Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet gd-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (with class + name-collision notes)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-craven-dd70-pkt-gd-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Craven II (Destroyer No. 70/DD-70) (construction, service narrative, rename, RN transfer and service, disposal; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture of the canonical NHHC page and the hazegray DANFS transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Craven II' specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 29 June 1918 by Norfolk Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. F. Learned (daughter of Commander Craven), commissioned 19 October 1918 (Lt. Comdr. M. B. McComb). Specs: dp. 1,125; l. 315'6"; b. 31'2"; dr. 8'1"; s. 32 k.; cpl. 100; 4 x 4" guns, 12 x 21" tt; class Caldwell. East coast/Caribbean training to 3 May 1919; Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland weather station for the NC seaplane transatlantic flight; Army gun tests at Fort Story; recruiting duty Hampton Roads/Fall River/Newport; reserve at Philadelphia 10 October 1919; reduced commission, Charleston S.C. 10 February 1921, liberty parties to Jacksonville, fleet maneuvers; Philadelphia 29 March 1922; decommissioned 15 June 1922; renamed Conway 12 November 1939; recommissioned 9 August 1940; Halifax 17 October; decommissioned and turned over to British authorities 23 October 1940 in the destroyers-for-bases exchange; commissioned HMS Lewes same day. RN service: Belfast arrival 9 November 1940 searching for Admiral Scheer; Plymouth refit; severely damaged in air raids 21-22 April 1941, out of action to December 1941; Home Fleet; Rosyth Escort Force Thames-Firth of Forth convoys from February 1942; engaged E-boats off Lowestoft 9-10 November 1942; troop convoy to Simonstown (arrived 18 May 1943), aircraft-target and anti-submarine duty off Cape of Good Hope; Eastern Fleet submarine tender and torpedo target ship 1944 (Durban 13 August, Ceylon, Trincomalee); British Pacific Fleet aircraft-training target ship January 1945 (Fremantle 11 February, Sydney 20 February); 12 October 1945 reported no longer necessary and ordered scrapped - 'this most widely travelled of the "Town" destroyers.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1917-1945
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1917-18; 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; content verified via Wayback capture (NHHC page published 2016-02-23) and verbatim hazegray transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-01
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[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, USS Craven (Destroyer # 70, later DD-70), 1918-1940 (Naval Historical Center photo-history page with NARA Bureau of Ships Collection photographs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library page for DD-70 (ibiblio mirror of history.navy.mil photo pages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photo-history page for this hull: a 1,020-ton Caldwell-class destroyer built at Norfolk Navy Yard; commissioned October 1918; NC flying-boat transatlantic-flight weather/guard ship May 1919; generally inactive after October 1919; designated DD-70 when hull numbers were adopted mid-1920; brief 1921 reactivation (Charleston area); out of commission at Philadelphia Navy Yard June 1922 and laid up there nearly two decades; name stripped end of May 1936 for new USS Craven (DD-382) and carried as 'DD-70 (ex-Craven)' until renamed Conway November 1939; recommissioned August 1940; transferred to the United Kingdom October 1940 under destroyers-for-bases; renamed Lewes; employed in the Atlantic 1940-44, thereafter Indian Ocean and Australian waters; 'Removed from active service in 1945, HMS Lewes was scuttled off Australia in May 1946.' Includes NARA Bureau of Ships Collection photographs (19-N-16455, 1 November 1918 dazzle-camouflage view; NH 42524 Reserve Basin 1919; NH 78700/NH 78706 construction views).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- USN crew 1918-1922 and 1940; RN crew 1940-1945
- Limitations
- Confirms identity chain (Craven -> DD-70 ex-Craven -> Conway -> HMS Lewes) and May 1946 scuttling; gives 1,020-ton displacement where the DANFS spec block reads 1,125 (standard vs normal tonnage - noted in gaps). No asbestos, materials, or crew-exposure data. NHHC photo captions as transcribed by NavSource are internally inconsistent on the laid-down date (20 November vs 20 December 1917) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-02
-
[4]Naval-History.net (Lt Cdr Geoffrey B. Mason RN Rtd), 'HMS Lewes (G 68) - ex-US Destroyer', compiled RN service history; corroborated by 'Scuttled and Abandoned Ships in Australian Waters' (NSW section, splashmaritime/wrecksite compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval-history.net HMS Lewes page (postwar notes paragraph); NSW dumped-ships list, LEWES entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Compiled RN service history for HMS Lewes (ex USS Conway, ex USS Craven): transferred to the RN 23 October 1940; adopted by the civil community of Lewes, East Sussex after Warship Week; postwar notes record she remained in commission after VJ Day, paid off at Sydney November 1945, was placed on the disposal list, de-equipped and sold to BISCO for disposal, stripped of valuable items, and scuttled off Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 25 May 1946. The NSW scuttled-and-abandoned-ships inventory independently lists 'LEWES HMS ex USS Conway ... Scuttled off Sydney May 25 1946' (a stray 'Aug.13,1955' alternative noted in the entry is carried in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- RN crew to November 1945; disposal/salvage handlers 1945-46
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary references, not contemporaneous documents: Mason's service histories are built from official records but carry no inline citations; the NSW list is a compiled inventory. Together they corroborate NHHC's 'scuttled off Australia in May 1946.' No asbestos or materials content; wreck position not precisely documented in these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-03
-
[5]DANFS specifications block (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) + Atlas shipyards.json Norfolk Naval Shipyard record (yard-level documented asbestos products) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specs block; Franke & Paustenbach 2011 (naval asbestos-use passage); shipyards.json 'norfolk-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Norfolk Navy Yard-built Caldwell-class destroyer launched 1918 with a four-Thornycroft-boiler Parsons geared-turbine steam plant (Conway's 1906-1921; Jane's Fighting Ships 1920; NavSource) 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 Norfolk Naval Shipyard is a documented asbestos site in the Atlas shipyards dataset (tier 2: EPA Superfund VA1170024813; documented products include boiler/turbine insulation, pipe lagging, gaskets, packing, deck coverings).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1917-1946
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1917-18; USN crew 1918-1940; RN crew 1940-1945; disposal handlers 1945-46
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard 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; Norfolk Naval Shipyard's documented asbestos record is era-spanning and yard-level, not tied to DD-70's 1917-18 build. Does not establish crew exposure, quantities, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-04
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[6]CourtListener API v4 searches (opinion index type=o and RECAP docket index type=r): "USS Craven", "USS Conway", "HMS Lewes", "Craven" "DD-70", "DD-70" [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 type=o searches (see search_ledger sl-rows)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Opinion index: 'USS Craven', 'USS Conway', 'HMS Lewes', 'DD-70', and 'Craven'+'DD-70' all returned zero hits. Docket index: 'USS Craven', 'HMS Lewes', and 'DD-70' zero qualifying hits (45 'DD-70' docket rows reviewed - all name collisions in unrelated copyright/product-liability/tobacco dockets, none vessel- or asbestos-related); the single 'USS Conway' docket hit, United States v. QTC Medical Services (C.D. Cal. 2:14-cv-08961, False Claims Act re VA medical exams), is a name collision - not asbestos litigation and not vessel-related. Name history increases collision risk rather than hiding hits: any post-1937 'USS Craven' litigation would concern DD-382 (Gridley-class), and 'USS Conway' would concern DD-507 (Fletcher-class) - neither produced a qualifying hit. The hull left U.S. service in October 1940 and was scuttled in 1946, outside the era and jurisdiction of most U.S. asbestos dockets; UK-service exposure claims would not appear in CourtListener.
- Verification
- verified
- 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
- Index-negative result only: absence of an indexed opinion or docket does not prove no claim was ever filed or settled; CourtListener coverage of state-court and unreported matters is partial; RECAP docket text is indexed unevenly, so a hull mention in attachments could evade the sweep.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-05
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[7]NARA research guide, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (points hull-level asbestos inquiries to RG 19 Bureau of Ships records incl. per-vessel General Information Books; RG 24 Entry 118 logbooks 1801-1947 at Archives I) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA asbestos research guide; search_ledger rows sl-01 through sl-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation located for this hull across the public sources searched: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, donation-condition hazmat disclosure, or docketed case names USS Craven/Conway/DD-70 or HMS Lewes. Unlike surviving museum ships (e.g., USS Laffey DD-724), this hull was scuttled at sea in 1946, so the museum-ship abatement documentation path does not exist. NARA's asbestos-research guide identifies the record series (RG 19 General Information Books, deck logs) 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
- 1917-1946
- Population
- USN and RN personnel 1918-1945
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record is not proof none exists - NARA GIBs and deck logs are unretrieved (no spend authorized); UK-service (HMS Lewes) records sit at TNA (ADM 53 logs, ADM series ship's books) and are outside U.S. indexes; wreck-site material condition is unsurveyed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-06
-
[8]NARA 'Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives' (RG 24 Entry 118, NAID 581208; Special List #44 coverage 1801-1947; pre-1941 logs at Archives I, Washington DC) + UK National Archives ADM 53 ship's log series (HMS Lewes) + Arnold Hague, 'The Towns' (World Ship Society, 1988) print monograph [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA logbook research page; 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 Craven (1918-1922), reduced-commission logs (1919-1922), and Conway (1940) at Archives I, Washington DC; (2) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships records incl. General Information Books and Norfolk Navy Yard construction correspondence (NARA asbestos guide directs hull-level asbestos inquiries to RG 19); (3) TNA ADM 53 series logbooks for HMS Lewes, 1940-45; (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
- 1917-1946
- Population
- Archival research pathway
- Limitations
- Unretrieved leads - no archival retrieval was performed (no spend authorized); presence of DD-70 material specifications in the GIBs is unverified; RN-era records are outside U.S. repositories.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-craven-dd70-07