Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 365-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Despatch (IX-2) — formerly the protected cruiser USS Boston
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-despatch-ix2-pkt-365-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Boston V (protected cruiser), covering the hull renamed Despatch (IX-2) - verbatim transcription [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Boston V entry, full text (spec block + service narrative + disposition)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Boston (fifth), covering the hull's complete life including the Despatch/IX-2 period: spec block 'dp. 3189; l. 283'; b. 42'; dr. 17'; s. 13 k.; cpl. 284; a. 2 8", 6 6"; cl. Boston.' 'The fifth Boston, a protected cruiser, was launched 4 December 1884 by John Roach and Sons, Chester, Pa., and commissioned 2 May 1887, Captain F. M. Ramsey in command.' Service narrative: Squadron of Evolution 1889-90; Pacific from 1891; Hawaii 1892-93; out of commission Mare Island 4 November 1893; recommissioned 15 November 1895, Asiatic Station; Battle of Manila Bay 1 May 1898; capture of Manila 13 August 1898; out of commission Mare Island 15 September 1899; recommissioned 11 August 1902, Pacific Squadron; San Francisco earthquake relief April-May 1906; out of commission Puget Sound 10 June 1907; Oregon Naval Militia training ship 15 June 1911-September 1916; Shipping Board loan 24 May 1917-June 1918; 'On 18 June 1918 she was recommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard as a receiving ship and towed to Yerba Buena Island, Calif., where she served as a receiving ship until 1946. She was renamed Despatch 9 August 1940 and reclassified IX-2, 17 February 1941. Despatch was towed to sea and sunk off San Francisco 8 April 1946.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1883-1946
- Population
- Ship's company (284 complement, cruiser era); receiving-ship berthing population (1918-1946, undocumented)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, service narrative, rename/reclassification, and disposition - the single DANFS entry covers the whole hull under the Boston name. Canonical NHHC live page returned 404 this session (standing NHHC link-rot noted in BATCH-01-REPORT); verbatim hazegray mirror carried. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images: 'USS Boston (1887-1946), later USS Despatch (IX-2) - As a Receiving Ship, 1918-1946' + overview page (Naval Historical Center photograph catalog) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Receiving-ship page caption text; overview page usnsh-b/boston5.htm; photo captions NH 89404, NH 74472, NH 74473
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Boston (1887-1946), later USS Despatch (IX-2) - As a Receiving Ship, 1918-1946': 'In 1918 the thirty-one year old cruiser Boston was converted for duty as a stationary receiving ship at the San Francisco Naval Training Station, located on Yerba Buena Island (or Goat Island) in San Francisco Bay. This work, done at the Mare Island Navy Yard up the bay from Yerba Buena, involved massive reconstruction of Boston's upper structure, to better suit her for barracks and drill service. The old ship retained her altered configuration for the rest of her days, during which she assisted in training the Sailors of the inter-war years and provided berthing for the greatly-expanded World War II Navy.' Companion overview page confirms the 1940 rename 'thus freeing her original name for use on the new heavy cruiser CA-69', the February 1941 IX-2 designation, and the April 1946 sinking 'as a target off San Francisco.' Cataloged conversion photos (NH 74472, NH 74473, Mare Island 23 December 1918) document the reconstructed crew spaces with electric lighting in the overhead.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard conversion workforce (1918); berthed trainees (1918-1946); WWII radio-school population
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical catalog - documents the 1918 Mare Island conversion ('massive reconstruction of upper structure') and the WWII berthing role aboard this hull. Contains no materials or asbestos information; the conversion's insulation/materials scope is not described. Companion canonical history.navy.mil pages returned 404 this session (standing link-rot); verbatim ibiblio mirror carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-02
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[4]NavSource Online Cruiser Photo Archive, USS Boston/Despatch (IX-2) page - operational/building data block and spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-2 page, 'Operational and Building Data' + spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource cruiser photo archive, USS Boston/Despatch (Protected Cruiser/IX-2) operational and building data block: 'Keel laid at John Roach and Sons, Chester, PA; Launched 04 DEC 1884; Commissioned 02 MAY 1887; Decommissioned 04 NOV 1893; Commissioned 15 NOV 1895; Decommissioned 15 SEP 1899; Commissioned 11 AUG 1902; Decommissioned 10 JUN 1907; Assigned to the Oregon Militia 15 JUN 1911; Returned to U.S. Navy SEP 1916; Struck from Navy List 03 MAY 1917; Assigned to the Shipping Board 24 MAY 1917; Returned to U.S. Navy 18 JUN 1918; Commissioned 16 DEC 1918; Renamed DESPATCH 9 AUG 1940; Reclassified IX 2 17 FEB 1941; Fate: Towed to sea and sunk off San Francisco 08 APR 1946.' Spec block: 3,189 tons; 283' oa x 42' x 21'1" max; armament 2 x 8"/30, 6 x 6"/30, 2 x 6pdr, 2 x 3pdr, 2 x 1pdr; armor 2" shields, 1.5" deck, 2" conning tower; 3,500 ihp horizontal compound engine, 1 screw; 13 knots; crew 284.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1883-1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record - used as cross-check and for detail not in DANFS (3 May 1917 striking during the Shipping Board loan; 16 December 1918 receiving-ship commissioning; 21'1" max draft vs DANFS 17'). Where NavSource diverges from DANFS the divergence is logged in correction row ev-04, not silently resolved. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-03
-
[5]Cross-source comparison: DANFS Boston V vs NavSource operational data vs NavalCoverMuseum DESPATCH IX-2 chronology vs Wikipedia (1884) article [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative sentence vs NavSource 'Operational and Building Data' block vs NavalCoverMuseum chronology
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved in favor of primary records or logged: (a) sinking date - DANFS, NavSource, and NavalCoverMuseum all read 'towed to sea and sunk off San Francisco 8 April 1946'; Wikipedia reads 7 April 1946 (uncited secondary variance); DANFS date carried. (b) receiving-ship recommissioning - DANFS reads 18 June 1918; NavSource operational data reads 'Returned to U.S. Navy 18 JUN 1918 / Commissioned 16 DEC 1918', consistent with Mare Island conversion photography dated 23 December 1918 'following Boston's conversion' - DANFS appears to conflate the return-to-Navy date with commissioning; NavSource carried as the more specific operational record, both readings disclosed. (c) striking/reinstatement - NavSource records 'Struck from Navy List 03 MAY 1917' during the Shipping Board loan, then 'Returned to U.S. Navy 18 JUN 1918' and 'Commissioned 16 DEC 1918' (reinstatement implied by commissioning, not separately recorded); no post-WWII stricken entry located for the 1946 disposal - logged as a gap. (d) conversion-yard identity - the 1917-18 freighter conversion at 'Seattle Construction & Drydock' maps to the Atlas todd-shipyards entry via the documented 1916 William H. Todd Corp. acquisition of that yard (formerly the Moran Brothers yard): Museum of History and Industry Todd Shipyards history and shipbuildinghistory.com Todd Seattle yard history. (e) radio-school role - NavalCoverMuseum's DESPATCH IX-2 chronology and the NHHC-derived Wikimedia Commons caption for the 1946 Yerba Buena photo both record service 'as a radio school' from 1940 to October 1945 - consistent with NHHC's WWII berthing narrative (ev-02).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1917-1918; 1946
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies without concealment: the 7-vs-8 April sinking variance and the 18 June-vs-16 December 1918 commissioning variance are both disclosed; the 1917 strike/reinstatement chain is the only NavSource-unique record of its kind. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-04
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[6]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 + documented yard events (ev-01, ev-02, ev-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, 1900-1970 analysis window; yard events per ev-01/ev-02/ev-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- This hull's documented material exposures divide at the asbestos-era boundary. Original construction (keel 1883, launched 1884, commissioned 1887) predates the period during which asbestos became the dominant marine insulation material - 1880s steam-ship lagging practice was transitional (hair felt and magnesia compounds in use; commercial asbestos lagging products only then emerging), and no record establishes the as-built insulation content of this hull. Every documented later yard event falls inside the era when the Navy used asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gaskets, packing, and building materials as standard practice (Franke & Paustenbach 2011, analysis window 1900-1970): the 1900-01 rebuild; the 1917-18 conversion to a freighter at Seattle Construction & Drydock (the former Moran Brothers yard, by then under Todd Corp. ownership); the 1918 receiving-ship conversion at Mare Island Navy Yard that rebuilt her upper structure for barracks/drill service; and the 1940-45 radio-school outfitting. As a stationary receiving ship for 28 years she functioned structurally as a floating building - berthing spaces, heating plant, electrical services - squarely in the era of asbestos-containing construction materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1883-1946
- Population
- Construction trades, Chester PA + New York Navy Yard (1883-1887); refit workforces (1900-01; Seattle 1917-18; Mare Island 1918; WWII outfitting); ship's company and berthed trainees (1887-1946)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented refit chronology - establishes that asbestos-containing materials were Navy-standard practice during four documented yard periods of this hull, NOT that any survey or record confirms asbestos aboard her. Two-sided inference: original 1880s construction predates dominant asbestos marine use AND no record establishes as-built insulation content, so presence is unproven in both directions. No hull-specific insulation specification, survey, abatement, or removal record was located; none can exist for post-1946 (hull sunk). Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-05
-
[7]Batch-4758 litigation sweep (this record): CourtListener API v4 attempts x5 (blocked, fleet pacing); general web index name/hull-number sweep; VA BVA index; collision classification of McIsaac v. General Electric (D. Mass., CA-69 hull) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-despatch-ix2-05 through sl-uss-despatch-ix2-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: the CourtListener API could not be queried this session - five authenticated attempts via the batch helper returned the fleet-pacing notice (shared ~114/hr budget spent by concurrent batch workers) between 2026-09-29 12:36 and 12:55 PT; per batch rules no anonymous fallback and no retry loop were attempted - the API sweep is an OPEN ITEM, not a completed negative. Coverage by other indexes: general web index searches of 'USS Despatch'/'IX-2'/'USS Boston' + asbestos returned only law-firm marketing pages (excluded source class) and one reported-decision name collision: McIsaac v. General Electric Co., No. 19-10282-NMG (D. Mass.), which names 'the USS Boston' at Boston Naval Shipyard in 1968 and 1972 - that is the WWII heavy cruiser CA-69, not this hull (this hull was sunk 1946); classified as name collision, not carried as exposure evidence. VA Board of Veterans' Appeals index returned no decision naming Despatch or this hull. Vessel sunk April 1946 - predating the asbestos-litigation era entirely.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Incomplete sweep - CourtListener (the authoritative opinion/docket index for this purpose) is an open gap, not a negative result. Names are high-collision: 'Despatch' collides with USS Despatch SP-68/PY-8 (a different yacht, 1917-1928) and the common word; 'Boston' collides with USS Boston CA-69, the city, and Boston Naval Shipyard. What was checked is clean; what could not be checked is logged honestly. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-06
-
[8]Navy Basewide Environmental Baseline Survey, Naval Station Treasure Island, Section 5 Part 1 (DTSC EnviroStor deliverable 3721280753); NPS NRHP nomination, Senior Officers Quarters Historic District, Yerba Buena Island (NRIS 08000085) + Quarters 1 (NRIS 91001380) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTSC EnviroStor EBS Section 5 Part 1 (4 of 19) indexed text; npgallery NRIS 91001380 / 08000085 nomination continuation sheets
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Installation-level asbestos context for the facility this hull served as its moored receiving ship (1918-1946): the Navy's basewide Environmental Baseline Survey for Naval Station Treasure Island (which absorbed Yerba Buena Island in 1941), filed in the DTSC EnviroStor system, records 'a section of unused and apparently abandoned in-place steam line... Older steam lines at Naval Station Treasure Island are suspected to contain asbestos' and 'asbestos survey results indicate the presence of asbestos in Building 401,' among other ACM notations for station parcels. Separately, the National Register record for the station district documents that after 1923 the island 'did remain a Navy facility... for a more limited receiving ship function' - i.e., this vessel.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- EBS survey period (c. 1990s base closure)
- Population
- Naval Station Treasure Island / Yerba Buena station personnel (shore-side)
- Limitations
- Shore-installation record only - the surveyed parcels are station buildings/utilities, NOT the vessel; no inference from station ACM to the hull is made or permitted (same treatment as Midway's Building 11 row in BATCH-01). The EBS postdates the hull's 1946 sinking. Direct fetch of the EnviroStor PDF was blocked by anti-bot challenge this session; content via search-indexed verbatim excerpts - locator flagged accordingly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-07
-
[9]Batch-4758 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Online Library; NavSource; NavalCoverMuseum; NPS npgallery NRHP records; DTSC EnviroStor; VA BVA index; general web index; NARA record-group guides; shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-despatch-ix2-01 through sl-uss-despatch-ix2-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding naming USS Boston (protected cruiser), USS Despatch, or IX-2 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Structural reason for thinness: the hull was sunk at sea 8 April 1946 - decades before asbestos documentation regimes, pre-dating hazmat-conditioned disposal and the asbestos-litigation era; no post-disposal survey is possible on a scuttled hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - four documented refit events fall inside the Navy's asbestos era (ev-05) and era-consistent materials plausibly went aboard, undocumented. Equally, no record proves presence. Does not establish individual exposure, causation, or legal eligibility. CourtListener API sweep remains an open item (sl-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-08
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 181, RG 24, RG 32, RG 19 record-group descriptions; NHHC photo-catalog references via NavSource/ibiblio [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 181 / RG 24 / RG 32 / RG 19 record-group guides (archives.gov); NHHC photo numbers per Online Library captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) - Mare Island Navy Yard work orders for the 1918 receiving-ship conversion and Twelfth Naval District / Naval Training Station San Francisco files, the most promising lead for the conversion's materials scope; NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) - logs for the receiving ship if kept; NARA RG 32 (Records of the U.S. Shipping Board) - the 1917-18 freighter-conversion contract file at Seattle Construction & Drydock/Todd; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Construction and Repair) - Atlanta-class plans and material specifications; NHHC photographic catalog items NH 89404, NH 74472, NH 74473 (1918 conversion interior views) - canonical history.navy.mil photo pages returned 404 this session.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1883-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and file mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-despatch-ix2-09