Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet kt-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: verdict: **VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-engstrom-de50-pkt-kt-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Engstrom (DE-50), Vol. 2 p.353 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division; verbatim transcription at hazegray/losthistory.net; live NHHC page returns 404 - Dec 2025 Wayback capture of the canonical NHHC URL confirms identical text) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Engstrom (DE-50)' - namesake biography, spec block, service narrative; canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/engstrom.html via Wayback capture 2025-12-09
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull. Spec block: class Evarts; 1,140 t; 289'5"; 35'1" beam; 8'3" draft; 21 kt; complement 156; armament 3x3in, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (h.h.), 2 dct. Launched 24 July 1942 by Philadelphia Navy Yard as HMS Drury (BDE-50); reallocated to the U.S. Navy; assigned the name Engstrom 4 March 1943; commissioned 21 June 1943, Lt. D. A. Nienstedt, USNR, in command. Service: sailed Philadelphia 20 August 1943 via Norfolk to the Panama Canal Zone and San Diego (arrived 9 September); departed 27 September for Adak and over a year of northern-waters duty - escorting combatant and auxiliary ships, radar picket for air operations between Attu and Paramushiro, screening surveying ships; returned to Mare Island 19 January 1945 for overhaul; after Pearl Harbor training sailed to Saipan, her base from 31 March through war's end for escort assignments to Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam, and Iwo Jima (escorted men and supplies that saw action on Okinawa); patrolled out of Guam 12 September - 11 October 1945; reached San Pedro 24 October; decommissioned 19 December 1945; sold 26 December 1946. Namesake: Lt.(jg) Warren Leonard Engstrom, USNA class of 1942 (graduated December 1941), reported to Northampton (CA-26) 5 February 1942, killed in action 30 November 1942 at the Battle of Tassafaronga.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; USN crew 1943-45 (design complement 156)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. No stricken or laying-down dates given (NavSource supplies 8 January 1946 striking and 1 April 1942 keel - see ev-02). Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim mirror transcription cited and checked against the Dec 2025 Wayback capture of the NHHC original (identical text).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Engstrom (DE 50) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, GMT-type specifications, commanding-officers roster, captioned USN photographs, hosted scan of the ship's official war history [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-50 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, spec block, commanding-officers table, photo captions 0605002-0605010, 'Engstrom History' links
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive detail corroborating and extending DANFS: keel laid 1 April 1942 as HMS Drury (BDE-50) by the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched 24 July 1942 as HMS Drury (BDE-50); reallocated to the U.S. Navy and named Engstrom 4 March 1943; commissioned 21 June 1943, Lt. D. A. Nienstedt, USNR, in command; decommissioned at San Pedro 1 October 1945 'after 2 years and 4 1/3 months of service'; struck from the NVR 8 January 1946; sold for scrapping 29 December 1946 to the National Metal and Steel Corp., Terminal Island, Los Angeles. Spec block: Evarts class, type GMT (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull, 3-inch guns); 4 GM Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 1,140 t light / 1,430 t full; complement 15 officers / 183 enlisted; range 4,150 nm at 12 kt; armament 3x3in/50, quad 1.1in, 9x20mm, hedgehog Mk10, 8 Mk6 dcp, 2 Mk9 dct. Captioned USN photos: Delaware River off the Philadelphia Navy Yard 2 July 1943 (19-N-47400, NARA); off Mare Island 27 February 1945 during overhaul stated as 19 January - 27 February 1945 (DE-50-1506-45, -1507-45, -1508-45); San Francisco Bay 27 February 1945 (19-N-79872, Bureau of Ships Collection, NARA). CO roster: Lcdr. Donald A. Nienstedt (comm.) to 1 Jan 1944; Lcdr. James V. Brown to 1 Feb 1945; Lcdr. Donald W. McCoy (decomm.) to 1 Oct 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- USN crew 1943-45 incl. decommissioning party
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates, roster, and captions unverified against underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. Its '1 October 1945' decommissioning date conflicts with DANFS's 19 December 1945 and with the ship's own documented movements (she was still patrolling out of Guam through 11 October and reached San Pedro 24 October) - conflict carried in gaps; its 29 December 1946 sale date likewise differs from DANFS's 26 December. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-02
-
[4]NHHC/National Archives photograph catalog records for USS Engstrom (DE-50): 19-N-79875 (stern view at Mare Island, California, February 1945); related catalog records 19-N-47401 and 19-N-79871 through 19-N-79878 (Mare Island 27 February - 3 March 1945 and Philadelphia Navy Yard 2 July 1943) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC catalog record 19-N-79875; related catalog records 19-N-47401 and 19-N-79871 through 19-N-79878
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's National Archives catalog identifies photograph 19-N-79875 as a stern view of USS Engstrom (DE-50) at Mare Island, California, in February 1945. Related NHHC catalog records identify additional Engstrom views at Mare Island on 27 February and 3 March 1945 and at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 2 July 1943 - official photographic documentation placing this hull at the builder yard and at Mare Island during the documented overhaul window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Ship's crew and Mare Island/Philadelphia Navy Yard workers
- Limitations
- The photographic catalog confirms the hull and locations/dates shown, but does not identify asbestos, insulation products, work scope, or exposure conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-03
-
[5]Official War History of USS Engstrom (DE-50), ship-submitted at war's end (facsimile scan hosted by NavSource; the original is an official record - the corresponding NARA RG 38 war-diary series is digitized, see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 06050wh.jpg, four-column typed 'HISTORY OF U.S.S. ENGSTROM (DE-50)' - paragraphs on commissioning, Mare Island overhaul, Saipan/Marianas operations, Truk patrol, homeward orders
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own war history adds operational color to DANFS: commissioned 'at 1411 on 21 June 1943'; nicknamed 'the fighting fifty'; after shakedown (Bermuda), fifteen months on the North Pacific station; assigned to Escort Division Fourteen based at Saipan from March 1945. On the Mare Island overhaul: 'For seven weeks the Yard Force worked to put the ENGSTROM in top flight condition and fighting trim once more. New equipment was added, old removed... her guns became even more deadly.' Departed 6 March 1945 for Pearl Harbor and the western Pacific; escort/patrol runs to Eniwetok, Ulithi, Guam, and Iwo Jima. Post-surrender patrol off Truk (September-October 1945) where a boarding party took aboard a Japanese group including a lieutenant colonel connected with surrender arrangements; lay at Guam until 11 October 1945 orders home. Assessment: 'She never lost a man, nor ever lost a ship... she had indeed been a good ship.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- USN crew 1943-45 ('slightly less than two hundred men' per the document)
- Limitations
- Primary crew-authored document but a narrative, not a technical record: no material, equipment, or asbestos content named. Its claim that the keel was 'laid in 1941' and that she was 'taken under construction... early in December of 1941' is inconsistent with NavSource's 1 April 1942 keel date and DANFS's March 1943 naming - a recollection defect carried in gaps, not asserted as fact. Scan is hosted by a volunteer archive; the underlying document is in official custody (RG 38 war-diary series, ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-04
-
[6]NARA catalog, RG 24 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' file unit 'Engstrom (DE-50), 6/21/43-12/19/45' (naId 127396420, 346 digital objects) + RG 38 World War II War Diaries 'USS ENGSTROM - War Diary' monthly file units (20 located, 6/21/43 through 9/45 coverage, digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov id 127396420 (muster rolls); RG 38 war-diary file units incl. naIds 134253637, 78134692, 78151707, 78213936, 78295633, 78326042, 78366982, 78420265, 78476430, 78510795, 78571258, 78629676, 78645234, 78704009, 139741735, 139790880, 83556782, 83576748, 77531011, 140060161
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-specific federal records confirmed digitized and retrievable in the NARA catalog: (1) the complete muster rolls of USS Engstrom (DE-50), 21 June 1943 - 19 December 1945 (commissioning to decommissioning), 346 scanned pages - a contemporaneous record of every crew member aboard; (2) twenty monthly 'USS ENGSTROM - War Diary' file units in RG 38 (June 1943 through September 1945, including the June 1943 commissioning installment and the August-September 1943 installments of 61 and 48 pages that carry the operational narrative), each digitized. These are the primary archival records from which hull-level maintenance, availability, and personnel documentation would be reconstructed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (records)
- Population
- Complete ship's crew 1943-45 (muster rolls)
- Limitations
- Existence and digitization verified in the NARA catalog; contents not transcribed here. Muster rolls record personnel, not materials; war diaries record operations. Neither was examined for asbestos or material references - they are retrieval-ready leads, not negative or positive findings on asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-05
-
[7]DANFS spec block (class Evarts, 21 kt) + NavSource GMT-type spec block (4 GM 16-278A diesels, electric drive) + Atlas shipyards.json record 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' (tier 3; products documented at the site incl. Johns-Manville pipe insulation, Unibestos, Kaylo, Carey asbestos products, Garlock asbestos sheet gaskets/packing; litigation-documented study period 1941-1984) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource spec block; shipyards.json 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' evidence ev-philadelphia-naval-s-02 + asbestos_products_documented
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-electric escort built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942-43: the GMT machinery plant - four General Motors 16-278A diesel engines with tandem electric motor drive, 2 shafts, 6,000 shp - has NO propulsion boilers and no steam system, so the heavy steam-ship asbestos categories (boiler lagging, steam-line insulation) do not apply. Plausible period applications concentrate in diesel exhaust/muffler insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and friction linings on deck machinery. Builder-yard context: Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is a tier-3 documented asbestos yard in the Atlas dataset - published Pennsylvania appellate opinions identify multiple named asbestos products at the yard (Taylor v. Celotex, Junge v. Garlock, Gross v. Johns-Manville) over a 1941-1984 study period that covers this hull's entire construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (construction); 1941-1984 (yard documentation window)
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; USN engineering crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - not a ship-specific finding. Yard litigation documents products present at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, not materials installed aboard DE-50; no BuShips contract specification or hull material list was retrieved. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or location aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-06
-
[8]NavSource captioned USN photos DE-50-1506/1507/1508-45 (overhaul at Mare Island 19 January - 27 February 1945) + ship's war history overhaul passage + Atlas shipyards.json record 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' (tier 2; documented products incl. Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractory materials) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource photo captions 0605005-0605008 ('under overhaul at Mare Island from 19 January until 27 February 1945'); war history overhaul paragraph; shipyards.json 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Documented yard-period at a tier-2 asbestos yard: captioned U.S. Navy photographs and the ship's war history confirm a ~6-week overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 19 January - 27 February 1945, during which 'the Yard Force worked to put the ENGSTROM in top flight condition... New equipment was added, old removed' - a period work availability that would have disturbed era insulation and fittings (the maintenance-disturbance pathway). Mare Island's Atlas yard record documents named asbestos product lines used at the yard (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Garlock-type packing/gaskets, refractory materials).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-01-19 to 1945-02-27
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard trades (peak ~46,000 employees wartime); DE-50 crew during availability
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation and a narrative overhaul reference only - no work order, availability package, or material list for DE-50's overhaul was retrieved. The war history does not name asbestos; disturbance of era materials is inference, not ship-proven fact. Does not establish what was removed, installed, or left aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-07
-
[9]U.S. General Accounting Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page highlights and full report, sections on Navy policy and use of asbestos in Navy ships
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- GAO reports that, according to the Navy, ships contained asbestos in components including clutches and electric cables, while thermal insulation was the Navy's major historical use; it describes the Navy's 1975 policy change away from asbestos as an acceptable thermal-insulation material and its 1979 selective-replacement policy. The report concerns Navy ship and shipyard programs generally and does not identify USS Engstrom, its class, or its materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and Navy ships generally
- Limitations
- Program-level and era context only. This source cannot establish that asbestos was installed aboard DE-50, cannot identify products or locations on this hull, and does not establish crew or worker exposure, remaining material, quantity, or legal eligibility. Carried forward from the prior session's record (remote commit b2642e26).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweep via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced): exact-name queries '"USS Engstrom"' (type=o and type=r), asbestos-scoped query 'Engstrom asbestos' (type=o), hull-number queries '"DE-50"' (type=o and type=r) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-engstrom-de50-05 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep complete: '"USS Engstrom"' returned 0 opinion results and 0 RECAP-docket results - no indexed case names this vessel. 'Engstrom asbestos' (type=o) returned 27 hits, all name collisions on review - the plaintiffs' firm 'Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack' appearing as counsel in asbestos and tobacco litigation (Berg v. DuPont, Lockheed Martin v. Superior Court, Arness v. Boeing, R.J. Reynolds v. Ciccone, N.M. v. GE, etc.), a party name (Engstrom v. Bayer Corp., Pa. Super. 2004), and an attorney name (David W. Engstrom) - zero naval or vessel references in context. '"DE-50"' returned 419 opinion hits and 3,960 docket hits, all string collisions on sampled review (Spanish-language 'de 50' fragments, Delaware venue strings, docket and address numerals) with no vessel, naval-service, or asbestos content. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Opinion index swept for exact name, asbestos-scoped surname, and hull number; docket index swept for exact name and hull number. The unbounded 'DE-50' docket query (3,960 hits) was sampled, not exhaustively reviewed - but it matches no vessel-identifying pattern and every sampled hit is non-naval noise. The sweep does not cover state-court filings not in RECAP, asbestos-trust claims, or VA claims. 'Engstrom' is a common surname AND a prominent plaintiffs' asbestos firm name (Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack) - future hits require collision classification, never automatic attribution. Prior session's sweep was blocked by fleet pacing; this completes it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-09
-
[11]Batch-4348 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Wayback/hazegray mirrors, NavSource DE archive, NHHC photo catalog, ship's official war history scan, NARA catalog (RG 24 muster rolls + RG 38 war diaries), GAO HRD-80-2, Atlas shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-engstrom-de50-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, shipbuilding specification, or litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was sold to breakers (National Metal and Steel Corp., Terminal Island) in December 1946 and never existed as a museum, memorial, or reserve-fleet asset. Commissioned career ran only June 1943 - December 1945, all of it wartime.
- 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 naval build is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the yard-level documentation at Philadelphia and Mare Island makes asbestos aboard plausible but unproven for this hull. The hull no longer exists, so no present-day survey is possible; ship-specific proof would have to come from BuShips contract specifications, work orders, or crew/muster-linked claims files (see ev-05 leads).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-engstrom-de50-10
