USS HOEL (DD-533)

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

1. [1]DANFS, Hoel I (DD-533) - live NHHC page, 2019 revision (author Stephanie Harry; published 23 October 2019; retrieved 2026-09-27 with browser user-agent - the page returns 404 to default fetchers); earlier-printing transcription cross-checked at ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd533.html [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Hoel I (DD-533)' live page, specifications block + full service narrative + commanding-officer list (footer: author Stephanie Harry, 7 October 2019; published 23 October 2019); mirror ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd533.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull (live-entry spec block: displacement 2,050; length 376'6"; beam 39'4"; draft 13'6"; speed 35.5 kt; complement 312; armament 5 x 5-inch, 6 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm, 6 dcp, 2 dct, 10 x 21-inch tt; class Fletcher): laid down 4 June 1942 at San Francisco, Calif., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched 19 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Louise Hoel Mills Crane, granddaughter of the namesake; commissioned 29 July 1943, Cmdr. William D. Thomas in command. Shakedown out of San Diego Aug-Sep 1943 (multiple depth-charge attacks on a sound contact 27-28 Aug); five-week post-shakedown availability from 17 September (earlier printing names Mare Island Navy Yard for the final alterations); departed San Francisco 26 October, Pearl Harbor 31 October; DesRon 47 flagship briefly (ComDesRon 47 Capt. A. O. Cook shifted pennant from Heermann; moved to McCord 14 December). Operation Galvanic (Gilberts): screened TG 52.3 escort carriers Liscome Bay, Corregidor, Coral Sea at Makin from 20 November; witnessed Liscome Bay's loss to I-175, 24 November (646 dead); Abemama/Tarawa duty to 3 December. Marshalls: Kwajalein (31 Jan-6 Feb 1944, radar picket and gunfire support; Roi-Namur tour for Adm. Nimitz with Miller DD-535); Eniwetok 17-26 February (bombardment of Parry/Japtan; standby fighter director); Majuro repairs; Purvis Bay 18 March; New Hanover patrol 26-27 March; Emirau convoy April; CruDiv 12 training/convoy to mid-August; Palau operation screening RAdm. Sample's escort carriers at Peleliu September; Seeadler Harbor, Manus replenishment; joined TG 77.4 12 October; attached to 'Taffy 3' (TU 77.4.3, RAdm. C. A. F. Sprague) off Samar from 18 October. Battle off Samar 25 October 1944: under fire from Adm. Kurita's Center Force (4 BB, 6 CA, 2 CL, 11 DD) from ~0650; led the destroyer torpedo attack - first hits knocked out voice radio, PPI scope, FD radar and wounded Cmdr. Thomas (screen commander, embarked) and CO Cmdr. Leon S. Kintberger; first five-torpedo half-salvo at the leading battleship (named Kongo in the earlier printing) at 9,000 yards; two 8-inch hits flooded the after fireroom/engine room and killed the port engine; rudder jammed; last five torpedoes at lead cruiser Haguro at 6,000 yards ('hot, straight, and normal' - water columns observed; Japanese records do not corroborate); drew fire between battleship and cruiser columns for about an hour on manual steering, forward guns firing 250+ rounds each; ~0815 an 8-inch shell killed the starboard engine; dead in the water listing 20 degrees by ~0840; abandon ship; rolled to port and sank 0855 in about 4,000 fathoms after an estimated 40+ direct hits. 86 survivors after ~48 hours adrift (rescued 27 October by LCI-341 and LCI-337; two further survivors reached Samar and were retrieved 15 November by LCI(G)-558); 252 officers and men perished. Stricken from the Navy Register 27 November 1944. Presidential Unit Citation and five battle stars; the earlier printing adds the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge. CO list: Cmdr. William D. Thomas (29 Jul 1943-9 Oct 1944); Cmdr. Leon S. Kintberger (9-25 Oct 1944).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-1944

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel San Francisco construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (spec complement 312; 338 aboard at loss per 252 lost + 86 survived)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history, specifications, and striking - not materials or asbestos content. Live page retrieved with a browser user-agent (returns 404 to default fetchers); verbatim earlier-printing transcription cross-checked via ibiblio. Where the two printings differ (complement 312 vs 273; dead 252 vs 253; spec-line armament '6 5-inch' misprint vs NavSource/class-standard 5 x 5-inch; torpedo-attack order 0735 'deliver fish attack' vs 0706 narrative; Liscome Bay dead 646 vs 642; Philippine PUC named only in earlier printing; stricken date only in live entry), the live 2019 revision is carried and conflicts are logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-01

2. [2]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, USS Hoel (DD-533) page - official U.S. Navy photograph captions (Naval Historical Center / NARA collections), via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror [other_primary]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library USS Hoel (DD-533) page + photo captions 80-G-65436, NH 97895-97896, 19-N-49316/-49318/-49319 (via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NHHC photo record for this hull: describes 'a 2050-ton Fletcher class destroyer built at San Francisco, California, commissioned in late July 1943,' summarizes the Gilbert Islands, Marshalls, south Pacific convoy/patrol, Peleliu, and Leyte service, and records that on the morning of 25 October 1944 east of Samar 'Hoel and other destroyers valiantly attacked them with guns and torpedoes in order to cover the escort carriers' retreat. Though Hoel was sunk in this Battle off Samar, with the loss of nearly three-quarters of her crew, her sacrifice helped to save all but one of the escort carriers and to deflect the Japanese from their mission.' Holds official photographs 80-G-65436 (San Francisco Bay, 7 August 1943), NH 97895/NH 97896 (off San Francisco, 3 August 1943), and Bureau of Ships/NARA prints 19-N-49316, 19-N-49318, 19-N-49319 (3 August 1943; 19-N-49316 notes completion with three 20mm guns forward of the pilothouse).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew

   Limitations

   Official photo captions document construction, service, and loss - not materials or asbestos content. No data-plate photograph is listed for this hull. BuShips collection prints (19-N-) are NARA-held; full-resolution versions are the archival lead.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-02

3. [3]USNI News, 'Wreck of Famed WWII Destroyer USS Johnston May Have Been Found' (30 October 2019) + BBC Future, 'The dive to find the world's deepest shipwreck' (January 2022) + Divernet Victor Vescovo interview (post-June-2022 Samuel B. Roberts expedition) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   USNI News 30 Oct 2019 (Neyland/Kraft quotes); BBC Future Jan 2022; Divernet Vescovo interview post-2022; corroborated by Military.com Taffy-3 retrospective (28 Oct 2025), which lists only Johnston and Samuel B. Roberts as located

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Wreck-status record for this hull: the Fletcher-class wreck located by R/V Petrel in the Philippine Trench (debris field announced October 2019, ~20,400 ft) was initially ambiguous between Johnston (DD-557) and Hoel - NHHC Underwater Archaeology Branch head Robert Neyland assessed 'probably Johnston' on relative location while noting wreckage features known to be on Hoel that could have been post-construction additions to Johnston; DSV Limiting Factor (Caladan Oceanic/Victor Vescovo) confirmed the wreck as Johnston in March 2021 (hull number 557 photographed; 21,180 ft, then the deepest shipwreck surveyed). Post-2022 expedition reporting (after the June 2022 Samuel B. Roberts DE-413 find at 22,621 ft) records Hoel's resting place as unlocated ('remains a mystery'). No NHHC underwater-archaeology survey of a DD-533 wreck exists.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2019-2025 expedition reporting

   Limitations

   Reputable-press expedition coverage documents wreck discovery status - not materials or asbestos content; establishes only that the hull remains an unlocated war grave and that no physical survey or materials sampling of the wreck has occurred. The 2019 ambiguity between the two Fletcher hulls is itself documented so that records of 'the deep Samar destroyer wreck' are not misattached to DD-533.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-03

4. [4]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-533 building-data block (Wayback capture 25 May 2024; live navsource.org unreachable from this environment) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bethlehem Shipbuilding record ('bethlehem-shipbuilding', tier 3 - aliases include 'Union Iron Works'; evidence weighted to Baltimore/Sparrows Point) + Fletcher-class machinery standard (class profile: 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 GE geared steam-turbine sets, 60,000 shp - BuShips Ships' Data 1945/navypedia) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-533 operational/building-data block (Wayback 2024-05-25 capture); shipyards.json record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a Fletcher-class destroyer built 1942-43 at Bethlehem Steel's San Francisco plant with the class-standard plant (4 B&W boilers, 2-shaft GE geared steam turbines, 60,000 shp - NavSource DD-533 block reads 'Machinery, 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws; Speed, 38 Knots') would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing, plus deck coverings; the builder is documented at corporate level in the Atlas yard dataset (bethlehem-shipbuilding, tier 3; 'Union Iron Works' alias covers the former Union Iron Works San Francisco plant - but the yard-level asbestos evidence is weighted to Bethlehem's Baltimore/Sparrows Point operations, not the San Francisco plant specifically).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-1944

   Population

   Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-44

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The corporate yard record's asbestos content derives mainly from Baltimore/Sparrows Point evidence; it does not establish what was installed aboard DD-533 at the San Francisco plant. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-04

5. [5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page description (full text blocked, HTTP 403 to automated fetchers; BATCH-01 standing note) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing this 1942-43-built hull (sunk 25 October 1944) entirely inside the documented asbestos-use era and decades before the Navy's abatement era; no abatement-era documentation could ever be generated for this hull.

   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; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-05

6. [6]CourtListener API v4 exact-name opinion sweep ('USS Hoel', type=o): 2 hits - United States v. Ruhling, 28 M.J. 586 (N-M Court of Military Review, 1988); Beckering v. United States, 22 Cl. Ct. 30 (1990); via cl-auth-search.py [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener opinion search 'USS Hoel' - cluster 8666962 (Ruhling, 1988-12-20) and 6930489 (Beckering, 1990-11-15)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Verified name collisions: both CourtListener 'USS Hoel' opinion hits refer to the postwar second hull, Hoel II (DDG-13, commissioned 16 June 1962, in service through the 1980s - the Ruhling concurrence notes 'the USS HOEL's participation in READ-IEX'), not to DD-533. Ruhling is a UCMJ drug-distribution case (guilty pleas, not asbestos); Beckering is a Court of Claims jurisdiction dismissal for post-discharge medical expenses after an automobile accident (not asbestos). Neither names DD-533 and neither is qualifying asbestos litigation; DD-533's service ended 25 October 1944, decades before either matter.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1988-1990 (litigation era); 2026-09-27 (sweep)

   Limitations

   Opinion-index hits fully classified as non-qualifying collisions. The docket index (type=r) and hull-number ('DD-533') queries were still pending the fleet pacing budget at research time - logged in the search ledger; any bare-name hit in either index requires hull attribution (DDG-13 is the likely referent for postwar exposure allegations). A negative sweep would not exclude unindexed dockets, unreported settlements, or state-court matters.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-06

7. [7]Batch-3509 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS page (2019 revision); ibiblio HyperWar earlier-printing DANFS transcription; NHHC Online Library captions; NavSource DD-533 building data (Wayback); NavalCoverMuseum stricken-date corroboration; Atlas shipyard dataset; wreck-discovery reporting (USNI News, BBC, Divernet, Military.com retrospective); DANFS Hoel II (DDG-13) collision-context page; open-web sweep; CourtListener opinion sweep (2 collision hits classified) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-hoel-dd533-01 through sl-uss-hoel-dd533-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-533: the hull is a 1944 war loss that was never salvaged and whose wreck remains unlocated, so no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, or postwar yard work can exist; the two CourtListener 'USS Hoel' opinion hits classify as name collisions referring to DDG-13 (non-asbestos matters); and the hull-level material-specification lead (BuShips General Information Books, NARA RG19) was not retrieved. Docket-index and hull-number CourtListener queries remained pending at research time (fleet pacing budget) - the no-qualifying-litigation component of this finding is conditional on those completing; see the litigation_sweep row and 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 - a 1942-43 steam destroyer of this class would be expected to carry era-standard insulated fit (ev-04), but that expectation is class/era inference, not a ship-specific documentation finding. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-hoel-dd533-07