Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet jd-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Flusser (DD-289), destroyer, Clemson-class — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Flusser_(DD-289) (DANFS text, mirror-sourced)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-flusser-dd289-pkt-jd-packet-md
-
[2]Department of the Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Flusser III (Destroyer No. 289)' (verbatim Wayback capture of the official NHHC DANFS page, 2023-09-28; identical text in 2004 capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/f3/flusser-iii.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Flusser III entry, namesake biography, specifications block, and three service-history paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy's DANFS entry identifies Flusser III as Destroyer No. 289 (DD-289), Clemson class, with stated specifications of 1,190 tons, 314'5", 31'8" beam, 35 knots, and complement 120. It reports launch 7 November 1919 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Squantum, Mass. (sponsor Mrs. Maude F. Williams), commissioning 25 February 1920 under Commander R. S. Galloway, Mexican-waters patrol from Key West 9 May-17 June 1920, east coast and Caribbean training until departure from Newport 18 June 1924 for Naval Forces, Europe (ports in 15 countries), return to New York 16 July 1925, resumed east coast/Caribbean operations and reservist training cruises, decommissioning at Philadelphia 1 May 1930, and scrapping 22 October 1930 under the London Treaty limiting naval armaments. Namesake biography: Lt. Comdr. Charles Williamson Flusser, killed commanding Miami against CSS Albemarle off Plymouth, N.C., 19 April 1864.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1931
- Population
- Bethlehem Squantum construction trades 1919-1920; USS Flusser crew 1920-1930 (design complement 120)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity and service history; it does not identify asbestos, installed insulation, equipment brands, individual exposure, or a crew roster, and it does not state laid-down or stricken dates (its 'scrapped 22 October 1930' conflates the 22 October 1930 striking documented by secondary compilations with the January 1931 sale). The cited text is a Wayback capture because the current NHHC DANFS Flusser URLs return HTTP 404; the widely mirrored hazegray transcription contains three errors (commissioning '26 February', '16 countries', return '16 July 1926') not present in the canonical text. The complement is a specification, not an actual muster count.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-01
-
[3]National Archives, Special List 44, Named Vessels, 'Flusser (DD-289)' row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Named-vessels table, Flusser (DD-289) row (1920-02-25 to 1930-05-01); adjacent Flusser (DD-20) and Flusser (DD-368) rows excluded
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 indexes Flusser (DD-289) Navy logbooks from 2/25/1920 through 5/1/1930, independently corroborating the ship and its commissioned-service endpoints (commissioning 25 February 1920; decommissioning 1 May 1930). Separate index rows list Flusser (DD-20) logbooks 10/28/1909-7/14/1919 and Flusser (DD-368) logbooks 10/1/1936-6/30/1945; those rows belong to the earlier Smith-class and later Mahan-class namesakes and are not attributed to DD-289.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1920-1930
- Population
- USS Flusser crew 1920-1930
- Limitations
- The index establishes that deck logs exist for this hull's full commissioned span; it is a finding aid, not the logbooks' contents - the logs were not reviewed and may or may not mention materials, repairs, or insulation. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-02
-
[4]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Flusser (Destroyer # 289, later DD-289), 1920-1930' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the official NHHC picture-data page; photos NH 98010, NH 51086, NH 53920, NH 67726, NH 93982, NH 93983, NH 43166) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Vessel page summary paragraph and individual photo captions (esp. NH 43166 construction caption naming Hull 369)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NHHC Online Library of Selected Images catalogs this hull as 'USS Flusser (Destroyer # 289, later DD-289), 1920-1930' with construction-period documentation: photo NH 43166 (18 November 1919) shows the interior of the wet slips at the Victory Destroyer Plant, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Squantum, with material present marked for 'Hulls 369 and 370 (respectively USS Flusser, Destroyer # 289, and USS Dale, Destroyer # 290)' - establishing the builder's hull number and that Flusser's material was staged inside the covered ways. Deployment photographs document the European cruise: NH 53920 transiting the Kiel Canal 1924-25, NH 93982 at Venice 1924-25, and NH 93983 moored with Billingsley (DD-293) and Dale (DD-290). The catalog summary records: commissioned February 1920, hull number DD-289 assigned July 1920, Caribbean/east coast operations, European deployment 1924-25, decommissioned May 1930, 'sold in compliance with the London Naval Limitations Treaty in October 1930.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1930
- Population
- Victory Destroyer Plant trades 1919; USS Flusser crew 1920-1930
- Limitations
- Photograph captions identify the hull, builder's hull number, places, and dates. They do not reveal interior materials or asbestos content. Cited via the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription mirror of the official NHHC picture-data page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-03
-
[5]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, FLUSSER DD-289 rows [other_primary]
- Locator
- FLUSSER DD-289 rows, RG 19, NAIDs 53484162 and 175669135; FLUSSER DD-368 and DD-20 rows excluded
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index lists FLUSSER DD-289 under RG 19 Alphabetical Ship Drawings (NAID 53484162) and Microfilm of Ship Engineering Drawings (NAID 175669135). These are leads for hull-specific material research; the drawings have not been retrieved. The same index lists FLUSSER DD-368 (NAID 53484163, microfilm NAID 175669136) and FLUSSER DD-20 (NAIDs 53484164, 118764881, 175669134); those entries belong to the other namesake hulls and are not attributed to DD-289.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The index establishes that drawing series are cataloged for this hull, not that any available drawing identifies asbestos. Drawing contents were not inspected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-04
-
[6]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- General Information Books (RG 19 Entry P 9) and Cartographic/Ship Engineering Drawings (S39/S48) sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's asbestos research guide identifies RG 19 destroyer General Information Books (Entry P 9, 'Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books') and ship engineering drawings - including S39 Insulation and Lagging and S48 Piping - as the record series to investigate materials on a particular ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- This is a general research guide focused mainly on 1941-1961 - after this hull's 1930 decommissioning and 1931 scrapping - and does not state that a Flusser GIB or S39/S48 drawing exists. No such document was inspected; no material or exposure finding follows from this lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-05
-
[7]Booklet of General Plans, Wickes & Clemson Class Destroyers, dated 1919-10-01 (Navy Yard, Newport News, Va.; scanned from U.S. National Archives 'Plans for Flush Deckers, 1789-1967' file unit; Internet Archive mirror ddflushdeckersbogp1919) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Sheet '02 - general information': Machinery, Boilers, Propeller & Shaft Data, and Complement tables
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The 1919 Booklet of General Plans for Wickes & Clemson class destroyers (Navy Department plans scanned from NARA holdings) tabulates the class machinery plant: four White-Forster boilers at 265 lbs steam pressure (furnace volume 661 cu ft and heating surface 6,875 sq ft each) feeding 2 H.P. and 2 L.P. Westinghouse marine geared turbines (3,000 rpm turbines, 452 rpm propellers) totaling 27,000 s.h.p. at 250 lbs steam at the turbine, driving two manganese-bronze screws; design complement tabulation totals 101. A 1919-20 steam plant of this type would have carried period-standard thermal insulation - asbestos and magnesia lagging on boilers, turbines, and steam lines, with asbestos gaskets, packing, and fireproofing - but the plan sheet does not itself name insulation materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919 (plan date); hull built 1919-1920
- Population
- Construction trades (Squantum 1919-20); engine-room force (plan complement table: 39 of 101)
- Limitations
- Class-design document covering Wickes and Clemson destroyers generally, not a DD-289-specific record; the sheet lists machinery, fuel, and complement but does not state insulation materials or the word 'asbestos'. The asbestos characterization is era inference consistent with known period Navy steam-plant practice - not ship-proven for this hull. Complement 101 on the plan vs. DANFS 120 reflects design-table vs. DANFS-spec variance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-06
-
[8]Johns-Manville Corp. v. United States, 12 Cl. Ct. 1 (1987) (pleadings-stage order) and 13 Cl. Ct. 72 (1987) (trial opinion, Nettesheim, J., No. 465-83C); trial decision vacated on 28 U.S.C. 1500 jurisdictional grounds, Johns-Manville Corp. v. United States, 855 F.2d 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1988) ('We vacate and do not reach the merits') [court_record]
- Locator
- 855 F.2d 1571 procedural recital; 13 Cl. Ct. 72 findings on insulation products (indexed opinion transcription); 12 Cl. Ct. 1 complaint-allegation recital of Government specifications
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A published federal trial opinion documents that U.S. Government ship construction, conversion, and repair specifications were incorporated into supply contracts, prohibited deviation, and 'required that asbestos be used in the materials Johns-Manville supplied' for Government ships; the companion trial findings describe Navy asbestos insulation products including '85 percent Magnesia' pipe covering (approximately 85 percent magnesium carbonate and 15 percent asbestos fiber), asbestos cement, asbestos cloth, and marine bulkhead panels applied in engine and boiler rooms. This documents Navy asbestos-product specifications as a class-of-service-era fact; the retrieved product findings principally address World War II procurement, after this hull's 1931 scrapping.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1931 (hull span); 1987-1988 (litigation)
- Population
- Navy construction/repair workforce generally (era context)
- Limitations
- The trial decision was vacated on jurisdictional grounds, so its findings are a historical account of documents discussed at trial, not an affirmed merits judgment; the 12 Cl. Ct. 'required' statement recites complaint allegations. The retrieved excerpts center on WWII-era procurement - whether the described specifications were in force during this hull's 1919-20 construction and 1920-1930 service is not established by the retrieved text (the full 93-page trial opinion was not retrievable this session). The opinion does not name Flusser or identify her suppliers, machinery, repairs, or crew tasks. A Government specification does not show purchase or installation on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-07
-
[9]Batch-3283 search ledger for DD-289: NHHC DANFS and photographic catalog; NARA Special List 44, Ship Plan Index, and asbestos research guide; State Department FRUS disposal documentation; CourtListener sweep status recorded in search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-flusser-dd289-01 through sl-uss-flusser-dd289-12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos documentation or litigation naming USS Flusser (DD-289) was located in the public sources searched and recorded in the search ledger. Completed CourtListener opinion queries: 'USS Flusser' (type=o) returned zero hits; unqualified 'Flusser' (type=o) returned 36 opinions, all person-surname collisions (litigants e.g. Huyot-Renoir v. Flusser, Hirschberg v. Benjamin Flusser; an 1832 Maryland attorney-of-record; estate/party names) with no vessel or asbestos reference. Remaining queries ('DD-289' opinions; name and hull-number RECAP docket queries) could not be completed this session because the fleet-paced helper declined attempts with the shared hourly budget spent. Name-collision context for future sweeps: 'Flusser' is a person surname appearing in case captions, and two other Navy hulls carried the name (DD-20, 1909-1919; DD-368, 1936-1945) - the 1936-1945 Mahan-class namesake falls squarely within the asbestos-litigation exposure era, so any future 'USS Flusser' hit must be attributed by hull and service dates before counting toward this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- A negative search result is limited to the named public indexes and queries actually completed; see the search ledger for which CourtListener queries completed ('USS Flusser' opinions: zero hits; 'Flusser' opinions: 36 hits, all person-name collisions) and which remained pending under fleet pacing ('DD-289' opinions; name and hull-number RECAP dockets). It does not prove the ship lacked asbestos, that an unindexed case does not exist, or that any person was or was not exposed. NARA's underlying DD-289 drawings and any General Information Book were not inspected.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-08
-
[10]Foreign Relations of the United States, 1932, vol. II, Doc. 39 (Secretary of State to the British Ambassador, enclosing aide-mémoire on ex-destroyer disposals, 811.34/487), Office of the Historian [other_primary]
- Locator
- Document 39, paragraphs 3-6 (striking date, purchaser, sale agreement and catalogue dates, treaty destruction requirements)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The State Department's official Foreign Relations volume documents the disposal regime under which this hull was sold: four named sister flush-deckers (Worden DD-287, Putnam DD-288, Osborne DD-295, Dale DD-290 - all, like Flusser, stricken 22 October 1930) 'were stricken from the Navy list on October 22, 1930, and after being stripped of their ordnance and other equipment were sold to the Boston Iron and Metal Company, Inc., of 313 Hanover Street, Baltimore, for purposes of scrapping, under an agreement dated January 14, 1931,' advertised under sale catalogue No. 365-B of January 10, 1931. The treaty terms required 'mutilation beyond repair of all propeller shafts, thrust blocks, turbine gearing or main propelling motors, and turbines or cylinders of main engines.' Flusser is not among the four hulls named (those were the four converted to banana-boat hulks instead of scrap); DD-289's sale to the same purchaser under the same block program is recorded in compiled ship lists (NavSource: sold in a block buy to Boston Metals, Baltimore, Md., at $5,789 each).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1930-1932
- Population
- Scrapping-yard workforce, Boston Iron and Metal Co., Baltimore (cohort context)
- Limitations
- FRUS names only the four destroyers later converted to hulks; Flusser DD-289 is not individually named in this document. It establishes the disposal program, purchaser, and dates for the stricken cohort this hull belonged to - not a hull-specific disposal record and no materials information. The $5,789-per-hull and 17 January 1931 details rest on NavSource/compiled lists, not the FRUS text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-flusser-dd289-09