Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, Dale W. Peterson (DE-337) (namesake bio, builder, dates, service narrative, striking and sale; live NHHC page returns 404 - verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio). Corroborated by NHHC 'Ships Named for Naval Aviators' appendix: 'Peterson, Dale W. (DE 337) ENS Dale W. Peterson, USN 17 Feb 1944' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake bio + specifications block + service narrative (HyperWar/ibiblio de337.html); NHHC app12.pdf 'Ships Named for Naval Aviators' (history.navy.mil)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Ensign Dale William Peterson, USNR (born 18 November 1919, St. Joseph, Mo.; enlisted Naval Reserve 26 March 1940 for aviation training; commissioned ensign 6 April 1941; reported to Fighting Squadron 6, 12 May 1941; killed 8 May 1942 in the Battle of the Coral Sea; Navy Cross for intercepting enemy bombers attacking his carrier 20 February 1942; posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross for Coral Sea). Launched 22 December 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; sponsored by Mrs. N. F. Peterson, mother of Ensign Peterson; commissioned 17 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. A. A. Hero USNR in command. Arrived Norfolk 19 April 1944, assigned to train nucleus crews; 1 July-27 September 1944 two trans-Atlantic voyages escorting convoys to the Mediterranean; 1 November 1944-3 June 1945 operated between New York and the United Kingdom and France, five crossings; sailed from New York 24 June 1945 for training at Guantanamo Bay and the West Coast, arriving San Diego 1 August; underway for Pearl Harbor the next day; ordered to return to the east coast 2 September 1945; arrived Green Cove Springs, Fla., 29 October 1945; placed out of commission in reserve there 27 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 2 January 1971; sold 10 April 1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (DANFS design complement 186); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers 1946-1971
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot, matches Batch-01); verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription cited. The DANFS bio reads 'Fighting Squadron 6'; the Navy Cross citation text quoted by NavSource/Hall of Valor reads Fighting Squadron THREE attached to USS Lexington (CV-2) for the 20 Feb 1942 action - divergence carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-01
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[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for PETERSON, DALE W., DE-337 (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 256-257) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 roster row 260, PETERSON, DALE W. DE-337 (book pp. 256-257; shipscribe scan PDF p. 138)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull: PETERSON, DALE W., official number DE-337, design group FMR; builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; contract price of hull and machinery $1,539,000 (cost-plus-fixed-fee); contract signed 7 August 1942; keel laid 25 October 1943; launched 22 December 1943; contract completion 17 February 1944; preliminary acceptance 15 February 1944; first commission 17 February 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Corp. construction trades, Orange, Tex., 1943-44
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. All dates concur with DANFS and NavSource where they overlap.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-02
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[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-4 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table: design group 4 (symbol FMR - Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse-gear drive) - 306 ft oa, 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 t standard / 1,590 t full load; 21 kt; machinery 4 Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts; boilers 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, A.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted; armament 3 x 3 in/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the FMR design carried a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- FMR-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole FMR group (85 hulls), not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table OCR'd from a scanned page; individual cell values partially garbled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-03
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[4]Navypedia, 'FMR' destroyer escorts (EDSALL) (1943-1944) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia FMR/Edsall-class page, roster table row DE337 + technical-data block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls completed by two builders - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. (DE-129 through DE-152 and DE-316 through DE-338, 47 hulls) and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex. (DE-238 through DE-255 and DE-382 through DE-401, 38 hulls). DE-337 Dale W. Peterson appears in the Consolidated block: laid 10.1943, launched 22.12.1943, commissioned 2.1944, stricken 1.1971 - concurring with DANFS/NavSource/BuShips. Technical data: complement 186 - matching the DANFS design complement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Edsall-class construction and operating crews (85 hulls)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (class-level): the builder blocks and per-hull row corroborate the per-hull BuShips roster; not a materials or asbestos source - used for class enumeration only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-04
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[5]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Dale W. Peterson (DE 337) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, flag hoist NHSQ, commanding-officer list; Wayback capture 2025-05-13 - live page fetch failed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/337.htm building-and-operational-data block + CO list + photo captions (Wayback 2025-05-13 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: keel laid 25 October 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; launched and christened 22 December 1943, sponsor Mrs. N. F. Peterson, mother of Ensign Peterson; commissioned 17 February 1944, Lcdr A. A. Hero, USNR; decommissioned 27 March 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Fla. after 2 years 1-1/3 months service; struck from the NVR 2 January 1971; sold for scrapping 10 April 1972. Specs: FMR type - 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 21 kts; 9,100 nm at 12 kt; complement 8/201. Awards: American Campaign Medal; European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal. CO list (contributed by Wolfgang Hechler): Lcdr. Alvin Anthony Hero USNR (comm. CO, to 5 Feb 1945), Lcdr. Albert S. Bigelow USNR (5 Feb-28 Sep 1945), Lcdr. William L. Vaughn USNR (from 28 Sep 1945), Lt.(jg) Carl E. Radcliffe USN (decomm. CO). Photo captions place the ship at Naples, Italy, July 1944 and Casco Bay, Maine, January 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Wartime crew (NavSource complement 8 officers/201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB where they overlap. Contributed photo captions and the CO list are unattributed detail. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-05
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[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS Dale W. Peterson (DE 337) - warship record, WWII commanding-officer list, and compiled convoy-event entries (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/1528.html - 'Notable events' entries 1 Jul 1944 (Convoy UGF 12) and 5 Feb 1945 (Convoy CU 57)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled convoy record names this hull in two escort events: convoy UGF-12 (departed Hampton Roads 1 July 1944, Naples Bay arrival about 15 July) escorted by Task Force 68 with Dale W. Peterson (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Hero USNR) among the Edsall-class escorts including Edsall, Stewart, Daniel, Roy O. Hale, and Martin H. Ray; and convoy CU-57 (New York departure 5 February 1945), whose Boston section departed Boston 6 February 1945 escorted by Jacob Jones (carrying COMCORTDIV 3), Brough, Roy O. Hale, and Dale W. Peterson (Lt.Cdr. A.S. Bigelow USNR). These corroborate the DANFS narrative of two Mediterranean voyages July-September 1944 and five UK/France crossings November 1944-June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew under Lcdr. Hero and Lcdr. Bigelow
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary source drawing on convoy sailing records - corroborates the DANFS service narrative; not an official document and not a materials/asbestos source. Only two of the seven DANFS-described voyages are resolved to named convoys here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-06
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[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (no boilers; F.M. diesel) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-4 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); cf. Edsall DE-129 record ev-uss-edsall-de129-06 (same design row, same inference set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1943-44 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet maintenance 1946-71
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-337 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder yard (Consolidated Steel, Orange, Tex.) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-07
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[8]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020 (citation verified in Edsall DE-129 record ev-uss-edsall-de129-07) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- galvnews.com article_c2c77857, 27 Jul 2020
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister hull: the Galveston Daily News reported asbestos in public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) and USS Cavalla (SS-244) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the Galveston Park Board cited U.S. Navy inspection recommendations that an asbestos survey be conducted. USS Stewart is a Brown Shipbuilding-built Edsall-class hull (DE-238) - class-level corroboration that Edsall-class construction carried asbestos-containing material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2020
- Population
- Museum staff/volunteers and Seawolf Park visitors; abatement crews
- Limitations
- Evidence about a sister hull (DE-238), NOT this hull: different builder (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston) and a museum-hull lifecycle DE-337 never had (DE-337 was scrapped 1972). Documents asbestos aboard one Edsall-class ship as delivered/preserved; establishes nothing about DE-337's materials, quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-08
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[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-337 (built 1943-44) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description. Says nothing about this specific hull or any diesel-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-09
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[10]NARA Catalog record 78406006, 'DALE W PETERSON - War Diary, 4/1-30/44' (Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations WWII War Diaries; National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference; micro serial 71198), indexed via DPLA [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog id 78406006 via DPLA item ad5cbf23e8a1bb5a773d6c549a79a3cd (dp.la)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A cataloged archival record exists for this hull: the April 1944 war diary of USS Dale W. Peterson is held by the National Archives at College Park (micro serial 71198, NARA ID 78406006). A contemporaneous ship document of this hull's first operational month (commissioned 17 February 1944; Norfolk arrival 19 April 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-04 (record); 2026-09-28 (catalog check)
- Limitations
- Catalog-level record only - the war diary content was not retrieved (held on microfilm at Archives II, College Park; not digitized in the sources checked). Establishes that a hull-specific operational record exists, not what it contains; no materials or asbestos content is implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-10
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for '"Dale W. Peterson"' / '"DE-337"' / '"USS Peterson" asbestos' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'Dale W. Peterson' type=o count=3 (all name collisions), type=r count=14 (all bankruptcy/real-estate personal-name collisions); 'DE-337' type=o count=10 (all numeric/Spanish-text false positives), type=r count=197 (all 'DE 337' docket-entry-number artifacts); 'USS Peterson' asbestos type=o count=0
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"Dale W. Peterson"' (type=o): 3 hits, all personal-name collisions in unrelated Tennessee state cases (Vernon Elkins Jr. v. State of Tennessee; William Floyd v. State; State Dept. of Children Svcs v. Manier) - no vessel or asbestos reference. Hull-number sweep '"DE-337"' (type=o): 10 hits, all numeric/Spanish-language false positives (Puerto Rico property and tax opinions citing '337' parcels or 'de 337' phrasing; federal opinions with DE-### document references; Yates v. Ford Motor Co. is an asbestos case whose 'DE-337' hit is a numeric citation artifact, not a vessel reference) - zero vessel references. Docket sweep '"Dale W. Peterson"' (type=r): 14 hits, all personal-name collisions - bankruptcy and real-estate dockets for individuals of that name (Mich., Ill., Mo., Nev., Wis., Ind. bk courts; MERS/foreclosure litigation) - no vessel or asbestos reference. Docket sweep '"DE-337"' (type=r): 197 hits, every sampled hit a 'DE 337' docket-entry-number citation inside unrelated dockets (e.g., 'Per DE 337 Order') - zero vessel references. Supplemental '"USS Peterson" asbestos' (type=o): 0 hits - no indexed asbestos opinion names any USS Peterson (collision hulls DE-152 and DD-969 likewise absent).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage is the CourtListener opinion + RECAP docket indexes only; state-court dockets not mirrored, PACER-only filings, and settled/undocketed claims are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. DE-337's out-of-service date (1946) predates the asbestos-litigation era, and 'Peterson' is a high-collision name (DE-152 sister hull, DD-969, and common surname).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-11
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[12]Batch-4240 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource archive page (Wayback); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (scanned roster and design table); uboat.net convoy record; navypedia class roster; GAO product page; NARA war-diary catalog record and digitized deck-log inventory; VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-04 through sl-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-01 through sl-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-337: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in April 1972, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for sister hull Stewart (DE-238). The only 'asbestos' hits naming USS Dale W. Peterson (DE-337) in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull (asbestos-ships.com, elslaw.com, freeasbestostesting.com) - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules; the listicle claim that 'a number of crewmembers died from an illness caused by asbestos exposure' is unsourced boilerplate and was not used.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof of absence aboard - 1943-44 escort construction falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and sister-hull DE-238 carried documented asbestos. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) at NARA are unsurveyed leads; a cataloged April 1944 war diary exists (ev-10). Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-dale-w-peterson-de337-12