Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet gb-packet.md (12 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced DANFS text)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced DANFS text)
- Evidence ID
- uss-hopewell-dd681-pkt-gb-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Hopewell II (DD-681) (specifications block, service narrative; verbatim hazegray.org transcription via Wayback capture 2024-12-09 - live NHHC page serves 404; destroyerhistory.org transcription corroborates) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray dd681txt.htm via Wayback; destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/usshopewell corroborating transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: launched by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Pedro, Calif., 2 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Spruance (wife of Admiral Spruance); commissioned at Terminal Island 30 September 1943, Comdr. C. C. Shute in command. WWII Pacific service: Marshalls picket duty and Kwajalein/Roi-Namur bombardment (31 January-1 February 1944); northern New Guinea operations incl. Aitape (Hollandia, 22 April); New Ireland bombardment 29 May; ASW patrol with Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75); Morotai invasion (arrived 16 September, shot down an attacking plane); Leyte reinforcement (missed the Battle for Leyte Gulf on a damaged propeller; shot down two aircraft in the 26 October convoy action); Mindoro assault 15 December (fought fires aboard LST-472); Lingayen Gulf landings 9 January 1945; Corregidor assault 14 February - four shore-battery hits, battery control station knocked out, 17 casualties, assisted damaged YMS-48; Manus then San Francisco repairs (arrived 17 March); Pearl Harbor training; Guam at the surrender, sailing that day with a TF 38 refueling group; occupation duty to 21 October 1945; Puget Sound Navy Yard 8 November; decommissioned San Diego 15 January 1947, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 28 March 1951 at San Diego; Korea from 18 June - TF 77 screening, Wonsan bombardment, Formosa Patrol August-September 1951; Mare Island Yard 5 February 1952; second Korea tour 11 August 1952-3 March 1953 (TF 77, Wonsan, Formosa, training Nationalist Chinese sailors, screening Missouri BB-63 in late January 1953). Fourth Far East cruise included the February 1955 Tachen Islands evacuation; 11 November 1955 an attack bomber crashed into her amidships during amphibious training, killing five and starting gasoline fires - lengthy San Diego repairs; resumed operations 24 March 1956; WestPac pattern 1956-1959; refit from 12 November 1959; Vietnam deployments 1960-1967 (February 1963 rescue of a Ticonderoga CVA-14 A-3B crewman; a three-month gunfire cruise: 2,276 rounds, 112 structures destroyed, a Viet Cong mortar position silenced); gunnery/ASW school ship for the remainder of 1966. Nine WWII battle stars and four Korean battle stars. Spec block: dp. 2,050; 376'6" x 39'8"; dr. 17'9"; s. 37; cpl. 319; a. 5 5", 10 40mm., 7 20mm., 10 21" tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. Fletcher.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1970
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel San Pedro construction trades 1942-43; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 319)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. No laying-down date is printed for this hull (launch and commissioning only). Mirror transcriptions cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center (NHHC), Online Library of Selected Images: USS Hopewell (DD-681), 1943-1972 (ibiblio mirror of the official NHC page; photos incl. NH 89658, NH 99421-99425, NH 53565, NH 44906) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHC Online Library DD-681 page: narrative paragraphs + photo captions NH 99421-99425, NH 53565, NH 44906
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHC narrative and photo captions for this hull: confirms the DANFS service summary and supplies the disposition the DANFS text lacks - 'In early January 1970, less than a half-year after returning from her 14th post-World War II Far Eastern cruise, USS Hopewell was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. She was sunk as a target off Southern California on 11 February 1972.' Adds the aircraft identity for the 11 November 1955 crash (a Navy AD5N attack aircraft; five dead - three in the aircraft, two aboard) and dates Vietnam combat participation as early 1966 to mid-1969. Photo captions document Bay Area and yard periods: NH 99421/99422 show her off the Mare Island Navy Yard 11 May 1945; NH 99423/99424 show her at Mare Island Naval Shipyard 4 June 1952; NH 99425 (circa 1952) notes the ship 'has been converted to carry four 5"/38 guns and three 3"/50 twin gun mounts' while retaining WWII-era air-search radar.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Crew 1943-1947 and 1951-1970; Mare Island and Puget Sound shipyard workers during documented availabilities
- Limitations
- Documents service history, disposition, and yard-period presence, not materials or asbestos content. Yard photos establish presence at the yard on the captioned dates, not the scope of work performed. The circa-1952 armament conversion note describes a limited update, consistent with the INSURV finding that the ship was never modernized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-02
-
[4]Reproduced official documents on ub88.org (UB88 Project, G. Fabian): 'Survey of USS HOPEWELL (DD-681)' - First Endorsement on PRESINSURV ltr ser 2178 of 30 Sept 1969, CNO to SECNAV, 14 Nov 1969; Second Endorsement, SECNAV to CNO, 18 Nov 1969 (Frank Sanders, Asst. SECNAV I&L); CNO naval message 8 Jan 1972, 'WALLEYE II TEST UTILIZING TARGET HULL' [other_primary]
- Locator
- ub88.org USS Hopewell 'Ship's History' page (via Wayback capture 2024-11-05; live page returns HTTP 406): INSURV endorsements and Walleye II message transcriptions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Disposal-decision documents reproduced verbatim for this hull: the Board of Inspection and Survey found DD-681 'unfit for further naval service' - 'The ship has not been modernized, and her capabilities are not up to fleet standards... To bring her capabilities up to date, and also to undertake required repairs, would be prohibitively costly' - and recommended striking; the CNO endorsed striking on 2 January 1970 under Title 10, USC 7304 and certified the ship not essential to the defense of the United States (Title 10, USC 7307); the SECNAV approved 18 November 1969. The 8 January 1972 CNO message authorized 'EX-HOPEWELL (DD-681) berthed at INACTSHIPFAC San Diego, Calif' as a Walleye II test target hull replacing EX-JOHN C. BUTLER (DE-339, which broke up in heavy weather), directing 'completion of any remaining target hull stripping' and disposal 'as target to destruction.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1969-1972
- Population
- Board of Inspection and Survey; Naval Inactive Ship Facility San Diego staff 1970-1972; target-stripping and tow/sinking detail personnel
- Limitations
- Verbatim text of official Navy correspondence reproduced on a private dive-research site (ub88.org, Gary Fabian) rather than a government server - provenance caveat noted; the content is internally consistent with NHHC's disposition summary (decommissioned/stricken early January 1970; sunk 11 February 1972). The documents establish the disposal decision and target-hull stripping order but do not mention asbestos; stripping scope and material disposition are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-03
-
[5]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-681 USS HOPEWELL (operational/building data block) + UB88 Project dive report (12 February 2011) and Fletcher-class disposal table [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/05/681.htm operational data block (indexed snippet); ub88.org USS Hopewell dive report and square-bridge Fletcher disposal table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary reference corroboration for this hull's construction and disposition dates: NavSource operational data block reads 'Laid down by Bethlehem Steel, San Pedro. October 29 1942. Launched May 2 1943 and commissioned September 30 1943. Decommissioned January 15 1947, recommissioned March 28 1951. Decommissioned January 2 1970. Stricken January 2 1970. Fate Sunk as target off California February 11 1972' - supplying the laying date DANFS omits and exact striking/sinking dates consistent with the INSURV endorsements and NHHC. NavSource machinery data reads 60,000 SHP, Westinghouse turbines, 2 screws, 38 knots, crew 273. UB88's dive report (Kendall Raine) and disposal table place the sinking off San Clemente Island and record the wreck located and dived 12 February 2011, lying on its side.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Crew 1943-1947 and 1951-1970
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled sources (NavSource index, dive-research project) consistent with official documents - not themselves Navy records. Crew figure (273) conflicts with the DANFS spec block (319) - documented in gaps. Direct NavSource fetch was blocked; data captured from the indexed page snippet and the ub88 Fletcher disposal table. Wreck position is approximate (off San Clemente Island); exact coordinates not published in sources consulted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-04
-
[6]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 37 kt, cpl. 319) + navypedia Fletcher-class member table (DD-681 row: Bethlehem San Pedro, laid 10/1942, launched 2.5.1943, commissioned 9/1943, stricken 1970) + NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; navypedia us_dd_fletcher.htm member row DD-681; shipyards.json (builder absent; 'mare-island-naval-shipyard', 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard' present); NARA RG19 lead
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer built October 1942-September 1943 with a four-boiler/60,000-shp steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder yard - Bethlehem Steel's San Pedro (Terminal Island) yard - is NOT represented in the Atlas shipyard dataset (the 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' entry covers the Quincy/Sparrows Point/Union Iron Works sites), so no yard-level asbestos record can be associated; documented repair availabilities at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (1945, 1952) and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (November 1945) sit in the dataset with their own asbestos records. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are an unretrieved archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-1947, 1951-1970; Mare Island/Puget Sound yard workers during availabilities; INACTSHIPFAC San Diego and target-stripping personnel 1970-1972
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull (see ev-07). Yard-level asbestos records for Mare Island/Puget Sound document those yards, not work performed on DD-681. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [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 DD-681's construction (1942-43) and entire commissioned service (1943-1947, 1951-1970) inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- 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-hopewell-dd681-06
-
[8]Batch-3656 search ledger (this record): DANFS mirrors (hazegray via Wayback; destroyerhistory.org); NHHC Online Library (ibiblio); ub88.org reproduced INSURV/CNO disposal documents; NavSource index; navypedia class table; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener (see sl-07 for status); NARA catalog (no digitized hull records located); law-firm/aggregator ship pages (excluded per sourcing rules) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hopewell-dd681-01 through sl-uss-hopewell-dd681-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, materials inventory, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding located for DD-681 in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was expended as a test target in 1972 - before modern asbestos documentation practice - and never became a museum, so the disclosure channels that produced ship-specific records for preserved hulls do not exist here. The reproduced 1969 INSURV endorsements and the 8 January 1972 CNO target-hull message document the disposal decision and ordered 'completion of any remaining target hull stripping' but do not mention asbestos; the stripping scope is undocumented. CourtListener: the exact-name opinion query returned zero results and the name+hull docket sweep returned only place-name collisions (sl-07) - no qualifying asbestos litigation located, with the hull-number opinion query pending at session end.
- 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 - era-standard applications are documented at class/era level (ev-05, ev-06). The hull no longer exists at the surface, so present-day ACM status is moot; the wreck's material condition is undocumented. Litigation sweep partially complete: exact-name opinions negative and docket hits all collisions, but the 'DD-681' opinion query remained blocked at session end - not a full litigation negative finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hopewell-dd681-07