., filed 2007-05-14, terminated 2016-06-13; CourtListener docket 4166889) - complaint Document 1-2, Exhibit A, pp. 16-18 (full text reviewed) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket-search result for 'USS Collett'; complaint Document 1-2 'Exhibit A' ship list (p.16: 'USS COLLETT (DD-730) 1961') and ship-specific allegation paragraph (pp.17-18); RECAP gov.uscourts.cand.192004.1.1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull at pleading stage: the complaint's Exhibit A service list places plaintiff Michael Halseth (diagnosed with asbestosis 2006 and asbestos-related pleural disease 2007) aboard USS COLLETT (DD-730) in 1961, following a 1958-1961 posting at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. The exhibit alleges he 'worked in the boiler room ... performed maintenance and repair work on BABCOCK WILCOX boilers ... removed and replaced tubing ... used hand tools to remove old gaskets on manhole and handhold covers ... installed FLEXITALLIC gaskets ... removed and reinstalled insulation on steam lines during repairs to leaking pipes ... recalls installing JOHNS MANVILLE insulation ... repaired and repacked DELAVAL and WARREN pumps ... performed maintenance work on GRISCOM distillers ... working in the vicinity of WESTINGHOUSE turbines while they were being serviced.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1961 (alleged service); 2007-2016 (litigation)
- Population
- Plaintiff (Navy boiler mechanic/repairman per his service list) alleged boiler-room work aboard this hull in 1961; plaintiff firms Brayton & Purcell et al. v. General Electric Co., Viad Corp. et al.
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint's vessel list and work descriptions are allegations, not findings. The per-vessel paragraphs are standard-form boilerplate repeated nearly verbatim for each of six ships and stations listed (Bryce Canyon, Helena, Fremont, shipyards, etc.), not an individualized recital for this hull. Case terminated 2016-06-13; disposition (settlement, dismissal, or MDL transfer) is not determinable from the indexed docket-search record and no published opinion establishes a trial finding. Does not establish that ACM was aboard, that any individual was exposed, or any element of causation or liability.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-07
-
[9]Coad v. Crane Co., 1:22-cv-00727 (D. Del., removed 2022-06-02 from Delaware Superior Court; CourtListener docket 63356440) - notice of removal Document 1-1 quoting complaint para. 14 (full text reviewed) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket-search result for 'DD-730'; Document 1-1 (notice of removal, Exhibit 1 complaint) PageID 11-12; RECAP gov.uscourts.ded.79091.1.1
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull at pleading stage: the state-court complaint (quoted in the removal exhibit) alleges plaintiff Loren D. Coad 'experienced occupational and bystander exposure to asbestos ... while he was in the US Navy as an engineman from 1964 until 1969, stationed on and/or repairing and maintaining the USS Hector (AR7), and the USS Collette (DD 730),' among other alleged exposure sources (civilian mechanic, auto-body, construction, home-remodel work). 'USS Collette (DD 730)' is a misspelling of Collett; hull number DD-730 is unambiguous and identifies this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1964-1969 (alleged service); 2022 (litigation)
- Population
- Plaintiff Navy engineman, alleged service aboard this hull 1964-1969
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint recital of service and exposure, not a finding; asbestos allegation is one of several listed exposure sources across the plaintiff's work history. Case filed 2022 in Delaware Superior Court and removed to D. Del.; no adjudication of the ship-specific allegation located in the indexed record. Does not establish that ACM was aboard, that any individual was exposed, or any element of causation or liability.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-08
-
[10]Dennis v. Todd Shipyards Corporation et al., 2:11-cv-00455-RSM (W.D. Wash., filed 2011-03-16; Brayton Purcell (OR) for the estate of William R. Dennis) - ship-exposure list naming 'COLLETT (DD-730) ... 1960s,' appearing in the MDL No. 875 record as tag-along notice attachment 7272-2 (CourtListener docket 1245688, full text reviewed) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket-search result for 'DD-730'; MDL No. 875 doc. 7272-2 (402-page attachment embedding the W.D. Wash. case docket report + complaint exposure table); RECAP gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.7272.2
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull at pleading stage: the survival/wrongful-death complaint's exposure table lists the decedent William R. Dennis as an insulator at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (9/1959-5/1966 and 11/1969-7/1975) and names 'COLLETT (DD-730)' among the ships he allegedly worked on or near in the 1960s (list also names Chevalier, Rochester, Chicago, Princeton, Bennington, Isle Royale, Oklahoma City, Truxtun, Point Defiance, Perry, Hornet, Turner Joy, Bronstein, Cayuga, Fletcher, Bon Homme Richard, Trathen, Waddell, Higbee, Hull, McKean, Ashtabula, Eversole, HMAS Perth, Maddox, Morton, Ozbourn, Taussig, Everett F. Larson, Catamount, Blue, Eldorado, Ticonderoga and others). The 1960s window coincides with this hull's documented 1960 FRAM II availability at Long Beach Naval Shipyard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1975 (alleged exposure window); 2011 (litigation)
- Population
- Decedent shipyard insulator, Long Beach Naval Shipyard 1959-66/1969-75; alleged exposure aboard/near this hull '1960s'
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint exposure table, not a finding; the table is a multi-dozen-vessel boilerplate list and does not establish that ACM was aboard this hull or disturbed on it, that the decedent contacted this hull, or any element of causation. Surfaced via the MDL-875 master-docket tag-along attachment (a filing of the constituent case's docket report and complaint); the underlying case's disposition is not determinable from the indexed record. A second MDL tag-along attachment (7790-2, Dennis v. Bath Iron Works Corp., N.D. Cal. 3:11-cv-04327) is a procedural docket report whose 'DD-730' token is not resolvable to a hull reference in extractable text - carried as part of the same hit, not an independent allegation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-09
-
[11]United States v. Adams, U.S. Court of Military Appeals, decided 19 May 1972 (CourtListener opinion 8597610) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual recital (service aboard USS Collett 1969-70); CourtListener opinion 8597610
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index search for 'USS Collett' returned one published opinion - a court-martial appeal, NOT asbestos litigation. Appellant Adams, a machinist, reported aboard USS Collett 22 Sep 1969, was assigned to 'main control, working on various machinery, props, evaporators,' refused a watch order in the Vietnam war zone 10 Feb 1970, and litigated speedy-trial and access-to-counsel issues. Classified: other litigation (non-asbestos). The opinion documents engineering-space machinery work aboard this hull in 1969-70.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1969-1970 (events); 1972 (opinion)
- Population
- Appellant machinist, USS Collett engineering spaces, 1969-70
- Limitations
- Military-justice opinion; contains no asbestos, materials, or industrial-hygiene content and establishes nothing about exposure. Included as the classified result of the litigation sweep (opinion index) - it is not qualifying asbestos litigation and is not evidence of ACM aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-10
-
[12]Batch-3703 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture), NavSource, VA ships list, Argentine compiled history + Histarmar index, NARA deck-log index, NHHC command-report filename probe, CourtListener API v4 (opinion + RECAP queries as paced) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-collett-dd730-01 through sl-uss-collett-dd730-08b
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No adjudicated or adjudication-grade ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-730: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, trial finding, or appellate asbestos decision naming USS Collett/DD-730 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation sweep results: three qualifying asbestos complaints name this hull, all at unadjudicated pleading stage (ev-07 Halseth 2007; ev-08 Coad 2022; ev-09 Dennis 2011 via MDL-875 tag-along); the only published opinion naming the hull is a 1972 court-martial appeal (ev-10), classified other litigation; the 'DD-730' opinion-index query returned zero hits; seven further 'DD-730' docket hits are verified name collisions (bankruptcy letterhead digits, cover sheets, and unrelated-cause filings in civil-rights, labor, trademark, and copyright matters).
- 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 1943-44 steam-plant destroyer almost certainly carried era-standard ACM, and the hull's loss as a target in 1988 forecloses any present-day survey. All three asbestos complaints are unadjudicated boilerplate allegations (one misspells the ship 'Collette'); none establishes ACM aboard, individual exposure, causation, or liability, and none of their dispositions is determinable from the indexed record. Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-collett-dd730-11