Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, J. Richard Ward (DE-243) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking and sale; live NHHC pages return 404 under both j-richard-ward.html and j-richard-ward-de-243.html - verbatim transcriptions via HyperWar/ibiblio and hazegray/losthistory.net, the latter carrying the Bauer & Roberts register additions) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake paragraph + specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio.org HyperWar de243.html; losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/escorts/de243.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Seaman First Class James Richard Ward, killed aboard Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 while holding a flashlight so turret crewmates could escape - posthumous Medal of Honor. Laid down 30 September 1942 (revised-edition bracketed note), launched by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 6 January 1943; sponsored by Miss Marjorie Ward, the namesake's sister; commissioned 5 July 1943, Lt. T. S. Dunstan in command; renamed from James R. Ward 26 July 1943 (revised-edition bracketed note). Shakedown off Bermuda; Atlantic convoy escort between Norfolk and Gibraltar (three complete voyages) from Charleston September 1943; March-June 1944 hunter-killer group around Tripoli (CVE-64); Norfolk school-ship duties July 1944; August-October 1944 hunter-killer group around Core (CVE-13) with Argentia replenishment; pilot-qualification support October 1944-January 1945; North Atlantic antisubmarine patrol 24 January-28 March 1945; at sea when Germany surrendered, returned New York 11 May 1945; modernization at Boston Navy Yard; sailed 28 June 1945 via Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor (arrived 1 September), screened Tripoli flight operations; San Diego 17 October 1945; Green Cove Springs, Fla., 13 December 1945; decommissioned 13 June 1946 and entered the Reserve Fleet, 'at present berthed in Texas'; struck from the Navy list 2 January 1971 and sold 10 April 1972 (bracketed note citing Bauer & Roberts, Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy 1775-1990, p.225).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (DANFS design complement 186); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers 1946-1971
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link rot, matches Batch-01 and batch-4037 findings); verbatim mirror transcriptions cited instead. The rename and stricken/sold notes are bracketed additions from the revised DANFS edition (hazegray transcription) - NavalCoverMuseum records the rename date as unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-01
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[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for WARD, J. RICHARD, DE-243 (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 262-263) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 roster row 352, WARD J. RICHARD DE-243 (book pp. 262-263; shipscribe scan PDF p. 141, 300 dpi OCR)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull (row 352): WARD, J. RICHARD, official number DE-243, design group FMR; builder 'do' (ditto = Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.); contract price $2,921,000; contract signed 18 January 1942; keel laid 30 September 1942; launched 6 January 1943; intermediate milestone columns read 30 April 1943 and 3 July 1943 (builder's trial / preliminary acceptance sequence - column headers partially garbled in OCR); date of first commission 5 July 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Co. construction trades, Houston, Tex., 1942-43
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. Two mid-row milestone dates (30 Apr / 3 Jul 1943) sit under partially illegible column headers; the commission date (5 July 1943) matches DANFS exactly. OCR'd from a scanned page; corroborated against DANFS, NavSource, and shipbuildinghistory.com's yard list (Brown hull no. 14: keel 30 Sep 1942, launch 6 Jan 1943, delivered 5 Aug 1943).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-02
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[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-4 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table: design group 4 (symbol FMR - Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse-gear drive) - 306 ft oa, 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 t standard / 1,590 t full load; 21 kt; machinery 4 Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts; boilers 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, A.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted; armament 3 x 3 in/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the FMR design carried a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- FMR-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole FMR group (85 hulls), not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table OCR'd from a scanned page; individual cell values partially garbled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-03
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[4]Navypedia, 'FMR' destroyer escorts (EDSALL) (1943-1944) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia FMR/Edsall-class page, roster table row DE243 + technical-data block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls completed by two builders - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. (DE-129 through DE-152 and DE-316 through DE-338, 47 hulls) and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex. (DE-238 through DE-255 and DE-382 through DE-401, 38 hulls). DE-243 row: 'J. Richard Ward (ex-James R. Ward)', yard no. 14, Brown SB Houston; laid 9.1942, launched 6.1.1943, commissioned 7.1943, stricken 1.1971 - corroborating DANFS/SDB dates and confirming the James R. Ward rename. The Edsall class was the only WWII destroyer-escort class in which every ordered ship completed as a USN destroyer escort.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Edsall-class construction and operating crews (85 hulls)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (class-level): the builder blocks, yard number, rename notation, and dates corroborate the per-hull BuShips roster and DANFS. Not a materials or asbestos source - used for class enumeration and hull disambiguation only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-04
-
[5]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS J. Richard Ward (DE-243) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, commanding-officer list, flag hoist NZML; Wayback capture 2024-11-07 - live page fetch failed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/243.htm specifications block + building-and-operational-data block + photo captions (Wayback 2024-11-07 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: Type FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive); propulsion 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 21 kt; 9,100 nm at 12 kt; complement 8/201. Keel laid 30 September 1942 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched and christened 6 January 1943, sponsor Miss Marjorie Ward; commissioned 5 July 1943 at Brown SB Co., Yard A, by Capt. DeWitt Redgrave, USN, with Lt. T. S. Dunstan, USNR, in command; decommissioned 13 June 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Fla., after 2 years and 11.5 months of service; struck from the NVR 2 January 1971; sold for scrapping 10 April 1972. Awards: American Campaign Medal with one star; WWII Victory Medal. Photo captions place the ship anchored off the New York Navy Yard 14 May 1944 (NARA photos 19-N-70846/47/48) and entering Argentia Harbor 12 June 1944 with TG 22.4 (Tripoli CVE-64 + Escort Division 7; NARA photo 80-G-364889). Commanding officers: Dunstan (comm.), Smith, Cox Jr., Seeley Jr., Morrall, Kirkpatrick, Collins.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Wartime crew (NavSource complement 8 officers/201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB where they overlap. Contributed photo captions carry unattributed detail (Argentia TG 22.4 composition). '4 diesel-generators' diverges from the SDB 1945 group-4 row's 2 x 100 kW ship's-service generators - carried as written, divergence noted. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-05
-
[6]National Archives Catalog, 'USS J RICHARD WARD - War History', NAID 77655223 - RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), series World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories; micro serial 157293; 3 images; access unrestricted [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAID 77655223 (RG 38, series WWII War Diaries; micro serial 157293)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own war-history submission survives in the National Archives Catalog: 'USS J RICHARD WARD - War History', a 3-image digitized item in the WWII War Diaries series (RG 38, compiled by the Office of Naval Records and Library), micro serial 157293. NavSource separately links a 'War History' image for the ship (06243wh.jpg). The war diary is the ship-submitted operational narrative - a primary source that could carry remarks about maintenance periods (e.g., the Boston Navy Yard modernization) relevant to any future materials investigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946 (coverage); 2026 (catalog)
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - the item is cataloged and digitized (3 images) but its contents were not reviewed line-by-line for this record; war diaries are operational narratives and are unlikely to discuss construction materials. Does not establish anything about asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-06
-
[7]Era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (no boilers; F.M. diesel) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts (cannon-class and edsall-de129 records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-4 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); cf. cannon-class profile ev-cannon-class-03 and uss-edsall-de129 ev-06 (same diesel-DE application set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1942-43 at Brown Shipbuilding would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1972
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46; reserve-fleet maintenance 1946-71
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-243 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-07
-
[8]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020; plus remediation contractor SSCI's project record (sscienvironmental.com, 'SSCI's Role in Preservation of the Battleship Texas', 30 Sep 2022) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- galvnews.com article_c2c77857, 27 Jul 2020; sscienvironmental.com project PDF (Sep 2022)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister built at the same yard: the Galveston Daily News reported asbestos in public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) and USS Cavalla (SS-244) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the Galveston Park Board cited U.S. Navy inspection recommendations that an asbestos survey be conducted. SSCI's own project record states it performed asbestos testing, an asbestos survey, abatement oversight, and an O&M plan for the Stewart and Cavalla in 2019-2020. USS Stewart (DE-238) is a Brown Shipbuilding-built Edsall-class hull - yard no. 9, five hulls ahead of DE-243 on the same Brown ways - so this is class- AND builder-level corroboration that the FMR type as built at Brown carried asbestos-containing material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2019-2020
- Population
- Museum staff/volunteers and Seawolf Park visitors; abatement crews
- Limitations
- Sister-hull finding only - establishes asbestos aboard DE-238 (a same-yard Edsall-class hull), not aboard DE-243. The documented abatement concerned public/display areas of a museum hull; it does not speak to DE-243's materials, to crew-era exposure, or to any individual claim. galvnews.com rate-limited the direct fetch on 2026-09-28; text verified via search-index excerpt and SSCI project PDF.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-08
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-243 (built 1942-43) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description. Says nothing about this specific hull or any diesel-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'J. Richard Ward' / 'James R. Ward' / 'DE-243' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'J. Richard Ward' type=o count=0, type=r count=0; 'DE-243' type=o count=29 + type=r count=432 (all ECF false positives); 'James R. Ward'+terms type=o count=167 (all person-name collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"J. Richard Ward"' (type=o): 0 hits. Docket sweep '"J. Richard Ward"' (type=r): 0 hits - no docketed case names the ship. Hull-number sweeps: '"DE-243"' (type=o): 29 hits and '"DE-243"' (type=r): 432 hits - every returned item is an ECF document-entry-number false positive ('[D.E.] 243' / 'DE #243' docket-entry citations and 'Motion 243' references inside unrelated criminal and civil matters - Hanratty v. McOsker, In re Tousa, Wallace v. NCL Bahamas, U.S. v. Mason, U.S. v. Cremades, U.S. v. Myers, and similar); zero vessel or asbestos references among them. Supplemental '"James R. Ward" ship OR navy OR asbestos OR "destroyer escort"' (type=o): 167 hits, all person-name collisions (a recurring 1960s Tenth Circuit assistant U.S. attorney named James R. Ward; criminal defendants of the same name) - 'USS', 'Navy', 'destroyer', and 'asbestos' absent from returned case names and snippets; non-qualifying.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage is the CourtListener opinion + RECAP docket indexes only; state-court dockets not mirrored, PACER-only filings, and settled/undocketed claims are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. DE-243's out-of-service date (1946) predates the asbestos-litigation era. Fleet pacing (shared ~114 req/hr quota) deferred one supplemental sweep: '"Richard Ward" asbestos' (type=o) returned no-token stand-downs on 2026-09-28 and is logged as pending in the search ledger, not as a result.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-10
-
[11]Batch-4163 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions; NavSource archive page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (OCR); Navypedia FMR roster; GAO product page; NARA catalog (war-history NAID 77655223 + deck-log digitization inventory); VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-04 through sl-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-01 through sl-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-243: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in April 1972, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for same-yard sister Stewart (DE-238). The only 'asbestos' hits naming USS J. Richard Ward (DE-243) in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull (e.g., shepardlawfirm.com's shipyard page listing DE-243 among hundreds of hulls) - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof of absence aboard - 1942-43 escort construction falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and same-yard sister hull DE-238 carried documented asbestos. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) at NARA are unsurveyed leads; the hull's war-history item (NAID 77655223) is digitized but unreviewed line-by-line. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-j-richard-ward-de243-11