Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet ig-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-inch-de146-pkt-ig-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Inch (DE-146), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (1968) Vol. 3 p.423 - verbatim transcription; live NHHC page serves 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (losthistory.net/hazegray transcription of DANFS 1968 Vol. 3, p.423)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 19 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; launched 4 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Philip L. Inch, daughter-in-law of Rear Admiral Richard Inch (namesake); commissioned 8 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. C. W. Frey in command. Shakedown off Bermuda, then convoy escort New York-Norfolk. Joined a hunter-killer group built around escort carrier Croatan (CVE-25); DANFS dates the joining 'early in 1945' - an internal typo for 1944 (the group 'sailed 24 March' and the U-boat kills it narrates occurred June-July 1944; see gaps). On the evening of 11 June, with Frost (DE-144) and Huse (DE-145), attacked a contact; after 40+ depth charges the submarine surfaced signaling SOS, the escorts opened fire and destroyed U-490 - all 60 German sailors rescued. On 3 July the group scored a second kill on U-154. Reached New York 14 May 1945; after repairs conducted a second shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay; sailed to the Pacific departing the Canal Zone 23 July; touched San Diego and Pearl Harbor and remained in Hawaiian waters for invasion-of-Japan training (arrived 12 August, capitulation announced). Sailed 5 September for Norfolk via the Panama Canal, arrived 28 September 1945. Decommissioned 17 May 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, berthed at Norfolk. Four battle stars for WWII service. Bracketed supplement (Bauer & Roberts, Register of Ships 1775-1990): stricken from the Navy Register 1 October 1972; sold 21 March 1974. DANFS specifications block: Edsall class; 1,200 t; 306 ft; beam 36 ft 7 in; draft 8 ft 7 in; 21 kt; complement 186.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design-block specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Its 'early in 1945' hunter-killer joining date is internally inconsistent - U-490 and U-154 were sunk in June and July 1944 (confirmed by NARA photo 80-G-270265 and uboat.net fate records); the correct joining window is early 1944. Verbatim transcription mirror cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' Vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010, 15 April 1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels (DE) roster, book p.249, roster line 168 (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf, DE roster book p.249 (PDF p.134), line 168 'INCH DE-146' (OCR-verified at 300 dpi)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official contemporaneous BuShips roster entry naming this hull: 'INCH DE-146' listed under design group FMR (Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse gear drive), built by Consolidated Steel Corp. (Orange, Tex. - ditto-marked row); contract price $1,988,000; contract signed 10 January 1942; keel laid 19 January 1943; launched 23 March 1943; date of preliminary acceptance 26 July 1943; date of first commission 30 August 1943. Confirms the FMR design group, builder, contract price, and the official build-date sequence as recorded by the Bureau of Ships in 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (document publication 15 April 1945)
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Corp. construction workforce, Orange, Tex., 1943
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous official roster: keel-laid date (19 Jan 1943) agrees with DANFS, but BuShips launch (23 Mar 1943) and first-commission (30 Aug 1943) dates conflict with DANFS (4 Apr 1943 / 8 Sep 1943). 'First commission' in this table can denote a preliminary/acceptance milestone distinct from the ceremonial commissioning; the conflict is documented in gaps, not reconciled. Roster records build data and design group only - not materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' Vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010, 15 April 1945), DE design-group characteristics tables, book pp.234-235 (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf, DE design-group characteristics tables, book pp.234-235 (PDF p.127), FMR rows 4 in both tables (OCR-verified at 300 dpi)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips characteristics table for the FMR design group (to which DE-146 is assigned in the same volume's roster): 'FMR = Fairbanks Morse diesel reverse gear drive'; 2 propellers; FM diesel model 38D8-1/8; 6,000 shaft horsepower; boilers column reads 'None' - in contrast to the TE/TEV/WGT groups, which list 'D' express boilers at 435 psi / 750 deg.F; ship's-service generators: 2 diesel-driven 100 kW; fuel oil 1,959 barrels. Dimensions: 306 ft overall / 300 ft waterline; beam 36 ft 7 in; standard displacement 1,200 t, full load 1,590 t; trial speed 21.2 kt; total accommodations 15 officers / 201 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (document publication)
- Population
- Edsall-class (FMR) crews - design accommodations 216
- Limitations
- Design-group (class-level) characteristics from an official source - establishes this hull's machinery configuration (geared diesel, no boilers or steam system) but is not a hull material schedule and does not document insulation content or asbestos aboard DE-146. Accommodations figure (216) differs from DANFS design complement (186); DANFS figure carried at top level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-03
-
[5]Official U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-270265, National Archives collections (Naval Historical Center Online Library picture-data page via HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHC Online Library picture-data page for 80-G-270265 (HyperWar mirror of history.navy.mil collection)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy photograph in National Archives collections: 'Prisoners from German submarine U-490 ... on Inch's quarter deck, awaiting transfer to USS Croatan (CVE-25), 12 June 1944. U-490 had been sunk the previous night.' Independently corroborates this hull's participation in the destruction of U-490 on the night of 11-12 June 1944 and fixes the hunter-killer action in 1944 - resolving the DANFS 'early in 1945' sequence error.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-06-12
- Population
- U-490 survivors (60) transferred via Inch's quarterdeck; Inch crew
- Limitations
- Photograph documents the 12 June 1944 event and ship equipment visible in frame (K-guns, 3-inch/50 gun); not an asbestos or materials record. Confirms the engagement date, not materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Historical Center photograph L45-133.02.01 (21 March 1944, Lower New York Harbor), cataloged in the NavSource DE-146 photo index; NHHC photo record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-146 index, image 0614604 caption citing NHHC catalog L45-133.02.01; Wikimedia Commons file 'USS Inch (DE-146) off New York City (USA) on 21 March 1944 (L45-133.02.01).jpg'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photo-catalog record (L45-133.02.01): on 21 March 1944 USS Inch (DE-146) departed the New York Navy Yard at 0832, loaded ammunition by barge off Fort Lafayette, and sailed for the Naval Operating Base at Norfolk - she had been scheduled to depart 19 March but collided with USS Ariel (AF-22) when her anchor dragged at Fort Lafayette, necessitating return to the shipyard. Documents a March 1944 New York Navy Yard (Brooklyn Navy Yard) repair/availability period for this hull immediately preceding the hunter-killer deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-03
- Population
- New York Navy Yard trades, March 1944
- Limitations
- Photo-caption record indexed on NavSource (private compilation); the underlying artifact is an official NHHC photograph also held on Wikimedia Commons under the same catalog number. Establishes a March 1944 Navy-yard availability, not the work performed or materials used. Full yard work-order documentation is the open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-05
-
[7]Era/design inference basis: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 FMR characteristics (boilers: none) + DANFS specifications block (Edsall class, 1943 build) + Atlas shipyard dataset check (no Consolidated Steel Orange entry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf DE characteristics (FMR row); DANFS spec block; shipyards.json yard_id check 2026-09-28 (no 'consolidated-steel' entry)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a 1943-built FMR-design destroyer escort would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel ship - exhaust/muffler insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings (winch/windlass), and deck coverings - but no boiler, steam-line, or turbine lagging, since the FMR group's official characteristics list boilers 'None' and a 6,000-shp Fairbanks-Morse geared diesel plant. The asbestos application set on this design is materially smaller than on steam destroyers/cruisers of the same era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943; New York Navy Yard trades Mar 1944; crew 1943-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-72; scrapping workforce 1974
- Limitations
- Class/design inference only - no ship-specific insulation specification, material schedule, or hull survey located for DE-146. The smaller application set relative to steam ships follows from the official machinery configuration; it does not establish the presence, location, or absence of asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-06
-
[8]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- gao.gov product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - this hull's 1943 construction and 1943-46 service fall inside the documented asbestos-use era, while her 1974 disposal predates any Navy asbestos-removal program applied to ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era coverage 1940s-1970s
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - GAO HRD-80-2 does not name DE-146 or destroyer escorts specifically and establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; the product-page description was used. Full-text pull remains the open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (type=o opinions), 2026-09-28 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-inch-de146-06 through sl-uss-inch-de146-08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Inch / DE-146 located. Exact-name opinion sweep '"USS Inch"' returned 0 hits. Hull-number '"DE-146"' opinion search and RECAP docket (type=r) sweeps could not be completed this session - CourtListener fleet pacing throttle (shared ~114/hr budget) blocked all subsequent authenticated requests across multiple retries; logged as blocked in the search ledger rather than retried into a ban.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Coverage limited to CourtListener-indexed opinions/dockets. The one completed exact-name opinion sweep was negative, but hull-number and docket coverage is incomplete due to the session throttle - a litigation gap is carried, not asserted as a full negative. Unindexed state filings and settled MDL-875 claimant records are outside coverage regardless.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-08
-
[10]Batch-4056 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (losthistory/hazegray); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. I (shipscribe.com, OCR'd); NARA photo 80-G-270265 (HyperWar/NHC Online Library); NHHC photo L45-133.02.01 (NavSource catalog index); CourtListener API v4 ship-name/hull searches; Atlas shipyard dataset check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-inch-de146-01 through sl-uss-inch-de146-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-146: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no museum hazmat disclosure (the hull was scrapped in 1974 - no museum custody exists), no scrapping-environmental record, and no docketed case naming the vessel was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- 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 - a 1943 naval combatant is presumed to have carried era-standard asbestos applications. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-inch-de146-09