Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet gg-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-conner-dd72-pkt-gg-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Conner I (Destroyer No. 72/DD-72) (construction, WWI service narrative, reserve periods, RN transfer and service as HMS Leeds; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Conner I' specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 21 August 1917 by William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; sponsored by Miss E. Diederich; commissioned 12 January 1918 (Cmdr. A. G. Howe). Specs: dp. 1,126; l. 316'6"; b. 31'3"; dr. 8'1"; s. 30 k.; cpl. 100; 4 x 4" guns, 12 x 21" tt; class Caldwell. New York 12 May 1918 escorting convoy to Azores and Brest; U.S. Naval Forces France convoy escort to English/French ports and Bermuda; twice rescued survivors July 1918; post-war mail/passenger runs Brest-Plymouth; 8 May 1919 escorted ships carrying President Wilson and Secretary Daniels to Brest for the Peace Conference; fleet maneuvers Narragansett Bay summer 1919; Philadelphia Navy Yard 4 October; Norfolk reserve to May 1921; reduced-complement fleet exercises, Newport submarine operations; Charleston 13 October 1921 - 29 March 1922; decommissioned Philadelphia 21 June 1922. Recommissioned 23 August 1940, fitted out at Philadelphia; Halifax; decommissioned and transferred to Britain 23 October 1940, commissioned RN same day as HMS Leeds (Lt. Comdr. W. M. I. Astwood). RN service: Halifax 1 November 1940, Belfast arrival 10 November; Rosyth Command North Sea convoys Thames-Firth of Forth; aided mine-damaged HMS Cotewold 20 April 1942, towed to Harwich; drove off E-boats night 24-25 February 1944; 'placed in reserve at Grangemouth in the Firth of Forth in April 1946' (closing line - conflicts with convergent paid-off date 10 April 1945, carried in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1916-1945
- Population
- William Cramp & Sons construction trades 1916-17; USN crew 1918-1922, 1940 (design complement 100); RN crew 1940-1945
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content; no laid-down date or post-transfer USN striking date in the entry. Live NHHC page returned 404 to automated fetch on 2026-09-27 (both conner-i.html and conner.html patterns); verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror at losthistory.net cited. DANFS 'April 1946' reserve date conflicts with NHHC photo page and compiled RN history (paid off 10 April 1945) - documented in gaps rather than resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, USS Conner (Destroyer # 72, later DD-72), 1918-1940 (Naval Historical Center photo-history page with NARA photo captions) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library page for DD-72 (ibiblio mirror of history.navy.mil photo pages), narrative paragraph + NH 70857/99556/100436 captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photo-history page for this hull: 'a 1125-ton Caldwell class destroyer built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,' commissioned mid-January 1918; WWI combat service from May 1918 escorting convoy to France, thereafter anti-submarine patrol and escort duty in European waters; returned to the United States May 1919, active off the East Coast, then 'more than a year in reserve'; brief operational service 1921; decommissioned June 1922; recommissioned August 1940; decommissioned and transferred to Great Britain October 1940 under 'Destroyers for bases'; 'As HMS Leeds the destroyer served with the Royal Navy, mainly in the North Sea, until April 1945. She was scrapped in 1947.' Named for Commodore David Conner (1792-1856). Photo captions: NH 99556 documents sponsor Miss Elsa Diederich, great-great granddaughter of Commodore Conner, at the Cramp shipyard launching 21 August 1917; NH 70857 shows the ship in a European harbor circa 1918 in Mackay low-visibility camouflage; NH 100436 'probably' Conner or sister Stockton.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1917-1949
- Population
- USN crew 1918-1922 and 1940; RN crew 1940-1945
- Limitations
- Confirms identity chain (Destroyer No. 72 -> DD-72 -> HMS Leeds), North Sea service to April 1945, and scrapping in 1947; gives 1,125-ton displacement where the DANFS spec block reads 1,126 (noted in gaps). 'Scrapped in 1947' compresses the disposal chain - compiled RN history records BISCO sale March 1947 but breaker's-yard arrival 19 January 1949. No asbestos, materials, or crew-exposure data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-02
-
[4]Naval-History.net (Lt Cdr Geoffrey B. Mason RN Rtd), 'HMS Leeds (G 27) - ex-US Destroyer', compiled RN service history with convoy escort movements by Don Kindell [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval-history.net HMS Leeds page (service chronology 1940-45; Post War Notes paragraph)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Compiled RN service history for HMS Leeds (ex USS Conner; RN 'Type D - LEEDS-Class' of the Town destroyers, differing in hull design, three-shaft machinery, three funnels, and armament): commissioned into RN at Halifax 23 October 1940; passage to UK via St Johns; Devonport refit for RN convoy-escort modification 17 November 1940 - 2 March 1941 (Naval Type 286M radar fitted; note records the unusual machinery 'made refit very necessary'); East Coast convoy escort April 1941 through February 1945 - 'an abysmal record for unreliability ... rarely operational for more than four consecutive weeks'; Radar Type 271 fitted during repair; battle honour NORTH SEA 1941-45; adopted by Wisbech, Cambridgeshire after March 1942 Warship Week; withdrawn April 1945, paid off at Grangemouth 10 April 1945, de-stored, placed on Disposal List; sold to BISCO 4 March 1947 for demolition by T W Ward at Grays, Essex, arriving in tow at the breaker's yard 19 January 1949. Naval Staff History does NOT support claimed Normandy/NEPTUNE escort service - no battle honour awarded.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Population
- RN crew 1940-1945; disposal/breaker's-yard handlers 1947-49
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference built from official records but carrying no inline citations; independently corroborates NHHC on transfer date, North Sea service, and disposal while giving more precise dates (paid off 10 April 1945 vs DANFS 'April 1946'). BISCO sale reads 4 March 1947 here vs 3 March in NavSource's transfer note - carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-03
-
[5]NavSource Naval History, USS Conner (DD-72) destroyer archive page (building data, stricken date, RN transfer note) via Wayback 2024-07-25 capture; live navsource.org unreachable this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-72 page, 'As Built' data block + 'Operational and Building Data' + 'On British Service' note (Wayback capture 2024-07-25)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource compiled data for this hull: Caldwell class as built; 1,125 tons; 315'6" oa x 31'3" x 11'6" max; armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA, 12 x 21" tt; machinery 18,500 SHP, Parsons turbines, 3 screws; speed 30 knots; crew 100. Building/operational data: laid down by Cramp, Philadelphia, 16 October 1916; launched 21 August 1917; commissioned 12 January 1918; reserve at Philadelphia 4 October 1919; Norfolk reserve to May 1921; reduced-complement exercises; Charleston reserve 13 October 1921 - 29 March 1922; decommissioned Philadelphia 21 June 1922; recommissioned 23 August 1940; decommissioned and handed over to Britain 23 October 1940; stricken 8 January 1941; renamed HMS Leeds (G27). Transfer note (credited Robert Hurst): Devonport refit 17 November 1940 - 2 March 1941; Rosyth command East Coast convoys throughout the war with near-monthly defect repair; 'Finally paid off at Grangemouth on 10 April 1945, Leeds passed to BISCo on 3 march 1947 and arrived at Grays, Essex on 19 January 1949 to be broken up by T W Ward Ltd.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1916-1949
- Population
- USN crew 1918-1940; RN crew 1940-1945
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary data, not a contemporaneous document; the laid-down date (16 October 1916) and stricken date (8 January 1941) rest on NavSource alone - DANFS states neither. BISCO transfer reads 3 March 1947 here vs 4 March in naval-history.net - carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-04
-
[6]DANFS/NavSource specifications (steam destroyer particulars) + Franke & Paustenbach, 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 'As Built' machinery line; Franke & Paustenbach 2011 (naval asbestos-use passage); shipyards.json (37 yard_ids checked 2026-09-27 - no Cramp entry)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Cramp-built Caldwell-class destroyer launched 1917 with a three-shaft steam plant (NavSource: Parsons turbines, 18,500 shp, 3 screws; class level four water-tube boilers - maker attributions conflict between White-Forster and Yarrow across secondary sources) would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, and packing - peer-reviewed scholarship documents asbestos fibers 'used extensively as insulating materials on naval ships' beginning in the 1880s and continuing into the 1950s (Franke & Paustenbach 2011). Builder William Cramp & Sons is NOT an Atlas shipyards.json entry, so unlike sister Craven (Norfolk Navy Yard, tier-2 yard record) no yard-level asbestos anchor exists for this hull; Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (in dataset, tier 3) saw this ship only in reserve/overhaul status, not construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1916-1949
- Population
- Cramp construction trades 1916-17; USN crew 1918-1940; RN crew 1940-1945; breaker's-yard workers 1947-49
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific record establishes asbestos content aboard this hull; no per-hull material specification was retrieved. The 1880s-1950s insulation statement is a fleet-level generalization; the builder yard's absence from the Atlas dataset removes even the yard-level anchor sister ships carry. Does not establish crew exposure, quantities, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 sweep, authenticated via cl-auth-search.py (fleet pacing limiter): "USS Conner" type=o opinions (completed, count=0); "HMS Leeds", "DD-72" opinions and type=r docket sweeps pending fleet pacing at write time [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 type=o q="USS Conner" count=0 (2026-09-27); remaining queries pending - see search_ledger sl-05/sl-06
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located in completed queries. The exact-name opinion search "USS Conner" (type=o) returned zero hits - consistent with the identical zero-count result obtained in the DD-582 (Fletcher-class namesake) sweep the same day. Searches still pending at write time: "HMS Leeds" opinions, "DD-72" opinions, and RECAP docket-index sweeps for all three names - fleet-wide pacing budget spent across repeated attempts. Collision analysis applies regardless: postwar 'USS Conner' references would normally concern the Fletcher-class DD-582 (1943-1971), and 'HMS Leeds' collides with the city name and later patrol vessel P200; this hull left U.S. service October 1940, before the asbestos-litigation exposure window, and UK-service exposure claims would not appear in CourtListener.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- litigation index coverage to 2026-09-27
- Population
- Potential veteran litigants, U.S. courts
- Limitations
- PARTIAL sweep - opinion coverage complete for 'USS Conner' only; 'HMS Leeds', 'DD-72', and all docket-index queries blocked by fleet pacing at write time (see search_ledger). Absence of an indexed opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed or settled; CourtListener coverage of state-court and unreported matters is partial. DD-582's completed same-name docket sweep found only Conner v. Waterman (E.D. Wis. 2017), a prisoner civil-rights surname collision - a pattern consistent with what DD-72's docket sweep is expected to return, but expected is not run: pending queries are logged honestly as pending.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-06
-
[8]NARA research guide, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (verified live 2026-09-27; points hull-level asbestos inquiries to RG 19 Bureau of Ships records and RG 24 deck logs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos research guide (live); search_ledger rows sl-01 through sl-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation located for this hull across the public sources searched: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case names USS Conner/Destroyer No. 72/DD-72 or HMS Leeds. The hull was sold for breaking in 1947 and demolished at Grays, Essex from 1949, so the museum-ship abatement documentation path that produced ship-specific records for surviving fleet-mates does not exist. NARA's asbestos-research guide identifies the record series where hull-level material documentation would reside if it survives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1916-1949
- Population
- USN and RN personnel 1918-1945
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record is not proof none exists - NARA RG 19/RG 24 series and TNA (UK) records are unretrieved (no spend authorized). Caveat on coverage: the NARA guide's flagship RG 19 correspondence series covers 1940-1961, postdating this hull's 1916-18 construction; hull-level build specifications would sit in predecessor Bureau of Construction & Repair files within RG 19 or contemporary construction correspondence, and RN-era records sit at TNA outside U.S. indexes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-07
-
[9]NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' (RG 24 Entry 118; Special List #44 coverage 1801-1947; pre-1941 logs at Archives I) + RG 19 Bureau of Ships records incl. predecessor Bureau of Construction & Repair files + UK National Archives ADM 53 ship's log series (HMS Leeds) + Arnold Hague, 'The Towns' (World Ship Society, 1988) print monograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA logbook research page + asbestos research guide; TNA ADM 53; Hague 1988 (print)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material and exposure documentation: (1) NARA RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs for Conner (1918-1922 active and reduced-commission periods; August-October 1940 recommissioning) at Archives I, Washington DC; (2) NARA RG 19 records - the asbestos guide directs hull-level inquiries to Bureau of Ships records; for a 1916-18 build the relevant material specifications would sit in predecessor Bureau of Construction & Repair files and Cramp construction correspondence within RG 19; (3) TNA ADM 53 series logbooks and ADM ship's-book series for HMS Leeds, 1940-45, including the 1940-41 Devonport refit documentation; (4) Hague, 'The Towns: A history of the fifty destroyers transferred from the United States to Great Britain in 1940' (World Ship Society, 1988) - standard print monograph for the transfer group.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1916-1949
- Population
- Archival research pathway
- Limitations
- Unretrieved leads - no archival retrieval was performed (no spend authorized); presence of DD-72 material specifications in NARA or TNA series is unverified; RN-era records are outside U.S. repositories entirely.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-conner-dd72-08