Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet eb-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kilty-dd137-pkt-eb-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Kilty (Destroyer No. 137) - NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-01-23 (live page 404); verbatim mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray and destroyerhistory.org [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Kilty (Destroyer No. 137)', specifications block + service narrative; Wayback web.archive.org/web/20250123093240/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/kilty.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: Wickes class; dp. 1,090; l. 314'5"; b. 31'9"; dr. 8'6"; 35 k.; cpl. 113; 4 4", 1 1-pdr. Named for Rear Admiral Augustus H. Kilty (1807-1879; Civil War service, lost left arm at White River expedition 1862). Launched 25 April 1918 by Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif.; sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Harrison Shapley; commissioned 17 December 1918 (Lt. Comdr. Timothy Jerome Keleher). Caribbean shakedown and European cruise 1919; San Diego operations; decommissioned 5 June 1922. Recommissioned 18 December 1939; Neutrality Patrol from April 1940; ASW patrols, armed-guard training, coastal convoy escort through 1942. Reclassified APD-15 2 January 1943; cleared Mare Island 2 March 1943; Solomons (New Georgia 30 June/4 July, Vella Lavella 15 August), Treasury Islands (Stirling Island 27 October), Bougainville, Cape Gloucester 26 December, Saidor 2 January 1944, Green Island 15/20 February, Emirau 20 March, Aitape 22 April, Wakde 17 May, Biak, Cape Sansopor 30 July, Morotai 15 September; two Val dive-bombers splashed on a mid-November 1944 Leyte cruise; Dinagat 17 October, Mindoro 15 December, Luzon 11 January 1945, Nasugbu 31 January, Corregidor; rescued survivors of Luce (DD-522) 4 May 1945; arrived San Diego 18 June 1945; redesignated DD-137 20 July 1945; decommissioned 2 November 1945; sold 26 August 1946 to National Metal & Steel Corp. for scrapping. Ten battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1917-1946
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard construction workforce 1917-18; wartime crew and embarked troops (design complement 113)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The published entry omits the 1931-32 IX-37/AG-20 designations entirely (see ev-02). Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-26; text verified against a 2025-01-23 Wayback capture of the canonical URL and two verbatim transcriptions (hazegray/losthistory.net carries OCR noise: 'recommissioned 18 December 1930-' and 'Ulithi 26 February' for NHHC's 1939 and 25 February).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-01
-
[3]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Kilty (DD-137 / IX-37 / APD-15) operational & building data; Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net) Miscellaneous Auxiliaries AG table, AG-20 row; Shipscribe IX index (shipscribe.com/usnaux/IX3/IX3type.html) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 'Operational and Building Data' block; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-large/ag/ rows AG-18/19/20/21; shipscribe.com/usnaux/IX3/IX3type.html IX-35/36/37 entries; hazegray DANFS DD-275 (Sinclair) entry for the replacement sequence
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Registry/build data and the classification chronology not in DANFS: laid down 15 December 1917 by Mare Island Navy Yard; 'as built' data - 1,154 tons, 314'5" x 31'8" x 9'10", 4x4"/50 + 12x21" torpedo tubes, geared turbines 24,200 SHP on 2 screws, 35 knots, crew 103. Designated Light Target No. 3 (IX-37) 11 August 1931 while in reserve, replacing Sinclair (DD-275), whose target conversion was cancelled for faulty boilers; redesignated miscellaneous auxiliary AG-20 on 5 September 1931 (Shipbuilding History AG table: 'AG-20 Kilty, Mare Island NSY, ex DD-137, target ship, 5 Sep 1931'); reverted to destroyer DD-137 on 16 April 1932 - the same date Lamberton (DD-119) was designated AG-21 and Stoddert reverted to DD-302. Shipscribe's IX index confirms 'IX-37 (II) (Light Target No. 3): ex DD-137 (Kilty), later AG-20'. Converted to high-speed transport APD-15 (completion 1 March 1943 per NavSource; reclassification 2 January 1943 per DANFS); redesignated DD-137 20 July 1945; stricken 16 November 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1917-1918; 1930-1932; 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Registry/reference compilations, not the underlying Navy classification letters (BuShips classification correspondence at NARA is the archival lead). All 1931-32 designations were administrative, in reserve - the hull never recommissioned as a target ship. IX-37 was assigned sequentially to two hulls: Sinclair (DD-275) Nov 1930-Aug 1931 and Kilty (DD-137) Aug-Sep 1931; NavalCoverMuseum wiki conflates dates (lists AG-20 on 11 Aug 1931) - the 5 Sep 1931 AG-20 date is carried per Shipbuilding History, corroborated by kasado.net class data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-02
-
[4]Naval History Magazine (U.S. Naval Institute), 'Crewless Ghost Ships of the Interwar Navy,' April 2014, Vol. 28 No. 2 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Magazine, April 2014, footnoted passage on the three-ship light-target program
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documents the light-target program and this hull's non-conversion: the Navy fitted out a unit of three flush-deck destroyers as radio-controlled light targets for fleet exercises requiring high-speed targets (Stoddert DD-302 as Light Target No. 1; Boggs DD-136 as No. 2). 'The Navy also announced plans to equip the Kilty (DD-137) with radio-control gear, but it appears that the Lamberton (DD-119) was selected instead.' Consistent with the registry record - Kilty held the IX-37/AG-20 designations only administratively and never entered target service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1930-1933
- Limitations
- USNI site returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-26; quoted sentence verified via indexed search snippet. The article's 'it appears' language is itself hedged - it establishes intent and outcome (Lamberton selected), not a detailed engineering record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-03
-
[5]Haze Gray & Underway 'Flush Deck Destroyers' photo feature (official US Navy photographs with caption text); Destroyer History Foundation, USS Ward (APD-16) conversion narrative; GlobalSecurity.org APD high-speed transport overview (Fleet Landing Exercise 3 / Manley AG-28/APD-1 prototype history) [other_primary]
- Locator
- hazegray.org/features/flushdeck/ captions for APD-20/APD-21; destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/ussward/ conversion paragraph; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apd.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Type-level documentation of the conversion this hull underwent at Mare Island Jan-Mar 1943: in the flush-deck APD conversions the forward boilers and their funnels were removed, the forward boiler and fire rooms were converted to troop accommodations, original 4-inch armament and torpedo tubes were landed, and 3-inch/50 guns, 20 mm Oerlikons, and four 36-foot landing craft under davits were added (documented for Ward APD-16 at Puget Sound; hazegray captions describe the same for Dickerson APD-21 and Roper APD-20; GlobalSecurity describes the Manley prototype conversion removing two boilers). Kilty's DANFS entry confirms the conversion window: reclassified APD-15 on 2 January 1943, cleared Mare Island 2 March 1943. Removal of boiler rooms and their contents is the machinery-space disturbance pathway relevant to era insulation materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard conversion workforce, Jan-Mar 1943 (yard documented at tier 2 for asbestos products in the Atlas shipyards dataset)
- Limitations
- Conversion-scope sources describe the APD type and named sister hulls, not Kilty's specific work package; Kilty's own Mare Island conversion records are not digitized (NARA RG 19/RG 181 lead). Boiler-room removal implies disturbance of whatever insulation was present but does not establish asbestos content aboard this hull. NavSource's 'converted ... March 1 1943' and DANFS 'reclassified ... 2 January 1943' reconcile as administrative reclassification vs. conversion completion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-04
-
[6]Atlas shipyards dataset (shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json), 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' record (evidence_tier 2): 1998 Navy/Vallejo Final EIS-EIR documents ACM in yard buildings and industrial wastes; Collins v. Plant Insulation Co., 185 Cal. App. 4th 260 (2010) - mesothelioma verdict tied to yard work incl. Mare Island 1976-1994; documented products: Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractory [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json, yard_id 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' (evidence rows ev-mare-island-01/02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder/conversion-yard context: Kilty was built (1917-18) and APD-converted (Jan-Mar 1943) at Mare Island Navy Yard, a yard whose own record documents asbestos-containing products in yard systems and facilities and asbestos litigation arising from yard work. A Navy-yard construction/conversion environment of this era involved asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, and packing as standard materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1917-1943 (hull yard periods); yard records 1976-1998
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard workforce 1917-18 (construction) and Jan-Mar 1943 (APD conversion)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull record: it establishes asbestos conditions and products at the yard across documented periods (1998 EIS; 1976-94 litigation period) but does not establish what materials were installed in or disturbed aboard DD-137 in 1917-18 or 1943. Asbestos presence aboard this hull remains era inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-05
-
[7]Fleischer WE, Viles FJ Jr, Gade RL, Drinker P, 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, 1946 (U.S. Public Health Service survey; PubMed-indexed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946; survey tables 1-2 (dust counts; asbestosis prevalence by yard and exposure duration)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Federal survey of pipe-covering work in naval-vessel construction: chest X-rays of 1,074 pipe coverers at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards, with dust counts and material analyses. The paper states directly that amosite - 'the generic name for an asbestos type of fibrous mineral' - was an important ingredient of the pipe covering felt and covering materials used on U.S. Navy vessels, and documents measured asbestos dust concentrations across layout/cutting, sawing, and application operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (survey)
- Population
- 1,074 pipe coverers at four naval shipbuilding yards (1940s survey)
- Limitations
- Era/fleet-level occupational survey of construction yards - does not name this hull, does not document materials aboard DD-137, and covers 1940s construction-era practice (the hull's 1943 conversion falls within the era; her 1917-18 build precedes the survey period). Does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-06
-
[8]NavSource USS Kilty (DD-137/IX-37/APD-15) photo archive incl. Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo DD 137 3319-6-42 (ship off Mare Island 17 June 1942) and NHHC catalog images NH 42539, NH 52062; NARA RG 24 deck logs / RG 19 Bureau of Ships / RG 181 Mare Island yard records as retrieval leads [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource image captions (MINSY photo DD 137 3319-6-42); NHHC photo catalog; archives.gov deck-log/RG guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material documentation exist but are undigitized: Mare Island Naval Shipyard photograph files document this hull at the yard six months before her APD conversion; NARA RG 24 deck logs (College Park for post-1940), RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence/specifications, and RG 181 Mare Island yard records are the channels for any conversion work-package or material-specification retrieval. NHHC photo catalog carries hull imagery under NH 42539 and NH 52062.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (photo); archival coverage 1917-1946
- Limitations
- Leads only - no retrieval performed; none of these repositories' Kilty holdings are digitized in public catalogs as of 2026-09-26 (catalog.archives.gov API queries returned no retrievable items). Presence of asbestos documentation within them is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search (helper script cl-auth-search.py), opinion and RECAP docket indexes, 2026-09-26 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger row sl-uss-kilty-dd137-07; Kilty v. Weyerhaeuser Co., 317 F. Supp. 3d 1027 (opinion 7330815); Smith v. Lumbermen's Mut. Cas. Co., 360 So. 2d 1098
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation naming this hull. Opinion index: "USS Kilty" = 0 hits; "Kilty" + asbestos = 1 hit (Kilty v. Weyerhaeuser Co., 317 F. Supp. 3d 1027, W.D. Wis. 2018 - plaintiff-family surname collision, household/community exposure claims against a paper-products manufacturer, no naval-vessel connection); a broadened "Kilty" opinion query returned only surname-litigation cases (incl. Kilty v. United States, 404 U.S. 938 cert. denied 1971; insurance, criminal, and civil disputes) - none ship-related; "DD-137" = 1 hit (Smith v. Lumbermen's Mut. Cas. Co., 360 So. 2d 1098, La. App. 1978 - insurance dispute; the token appears as a non-vessel identifier, match context not retrievable from index - classified as collision); "APD-15" = 5 hits, all identifier/OCR-token collisions in non-naval cases; "IX-37" = 32 hits, all section/exhibit-token collisions. Docket index: "USS Kilty" = 0 hits; "Kilty" surfaced surname-party dockets only (e.g., Kilty v. Worth Development Corp., D.N.H. civil rights); "DD-137" = 11 hits, all identifier collisions in unrelated dockets (patent, ERISA, habeas, SIPA bankruptcy - the token appears as document/exhibit/form designators; none naval or asbestos).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Negative finding: no docketed asbestos (or other) case naming USS Kilty, DD-137, APD-15, IX-37, or AG-20 was located. Consistent with the hull's 1946 scrapping, decades before asbestos litigation. RECAP full-text coverage is incomplete for pre-2000 dockets, so a docket-level vessel mention in an old MDL-875 complaint exhibit cannot be fully excluded; opinion index coverage is good. Queries spaced by fleet-wide pacing; the sweep ran 2026-09-26 22:00-23:10 (session timestamps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-08
-
[10]Batch-3143 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback capture), NavSource, Shipscribe/Shipbuilding History classification data, USNI Naval History, destroyerhistory.org/hazegray conversion references, NARA catalog API, Atlas shipyards dataset [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kilty-dd137-01 through sl-uss-kilty-dd137-0x
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Kilty / DD-137 / APD-15 / IX-37 / AG-20 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrap in 1946, predating asbestos documentation regimes and the litigation era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1917-18 steam-plant warship is era-consistent with ACM insulation. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kilty-dd137-09