Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet if-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Douglas L. Howard; hull DE-138; type: Edsall-class destroyer escort — https://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DE/de138.html (DANFS header: "cl. Edsall")
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-pkt-if-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Douglas L. Howard (DE-138) (namesake, builder, dates, service narrative, striking and disposal; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 24 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex., sponsored by Mrs. D. I. Thomas (daughter of Capt. Howard); commissioned 29 July 1943, LCDR G. D. Kissam, USNR, in command. Three convoy escorts to Casablanca 4 October 1943-19 March 1944; hunter-killer group operations with Core (CVE-13) 3 April-30 May 1944 and with the group formed around Wake Island 16 June-29 August 1944; repairs at Boston; Mission Bay (CVE-59) South Atlantic antisubmarine patrol 8 September-26 November 1944; Caribbean/Mayport carrier-qualification screening, then North Atlantic ASW. Departed Boston 30 June 1945 for San Diego; Pearl Harbor 8 August; Eniwetok patrol/escort from 3 September; Lele Island occupation duty 26 September-16 November; Marshalls occupation duty until 6 January 1946; arrived New York 15 February 1946; arrived Green Cove Springs 13 March 1946; placed out of commission in reserve 17 June 1946. Struck from the Navy list 1 October 1972; sold 14 May 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime and reserve-period crew (DANFS design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcription prints 'Wake Island (CVE-66)'; Wake Island is CVE-65 - a transcription typo (carried in gaps; her own DANFS entry confirms CVE-65). DANFS reads 'sold 14 May 1974'; NavSource reads 9 May 1974 - conflict in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-01
-
[3]USS Douglas L. Howard (DE-138), 'Factual History' - the ship's own war's-end history submitted by the Commanding Officer to the Secretary of the Navy under AlPac 292/318 (serials 237-15 and 279-15, December 1945); scanned PDF hosted by NavSource [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/images/138/06138wh.pdf (3-page scanned serial letters; OCR'd locally)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own factual history documents this hull's construction (Consolidated Steel Corp., Shipbuilding Division, Orange, Tex.; commissioned 29 July 1943), outfitting completion at New Orleans, shakedown at Bermuda, reporting to Norfolk as flagship of Escort Division NINE (Atlantic Fleet), and every documented yard period: post-shakedown 'overhaul and repairs at the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina'; repeated availabilities at the Brooklyn (New York) Navy Yard between convoy and hunter-killer cruises, including installation of a combat information center and HF/DF equipment (June 1944, after the Core cruise); Brooklyn Navy Yard availability after Wake Island operations (from 15 August 1944); and an 'extended availability' at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, ordered 9 June 1945 in preparation for Pacific transfer. Documents the sinking of USS Fiske (DE-143) ~1,000 yards from this hull on the Wake Island cruise and Howard's hedgehog/depth-charge attacks; Fessenden's (DE-142) attack on a submerged contact 30 September 1944; barrier patrol through the German surrender (8 May 1945). Commanding officers: LCDR Gordon D. Kissam (to 26 November 1943), W. F. Stokey (to 29 August 1944), John T. Pratt Jr. (to 5 August 1945), Maurice B. Baker Jr.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew; navy-yard workers at Charleston, Brooklyn, and Boston during documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Documents yard periods and service events - not materials or asbestos content; no statement of what materials were installed, disturbed, or removed during availabilities. Yard-period asbestos scope is inference, not record. Text extracted by OCR from the scanned ship-submitted document hosted by NavSource; minor OCR artifacts exist but dates/yard names are legible.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-02
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[4]DANFS, Wake Island (CVE-65) - independent corroborating entry naming DE-138 in the 2 August 1944 Fiske action (verbatim transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Wake Island entry, TG 22.6 narrative (2 August 1944)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Wake Island (CVE-65) independently names this hull: on 2 August 1944 'Douglas L. Howard (DE-138) sighted a U-boat's conning tower some eight miles away' in TG 22.6; Howard and Fiske (DE-143) were detached to investigate; at 1235 a torpedo 'hit Fiske amidships and broke her in two'; Farquhar (DE-139) was detached to support Howard and later to pick up survivors.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Wartime crew (Fiske action, 2 August 1944)
- Limitations
- Corroborating service documentation only - contains no materials or asbestos content. Confirms Wake Island's hull number is CVE-65 against the DE-138 transcription's 'CVE-66' typo.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels,' Vol. I (15 April 1945; SHIPS-8(A)I / NAVSHIPS 250-010) - shipscribe.com scan of the official document [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf: DE design-group characteristics table (book pp. 234-235); individual-ship roster entry for HOWARD, DOUGLAS L. / DE-138 (book p. 248, entry 168)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official BuShips roster lists 'HOWARD, DOUGLAS L. - DE-138' under design group FMR, built by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex. The FMR design-group characteristics table (book pp. 234-235) records: 305 ft over-all, 36 ft 7 in beam, 1,200 tons standard / 1,590 full load, accommodations for 15 officers and 201 enlisted, 3 x 3-inch/50-cal D.P. guns; propulsion of 2 shafts driven by four F.M. diesel model 38D8-1/8 engines totaling 6,000 shp; and the boiler manufacturer/type columns read 'None.' FMR is defined in the same document as 'Fairbanks Morse diesel reverse gear drive.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- FMR-design DE crews; Consolidated Steel construction trades
- Limitations
- Official characteristics/roster document - establishes machinery design group and builder, not materials or asbestos content. The 'None' boiler entries establish the absence of a steam plant (which shapes which asbestos categories could plausibly apply) but say nothing about insulation actually fitted aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-04
-
[6]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Douglas L. Howard (DE-138) - building/operational data compiled from official records incl. NARA-captioned photos; live site blocks automated fetches, Wayback capture cited [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/138.htm via Wayback capture 2025-01-10 (building data block; photo captions)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compilation for this hull: keel laid 8 December 1942 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex.; launched/christened 24 January 1943, sponsor Mrs. Donald I. (Anne) Thomas; commissioned at the City Dock, Orange, 29 July 1943, Lcdr. G. D. Kissam USNR; decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 17 June 1946 after 2 years 10-1/2 months; struck from the NVR 1 October 1972; sold for scrapping 9 May 1974 to Southern Scrap Materials Corp., New Orleans, La. NARA-captioned photos document the hull moored at the New York Navy Yard 19-30 March 1944 for 'scheduled maintenance and repairs following convoy duty' (NA-19-N-65700); departure from the Brooklyn Navy Yard 1 September 1944 reloading ammunition after a yard period, followed by diversion to the Boston Navy Yard for sonar-gear repair (BS 71830/71831); and New York Navy Yard photos of the ship 22 March 1945 (19-N-80875 series).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Navy-yard workers at New York (Brooklyn) and Boston navy yards during documented 1944-45 availabilities
- Limitations
- NavSource is a reputable secondary compilation citing official records (NARA and NHHC photo captions), not itself a primary document. Sale date (9 May 1974) conflicts with DANFS (14 May 1974) - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-05
-
[7]Era/design inference base: BuShips 'Ships' Data' 1945 Vol. I FMR design-group table (no boilers) + DANFS specifications block; Atlas shipyard dataset checked for the builder [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB 1945 Vol. I design table (book pp. 234-235); ship's war history yard-period narrative; shipyards.json (builder absent)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR design group) destroyer escort built December 1942-July 1943 sits inside the documented asbestos era of U.S. naval construction. As a geared Fairbanks-Morse diesel ship with no boilers or steam plant (BuShips Ships' Data 1945), the era-standard asbestos set for a diesel escort applies as plausible applications - diesel exhaust insulation, machinery-space insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and deck coverings - rather than boiler or steam-line lagging. Documented yard availabilities (Charleston Navy Yard post-shakedown 1943; Brooklyn/New York Navy Yard 1943-45; Boston Navy Yard 1944-45) are maintenance-disturbance windows inside the asbestos era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46; navy-yard workers during availabilities
- Limitations
- Class/era and design-group inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No hull material schedule, insulation specification, or ACM survey was located. Builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex., is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry (carried in gaps); no yard-level asbestos record is cited for it. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-06
-
[8]Batch-4047 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; ship-submitted war history; BuShips Ships' Data 1945; NavSource compilation; CourtListener opinion/docket queries; NARA leads [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-01 through sl-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-138: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, material inventory, or museum hazmat disclosure exists in the public sources searched - and none can exist in the museum channel because the hull was scrapped in 1974. The CourtListener sweep (ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-08) located no qualifying litigation naming this hull. Non-authoritative law-firm list pages (freeasbestostesting.com, duboselawfirm.com, elslaw.com, shepardlawfirm.com) enumerate DE-138 on generic 'destroyer escorts with asbestos' rosters; all are excluded per batch rules as marketing content without primary support.
- 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 1942-43 wartime build of this design is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. This finding does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-07
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[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches, 2026-09-28 (all requests via the fleet-paced helper): name and hull-number queries, opinion and RECAP docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search API type=o and type=r; queries \"Douglas L. Howard\" and \"DE-138\"
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull, all four standard queries executed: 'Douglas L. Howard' opinion search returned 0 results (clean). 'Douglas L. Howard' RECAP docket search returned 15 hits, all personal-name collisions - bankruptcy filings by individuals of that name plus a civil fraud case naming a person; none vessel-related, none asbestos. 'DE-138' opinion search returned 40 hits, all identifier collisions (exhibit and docket-entry designations such as 'DE-138' = defendant's exhibit 138); none vessel-related. 'DE-138' RECAP docket search returned 873 hits matching docket-entry numbering; none vessel-related. No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Search-index coverage limits apply: a case could exist outside CourtListener's indexed corpus (state courts without RECAP coverage, settled/undocketed claims, records not naming the hull in indexed text). The sweep establishes no qualifying indexed litigation naming DE-138 was located - not that none exists anywhere.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-douglas-l-howard-de138-08