Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Francis M. Robinson (DE-220) entry - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page returns 404; losthistory.net/hazegray text confirms the 1969 print, Vol. 2 pp. 439-440) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar verbatim transcription; corroborated by hazegray/losthistory.net text of the 1969 print)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Commander Francis Martin Robinson (b. 28 Oct 1883, Philadelphia; USNA class of 1906; Navy Cross as executive officer of Baltimore laying the North Sea Mine Barrage, WWI; retired 30 Jun 1934; recalled 10 Sep 1940 as Civilian Personnel Officer, Fourth Naval District; died 3 Nov 1942). Launched 1 May 1943 by Philadelphia Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. Francis M. Robinson (widow); commissioned 15 January 1944, Lt. J. E. Johansen, USNR. East-coast escort, then joined the Bogue (CVE-9) hunter-killer group at Norfolk 2 May 1944 - 'an outstandingly successful antisubmarine force in whose Presidential Unit Citation Francis M. Robinson was to share.' Patrolling off the Cape Verde Islands 13 May 1944, made a sound contact and sank Japanese submarine RO-501 (former German U-1224) with depth charges and hedgehogs. Detached on the group's return to New York 4 July; aided submarine training out of New London; from 2 August 1944 made five convoy-escort voyages to North African ports. On the fourth voyage, 17 February (1945), two merchantmen were torpedoed as the convoy formed east of Gibraltar; she saw one off under its own power and put a damage-control party aboard the other until a Gibraltar tug arrived. Completed convoy duty 15 May 1945; New London submarine training; school ship at Naval Training Center Miami; plane guard for carriers training in Chesapeake Bay November-February 1946; arrived Key West 6 February 1947 - base for the remainder of her career conducting ASW development operations along the east coast, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. Out of commission in reserve at Philadelphia 20 June 1960. One battle star plus the Presidential Unit Citation share for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1943; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 186 per DANFS block; 213 per spec block - see gaps)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design-block specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The entry's 'launched 1 May 1943' conflicts with the NHHC christening photo (NH 75610, dated 29 May 1943) and all secondary compilations - carried in gaps rather than silently reconciled. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 on probed URL patterns.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-01
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[2]U.S. Naval Historical Center photo NH 75610 caption, transcribed in the NHHC Online Library mirror (ibiblio HyperWar), 'Christening of Six Destroyer Escorts (DE)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio HyperWar Online Library, USS Solar (DE-221) photo page, caption for Photo NH 75610
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official photo caption: 'Christening of Six Destroyer Escorts (DE) In a drydock at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 29 May 1943. The three ships in the foreground are (from left): USS Enright (DE-216), USS Coolbaugh (DE-217) and USS Darby (DE-218). Those in the background are (from left), USS J. Douglas Blackwood (DE-219), USS Francis M. Robinson (DE-220) and USS Solar (DE-221).' Documents this hull's christening in drydock at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 29 May 1943 - corroborating the NavSource/navypedia launch date against DANFS's '1 May 1943'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-05-29
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades, 1943
- Limitations
- Photo caption establishes the 29 May 1943 christening event at the builder yard, not construction materials; the DANFS launch-date conflict is carried in gaps. Transcription via the ibiblio Online Library mirror of the NHHC photo archive. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-02
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[3]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Francis M. Robinson (DE-220) - building/operational chronology compiled from NVR/dictionary data; corroborated by uboat.net allied-warships and NavalCoverMuseum [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-220 page, 'Building and Operational Data' chronology + specifications block (Wayback capture 20250513043009)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Registry and disposition chronology for this hull: keel laid 22 February 1943 by Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched and christened 29 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Francis M. Robinson; commissioned at Philadelphia 15 January 1944 (Lt. J. E. Johansen, USNR); Navy Day at Miami 27 October 1945 with Richmond (CL-9), Newman K. Perry (DD-883), Cod (SS-224), and Cochino (SS-345); arrived new homeport Key West 6 February 1947, assigned Destroyer Division 601; decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 20 June 1960 after 16 years 5 months, custody to Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; struck from the NVR 1 July 1972; sold for scrapping 12 July 1973 to Northern Metals Corp., Philadelphia. Spec block: TE type, 1,400 t light / 1,740 t full; 2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kt; complement 15 officers / 198 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Population
- Construction trades 1943; crew 1944-1960; Philadelphia Group reserve-fleet custody 1960-1972; Northern Metals Corp. scrapping trades 1973
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of NVR/dictionary data (navsource.org direct fetch blocked this session; text via Wayback capture 2025-05-13 and search-index excerpts, corroborated by uboat.net and NavalCoverMuseum). Launch date here (29 May 1943) conflicts with DANFS's '1 May 1943' - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-03
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[4]U.S. Navy technical report listing, 'Evaluation of the AN/SQS-T3 Shipboard Sonar Trainer' (tests at sea and in port Aug-Sep 1954), indexed publication record [other_primary]
- Locator
- Indexed report listing (exa.ai library); NavalCoverMuseum FRANCIS M ROBINSON DE 220 page, designation line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous USN technical-report listing describes sonar-trainer tests 'conducted with USS FRANCIS M. Robinson (EDE 220) during August and September 1954' - corroborating a DE-to-EDE reclassification of this hull consistent with her post-1947 Key West role in ASW development operations (DANFS). NavalCoverMuseum independently carries 'USS FRANCIS M. ROBINSON EDE-220 - Redesignated (EDE) 1952 (?)'.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1952-1954
- Population
- Crew and test personnel aboard during AN/SQS-T3 evaluation, Aug-Sep 1954
- Limitations
- Reclassification date unverified - NavalCoverMuseum flags its 1952 date with a question mark and the NavSource chronology omits the designation entirely; the 1954 report is known from an index listing, not the document itself. The EDE designation was administrative and implies no documented material change to the hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-04
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[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) + navypedia us_de_te per-block boiler-manufacturer map + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table; navypedia us_de_te technical data + member table; shipyards.json record 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era propulsion documentation: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 (TE turbo-electric) - two 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat feeding GE steam turbine-generators and electric motors, 12,000 shp, two shafts, ~23.6 kt; navypedia's per-block boiler-manufacturer map assigns Babcock & Wilcox boilers to the block containing this hull (DE-153, 154, 156-161, 198, 214-223, 789-800). A 1943 steam-plant escort of this design would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation on boilers and steam lines, turbine insulation, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings; the Buckley class and the John C. Butler (WGT) class are the only DE classes with a full steam plant, making this the most asbestos-relevant DE design group alongside Butler. Builder Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 3: litigation product IDs incl. Unibestos, Kaylo, Johns-Manville pipe insulation; a 2014 mesothelioma verdict; a 1989 OSHA health inspection with a 90-percent bulk asbestos sample).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard construction trades 1943; crew 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - not a ship-specific finding. The boiler block map is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents; yard litigation documents the yard, not this hull, and the documented exposure periods postdate the 1943 build. No hull material schedule located (NARA RG19 'General Information Books' are the archival lead). Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or exposure aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-05
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[6]NARA catalog id 101757354 - 'USS FRANCIS M ROBINSON - War Diary, 6/1-30/45', Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories (micro serial 133717, serial 033) - indexed via DPLA [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog id 101757354 (via DPLA item listing)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Ship-submitted operational records for this hull exist at NARA: the June 1945 war diary is cataloged (id 101757354), and WWII deck logs/war diaries for DE-220 are the archival leads for ship-specific operational detail; NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the hull-level archival lead for construction materials.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-06
- Population
- Wartime crew, June 1945
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - holdings not pulled or reviewed; war diaries document operations, not materials. Nothing in this lead establishes or excludes asbestos content aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-06
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[7]CourtListener API v4 search sweep for this hull: "Francis M. Robinson" opinion search returned 2 results - In re Estate of Robinson, 102 A.D.2d 995 (N.Y. App. Div. 1984), a probate/testamentary-capacity appeal naming the decedent Francis M. Robinson of Columbia County, and Robinson v. Smith, 60 N.Y. Sup. Ct. 638 (1889) - both name collisions on the namesake's name; "USS Francis M. Robinson" docket search returned 0 results; "DE-220" opinion search returned 32 hits and docket search 436 hits, all reviewed results being string collisions - 'DE-220' matches parcel/form numbers in opinion text and 'DE #220' = 'docket entry 220' PACER references throughout docket text [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search: type=o q="Francis M. Robinson" (count=2: clusters 6007754, 6270946 - name collisions); type=r q="USS Francis M. Robinson" (count=0); type=o q="DE-220" (count=32; page-1 reviewed - all text collisions); type=r q="DE-220" (count=436; page-1 reviewed - all 'docket entry 220' collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos-litigation result naming this hull was returned by the completed CourtListener queries: the exact-name opinion query "Francis M. Robinson" returned two hits, both name collisions (a 1984 New York probate appeal and an 1889 New York Supreme Court case) - neither asbestos-related nor about the vessel; the exact-name docket query "USS Francis M. Robinson" returned zero dockets; the hull-number queries "DE-220" returned 32 opinion hits and 436 docket hits whose reviewed results are systematic string collisions ('docket entry DE #220' PACER references and parcel/form-number matches) - none asbestos-related or about the vessel.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026 (search)
- Population
- n/a (search sweep)
- Limitations
- The "DE-220" hull-number string is intrinsically high-collision in RECAP - 'DE #220' is a standard citation to 'docket entry 220' in PACER docket text, so the 436-hit docket result is dominated by that pattern; page-1 results (20) were individually reviewed and all are entry-number collisions, but deeper pages were not exhaustively reviewed (fleet pacing limits) - a residual needle-in-haystack vessel reference cannot be excluded. 'Robinson' is a common surname; 'Francis M. Robinson' is a low-collision exact phrase but any future hits need per-case review. A zero or collision-only result does not prove no litigation naming the vessel exists outside CourtListener's coverage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-07
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[8]Batch-4139 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (ibiblio + hazegray/losthistory); NavSource chronology via Wayback; NHHC photo NH 75610 caption; navypedia/BuShips class data; NARA catalog via DPLA; CourtListener API v4 sweep; web-index litigation and marketing-list sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-01 through sl-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, museum record, or docketed asbestos case naming DE-220 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener exact-name queries returned zero dockets and two name-collision opinions; hull-number queries returned only systematic 'docket entry 220' text collisions. Law-firm/marketing list pages naming 'USS Francis M. Robinson DE-220' exist (shepardlawfirm.com, asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomahelp.org, duboselawfirm.com) but are banned sources - presence on marketing lists is not evidence.
- 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 1943 steam-plant escort is era-consistent with ACM, and the hull was scrapped in 1973 leaving no surveyable artifact. The hull-number sweep's deeper result pages were not exhaustively reviewed (fleet pacing limits); residual docket-text hits cannot be excluded. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-francis-m-robinson-de220-08