USS DAMATO (DD-871)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet hb-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-damato-dd871-pkt-hb-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Damato (DD-871) (NHHC page published 2016-04-28; retrieved via 2019-12-21 Wayback capture - live page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry 'Damato (DD-871)', specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 20191221093007 of history.navy.mil)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: namesake Cpl. Anthony Peter Damato, USMC (born 28 March 1922, Shenandoah, Pa.; killed in action 19 February 1944 at Eniwetok, posthumous Medal of Honor); launched 21 November 1945 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y., sponsored by Mrs. A. P. Damato; commissioned 27 April 1946, Commander I. S. Presler in command; reclassified 'DEE-871' on 4 March 1951 (printed spelling - evidently DDE-871). Spec block: Gearing class; dp. 2,425; l. 390'6"; b. 41'1"; dr. 18'6"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 367; a. 6 5", 5 21" tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct. Service to 1962: Newport homeport then Norfolk (Dec 1947); Atlantic training Cuba-Newfoundland; 1949 midshipman cruise and Arctic cold-weather operations; first 6th Fleet Mediterranean tour Sep-Nov 1950; hunter-killer operations South Atlantic; Mediterranean fall 1951 and summers 1952-54; NATO North Atlantic exercises 1952-53; midshipman cruise Norway/Sweden 1955; 6th Fleet Oct-Dec 1956; International Naval Review Hampton Roads 12 June 1957; Mediterranean Mar-Sep 1958 incl. Levant patrol, Suez transit, Middle East Force Persian Gulf; TF 'Alfa' ASW development 1959; St. Lawrence Seaway transit Aug 1959 (Quebec, Montreal, Rochester, Toronto, Mountbatten NATO review); east coast and Caribbean operations through 1962.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1945-1962

   Population

   Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1945-46; postwar Atlantic Fleet crew (DANFS spec complement 367)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry was written circa 1962-63 and does not cover FRAM, Vietnam service, reserve-force period, or disposal. The reclassification date (4 March 1951) conflicts with secondary sources reading March 1950 - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link-rot defect since batch-01); verbatim text retrieved from the 2019-12-21 Wayback capture of the official page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-01

3. [3]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-871 (navsource.net; navsource.org unreachable this session) + NavSource FRAM special-feature table [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/05/871.htm 'Operational and Building Data' block + CO list; navsource.net/archives/05/helpers/fram.htm row '871 Damato Norfolk 02/64'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource index data for this hull: class Gearing 'as built'; laid down by Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, N.Y., 10 May 1945; launched 21 November 1945; commissioned 27 April 1946; 'Completed FRAM upgrade February 1964'; decommissioned 30 September 1980; stricken 1 October 1980; 'To Pakistan September 30 1980, renamed Tippu Sultan'; 'Stricken and scrapped in 1995'. Specs: 3,460 t full; 390'6" x 40'10" x 14'4" max; 60,000 shp General Electric geared turbines, 2 screws; 36.8 kt; range 4,500 nm at 20 kt; crew 336. FRAM table row: '871 / Damato / Norfolk / 02/64' (FRAM conversion at Norfolk, completed February 1964). Commanding-officer list runs continuously from CDR I. S. Presler (27 Apr 1946) through LCDR P. A. Smith (to 30 Sep 1980) with no gap across the purported September 1970 decommissioning. Photo captions place the hull in Destroyer Squadron 36/TF Alfa formation with USS Valley Forge (CVS-45) 6 Nov 1958; UNITAS IX off South America 1968; drydock at East Boston 1973; Boston March 1974.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1945-1995

   Population

   Construction trades 1945-46; crew 1946-1980; FRAM yard workers 1963-64

   Limitations

   NavSource is a secondary compilation indexing official records, not a primary document; dates corroborate DANFS where the two overlap (launched, commissioned). Laid-down date, disposal date (30 Sep vs 1 Oct 1980 in Pakistani lists), and scrapping year (1995 vs 1994) rest on this secondary compilation - conflicts carried in gaps. The FRAM yard attribution (Norfolk) is corroborated by an uncited secondary narrative naming Norfolk Naval Shipyard, not by a primary instrument. Specs differ from the DANFS block (36.8 kt vs 35 k.; crew 336 vs cpl. 367).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-02

4. [4]VA/VBA, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (2021 list; verbatim VFW-FL mirror PDF - canonical VA page now redirects to a generic Agent Orange landing page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   VA/VBA ships list (2021), destroyer entries section - line 'USS Damato (DD-871) operated on Saigon River during December 12-13, 1967'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official VA/VBA ships list entry for this hull: 'USS Damato (DD-871) operated on Saigon River during December 12-13, 1967' - documenting inland-waterway (riverine) operations within the Republic of Vietnam during her June 1967-February 1968 Pacific Fleet service; the listing confers a presumption of herbicide (Agent Orange) exposure for qualifying crew under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1967

   Population

   Crew embarked 12-13 December 1967

   Limitations

   Documents herbicide exposure criteria, NOT asbestos - a vessel-history finding for a U.S. government list naming this hull and its dates of riverine operation. The list is maintained for VA regional-office claims adjudication; underlying evidence for entries derives from ship histories, deck logs, and cruise books not reproduced in the list. Verbatim text verified against a mirrored 2021 edition of the official document; canonical VA URL has moved (page redirects to generic Agent Orange page).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-03

5. [5]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, Photo # NH 106982 (Official U.S. Navy Photograph, Naval History and Heritage Command collections; ibiblio mirror of the NHHC page) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library picture-data page for NH 106982 (ibiblio mirror; live NHHC page 404)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official NHHC photo caption for this hull: 'USS Damato (DD-871). Underway after her FRAM I modernization, circa 1964-1980.' Documents that this hull received the FRAM I modernization (consistent with the NavSource FRAM table row placing the conversion at Norfolk, completed February 1964).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1963-1980

   Population

   FRAM yard workers (Norfolk Naval Shipyard per NavSource FRAM table); crew post-1964

   Limitations

   Caption documents that a FRAM I conversion occurred and its completion-era timeframe; it does not name the yard, describe scope, or address materials. NARA photo 19-N-94282 (Bureau of Ships, 28 April 1946, off Bethlehem Steel Staten Island) is a located artifact per destroyerhistory.org; the caption documents presence, not work performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-04

6. [6]Consolidated era inference - navypedia class technical data + NavSource FRAM table + GAO HRD-80-2 policy context + Goodrich drawing recital [other_primary]

   Locator

   navypedia Gearing class page technical table; NavSource FRAM table row for hull 871; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference for this hull: a Gearing-class destroyer built May 1945-April 1946 at Bethlehem Steel's Staten Island (Mariners Harbor) yard with the class-standard four Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers and 60,000-shp General Electric geared steam turbines falls at the peak of Navy asbestos use; period-standard applications would have included boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe lagging, turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, fireproofing, and accommodation/bulkhead insulation and deck coverings. The documented 1963-February 1964 FRAM I conversion at Norfolk (NavSource FRAM table) and a secondary-sourced 1972 overhaul at Bath Iron Works were yard periods inside the pre-substitution era in which era insulation would have been disturbed under documented Navy practice (GAO HRD-80-2 context).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1945-1980

   Population

   Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1945-46; Norfolk Naval Shipyard trades 1963-64; Bath Iron Works trades 1972 (secondary); crew 1946-1980

   Limitations

   Class/era and yard-period inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding; no source documents an asbestos product aboard DD-871. FRAM I scope for this hull is documented at summary level; insulation disturbance is inference, not record. The 1972 Bath Iron Works overhaul rests on secondary narrative and crew accounts only. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-05

7. [7]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) [court_record]

   Locator

   Goodrich E.D. Va. 4:17-cv-00009, Omnibus Opinion and Order ECF No. 171 (Sept. 28, 2018)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class-level litigation recital covering the machinery arrangement this hull shares: the Goodrich omnibus opinion recites that 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class), within which the USS Harlan Dickson fell, specifies the use of amosite felts and asbestos cloths' and quotes an expert report estimating 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' Gearing-class hulls share the lengthened Sumner machinery arrangement; DD-871 is a Gearing-class member.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2018 (opinion); underlying drawing era 1940s

   Population

   n/a - class-level recital

   Limitations

   Litigation-record recital of an expert report (McCloskey) and a Navy engineering drawing, not an adjudicated finding: the drawing covers the Sumner-class DD-692 machinery group shared by Gearing, and the 30.3-ton figure is an expert partial tally for fire/engine rooms, not a classwide ship inventory and not specific to DD-871. The opinion treated related exposure conclusions as speculative. Underlying exhibits (drawing, report) not in the RECAP index; retrieval pending. Class-level context only - establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull specifically.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-06

8. [8]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json) yard-level records for norfolk-naval-shipyard, bath-iron-works, newport-naval-station [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipyards.json records norfolk-naval-shipyard, bath-iron-works, newport-naval-station; destroyerhistory.org Bethlehem Staten Island builder page

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Yard-level context: documented presence/work sites for this hull are documented asbestos-exposure sites in the Atlas dataset - Norfolk Naval Shipyard (tier 2; NPL VA1170024813; itemized product list incl. Thermobestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Unibestos, spiral-wound gaskets, packing, pipe insulation) hosted the documented 1963-Feb 1964 FRAM I conversion; Bath Iron Works (tier 2; MED060992153; Kaylo pipe covering, Foster Wheeler gaskets, asbestos felt, loose packing, vinyl floor tiles, adhesives) is the secondary-sourced 1972 overhaul yard; Naval Station Newport (tier 3; NPL RI6170085470; thermal-system insulation and asbestos-containing waste documented) was the postwar homeport 1946-47 and reserve-era homeport. The builder, Bethlehem Steel's Staten Island (Mariners Harbor) yard - which produced 44+ destroyers during WWII per destroyerhistory.org and shipbuildinghistory.com - has NO dedicated yard_id in the dataset and is carried in gaps.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1945-1980

   Population

   Yard trades at the named yards during the hull's documented yard periods

   Limitations

   Yard-level documentation only - establishes that sites performing documented work on or hosting this hull were asbestos-exposure sites, not that specific asbestos work occurred on DD-871 or that any crew member was exposed. The Bath Iron Works association rests on secondary sources; the builder yard's absence from the dataset is a dataset gap, not a finding about the yard. Read as context for ev-05, not as ship-specific evidence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   gao.gov HRD-80-2 product page

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s and a standing policy (1975, modified 1979) of removing asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. This hull's entire U.S. lifecycle (construction 1945-46, FRAM I 1963-64, service to 1980) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era, which is the period context for the class/era inference row.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1975-1979 (policy window)

   Population

   n/a - program-level

   Limitations

   Program-level era context only; does not name this hull or class. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - standing defect since batch-01); content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-damato-dd871-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP docket index type=r) for this vessel's exact name and hull number [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-damato-dd871-08 through -11

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Authenticated CourtListener sweep completed for the four core queries (2026-09-28). 'USS Damato' returned 0 opinions (type=o) and 0 RECAP dockets (type=r). 'DD-871' returned 1 opinion - Poluski v. Richardson Transportation (Mo. App. 1994), a reporter-citation collision not involving the ship - and 7 RECAP dockets, all document/OCR collisions (debt-collection, contract, and product-liability dockets where 'DD-871' matches a docket/identifier fragment; none names a vessel, none is asbestos litigation). A supplementary qualified query ('Damato' with ship/vessel/destroyer terms) was attempted three times at spaced intervals and blocked each time by the fleet-wide pacing budget; logged blocked in the search ledger rather than retried into a throttle.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Population

    none identified

    Limitations

    CourtListener indexes opinions and PACER dockets, not state trial filings, VA claims, asbestos trust claims, or settled/unreported matters - absence here does not prove no claim was ever filed. 'Damato' is a common surname, so name-only queries without hull-number qualification would produce surname collisions; the completed sweep used the exact-name and hull-number forms, both of which returned no qualifying record. The uncompleted supplementary query is an open item in the ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-damato-dd871-09

11. [11]NARA, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' - 'Damato (DD-871) - September 1964' (National Archives at College Park catalog id 178595896; surfaced via DPLA) [other_primary]

    Locator

    catalog.archives.gov id 178595896; DPLA item f2ab57270b56f48067fca80731d627f2

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Hull-level archival lead: NARA holds digitized deck logs for this hull (a September 1964 logbook is indexed in the National Archives catalog at id 178595896 within the Bureau of Naval Personnel logbook series); RG24 deck logs and RG19 'General Information Books' (per-vessel material specifications) are the open archival track for any hull-level material callout.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1964 (indexed logbook); hull full period for unretrieved series

    Population

    n/a

    Limitations

    Logbook located at index level only - contents not reviewed this session (catalog page is JS-rendered; DPLA record confirms the index entry). A deck log documents operations and movements, not insulation materials; the RG19 GIB series is the likelier material-spec source and was not retrieved. Neither is evidence of asbestos aboard this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-damato-dd871-10

12. [12]This record's search ledger (NHHC DANFS; NavSource index + FRAM table; VA ships list; NHHC photo NH 106982; CourtListener sweeps; Atlas yard dataset; web sweep for survey/abatement/disposal records) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-damato-dd871-01 through -15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, material callout, disposal hazmat disclosure, NVR entry (hull transferred 1980, at the edge of live-register coverage and now behind DoD login), museum record, or qualifying litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. The hull's end-state - transferred to Pakistan September/October 1980 and scrapped under foreign custody in 1994/95 - means no U.S. disposal-condition, museum, or donation documentation was ever generated for it. Marketing-class asbestos pages exist for this hull (shepardlawfirm.com; asbestos-ships.com publishing an unattributed crew anecdote claiming pipe-asbestos removal aboard; mesotheliomasymptoms.com; mesothelioma-funds-administration.org) - all banned-source class, none cited, the crew anecdote unverifiable and carried only as an exclusion note.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1945-present

    Population

    n/a

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - for a 1945-46 steam-plant destroyer, era-standard asbestos materials are the inference, not a ship-proven fact. Pakistani-custody material history (1980 to scrapping) is undocumented in located sources, and the foreign scrapping leaves no retrievable U.S. disposal record. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-damato-dd871-11