Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet hu-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (day-of-commissioning discrepancy flagged for QA).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-davidson-de1045-pkt-hu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Davidson (NHHC page; live URL serves 404 - Wayback capture 2024-12-04 cited). Full entry text: 'Davidson (DE/FF-1040) was commissioned on 1 December 1965 and decommissioned on 8 December 1988. The ship was transferred to Brazil on 24 January 2001. History pending.' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Davidson' entry, full stub text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC/DANFS record for this hull is a stub only: commissioned 1 December 1965; decommissioned 8 December 1988; transferred to Brazil 24 January 2001; 'History pending.' The stub itself mistypes the hull designation as 'DE/FF-1040' (this hull is DE/FF-1045).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1965-2001
- Population
- Crew 1965-1988 (commissioning-booklet allowance 12 officers / 204 enlisted)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service dates only, not materials or asbestos content. The stub's commissioning date (1 Dec 1965) conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum (7 Dec 1965) - carried in gaps. Its 'transferred to Brazil 24 January 2001' line conflates the 2001 strike/sale; the operational lease transfer was 15 April 1989. The 'DE/FF-1040' typo is noted, not adopted. Live page 404s (standing NHHC link-rot note from BATCH-01); Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Davidson (DE 1045) entry - building/operational data block, Garcia-class specification block, awards list, namesake biography, commanding-officer list (compiled by Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves), captioned photo archive [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-1045 page: 'Davidson (DE 1045) Building and Operational Data' block; Specifications block; Awards block; CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Building and operational record for this hull: building contract awarded to Avondale Shipyards, Inc., 3 January 1962; keel laid 30 September 1963 at Westwego, La.; launched and christened 2 October 1964, sponsored by Mrs. Lyal A. Davidson (the admiral's widow) - a photo caption notes the launch was moved up a day ahead of threatening hurricane conditions; commissioned 7 December 1965 at Charleston Naval Shipyard, Cmdr. Henry L. Stanfield in command, assigned Destroyer Flotilla 5 at Pearl Harbor; reclassified frigate (FF-1045) 30 June 1975; decommissioned 8 December 1988 at Naval Station Pearl Harbor 'after 23 years and 1 day of service'; leased to Brazil 15 April 1989 and renamed NAe Paraiba (D-28); struck from the NVR and sold to Brazil 24 January 2001 (Brazilian decommission 26 July 2002); 'early 2005' sank while being towed from Brazil to Alang, India, in company with ex-USS Sample (FF-1048), position approx. 23 deg 05.745'S / 042 deg 59.521'W, ~60 m. Class specs (SCB No. 199A, 10 ships): 2,620 t std / 3,400 t full; 414'6" oa; 44' beam; 24' draft; 2 Foster Wheeler 1200-psi boilers + 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 35,000 shp, 1 shaft, 27 kts; complement 13/234; 2x 5"/38 Mk30, Mk16 ASROC, 6x Mk32 tubes, AN/SPS-10 and SPS-40 radars, AN/SQS-26AXR bow sonar, 1 SH-2 LAMPS helo. Awards listed: Combat Action Ribbon; Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/star; Navy Battle 'E'; Navy Expeditionary Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal w/star; Vietnam Service Medal w/7 stars; Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon; RVN Gallantry Cross w/2 stars; RVN Campaign Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1962-2005
- Population
- Avondale construction trades 1963-65; crew 1965-1988; Brazilian crew 1989-2002
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run photographic/historical archive (used in prior Atlas records as other_primary) - it aggregates official data, photo captions, and researcher submissions; it documents dates and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Commissioning-date conflict with the NHHC stub is carried in gaps; complement conflicts are also carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-02
-
[4]F.H. McCullough III et al. (YN3 M. Bozek; RD/OS3 D. Kroeger; RMCS J. Camarena, USN ret.; Cdr. S.G. Morris, USN ret.), '50 Years Ago: Easter Offensive, South Vietnam 1972 - Recollections of the Role of USS Davidson (DE-1045),' Naval Historical Foundation, 3 May 2022 (site now maintained by the U.S. Naval Institute) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navyhistory.org article body ('HISTORICAL OVERVIEW' section and closing attribution block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Participant account of this hull's 1972 combat deployment, stated by the authors to be 'documented by notations in various official ship Deck Logs': returned to homeport Pearl Harbor 16 December 1971 from a six-month WESTPAC; received standby orders 7 April 1972 and departed 10 April 'at best speed'; Midway 12 April, Guam 19 April (arriving under 5% fuel), Subic Bay 22 April; joined the gunline off the DMZ 26 April and began naval-gunfire-support missions; April 26-27 engagement with a North Vietnamese emplacement at the Cua Viet River mouth - Combat Action Ribbon; night of 4 May Capt. E.C. Kline (COMDESRON 15) transferred his flag aboard - Davidson had extra berthing, communications, and expanded CIC configured for an embarked convoy commodore - and the ship served as gunline flagship (TG 70.8.9) through the command succession after Rear Adm. Rembrandt C. Robinson's death in the 8 May helicopter crash on USS Providence (CLG-6); fired 1,197 rounds 8-9 May and replenished ammunition from USS Pyro (AE-24); Kline shifted flag to Providence 4:45 pm 10 May; Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for the May 8-10 period; deployment ended 17 October; returned to Pearl Harbor 10 November 1972 (~7 months).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1971-1972
- Population
- Crew and embarked COMDESRON 15 staff, April-October 1972
- Limitations
- A first-person recollection by named former watchstanders published by the Naval Historical Foundation (a nonprofit historical society; site now hosted by USNI) - authoritative for the ship's movements and role, but it is not an official history and does not address materials or asbestos. The authors cite the ship's deck logs; the logs themselves were not independently reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-03
-
[5]Reproduction of the ship's commissioning booklet text, 'Ship's Specifications at Commissioning,' hosted on the USS Davidson Reunion website (ussdavidson.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ussdavidson.com 'Ship Specs' page, 'Ship's Specifications at Commissioning' block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commissioning-booklet specifications for this hull: length overall 414.5 ft; extreme beam 44 ft; displacement 3,500 tons; 'Modular CIC with the most advanced communications and electronic installations'; armament ASROC, DASH drone anti-submarine helicopter, anti-submarine torpedoes, two 5"/38 single mounts; propulsion 'Steam turbine - single screw. Pressure fired steam generators. Shaft horsepower --- 35,000'; allowance '12 Officers - 204 enlisted.' Booklet text: 'USS DAVIDSON (DE-1045), the first ship in the United States Navy to bear his name, is the fifth in a new class of Ocean Escorts Destroyers and the third one built by Avondale Shipyards, Incorporated, Westwego, Louisana [sic]. Her keel was laid 30 September 1963 and she was christened 2 October 1964 by her sponsor, Mrs. Lyal A. Davidson... When DAVIDSON joins Cruiser-Destroyer Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, she will be homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1965
- Population
- Commissioning-allowance crew (216)
- Limitations
- A verbatim reproduction of an official 1965 commissioning booklet hosted on a private veterans' reunion site - the underlying document is an official ship artifact, but the host is unofficial; content used for the commissioning complement (216) and the fifth-of-class/third-Avondale claim, both corroborated directionally by NavSource. Does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-04
-
[6]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - Davidson (DE/FF-1045) listing (Commission: December 1965; Decommission: December 1988; digitized logs December 1965 through December 1970) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log index, 'D' section, 'Davidson (DE/FF-1045)' entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official deck-log index confirms digitized deck logs for this hull covering December 1965 through December 1970 (commissioning through the early Vietnam deployments). Deck logs can document availabilities, yard periods, and alongside periods that bound potential maintenance exposure windows; the NHF participant account (ev-03) states the ship's deck logs underlie its 1972 chronology.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1965-1970 records
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - deck logs log events and yard periods but rarely identify materials; the digitized span ends December 1970, before the 1972 deployment and the 1975 reclassification. Retrieval/review of the logs was not performed in-session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-05
-
[7]NHHC Online Library (Naval Historical Center) 'USN Ships -- by Hull Number: DE - Escort Ships DE-700 through DE-1107' index (verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio mirror): 'DE-1045: Davidson (1964-1989), later FF-1045' [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio HyperWar mirror of NHHC 'USN Ships by Hull Number,' DE range page, DE-1045 line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC hull-number index confirms this hull's identity: DE-1045 = Davidson (1964-1989), later FF-1045 - i.e., every 'USS Davidson' reference within 1964-1989 ship-name context resolves to this hull (the only commissioned USS Davidson), limiting namesake-collision risk in litigation screening.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1964-1989
- Limitations
- Index listing only - establishes hull identity and service-date span, not materials or asbestos. Mirror cited because NHHC deep links are unreliable.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-06
-
[8]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json): 'avondale-shipyard' (evidence tier 2; documented products: Kaylo insulation, lagging cloth for steam pipes, gaskets, floor tiles, adhesives, fire-resistant blankets; docketed federal cases incl. Latiolais v. Huntington Ingalls, 5th Cir. 2019, and Barrosse v. Huntington Ingalls, 5th Cir. 2023); 'charleston-naval-shipyard' (tier 2); 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' (tier 1) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json records 'avondale-shipyard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard', 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard'; NavSource Garcia-class propulsion block (ev-02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: this hull was built 1963-65 at Avondale Shipyards (Westwego, LA) and commissioned at Charleston Naval Shipyard in December 1965 - both yards sit squarely in the documented asbestos-construction era, and the design is a 1,200-psi pressure-fired steam plant (2 Foster Wheeler boilers, 1 Westinghouse geared turbine), the machinery type that carried the heaviest asbestos-insulation load in Navy construction. Era-standard applications for such a ship were boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line and pipe lagging, gaskets and packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder yard is a tier-2 documented asbestos-era yard in the Atlas dataset with federal asbestos-litigation records; lifetime homeport Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is tier-1. NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships 'Booklet of General Plans'/General Information Books per-hull series is the archival lead for hull-level material specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1963-1988
- Population
- Avondale construction trades 1963-65; Charleston NSY workforce Dec 1965; crew 1965-1988; PHNSY workers during availabilities
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No work order, specification, survey, or case names this hull; yard tier reflects the dataset's yard-level documentation, not conditions aboard DE-1045. Does not quantify asbestos, establish crew exposure, or speak to legal eligibility. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-07
-
[9]Brazilian naval-history site (NGB - Navios de Guerra Brasileiros), 'Contratorpedeiro Paraiba - D 28 (1989-2002)' entry; corroborated by NavSource milestone lines and Brazilian wreck sources (brasilmergulho.com; naufragiosdobrasil.com.br) [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval.com.br NGB P028 entry; brasilmergulho.com 'Naufragio CT Paraiba'; naufragiosdobrasil.com.br 'Paraiba C.T. (D 28)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Brazilian-phase record for this hull: the U.S. government authorized loan of four Garcia-class frigates to Brazil on 15 April 1989; ex-Davidson was incorporated into the Brazilian fleet as CT Paraiba (D-28) - the fifth Brazilian ship of the name - in a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego 25 July 1989; struck from the U.S. naval register 24 January 2001 and definitively transferred to Brazil under the Security Assistance Program; decommissioned from Brazilian service 26 July 2002 at the Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (with CT Parana) and placed in reserve; equipment stripped in 2004 and the hull sold at auction in November 2004 to Liberian-flag Arusha Shipping Ltd. for scrapping at Alang, India; sank under tow off Marica, Rio de Janeiro state, in February 2005 (dive sources give 4 or 18 February), position ~23 deg 05.745'S / 042 deg 59.521'W, depth ~40-53 m, wreck intact listing ~45 deg to port.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1989-2005
- Population
- Brazilian crew 1989-2002; dismantling/scrapping workforce 2004-05
- Limitations
- Secondary Brazilian sources (naval-history site and recreational dive-wreck databases) - consistent with NavSource's milestone lines but not official Brazilian Navy publications; sinking date and depth vary between sources (4 vs 18 Feb 2005; 40-53 vs ~60 m). No asbestos or hazmat content is documented for the Brazilian phase; whether ACM remained aboard at loss is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py) - opinion (type=o) and RECAP docket (type=r) searches for '"USS Davidson"', '"DE-1045"', '"FF-1045"', and '"aboard" Davidson' phrasing [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-davidson-de1045-10 through -13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. CourtListener opinion index: '"USS Davidson"' = 0 hits; '"DE-1045" OR "FF-1045"' = 3 hits, all star-page/identifier collisions (Barber v. American Airlines, Ill. 2011; Stegall v. Little Johnson Associates, 10th Cir. 1993 - real estate, '*1045' pagination marker; Tugwell v. Barreto, P.R. 1947) with no vessel reference; phrasing variants ('"aboard the Davidson"', '"aboard USS Davidson"', '"USS Davidson (DE-1045)"', '"USS Davidson (FF-1045)"') = 1 hit, a 1921 E.D. Va. admiralty opinion referencing 'the steamer Davidson County' - a name collision, not this hull. RECAP docket index: '"USS Davidson"' = 1 hit, the MDL No. 875 parent docket (IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), JPML, filed 1991-01-17) - the master asbestos multidistrict-litigation shell docket on which the phrase appears in consolidated/indexed materials; a name's presence on the MDL parent docket is an unadjudicated docket-level reference only, not a merits finding about this hull. Asbestos-qualified surname sweep '"Davidson" asbestos' = 572 opinion hits dominated by surname collisions (e.g., Tina Davidson v. Georgia Pacific, 5th Cir. 2016 - an asbestos case about a plaintiff surnamed Davidson) and generic asbestos-litigation matches; no vessel-related result identified among top results. Residual: '"DE-1045" OR "FF-1045"' docket-type query remained blocked by fleet-wide request pacing at record time (see ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep completed 2026-09-28 under intermittent fleet-wide pacing. The MDL-875 parent-docket hit is the asbestos MDL's consolidated shell - it indicates the hull name appears in indexed consolidated materials but establishes no adjudicated exposure finding and no plaintiff-specific allegation reviewable at the hull level without pulling the docket's sub-filings. Absence of a qualifying docket hit does not prove no claim was ever asserted; asbestos lawsuits naming hulls are a small subset of filed cases. The 572-hit surname sweep was classified by caption/top results (not exhaustively reviewed); the docket-level hull-number query is uncompleted under fleet pacing - residual gap, logged in the ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-09
-
[11]Batch-3975 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS stub (live 404; Wayback 2024 capture); NHHC hull-number index (ibiblio mirror); NavSource building/ops data, specs, CO list, milestone lines; ship's commissioning booklet (reunion-site reproduction); NARA deck-log index (digitized Dec 1965-Dec 1970); Naval Historical Foundation participant account; Brazilian secondary sources (naval.com.br NGB, dive-wreck databases); Atlas shipyards.json yard records; CourtListener sweep (see ledger); NVR ship-detail pages (blocked - DoD login); law-firm ship-list pages (excluded by source rule) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-davidson-de1045-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-1045/FF-1045: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, materials inventory, or confirmed docketed litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull foundered under tow off Brazil in February 2005 and remains on the seabed, so no museum-phase, layberth, or scrapping-yard hazmat record can exist. Generic asbestos claims for 'USS Davidson' may exist on law-firm marketing pages; such pages carry boilerplate ship lists with no cited source and are excluded per source rules.
- 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 - era materials are consistent with a 1963-65 steam-driven ocean escort, and the hull's 2005 loss forecloses modern survey evidence. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-davidson-de1045-10