Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet ip-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-pkt-ip-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Harold C. Thomas (DE-21)' - live NHHC URL 404s as of 2026-09-28; text verified via Wayback capture 20240524202552 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS > H > 'Harold C. Thomas (DE-21)' full entry incl. spec header and narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official entry documents this hull and its namesake: Harold Chester Thomas (DANFS prints 'Tomas', born 'Gleo, Okla.', 7 May 1907) enlisted 28 January 1927, appointed Carpenter 8 February 1933, served various ships and at Cavite, commissioned Chief Carpenter 24 March 1939, reported to Boise (CL-47) 14 May 1940, appointed Lt. (j.g.) 1 September 1942, and was killed at the Battle of Cape Esperance 11-12 October 1942 working with damage-control parties after Boise was badly hit; posthumous Navy Cross. Ship: launched 18 December 1942 by the Mare Island Navy Yard as Essington (BDE-21) for the British; later designated for Navy use; commissioned 31 May 1943, Cmdr. H. Reich in command. Service: three convoy voyages San Francisco-Pearl Harbor; ComSubTraPac 2-20 November 1943; convoy to Abemama, Gilbert Islands (arrived 28 November, a week after the occupation began); Gilberts patrol/escort for the rest of 1943; availability early 1944; flagship of Escort Division 10 from 29 February 1944; Eniwetok 11 March; hunter-killer carrier group ASW patrol east of the Marshalls 30 March-6 May; remainder of 1944 shepherding merchantmen, cargo ships, and transports through Marshall, Admiralty, Palau, and Marianas staging areas plus submarine training at Pearl Harbor; rescued seven men from a crashed PBM off Majuro 21 November; departed Pearl Harbor 21 January 1945 for San Francisco and San Diego repairs; back at Pearl Harbor 5 April 1945 for submarine training and escort duty through war's end; sailed for the States 20 days after the surrender signing, reaching San Pedro 27 September; decommissioned 26 October 1945; sold to Pacific Bridge Co., San Francisco, 25 November 1946; scrapped 26 March 1947. Two battle stars. Spec block: dp. 1,140 t.; l. 289'5"; b. 35'1"; dr. 8'3"; s. 21 k.; cpl. 156; a. 3 3", 4 1", 9 20mm., 2 dct, 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.); cl. Evarts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Ship's complement (156 per DANFS spec block); Mare Island construction trades 1942-43
- Limitations
- Official Navy history; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. The live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-24. The NHHC web edition prints the namesake's surname 'Tomas' and birthplace 'Gleo, Okla.' - apparent typographical errors carried verbatim; also dates the surrender signing '1 September' (ceremony was 2 September 1945). DANFS gives no laid-down date and no naming date for the DE-21 redesignation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-01
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[3]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels 1945,' Vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010), destroyer-escort design-group table (book pp. 234-235) and alphabetical DE roster (book pp. 262-263, entry 332) - shipscribe.com scan, image-only PDF, rows verified by OCR [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf, DE design-group table at book pp. 234-235 (group 1 = GMT, boilers 'None') and DE roster at book pp. 262-263 (entry 332, THOMAS HAROLD C. DE21)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official record names this hull: roster entry 332 reads 'THOMAS, HAROLD C. ... DE21 | GMT | Navy Yard, Mare Island | $1,649,400 | contract Nov. 1, 1941 | keel Apr. 30, 1942 | launched Dec. 18, 1942 | commission May 31, 1943' (preliminary-completion and acceptance columns blank). The design-group table assigns group 1 = GMT ('diesel electric tandem motor drive - short hull'): 289'5" overall, 283'6" waterline, 35'2" beam, 1,140 tons standard / 1,430 full load, ~21.5 knots trial, accommodations 15 officers + 183 enlisted, armament 3x3"/50 D.P. plus AA fits, and machinery of G.M. diesel model 16-278A engines, 6,000 shaft horsepower, diesel-electric tandem-motor drive on two propellers - the boilers column reads 'None': no boilers, no turbines, no steam plant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (publication April 15, 1945)
- Population
- Design complement 15 officers + 183 enlisted (GMT group)
- Limitations
- Establishes design group, builder, contract, dates, and machinery type - not materials, insulation content, or asbestos. 'No boilers' removes only the boiler/steam-lagging category of applications; it does not bear on exhaust insulation, gaskets, packing, electrical, or other applications. Design-group accommodations (15+183=198) conflict with the DANFS spec-block complement (156) - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-02
-
[4]Era/design inference grounded in BuShips Ships' Data 1945 GMT machinery block + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' (documented asbestos-era naval yard: Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, packing/gasket/bonnet/refractory products documented in yard evidence) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf GMT machinery row (boilers 'None'); Atlas shipyards.json, mare-island-naval-shipyard record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-electric destroyer escort built 1942-43 at a Navy yard in the peak asbestos years: with no boilers or steam plant, the boiler-lagging and steam-line categories do not apply; plausible era applications concentrate in engine and exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing throughout machinery spaces, electrical insulation and cable, deck coverings, accommodation-space insulation, and brake/friction linings on winches and windlass. The builder yard is documented in the Atlas dataset as an asbestos-era yard with identified ACM product categories.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades 1942-43; wartime complement
- Limitations
- Design/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule, survey, or procurement record supports any of these applications aboard DE-21. Diesel-electric plant narrows the plausible application set vs. steam ships but does not establish or exclude asbestos aboard. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-03
-
[5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Journal article DOI landing page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and government shipyard system under which this hull was built at Mare Island Navy Yard (1942-43).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and ship crews (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level scholarship; does not name this hull, the Evarts class, or Mare Island specifically. Supports era context only - not evidence that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantities, locations, or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-04
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[6]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (1979-10-18) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use, with substitution to asbestos-free insulation specification not occurring until 1973 and some ships delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. A hull built 1942-43 falls inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 (report); construction era 1942-1943
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level report; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk, not Mare Island, and the report postdates this hull's entire existence (scrapped 1947). gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used; full text not retrieved. Establishes nothing about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-05
-
[7]Collins v. Plant Insulation Co., 185 Cal. App. 4th 260 (Cal. App. 1st Dist., Div. 1, 2010), No. A124268; Alameda County Super. Ct. No. RG04143303 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion facts section (employment history) and holding (Prop. 51 apportionment to Navy)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard litigation record for the yard that built this hull: published appellate opinion records that Ulysses Collins worked as a structural and pipe welder at Mare Island Naval Shipyard 1976-1994 (and Hunters Point 1960-1973), died of mesothelioma 2005-05-08, and that a jury found insulation supplier Plant Insulation negligent and strictly liable. The appeal reversed fault apportionment for retrial on the question of allocating fault to the Navy under Proposition 51 - confirming Mare Island as a documented asbestos-exposure site.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1960-1994 (exposure window); 2010 (opinion)
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard construction/repair trades (later era, 1960-1994)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation evidence, not hull-specific: the opinion names no vessel, and Collins's Mare Island employment window (1976-94) postdates DE-21's 1942-43 construction by more than three decades. Documents era yard exposure conditions only; establishes nothing about materials aboard DE-21. Merits note: verdict was reversed and remanded on apportionment only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-06
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[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (batch helper cl-auth-search.py), 2026-09-28 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-05 through sl-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep partially completed: '"USS Harold C. Thomas"' (type=o) returned 0 hits - no published opinion contains that exact phrase. Remaining planned queries ('"Harold C. Thomas"' opinions, '"Harold C. Thomas" asbestos' opinions, '"DE-21"' opinions, '"USS Harold C. Thomas"' dockets type=r) were repeatedly deferred and blocked at record close by the saturated shared fleet pacing limiter (~114/hr account-wide). Anticipated collision classes logged in advance: 'Harold C. Thomas' as a personal name in unrelated litigation; 'DE-21' as a docket-citation/exhibit string; USS Thomas (DE-102, Cannon class) as the distinct same-surname hull.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- PENDING - partial result only: one opinion query completed (0 hits), supporting 'no published opinion names USS Harold C. Thomas', but the broader name, asbestos-term, hull-number, and docket-level queries did not complete, so neither a positive nor a verified negative litigation finding exists for this hull. In-document mentions at the pleading/docket level cannot be ruled out. The sweep is logged per-query in the search ledger rather than retried into a ban.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-07
-
[9]Lt. Commander Godfrey Cheshire, Jr., Papers (#1363), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C. - EAD finding aid [other_primary]
- Locator
- ECU Joyner Library EAD 1363, container list (NARA Declassified Harold C. Thomas series, boxes 1-2)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Manuscript finding aid documents ship-specific primary material for this hull: the papers of Lt. Cmdr. Godfrey Cheshire, Jr. - DE-21's final commanding officer (5 January-6 October 1945 per NavSource command roster) - hold NARA-declassified photocopies of this ship's war diaries and log books spanning May 1943 through October 1945, crew rosters, a namesake biography, ship's organization records, photographs, and 1944-45 instruction booklets for fueling escort vessels at sea.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1999 (collection); 1943-1945 (ship records)
- Population
- Wartime crew records (1943-1945 coverage)
- Limitations
- Finding-aid-level record only - documents the existence and location of hull-specific operational records, not their content; no item-level retrieval performed. Whether the war diaries or logs contain any materials/repair detail bearing on asbestos is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-08
-
[10]Batch-4127 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404 + Wayback capture); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. I OCR'd rows; Atlas shipyards.json Mare Island record; California appellate record (Collins); ECU finding aid; NARA asbestos research guide; CourtListener sweep (partially completed - pacing limiter); NavSource (lead only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-01 through sl-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials schedule, court finding, or located litigation naming USS Harold C. Thomas (DE-21) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1947, before the asbestos-litigation era, which lowers - but does not eliminate - the likelihood of a naming docket.
- 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 - 1942-43 Navy-yard construction is consistent with era-typical materials, but nothing ship-specific was located. The CourtListener sweep completed only one of the planned queries this session (pacing limiter) - the litigation leg of this negative finding is partial, not a verified negative at the docket level. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-09
-
[11]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessels up through 1961' (guided topic) - RG 19 BuShips correspondence filed by hull code; RG 24 deck logs; RG 181 shore-establishment records [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov guided-topic page; NARA Guide to Federal Records groups 019/024/181
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): per NARA's asbestos research guide, hull-specific BuShips correspondence for this ship would file under code 'DE21' in RG 19 general/confidential correspondence series (1940-46) and class correspondence under 'DE5 Class' (Evarts, class lead hull); Mare Island Navy Yard construction/outfitting records reside in RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, San Francisco region holdings); deck logs for DE-21's 1943-45 service are in RG 24 (NARA-declassified photocopies of the war diaries and logs are also in the Cheshire papers, ECU collection 1363 - see ev-08).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - not evidence about this hull. Digitization status of the DE-21 file, Evarts-class correspondence, Mare Island construction records, and DE-21 deck logs is unverified; no box-level retrieval performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-harold-c-thomas-de21-10