Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet id-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: USS Edsall DE-129 → VERIFIED (class lead ship confirmed)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-edsall-de129-pkt-id-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Edsall II (DE-129) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking and sale; live NHHC page returns 404 - verbatim transcriptions via HyperWar/ibiblio and Tin Can Sailors destroyers.org, the latter citing DANFS February 2022) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (HyperWar/ibiblio de129.html; destroyers.org/ships/de-129 transcription citing DANFS Feb. 2022)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: second ship named for Seaman Norman Eckley Edsall (killed 1 April 1899 at Apia, Samoa) and name-ship/lead hull of the Edsall class ('cl. Edsall' in the spec block, hull DE-129 heading the class block); launched 1 November 1942 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; sponsored by Mrs. Bessie Edsall Bracey; commissioned 10 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. E. C. Woodward in command. Schoolship at Norfolk 20 June-6 August 1943 for precommissioning crews of escort vessels, then at Miami with the Submarine Chaser Training Center. March 1944: joined a tanker convoy at Galveston, assigned to Escort Division 59 (current DANFS via Tin Can Sailors transcription; the HyperWar transcription of the older edition reads '69' - carried in gaps), flagship from 24 March. Escort duty from the Gulf to New York and Norfolk, one convoy to Argentia; May 1944 Bermuda antisubmarine-warfare tests using a captured Italian submarine; 1 July 1944-3 June 1945 seven Atlantic convoys to the Mediterranean and Britain; on 10 April 1945 aided two collided tankers in a Liverpool-to-New York convoy (search for survivors, firefighting). Sailed for the Pacific 24 June 1945; war ended while she trained at Pearl Harbor; returned East. Placed out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 11 June 1946. Struck from the Navy list 1 June 1968 and sold July 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (DANFS design complement 186); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers 1946-1968
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Escort-division number diverges between DANFS editions (59 vs. 69) - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim mirror transcriptions cited instead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for EDSALL, DE-129 (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 238-239) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 roster row 97, EDSALL DE-129 (book pp. 238-239; shipscribe scan PDF p. 131)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull: EDSALL, official number DE-129, design group FMR; builder Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; contract price $1,988,000; contract signed 10 January 1942; keel laid July 1942 (day digit partially lost in OCR - 2 July 1942 corroborated by NavSource and the current DANFS); launched 1 November 1942; first preliminary acceptance/completion 23 March 1943; commissioned 10 April 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Corp. construction trades, Orange, Tex., 1942-43
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. Keel-day digit partially illegible in the scanned page; corroborated as 2 July by NavSource and current DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-4 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table: design group 4 (symbol FMR - Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse-gear drive) - 306 ft oa, 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 t standard / 1,590 t full load; 21 kt; machinery 4 Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts; boilers 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, A.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted; armament 3 x 3 in/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the FMR design carried a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- FMR-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole FMR group (85 hulls), not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table OCR'd from a scanned page; individual cell values (e.g., limiting draft) partially garbled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-03
-
[5]Navypedia, 'FMR' destroyer escorts (EDSALL) (1943-1944) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia FMR/Edsall-class page, roster table row DE129 + technical-data block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls completed by two builders - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. (DE-129 through DE-152 and DE-316 through DE-338, 47 hulls) and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex. (DE-238 through DE-255 and DE-382 through DE-401, 38 hulls). DE-129 Edsall heads the roster (yard no. 252, stricken June 1968). Technical data: complement 186 - matching the DANFS design complement. The class was the only WWII destroyer-escort class in which every ordered ship completed as a USN destroyer escort.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Edsall-class construction and operating crews (85 hulls)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (class-level): the builder blocks and hull count corroborate the per-hull BuShips roster; complement 186 matches DANFS. Not a materials or asbestos source - used for class enumeration only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-04
-
[6]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Edsall (DE-129) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, flag hoist NZBS; Wayback capture 2024-11-14 - live page fetch failed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/129.htm building-and-operational-data block + photo captions (Wayback 2024-11-14 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: keel laid 2 July 1942 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; launched and christened 1 November 1942, sponsor Mrs. Bessie Edsall Bracey, sister of Seaman Edsall; commissioned 10 April 1943 at the Orange City dock, Lcdr. E. C. Woodward; decommissioned 11 June 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Fla. after 3 years 2 months service; struck from the NVR 1 June 1968; sold for scrapping July 1969. Awards: American Campaign Medal; European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal with one star; WWII Victory Medal. Complement 8/201. Photo captions place the ship at Bermuda May-June 1943 for shakedown (departed Naval Station Algiers, La. 5 May 1943) and then Boston Navy Yard; a post-refit overhead view is dated to the 1945 Pacific-transfer refit; two NARA photo numbers are cited (BuShips 44994; CP-DE-129-19-N-44996).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Wartime crew (NavSource complement 8 officers/201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB where they overlap. Contributed photo captions are unattributed detail (Bermuda shakedown dates, Boston Navy Yard call). No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (no boilers; F.M. diesel) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-4 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); cf. cannon-class profile ev-cannon-class-03 (same diesel-DE application set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1942-43 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46; reserve-fleet maintenance 1946-68
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-129 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder yard (Consolidated Steel, Orange, Tex.) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-06
-
[8]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020 (citation re-verified in class-f gato-class profile, accessed 2026-09-16) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- galvnews.com article_c2c77857, 27 Jul 2020
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister hull: the Galveston Daily News reported asbestos in public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) and USS Cavalla (SS-244) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the Galveston Park Board cited U.S. Navy inspection recommendations that an asbestos survey be conducted. USS Stewart is a Brown Shipbuilding-built Edsall-class hull (DE-238) - class-level corroboration that Edsall-class construction carried asbestos-containing material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2020
- Population
- Museum staff/volunteers and Seawolf Park visitors; abatement crews
- Limitations
- Evidence about a sister hull (DE-238), NOT this hull: different builder (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston) and a museum-hull lifecycle DE-129 never had (DE-129 was scrapped 1969). Documents asbestos aboard one Edsall-class ship as delivered/preserved; establishes nothing about DE-129's materials, quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-07
-
[9]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-129 (built 1942-43) 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 or any diesel-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Edsall' / 'DE-129' / 'Edsall asbestos' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'USS Edsall' type=o count=0, type=r count=0; 'DE-129' type=o count=60 (all ECF false positives); 'Edsall asbestos' type=o count=12 (no vessel content)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"USS Edsall"' (type=o): 0 hits. Hull-number sweep '"DE-129"' (type=o): 60 hits, all ECF document-entry-number false positives (e.g., 'DE 128', '(DE-129)' docket-entry citations inside unrelated opinions - Madison v. Jack Link, Ceelen v. Grant, Labzda v. Purdue Pharma, Godoy v. New River Pizza, and similar); zero vessel or asbestos references among them. Docket sweep '"USS Edsall"' (type=r): 0 hits - no docketed case names the ship. Supplemental 'Edsall asbestos' (type=o): 12 hits, none containing 'Edsall' in returned case names, attorneys, or snippets (full-text surname/term collisions only) - non-qualifying.
- 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, and settled/undocketed claims are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. DE-129's out-of-service date (1946) predates the asbestos-litigation era, and the common name collides with DD-219 (sunk 1942) and with 'DE ###' ECF numbering.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-edsall-de129-09
-
[11]Batch-4037 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions; NavSource archive page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (OCR); GAO product page; NARA digitized deck-log inventory; VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-04 through sl-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-edsall-de129-01 through sl-uss-edsall-de129-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-129: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in July 1969, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for sister hull Stewart (DE-238). The only 'asbestos' hits naming USS Edsall (DE-129) in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules.
- 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 - 1942-43 escort construction falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and sister-hull DE-238 carried documented asbestos. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) at NARA 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-edsall-de129-10