Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet gd-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-cooper-dd695-pkt-gd-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Cooper (DD-695) (namesake, specifications block, construction and service narrative, loss, battle star; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404; Wayback capture of the legacy NHHC page exists at web.archive.org/web/20050321091202/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c13/cooper.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: only Navy ship named for Elmer Glenn Cooper (b. Monticello, Ark. 9 May 1905; USNA class of 1927; naval aviator; died 2 Feb 1938 seaplane crash off southern California). Specs: 2,200 t; 376'6" x 40' x 15'8"; 34 kt; cpl 336; 6x5in, 10x21in tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct.; class Allen M. Sumner. Launched 9 Feb 1944 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ; sponsored by Mrs. Elmer G. Cooper; commissioned 27 Mar 1944, CDR J. W. Schmidt. Cleared Boston 23 Jul 1944 for Pearl Harbor (arrived 4 Sep); sailed 23 Oct for Ulithi (arrived 5 Nov); screened carriers in air attacks on Luzon, Ormoc Bay, Manila Bay until 19 Nov; repairs at Ulithi; entered San Pedro Bay, P.I. 29 Nov; Leyte Gulf patrols until 2 Dec, then with Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) and Moale (DD-693) to destroy shipping in Japanese-held Ormoc Bay. About 0013 on 3 Dec, torpedoed; explosion starboard side; broke in two; sank within a minute. Enemy presence prevented rescue until about 1400 when 'Black Cat' airplanes saved 168 of the crew; 191 lost. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (design complement 336; 359 aboard at loss per destroyers.org)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcribed DANFS text opens at launch and does not state the laid-down date or a strike date (both carried from secondary sources - see ev-03 and gaps). Sinking sequence timing differs slightly from the ship's own action report (ev-02): DANFS 'torpedoed about 0013 ... sank within a minute' vs. action report 'sank at about 0017 ... on her side and broken in two in less than thirty seconds.' Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-01
-
[3]USS Cooper (DD695), 'Report of action the night of 2-3 December, 1944,' Serial 00503, DD695/A16-3, dated 7 December 1944, Commanding Officer to Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet (transcription hosted by the USS Allen M. Sumner / DesDiv 120 association site; original action report held in WWII Navy action reports at NARA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- dd-692.com 'USS Cooper's Action Report' - letterhead DD695/A16-3, Serial 00503, 7 Dec 1944; Part I narrative sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own post-loss action report (written by her commanding officer four days after the sinking; all ship's records and the track chart went down with the hull and times were reconstructed from survivor memory plus Sumner and Moale records, with a self-acknowledged error of up to five minutes): DesDiv 120 entered Ormoc Bay ~2330 on 2 Dec on course 020 T at 30 knots; surface contact 0002; firing commenced 0003; first target burning/sinking by 0011; fire shifted to second target 0012; the ship was hit amidships on the starboard side by what the CO believes was a large-type Japanese torpedo, heeled 45 degrees, and 'was on her side and broken in two in less than thirty seconds,' sinking about 0017 on 3 December 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-12-02/03 (action); 1944-12-07 (report)
- Population
- USS Cooper survivors and ship's company, 1944
- Limitations
- Primary combat-damage narrative for the loss event. It documents speed and manner of sinking (torpedo amidships, rapid capsize and break-in-two) - it does not address hull materials, asbestos content, or exposure. Survival/rescue detail in the report is reconstructed from memory. Host site is a veterans association transcription; the original document is a U.S. Navy action report (NARA).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-02
-
[4]Tin Can Sailors (National Association of Destroyer Veterans), USS Cooper DD-695 ship page and WWII destroyer-losses chronological list [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyers.org DD-695 ship page; destroyers.org chronological list of WWII destroyers lost/damaged ('12/3/44 Cooper DD-695 Ormoc Bay Torpedo (probable) Lost')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-source record for strike date and rescue accounting: Cooper stricken from the Navy Register 20 January 1945; total complement at loss 20 officers and 339 enlisted; 10 officers and 158 enlisted (168) survived. Rescue by Consolidated PBY-5 Catalinas of Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-34 operating from seaplane tender Orca (AVP-49) within range of Japanese shore batteries - Lt. (j.g.) Joe Frederick Ball embarked 56 survivors in a single trip (Navy Cross), Lt. (j.g.) Melvin S. Essary brought out 44 (Distinguished Flying Cross); on 5 December two Catalinas flew to Matlang on the Ormoc peninsula and rescued another 24 survivors who had reached land.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- 359 aboard at loss (20 officers + 339 enlisted); 168 rescued, 191 lost
- Limitations
- Veterans-association secondary source; the strike date and casualty breakdown are consistent with DANFS totals (168 saved, 191 lost) and Wikipedia, but no primary Navy Register page was located for the 20 Jan 1945 strike date - carried as partial. Does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-03
-
[5]Ureta, R.A.G.P. and B.C. Orillaneda (National Museum of the Philippines, Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division), 'Submerged Battlefield: Examining the Status and Challenges of World War II Shipwreck Management in the Philippines,' Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage proceedings [other_primary]
- Locator
- Proceedings PDF, 'WORLD WAR II SHIPWRECK SURVEYS' section B (Ormoc Bay); Figures 3-4
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government underwater-cultural-heritage survey record naming this hull: 'Summer-class destroyer USS Cooper was less than a year old when it was hit by a Japanese destroyer and then sunk at a depth of 193 meters.' In 2017-2018 the National Museum of the Philippines continued its project with Navigea (operator of R/V Petrel) to confirm the locations of ships sunk in the Battle of Ormoc Bay; 'the conditions and exact locations of USS Ward, USS Cooper, IJN Shimikaze, IJN Naganami (suspected), and IJN Wakatsuki (suspected) were found' using Argus 6000 ROV live video and MBES sonar (figures show USS Cooper side launchers and sonar imagery). The wreck is a war grave managed as Philippine underwater cultural heritage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2017-2018 (survey)
- Population
- Wreck site; 191 crew remain with the ship (war grave)
- Limitations
- Documents the wreck's located position, depth (~193 m), and documented condition by imagery/sonar - it is a site-management survey, not a hazardous-materials survey; no assessment of hull materials, insulation, or asbestos content is made or implied. Deep-wreck location forecloses ordinary salvage/abatement exposure scenarios.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-04
-
[6]MindaNews, 'US warship wreckage found in Ormoc Bay,' 13 December 2017 (announcement with R/V Petrel expedition images/video) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- MindaNews article, 2017-12-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press record of the wreck's identification: the R/V Petrel expedition (Paul G. Allen; subsea operations director Robert Kraft, pilot/researcher Paul Mayer) located USS Cooper (Destroyer 695) in Ormoc Bay in early December 2017 and released underwater images and video on 13 December 2017; report attributes the sinking to a torpedo fired by Japanese destroyer Take and repeats the 191 lost / 168 rescued accounting.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2017
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- News report, not a survey document; confirms public announcement and expedition attribution of the find. The Take attribution conflicts with expedition-era accounts crediting Kuwa - DANFS and the ship's action report name no firing ship; the discrepancy is carried in gaps. Says nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-05
-
[7]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944); introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX (1990); Atlas shipyard dataset record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' [other_primary]
- Locator
- O-I survey (toxicdocs.org exhibit scan, Aug 30-Sep 2 1944); shipyards.json 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' record; navypedia Allen M. Sumner class technical block (4 B&W boilers, 2 GE geared turbines, 60,000 shp)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard era inference for this hull: an Owens-Illinois industrial health survey at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ conducted 30 August-2 September 1944 - the same yard and wartime construction program that produced DD-695 (laid down Aug 1943, delivered Mar 1944) - documented insulators cutting and fitting asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex, ~15% amosite) and boiler insulation in confined shipyard spaces; the yard dataset additionally documents Kaylo pipe/boiler insulation, Monokote fireproofing, and Garlock gaskets at the site. A Sumner-class destroyer built 1943-44 with the class-standard four-B&W-boiler, geared-turbine 60,000-shp plant would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades, Kearny NJ 1943-44; USS Cooper crew (commissioned 27 Mar 1944, sunk 3 Dec 1944 - ~8.5 months exposure window)
- Limitations
- Yard- and class-level evidence only: the survey documents the builder's wartime materials and practices five months after this hull's delivery and never names DD-695; no hull manifest, insulation schedule, or ACM inventory for this ship exists in the sources located. Application to this hull is inference, consistent with but not proof of aboard-this-ship materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-06
-
[8]Montgoris v. General Electric Co. et al., No. 1:07-cv-06692 (S.D.N.Y.), asbestos personal-injury action removed from N.Y. Supreme Court 2007-07-25, terminated 2007-09-21 (CourtListener RECAP docket 4334117) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener RECAP docket 4334117, ECF No. 1 (notice of removal, 12 pp.)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury docket (nature of suit 368, asbestos prod. liab.) in which 'USS Cooper' appears in indexed CourtListener docket/RECAP text. The indexed snippet shows a GE/Foster Wheeler notice of removal only; the vessel's role in the allegations (exposure site vs. service-list reference) is unresolved from the index.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2007 (litigation); alleged exposure window unverified
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- Docket-index hit only; unadjudicated pleading-stage material at best. If the reference is an exposure allegation it would concern WWII-era service (the hull sank 3 Dec 1944; plausible window Mar-Dec 1944), but whether 'USS Cooper' names this hull as an exposure site is unverified - full-text pull of RECAP document gov.uscourts.nysd.310521.1.0.pdf was blocked by fleet-wide CourtListener pacing (helper-reported; retries refused over ~40 min) and is logged as a follow-up in the search ledger. Establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 searches, 2026-09-27: opinions '"USS Cooper" asbestos' (0), opinions '"USS Cooper"' (0), opinions '"DD-695"' (0), RECAP dockets '"USS Cooper"' (1: Montgoris, archival lead) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 type=o and type=r queries; see search_ledger rows
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull: no published opinion names 'USS Cooper' or 'DD-695' or discusses exposure aboard this hull (exact-name and hull-number opinion queries all returned zero results). One asbestos-docket index hit (Montgoris, S.D.N.Y. 2007) exists in which the vessel name appears in indexed docket text - carried as an unverified archival lead (ev-07), not as qualifying exposure litigation. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in published opinions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener's indexed opinions and RECAP docket text only; state-court filings, non-indexed federal dockets, and MDL-875 administrative records are outside its coverage. The full-text pull of the Montgoris removal document was blocked by the fleet-wide API budget at session end and is logged as pending in the search ledger. Absence of indexed litigation is not proof none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-08
-
[10]NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' index (checked 2026-09-27); WWII destroyer action reports, NARA RG 38 (not separately catalog-verified this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log index (Cooper absent); dd-692.com action-report transcription
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level records: (1) the ship's own action report, Serial 00503 (7 Dec 1944), survives - transcription online; original among WWII action reports at NARA (RG 38), the standard repository for these serials; (2) DD-695 does not appear on NARA's digitized deck-log index (digitization has prioritized Vietnam-era logs); deck logs for Mar-Dec 1944 exist physically per the series' scope but were not catalog-verified this session; (3) NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the recognized lead for hull-level outfitting/material detail (identified in the Allen M. Sumner class profile), not retrieved for this record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944 (record creation); 2026-09-27 (index check)
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Leads only - no NARA record was pulled; nothing about aboard-this-ship materials is established. RG 38 assignment for the action report is by standard series practice, not a catalog citation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-09
-
[11]DesDiv 120 / USS Allen M. Sumner association-hosted CDNN news release, 'New deep wreck diving world record is 193 meters (633 feet),' Ormoc, Philippines, 29 May 2005; companion pages document the Lalumiere expedition and the 2006 documentary 'USS Cooper: Return to Ormoc Bay' (Bigfoot Entertainment) [other_primary]
- Locator
- dd-692.com lalumiere_nr03.htm (29 May 2005 release) and lalumiere_nr04.htm (plaque); lalumiere.htm dive account
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- First documented descent to this hull's wreck: technical diver Rob Lalumiere reached the deck of USS Cooper on 29 May 2005 at 193 m (633 ft) - a then-record deep wreck dive - and placed a memorial plaque honoring the 191 lost. The site had been located using track reconstructions by William 'Ron' Babuka (son of a Sumner crewman) drawn from surviving ships' logs and action reports; Lalumiere had located the Japanese destroyer Kuwa about a mile away in 2002.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2002-2006
- Population
- Wreck site; memorial dive team
- Limitations
- Association-hosted press release (secondary); corroborated by Wikipedia's ship article. The companion press materials attribute the sinking torpedo to Kuwa, conflicting with accounts naming Take - carried in gaps. Establishes wreck accessibility/depth and memorial activity only; no materials or asbestos content is addressed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cooper-dd695-10