Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]DANFS, USS Darby (DE-218) (build data, namesake, service narrative, battle stars; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Ens. Marshall Eugene Darby, Jr., killed aboard USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor; launched 29 May 1943 by Philadelphia Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. M. E. Darby, commissioned 15 November 1943 (CDR D. D. Humphreys, USNR). Specs: Buckley class, 1,400 t, 306 ft, 24 kt, complement 186, turbo-electric drive 12,000 h.p. Service: cleared Philadelphia 19 January 1944; Solomons (TF 31; Emirau screen) through July; convoy escort among Guadalcanal, Eniwetok, New Hebrides, Manus, Majuro; Pearl Harbor overhaul 8-24 October 1944; Ponape hunter-killer patrol and Tanga Island bombardment; Milne Bay exercises December; Lingayen Gulf January 1945; Philippine escort/patrol; Iwo Jima garrison convoy March 1945; Pearl Harbor repairs April; decommissioned in reserve at Charleston 28 April 1947; recommissioned 24 October 1950 as flagship Escort Squadron 8 (Norfolk); Newport News Shipyard June 1951 advanced ASW weapons; Fleet Sonar School school ship Key West 1952; NATO Operation Mainbrace; midshipmen cruise 1954; Ascension Island missile-tracking survey January-April 1958; in service in reserve for Naval Reserve training out of Baltimore 23 February 1959; two battle stars WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1962 (narrative scope)
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1943; wartime crew (complement 186); postwar crew and Naval Reserve trainees through 1968
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content; the entry's narrative ends in 1962 and does not cover the 1960 collision litigation, the 1968 striking, or the 1970 disposal. Live NHHC DANFS page returns 404; verbatim ibiblio HyperWar transcription cited. Complement (186) differs from the ibiblio ships-list figure (15 officers/198 enlisted) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-01
-
[2]U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation report: collision between SS SOYA ATLANTIC (Swedish) and USS DARBY (Destroyer Escort), vicinity of Cape Henry Light, 19 March 1960, with loss of life (dco.uscg.mil, official board report) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Marine Board of Investigation report 'soyaatlantic.pdf', title and paragraph 1-2 (via official index listing)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official USCG Marine Board of Investigation convened into the 19 March 1960 collision: at about 1945 EST on a clear dark night, USS Darby collided with the Swedish cargo vessel Soya Atlantic at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay approximately 1.9 miles, 046T from Cape Henry Light; two Darby crew members were killed and others injured; no personnel casualties aboard Soya Atlantic. Per the operational chronology the board's findings, announced 25 January 1961, fixed responsibility on Darby's commanding officer and officer of the deck.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-1961
- Population
- Darby crew and embarked Naval Reservists; Soya Atlantic crew
- Limitations
- Confirms the casualty event and the board's existence from the official report's index entry and front matter; full PDF text returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch - detailed findings not independently read. The 'sole fault' disposition is independently verified by the published federal opinions (ev-04 merits, ev-05 affirmance). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-02
-
[3]United States v. The S.S. Soya Atlantic, 199 F. Supp. 303 (D. Md. 1961), Thomsen, C.J., Admiralty No. 4170 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 199 F. Supp. 303-304 (Admiralty Rule 32 production order)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal opinion names this hull: 'UNITED STATES of America, owner of THE U.S.S. DARBY (DE 218)' - discovery-stage ruling ordering the government to produce the record of the Navy Board of Inquiry investigation into the 19 March 1960 collision between the Soya Atlantic and USS Darby (DE 218). Documents that a formal Navy Board of Inquiry investigated the casualty and that its record was litigated in the ensuing admiralty case.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-1961
- Population
- n/a (procedural ruling)
- Limitations
- Admiralty collision litigation - non-asbestos. Discovery ruling on document production; resolves no liability and establishes nothing about shipboard materials or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-03
-
[4]United States v. S.S. Soya Atlantic, 213 F. Supp. 7 (D. Md. 1963), Northrop, J., Admiralty Nos. 4170, 4290 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 213 F. Supp. 7 (liability findings)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal merits opinion names this hull: consolidated United States libel, Soya Atlantic cross-libel, and two wrongful-death actions by the estates of Darby reservists Charles Edward Crandell and Thomas Edward Johnson killed in the 19 March 1960 collision. The court fixed sole fault on USS Darby (DE 218) as the burdened vessel that failed to keep clear - Darby was inbound at 19 knots on a crossing course with an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a member of Congress, and an Admiral aboard after exercises.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-1963
- Population
- Estates of two deceased Naval Reservists; vessel crews
- Limitations
- Admiralty collision litigation - non-asbestos. Liability adjudication (sole fault on this vessel); damages phase not covered by the opinion and not separately located. Establishes nothing about shipboard materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-04
-
[5]United States v. S.S. Soya Atlantic, 330 F.2d 732 (4th Cir. 1964), Haynsworth, J., No. 8947 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 330 F.2d 732 (affirmance)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion names this hull: 'UNITED STATES of America, owner of the U.S.S. DARBY (DE 218)' - Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's exculpation of the Soya Atlantic and its holding 'that the ship collision was the sole fault of the USS Darby, which miserably failed to heed its obligations as the burdened vessel.' Final disposition of the consolidated collision liability case at the appellate level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-1964
- Population
- Estates of two deceased Naval Reservists; vessel crews
- Limitations
- Admiralty collision litigation - non-asbestos. Affirmed merits disposition; establishes nothing about shipboard materials or asbestos. CourtListener carries a duplicate cluster (opinion 7025263, A.M.C. reporter) for the same decision.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-05
-
[6]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - Darby (DE-218) entry (digitized deck logs January 1956 through September 1968) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov navy-online deck-log index, 'D' section, Darby (DE-218) monthly links 1956-1968
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA lists Darby (DE-218) deck logs as digitized and available in the National Archives Catalog for January 1956 through September 1968 - the final log month is September 1968, consistent with the 23 September 1968 out-of-service/striking date. Hull-level primary operational records (movements, drills, personnel casualties, yard periods) are retrievable, including the March 1960 collision period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1956-1968 (digitized coverage)
- Population
- Crew 1956-1968; Naval Reserve trainees
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the log images exist and are indexed, but this record does not contain content extracted from them; no asbestos, material, or maintenance findings were reviewed in the logs. Pre-1956 deck logs (1943-1955) are not in the digitized list and require Archives II reference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-06
-
[7]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels up through 1961' - official research guide (RG 19 Bureau of Ships hull/class/type correspondence; General Information Books; yard correspondence) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topics asbestos page, RG 19 correspondence and GIB sections (Entry P 9)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- NARA's official research path for documenting asbestos aboard a specific US naval vessel prescribes: (1) DANFS history; (2) RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence filed by hull designation (this hull: 'DE218'), then class correspondence ('DE51 Class' for the Buckley class), then type ('DE'); (3) shipyard correspondence (naval yards under 'NY', private yards under 'QM'); and (4) General Information Books - the Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate GIB series is RG 19 Entry P 9. This is the government-prescribed archival path for any future hull-level material determination for DE-218.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (records scope)
- Population
- n/a (research guide)
- Limitations
- Research-path documentation only - the guide describes where hull-level material records may exist; it contains no findings for this hull and was not a substitute for pulling the RG 19 files. No asbestos finding for DE-218 results from this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-07
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (groups 2-3, TE); navypedia Buckley (TE) class page boiler block map (B&W for DE214-223 block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table; navypedia us_de_te member table row DE-218
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for this hull: the Buckley class is the turbo-electric (TE) destroyer-escort design - with the Butler class the only DE type carrying a full steam plant. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 specify 306 ft oa, 1,400/1,450 t, 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat feeding GE turbo-electric machinery, 12,000 shp, 23.6 kt; per the navypedia block map the DE214-223 Philadelphia Navy Yard block carried Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Era-standard asbestos applications for a superheated steam plant of this design: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and documented overhaul/inactivation yards (Pearl Harbor 1944-45, Mare Island 1945, Newport News 1951, Norfolk Naval 1953, Orange ISMF 1968-70) are all documented asbestos-era facilities.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1943; yard workers at documented yard periods; crew 1943-1968
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no member-level or hull-level asbestos record is located for DE-218 or any Buckley DE (per class-profile sweep). Boiler-manufacturer attribution is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents. Establishes no quantity and no individual exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-08
-
[9]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Darby (DE-218) operational chronology (building and operational data; NHHC photo citations incl. NH 75610) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-218 page, 'Building and Operational Data' chronology block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary operational chronology for this hull extending the DANFS record: keel laid 22 February 1943 Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched/christened 29 May 1943 with five sister DEs in one drydock (official USN photo NH 75610); Norfolk Naval Shipyard biennial overhaul 27 August 1953; Escort Squadron 12 October 1957; decommissioned and placed 'In Service, In Reserve' for NRT 5th Naval District Baltimore 23 February 1959; collided with SS Soya Atlantic 19 March 1960 (2 crew killed); USCG board findings announced 25 January 1961; briefly commissioned at USNRTC Ft. McHenry 2 October 1961 to 1 August 1962; Reserve DesRon 34 (DesDiv 342) April 1963; homeport USNRTC Bayboro Harbor, St. Petersburg 17 March 1967; arrived Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Orange, TX 14 September 1968; placed out of service and struck from the NVR 23 September 1968 (21 years 4 months total); sunk as a target off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 24 May 1970.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Crew and Naval Reserve trainees 1953-1968
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official record - each event is corroborated where possible (keel/launch/commissioning dates match class profile, Wikipedia, and uboat.net; September 1968 end matches NARA deck-log coverage; collision matches USCG board and federal opinions; sinking location is NOT independently verified - see ev-10 and gaps). Direct navsource.org fetch blocked; Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-09
-
[10]NAVFAC Atlantic, Former Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area - Vieques (official Navy Environmental Restoration Program page); ATSDR Public Health Assessment, Fish and Shellfish Evaluation, Isla de Vieques Bombing Range (June 2003) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVFAC Vieques ERP overview and Site Descriptions pages; ATSDR PHA 'Drums on Sunken Navy Vessels' section and Location 2 description
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official documentation that the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area at Vieques, Puerto Rico - the reported location of this hull's 24 May 1970 target sinking - was the Navy's live-fire training range from the 1940s to 2003, an EPA Superfund site (NPL 2005) with documented sunken target vessels. Published Navy/ATSDR underwater documentation catalogues a scuttled target wreck at Bahia Salina del Sur (identified as USS Killen, DD-593); no official wreck record naming DE-218 was located in the program documents reviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1970; documentation 1999-2026
- Population
- n/a (disposal-area context)
- Limitations
- Context only - confirms the reported sinking area was an active Navy target range and that target vessels were sunk there; does NOT confirm DE-218's sinking location or identify her wreck. ATSDR's 'two sunken vessels' report at Bahia Salina del Sur resolves to two sections of the Killen wreck, not Darby.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-10
-
[11]Glover v. 3M Company, No. 2:22-cv-04587-RMG (D.S.C.), Notice of Removal with Exhibit A (Summons and Complaint), ECF No. 1-1 (filed 2022-12-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket index for 2:22-cv-04587 (D.S.C.); RECAP doc 1-1 removal exhibit (84 pp.)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- RECAP docket-text reference naming this hull: 'USS Darby' matches inside the 84-page removal exhibit of Glover v. 3M Company - an AFFF/PFAS firefighting-foam product-liability case before the AFFF MDL court (D.S.C., Gergel, J.), removed from New York Supreme Court. Whether the vessel appears as a plaintiff exposure site or in another complaint/exhibit capacity is unverified - full-text review of the exhibit was not performed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2022 (litigation)
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- Docket-text reference only in non-asbestos litigation (PFAS/AFFF product liability) - classified other litigation. Unadjudicated complaint-stage material; the vessel's role inside the exhibit is unresolved; establishes nothing about materials aboard. Pleading-stage at most - classify down, never upward.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-11
-
[12]Batch-4136 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; NavSource (via Wayback); CourtListener opinion and RECAP searches by vessel name and hull number; NARA deck-log index and asbestos research guide; USCG board reports index; NAVFAC/EPA/ATSDR Vieques documentation; NVR (pre-1987 disposals not included) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-darby-de218-01 through sl-uss-darby-de218-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-218: no asbestos survey, abatement or remediation record, museum/owner hazmat disclosure, or asbestos litigation naming USS Darby or DE-218 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener hits naming this hull are admiralty collision litigation (three published opinions, 1961-1964) and one AFFF/PFAS product-liability docket (Glover v. 3M, D.S.C. 2022, complaint-stage vessel reference) - all other litigation; no asbestos case naming the ship was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steam-plant hull sunk as a target is consistent with retained era materials, which went down with the ship and are unrecoverable for survey; what (if anything) was stripped before sinking is undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility; asbestos lawsuits not naming the vessel in opinion or docket text would not be captured by the searches performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-darby-de218-12