Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet gg-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hamner-dd718-pkt-gg-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Hamner (DD-718) (NHHC live page returns 404 as of 2026-09-27; Wayback capture 2023-12-02 of canonical NHHC URL; verbatim transcription also at hazegray.org via Wayback 2022-09-10) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Hamner' - specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched 24 November 1945 by Federal Ship Building & Drydock Co., Port Newark, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Rawlings Hamner; commissioned 12 July 1946, Comdr. Joseph B. Swain in command; DesDiv 111 WestPac 1947-48; Korea - Yongdok evacuation, Pohang Dong defense, TF 77 Inchon 15 Sep 1950, Kojo bombline March 1952, Wonsan siege and Formosa patrol to 27 July 1953 armistice; Taiwan Patrol Force 31 Dec 1958; FRAM overhaul at San Francisco Ship Yard January 1962 to 5 December 1962; Vietnam 1965-67 incl. first scheduled shore bombardment since Korea 20 May 1965, Oriskany fire assistance Oct 1966, Operation Traffic Cop (67 craft destroyed). Five battle stars and Presidential Unit Citation for Korea. Spec block: dp. 2,425; l. 390'6"; cpl. 336; cl. Gearing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1979
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1945-46; wartime/postwar crew (design complement 336)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Narrative ends circa 1967 (entry vintage); reserve-era and disposition detail come from NVR/Tin Can Sailors/NavSource. Live NHHC page 404; Wayback capture of canonical URL cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-01
-
[3]Naval Vessel Register ship detail, HAMNER (DD 718) (nvr.navy.mil; record last updated 2007-05-29; Wayback capture 2019-03-24) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_DD_718 milestone/status tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR record for this hull: class DD 710 (Gearing), UIC 04318; builder Federal Shipbuilding & DD Co.; keel 04/23/1945; launch 11/24/1945; delivery 07/11/1946; commission 07/11/1946; stricken 10/01/1979; status 'Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program (SAP), transferred, cash sale, ex-US fleet hull foreign military sale case number assigned' effective 12/01/1980; custodian Taiwan; steel hull and superstructure.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1980
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- NVR gives milestone dates and disposition mechanism only - no materials/asbestos data. NVR keel (04/23/1945) and commission (07/11/1946) dates conflict by 1-2 days with DANFS-derived secondary sources (04/25; 07/12) - carried in gaps. NVR status-change date 12/01/1980 vs. reported sale 12/17/1980 and Tin Can Sailors transfer 2/27/1981 - distinct milestones not reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-02
-
[4]VA Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1231041, Docket No. 10-03 189 (decision 2012-09-11; Montgomery, Alabama RO) [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA decision 1231041, 'Reasons and Bases' (hearing transcript at 3, 5, 10)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Administrative adjudication naming this hull with asbestos-specific sworn testimony: a veteran (active duty January 1948-January 1952; fireman apprentice and machinist mate) claimed service connection for asbestosis/COPD, asserting asbestos exposure aboard USS Hamner and USS Walton; he testified he 'spent most of his time in the engine room of the USS Hamner where he fixed steam leaks and where there were large pads insulated with asbestos' (hearing transcript at 5). Personnel records corroborated service aboard both vessels. The Board assumed without deciding that he was exposed to some asbestos during service, then denied service connection on nexus grounds - the VA examiner attributed the asbestosis more likely to post-service work at B.F. Goodrich (1952-1986), and the favorable private diagnosis was discounted under the In re Silica Products Liability Litigation lineage. During 1948-1952 the only commissioned USS Hamner was DD-718.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1948-1952 (alleged exposure); 2012 (decision)
- Population
- One veteran claimant (fireman apprentice/machinist mate, engine room, 1948-1952)
- Limitations
- Testimony-stage allegation only: exposure was assumed arguendo, never adjudicated, and the claim was DENIED on causation - the decision establishes that a claim was made and service aboard corroborated, not that ACM was present aboard in any quantity. No product identification, quantity, or survey evidence. Denial is a merits outcome on nexus, not a finding that no asbestos existed aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-03
-
[5]Hipwell v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al., No. 1:20-cv-00063-JNP (D. Utah), Complaint, ECF No. 2 (filed 2020-05-28); case terminated 2023-04-20 [court_record]
- Locator
- Complaint, ECF No. 2, pp. 4-5 (para. 9, work-site list and exposure allegation)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Filed asbestos personal-injury complaint naming this hull: the estate of Keith W. Hipwell (plaintiff Marguerite E. Hipwell) alleges he was exposed to asbestos 1951-1956 as a U.S. Navy boilerman 'aboard the USS Floss [sic] and the USS Hamner' and later at Hill Air Force Base; alleged asbestos-containing categories include gaskets, packing, boilers, valves, pumps, thermal insulation, and refractory cement. During 1951-1956 the only commissioned USS Hamner was DD-718. (Companion vessel 'USS Foss' = DE-59.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1951-1956 (alleged exposure); 2020-2023 (litigation)
- Population
- Keith W. Hipwell (USN boilerman 1951-1956; Hill AFB boiler operator 1956-1992)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation, never adjudicated - a complaint's vessel list asserts but does not establish exposure aboard this hull; terminated 20 April 2023 with merits outcome not located in public record. Establishes no quantities and identifies no specific product installed aboard DD-718.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-04
-
[6]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal., asbestos removal action filed 2008-06-18, terminated 2009-02-02) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket index for 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal.); ECF No. 31 (scanned declaration)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos docket in which 'USS Hamner' appears in indexed CourtListener text. The matching RECAP document (ECF No. 31, 90-page Rosenthal declaration supporting remand) is image-scanned; OCR text extraction returned no legible 'Hamner' context, so whether the hull is named as the plaintiff's exposure vessel or in an attached work-history/exhibit list is unresolved.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2008-2009 (litigation)
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- Docket-text reference only; document is scanned and legible context could not be extracted - unverified whether Hamner is an exposure site or a list reference. Unadjudicated as to this hull; establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-05
-
[7]Tin Can Sailors (National Association of Destroyer Veterans), 'USS HAMNER DD-718' ship history, The Tin Can Sailor, January 1999 [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyers.org/ships/dd-718, 'A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Association ship history documenting this hull's yard periods and reserve-era service: FRAM conversion at San Francisco Naval Shipyard completed December 1962 (entered January 1962); ASW school ship 1967; four-month overhaul at San Francisco Naval Shipyard in 1968 after Tet gunline service; regular overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1971; April 1972 Haiphong Harbor rescue of a downed A-7 pilot; designated Naval Reserve training ship effective 1 July 1973 (crew exchanged with USS James C. Owens, DD-776); homeport Treasure Island May 1973, then Portland, Oregon from July 1975; last reserve drills August 1979; decommissioned 1 October 1979; 'finally transferred her to Taiwan 27 February 1981.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1962-1981
- Population
- Yard workers at SFNSY 1962/1968 and LBNSY 1971; reserve-era crew 1973-1979
- Limitations
- Veterans-association publication (The Tin Can Sailor, Jan 1999) - reputable secondary source, not an official record; dates corroborated where they overlap DANFS/NVR. Yard periods are documented events; any asbestos-disturbance scope within them is era inference, not a documented hull finding. Its Taiwan transfer date (27 Feb 1981) conflicts with NVR status-change (1 Dec 1980) and reported sale date (17 Dec 1980) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-06
-
[8]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-718 USS HAMNER (operational/building data + ROCN disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-718 photo index, 'Operational and Building Data' block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo index for this hull: laid down by Federal Shipbuilding, Newark NJ, 25 April 1945; launched 24 November 1945; commissioned 12 July 1946; FRAM upgrade completed November 1962; stricken 1 October 1979; to Taiwan 17 December 1980, renamed ROCS Yun Yang; reclassified guided-missile destroyer DDG-927; decommissioned (ROCN) 16 December 2003; sunk by Hai Hu (SS-794) as a target off Pingtung at 0900 on 6 September 2005.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-2005
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (volunteer naval-history archive), not an official record; ROCN-era detail corroborated across NavSource/Wikipedia/helis.com but sourced to no official Taiwanese record here. FRAM completion 'November 1962' conflicts with DANFS 'left the shipyard 5 December 1962' - the December date is carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-07
-
[9]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (2018-09-28) [court_record]
- Locator
- Omnibus opinion pp. 12, 19, 31 (per Gearing class profile ev-gearing-class-04)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-level litigation recital: the Goodrich omnibus opinion recites 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class), within which the USS Harlan Dickson fell, specifies the use of amosite felts and asbestos cloths' and quotes an expert report estimating 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' Hamner (DD-718) is a Gearing-class hull built 1945-46 with the class-standard 4x Babcock & Wilcox boiler / 60,000-shp GE geared-turbine plant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940s design era; opinion filed 2018
- Population
- Destroyer fire/engine-room crews (class-level)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - litigation recital of an expert report and a Navy drawing covering the Sumner/Gearing design group; the 30.3-ton figure is an expert partial tally, not an adjudicated classwide quantity, and the underlying exhibits were not retrieved. Establishes no hull-level finding for DD-718; never reads as 'installed on this hull.'
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-08
-
[10]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (1979-10-18) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text HTTP 403; product-page description used)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented Navy asbestos-protection policy: a standing 1975 policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 toward selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained aboard unless a yard period disturbed it. Relevant era context for Hamner's 1962 FRAM and later yard periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific. Full text blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403); content via GAO product-page description. Fieldwork yards were other locations; says nothing about DD-718 directly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-09
-
[11]NARA, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978 (NAID 594258); RG 19 General Information Books [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog series NAID 594258; archives.gov deck-log research pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: Hamner deck logs for 1946-1978 fall within NARA's deck-log series (NAID 594258, partially digitized via the VA Blue Water Navy scanning project), and BuShips RG 19 'General Information Books' may hold per-vessel material specifications for this hull. Neither was retrieved in this session.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1946-1978
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Lead only - no log page or material book for DD-718 was pulled; existence in the series is inferred from the series date range and catalog description, not verified hull-by-hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-10
-
[12]This record's search ledger (NHHC/Wayback; NVR; CourtListener API v4; VA BVA full text; Tin Can Sailors; NavSource; GAO; general web sweep) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hamner-dd718-01 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No published court opinion naming USS Hamner or DD-718 was located (CourtListener type=o: 'USS Hamner' 0 results; 'DD-718' 1 result = State v. Hullinger, 2002 SD 83, a DUI name collision). No asbestos survey, abatement contract, ACM inventory, or ship-specific product identification was located in official/authoritative sources. Qualifying records found are allegation-stage only (BVA 1231041 testimony; Hipwell complaint).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-typical materials are expected on a 1945-46 steam destroyer; the finding reports what was located in public sources, not the hull's actual material state. Docket-side 'DD-718' query was blocked by the fleet pacing budget at session end - see ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hamner-dd718-11