Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet jx-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-de-270-de270-pkt-jx-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Foley (DE-270) ('Royal Navy name retained'; builder, dates, USN service narrative, scrapping; live NHHC pages for foley and gillette-i return 404 - verbatim transcription via hazegray DANFS Online) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray DANFS Online de270.htm, transcribed by Y. Hubert)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: 'Foley (DE-270) was laid down as Gillette (DE-270) (q.v.), allocated to the United Kingdom, and renamed Foley. She was launched as HMS Foley on 19 May 1943 by Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass., and served in the Royal Navy throughout World War II. On 22 August 1945 she was transferred to the United States Navy at Harwich, England, and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant. S. M. Strauss, USNR, in command. On 28 August she sailed to Trinity Bay and the following day joined TG 21.3 en route to the United States. She called briefly at Argentia, Newfoundland, and arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 10 September. Foley was decommissioned there on 19 October 1945. She was scrapped in June 1946.' Spec block: dp. 1,140; l. 289'5"; b. 35'1"; dr. 11'; s. 21 k.; cpl. 156; a. 3 3", 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.), 2 dct.; cl. Evarts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; Royal Navy crew 1943-45; USN repatriation crew Aug-Oct 1945 (design complement 156)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Entry is a single paragraph - the entire Royal Navy service is compressed to 'served in the Royal Navy throughout World War II' (detail filled by uboat.net ADM-sourced events, ev-03). Live NHHC pages (danfs/f/foley.html, danfs/g/gillette-i.html) return 404; verbatim hazegray transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-01
-
[3]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, Gillette (DE 270) / HMS Foley (K.474) page (specs, building/operational timeline, IWM photo caption; Wayback capture 2024-12-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/270.htm specifications block + building/operational-data timeline + photo captions (Wayback 2024-12-04 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: contract awarded 25 January 1942; keel laid 7 April 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Mass.; launched 19 May 1943; allocated to the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Foley (K.474) 14 June 1943; christened and transferred/commissioned into the Royal Navy 8 September 1943 (sponsor Mrs. Charles T. Owens; Lcdr. Mansfield in command); returned to USN at Harwich 22 August 1945 and commissioned USS Foley (DE 270) (Lt. S. M. Strauss, USNR); decommissioned Philadelphia Navy Yard 19 October 1945; struck from the NVR 1 November 1945; sold for scrapping 19 June 1946. Specs: Evarts (lend-lease), GMT type (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull, 3" guns); 1,140 t light / 1,430 t full; 283'6" wl / 289'5" oa; 4 GM Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 19 kts; 4,150 nm at 12 kt; 3-3"/50, 4-20mm, 4 Mk6 DCP, 2 Mk9 DCT; complement 156. Photo caption cites Imperial War Museums Admiralty Official Collection image A 24868 (hull number censored).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; RN crew 1943-45; USN crew Aug-Oct 1945
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record. Two documented divergences: it dates the Gillette naming '23 February 1942' - internally impossible (namesake killed 26 October 1942; 23 February 1943 corroborated by the Wikipedia/DANFS-derived record and USNA Memorial Hall); and it records a christening/sponsor (Mrs. Charles T. Owens) at the 8 Sep 1943 RN transfer while the compiled record (Wikipedia, DANFS-derived) gives launch sponsor Mrs. Thomas O'Dea (19 May 1943) - both carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, HMS Foley (K 474) - Captain-class frigate (build/commissioning table, commanding-officer list, wartime event log; sources UK National Archives ADM 173/18473, ADM 173/19228, ADM 173/19293, ADM 199/231, ADM 199/318, ADM 199/319, ADM 199/323, ADM 199/2102, ADM 199/315) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5470.html - ship data table, CO list, notable-events log with ADM source notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Royal Navy operational record for this hull: built Boston Navy Yard; ordered 25 Jan 1942; laid down 7 Apr 1943; launched 19 May 1943; commissioned RN 8 Sep 1943; returned to USN at Harwich 22 Aug 1945, commissioned into USN same day; scrapped June 1946. Commanding officers: Lt.Cdr. Donald Emberton Mansfield, RN (8 Sep 1943 - 6 Jan 1944); A/Lt.Cdr. Charles Ash Hannaford Bird, RNVR (6 Jan 1944 - mid 1945; Lt.Cdr. by Nov 1944). Event log: on 21 November 1943 Foley and the sloop HMS Crane sank German U-boat U-538 by depth charges in the North Atlantic southwest of Ireland at 45deg40'N, 19deg35'W. Thereafter Atlantic convoy escort and A/S exercises: OS 64/KMS 38 (joined from Londonderry 6 Jan 1944), OS 70/KMS 44 and cross-leg to SL 150/MKS 41 (Mar 1944), Lough Foyle/Larne A/S exercises (May-Jun, Nov 1944), OS 80/KMS 54, SL 165/MKS 56 with refueling from escort carrier HMS Biter (Jul 1944), SL 166/MKS 57(G); by Oct-Nov 1944 serving in the 10th Escort Group with HMS Whimbrel, Bayntun, Braithwaite, Helmsdale, and Loch Dunvegan (last logged event 13 Nov 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Royal Navy crew 1943-1945 (Captain-class frigate complement)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary database - its entries cite UK National Archives file series (ADM 173, ADM 199) but the underlying files are not themselves retrieved here. Confirms wartime employment, not materials or asbestos content. Event log ends Nov 1944; the ship's final RN months (to Aug 1945) are not detailed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 1 / GMT (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-1 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127); roster F/G sections (book pp. ~240-243; scan pp. 132-133)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table: design group 1 (symbol GMT - diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull) - ~289'5" oa / ~283'6" wl, beam ~35'2"; 1,140 t standard / 1,430 t full load; design speed ~21 kt; machinery 4 General Motors diesel model 16-278A, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts, electric drive; boilers 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, 450 V A.C.); fuel oil ~987 bbl; accommodations 15 officers + 183 enlisted; armament 3 x 3"/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the GMT design carried a diesel-electric plant with no boilers or steam system. DE-270 does NOT appear in the volume's per-hull roster (book pp. 236-265, alphabetical by name): lend-lease hulls in Royal Navy service were outside the USN roster - consistent with this hull's transfer before the data snapshot.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- GMT-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 183 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole GMT group, not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table OCR'd from a scanned page; some cell values partially garbled (armament fit varied in service anyway - NavSource lists 3x3"/50, 4x20mm, 4 Mk6 DCP, 2 Mk9 DCT). Roster absence verified for 'Foley' and 'Gillette' names in the OCR'd F/G sections; DE-270's absence is expected, not a records gap.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Virtual Memorial Hall, LTJG Douglas W. Gillette, USNR (namesake biography and naming note) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnamemorialhall.org honoree page for LTJG Douglas W. Gillette
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Namesake record: Douglas Wiley Gillette, born 10 September 1918 in Wilmington, N.C.; enlisted USNR 5 March 1936; commissioned Ensign 12 September 1941; ordered to active duty in aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-8) 17 November 1941, appointed Lt. (j.g.) (temporary); killed in enemy action in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands 26 October 1942 while serving in Hornet. 'Destroyer escort 270 (DE 270) was named USS Gillette on February 23, 1943, in honor of Douglas. However, upon completion the ship was transferred immediately to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Foley (K474). This ship was later returned to the US Navy and served as USS Foley (DE 270).' Confirms the naming date (23 Feb 1943), the namesake, and the two-name hull lineage; also that two destroyer escorts carried the name Gillette (DE-270 and DE-681).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1918-1946 (biography); 1943 (naming)
- Limitations
- Alumni-association memorial database - credible for namesake biography and naming lineage, not a Navy-published source; DANFS's own 'Gillette' name entry exists in print (the DANFS Foley entry cross-references it 'q.v.') but was not located in transcription online. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-1 (GMT) machinery row (no boilers; GM diesel-electric) + Atlas shipyard dataset records for Boston Naval Shipyard and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-1 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); shipyards.json records 'boston-naval-shipyard' and 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'; cf. cannon-class and Edsall DE-129 records (same diesel-DE application set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Evarts-class (GMT) destroyer escort built at Boston Navy Yard in 1943 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-electric escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the GMT plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-1 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design. Builder context: Boston Naval Shipyard is a documented asbestos-exposure yard in the Atlas dataset (tier 3 - litigation includes alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials; WWII peak employment ~50,128); the decommissioning yard, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, also carries tier-3 product documentation (multiple named asbestos products in published appellate opinions plus an OSHA 1989 inspection record).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; RN crew 1943-45; Philadelphia Navy Yard decommissioning trades 1945; scrapping-yard workers 1946
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-270 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type and documented yard-level exposure environments, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Yard litigation records document the yards generally, not this hull's construction or lay-up. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-06
-
[8]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-270 (built 1943) 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, diesel-electric escorts specifically, or Royal Navy practice aboard Captain-class frigates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Foley' / 'HMS Foley' / 'DE-270' / 'USS Gillette' / 'Gillette asbestos' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'USS Foley' type=o count=0, type=r count=0; 'USS Gillette' type=o count=0; 'HMS Foley' type=o count=0; 'DE-270' type=o count=24 (all collisions); 'Gillette asbestos' type=o count=167 (all term collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull under any of its three names. Exact-name opinion sweeps: '"USS Foley"' count=0; '"USS Gillette"' count=0; '"HMS Foley"' count=0. Hull-number sweep '"DE-270"' count=24, all name collisions - Puerto Rico record/docket-number citations and unrelated federal cases (United States v. Shaygan, Estate of Mann, FTC v. IAB Marketing, Jaca Hernandez v. Delgado, NLRB/SEC/T-Mobile PR matters, etc.); zero vessel or asbestos references. Docket sweep '"USS Foley"' (type=r) count=0 - no docketed case names the ship. Supplemental unquoted 'Gillette asbestos' count=167, all term collisions (Gillette Co. products cases e.g. Worthem v. Gillette, S.C. Johnson v. Gillette; surnamed parties/attorneys; Seaboard Sur. v. Gillette Co. case cites) - zero vessel references, non-qualifying by construction.
- 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, settled/undocketed claims, and UK proceedings (the hull's operational life was Royal Navy) are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. The hull's USN commission was ~8 weeks (Aug-Oct 1945) and it was scrapped June 1946 - the plausible exposure window predates the asbestos-litigation era by decades.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de270-08
-
[10]Batch-4192 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions; NavSource archive page (Wayback); uboat.net Allied Warships (ADM-sourced); Navypedia GMT class roster; Tin Can Sailors DE-270 page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (OCR); USNA Memorial Hall; NARA digitized deck-log inventory; GAO product page; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-09 through sl-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-de270-01 through sl-uss-de270-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-270 under any of its names: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in June 1946, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era, and any RN-service fit changes are undocumented in sources read. The only 'asbestos' hits naming HMS Foley / Gillette DE-270 in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules (one describes boilers, steam pipes and turbines aboard, inconsistent with this diesel-electric design).
- 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 escort construction at a documented asbestos yard falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era. USN deck logs Aug-Oct 1945 (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19) at NARA, plus RN logs and transfer/modification files at TNA (ADM 53, ADM 173, ADM 199), are unsurveyed leads. 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-de270-09