Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet ee-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. Sources — real identity: USS Howard (DD-179); reclassified DMS-7 (destroyer minesweeper) 1940. Wickes-class destroyer. Namesake: Charles W. Howard (acting ensign, killed aboard USS New Ironsides 10 Oct 1863).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-howard-dd179-pkt-ee-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Howard (Destroyer No. 179)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service narrative, 1940 recommissioning through final paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS states Howard was recommissioned 29 August 1940, converted to a minesweeper and reclassified DMS-7. During World War II she performed Atlantic convoy and North Africa duties, then minesweeping and screening in the Marianas, Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Iwo Jima operations. She was reclassified AG-106 on 5 June 1945, decommissioned at Philadelphia on 30 November 1945, sold to Northern Metals Co. in 1946, and scrapped. DANFS credits six World War II battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The conversion and repair events are documented, but DANFS gives no work packages, materials inventory, asbestos content, or worker exposure findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-02
-
[3]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- 'Bureau of Ships General, Confidential, and Secret Correspondence'; 'General Information Books'; 'Board of Inspection and Survey Reports'; 'Cartographic Branch'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA identifies RG 19 ship correspondence, destroyer General Information Books (Entry P 9), ship engineering drawings filed by hull and material code S39 (insulation and lagging), and RG 38 destroyer and minecraft inspection reports as potential sources to examine for Howard's conversion and material history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- These are series-level research leads. NARA cautions that General Information Books are incomplete. No Howard-specific GIB, drawing, correspondence file, or inspection report was retrieved, and the series descriptions do not establish asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-04
-
[4]National Archives, 'Special List 44 - Named Vessels' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Howard entries in alphabetical vessel table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 indexes Howard deck logs under DD-179, DMS-7, and AG-106 for 29 January 1920-27 May 1922 and 29 August 1940-30 November 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The index confirms log holdings, not their contents. NARA explicitly says deck logs do not provide direct evidence of asbestos; individual Howard logs were not reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-05
-
[5]Batch 3183 search ledger, NHHC/NARA/NAVSEA source review, 26 September 2026 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-howard-dd179-01 through -05
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No public ship-specific asbestos survey, material specification, or abatement record for Howard was located in the NHHC, NARA, or Navy sources searched in this batch.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A bounded public-source search is not a full archival inspection and cannot prove that asbestos was absent aboard Howard or that no responsive records exist. CourtListener litigation searching is separately tracked in the ledger and was pending when this row was written.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-06
-
[6]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'Evolution of the U.S. Navy Destroyers' infographic [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wickes Class entry, Power: Steam Turbine
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An NHHC destroyer-class infographic identifies the Wickes class as steam-turbine powered. DANFS identifies Howard as Wickes class, making steam-turbine propulsion a class-level description for this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Class-level propulsion description only. It does not document Howard's exact engines or boilers, insulation composition, asbestos aboard, or crew exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-07
-
[7]Mitchell v. Del Toro, No. 1:23-cv-03775-TNM, memorandum opinion, ECF 23 (D.D.C. 26 Nov. 2024) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion pp. 1-3; CourtListener exact-name opinion result /opinion/10284235/mitchell-v-del-toro/
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener exact-name opinion search returned Mitchell v. Del Toro (D.D.C. 2024). The official district-court opinion describes a December 2019 event aboard USS Howard at San Diego in a Navy officer promotion dispute. This is other litigation involving the modern USS Howard, a name collision for DD-179, which was scrapped in 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- This is an Administrative Procedure Act and military-promotion case, not asbestos litigation. It concerns service in 2019, decades after DD-179's disposal, so it supplies no evidence for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-08
-
[8]Ernest Mitchell v. John Phelan, No. 25-5013, opinion (D.C. Cir. 13 Mar. 2026) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion pp. 1-4; CourtListener exact-name opinion result /opinion/10808406/ernest-mitchell-v-john-phelan/
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener exact-name opinion search also returned Ernest Mitchell v. John Phelan (D.C. Cir. 2026), appeal of the promotion dispute. The official appellate opinion calls the ship involved in December 2019 a guided-missile destroyer named USS Howard. This is other litigation and a name collision for DD-179, not qualifying asbestos litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Appellate judgment concerns a modern guided-missile destroyer and military personnel records, not asbestos or the historical DD-179 hull. Do not treat the exact-name search hit as exposure evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-09
-
[9]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Howard (Destroyer No. 179)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specifications block and opening service paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies Howard as a Wickes-class destroyer, launched by Union Iron Works at San Francisco on 26 April 1919, commissioned at Mare Island on 29 January 1920, and decommissioned on 27 May 1922. Its specifications block lists a complement of 101.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- DANFS documents vessel identity, chronology, and a stated complement. It does not describe asbestos, original insulation, or individual exposure. The 101 figure is the DANFS specifications figure, not a verified wartime crew count.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-01
-
[10]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Introduction and 'Beginning Research' sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA states that asbestos use in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 requires vessel-specific research. Howard served during this period, so the NARA guide establishes a relevant research context, not a material finding for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- NARA's general period statement does not identify Howard, her Wickes subclass materials, any asbestos product aboard her, a quantity, or an exposed person. The hull's 1919 original construction also predates the guide's 1941-1961 focus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-dd179-03