Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Hobson (DD-464/DMS-26) - verbatim transcriptions at ibiblio HyperWar (dms26) and hazegray (dd464, Wayback capture 2019-10-23); live NHHC page returns 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry (spec block + full service narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched by Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., 8 September 1941, sponsored by Mrs. R. P. Hobson (widow of Rear Admiral Hobson); commissioned 22 January 1942, Comdr. R. N. McFarlane. WWII service: Ranger escort to Africa; Torch/Fedhala screening; Argentia convoy duty incl. Churchill Quebec Conference convoy (Jul 1943); Home Fleet/Scapa Flow and the 24 Oct 1943 Bodo raid; Bogue hunter-killer group - U-575 sunk 13 Mar 1944; Utah Beach D-Day bombardment and USS Corry survivor rescue; Cherbourg bombardment 25 Jun 1944; Southern France landings 15 Aug 1944. Arrived Charleston 10 Nov 1944, converted to destroyer-minesweeper at the Naval Shipyard, reclassified DMS-26 on 15 Nov 1944; Okinawa advance sweeping, radar picket duty, and the 16 Apr 1945 kamikaze attack (bomb exploded on main deck, major fire; rescued 100+ Pringle survivors); repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 16 Jun 1945; postwar East Coast/Caribbean mine and amphibious operations. Night of 26 Apr 1952, ~700 miles west of the Azores, collided with USS Wasp - struck amidships, rolled over, broke in two; ship and 176 of her crew lost incl. CO Lt. Comdr. W. J. Tierney. Six battle stars; shared Presidential Unit Citation (Bogue group). Spec block: dp. 1,630; l. 348'1"; b. 36'1"; dr. 15'5"; s. 38 k.; cpl. 208; cl. Bristol.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1952
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1940-42; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 208; 237 aboard at loss)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC DANFS page returns 404 (2026-09-27) - verbatim transcriptions cited. DANFS states no laid-down or stricken date for this hull; DANFS gives 16 Jun 1945 for Norfolk arrival vs 15 Jun in NHHC H-071-1 - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-01
-
[2]NHHC H-Gram H-071-1, 'Loss of USS Hobson (DMS-26),' Samuel J. Cox, Director NHHC, March 2022 - sourced from 'Pertinent Extracts of the Findings of Court of Inquiry, Collision of USS WASP and USS HOBSON,' CNO Third Endorsement dated [redacted] December 1952 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- H-Gram 071, Attachment 1 - sections 'The Ship,' 'Destroyer-Minesweeper Conversion,' 'Operation Iceberg,' collision narrative and findings
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC history quoting the Court of Inquiry findings: of the 237 officers and men aboard Hobson at the collision, 176 lost their lives and 61 survived; 'the HOBSON was a total loss including all log books and records'; the Court's approved opinion held the sole cause was Hobson's unexplained left turn about 2224 - 'a grave error in judgment' by the CO, whose reasons 'will never be known'; no other person responsible; material readiness of both ships good. NHHC also documents the 16 Apr 1945 kamikaze damage in detail (250-lb delayed-action bomb into the deckhouse; fires in the gunnery workshop, machine shop, and electrical shop; hole in the deck over the forward engine room; mangled steam and power lines; 4 killed, 8 wounded; 136 of Pringle's survivors rescued), the Norfolk repair arrival 15 Jun 1945, and gives the laid-down date as 11 Nov 1940.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1952 (article March 2022)
- Population
- 237 officers and men aboard at loss; 61 survivors; crew 1942-1952
- Limitations
- Official NHHC publication; no asbestos/materials content. The Court of Inquiry was not unanimous (majority and minority opinions exist in the record) and the convening authority's endorsement was partial - the finding is described here exactly as NHHC records it, not as unanimous blame. The 11 Nov 1940 laid-down date conflicts with NavSource's 14 Nov - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-02
-
[3]Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy - 'Findings of U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry into Collision of USS Hobson and USS Wasp' (1952), multi-part scanned record, JAG library investigations archive (Wayback capture; live jag.navy.mil links dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- JAG library 'hobson wasp 1952 pt 1.pdf' - convening order (p.1) and convening-authority endorsement (early pages); parts 1-8 exist in the same archive
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CINCLANTFLT convening order FF1-2/A17-6 (serial 41866), 29 April 1952, ordered a court of inquiry to convene at U.S. Naval Base New York on 7 May 1952 into the collision 'at or near Latitude 42-21 North Longitude 44-15 West on or about 27 April 1952,' directing findings of fact, opinions, and recommendations on cause, damages, deaths/injuries and line-of-duty status, and responsibility. The record comprises a majority opinion and a minority opinion; the convening authority's endorsement concurs in the findings of fact but only partially in numbered paragraphs of the majority opinion (part 1 OCR, endorsement pages).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1952
- Population
- 237 aboard Hobson at loss; Court of Inquiry witnesses (Wasp/Rodman/Hobson survivors)
- Limitations
- Administrative Navy investigation, not litigation; contains no asbestos or materials content. Convening order dates the collision 'on or about 27 April' vs the 26 April night of record in DANFS/USNI - a date-convention difference (ship time vs Zulu), carried in gaps. PDFs are image scans; part 1 OCR'd for this record. Not all eight parts were individually OCR-verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-03
-
[4]U.S. Naval Academy, Nimitz Library Special Collections & Archives - Hobson-Wasp Collision Collection, 1952-1953, MS 245 (finding aid, EAD) [museum_official]
- Locator
- USNA Nimitz Library SCA finding aid MS 245 - Summary, History of the Hobson-Wasp Collision, Description of Contents
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MS 245 (2.59 linear ft): photograph album and scrapbook compiled by Capt. Burnham C. McCaffree (Wasp's CO) - newspaper clippings, Navy dispatches, Wasp deck-log extracts, press releases, photographs, list of Hobson survivors, collision route diagram, narratives, witness statements/arguments. Finding aid restates: Task Unit 88.1.1 of TG 88.1; night of 26 Apr 1952 Hobson (LCDR William J. Tierney) struck on starboard side amidships, split in two, sank within four minutes; 176 died including Tierney; 52 survived (the finding aid itself notes 'other sources give different fatality-survivor figures'); Wasp repaired at Bayonne, N.J., in a record ten days with a new bow section from sister ship Hornet (CV-12). Access unrestricted; gift of RADM McCaffree, accession 88-03.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1952-1953 (collection); finding aid 1990, encoded 2014
- Population
- Hobson survivors and next-of-kin (correspondence/clippings)
- Limitations
- Archival lead - collection contents not item-level digitized or inspected; asbestos content unlikely but unverified. Survivor count (52) conflicts with Court of Inquiry extracts (61) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-04
-
[5]NavSource Naval History - Destroyer Photo Index DD-464 and Mine Warfare index DMS-26 (building data, specifications, CO roster, struck date) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/05/464.htm (DD-464) and /archives/11/0926.htm (DMS-26) - 'Operational and Building Data' blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource indexes for this hull: laid down 14 November 1940 at Charleston Navy Yard; launched 8 September 1941; commissioned 22 January 1942; converted to High Speed Minesweeper DMS-26 on 15 November 1944; lost by collision with Wasp (CV-18) 26 April 1952 ('struck amidships, rolled over, broke in two and sank; 176 of her crew were lost'); struck from the Naval Register 14 May 1952; machinery 50,000 shp Westinghouse geared turbines, 2 screws, 35 kt; call sign NWKV; commanding-officer roster from LCDR R. N. McFarlane (Jan 1942) through LCDR William J. Tierney (Mar 1952 - 26 Apr 1952).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1952
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official figures (volunteer-run photographic archive); the 14 Nov 1940 laid-down date conflicts with NHHC H-071-1's 11 Nov - carried in gaps; the 14 May 1952 struck date is not independently verified against the Naval Vessel Register (sunk vessels are not indexed in the live NVR).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-05
-
[6]Smithsonian Institution, SIRIS Art Inventories Catalog - 'USS Hobson Memorial' (sculpture), record siris_ari_326488 [museum_official]
- Locator
- SIRIS object record siris_ari_326488
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Smithsonian SIRIS record: USS Hobson Memorial - a shaft with sundial at White Point Gardens, Charleston, S.C.; the date and time of the collision 'April 26, 1952 ... 10:26 P.M.' engraved near the dial; base of different-colored stones representing the thirty-eight home states of the drowned sailors; shaft lists their names, rank, age, residence; dedicated April 25, 1954; administered by City of Charleston Department of Parks; erected by the USS Hobson Memorial Society.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1954
- Population
- 176 lost crew commemorated
- Limitations
- Memorial documentation, not vessel documentation; no asbestos content. Dedication date 25 April 1954 (SIRIS) vs 26 April 1954 on the marker inscription - minor conflict noted. Marker stands in White Point Garden (Battery), Charleston.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-06
-
[7]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' DMS-26 entry (DANFS-derived spec block: high-pressure superheated boilers, geared turbines, twin screws, 50,000 h.p.; DMS configuration complement 276) + Atlas benson-gleaves-class profile (class_f worktree, 2026-09-16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar DMS-26 spec block; benson-gleaves-class.class.json class_notes + evidence rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a Gleaves-class destroyer built 1940-42 with four high-pressure superheated boilers and geared steam turbines (50,000 shp, two shafts) would have carried period-standard asbestos applications - boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The Atlas Benson/Gleaves class profile records that no ship-specific asbestos documentation was located for any of the 96 completed class members.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1952
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1940-42; crew 1942-52
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material schedule or asbestos record for DD-464; does not establish presence, quantity, exposure, or legal eligibility. Boiler manufacturer per-hull not verified (class records indicate Babcock & Wilcox-type for the class; NavSource lists Westinghouse geared turbines for this hull).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-07
-
[8]DANFS service narrative (Charleston arrival/conversion Nov 1944; Norfolk Naval Shipyard arrival 16 Jun 1945) + NHHC H-071-1 (Mount 54 removal, acoustic-minesweep gear; kamikaze-damage spaces) + Atlas shipyards.json records 'charleston-naval-shipyard' and 'norfolk-naval-shipyard' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative paragraphs on conversion and repair; NHHC H-071-1 conversion/damage sections; shipyards.json yard records
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented yard periods aboard this hull: (1) construction at Charleston Navy Yard 1940-42; (2) conversion at Charleston Naval Shipyard - arrived 10 Nov 1944, reclassified DMS-26 on 15 Nov 1944; NHHC documents removal of the aftermost 5-inch mount (Mount 54) and installation of acoustic-mine sweeping gear, with trials/shakedown off Charleston and Norfolk through December; (3) battle-damage repair at Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 16 Jun 1945 (DANFS; NHHC gives 15 Jun) after the 16 Apr 1945 kamikaze bomb damage to the deckhouse, gunnery/machine/electrical shops, and steam/power lines - still under repair at V-J Day. Both yards are Atlas-documented asbestos-relevant yards (evidence_tier 2 in shipyards.json).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Charleston Naval Shipyard conversion trades Nov-Dec 1944; Norfolk Naval Shipyard repair trades Jun-Dec 1945
- Limitations
- The yard events are ship-specific (DANFS-documented); the asbestos scope of the conversion and repair work is era inference - no material schedule, work package, or abatement record located for either period. NARA RG19 General Information Books and Charleston/Norfolk yard work records are the open archival leads. Norfolk arrival date conflict (15 vs 16 Jun) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-08
-
[9]Batch-3447 search ledger (this record): DANFS mirrors, NHHC H-071-1, JAG court-of-inquiry record, USNA MS 245, NavSource indexes, Smithsonian SIRIS, USNI Naval History, CourtListener API v4 sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hobson-dd464-01 through sl-uss-hobson-dd464-18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was a total loss at sea on 26 April 1952 (all log books and records lost per Court of Inquiry extracts) in approximately 2,600 fathoms (USNI) - never scrapped or museum-held, so no post-service abatement or survey record exists for the extant wreck; any era materials went down with the ship.
- 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 - a 1940-42 steam destroyer's materials were era-typical. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. A surviving crew member's exposure would be documented, if anywhere, in claim-specific filings, not in ship-level records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 sweeps, 2026-09-27, via fleet-authenticated helper: opinions and RECAP dockets [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hobson-dd464-09 through sl-uss-hobson-dd464-16
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. Sweeps: 'USS Hobson' - opinions 0, dockets 0; 'DMS-26' - 0; 'DD-464' - 1 hit (name collision: Fla. appellate docket number in Geiger v. Duval Cty. Sch. Bd., 357 So. 2d 442, 1978); 'Hobson'+'Wasp' - 1 hit (name collision: The Merrimac, 17 F. Cas. 126, D. Or. 1874, a tug named Merrimac); 'Hobson' asbestos - 148 opinions and 462 docket hits, all person-name collisions (plaintiffs, judges, attorneys surnamed Hobson; e.g. Hobson v. American Standard MDL-875 member cases) - no vessel reference; 'aboard the Hobson' - 1 hit (name collision: Danstrup v. The Richmond P. Hobson, 118 F. Supp. 453, E.D.N.Y. 1954, a maintenance-and-cure libel against the Liberty ship SS Richmond P. Hobson - the same-admiral namesake, not this hull, and not asbestos).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Index and OCR coverage limits apply; RECAP full-text is searched at docket level and ship references inside unindexed filings could exist undetected. The Liberty-ship namesake (SS Richmond P. Hobson) is a documented collision trap for 'Hobson' litigation queries - hits must be hull-verified before classification. Sweep is a negative finding for asbestos litigation, not a finding about the 1952 collision, which was an administrative Court of Inquiry, not a lawsuit.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hobson-dd464-10