Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Jesse Rutherford (DE-347) (namesake biography, builder, dates, full service narrative, striking and target sinking; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake paragraph + specifications block + service narrative + transcriber's note (hazegray mirror)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Private Jesse Rutherford, Jr., USMC (b. 12 Jan 1922, Salmon, Idaho; enlisted 14 Jul 1941), a fuse setter in a gun mount aboard USS Lexington (CV-2), mortally wounded at his station during the Battle of the Coral Sea 8 May 1942 and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. DE-347 laid down 22 November 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex.; launched 29 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Mary Rutherford; commissioned 31 May 1944, Lt. Comdr. B. M. Henry. Bermuda shakedown; Boston arrival 13 August; first convoy Norfolk-Naples 20 Sep-4 Oct 1944; New York refit with newest equipment/armament; Pacific via Panama with Escort Division 76 (Bora Bora 5 Dec, Manus); Hollandia-Leyte escort duty (nine voyages) and Lingayen Gulf March 1945; towed the distressed merchantman off Mindoro; Subic Bay 8 Jun; Balikpapan Borneo landing support 12-22 Jul 1945; San Bernardino Strait patrol to war's end; Okinawa 15 Sep; embarked returning veterans at Samar 28 Nov 1945; decommissioned San Diego 21 June 1946; Pacific Reserve Fleet, Bremerton. One battle star. Transcriber's note (Bauer & Roberts register): stricken 1 January 1968, sunk as a target off Southern California 8 December 1968.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943-44 (Orange, TX); wartime crew (design complement 186)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents namesake, service history, dates, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC DANFS page (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/j/jesse-rutherford.html, the URL NavSource links) returns 404 - the standing NHHC link-rot defect noted in BATCH-01.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-01
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[2]'Factual History of the U.S.S. Jesse Rutherford (DE-347) from Commissioning to 7 October 1945' - the ship's own war history submitted at war's end (Navy Dept receipt stamp 5 Nov 1945; scan via NavSource) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource scan images/347/06347wh.jpg, 4-page typescript, 'Factual History' title block; Boston Navy Yard and New York Navy Yard paragraphs (pp. 1-2); ARD-16 drydock paragraph (p. 4)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-authored primary document for this hull, corroborating and extending DANFS: commissioned 31 May 1944 at Orange, Tex.; sea trials, Galveston docking for minor repairs/alterations, and return to the builder's yard at Orange 17 June-5 July 1944 for Combat Information Center alterations; Bermuda shakedown; ten days in the navy yard at Boston for post-shakedown repairs and approved alterations (arrived 13 Aug 1944); Norfolk training-ship duty and Casco Bay exercises; convoy screen to Naples (Escort Division 76: Robert Brazier DE-345, Edwin A. Howard DE-346, Key DE-348, Leland E. Thomas DE-420, Chester T. O'Brien DE-421, four destroyers); two weeks' availability at the New York Navy Yard from 24 Oct 1944 for voyage repairs, alterations, and new-equipment installation; wartime availabilities alongside tenders Sierra (AD-18, Manus), Whitney (AD-4, Leyte), Dobbin (AD-3, Subic Bay), Alcor (Leyte, 12 days), and Markab (AD-21, Leyte Gulf); drydocked in ARD-16 16-20 Nov 1945 (bottom painted, zincs replaced, fairwater/rudder repairs); SOS tow of S.S. Benjamin Piexotte off Mindoro 6-7 June 1945; OTC in the C-54 search off Luzon 7-8 Nov 1945; departed Samar 28 Nov 1945 for San Diego via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew; Boston Navy Yard and New York Navy Yard repair workers 1944
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous operational narrative - documents yard availabilities, tender repair periods, and drydocking but contains no materials or insulation content (wartime operational histories typically do not). OCR of the scanned typescript verified against the page image; minor internal date garbles (e.g., 'February' for March) left uncorrected. Does not establish asbestos presence or any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels register row 293 (shipscribe.com scan, locally OCR'd and verified against the page image) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 register spread pp. 258-259 (Destroyer-Escort Vessels (DE)), row 293, 'RUTHERFORD, JESSE'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips register names this hull: individual-ship table row '293 RUTHERFORD, JESSE - DE347 - WGT - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. - $2,043,000 (cost plus fixed fee) - contract signed Aug. 7, 1942 - keel laid Nov. 22, 1943 - ship launched Jan. 29, 1944 - contract date of completion Apr. 10, 1944 - preliminary acceptance May 31, 1944 - first commission May 31, 1944'. Confirms design group WGT (geared-turbine), builder, contract, and all construction/commissioning dates at hull level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943-44
- Limitations
- Register confirms design group, builder, cost, and dates - it does not list materials or insulation content. Cost is contract hull+machinery price, not a materials figure. Group WGT is confirmed; boiler manufacturer attribution (Combustion Engineering) is class-level only per the class block map - see ev-04.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-03
-
[4]NavSource Online DE-347 archive: building/operational timeline, specifications block, commanding officers, NH 74291 photo credit, awards ribbon set [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/347.htm specifications block, building-and-operational timeline, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation consistent with the primary records: class John C. Butler, type WGT; 1,350 t light / 1,745 t full; 2 'D' Express boilers, 2 geared turbines, 12,000 shp, 2 screws; complement 14 officers / 201 enlisted; timeline matches DANFS (keel 22 Nov 1943, launched 29 Jan 1944, commissioned Orange 31 May 1944, decommissioned San Diego 21 Jun 1946, Pacific Reserve Fleet Bremerton, struck NVR 1 Jan 1968, sunk as a target off California 8 Dec 1968); COs Henry (31 May 1944-9 Sep 1944), Jordan (9 Sep 1944-13 Dec 1945), Shreve (13 Dec 1945-21 Jun 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary source - consistent with DANFS/BuShips/war history where they overlap. Complement (215) and the 9 Sep 1944 CO-relief date differ from other sources - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-04
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group 6 (WGT) table (shipscribe.com scan) + Navypedia WGT boiler-block map; Navy insulation-spec suite identified in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec exhibit list (NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) ch. 39 Thermal Insulation; spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' Oct 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 design-group table row 6 (WGT); Navypedia us_de_tev_wgt boiler-block map (DE339-372 = Combustion Engineering); Jack v. Borg-Warner ECF 738 att. 1 spec identifications
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: DE-347 is a BuShips design-group-6 (WGT) destroyer escort - two 'D' express boilers (435 psi/750F; Combustion Engineering for the DE-339-372 block per the Navypedia boiler map), two Westinghouse geared turbines, 12,000 shp, 24.3 kt design. A full superheated-steam plant of 1943-44 construction carries the era-standard asbestos applications: boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging between fireroom and machinery spaces, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings - consistent with the era's controlling Navy insulation specifications (NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) ch. 39; spec 32F3a asbestos-felt).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Orange, TX, 1943-44); fireroom/engine-room watch-standers 1944-46
- Limitations
- Class/era and design-group inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No material schedule, construction report, or insulation list for this hull was located; does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Boiler manufacturer is unverified at hull level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-05
-
[6]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial/exhibit-list materials naming USS Brannon (DE-446, John C. Butler class) and identifying the Navy insulation-specification suite [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF 738 att. 1 (pretrial order/exhibit list); per class-profile ev-john-c-butler-class-03/-04
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Class-level litigation context: pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name sister ship USS Brannon (DE-446) and recite the era's controlling insulation specifications - BuShips Manual ch. 39 Thermal Insulation (NAVSHIPS 250-000(39), 24 Aug 1945); Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' (15 Oct 1945); BuEng General Specifications for Machinery S39-1 (3 Feb 1939) and ch. 13 'Instructions Relative to Heat Insulation' (1933/1939); BUMED Code-55 memo (9 Jun 1977). The exhibit list records the litigation theory that evaporator insulation aboard DEs was Navy-specified, with the defense position that non-asbestos insulation was possible aboard the named hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Service era WWII/postwar; litigation 2017-2019
- Population
- Class context: machinist's mate aboard USS Brannon DE-446
- Limitations
- Pretrial-order/exhibit-list level for a DIFFERENT hull (DE-446) - included as class context and to record the spec-suite archival leads; establishes nothing about materials aboard DE-347. Unadjudicated pleading-stage material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-06
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 (authenticated, fleet-paced): exact-name queries '"Jesse Rutherford"' returned 1 opinion and 6 dockets - all person-name collisions (1897 contract case; bankruptcies; musician Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood); hull-number queries '"DE-347"' returned 13 opinions - all docket-entry citation collisions ('DE 347'/'[DE-347]' entries in unrelated cases) - see search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-06 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Jesse Rutherford or DE-347 was located in CourtListener opinion or docket indexes. The name produced only person-name collisions; the hull number produced only 'DE ###' docket-entry citation collisions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- A zero-qualifying-hit sweep is not proof that no claim was ever filed - many asbestos filings settle or resolve at docket level without indexed opinions, and RECAP coverage is incomplete for older state-court removals. Establishes only that no indexed qualifying case was found.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-07
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[8]Batch-4250 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NavSource; ship's 1945 war history scan; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 register; NVR; Atlas shipyard dataset; Destroyer History Foundation; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-jesse-rutherford-de347-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, donation/museum hazmat disclosure, pre-sinking environmental documentation for the 1968 target sinking, or docketed asbestos case naming the Jesse Rutherford 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 - era construction with a full steam plant is consistent with 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-jesse-rutherford-de347-08
