Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Cowell I (Destroyer No. 167) (namesake biography + specifications block + service narrative; live NHHC entry, published 2016-02-23 - verified in full via browser-UA fetch; standard tool fetches receive a WAF 404, the behavior documented in batch-3110/3113/3134) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Cowell I (Destroyer No. 167)', specifications block + service narrative (live NHHC page, verified 2026-09-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (DD-167: dp. 1,060; l. 314'5"; b. 31'9"; dr. 9'2"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 101; a. 4 4", 4 21" tt.; cl. Wickes). Namesake John G. Cowell (born 18 September 1785, Marblehead, Mass.; master 21 January 1809; acting lieutenant mortally wounded in the Essex vs. HMS Phoebe/HMS Cherub action off Valparaiso 28 March 1814; died 18 April; honored with burial in Valparaiso's principal church). Name note: 'Cowell (DD-139) was renamed Ward (q.v.) on 20 May 1918, prior to launching.' Launched 23 November 1918 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, Mass., sponsored by Miss E. P. Garney; commissioned 17 March 1919, Lt. Cmdr. C. E. Van Hook. Cleared Boston 3 May 1919 for Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland - station ship for the Navy seaplanes' first aerial crossing of the Atlantic; returned Boston 22 May; sailed 30 June from New York for the Adriatic - dispatch ship for the Allied Peace Commission and station ship at Fiume (Istria), Spalato, and Trau (Dalmatia) until 23 October; in reserve Boston and Charleston from 1 December 1919; reserve-organization training out of Newport April-October 1921; decommissioned Philadelphia Navy Yard 27 June 1922; lay there until recommissioned 17 June 1940 for Atlantic patrol duty; east-coast cruising to Halifax arrival 18 September 1940; decommissioned 23 September 1940 and transferred to the Royal Navy same day in the land-bases-for-destroyers exchange. As HMS Brighton: served with minelayers in the Denmark Strait and off the Faeroes; rescued 19 survivors of torpedoed 'SS Baltisan' 27 February 1941; after refit served 1943-44 as target ship for naval aircraft training in the Western Approaches and at Rosyth; transferred to Russia 16 July 1944 as 'Jarkyi'; returned to the British at Rosyth 28 February 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1949
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918-19; USN crews 1919-22 and June-September 1940 (design complement 101); RN crew 1940-44; Soviet crew 1944-49
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The verified live entry omits the laid-down date (NavSource/uboat supply 15 July 1918) and the Navy-list striking date (NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum supply 8 January 1941), reads the survivor count '19' and the ship 'Baltisan' (uboat.net casualty record for Baltistan reads eighteen of twenty survivors rescued by Brighton, landed Plymouth 4 March 1941, two dead and buried at sea), reads the armament '4 21-inch tt' where the class fit was four triple mounts (NavSource reads 12 tubes), and reads the RN return '28 February 1949' where British sources read 4 March 1949 - all carried in gaps rather than reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-01
-
[2]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Cowell (DD-167) page (class note, specifications, operational/building data, commanding-officer list, Robert Hurst 'On British Service' narrative, photo credits incl. NH 70859 and IWM A 2467/2468/3289/9219/9220/9221) - Wayback capture 2025-01-08; live navsource.org fetch refused [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/05/167.htm via Wayback 2025-01-08: class/spec block, operational data, commanding-officer list, 'On British Service' (Hurst) and 'On Soviet Service' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource build, machinery, and post-USN record for this hull: class note 'WICKES (LITTLE)' - 'Built to a different set of plans (Bethlehem) than the Wickes (Bath)'; displacement 1,154 t; 314'5" (oa) x 31'8" x 9'10" (max); armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA (1 x 3"/23AA in some ships), 12 x 21" tt.; machinery 24,200 shp, Curtis turbines, 2 screws; 35 kt; crew 103. Laid down by Fore River, Quincy, 15 July 1918; launched 23 November 1918; commissioned 17 March 1919; decommissioned 27 June 1922; recommissioned 17 June 1940; decommissioned 23 September 1940; to Great Britain same day as HMS Brighton (I08); stricken 8 January 1941; to Soviet Union 16 July 1944 renamed Zharkiy ('Torrid'); returned to Great Britain February 28 1949 and broken up for scrap. Hurst narrative adds: commissioned Halifax 23 September 1940 under Cdr. (Retd.) C. W. V. T. S. Lepper RN; arrived Devonport 12 October 1940 for refit; completed and sailed 17 January 1941 for the 1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh; escorted Icelandic military ferry convoys DS1/SD1, the initial stage of WS8X, and minelaying sorties; 25 June 1941 collision with HMS Kenya, towed to Iceland then to the Clyde (arrived 2 July), in yard to 25 September, trials defects, new crew to Tobermory work-up 16-26 October; further Clyde repairs 8 December 1941-30 March 1942 including Stage 2 alterations; November 1942 reduced to second-line duty as Air Target Ship for the Fleet Air Arm - general refit removed much A/S armament to reduce complement and lighten ship, fitted deck stowage and practice-torpedo recovery gear; completed May 1943, Irish Sea and Clyde Approaches to January 1944; collision with trawler Star of the Wave 13 January 1944, repaired at Invergordon, surveyed and placed in reserve on the Tyne early March 1944; refitted on the Tyne May 1944; transferred to Russia as Zharki 16 July 1944; sailed for Kola Inlet in convoy JW 59, arrived 25 August 1944; Soviet service probably local operations out of Kola/Murmansk; returned to RN control at Rosyth 4 March 1949; arrived Bo'ness 18 May 1949 to be scrapped by P. & W. MacLellan Ltd. CO list: LCDR C. E. Van Hook (17 Mar 1919-21 Nov 1919), LTJG E. R. Winckler, LTJG P. M. Gunnell, LCDR G. M. Cook, LCDR R. G. Risley (to 27 Jun 1922), LCDR J. K. Reybold (17 Jun 1940-23 Sep 1940).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1949
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918-19; USN crews; RN escort/target-ship crews 1940-44; Devonport/Clyde/Rosyth/Invergordon/Tyne yard workforces 1940-44; Soviet Northern Fleet crew 1944-49; MacLellan breaking workforce 1949
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive transcribing official records (spec block derives from Ships' Data/BuShips-type sources); dates agree with DANFS except where flagged. Internal conflict: the fate line reads 'Returned to Great Britain February 28 1949' while the Hurst narrative on the same page reads 4 March 1949 at Rosyth - carried in gaps. 'Curtis turbines' wording vs sister-hull records' 'Bethlehem Steel geared turbines' noted (Bethlehem built Curtis-type turbines). Asbestos content is not addressed. The Devonport, Clyde, Rosyth, Invergordon, and Tyne yard periods are documented events; their materials scope is not stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-02
-
[3]naval-history.net, Lt Cdr G. B. Mason RN (Rtd) service history 'HMS BRIGHTON (I 08), later Russian ZHARKIY - ex-US Destroyer' (2004, revised 2011); uboat.net Allied Warships 'HMS Brighton (I 08)' warship record (ship/4305); uboat.net ships-hit record for SS Baltistan (Italian submarine Michele Bianchi, 27 Feb 1941, convoy OB 290) [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-11US-HMS_Brighton.htm (full chronology); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4305.html; uboat.net Baltistan ships-hit record (Italian submarines/ships_hit)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- RN service chronology for this hull: 'Ex USS COWELL (Type C - NEWPORT-Class) built by Bethlehem Steel Works, Fore River,' launched 23 November 1918; transferred under 'Lease Lend Agreement' and commissioned into the RN at Halifax 23 September 1940 - the 4th RN warship named Brighton (name first 1795), adopted by Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton after a March 1942 Warship Week; no battle honours, no badge. Plymouth arrival 12 October 1940; refit and RN modification at HM Dockyard Devonport; nominated for the 1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh, joining January 1941 for escort of minelayers in NW Approaches and Iceland-UK convoys - operation-by-operation escort of the Northern Barrage minelays (SN7A/B, SN68A, SN7D, SN9A, SN64A/B, SN66, SN70B, SN83A/B, SN3A/B/C/F, SN27B, SN73, SN82, SN89), the DS1/SD1 Iceland military convoys, and WS8X local escort; 25 June 1941 collision with HMS Kenya in fog off the Faeroes with major structural damage (forward structure parted from after section); 8 December 1941-30 March 1942 Clyde repair including convoy-defence modifications; 21 June 1942 detached to Force X decoy convoy covering PQ-17; November 1942 refit at Rosyth and nominated as Air Target Ship; January-April 1943 conversion; May-December 1943 Irish Sea/Clyde Air Target Ship; January 1944 North Sea; 13 January 1944 collision with trawler Star of the Wave and Invergordon repair, then reserve on the Tyne (March); Tyne refit May-June 1944; 16 July 1944 transferred to the Soviet Navy, renamed ZHARKIY/ZHARKE; passage to Kola with the transferring warships (chronology prints 'Convoy JV69' - the JW 59 transfer convoy per NavSource); Northern Fleet convoy escort to August 1945+; returned to the RN at Rosyth 4 March 1949; sold to BISCo for demolition by MacLellan, arriving Bo'ness 18 May 1949. uboat.net corroborates: pennant I 08, Fore River builder, laid down 15 July 1918, RN commanding officers (Lepper Sep 1940-Mar 1943; Evans; Fulton; Foulds to 16 Jul 1944), Soviet transfer 16 July 1944 as 'Zarkij,' Rosyth return 4 March 1949, sold for scrap 5 April 1949, Bo'ness arrival 18 May. The uboat.net Baltistan casualty record confirms Brighton's 27 February 1941 rescue role: 'Eighteen of the twenty survivors were rescued by the destroyer HMS Brighton and landed on 4th March 1941 at Plymouth, but two had died and were buried at sea' (Baltistan, 6,803 GRT, sunk by Italian submarine Michele Bianchi out of convoy OB 290; 53 dead per the casualty table).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Population
- RN crews and refit workforces (Devonport Oct 1940-Jan 1941; Clyde Jul-Sep 1941 and Dec 1941-Mar 1942; Rosyth Nov 1942; Invergordon Jan 1944; Tyne May-Jun 1944); Soviet Northern Fleet crews 1944-49
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations transcribing official records - Mason's service history and uboat.net are the standard corroborating layer for RN flush-decker service, consistent with their treatment in batch-2425/3110/3134. Neither source names asbestos or materials scope for any refit; the 'JV69' convoy string is printed as-is and reads against NavSource's JW 59; Mason's 'Type C - NEWPORT-Class' is the RN grouping terminology for the Bethlehem-design Towns and is carried verbatim. Survivor count conflicts with DANFS (19 vs 18-of-20) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-03
-
[4]Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal (2005); Franke et al., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: a state of the science evaluation (1900-1970)' (2011); Atlas shipyard dataset, fore-river-shipyard record; Wickes-class Fore River/Bethlehem machinery attribution per sister-hull records (Palmer DD-161: four White-Forster boilers, Bethlehem/Curtis geared turbines) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Naval Engineers Journal 2005 (doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x); Franke 2011 state-of-science review; shipyards.json record 'fore-river-shipyard' (slug per batch-3167 Palmer record)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: peer-reviewed reviews of U.S. Navy asbestos practice document shipboard asbestos thermal insulation in use from the 1880s through the 1950s - spanning this hull's 1918-19 construction and every subsequent commission, refit, and foreign service period. A Wickes-class destroyer of the Bethlehem ('Little') design built at Fore River in 1918 with a steam-turbine plant (NavSource: Curtis turbines, 24,200 shp, two screws; the Fore River group's class-level fit was four White-Forster boilers per the batch-3167 Palmer record) would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. Builder Fore River Shipbuilding Co. (Bethlehem), Quincy, Mass., is linked in the Atlas yard dataset.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1949 (vessel); 2005-2011 (era reviews)
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918-19; USN crews 1919-22 and 1940; RN crews 1940-44; Soviet crew 1944-49
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The cited reviews are state-of-the-science literature covering 1900-1970 era practice and do not name this hull; no insulation specification, survey, or material test for this hull was located; nothing quantifies material or establishes any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-04
-
[5]Bartrip, P.W.J., '"Enveloped in fog": The asbestos problem in Britain's Royal Naval Dockyards, 1949-1999,' International Journal of Maritime History 26(4):685-701 (2014); A.W. Garrett (HM Chief Inspector of Factories) circular letter 'Asbestos Insulation aboard Ships,' August 1945 (transcribed at ibasecretariat.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Int. J. Maritime History 26(4), abstract; ibasecretariat.org transcription of the Garrett/TICA correspondence (August-September 1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Era context for this hull's British yard periods: asbestos was used extensively in Britain's Royal Naval Dockyards for fire protection and thermal insulation on warships, and although the 1931 Asbestos Regulations required precautions in asbestos factories, those precautions did not apply on ships under construction or undergoing refit or repair in HM Dockyards until the 1960s. Brighton's October 1940-January 1941 refit was at HM Dockyard Devonport - the same yard later studied in the Devonport asbestosis research program - and her 1941-42 Clyde repairs, November 1942 Rosyth refit, January 1944 Invergordon repair, and May-June 1944 Tyne refit are documented yard events. In August 1945 HM Chief Inspector of Factories A.W. Garrett circulated a letter headed 'Asbestos Insulation aboard Ships' to the thermal-insulation industry, warning that asbestos dust exposure in shipbuilding and ship repair could produce serious later effects - documenting that asbestos insulation work aboard ships in British yards was an acknowledged hazard domain within this hull's service period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1931-1960s (era); 1940-1944 (this hull's refit windows)
- Population
- RN dockyard and commercial-yard refit workers, 1940-1945 (era context)
- Limitations
- Context only - neither source names this hull. Bartrip's documented focus period is 1949-1999, after this hull's refit windows; the Clyde, Invergordon, and Tyne work was at commercial/other yards, not necessarily HM Dockyards. This row establishes era yard practice, not the presence of asbestos aboard HMS Brighton.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-05
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 sweeps, 2026-09-26: opinion index 'USS Cowell' = 0 hits; docket index 'USS Cowell' = 1 hit (Elorreaga v. ABB, Inc., 4:21-cv-05696-HSG, N.D. Cal.); 'DD-167' (o) = 1 hit, (r) = 7 hits - all identifier collisions [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cowell-dd167-04 through sl-uss-cowell-dd167-08; CourtListener docket /docket/60082775/elorreaga-v-abb-inc/; Elorreaga v. Rockwell Automation, 666 F. Supp. 3d 1032 (N.D. Cal. 2023); 9th Cir. No. 23-16041
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull: exact-name 'USS Cowell' returns zero opinions - no published opinion names the ship - and exactly one docket: Elorreaga v. ABB, Inc., No. 4:21-cv-05696-HSG (N.D. Cal.), nature of suit 'P.I.: Asbestos,' filed 26 July 2021, terminated 24 March 2025. That docket's vessel is the SECOND hull of the name - USS Cowell (DD-547), a Fletcher-class destroyer (Bethlehem San Pedro; commissioned 23 August 1943): the decedent Roberto Elorreaga's deposition-fixed service aboard 'the USS Cowell' was October 1960-February 1963 as fireman's apprentice and electrician's mate, a window in which DD-167 had been scrapped for over a decade and DD-547 was the only commissioned Cowell. The case reached merits-level motion practice and a published opinion on the government-contractor defense - Elorreaga v. Rockwell Automation, Inc., 666 F. Supp. 3d 1032 (N.D. Cal. 2023) - plus a Ninth Circuit interlocutory review (No. 23-16041, opinion filed 3 October 2024), all concerning DD-547's GE/Westinghouse electrical equipment allegations. It is a name collision for DD-167, not qualifying litigation. The hull-designator query 'DD-167' returned one opinion - Wright v. State, 351 So. 2d 1127 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1977), where 'DD-167' is the appellate docket number - and seven dockets (Portier and DoorDash v. City of New York; SEC v. Keener; a bankruptcy matter; the Avena marine-contract case; United States v. Smithers; Battle v. State of Tennessee), all string/identifier collisions referencing no vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1960-1963 (other hull's alleged exposure); 2021-2025 (litigation); 2026-09-26 (sweep)
- Population
- Roberto Elorreaga (USN fireman's apprentice/electrician's mate, USS Cowell DD-547, Oct 1960-Feb 1963; mesothelioma, died October 2021) - collision hull, not this vessel
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive of all courts and eras; absence of a hit does not prove no claim was ever filed. The 'Cowell' + asbestos surname-collision control and the 'HMS Brighton' opinion sweep could not complete under fleet-wide pacing this session - logged 'blocked' in the search ledger and gaps rather than reported as negatives. The Elorreaga hull attribution to DD-547 rests on the deposition service dates (Oct 1960-Feb 1963) published in the district court's order; that is a merits-stage record for the other hull and was classified at face value without pulling the full complaint.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-06
-
[7]Batch-3172 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS live entry (browser-UA fetch, verbatim); NavSource DD-167 page (via Wayback 2025-01-08); naval-history.net (Mason) and uboat.net (incl. Baltistan casualty record) RN-service corroboration; Atlas shipyards.json builder check; CourtListener name + hull-designator sweeps; Naval Vessel Register (not applicable - struck 1941); NARA/archive.org plans check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cowell-dd167-01 through sl-uss-cowell-dd167-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey exists or was generated (the hull was broken up by P. & W. MacLellan at Bo'ness in May 1949, decades before shipbreaking asbestos documentation), no abatement contract or hazmat disclosure exists, and no qualifying asbestos case names DD-167 - the single name-level docket (Elorreaga) names the second hull DD-547. The hull left U.S. Navy custody in September 1940 - before the era that produced asbestos documentation or litigation - and passed through two more navies before scrapping, so the usual exposure-record pathways (postwar yard abatement records, museum hazmat disclosures, veteran litigation naming this hull) do not exist for it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1918-built steam destroyer consistent with era practice would have carried insulated steam plant materials, and her documented British yard periods (five refits/repairs 1940-44) are the type of event that disturbs such material. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-07
-
[8]NARA RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) General Information Books and ship engineering drawings; NARA RG 24 Entry 118 deck logs (pre-1941; Special List 44); archive.org ship-design-drawings collection; NHHC photograph catalog (NH 70859; Boston Navy Yard panoramic 19 March 1919); Imperial War Museum Admiralty Official Collection (A 2467, A 2468, A 3289, A 9219, A 9220, A 9221) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org/details/dms5bogp1943 (sibling-hull plans); navsource.org DD-167 photo credits (NH 70859, IWM numbers); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy (RG 24 Entry 118, Special List 44)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: NARA RG 19 General Information Books hold per-vessel material specifications (not retrieved); RG 24 Entry 118 pre-1941 deck logs (itemized in Special List 44) would cover both USN commissions including the June-September 1940 Atlantic patrol period. No digitized Booklet of General Plans for DD-167 was located - the archive.org ship-design-drawings collection holds a 1943 booklet for sister Fore River hull USS Palmer (DD-161/DMS-5, identifier dms5bogp1943, Norfolk Navy Yard 22 February 1943), which documents the same Bethlehem design family at class level, not this hull. Photographic record: NHHC NH 70859 (at anchor, early 1920s) and the J. Crosby Boston Navy Yard panoramic of 19 March 1919; IWM holds six cataloged images of HMS Brighton including A 2467/A 2468 (late 1940, buoy), A 3289 (post-refit trials, Tail of the Bank), A 9219/A 9220/A 9221 (Greenock, October 1942 and circa 1942 camouflage), plus a March 1949 image on return from Soviet service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1949 (record subjects)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - none of these sources was examined for insulation or materials callouts, and none is stated to contain asbestos data. The Palmer booklet is a different hull's plan set (class-level design family). Deck logs record events, not materials. The NARA catalog search interface was JS-gated to automated queries this session; NAID-level verification of Cowell holdings was not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cowell-dd167-08