Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Daniel T. Griffin (DE-54) (namesake, build, service narrative, decommissioning; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + namesake paragraph + service narrative (hazegray transcription of DANFS)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for AMM1c Daniel Thornburg Griffin (b. 1911-03-25 Allendale, Ill.; enlisted 1930-10-06; killed in the Pearl Harbor attack 1941-12-07, cited by CinCPac for defense of NAS Kaneohe Bay). DE-54: dp 1,400; l 306'; b 37'; dr 13'6"; s 24 k; cpl 186; a 3x3", 3x21" tt, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (hh), 2 dct; cl Buckley. Launched 1943-02-25 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Mass.; sponsored by Mrs. D. T. Griffin; commissioned 1943-06-09, LCDR P. M. Fenton USNR in command. Convoy to Casablanca 1943-08-15 to 09-24; eight transatlantic NY-Northern Ireland voyages 1943-10-13 to 1944-09-23; arrived Staten Island N.Y. 1944-10-22 for conversion to high-speed transport; reclassified APD-38 1944-10-23. Norfolk 1945-01-13 to Pearl Harbor 02-06 (UDT service); Ulithi/Kossol Passage convoy; San Pedro Bay Leyte 03-05, rehearsals off Hononhan Island; Kerama Retto 03-26; Okinawa screening, mine sweeping, explosives delivery, rescue ship to 05-18; on 04-06 fought off several suicide attacks splashing at least two planes; protected Morris (DD-417), assisted her fires, escorted her to Kerama Retto. Saipan local escort 05-20 to 06-19; Okinawa/Ulithi convoys; Leyte 07-11; occupation troops to Kure landing 10-06 to 10-11; Manila 10-16; sailed for U.S. 12-02; Norfolk 1946-01-11; Green Cove Springs 03-04; out of commission in reserve 1946-05-30. One battle star WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1942-43; wartime and APD-era crew (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents namesake, build, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. It does not state the conversion yard's operator (Staten Island only), does not give the laid-down date (NavSource supplies 1942-09-07), and ends the record at 1946 decommissioning (transfer/striking from other sources). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-01
-
[2]NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Daniel T. Griffin (APD-38) ex DE-54 - build data, reclassification, awards/campaign table, specifications, disposition + Destroyer Escort archive 06/054 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/04/04038.htm (APD archive, spec block + campaign table + disposition) and /archives/06/054.htm (DE archive, building/operational data, CO list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 1942-09-07 as Buckley-class DE-54 at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham MA; commissioned 1943-06-09 at Boston Navy Yard; converted at Staten Island NY to a high-speed transport, redesignated APD-38 1944-10-23; assigned TransDiv 106 (CAPT F. W. Schmidt); Asiatic-Pacific campaign credit - Okinawa Gunto operation, assault and occupation 1945-03-26 to 06-30; occupation service in the Far East 1945-09-26 to 10-12; decommissioned 1946-05-30; struck from the Naval Register 1966-12-01; sold to Chile 1967-01-17 for $24,000, renamed BACH Virgilio Uribe (APD-29); one battle star. APD-configuration specifications: 1,400 lt / 2,130 fl tons; 306' x 37' x 13'6"; 23.6 kt; 6,000 nm at 12 kt; complement 15 officers + 186 enlisted; troop accommodations 12 officers + 150 enlisted; 4 LCVP; armament 1x5"/38, 3 twin 40mm, 8x20mm, 1 dcp, 2 dct; propulsion 2 GE turbines (turbo-electric drive), 2 'D' express boilers 435psi/750F, 12,000 shp, 2 propellers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1995
- Population
- APD-era crew (15+186) and embarked troops (12+150); conversion yard workers 1944-45
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - volunteer-maintained photo archive, not a primary record; used for laid-down date, campaign table, APD-configuration spec block, and disposition dates that DANFS omits. Its companion DE photo-index page gives 'conversion commenced the Brooklyn Navy Yard' vs this page's 'Staten Island' - internal conflict carried in gaps. The 'sold to Chile 17 January 1967 for $24,000' figure is NavSource-only. Does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-02
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[3]Armada de Chile (Chilean Navy) official historical-units page, Destructor Transporte 'Uribe' 2deg - ex-USS APD-38 Daniel T. Griffin [other_primary]
- Locator
- armada.cl historical units page 'Destructor Transporte Uribe 2deg', 'Nombres anteriores: USS APD 38 Daniel T. Griffin' + chronology paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Chilean Navy official record for this hull: ex-USS APD-38 Daniel T. Griffin, acquired in the U.S.A. under Supreme Decree No. 15 of 1966-08-15; came under the Chilean flag 1966-12-01 and was towed to Talcahuano by the patrol vessel Lautaro, arriving at the Naval Base 1967-01-11; incorporated into service 1968-06-06 per Resolution C.J.A. No. 4520/5; decommissioned by Resolution C.J.A. No. 4281/3 of 1985-01-26; authorized for use as a barracks ship 1992-06-04 until 1994-12-04; disposal authorized by D.S.(M) No. 7 of 1995-07-25; used as a target and sunk. Chilean-listed characteristics: year 1942; 2,130 t; 12,000 shp; 23.6 kt; 93.3 m; armament 1x5"/38, 4x40mm, 6x20mm, 2 depth-charge tracks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1966-1995
- Population
- Chilean Navy crew 1968-1985; barracks-ship occupants 1992-1994; disposal/scrapping or target-handling crews 1995
- Limitations
- Official foreign-navy record - primary quality for the Chilean service and disposal phase; 'used as a target and sunk' conflicts with NavSource's 'sold for scrapping 1995' - carried in gaps. Gives no asbestos or materials information; Chilean maintenance/abatement history undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-03
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe scan) + Buckley-class Atlas class profile (navypedia per-block boiler-manufacturer map) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 (DE design-group table, groups 2-3 TE rows); buckley-class.class.json member row DE-54 + class notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: the Buckley class is the turbo-electric (TE) destroyer-escort design - the only DE group besides the John C. Butler (WGT) class with a full steam plant. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3: 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat feeding GE turbo-electric machinery, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, 23.6 kt; navypedia's per-block boiler map assigns Foster Wheeler boilers to the DE-51-98 block that includes this hull. WWII steam plants of this specification commonly carried asbestos-containing boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, turbo-generator lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and compartment fireproofing. The builder, Bethlehem-Hingham, was a purpose-built wartime emergency yard (est. 1941-42 on Weymouth Back River, 16 ways, managed by Bethlehem's Fore River yard) that mass-produced destroyer escorts; it is not a covered entry in the Atlas shipyards dataset. The 1944-45 APD conversion added troop berthing (~12 officers/150 enlisted) and 4 LCVP davits - a documented refit event; its materials scope is unrecorded.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem-Hingham construction trades 1942-43; conversion-yard workers 1944-45; crew 1943-46
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation only - neither source names this hull, and no contract material schedule for DE-54 was located. Boiler-manufacturer assignment (Foster Wheeler) is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents. Yard characterization is secondary-source level (yard histories, not a survey of this hull's construction). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven; does not establish quantity, location, or individual exposure. The class profile records no ship-specific asbestos record for any of the 148 Buckley hulls.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-04
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinions type=o and RECAP dockets type=r): exact-name "Daniel T. Griffin" opinion and docket queries; hull-number opinion queries "APD-38" and "DE-54"; constrained query "DE-54" asbestos [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search endpoint; queries as cited, run 2026-09-25
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located in CourtListener. Exact-name opinion search ("Daniel T. Griffin") returned one opinion - Griffin v. Heath, 257 A.2d 488 (D.C. 1969), a motor-vehicle licensing dispute naming a person - classified name collision. Exact-name docket search returned six dockets - five bankruptcy cases for individuals named Daniel T. Griffin (D. Minn. 13-40003; E.D. Va. 94-11466; E.D.N.Y. 1-99-25191; D.N.H. 98-14495; D. Me. 98-21050) and one incidental text match (Ostrander v. Hussmann Corp., D. Mass. 3:04-cv-30197, product-liability, vessel not implicated) - all classified name collisions. Hull-number opinion search "APD-38" returned one Tax Court opinion (V. H. Monette & Co. v. Commissioner, 45 T.C. 15 (1965)) - identifier collision. Hull-number opinion search "DE-54" returned 157 hits that are ECF docket-entry references ('DE# 54' / '[DE 54]'), not the hull - no asbestos, naval, or vessel context in any returned snippet; classified identifier collisions. Constrained query "DE-54" asbestos returned two opinions (Catlin Syndicate 2003 v. Rinkus, S.D. Fla. 2012, insurance declaratory action; Aurand v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., N.D. Ind. 2011, FELA) - in both, 'DE 54' is an ECF entry number; not qualifying. The Chilean-alias opinion query ("Virgilio Uribe") was not executed - fleet pacing budget spent; logged as an open lead in the batch report.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes federal and state appellate opinions plus PACER/RECAP dockets; unindexed state trial dockets, settled MDL-875 claim records, and VA BVA decisions naming the ship are outside this sweep's coverage. A name match is not an asbestos finding; all hits here are collisions. Absence of a located case does not prove no claim was ever brought.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-05
-
[6]Batch-2427 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live + hazegray mirror; NavSource DE/APD archives; Armada de Chile official page; Naval Vessel Register; NARA deck-log lead; CourtListener sweep; Atlas shipyards.json yard cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-01 through sl-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material specification, museum hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Daniel T. Griffin, DE-54, APD-38, or Virgilio Uribe was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was disposed of by Chile in 1995 (target sinking per the Chilean Navy), so no present-day survey or museum disclosure can exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull's 1942-43 construction and steam plant are era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the Chilean-phase maintenance record (1966-1995) is entirely undocumented in U.S. sources. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-06
-
[7]NARA RG 24 (deck logs) / RG 19 (BuShips design records, Booklet of General Plans) / RG 181 (naval district yard records) - leads for this hull, none digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger sl-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material evidence that were not retrieved: NARA RG 24 deck logs for DE-54/APD-38 (1943-46); RG 19 BuShips design records and the Booklet of General Plans for this hull; RG 181 New York/First Naval District yard records covering the 1944-45 Staten Island APD conversion work orders; Chilean Navy maintenance and disposal files for Virgilio Uribe (the disposal-era hazmat lead, given the 1985 decommissioning and 1995 disposal).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Leads only - no retrieval performed; their existence is inferred from standard record-group coverage, not confirmed for this hull. Nothing in this row asserts any fact about the vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-daniel-t-griffin-apd38-07