USS KIMBERLY (DD-521)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Kimberly II (DD-521)' (NHHC page published 2015-07-28; live page returned 404 at access - Wayback capture 2021-02-04 used; verbatim hazegray transcription cross-checked via Wayback capture 2021-04-18) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS entry, specifications block + namesake biography + full service narrative (Wayback capture); hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd521txt.htm transcription agrees verbatim

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry 'Kimberly II (DD-521)': Fletcher-class destroyer (spec block: dp. 2,050; l. 376'6"; b. 39'8"; dr. 17'9"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 273; a. 5 5", 14 40mm., 12 20mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 5 21" tt.). Launched 4 February 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; sponsored by Miss Elsie S. Kimberly (daughter of the namesake admiral); commissioned 22 May 1943, Comdr. H. W. Smith in command. Service: cleared Norfolk 10 September 1943; Makin/Gilbert Islands ASW screen from 20 November 1943; departed Tarawa 6 December for repairs at San Francisco; Aleutians with TF 94 from 22 January 1944 (ASW patrols, offensive sweeps, Kuriles bombardment) until 18 September; Manus staging; Leyte convoy 10 November; Mangarin Bay kamikaze defense 21 December (one splash, two assists); Lingayen Gulf 6 January 1945 (two more kills); Okinawa radar picket from San Pedro Bay 21 March; attacked 26 March by two 'Vals' - one crashed the aft gun mounts killing 4 and wounding 57; cleared the area 1 April for repairs at Mare Island, arriving 25 April; cleared Pearl Harbor 10 August; Tokyo Bay 4 September; escorted Missouri to Philadelphia 18 October; Charleston from 3 November; placed in reserve 5 February 1947. Recommissioned 8 February 1951 (Comdr. O. B. Parker); Korea fire-support, ASW screen and carrier plane guard June-September 1951; Formosa patrol mid-September; return via Philippines/Suez/Mediterranean to Norfolk 12 December; Atlantic/Caribbean exercises; Charleston from 20 June 1953; decommissioned 15 January 1954. After 12 years in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston, proceeded to Boston Naval Shipyard in July 1966 for overhaul prior to being loaned to the government of the Republic of China. Five battle stars for World War II and one star for Korean service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1966 (DANFS coverage)

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel Staten Island construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 273) 1943-1947; postwar crew 1951-1954

   Limitations

   DANFS establishes identity, construction, service history, yard availabilities, and awards; it contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. The spec block gives no laid-down date (supplied by SDB 1945/NavSource). Coverage ends at the 1966 Boston overhaul - the 1967 transfer, strike date, and ROC disposal rest on secondary compilations (NavSource). Date conflicts with NavSource and SDB 1945 (launch 3 vs 4 Feb 1943; first commission 22 vs 24 May 1943; final decommission 15 vs 16 Jan 1954) carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-01

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945 edition, Vol. I (shipscribe.com mirror; image-scan read at page level) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 Vol. I, destroyer section entry 225: characteristics pp.162-163, propelling machinery pp.164-165, construction pp.166-167 (PDF pp.91-93 of SDB1945v1.pdf)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporaneous official BuShips tabulation naming this hull: Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945 edition (NAVSHIPS 250 series), destroyer entry 225 'KIMBERLY - DD521'. Characteristics (book pp.162-163): 376'5" overall, 369'1" waterline, 39'7" beam, 2,050 tons standard, 2,940 tons full load, 26 tons per inch immersion, 35.2 knots trial speed; trial displacement 2,800 tons, limiting draft 13'9", maximum navigational draft 17'9"; total accommodations 20 officers + 309 enlisted; armament five 5"/38-caliber DP guns, five twin 40-mm AA mounts, two quintuple 21-inch torpedo tubes (deck). Propelling machinery (pp.164-165): 2 propellers; 'G.E. turb.' (General Electric geared turbines); 60,000 shp; 4 boilers type 'B.&W.' (Babcock & Wilcox); steam conditions 565 p.s.i. / 850 deg.F; main reduction gears double (locked-train type), De Laval; ship's service generators two 250-kW turbo plus 40-kW diesel; voltage 450 A.C. / 120 D.C.; fuel oil 3,250 barrels, diesel 167 barrels. Construction (pp.166-167): built by 'Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.'; contract price of hull and machinery $5,888,920; authorizing act 19 July 1940; contract signed 9 September 1940; keel laid 27 July 1942; ship launched 4 February 1943; contract date of completion 1 July 1944; date of first commission 24 May 1943.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1945 edition (construction dates 1940-1943)

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel Staten Island construction trades 1942-43; commissioned crew accommodations basis 329

   Limitations

   Contemporaneous official Navy tabulation naming this hull - the strongest specification source in the file. It documents machinery plant, dimensions, armament, accommodations, builder, contract data, and dates only; it contains no asbestos or insulation-material statements and supports no asbestos claim. Its 'date of first commission' (24 May 1943) conflicts with DANFS/NavSource (22 May 1943); its accommodations total (329) exceeds the DANFS design complement (273) - conflicts carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Destroyer Photo Archive, USS Kimberly (DD-521) page (compiled from official records; supplies the strike/transfer/disposal dates DANFS omits) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-521 page 'Operational and Building Data' + 'Fate' + spec block (Wayback capture 2025-02-22; live navsource.org fetch blocked this session)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Destroyer Photo Archive page for DD-521: operational and building data block reads 'Built by Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, NY (YN 8028). Laid down 27 July 1942. Launched 03 February 1943. Commissioned 22 May 1943. Decommissioned 05 February 1947. Recommissioned 08 February 1951. Decommissioned 16 January 1954. Stricken 25 January 1974. To Taiwan 01 June 1967, renamed An Yang; Decommissioned at Kaohsiung, 16 September 1999.' Fate line: 'Sunk as a torpedo target by submarine ROCS Hailong 14 October 2003.' Compiled 'as built' block: displacement 2,924 tons full; 376'5" oa x 39'7" x 13'9" max; 5 x 5"/38 AA, 6 x 40mm, 10/11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt (2x5); machinery 60,000 shp, General Electric geared turbines, 2 screws; 38 knots; 6,500 nm at 15 kt; crew 273; call sign NIZD.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-2003

   Population

   USN crew 1943-1954; ROC Navy crew 1967-1999

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary index (not a primary document itself), but the building/fate lines transcribe official records; supplies the 1967 transfer, 1974 strike, 1999 ROC decommissioning, and 2003 sinking that postdate DANFS coverage. Compiled spec figures (38 kt, 6 x 40mm, 10 tt) conflict in part with DANFS and SDB 1945 - variances carried in gaps, DANFS and SDB carried as authoritative. No asbestos or materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-03

4. [4]Naval History and Heritage Command photograph NH 99746 and catalog page 'USN Ships - USS Kimberly (DD-521)' (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the NHHC photo index) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC photo-index page for DD-521 (ibiblio mirror): NH 99746 caption (Mare Island Navy Yard, 26 June 1945); 80-G-68235 catalog reference (New York Navy Yard vicinity, 5 June 1943)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official Navy photographic documentation naming this hull: NH 99746 shows USS Kimberly (DD-521) 'Plan view amidships, looking forward, while the ship was at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 26 June 1945' (official U.S. Navy Photograph, Naval Historical Center collections); the NHHC-cataloged page also lists National Archives views including 80-G-68235 (Kimberly underway near New York Navy Yard, 5 June 1943). Together with the DANFS narrative these document the April-June 1945 battle-damage repair period at Mare Island following the 26 March kamikaze hit (4 killed, 57 wounded).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1945

   Population

   Mare Island Navy Yard repair workforce, April-June 1945

   Limitations

   Documents the Mare Island repair availability and the hull's 1945 configuration visually; contains no asbestos, insulation, or work-scope statement. The photo caption records presence at the yard on 26 June 1945 - the repair's material scope (insulation disturbance or replacement) is not documented by this source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-04

5. [5]BuShips Ships' Data 1945 machinery row for DD-521 (shipscribe.com) + Atlas shipyards.json record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' (evidence_tier 3) + Destroyer History Foundation builder page 'Bethlehem Staten Island' [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB 1945 pp.164-165 machinery row 225; shipyards.json 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' asbestos_products_documented; destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/bethsi (yard history: Mariners Harbor; Bethlehem Steel production from December 1940)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull was built 1942-43 at Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island (Mariners Harbor), and carried a twin-screw high-pressure steam plant - four Babcock & Wilcox boilers feeding General Electric geared turbines at 565 psi / 850 deg.F (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 machinery row for DD-521). A U.S. Navy destroyer of this construction era and plant would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine and reduction-gear lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and compartment insulation. Builder-yard corroboration: Atlas shipyards.json documents 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' (the Bethlehem corporate shipbuilding record) as a tier-3 yard with documented asbestos products (85% magnesia block, Marinite, Transite, asbestos lagging, gaskets and packing); note the record's named yards are Quincy/Sparrows Point/San Francisco - the Staten Island yard is not separately listed (gap).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-2003

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel Staten Island construction trades 1942-43; USN crew 1943-1954; ROC crew and breakers 1967-2003

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and builder yard - NOT a hull record. Establishes no asbestos content aboard DD-521, no quantity, no location, no individual exposure, no causation. The Atlas 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' record is corporation-level and its documented yards are other Bethlehem sites; whether the Staten Island yard's specific materials practice is covered is uncertain (carried in gaps). Whether any asbestos remained aboard at the 1967 transfer or the 2003 sinking is undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-05

6. [6]General Information Book, USS La Vallette (DD 448), Fletcher-class lead-group hull (excerpt scan hosted by the Destroyer History Foundation) [other_primary]

   Locator

   GIB excerpt, 19 pp. - Section A-1 general/hull data throughout (image scan read at page level)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class primary document (different builder's hull): the General Information Book for USS La Vallette (DD 448), a Fletcher-class hull built by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock (Kearny, N.J.), is the published class-level build record excerpted by the Destroyer History Foundation. The published excerpt (19-page PDF read at image level) covers Section A-1 general/hull data only (designer's waterline, dimensions, stability notes) and contains no insulation, lagging, or material-schedule section. DD-521 would have had its own Bethlehem Staten Island GIB if one survives - not located online; NARA RG 19 is the lead.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-1943

   Population

   Fletcher-class design/construction reference population (class context)

   Limitations

   Class-level document for a same-design hull, not this hull's book - DD-521 was built at Bethlehem Staten Island (not Federal Kearny) and would have its own GIB if extant. The excerpt contains no asbestos or insulation statement, so it neither supports nor denies asbestos content; it documents the class design to which era inference attaches. The published excerpt is incomplete (Section A-1 only; machinery/insulation sections, if any, not published).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-06

7. [7]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page description + report PDF https://www.gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf (Navy response attachment, shipboard-asbestos paragraph; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Program-level documentation that asbestos use was pervasive in Navy ships: the GAO's 1979 report on Navy asbestos protection conveys the Navy's statement that 'thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems has been the major application of asbestos' aboard ships and that 'all ships presently in service contain some quantity of asbestos' (Navy response attachment). Context for the general era of Navy shipboard asbestos use; DD-521 (built 1942-43, transferred 1967) predates the report's scope but the finding documents the longstanding Navy-wide practice this hull's construction era belonged to.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1975-1979 (report); practices described span earlier decades

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers and ship crews (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level finding about the modern (1970s) fleet, not about this 1942-43 hull - quoted language describes in-service practice decades after this hull's construction; establishes nothing about DD-521's materials. Included only as Navy-wide era context consistent with Batch-01 usage.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-07

8. [8]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS entry vs. BuShips Ships' Data 1945 entry 225 vs. NavSource DD-521 compiled page vs. internal Fletcher-class profile [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block + narrative; SDB 1945 pp.162-167 entry 225; NavSource 'Operational and Building Data' + 'as built' block; fletcher-class.class.json member row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Launch date - DANFS and the contemporaneous SDB 1945 construction row read 4 February 1943; NavSource reads 3 February 1943; the official tabulation and DANFS are carried (1943-02-04), secondary compilation logged. (b) Commissioning date - DANFS and NavSource read 22 May 1943; the SDB 1945 'date of first commission' column reads 24 May 1943; DANFS carried, conflict logged. (c) Final decommissioning - DANFS reads 15 January 1954; NavSource reads 16 January 1954; DANFS carried, conflict logged. (d) Complement - DANFS design block 273; SDB 1945 accommodations columns for this hull read 20 officers + 309 enlisted (329); NavSource 'Crew 273' matches DANFS. (e) Speed - DANFS design block 35 kt; SDB 1945 trial speed 35.2 kt; NavSource compiled block reads 38 knots (anomalous; logged). (f) Internal class profile (fletcher-class.class.json) carries Kimberly's launch as '1942-02-04' - a year transposition (launched before keel); correct date is February 1943 per DANFS/SDB - logged as a data defect in the class file. (g) 40-mm battery - DANFS spec block '14 40mm.'; SDB 1945 armament column five twin mounts; NavSource '6 x 40mm' - wartime-fit variation, logged. (h) Name-collision guard - two U.S. Navy ships have borne this name: Kimberly I (DD-80), a Wickes-class hull launched 1917 and sold for scrapping in the interwar period (DANFS 'Kimberly I' entry, predating the asbestos-litigation era), and this hull, DD-521; in ROC service the hull was An Yang (DD-18/DDG-918), whose references concern this hull under foreign custody.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-2003 (source periods)

   Limitations

   Reconciles publication-level discrepancies among authoritative and secondary sources; none of the underlying sources contains asbestos information, and none of the variances affects hull identity or the disposition timeline. Figures carried in the record fields prefer official contemporaneous tabulations (SDB, DANFS) over secondary compilations.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-08

9. [9]Batch-3499 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; BuShips Ships' Data 1945; NavSource; NHHC photograph index; Destroyer History Foundation (class page, Bethlehem Staten Island builder page, Fletcher GIB excerpt); NARA Ship Plan Index; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener sweeps; general web ship-specific asbestos search [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-kimberly-dd521-01 onward

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials schedule, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Kimberly DD-521 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The disposition record itself limits what could exist in U.S. channels: the hull was decommissioned 1954, held in reserve to 1967, then transferred abroad (ROC loan) and sunk as a target in ROC service in 2003 - post-transfer events fall outside U.S. documentation channels.

   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 1942-43 commercial-yard-built steam destroyer is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. The hull's 1967-2003 ROC Navy custody and 2003 sinking produced no U.S. hazmat/abatement record in the sources searched; Taiwan-side disposal documentation was not surveyed and is unlikely digitized. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present in any quantity, nor any individual exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-09

10. [10]National Archives, Ship Plan Index entry KIMBERLY DD-521 (NAID 175661165, RG 19 Aperture Cards) + record-group mapping (RG 24 deck logs; RG 181 naval shipyard records; RG 19 ship construction/GIB series) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ship Plan Index table row 'KIMBERLY | DD-521 | 19 | Aperture Cards | 175661165'

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (index-level hit + record-group mapping; no item-level retrieval): (a) NARA Ship Plan Index lists 'KIMBERLY | DD-521 | RG 19 | Aperture Cards series | NAID 175661165' - a per-hull engineering-drawing holding whose contents (materials callouts, alteration drawings) were not retrieved or reviewed. (b) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned periods 1943-05 to 1947-02 and 1951-02 to 1954-01, which would document yard availabilities (San Francisco repairs Dec 1943-Jan 1944, Mare Island April-June 1945, Boston Naval Shipyard July 1966-June 1967). (c) NARA RG 181 naval shore-establishment records for the named yards (Boston Naval Shipyard, Mare Island Navy Yard) - hull-level repair correspondence. (d) A DD-521 General Information Book, if extant, in RG 19 (the published Fletcher GIB excerpt covers DD-448 only).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Limitations

    The index establishes the existence of an aperture-card drawing series for this hull, not the contents of any drawing; no drawing was retrieved or reviewed and no asbestos, insulation, alteration, or exposure finding is made. The RG 24/RG 19/RG 181 mappings are series-level leads; existence of asbestos-specific documents for DD-521 is unknown until surveyed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-10

11. [11]CourtListener API v4 searches: 'USS Kimberly' type=o (0); 'USS Kimberly' type=r (0); 'DD-521' type=o (0); 'DD-521' type=r (5 - Farfaras/Gomez Esquilin/Winn-Dixie/Wonser/Saki, all non-vessel document collisions) [court_record]

    Locator

    Zero-result responses for 'USS Kimberly' (o), 'USS Kimberly' (r), 'DD-521' (o); 'DD-521' (r) docket hits 1:01-cv-08720, Bankr. D.P.R. 13-01312, Bankr. M.D. Fla. 3:05-bk-03817, 2:24-cv-02160, 1:25-cv-01893 - match contexts inspected in returned payloads

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py, fleet-paced, 2026-09-27): 'USS Kimberly' (type=o) returned 0 hits; 'USS Kimberly' (type=r, dockets) returned 0 dockets; 'DD-521' (type=o) returned 0 hits; 'DD-521' (type=r, dockets) returned 5 dockets, all confirmed document-content collisions, none vessel-related: Farfaras v. Citizens Bk of Chgo (N.D. Ill. 1:01-cv-08720, employment discrimination - match inside an OCR'd form attachment); Gomez Esquilin (Bankr. D.P.R. 13-01312, bankruptcy petition); Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 3:05-bk-03817, Ch. 11 omnibus claims objection); Wonser v. Norman (S.D. Ohio 2:24-cv-02160) and Saki v. Norman (N.D. Ohio 1:25-cv-01893) - both civil-rights vanity-license-plate suits where 'DD-521' appears inside a 1,693-page exhibit list of issued/denied special-reserve plates. Classification: no qualifying asbestos litigation located for DD-521; every hit is a confirmed collision.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    sweep executed 2026-09-27; hit dockets date 2001-2025

    Limitations

    Sweep result, not a merits finding: 'no published opinion or indexed docket names this hull' is supported for these query terms, but pleadings naming the vessel without published opinions or full-text-indexed filings would not surface. 'Kimberly' is also a common surname and place name; unqueried plain-name results would be high-collision and are not probative. Fleet pacing delayed the hull-number docket query across four spaced attempts; all four planned queries completed. Does not establish asbestos aboard the vessel, exposure, product identification, causation, or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-kimberly-dd521-11