Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet jy-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: Tisdale** | Hull: **DE-278** | Designation: destroyer escort | Class: **Evarts
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-de-278-de278-pkt-jy-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Tisdale (combined DE-33 / DE-278 entry) (verbatim NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-02-02; live NHHC URL returns 404; print DANFS Vol. 7 p.214 transcription also located at losthistory.net/hazegray mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Tisdale combined entry, DE-278 paragraph + DE-33 paragraph (Wayback capture of danfs/t/tisdale.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: 'Tisdale (DE-278) ... was laid down at the Boston Navy Yard on 5 June 1943. Later that month, she was assigned to the United Kingdom under the provisions of the lend-lease agreement. Accordingly, her name was cancelled on 23 June and reassigned to DE-33. On 19 October, she was officially transferred to the Royal Navy and placed in commission as HMS Keats (K 482). She was returned to the United States Navy on 27 February 1946. DE-278 was struck from the Navy list on 20 March 1946 and sold to George H. Nutman, Brooklyn, N.Y., on 19 November 1946.' The same combined entry's DE-33 paragraph documents the swap from the other side: 'BDE-33 was laid down at Mare Island Navy Yard on 23 January 1943 as one of the warships to be transferred to the United Kingdom ... However, her allocation to the Royal Navy was canceled; and she was named Tisdale and redesignated DE-33 on 23 June 1943 when a destroyer escort recently laid down at Boston, DE-228, was assigned to the Royal Navy in her stead.' (The 'DE-228' is a DANFS misprint - DE-228 was Ruchamkin, a Philadelphia-built Rudderow-class hull that stayed in USN service; the Boston hull swapped was DE-278, per this same entry - documented in gaps.) The namesake biography is Commander Ryland Dillard Tisdale (1894-1942), killed in action against Moros on Mindanao 23 May 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; RN crew 1943-46 (Captain-class complement ~156); postwar disposal workforce 1946
- Limitations
- DANFS documents build, transfer, and disposal chronology - not materials or asbestos content, and no launch or complement figures for this hull. The NHHC web text styles DE-278 'a Smarts-class destroyer-escort' - an apparent typo for Evarts class (the 1981 print DANFS, NavSource, and uboat.net all read Evarts); carried in gaps. Wayback transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-01
-
[3]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Index, DE-278 Tisdale / HMS Keats (K-482) - specifications block, building/operational data, and captioned photos credited to the U.S. Navy Collection, Boston National Historical Park (as printed in Collingwood, 'The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War') and to 'Atlantic Escorts' (David K. Brown) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-278 page: specifications block + Operational and Building Data list + photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: class Evarts (lend-lease), type GMT (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull, 3-inch guns); 1,140 t light / 1,430 t full; 283'6" wl, 289'5" oa; beam 35'; draft 11' (max); armament 3-3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 4-20mm Mk4 (varied by ship), 4 Mk6 depth-charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth-charge tracks; machinery 4 GM Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 19 kt; range 4,150 nm at 12 kt; crew 156. Operational data: laid down by Boston Navy Yard 5 June 1943; launched 17 July 1943; commissioned (USN) never; to Britain as lend-lease 19 October 1943, renamed HMS Keats; returned (USN) 27 February 1946; sold for scrapping 19 November 1946. Launch photo caption documents the hull at Boston Navy Yard; a second photo shows Keats underway during work-up.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Same populations as ev-uss-de-278-de278-01
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated specialist archive, not a government record - used for launch date, machinery detail, and photo-catalog credits that the DANFS paragraph omits; every milestone date it gives agrees with DANFS. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, HMS Keats (K 482), Captain-class frigate - build/transfer data, commanding officers, and a wartime event log sourced to UK National Archives ADM files (ADM 173/18472, ADM 173/19095, ADM 199/1427, ADM 53/119442 et al.) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/5475: data block, commands table, notable-events list (entries for 1944-04-11/13, 1944-05-27/29, 1944-08-15/16/18, 1944-08-31, 1944-09-02, 1944-12-15, 1945-01-26, 1945-02 convoys, 1945-04-15)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Royal Navy service record for this hull as HMS Keats (K.482): ordered 25 January 1942; commissioned 19 October 1943 under T/A/Lt.Cdr. N.F. Israel, RNR (command to July 1945; then T/Lt. D.T. Hewlett, DSC, RNVR). A/S exercises off Lough Foyle April 1944 and Larne May 1944; member of the 5th Escort Group (with Bickerton, Aylmer, Bligh, Goodson, Kempthorne; later Grindall and Tyler). August 1944: sailed with Force 2 (escort carriers Trumpeter and Nabob, cruiser Kent, frigates Aylmer, Bickerton, Bligh, Keats, Kempthorne) in Operation Goodwood, the fleet-carrier strikes against Tirpitz in the Kaafjord covering the JW 59 / RA 59A Arctic convoy passage (Operation Victual) - during which group-mate HMS Bickerton was torpedoed by U-354 and scuttled; Keats arrived at the Faeroe Islands 27 August 1944. February 1945: escorted sections of combined convoys CU 56 / Irish Sea and Gibraltar traffic as part of Force 36. 15 April 1945: shared the sinking of German submarine U-285 southwest of Ireland in position 50°13'N, 12°48'W by depth charges, with HMS Grindall. Returned to U.S. Navy custody 27 February 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- RN ship's company 1943-1946 (~156 complement)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist reference, not a government record, but its event log cites TNA ADM documents line by line; all transferable dates agree with DANFS and NavSource. RN service detail is relevant to exposure analysis because machinery casualties, refits, and high-tempo operations are the disturbance pathways for era materials - but no source consulted describes materials aboard. 'End service' field is blank on the source page; the 27 February 1946 return date per DANFS is carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-03
-
[5]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-45: Destroyer Escorts' - Evarts-class spec block (diesel-electric tandem-motor drive, 6,000 hp, 289'5", 21 kt, 3-3"/50, hedgehog) + Naval Historical Foundation review of Collingwood, 'The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War' (78 US-built lend-lease escorts served as RN Captain-class frigates, 32 GMT/Evarts-type + 46 TE/Buckley-type, GMT boats essentially all Boston Navy Yard-built) + Atlas shipyard dataset, boston-naval-shipyard record (yard-level asbestos product identification: John Crane gaskets and sealing materials, In re John Crane, Inc., Tex. App. 2003) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar ships-de.html Evarts-class spec block; NavSource DE-278 machinery line; shipyards.json 'boston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull is a Boston-built Evarts-class GMT-type escort - one of 78 US-built lend-lease Captain-class frigates (32 GMT/Evarts type, 46 TE/Buckley type; the GMT boats were essentially all Boston Navy Yard-built, with HMS Drury K.316 a documented exception in secondary compilations). The GMT plant is four GM 16-278A diesel engines with diesel-electric tandem drive - no boilers and no steam lines, so the boiler/fireroom lagging load of the steam-driven DE classes does not apply. Period-standard asbestos applications for a 1943 combatant of this type were nonetheless the normal suite: diesel exhaust and hot-pipe lagging, machinery and compartment insulation, flange gaskets and valve packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, and fireproofing. The builder yard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (Boston Naval Shipyard, tier 3, with a litigation-derived asbestos product identification).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; RN crew 1943-46; scrapping workforce 1946-47
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this hull, and the GMT diesel-electric plant removes the steam-system insulation most associated with DE asbestos content. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, or any individual exposure; NARA RG 19 contract/material specifications and UK National Archives records are the open archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-04
-
[6]Batch-4200 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback), NavSource, uboat.net allied-warships record, HyperWar DE index, web sweep for hull-specific asbestos records; CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweeps (sl-08 through sl-13) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-de-278-de278-01 through sl-uss-de-278-de278-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material inventory, or preservation-era documentation naming DE-278 or K.482 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrapping in 1946 - predating asbestos regulation and surviving-record practices - so no post-1970s documentation channel exists.
- 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 combatant is era-consistent with asbestos insulation and fittings. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility for any person.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-05
-
[7]NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships contract and material specification records (Boston Navy Yard construction, contract awarded circa 1942) + UK National Archives ADM series files cited in the uboat.net event log (ADM 173/18472, ADM 173/19095, ADM 199/1427, ADM 199/316-317/712/1442/2102, ADM 53/119442/119475/119603/119637/120110/120646) - K.482 movement and convoy records [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov navy logbooks research page; TNA ADM series (Discovery catalog); uboat.net source list
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not yet pulled: (1) NARA RG 19 Bureau of Ships contract and material specifications for DE-278 - the likeliest source to name materials installed during 1943 Boston construction; (2) UK National Archives ADM files cited by the uboat.net event log for K.482 - ship's logs and convoy-operation records covering October 1943 to February 1946 that could document refits or repairs disturbing insulation systems. No U.S. Navy deck logs exist for this hull (never commissioned in the USN; the Tisdale name was cancelled before launch and reassigned to DE-33, so DE-33 logs are a different hull).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946 records
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these records was retrieved or reviewed; NARA's public catalog could not be queried from this session, so digitization status is unverified. Content on this hull's materials is unknown and cannot be presumed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (type=o opinions and type=r RECAP dockets) via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py / cl-patient-search.py, 2026-09-28 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-de-278-de278-08 through sl-uss-de-278-de278-13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming Tisdale / USS Tisdale / DE-278 / HMS Keats / K-482 located in CourtListener indexes. Eight queries run; every hit classified a name or pattern collision: (1) 'Tisdale' opinions - 4,940 surname cases (e.g., Matter of Tisdale, N.Y. App. Div. 2024), none maritime; (2) 'USS Tisdale' opinions - 0 results; (3) 'Tisdale' asbestos opinions - 25 asbestos-domain opinions where 'Tisdale' is a counsel-firm surname (verified by full-text pull: 'Young, Clement, Rivers & Tisdale, Charleston' in Talley v. John-Mansville Sales Corp., S.C. 1985 cluster), none reference any vessel; (4) 'DE-278' opinions - 21 hits, all 'DE 278' docket-entry-number citations; (5) 'DE-278' dockets - 293 RECAP dockets matching document-text docket-entry references, screened page-1 set all non-vessel; (6) 'Tisdale' dockets - 7,222 hits, screened page-1 set all personal-bankruptcy dockets of individuals named Tisdale; (7) 'HMS Keats' opinions - 0 results; (8) 'K-482' opinions - 20 hits, all string collisions (Louisiana criminal docket numbers and unrelated references), none reference the frigate.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Coverage is limited to CourtListener-indexed opinions and RECAP dockets - unindexed state trial-court filings, settled MDL-875 claimant records, and UK proceedings are outside the index. High-count sweeps ('Tisdale' 4,940; 'Tisdale' dockets 7,222; 'DE-278' dockets 293) were screened to the returned first page; the collision patterns are uniform (surnames, bankruptcy dockets, DE-### docket entries). 'Tisdale' matching is additionally ambiguous for this hull: the name also attached to USS Tisdale DE-33 (USN 1943-45) and USS Mahlon S. Tisdale FFG-27 (1982-96). Absence of indexed litigation does not prove no claim was ever filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-de-278-de278-07