Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet ie-packet.md (5 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. — real identity: USS Herbert C. Jones; hull DE-137; destroyer escort, Edsall class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-pkt-ie-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Herbert C. Jones (DE-137) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking and sale; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative + bracketed disposition note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: Edsall class; dp. 1,200; l. 306'; b. 36'7"; dr. 8'7"; 21 kt; cpl. 186; launched 19 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex., sponsored by Mrs. Joanne Ruth Jones (widow of the namesake); commissioned 21 July 1943, Lt. Comdr. Alfred W. Gardes, Jr., in command; Caribbean shakedown; Naval Research Laboratory glider-bomb control experiments; Mediterranean escort from October 1943; German aircraft destroyed 6 November and 26 November 1943; fitted with radio-jamming sets early December 1943 with sister Frederick C. Davis (DE-136); Anzio glider-bomb jamming and air-raid warning; Navy Unit Commendation; southern France 16 August - September 1944; New York arrival 17 October for overhaul; Atlantic hunter-killer duty December 1944 to V-E Day; Pacific transit 24 June 1945; Pearl Harbor at surrender; Marshall Islands patrol; Green Cove Springs 15 March 1946; decommissioned in reserve 2 May 1947; berthed Philadelphia 1967; bracketed note: struck from the Navy list 1 July 1972 and sold 19 July 1973. Three battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1973
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS omits the laid-down date (carried from secondary compilations - see gaps). Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC pages return 404 for this entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-01
-
[3]U.S.S. Herbert C. Jones (DE-137), 'History of the U.S.S. Herbert C. Jones (DE-137)', ship-submitted war history, Fleet Post Office San Francisco, 1 December 1945 (scanned document hosted by NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Scanned five-page document, navsource.net images/137/06137wh.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-authored 1945 war history for this hull (five typed pages): commission 21 July 1943 at Orange, Tex.; post-shakedown availability at Navy Yard Charleston, S.C.; Naval Research Laboratory engineers installed glider-bomb investigation equipment at Navy Yard Washington, D.C., 17-30 September 1943; rammed by HMS Universal entering Algiers 16 October 1943 (hole ~9 ft x 3 ft in compartment C-203-L; four days alongside USS Vulcan for repair); TG 80.2 North African convoy escort; KMF-25A action 6 November (USS Beatty sunk during the engagement) and KMF-26 heavy air attack 26 November 1943; powerful jamming set installed early December; Anzio from 22 January 1944 - 277 air raids in first 12 weeks, ship in the immediate area 40 of first 64 days; two near-miss glider bombs 15 February 1944 caused considerable hull damage, emergency repairs Naples 19 February; 15-day tender availability Oran from 31 March (first yard period since the U.S.; underway ~70% of the time); southern France assault screen off San Raphael 16 August - 19 September 1944; convoy GUS-53 to New York Navy Yard, arrived 18 October for 30-day availability; Escort Division Nine hunter-killer group from December 1944 (Guantanamo training, carrier qualifications off Jacksonville); 15 February 1945 air coverage for ships returning President Roosevelt from Yalta; 10-day New York Navy Yard availability; 27 March - 12 May 1945 North Atlantic barrier patrols (during which USS Frederick C. Davis was torpedoed); group dissolved June; Panama transit 20 July; voyage repairs San Diego; Pearl Harbor 2 August; Wake Island station ship relieving USS Levy 10 September - 25 October 1945; Eniwetok air-sea patrol; signed Paul D. Bartlett, Jr., Lt., USNR, for R.A. Soule III, Commander, USNR, Commanding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew and embarked NRL technical personnel; navy yard and tender repair personnel 1943-45
- Limitations
- Ship-generated primary narrative; documents dates, damage/repair and yard-availability episodes (which are the maintenance-disturbance pathways of interest) but contains no materials or asbestos statements. A few lines of the scan are low-contrast; the cover page is a drawing. The New York arrival reads 18 October vs DANFS 17 October - conflict carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-02
-
[4]DANFS specifications block (Edsall class; 21 kt) + NavSource DE-137 specification block (4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesels, 4 diesel generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; complement 8/201) + shipbuildinghistory.com Consolidated Steel Orange build table (yard hull 260; contract 10-Jan-42; laid 30-Nov-42; launched 19-Jan-43; delivered 21-Jul-43; scrapped 1973) + Texas Historical Commission marker 'Office of the Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Consolidated Steel Corporation' (Orange, 2008) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; navsource.net/archives/06/137.htm specification block; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/consolidatedorange.htm row 260; hmdb.org/m.asp?m=116218 (THC marker text)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Edsall-class geared-diesel destroyer escort built 1942-43 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel ship - exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and deck coverings - but no boilers or steam-line lagging (the largest asbestos categories of steam warships do not apply). Builder yard context: Consolidated Steel's Orange, Tex. yard produced 39 destroyers and ~100-110 destroyer escorts with ~20,000 peak workers (Texas Historical Commission marker; shipbuildinghistory.com yard table lists this hull as yard no. 260).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule, materials list, or hull survey for DE-137 was located; NavSource and shipbuildinghistory are reputable secondary compilations, not primary sources. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-03
-
[5]VA adjudication guidance as applied in BVA decisions: Navy Job Titles (Ratings) and Probability of Asbestos Exposure chart (M21-1, IV.ii.1.I.3.d; Part VIII subpart iii 7.C.1.b) - engineering ratings incl. machinist's mate and fireman rated probable to highly probable asbestos exposure aboard Navy ships (BVA Citation 1715957, 2017; see also A23030302, 2023) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA Citation Nr 1715957, finding-of-fact paragraph 2 (ratings chart); BVA A23030302 (M21-1 cites)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Official VA adjudication materials acknowledge asbestos exposure aboard Navy ships by occupational rating: the M21-1 Navy ratings probability chart classifies machinist's mate and fireman-type ratings as probable to highly probable exposure, and BVA decisions apply it to WWII-era engine-room personnel. This is a fleet-level administrative acknowledgment consistent with era asbestos use in ship construction and operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- wartime-1980s exposure era; decisions 2017-2023
- Population
- Navy engineering ratings (era context)
- Limitations
- Fleet/era-level administrative material; names no hull and no specific ship, and does not establish asbestos presence aboard DE-137. VA's current manual location for the chart has moved between M21-1 editions (Part VI 7.21; IV.ii.1.I.3.d; Part VIII iii 7.C.1.b) - quoted section identifiers vary by decision year.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-04
-
[6]National Archives and NHHC photographic holdings for this hull, per NavSource catalog attributions: 19-N-50637 (launch, Orange, Tex., 19 Jan 1943); 80-G-227245/227246/227250/227251 (Mediterranean, 1943-44); 19-N-77794 and 19-N-80964/80965/80966 (New York Navy Yard, Nov 1944 - Mar 1945); NH 79826 (laid up, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, May 1970); plus war-diary excerpts transcribed from NARA records (16 Oct 1943 Algiers collision) and the ship's 1945 War History (RG 38 family) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/137.htm photo captions with NARA/NH catalog numbers; RG 19-N, RG 80-G, NH series
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photographs and ship-generated records for this hull exist in National Archives series: launch photo 19-N-50637; Mediterranean photos 80-G-227245/46/50/51; New York Navy Yard overhaul-period photos 19-N-77794, 19-N-80964/65/66 (Nov 1944, Mar 1945); reserve-fleet photo NH 79826 (May 1970). War-diary text quoted by NavSource contributors (16 October 1943 Algiers collision narrative) and the 1945 ship-submitted War History indicate RG 38 operational records survive. These holdings could support hull-level material/condition research.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- n/a (records existence)
- Limitations
- Archival-lead row: holdings are verified to exist via catalog attributions on NavSource (secondary index) but the underlying NARA records were not retrieved; NARA's online catalog search was not accessible in-session (API endpoint requires a key). Deck logs and war diaries for this hull are not publicly digitized. None of these items is known to contain asbestos statements.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-05
-
[7]Batch-4046 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS transcription; ship-submitted 1945 War History; NavSource index; shipbuildinghistory.com yard table; THC marker; VA BVA decisions; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries; law-firm list pages (excluded); NARA catalog; GAO HRD-80-2 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-01 through sl-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-137: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation (ship scrapped 1973), or docketed case naming the vessel was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Law-firm list pages that place this hull on generic 'destroyer escorts with asbestos' rosters were located and excluded as non-authoritative marketing content.
- 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 - era materials aboard a 1943 escort scrapped in 1973 were never surveyed in any public record found. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (via fleet cl-auth-search.py): "USS Herbert C. Jones" type=o; "Herbert C. Jones" type=o; "DE-137" type=o [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search API v4 type=o results reviewed 2026-09-28; type=r attempt throttled
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: "USS Herbert C. Jones" opinions search returned zero results. "Herbert C. Jones" opinions search returned 49 hits, all person-name collisions - a physician plaintiff (Richmond Medical Center v. Gilmore), attorneys of record (Cox v. Wedemeyer; Wade v. Thorsen; State ex rel. Meloy v. Barger), and other individuals - none vessel-related and none asbestos. "DE-137" opinions search returned 45 hits, all docket-entry-number collisions ('[DE 137]', '[DE-137]') in unrelated civil, criminal, and administrative dockets - none vessel-related. No qualifying asbestos litigation, and no litigation of any kind naming this vessel, was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28 (index coverage)
- Limitations
- Opinion-index sweep only; RECAP docket-text sweep of "Herbert C. Jones" was attempted but deferred under fleet-wide CourtListener pacing (see search_ledger sl-08) - unindexed docket text could still contain the ship name. A zero opinion count does not prove no filing ever named the hull. Classified at the less-final stage: all hits reviewed at snippet level, none rose to a qualifying vessel reference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herbert-c-jones-de137-07
