Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Fitch (DD-462) (builder, dates, reclassifications, service narrative, battle stars; verbatim transcription - no live NHHC DD-462 page located) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 14 June 1941 by Boston Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. H. W. Thomas, grandniece of Commander LeRoy Fitch; commissioned 3 February 1942, Lt. Cmdr. H. Crommelin in command; reclassified DMS-25 on 15 November 1944 and again DD-462 on 16 July 1955. Spec block: 1,630 t, 347'10" length, 36'1" beam, 15'8" draft, 38 kt, complement 208, armament 4x5" + 5x21" torpedo tubes, class 'Bristol'. Service: escorted Ranger (CV-4) to the Gold Coast (1 July-6 August 1942); screened carriers at the Fedhala, French Morocco landings (Operation Torch, 8 November 1942); Argentia patrol (6 April-18 May 1943); British Home Fleet duty out of Scapa Flow including embarkation of Secretary of the Navy Knox and Admiral Stark (20 September 1943), the Ranger strike near Bodo, Norway (4 October 1943), and Spitzbergen resupply; off Utah Beach on D-Day (6 June 1944), following minesweepers within 2,000 yards of shore and rescuing survivors of mined Corry (DD-463); Operation Dragoon southern France (15 August 1944), spotting for Texas (BB-35). Converted to a high-speed minesweeper between return to Norfolk 10 November 1944 and departure for the Pacific 3 January 1945. Pearl Harbor 10 February 1945; propellers badly damaged on a coral pinnacle at Ulithi; repairs at Pearl Harbor 10 April-6 August 1945; swept the entrance to Tokyo Bay from 28 August 1945 and present for the 2 September surrender; post-surrender sweeping off Japan and the East China Sea. Postwar Charleston homeport, Mine Force officer training, Mediterranean cruises 1949/1951/1953, Caribbean tests for the Operational Development Force 1955; decommissioned at Charleston 24 February 1956 and placed in reserve. Five battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1941-42; wartime and postwar crew (DANFS complement 208; DMS configuration 272 per NavSource)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The conversion yard for the November 1944-January 1945 minesweeper conversion is not named (she was at Norfolk; carried in gaps). Mirror transcription cited because no live NHHC DANFS page for DD-462 was located (history.navy.mil variants return 404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-01
-
[2]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-462 / DMS-25 (operational and building data) + NavSource Mine Warfare archive DMS-25 page (specifications, fate) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/05/462.htm (building data block) and /archives/11/0925.htm (specifications block)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down by Boston Navy Yard 6 January 1941; launched 14 June 1941; commissioned 3 February 1942; converted to High Speed Minesweeper DMS-25 15 November 1944; decommissioned 24 February 1956 at Charleston, S.C., laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; stricken from the Navy Register 1 July 1971; sunk as target off the east coast of Florida 15 November 1973 (the companion DMS-25 page reads 'Disposed of as a target 1 November 1973'). DMS-25 specifications: four Babcock & Wilcox boilers, two Boston Navy Yard-built geared turbines (50,000 shp), Farrel-Birmingham double-reduction gears, two shafts; complement 272.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1973
- Population
- Crew and reserve-fleet caretaker personnel 1942-1971
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archival index - used for dates not stated in the DANFS narrative (laid-down date, stricken date, disposal) and machinery detail; it is a secondary compilation, not a primary Navy document. Disposal date discrepancy (1 vs 15 November 1973) between NavSource pages is carried in gaps. Nothing in the record addresses materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-02
-
[3]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'The Gallant Destroyers of D-Day' (June 2004) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History, June 2004 issue, Utah Beach destroyer action section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI Naval History account of this hull at Utah Beach, 6 June 1944: German shore batteries engaged Fitch and Corry (DD-463); Fitch claimed 'first shot fired at Normandy,' opening 5-inch fire at 0535 (officially the first shot at 0537 is credited to heavy cruiser Quincy CA-39); Fitch continued fire while rescuing Corry survivors after Corry was mined/sunk.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Wartime crew, June 1944
- Limitations
- Reputable naval-institute journalism corroborating the DANFS combat narrative; documents service history, not materials or asbestos. The 'first shot' claim is the ship's own claim as retold by USNI - the article itself notes the official credit to Quincy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-03
-
[4]Boston National Historical Park Collection, Boston Navy Yard photographs of USS Fitch construction/launch: NPS Cat. Nos. BOSTS-11125 (under construction 3 January 1942), BOSTS-11126 (christening/launch 14 June 1941), BOSTS-11150 (dual-launching cachet with Forrest DD-461) - catalog numbers as captioned on NavSource [nps]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-462 photo captions citing NPS Cat. BOSTS-11125/-11126/-11150
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS Boston National Historical Park holds a cataloged Boston Navy Yard photograph series for this hull documenting construction and the 14 June 1941 dual launching with Forrest (DD-461) - evidence that hull-specific construction records exist in NPS/NARA custody (Boston Navy Yard records, NARA RG 181; deck logs, NARA RG 24) for deeper material-specification research.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard workforce, 1941-42
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the photographs document the hull's construction at Boston Navy Yard but contain no materials or insulation specification; the underlying yard records were not searched. Catalog numbers verified only as NavSource captions, not against the NPS catalog directly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-04
-
[5]Benson/Gleaves class profile (benson-gleaves-class.class.json, batch class-F) synthesizing BuShips Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 1 (Jan 1945) machinery table + Atlas shipyard dataset records for boston-naval-shipyard, norfolk-naval-shipyard, pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard, charleston-naval-shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile ev-benson-gleaves-class-03/-04; shipyards.json yard records
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull: a Bristol-group Gleaves-class destroyer built 1941-42 at Boston Navy Yard with four superheated Babcock & Wilcox boilers and ~50,000 shp geared turbines - peak Navy asbestos-era construction - would have carried period-standard boiler casing/fireroom insulation, steam-pipe and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, deck coverings, fireproofing, and accommodation insulation. The 1944-45 DMS conversion and the April-August 1945 Pearl Harbor repair availability are yard periods that typically disturbed machinery-space insulation. All four associated yards carry yard-level asbestos documentation in the Atlas dataset (Boston Naval Shipyard tier 3, incl. John Crane gaskets/sealing litigation; Norfolk Naval Shipyard tier 2, Superfund-listed with extensive product documentation; Charleston Naval Shipyard tier 2 with measured fiber counts in dry-dock work; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard with a workforce mesothelioma SMR study, PMID 4016758).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Construction trades (Boston Navy Yard 1941-42); conversion-yard workers (1944-45); Pearl Harbor repair workforce (1945); crew 1942-1956
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - establishes no ship-specific finding, no quantities, and no individual exposure. (The class profile, researched 2026-09-16, reported no member with a located ship-specific asbestos record; this hull now has one - the litigation recital at ev-uss-fitch-dd462-07.) The Norfolk conversion yard is inferred from her documented Norfolk location, not named in DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-05
-
[6]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: the standing 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained aboard for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. Fitch's service predates the policy era entirely (decommissioned 1956, stricken 1971, sunk 1973).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1979 policy period; Fitch absent by then
- Population
- Navy shipyard and fleet personnel (program scope)
- Limitations
- Program-level context only, not hull-specific: Fitch left service before these policies operated and her hull was expended as a target, so no abatement-era record for her is expected. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated full-text fetches; the product-page description was used (standing limitation from Batch 01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-06
-
[7]Thomasson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 1:13-cv-01034-JBS-JS (D.N.J.), Opinion granting defendants' unopposed summary-judgment motions, 2015 WL 1639730 (Apr. 9, 2015, Simandle, C.J.); docket also contains an earlier opinion, ECF No. 60 (June 17, 2013) [court_record]
- Locator
- D.N.J. docket 1:13-cv-01034 (CL docket 5814504); 2015 WL 1639730 factual recital (service history); cited at *3-*4 in D. Del. asbestos R&Rs
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Federal asbestos opinion names this hull: the April 9, 2015 opinion recites that decedent Harold Thomasson 'served as a 3rd class metal worker aboard two Navy vessels: the U.S.S. Fitch (DD-462) from February 20, 1952 to November 15, 1953 and the U.S.S. Macomb (DD-458) from November 15, 1953 to May 22, 1954,' in a mesothelioma personal-injury action alleging asbestos exposure during 1952-54 Navy service and subsequent civilian pipefitter work (PSE&G, New York Shipyard, Paulsboro refinery, DuPont, Monsanto). Nineteen defendants moved for summary judgment; after four voluntary dismissals the court granted the remaining fifteen unopposed motions, finding 'simply no evidence that Mr. Thomasson was exposed to any asbestos or asbestos-containing products manufactured, supplied, or installed by any of the moving Defendants.' Designation note: during the alleged 1952-53 service window the vessel was designated DMS-25 (reverted to DD-462 July 1955); the opinion's 'DD-462' is the retrospective/original hull number and refers to the same hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1952-1954 (alleged exposure); 2013-2015 (litigation)
- Population
- Harold Thomasson (USN 3rd-class metal worker, aboard DD-462/DMS-25 Feb 1952-Nov 1953, DD-458/DMS-23 Nov 1953-May 1954); mesothelioma decedent; spouse Claire Thomasson plaintiff
- Limitations
- Summary-judgment-stage record: the service recital reflects the allegations and service record, not an adjudicated finding that asbestos exposure occurred aboard this hull; the defense summary-judgment win is a merits-level negative for this plaintiff (no proof of exposure to any moving defendant's products at any site) and is not affirmative evidence that asbestos was or was not aboard. Unpublished WL-cited opinion; primary opinion text not directly retrieved - service detail is as quoted in secondary legal commentary (Legal Sleuth case summary, Apr. 15, 2015; Goldberg Segalla client alert), corroborated by CourtListener docket-index matches on both 'USS Fitch' and 'DD-462' for this docket and by multiple citing D. Del. opinions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweeps (2026-09-27) + open-web sweep; see this record's search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-fitch-dd462-05, -06b, -07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Beyond the qualifying Thomasson docket (ev-07), no additional asbestos litigation naming this hull was located: 'USS Fitch' opinion search returned zero hits; 'USS Fitch asbestos' returned zero; 'DD-462' opinion search returned one name collision (Slater v. State, Fla. DCA - 'DD-462' is a Florida docket-style identifier, not the ship); 'DD-462' docket search returned Thomasson plus three collisions (Snitko civil rights, U.S. v. Courtright criminal, a W.D. Tex. bankruptcy); 'DMS-25' returned zero opinions and 84 docket hits that are all collisions (the string is a generic docket/bucket code in bankruptcy and criminal indexing). Open-web sweep surfaced only law-firm marketing ship lists - excluded as non-authoritative; a marketing-list entry is not evidence of ship-specific documentation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence of further located cases does not prove no other litigation exists - RECAP coverage is incomplete for older, settled, or state-court matters, and un-digitized dockets fall outside the sweep. Marketing-list inclusion proves only that the hull is on commercial asbestos-ship lists, nothing about the hull itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-fitch-dd462-08