Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet ll-packet.md (6 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Cronin — [M] https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/DE/DE-704_Cronin.html
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-cronin-de704-pkt-ll-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Cronin (DE-704) (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships; verbatim hazegray DANFS transcription via Wayback capture 2007-09-29 - live NHHC page returns 404 on all current and legacy URL patterns; hazegray.org itself does not resolve) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Cronin' - namesake biography, DE-704 spec block, service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 5 January 1944 by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; sponsored by Mrs. E. B. Cronin, daughter-in-law of the late Chief Gunner Cronin; commissioned 5 May 1944, Lieutenant Commander A. G. Cooke, USNR, in command. Spec block: Buckley class, 1,400 t, 306 ft, 36 ft 10 in beam, 9 ft 5 in draft, 24 kt, complement 186, 3x3in, 3x21in tt, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (hh), 2 dct. Service: New York departure 21 July 1944 escorting a convoy to Bizerte, Tunisia, returning to Norfolk 7 September; second convoy-escort voyage 2 October-18 November to Palermo, Sicily, rescuing 24 survivors of SS George W. McKnight on 14 October; departed New York 16 December for the Pacific, arriving Manus 22 January 1945; Philippine Sea Frontier convoy escort out of Leyte through war's end; departed Manila 30 August for Okinawa supporting the reoccupation of the Chinese mainland - transports to Jinsen, Korea, screening Bougainville (CVE-100) delivering planes at Taku and Tsingtao, LST convoy to Jinsen; departed Okinawa 8 November for Boston, arriving 15 December; Green Cove Springs 19 January 1946; out of commission in reserve 31 May 1946; reclassified DEC-704 13 September 1950; recommissioned 9 February 1951 - major Atlantic exercises and Norfolk training duty incl. Key West submarine exercises March 1953; returned to Green Cove Springs 24 September 1953; out of commission in reserve 4 December 1953; reclassified DE-704 27 December 1957. Namesake: Chief Gunner Cornelius Cronin, Medal of Honor for steering USS Richmond at Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1957
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades (Bay City, 1943-44); USN crew 1944-1946 and 1951-1953 (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. The entry does not state a laid-down date (NavSource supplies 19 October 1943) and does not carry post-1957 disposition (strike 1970, target sinking 1971). Live NHHC page returns 404 on all patterns tried - verbatim mirror transcription cited via a 2007 Wayback capture of hazegray.org.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Cronin (DE-704) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, specifications, namesake caption, commanding-officer list [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-704 page - 'Building and Operational Data' block; specifications; CO table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive chronology corroborating and extending DANFS: keel laid 19 October 1943 Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City; launched/christened 5 January 1944; commissioned 5 May 1944 at Naval Station New Orleans, Algiers, La.; decommissioned 31 May 1946 at Green Cove Springs; reclassified DEC-704 13 December 1950 (one-month variance vs DANFS's 13 September - carried in gaps); recommissioned 9 February 1951 assigned to Atlantic Fleet Cruiser-Destroyer Force at Norfolk; decommissioned 4 December 1953 at Green Cove Springs; reclassified DE-704 27 December 1957; struck from the NVR 1 June 1970 'with a total of 4 years and 11 months of service'; sunk as target off Florida 16 December 1971. Specifications: 1,400 t light / 1,740 t full; 306 ft oa; 2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kt; complement 15 officers/198 enlisted; awards China Service Medal, American, Asiatic-Pacific, European-Africa-Middle East campaign medals, WWII Victory, National Defense, Philippine Liberation. Commanding officers list covers 1944-1946 and 1952-1953.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Population
- USN crew 1944-1946 and 1951-1953
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level, unverified against USN/NHHC/NARA originals. The 13 December 1950 DEC reclassification conflicts with DANFS's 13 September (carried in gaps). Namesake caption reads 'born 10 March 1838 in Ireland' where DANFS reads Detroit - flagged in gaps. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-02
-
[4]Bowling Green State University, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, finding aid GLMMS-2199 - 'Summary of photos taken of the USS CRONIN (DE-704)' (Defoe Shipbuilding Company records, Box GLMMS 52, Folder 9; Center for Archival Collections) [other_primary]
- Locator
- lib.bgsu.edu finding aid, resource 2200 (GLMMS-2199); agent 525 (Defoe Shipbuilding Company)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- BGSU HCGL holds a Cronin-specific archival unit inside the Defoe Shipbuilding Company records: GLMMS-2199, 'A handwritten list of the photographs taken of the USS CRONIN when newly completed in 1944' (1 folder, creation 1944; subjects: Buckley Class destroyer escorts, shipbuilding - Michigan - Bay City). The parent agent record (finding-aid agent 525, Defoe Shipbuilding Company) spans six-plus collections including Defoe-Navy correspondence, yard layout and building schedules, and the 'Defoe Rollover' employee periodical 1942-44 - the builder-yard paper record for this hull's construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944 (item); 2024 (finding aid completed)
- Population
- Defoe yard workforce (Bay City), 1943-44
- Limitations
- Finding aid only - the item itself (a photo list) is undigitized and was not retrieved; whether companion Defoe construction records for this hull survive is unverified from the finding aid. A photo list can evidence exterior/interior fit-out but establishes nothing about materials content on its own.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-03
-
[5]Buckley-class TE design data (DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; Atlas class profile class-f/buckley-class.class.json drawing on BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' Vol. 1, Jan 1945 + navypedia us_de_te block map) [other_primary]
- Locator
- class-f/buckley-class.class.json propulsion_summary + member row DE-704 + ev-buckley-class-01/02 (SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235; navypedia us_de_te)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a turbo-electric escort built at Defoe/Bay City in 1943-44: the Buckley TE plant - BuShips design groups 2-3, two 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat feeding GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, ~24 kt - is a full superheated-steam plant, one of only two DE designs so equipped (with the Butler WGT class), so the heavy steam-ship asbestos categories apply at design level: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging between fireroom and turbo-generators, turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Per navypedia's boiler-block map, the Defoe-built DE693-705 block (incl. DE-704) carried Combustion Engineering boilers.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-44 (construction); 1944-1953 (service)
- Population
- Defoe construction trades 1943-44; USN engineering/fire-room crew 1944-1946 and 1951-1953
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - not a ship-specific finding; no member-level asbestos record exists for this hull. The boiler-manufacturer attribution is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents. Establishes no quantities, no locations, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-04
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o; RECAP docket index type=r) for exact name 'USS Cronin', hull numbers 'DE-704'/'DEC-704', and 'Cronin' asbestos via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cronin-de704-05 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name query '"USS Cronin"' (type=o) returned 0 results - no opinion naming this vessel located (consistent with the 2026-09-28 batch-4001 sweep of the same index). Hull-number query '"DE-704"' (type=o) returned 6 hits, all string collisions on review - People v. Hao Lin (N.Y. 2017, criminal), Laplante v. Terraces of Lake Worth (S.D. Fla. 2010), Borom v. Town of Merrillville (N.D. Ind. 2012), Harbaugh v. Greslin (S.D. Fla. 2006, judgment enforcement), United States v. Altenburger (9th Cir. 1977, railroad sabotage), and Lamson v. United States (Fed. Cl. 2013, patent claim construction) - none vessel-, Navy-, or asbestos-related. 'Cronin asbestos' (type=o) returned ~123 hits in the batch-4001 sweep of this index, all surname/firm-name collisions (Corr Cronin Michelson Baumgardner & Preece; attorneys/parties named Cronin) with zero vessel references. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Opinion index swept for exact name and hull number; the 'Cronin' asbestos result is cross-referenced from the batch-4001 (DE-107) record's authenticated sweep of the same index rather than re-run, to conserve the shared quota - its collisions are surname-level, not hull-specific. RECAP-docket queries ('USS Cronin', 'DE-704', 'DEC-704' type=r) returned the fleet-wide pacing 'momentarily spent' status repeatedly at drafting; final status in search_ledger. The sweep does not cover state-court records, trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Cronin' collides both with the common surname and with USS Cronin (DE-107, Cannon class, to France 1944 as Algerien) - any future hit needs collision classification rather than automatic attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-05
-
[7]Batch-4484 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + hazegray/Wayback + ibiblio HyperWar mirrors, NVR, NavSource, BGSU Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Atlas shipyard dataset, Atlas class profile, CourtListener API v4, NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cronin-de704-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. The hull had no preservation era - sunk as a target off Florida 16 December 1971 after strike 1 June 1970 - so no museum or memorial disclosure can exist, and no present-day survey is possible. The only public asbestos claims about this hull are law-firm marketing pages (shepardlawfirm.com 'USS Cronin | DE 704'; freeasbestostesting.com destroyer-escort ship list) asserting unsourced boilerplate claims - excluded per source rules and logged in the report, not evidence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam-plant hull would have carried era-standard materials, which is why the class/era inference row exists. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Target-sinking preparation records (hazmat removal before the 1971 exercise) are not located in public sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-06
-
[8]Archival leads for hull-level material documentation not yet retrieved: (1) BGSU HCGL Defoe Shipbuilding Company holdings (finding-aid agent 525: six-plus collections incl. Defoe-Navy correspondence, shipyard layout and building schedules, the GLMMS-2199 Cronin photo list, and 'The Defoe Rollover' employee periodical 1942-44); (2) NARA RG 19 BuShips contract specifications/ships' data for DE-704 and RG 24 deck logs (1944-1953); (3) Atlantic Reserve Fleet (Green Cove Springs) inactivation/reactivation work records for the 1946 berthing and 1951 reactivation; (4) the Navy target-sinking exercise file for the 16 December 1971 disposal off Florida [other_primary]
- Locator
- BGSU finding-aid agent 525 + GLMMS-2199; NARA RG 19/RG 24 series (undigitized); Green Cove Springs fleet records; Navy sinking-exercise records
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary holdings likely to contain hull-level material information exist but were not pulled: BGSU HCGL's Defoe Shipbuilding collections are the builder-yard paper record for the hull's construction; NARA RG 19/RG 24 hold the contract specifications and the deck-log run for both commissionings; Green Cove Springs inactivation records cover the 1946 and 1953 lay-ups; the 1971 sinking-exercise file would document pre-sinking preparation of the hulk. None are digitized in public sources.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1971 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were retrieved or digitized; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (standing limitation).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cronin-de704-07