USS HELM (DD-388)

Evidence

15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).

1. [1]research packet ep-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-helm-dd388-pkt-ep-packet-md

2. [2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Helm (DD-388)' expanded entry (March 2018 update). Live history.navy.mil URL returns HTTP 404 as of 2026-09-27; full text republished verbatim on the destroyers.org (Tin Can Sailors) DD-388 ship page. [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Helm (DD-388)' expanded entry (March 2018), full text on destroyers.org DD-388 page ('USS HELM DD-388 Ship History, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, March 2018')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Expanded DANFS record for this hull: laid down 25 September 1935 at Portsmouth, Va., by Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 27 May 1937; sponsored by Mrs. Edith Benham Helm, widow of Rear Adm. Helm; commissioned 16 October 1937, Lt. Cmdr. Paul H. Talbot. Shakedown to British West Indies; Caribbean to March 1938; Atlantic Squadron 1 October 1938; Fleet Problem XX early 1939 with Enterprise and Yorktown; Pacific from May 1939; Fleet Problem XXI; Pearl Harbor, DesBatFor. 7 December 1941: underway in West Loch Channel en route to deperming buoys; downed a Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' at 0810; fired on midget submarine off Tripod Reef 0820; torpedo passed under stern 0821; straddled by two 100-lb bombs (20 yds starboard, 50 yds port) with structural damage forward; joined TF 1 (Draemel, Detroit CL-8) 1213; 90 rds 5"/38 + 350 rds .50 cal expended; repairs to 15 December; TF 14 Wake Island relief attempt 16-28 December; Midway patrol 31 December; Saratoga torpedoed by I-6 11 January 1942; Helm docked in the Marine Railway 14 January. Howland/Baker Islands rescue with Selfridge 31 January 1942 (2 men Howland, 4 Baker); drove off Yokohama Kokutai flying boat (184 rds 5", 2,500 rds .50 cal); convoy to San Francisco 9-16 February; Mare Island overhaul 17-27 February; TF 13 to Efate 15-29 March; Noumea/Tongatabu/Pago Pago escort April; rescued 13 John Adams survivors 9 May; 4 Neosho survivors from life raft 17 May (Sea2c Bright died); Brisbane 19 May, joined TF 44 (Crutchley, HMAS Canberra); Sydney tender overhaul alongside Dobbin 7-24 June; Australia east coast escort; Auckland 21 July; TF 62 Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings 7 August (Hill 281 bombardment, 106 rds); Savo Island night patrol with Vincennes/Quincy/Astoria 8-9 August, rescued 175 survivors; Noumea 13 August. Milne Bay/TF 44 cover September-December; Sydney overhaul alongside Dobbin 13-29 October; 1943: Challenger Bay exercises, TF 10 Third Fleet June, TF 74 then TF 76, Woodlark Island LST landing 30 June, Kiriwina, Townsville-Port Moresby convoys, MacKay availability, Gasmata bombardment 29-30 November (401 rds) with Ralph Talbot, Warramunga, Arunta; Arawae/Cape Gloucester December; Saidor covering force January 1944. Relieved 10 February 1944; Pearl Harbor 24 February; escorted Maryland to Puget Sound Navy Yard, detached 3 March; Mare Island overhaul 5 March-4 May; Pearl 10 May; DesDiv 11/DesRon 6; Majuro 4 June; Kwajalein 7 June; TG 58.1 Marianas, Bonins strikes, Philippine Sea 19-20 June; Pagan/Iwo strikes; Guam Orote Peninsula bombardment 9 July (255 rds with Oakland); Yap/Palau/Woleai; TG 58.4->TG 38.4; Chichi Jima 1 September; Iwo Jima 2 September (sank merchantman 95 rds and cargo ship 78 rds; 283-rd bombardment); Palaus CAS; Okinawa 10 October; Formosa 12-13 October (downed G4M Betty 13 October, 58 rds); Leyte Gulf 24-25 October (Sibuyan Sea; Cape Engano); sank I-46 28 October with Gridley and Belleau Wood TBF; Ulithi 2 November; Ormoc Bay/Manila strikes; TG 77.4 Lingayen 27 December. Ommaney Bay kamikaze 4 January 1945, rescued 93 survivors to Minneapolis; 5 January Ki-43 Oscar struck her searchlight platform (6 minor injuries, 1 blown overboard rescued by Ralph Talbot); Lingayen screen 6-17 January; Ulithi 23 January; TG 52.2 Iwo Jima 16 February-7 March (Bismarck Sea survivors to Highlands and Dickens); Leyte availability; Okinawa 27 March-15 June (TU 52.1.1/TU 32.1.1); Leyte 19 June; Saipan-Buckner Bay-Ulithi convoys July; Radar Picket Able-6; Indianapolis survivor search 3-6 August (recovered 28 bodies, buried at sea, no survivors); Bonins patrol to 8 September; Sasebo shipping guide; Okinawa 26 September; departed for Pearl Harbor and San Diego 29 October; San Diego 19 November; Pearl Harbor; decommissioned 26 June 1946; 'used later that summer as a target ship during Operation Crossroads'; stricken from the Naval Register 25 February 1947; hulk sold to Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., 2 October 1947; scrapping completed 9 May 1948. 11 battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1935-1948

   Population

   Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1935-37; peacetime and wartime crew (design complement 158; 1945 wartime complement 251 per class data)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, dates, and service narrative only - it contains no asbestos or materials information and does not establish exposure, product identity, or quantity aboard this hull. Its Efate arrival (29 March 1942) differs from the original DANFS entry (19 March) - carried in gaps. Its 'target ship during Operation Crossroads' statement is not corroborated by the NPS target-vessel list (see ev-07, carried in gaps). Live NHHC URL 404s; text read via destroyers.org republication - transcription fidelity assumed, not independently diffed against a Wayback NHHC capture (none located in CDX).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-01

3. [3]DANFS Vol. II original entry, Helm (DD-388) (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription by Patrick Clancey; hazegray mirror via Wayback capture 2001-11-21) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Vol. II entry 'DD-388 / Helm', specification block + full narrative (HyperWar transcription)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Original printed DANFS entry for this hull: spec block 'DD-388: dp. 1,850; l. 341'4"; b. 35'5"; dr. 10'4"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 158; a. 4 5", 4 .50 cal., 16 21" tt.; cl. Gridley'. Launched by Norfolk Navy Yard 27 May 1937, sponsored by Mrs. J. M. Helm, widow; commissioned 16 October 1937, Lt. Comdr. P. H. Talbot. Caribbean to March 1938; Atlantic Squadron 1 October 1938; Caribbean fleet problem early 1939 with Carrier Division 2; West Coast May 1939; underway in West Loch Channel 7 December 1941, 'brought down at least one' attacker, strafed and slightly damaged by two bombs close aboard; Saratoga screen; Howland/Baker rescue 31 January 1942 (six men); Efate 19 March (expanded entry prints arrival 29 March - carried in gaps); John Adams 13 survivors 9 May; Neosho 4 survivors 17 May; TF 44 Brisbane 19 May; Guadalcanal/Tulagi 7 August; Savo Island night action with Vincennes/Quincy/Astoria; Noumea 13 August; Australia-New Guinea escort; Woodlark June 1943; Milne Bay; Gasmata 29 November 1943; Cape Gloucester 14 December 1943; Saidor; Mare Island 4 March 1944 escorting Maryland; departed San Francisco 5 May; Pearl Harbor; Majuro 4 June; Kwajalein 7 June; TF 58; Philippine Sea; Bonin/Volcano; Guam; Palaus 25 July; sank small freighter and cargo ship off Iwo Jima 2 September; Seeadler 21 September; Okinawa 10 October; Formosa (downed bomber 13 October); Leyte Gulf (Sibuyan Sea/Musashi; Ozawa force 25 October); I-46 with Gridley 28 October; Ulithi 2 November; Manus 26-28 November; Lingayen 27 December-17 January 1945 (Ommaney Bay 4 January); Ulithi 23 January; Iwo Jima 16 February-7 March (Bismarck Sea survivors 21 February); Okinawa 27 March-19 June; Ulithi/Leyte escort; Indianapolis survivor search 3-6 August; Bonins patrol to 8 September; Sasebo; departed 29 October; San Diego 19 November; Pearl Harbor; decommissioned 26 June 1946; 'used that summer as a target ship during the historic Operation "Crossroads" atomic tests in the Pacific'; hulk sold to Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, Calif., October 1947 for scrapping; 11 battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1935-1948

   Population

   Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1935-37; crew 1937-1946 (design complement 158)

   Limitations

   Pre-1980s printed DANFS text via volunteer transcription (HyperWar; hazegray mirror prints 'TF 53' where HyperWar prints 'TF 58' - transcription typo, 58 is correct for Mitscher). Omits the laid-down date entirely; prints 'cl. Gridley' in the spec block - the class-designation shorthand DANFS Vol. II applies to the whole DD-386-393 group (same convention in the DD-386 entry), while all other sources designate Bagley class - carried in gaps. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-02

4. [4]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index: USS Helm (DD-388) - 'CLASS - BAGLEY' As Built; 2,245 tons full; 341'4" oa x 35'6" x 12'10" max; 49,000 SHP General Electric geared turbines, 2 screws; 38.5 knots; 6,500 nm @ 12 knots; crew 158; call sign NAMG (Wayback capture 2016-11-29; live navsource.org refuses automated fetch) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-388 page, 'Operational and Building Data' block, class data block, commanding-officer list, and photo captions (Wayback capture)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource corroborates hull identity, machinery, and disposition chain: laid down by Norfolk Navy Yard 25 September 1935; launched 27 May 1937; commissioned 16 October 1937; decommissioned 26 June 1946; stricken 25 February 1947; sold 2 October 1947 to Moore Drydock Co., Oakland, CA and broken up for scrap. Full commanding-officer list: LCDR Paul H. Talbot (Oct 1937-Jun 1939); LCDR Percival E. McDowell (Jun 1939-Jun 1940); LCDR Elmer A. Tarbutton (Jun 1940-Sep 1941); LCDR Chester E. 'Blackie' Carroll (Sep 1941-Feb 1943, later RADM); CDR William B. Braun (Feb-Nov 1943); LCDR Selby K. Santmyers (Nov 1943-Jan 1945); LCDR Albert F. Hollingsworth (Jan-Sep 1945); LCDR Ernest R. Peterson (Sep 1945-Jun 1946). Photo captions document: christening with USS Blue in Drydock Two, Norfolk Navy Yard, 27 May 1937 (Naval Historical Center photo); builder's trials off Portsmouth 11 November 1937 (post-commissioning fitting-out); Mare Island Navy Yard plan views 25-26 February 1942 and 28 April/2 May 1944 (Bureau of Ships Collection, NARA); Lingayen kamikaze attack 5 January 1945; and a 21 November 1947 photograph of Craven (DD-382), Bagley (DD-386), and Helm under tow 'from Pearl Harbor to the West coast for scrapping' (ex 'Warship Boneyards,' Bonner).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1935-1948

   Population

   Crew 1937-1946

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record; used for machinery detail, the CO list DANFS omits, and the stricken/sale dates. Its 38.5-knot speed and 12'10" draft conflict with DANFS (35 k.; 10'4") - carried in gaps. The 21 November 1947 tow photo (post-sale) places the hull's Pearl Harbor-to-West-Coast scrapping tow after the 2 October sale. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-03

5. [5]NHHC, USS Helm (DD-388) Action Report, 'Action during air raid on December 7 - Report on,' DD388/A16-3(483), signed C.E. Carroll, 11 December 1941 (HyperWar transcription; canonical NHHC exhibit page ships-d-l/uss-helm-dd-388-action-report.html serves the same report - live page returns 403/404 to automated fetch, Wayback capture 2021-03-06 verified identical timeline) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   USS Helm action report, Narrative timeline 0726-1215 + Special Reports (damage items 1-8)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Contemporaneous primary document from this hull's commanding officer: 0726 7 December 1941 underway from berth X-7 for deperming buoys at West Loch, magnetic compasses and chronometers left aboard Blue preparatory to deperming; 0759 first enemy plane sighted over Ford Island; 0805 opened fire with machine guns; 0807 5" battery; 0810 port after machine gun (Huff, W.C., GM2c) hit a plane that crashed near Hickam Field; 0817-0820 sighted and fired on a submarine conning tower off Tripod Reef; 0820 steering casualty from vibration, ship maneuvered by engines; 0821 torpedo passed close under the stern; 0915 two bombs exploded 50 yards off port bow and 20 yards off starboard bow - 'Seams below water line on starboard side forward sprung. A-15, A-301, A-401, and A-402 flooded'; steering, gyro, sound gear, radio casualties; director pedestal seams later cracked; patrol sector 3; joined Detroit 1215. Offensive: 90 rounds 5" and 350 rounds .50 caliber expended; one plane shot down 0810, one possibly hit 0830, possible fragment hits on submarine conning tower; no personnel losses or injuries.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-12

   Population

   Helm crew, 7 December 1941

   Limitations

   Primary-source action report - establishes the hull's position, conduct, and battle damage on 7 December 1941, not materials or asbestos content; the flooded-compartment and repair narrative documents locations of post-attack repair work (Marine Railway docking 14 January 1942 per expanded DANFS) but not the materials disturbed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-04

6. [6]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Helm (DD-388), 1937-1947' ship page and photo captions (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of Naval Historical Center page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library USS Helm (DD-388) ship page, introductory text + photo captions NH 61903, NH 61888, NH 67686, 19-N-28728/9, 80-G-266840, 80-G-273114, NH 97450, NH 97751, NH 83109

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NHHC ship-page text: 'USS Helm, a 1500-ton Bagley class destroyer, was built at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia. Commissioned in October 1937... She survived target ship employment in the Bikini atomic bomb tests a month later [after June 1946 decommissioning] and was sold for scrapping in October 1947.' Captions place this hull at documented events: NH 61903 - christening with USS Blue (DD-387) in Drydock Two, Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va., 27 May 1937; NH 61888 and NH 67686 - circa 1937-39 with Mark 33 director details; 19-N-28728/28729 and 80-G-266840 - Mare Island Navy Yard plan views 25-26 February 1942 and Noumea 6 April 1942 (Bureau of Ships Collection, NARA); 80-G-273114 - probable Helm under kamikaze attack west of the Philippines 5 January 1945, photographed by USS Steamer Bay (CVE-87); NH 97450 - alongside USS Makin Island (CVE-93), Iwo Jima operation, 24 February 1945; NH 97751 - ship possibly Helm in action during the 8 August 1942 Guadalcanal-Tulagi air attack; NH 83109 - Pearl Harbor ship-location chart 7 December 1941 locates Helm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1937-1947

   Population

   Construction trades (Norfolk Navy Yard 1937); crew 1941-1945

   Limitations

   Captions document presence at dated events only; no material or asbestos content. The NHHC page's 'Bagley class' designation conflicts with DANFS Vol. II's 'cl. Gridley' spec-block tag - carried in gaps; 'survived target ship employment' is the NHHC framing of the Crossroads assignment also claimed by DANFS - target-array membership unresolved (ev-07).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-05

7. [7]'The Month's News,' U.S. Navy news publication, February 1946 issue - Operation Crossroads target-fleet announcement (reproduction hosted at eugeneleeslover.com, Gene Slover's US Navy Pages) [other_primary]

   Locator

   'The Month's News' February 1946, Crossroads announcement paragraphs (target fleet composition)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Contemporaneous Navy announcement (February 1946, Vice Adm. W.H.P. Blandy, Joint Task Force One) naming this hull among the destroyers designated for the Operation Crossroads target fleet at Bikini: 'the destroyers Mayrant, Trippe, Stack, Rhind, Bagley, Helm, Ralph Talbot, Mugford, Lamson, Flusser, Conyngham, Smith, Anderson, Mustin, Wainwright and Hughes,' alongside battleships Arkansas, Nevada, Pennsylvania; carriers Saratoga and Independence; cruisers Pensacola and Salt Lake City; Japanese Nagato and Sakawa; German Prinz Eugen; and eight submarines, in a planned ~100-ship target fleet.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1946-02 (announcement)

   Population

   None aboard target vessels by design ('no humans aboard')

   Limitations

   Volunteer-hosted reproduction of a Navy periodical - authenticity consistent with official Crossroads publicity but the page is a private-site reproduction, not a .mil original. The February 1946 designation list predates the tests: several named hulls (Helm, Bagley, Mugford, Flusser, Smith) do not appear in the NPS Bikini target-vessel list (ev-07), so designation does not establish array membership or that the hull was exposed to the detonations.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-06

8. [8]National Park Service, 'The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment of the Sunken Fleet of Operation Crossroads at Bikini and Kwajalein Atoll Lagoons' (SCRC Report 37), Appendix I: Target Vessels at Bikini and Their Disposition (live npshistory.com returns HTTP 403; Wayback capture 2022-10-01) [nps]

   Locator

   NPS SCRC-37, Appendix I table, 'Destroyers' section + category totals

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The authoritative NPS accounting of the Bikini target fleet (82 vessels listed with dispositions: 2 carriers, 5 battleships, 4 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 8 submarines, 19 attack transports, 6 LSTs, 1 LSM, 16 LCTs, 3 auxiliaries, 6 LCIs) does NOT include USS Helm (DD-388). The destroyer category lists Anderson (DD-411), Conyngham (DD-371), Hughes (DD-410), Lamson (DD-367), Mayrant (DD-402), Mustin (DD-413), Ralph Talbot (DD-390), Rhind (DD-404), Stack (DD-406), Trippe (DD-403), Wainwright (DD-419), and Wilson (DD-408) - no Helm; sister Bagley (DD-386) and Mugford (DD-389) are likewise absent. This refines the DANFS/NHHC 'used as a target ship / survived target ship employment' claim: Helm was designated a Crossroads target (ev-06) and decommissioned days before the July tests, but she is not documented as a vessel in the Bikini target arrays, and she was sold for commercial scrapping rather than disposed as a test-survivor.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1946-1948 (test and disposition window)

   Limitations

   Absence from this table is meaningful but not total proof she never entered the lagoon: the appendix enumerates vessels 'at Bikini' and their dispositions; support, reserve, or non-arrayed hulls are outside its frame. The list omits Mugford despite contemporaneous and NavSource documentation that she was a Bikini target damaged in July 1946 - so the table is not comprehensive. Helm's precise Crossroads employment (designated vs. arrayed vs. reserve) remains unresolved in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-07

9. [9]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (guided research topic) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA guided research topic, opening sections

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   NARA describes the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 as a frequently requested research topic and outlines the record series relevant to documenting whether a particular naval ship carried asbestos material. The guide's stated window overlaps only the wartime portion (1941-1946) of this hull's commissioned service (1937-1946); her 1935-1937 construction at Norfolk Navy Yard predates it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1961 (guide scope); overlaps this hull's service 1941-1946

   Population

   WWII-era Navy personnel and shipyard workers (guide's subject population)

   Limitations

   Era-level Navy materiel context and research guidance only. The guide does not identify asbestos aboard Helm, the Bagley class, or Norfolk Navy Yard output; it cannot establish a product, quantity, location, or individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-helm-dd388-08

10. [10]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - General Information Books and Board of Inspection and Survey Reports sections (RG 19 Entry P 9, Destroyer/Destroyer Escort/Frigate GIBs [Item S-68], 1902-1961; RG 38 InSurv reports; RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence by hull filing code DD388) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA guided research topic, GIB and InSurv sections

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA identifies record series capable of holding hull-specific material specifications: RG 19 Entry P 9 destroyer General Information Books (which can list a vessel's insulation and machinery materials; series span 1902-1961 covers this 1935-37 hull's build era) and RG 38 Board of Inspection and Survey reports, plus Bureau of Ships general correspondence 1940-1961 filed by hull designation (this hull: DD388; class correspondence under the namesake hull filing 'DD386 Class'). If a GIB survives for DD-388 it would be the type of record able to confirm hull-specific insulation materials; none was retrieved in this pass.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    record series spans 1902-1961

    Limitations

    Series-level descriptions only; NARA cautions GIB coverage is incomplete by hull, and no Helm-specific volume or report was inspected or established to survive. Research lead, not evidence of any material aboard.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-09

11. [11]U.S. General Accounting Office, HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (Oct. 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page abstract and report introductory text, gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2 (indexed)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    GAO reports Navy-wide that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships ('although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation'), describes the Navy's asbestos-control policy (OPNAVINST 6260.1, April 1974, revised August 1978; 1975 remove/replace-only-if-damaged policy revised 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas), and estimates a ~$2 billion cost for a one-time removal program. Fieldwork yards were the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - the latter being this hull's builder (Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va.) - where both yards 'had established comprehensive programs' including protective clothing, air monitoring, waste procedures, training, and medical surveillance, with asbestos dust observed aboard ships and on stripped pipe ends.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    1979 (report); Navy-wide practice described spans earlier decades

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers, 1970s (report population incl. Norfolk Naval Shipyard - this hull's builder; not this hull's population)

    Limitations

    gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; the finding is drawn from the report's indexed abstract/introduction text, not a full-PDF review (standing defect per BATCH-01-REPORT.md). The report's fieldwork describes 1970s yard practices - decades after this hull's 1935-37 construction and 1947-48 scrapping - and it does not name USS Helm or the Bagley class. Navy-wide and yard-level context only; establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-10

12. [12]Naval Sea Systems Command, Standard Item 009-10, 'Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM); control' (FY24 issue) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NAVSEA FY24 Standard Items package, item 009-10 (indexed); Metal Trades, Inc. v. United States, 810 F. Supp. 689, 692-94 (D.S.C. 1992) describing SI 009-10

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    NAVSEA's current repair standard instructs that shipboard insulation and lagging and related materials be treated as potential asbestos-containing material pending reliable testing - the material categories a hull-level record would need to address; litigation commentary (e.g., Metal Trades, Inc. v. United States, 810 F. Supp. 689 (D.S.C. 1992)) confirms the long-standing practice that 'all insulation and lagging on board the ship is to be considered asbestos' when the item is invoked.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    modern standard; not this hull's era

    Limitations

    A modern precautionary repair standard issued decades after this hull was scrapped (1948); identifies material categories for research, not products documented aboard this hull. navsea.navy.mil returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; document identity verified via indexed text and the Metal Trades opinion's description of the standard item.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-11

13. [13]NavalCoverMuseum (naval philately museum wiki), 'HELM DD 388' page (oldid 239096) + Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyards.json), norfolk-naval-shipyard record [other_primary]

    Locator

    navalcovermuseum.org HELM DD-388 page (designation history, postmarks); shipyards.json 'norfolk-naval-shipyard' asbestos_products_documented field

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era/yard context: NavalCoverMuseum confirms the single-incarnation designation history (USS HELM DD-388 only, 1937-1947; postmarks include first day in commission 16 October 1937) and the 11 battle stars. The Atlas shipyards.json record for the builder yard (norfolk-naval-shipyard, Portsmouth, Va.; EPA Superfund site VA1170024813, NPL-listed 1999) documents asbestos products at the facility - Thermobestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Unibestos, pipe insulation and lagging, boiler and turbine insulation, gaskets, packing, deck coverings/flooring, bulkhead fire barriers, and others - the industrial environment in which this hull was constructed 1935-37.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    1935-1937 (construction); yard records span later decades

    Population

    Norfolk Navy Yard workers (yard-level population; not hull-specific)

    Limitations

    Yard-level and era-level context only - no product is tied to this hull. The yard dataset documents the facility's asbestos landscape (largely from later-period environmental and industrial-hygiene records), not 1935-37 construction materials aboard DD-388. NavalCoverMuseum is a philatelic secondary compilation; its postmark record corroborates dates but a 20 December 1941 New Bern, N.C. cover inscribed 'U.S.S. Helm at Port Terminal, Morehead City' is unexplained against the documented Pacific deployment - collector cachet practice is not evidence of the hull's location; not carried.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-12

14. [14]CourtListener API v4, authenticated search (helper cl-auth-search.py), opinion index (type=o) and RECAP docket index (type=r) [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-helm-dd388-14, -16 through -20

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener sweep by ship name and hull number, all six legs completed: four opinion-index queries ('"USS Helm"', '"U.S.S. Helm"', '"aboard the Helm"', '"DD-388"', type=o) each returned count=0 - no result. RECAP docket query '"USS Helm"' returned count=0; '"DD-388"' returned count=3, all classified as name collisions (In Re: Katrina Canal Breaches Litigation, E.D. La. 2:05-cv-04182 - 'Helm' is a law-firm surname, no literal DD-388 in payload; United States v. Sutherland, E.D. Mich. 2:11-cr-20129, criminal forfeiture; Siegel v. LePore, S.D. Fla. 9:00-cv-09009, 2000 election-recount case). No qualifying asbestos litigation or other litigation naming this hull was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    2026-09-27

    Limitations

    Public opinion and RECAP indexes do not comprehensively cover pre-electronic-filing state court records or pre-PACER federal filings; the hull's 1947-48 scrapping predates the digitized-litigation era. The three docket hits are token-level collisions (no literal 'DD-388' string in any payload) classified down as name collisions per batch discipline. Absence of a hit does not prove no litigation naming this hull exists anywhere.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-13

15. [15]Batch-3373 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS expanded entry (March 2018, via destroyers.org), DANFS Vol. II (HyperWar + hazegray), NavSource, NHHC Pearl Harbor action report, NHHC Online Library photo page, destroyers.org, NavalCoverMuseum, 'The Month's News' February 1946 (Crossroads designation), NPS SCRC-37 Appendix I target-vessel list, NARA asbestos guide, GAO HRD-80-2, NAVSEA Standard Item 009-10, Naval Vessel Register, CourtListener opinion and RECAP indexes [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-helm-dd388-01 through -20

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, material specification, sampling result, abatement contract, museum or hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming DD-388 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    2026-09-27

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship's 1935-37 construction at Norfolk Navy Yard, her steam plant, her documented yard periods (Pearl Harbor repairs December 1941-January 1942; Mare Island overhauls February 1942 and March-May 1944; Sydney tender availabilities alongside Dobbin), and her 1947-48 breaking at Moore Dry Dock, Oakland, are era-consistent with period insulation practice, but no hull-level material record was retrieved. Scrapped before hazmat-disclosure regimes and the asbestos-litigation era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-helm-dd388-14