Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet fr-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Kendrick | hull: DD-612 | designation: Destroyer | class: Benson **[MIRROR]** http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd612.html (cl. Benson: dp. 1,620; l. 348'4"; b. 36'1"; dr. 11'9"; s. 37.5 k.; cpl. 256; a. 4 5", 4 40mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 5 21" tt.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kendrick-dd612-pkt-fr-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Kendrick (DD-612) - NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live page returns 404 on 2026-09-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Kendrick (DD-612)', specifications block + service narrative (NHHC Wayback capture 2025-12-09)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec block dp. 1,620; l. 348'4"; b. 36'1"; dr. 11'9"; s. 37.5 k.; cpl. 256; a. 4 5", 4 40mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 5 21" tt.; cl. Benson. Launched 2 April 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Pedro, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. J. Hanson Delvac (great-granddaughter of namesake Acting Master Charles S. Kendrick, USN, Civil War); commissioned 12 September 1942, Lt. Comdr. C. T. Caufield in command. Service: West Coast shakedown; cleared San Diego 11 December 1942; Casco Bay ASW exercises; Convoy UG-S-4 to Casablanca (sailed 13 January 1943); Norfolk-Newfoundland patrol/escort/training; Oran escort round-trip April-June; escorted TF 85 (45th Infantry Division) for Sicily invasion, off Scoglitti beaches 9-12 July 1943; torpedoed by German dive bomber night of 2 September 1943 (stern, rudder, steering compartment, fantail damaged; no casualties); temporary repairs at Oran; towed to Norfolk, arriving 26 October; after repairs, UK escort cruise; departed 18 February 1944 for Oran (arrived 5 March); screen of cruiser Philadelphia, ~3 months naval gunfire support up the Italian coast; cleared Palermo 12 August 1944 for southern France invasion - Rear Admiral Deyo's bombardment group, direct fire support to 36th Infantry Division 15 August, silenced 88mm guns 15-16 August, bombarded St. Madrier 25-26 August; arrived Boston 19 September; Mediterranean convoy escort mid-November-15 December; departed Norfolk 6 January 1945, 8th Fleet 18 January; 4 months Mediterranean air-sea rescue/escort/fire support/patrol; cleared Oran 15 May, New York 8 days later; repairs at New York, refresher Cuba; transited Canal, Pearl Harbor 28 August via San Diego; training out of Hawaii; Charleston, S.C. 16 October; decommissioned and joined Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange, Tex., 31 March 1947; stricken from Navy List 1 May 1966; used in destruction tests at sea by the David Taylor Model Basin. Three battle stars for World War II.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1966
- Population
- Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (design complement 256 per DANFS spec block); repair workforces at Oran, Navy Yard Norfolk, and New York
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Repair/upkeep events are named by location only - 'Norfolk' (post-torpedo reconstruction), 'Boston' (arrival only), 'repairs at New York' (mid-1945) - no yard names, scope, or materials detail given except as supplemented by War Damage Report No. 50 (ev-02), which identifies the Norfolk facility as Navy Yard, Norfolk. DANFS omits the laid-down date (NavSource supplies 1 May 1941). Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim text cited from the 2025-12-09 Wayback capture of the official page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, War Damage Report No. 50 - 'Destroyer Report: Torpedo and Mine Damage and Loss in Action, 17 October 1941 to 7 December 1944' (NAVSHIPS 50 (374), Preliminary Design Section, Navy Department, 1 May 1945), Kendrick (DD612) narrative pp. 32-34, Plate V, Photos 40-48 (also indexed at NHHC Online Reading Room) [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR-50 Section III narrative 7-1 through 7-16, pp. 32-34; Plate V; Photos 40-48
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips damage report for this hull: on the evening of 2 September 1943, while escorting a convoy about 100 miles east of Oran, Kendrick was attacked at 2109-2114 by Heinkel He-111s; one aerial torpedo struck the trailing edge of the rudder, destroying the rudder and steering gear and severely damaging the stern aft of frame 183; a small electrical fire in the steering-gear compartment was extinguished; no casualties. She returned to Oran under her own power, was drydocked, and received temporary repairs: all structure aft of frame 183 removed, temporary stern bulkhead erected, propellers landed, and a temporary rudder designed by her commanding officer installed by Oran repair forces. Towed by WSA tug Point Loma to Navy Yard, Norfolk, where 'the damage was repaired and many authorized alterations were accomplished'; returned to service 1 January 1944. The report's references cite the CO's action report (5 Sept 1943), war damage report (6 Sept 1943), towing-operations report (26 Oct 1943), and a Comdt. Navy Yard Norfolk supplementary war damage report (1 Jan 1944). WDR spec table lists her class as 'LAFFEY (DD459)' - the Bethlehem-built Benson-subclass 1941 repeat group.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-09-02 to 1944-01-01
- Population
- Kendrick crew (damage control, engineers); Oran drydock/repair workforce; Navy Yard Norfolk repair workforce (Oct 1943-Jan 1944)
- Limitations
- The report documents structural and mechanical battle-damage repair, not insulation materials or asbestos handling - it does not mention asbestos and does not establish exposure. It confirms a months-long industrial repair event (stern reconstruction plus alterations) at Navy Yard Norfolk, and a drydock repair period at Oran. The HyperWar transcription prints an impossible Norfolk arrival of '4 September 1943' (two days after the hit); DANFS reads 'arriving 26 October' and NavSource photo captions date the Oran drydock November 1943 - the conflict is carried in gaps. Underlying CO/shipyard correspondence cited in the report's references is an archival lead not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-02
-
[4]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, photo NH 107215 - USS Kendrick (DD-612) underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 6 December 1942 (NHHC collections; ibiblio/HyperWar mirror); NavSource photo caption documents repairs at the yard 23 November-6 December 1942 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Photo NH 107215 picture-data page; NavSource DD-612 photo caption (broadside view off Mare Island)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy photograph documents this hull off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 6 December 1942 - during her West Coast shakedown period (she cleared San Diego 11 December 1942). The NavSource caption for the companion broadside view states she 'was under repairs at the yard from 23 November to 6 December 1942' - a two-week post-shakedown repair availability at Mare Island.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-11-23 to 1942-12-06
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard repair workforce (Nov-Dec 1942)
- Limitations
- The NHHC caption documents presence and date only; the 23 November-6 December repair window rests on a NavSource photo caption (reputable volunteer-compiled source), not an official document. Scope and materials of the repair work are undocumented - no asbestos content documented. Location of the NHHC image collection at ibiblio is a mirror; the live NHHC image page was not separately verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-03
-
[5]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Kendrick (DD-612) - Operational and Building Data block and photo captions (compiles DANFS/NVR-type data); shipbuildinghistory.com Bethlehem San Pedro build table (Bethlehem hull 9007) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page DD-612 'Operational and Building Data' block + photo captions; shipbuildinghistory.com/bethsanpedro.htm build table row 9007
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Building and disposition data for this hull: laid down by Bethlehem Steel, San Pedro, 1 May 1941; launched 2 April 1942; commissioned 12 September 1942; decommissioned 31 March 1947; stricken 1 May 1966; sunk as target off Key West, Florida, 2 March 1968. Machinery: 50,000 shp, Bethlehem turbines, 2 screws; speed 35 knots; crew 208. Photo captions add: photographed near NY/Boston 26 April 1943 (USN/ONI); January 1943 recognition-manual view notes the after quintuple torpedo-tube mount replaced by light AA mounts; 'Ready for her fate, Norfolk 1967' documents the stripped hulk at Norfolk before the test sinking. Shipbuildinghistory.com lists her as Bethlehem San Pedro hull 9007, delivered 12 September 1942, 'sunk as target 1968.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1968
- Population
- Crew 1942-1947; Atlantic Reserve Fleet lay-up 1947-1966; test/demolition personnel 1966-1968
- Limitations
- NavSource and shipbuildinghistory are reputable volunteer-compiled secondary sources, not official records. Dates consistent with DANFS where overlapping (launch, commission, decommission, stricken); the laid-down (1 May 1941) and target-sinking (2 March 1968) dates are not independently confirmed by an official source reached in this batch. NavSource's 'Torpedoed off coast of Italy in August 1943' summary line is contradicted by WDR-50 and DANFS (2 September 1943, ~100 miles east of Oran) - error documented, not adopted. 'Crew 208' conflicts with the DANFS spec block's 256 - carried in gaps. Wreck position (dive sources) not officially verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-04
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[6]CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep, 2026-09-27 (authenticated via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py runs: type=o q="USS Kendrick" (count 0); type=o q="DD-612" (count 0)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion-index sweeps on exact name "USS Kendrick" and hull number "DD-612" returned zero results. No qualifying asbestos-litigation opinion naming this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Zero-hit sweep on the opinion index; RECAP docket-level sweeps were pacing-limited by the fleet-wide quota at session time and are carried in the search ledger as blocked/pending rather than completed. A zero result proves only that no indexed opinion names this hull - unindexed pleadings, settled cases, and state-court matters are outside coverage. Name collision is low-risk: DD-612 is the only commissioned USS Kendrick (namesake a Civil War acting master); no other Navy vessel bears the name.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-05
-
[7]Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), DD-612 detail page - NVR coverage note: 'Ships and service craft disposed of prior to 1987 are currently not included' [other_primary]
- Locator
- nvr.navy.mil DD-612 detail request (no ship record returned; coverage notice text)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The Naval Vessel Register carries no DD-612 record: the register's own coverage notice states that ships disposed of prior to 1987 are not included. Kendrick was stricken 1 May 1966 and sunk as a target 2 March 1968, so her absence from NVR is structural and uninformative about asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Negative-by-coverage-policy, not a substantive finding - NVR absence cannot distinguish a documented-clean hull from an undocumented one. No NVR materials data exists for any pre-1987 disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-06
-
[8]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (January 1945), destroyer machinery table (shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas class profile benson-gleaves-class [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips Ships' Data 1945 v1 destroyer machinery table ('No. 421 Class'); class-f worktree benson-gleaves-class.class.json member row for DD-612
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's class: Benson-subclass repeat destroyers (DD-612 is in the 1941 'Laffey group' of Bethlehem-built repeats; WDR-50 officially lists her class as 'LAFFEY (DD459)') carried four superheated Babcock & Wilcox boilers (575 psi/700F per BuShips) and geared steam turbines at ~47,000-50,000 shp, built 1941-43 in the peak Navy asbestos era. Period-standard asbestos applications for the type: boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets and packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1968
- Population
- Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1941-42; wartime engineering crew (fireroom, engineroom watchstanders); repair workforces at documented yard periods
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, contract specification, or survey names DD-612; the BuShips machinery table's per-hull row for DD-612 was not extracted (scanned document, class-lead DD-421 row verified at 47,000 shp). Asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is inferred from era and design, not proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (October 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page and abstract
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program as of 1979: standing policy since 1975 removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades. For this hull the policy context is moot: she decommissioned in 1947 and was stricken in 1966, before the Navy's substitution and removal policies began, and the hull was sunk intact as a test target in 1968 rather than scrapped - so no Navy abatement or scrapping-yard channel ever applied to her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period); hull context 1941-1968
- Population
- Navy shipyard and fleet workforce (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level context, not hull evidence - the report does not name DD-612 and postdates her entire Navy career; it establishes only that no Navy asbestos-substitution program applied to this hull during or after her service. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches; product-page description relied on (per BATCH-01 standing note).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-08
-
[10]This record's search ledger (NHHC DANFS + photo caption, BuShips WDR-50, NavSource, shipbuildinghistory, NVR, CourtListener API v4, class profile cross-check, general web sweep) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kendrick-dd612-01 through sl-uss-kendrick-dd612-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials inventory, museum hazmat disclosure (the hull was never preserved - sunk as a test target in 1968), government report on materials, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Kendrick (DD-612) was found in the authoritative public sources searched. Law-firm and marketing sites that list DD-612 with generic era claims (mesotheliomasymptoms.com, simmonsfirm.com, duboselawfirm.com, mesotheliomaveterans.org) were reviewed and excluded as non-authoritative.
- 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 - a 1941-42 steam destroyer of this class is era-consistent with standard asbestos insulation practice, and the 1947 decommissioning means no Navy abatement program ever applied. The hull rests on the seabed off Key West with whatever period materials were aboard at sinking - their condition is undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kendrick-dd612-09