Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet ln-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Kleinsmith — originally DE-718 (Rudderow-class destroyer
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-kleinsmith-de718-pkt-ln-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Kleinsmith (APD-134) (namesake biography, build record, service narrative, MAP transfer; verbatim DANFS text via Wayback capture 2025-06-05 - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Kleinsmith (APD-134)', specifications block + service narrative + namesake biography
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: 'Originally designated DE-718, a Rudderow-class destroyer escort, Kleinsmith was redesignated as high-speed transport APD-134 on 17 July 1944; launched 27 January 1945 by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; sponsored by Mrs. Mary Agnes Kleinsmith; and commissioned at New Orleans 12 June 1945, Lt. Comdr. Alden J. Laborde in command.' Shakedown Guantanamo Bay; Norfolk 21 Jul 1945; Pacific via San Diego and Pearl Harbor; Buckner Bay, Okinawa 1 Oct 1945; operated Okinawa-Japanese home islands to 21 Feb 1946; San Francisco 24 Mar 1946 with 118 returning veterans; Norfolk 1 May 1946 via Panama Canal. Norfolk/Little Creek based six years; coastwise Labrador-Venezuela; amphibious command ship; UDT embarked for 'The Frogmen' filming Jan-Feb 1951. 'Seven deployments to the Mediterranean' claimed - narrative details five (Mar-Jul 1951; Jul-Sep 1952; Aug 1954-1955; Jan-Jun 1957 incl. April Jordan deployment; Sep-Nov 1957 Turkey-Syria crisis patrols). West Indies summer 1958 (missed Lebanon landing); 24 Oct 1958 rescued 56 U.S. citizens and 3 foreign nationals at Nicaro, Cuba. Great Lakes cruise via new St. Lawrence Seaway 27 May-3 Aug 1959. MAP transfer: departed Little Creek 1 May 1960 via San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Guam; Tsoying, Taiwan 15 May; decommissioned and transferred to Republic of China 16 May 1960; served Taiwanese Navy as Tien Shan (DANFS reads 'APD-215') 'for over 30 years until finally disposed of in 1993.' Specs block: dp. 1,450; l. 306'; b. 36'10"; dr. 13'6"; s. 23.6 k.; cpl. 204; a. 1 5", 6 40mm., 6 20mm., 2 dct.; cl. Crosley.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1993
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1944-45; commissioned crew (design complement 204) plus embarked troops (accommodations ~162), 1945-1960; Republic of China Navy crews 1960-1990s
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Mirror capture cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link-rot noted in Batch-01). DANFS text contains internal inconsistencies (five Mediterranean deployments narrated vs. 'seven' claimed; 1954-55 cruise return dated both 29 Jun and 29 Jan 1955) and conflicts with other sources on the Taiwanese pennant (APD-215 vs. APD-315) and disposal year (1993 vs. 1997/1998) - all carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Kleinsmith (APD-134) page (chronology, APD spec block, award periods, CO list, photo captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APD-134 page - chronology list, award table, APD Specifications block, CO table, image captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archival compilation for this hull: laid down 30 Aug 1944 as Rudderow-class DE-718 at Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City, MI; redesignated a Crosley-class high-speed transport while under construction; launched 27 Jan 1945; commissioned APD-134 12 Jun 1945 (LCDR Alden J. Laborde, USNR). Award-period record: Navy Occupation Service Medal Asia clasp 28 Sep 1945 - 22 Feb 1946; Europe clasps 15 Mar - 27 Jun 1951 and 21 Sep 1954 - 18 Jan 1955; China Service Medal (extended) 28 Sep 1945 - 22 Feb 1946. Decommissioned 16 May 1960 at Tsoying, Taiwan, transferred to Taiwan same day as ROCS Tien Shan (APD-315); struck from the Naval Register 16 May 1960; purchased outright by Taiwan 1974; pennants 615 and 815 while active; 'reported to have been struck by the Taiwanese Navy in early 1998.' APD spec block: 2 Babcock & Wilcox 'D' Express boilers (435 psi, 750 deg F); 2 GE turbines, turbo-electric drive; 2 shafts, 12,000 shp; 23.6 kt trial; 6,000 nm at 12 kt; complement 12 officers / 192 enlisted plus troop accommodations 12 officers / 150 enlisted; 4 LCVP; 1x5"/38, 3x2 40mm, 6x1 20mm, 2 depth charge tracks. Photo captions document the May 1945 tow by towboat John W. Weeks down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans (War Department U.S. Engineers Office photos, Wisconsin Maritime Museum collections).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1998
- Population
- Crew (12 officers/192 enlisted design) plus embarked troops; Republic of China Navy crews 1960-1990s
- Limitations
- NavSource is a curated secondary archive, not a primary record - its APD spec block is class-generic and the B&W boiler attribution is unverified at hull level; its laid-down date (30 Aug 1944) conflicts with Wikipedia's infobox (8 Aug 1944) and DANFS gives none. Details corroborated by DANFS where overlapping.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-02
-
[4]ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton compilation), Defoe Shipbuilding Bay City yard list, hull 291 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Defoe yard list, hull 291 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's yard-list record for this hull: Defoe hull no. 291, 'Kleinsmith (DE 718)', US Navy Destroyer Escort, 1,400 tons, 306 ft, launch/completion dated 27-Jan-45; disposition 'APD 134, to Taiwan 1960 as Tien Shan (APD 315/615/815), struck 1997.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1997
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - corroborates yard number, hull dimensions, and the Taiwanese pennant series (315/615/815) against NavSource; its 'struck 1997' conflicts with DANFS 'disposed 1993' and NavSource 'early 1998' - carried in gaps. Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-03
-
[5]Bowling Green State University, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, vessel record APD-134 (USS KLEINSMITH), item 433227 [other_primary]
- Locator
- BGSU HCGL item 433227, Vessel History + Build Information fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- University-archive vessel record for this hull: 'Commissioned on June 12, 1945. Came back onto Great Lakes as part of "Operation Inland Seas" (Task Force 47) to celebrate the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, May 27-August 3, 1959. Was first combat vessel to transit New Seaway. Transferred to Nationalist Chinese Navy at Tsoying, Taiwan, on May 16, 1960, and removed from Navy list same day. Laid down as DE-718.' Builder Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, MI; hull number 00291; steel hull; 306.00 x 36.08 x 13.50 ft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Archive catalog record corroborating build identity, the 1959 Operation Inland Seas transit, and the 1960 transfer - no materials or asbestos content. 'First combat vessel to transit' is the archive's characterization.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-04
-
[6]Navypedia, '"TEV" destroyer escorts (RUDDEROW) (1943-1944)' page - member table, machinery block map, and 17.7.1944 APD reclassification note; NavSource APD-134 spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia us_de_tev.htm member table + conversion note ('710-720, reclassified 17.7.1944 as APD87-136'); NavSource APD-134 APD Specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: DE-718 is a Rudderow (TEV) hull inside the Defoe-built DE-710-720 block, which navypedia documents as reclassified 17 July 1944 into the Crosley-class APD group (50 hulls, APD-87 through APD-136, 'commissioned already in this quality'). The retained steam plant - two superheated boilers (435 psi/750 deg F 'D' Express type) driving GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp - makes era-standard boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and compartment fireproofing the expected asbestos applications of 1944-45 Navy construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1998
- Population
- Defoe construction trades 1944-45; crew Jun 1945 - May 1960; Republic of China Navy crews 1960-1990s
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull. Boiler manufacturer for this hull is unverified (NavSource class block reads Babcock & Wilcox; no hull-level contract document reached). Establishes no quantities, no individual exposure, and no present-day material condition - the hull passed to the Republic of China Navy in 1960 and its Taiwanese-service and disposal records are undocumented here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-05
-
[7]National Museum of the Great Lakes republication of Bert C. Brennan, 'Fighting Ships from Bay City,' Inland Seas, July 1945 (Defoe Shipbuilding DE/APD construction profile) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NMGL Inland Seas republication, paragraphs on the '307-foot destroyer escort type' and the river-delivery route
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous (July 1945) profile of the builder's 307-foot DE/APD type - the class this hull was completed to - documents the type's engineering extent: '5.6 miles of pipe ... 2,010 valves, 2,650 pipe flanges, and 9,018 pipe fittings,' 'powered by steam turbo-electric drive, oil fired express type boilers,' built by the yard's 'roll-over' method, with ~4,000 employees producing DEs and APDs at Bay City, and the Chicago-Illinois-Mississippi river delivery route this hull followed to New Orleans. Establishes the piping/valve/flange scope aboard which period insulation, gaskets, and packing were standard-era asbestos applications.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding trades (~4,000 employees, wartime peak); Defoe civilian delivery crews
- Limitations
- Type- and yard-level description, not a hull record - the article names no individual vessel other than illustrative examples, never mentions asbestos, and describes the production line rather than DE-718 specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-06
-
[8]DANFS, Kleinsmith - name-history paragraph (DE-376 assignment and cancellation); Atlas class-profile row for cancelled DE-376 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, name-history paragraph preceding the APD-134 narrative; john-c-butler-class.class.json member row DE-376
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Conflation hazard documented: 'The name Kleinsmith was assigned to DE-376 on 31 May 1944, but construction of the ship was canceled 6 June 1944.' That contract (Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas - per the Atlas John C. Butler class profile, which lists DE-376 Kleinsmith as a cancelled June 1944 hull) was never built; the name was reassigned to the Defoe hull DE-718. Any record naming 'USS Kleinsmith (DE-376)' refers to the never-built Consolidated contract, not to the completed APD-134.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Corrective/contextual note for research disambiguation only - establishes nothing about materials aboard either hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-07
-
[9]Batch-4499 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS verbatim entry (Wayback); NavSource APD-134; navypedia TEV class page; shipbuildinghistory Defoe yard list; BGSU HCGL item 433227; NMGL/Inland Seas 1945; HyperWar APD-134 page; NVR; NPS/NRHP; web litigation search; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-kleinsmith-de718-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-718/APD-134: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat disclosure (the hull is not preserved - transferred to Taiwan 1960, disposed in the 1990s), and no materials documentation in any source searched. The completed CourtListener sweep located one docketed asbestos action naming this hull at discovery/pleading-record stage only (Morgan v. Bill Vann Co., ev-09) - all other hits were name collisions; no opinion or judgment references this vessel. Public web litigation indexes surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles naming the ship (excluded as sources per batch rules).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-45 steam-plant hull is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and 30+ years of Taiwanese Navy service plus disposal are undocumented phases in which original materials would most likely have been disturbed or replaced. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The Morgan docket's hull-naming is a plaintiff work-history exhibit recited in a remand order - allegation/discovery-stage record evidence, not an adjudicated finding that asbestos was aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-08
-
[10]Morgan v. Bill Vann Company, Inc., No. 2:11-cv-00535-WS-B (S.D. Ala., filed 2011-09-14, terminated 2013-10-08; nature of suit 'P.I.: Asbestos', cause 28:1331) - order denying remand (doc 58, 2011-12-06) and summary-judgment orders (docs 414, 417, 422), text via CourtListener RECAP [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 4956204 - order doc 58 (work-history recital at pp. 3-4); SJ orders docs 414, 417, 422
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docketed asbestos personal-injury/wrongful-death action naming this hull at pleading/discovery-record stage: the court's order denying remand (doc 58) recites that defendants' exhibit - a work-history summary compiled from plaintiff's discovery responses - listed decedent Rueben Morgan's U.S. Navy service 1950-1954 aboard USS Kleinsmith, USS Earle B. Hall, and USS Burdo, 'working predominantly as a machinist / engine room worker,' followed by Coast Guard vessels 1959-1964. Morgan (mesothelioma diagnosed Feb 2011, died 5 Nov 2012; estate personal representative Ronald Melvin Morgan substituted) sued 11 product defendants alleging exposure to asbestos-containing products as a machinist/engine-room worker. Removal upheld - motion to remand denied 6 Dec 2011; summary judgment granted to multiple defendants including Mount Vernon Mills (doc 414, claims time-barred) and Warren Pumps (doc 422), denied to John Crane (doc 417); action terminated 8 Oct 2013.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1950-1954 (alleged exposure period); litigation 2011-2013
- Population
- Rueben Morgan (plaintiff-decedent, Navy machinist/engine-room worker 1950-1954)
- Limitations
- Lowest-stage classification applies: the hull-naming is a plaintiff work-history exhibit recited in a remand order - discovery/record-evidence stage, never adjudicated. The reviewed order text does not attribute asbestos exposure to Kleinsmith specifically among the three Navy vessels and two Coast Guard cutters in the work history, and the merits rulings resolved the action largely against the plaintiff (a negative for his claims, not exposure evidence for this hull). No court found asbestos conditions aboard USS Kleinsmith.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 sweep via cl-auth-search.py - opinion and RECAP-docket queries for exact name, surname, and both hull numbers (queries and results in search_ledger sl-10 through sl-17) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-kleinsmith-de718-10 through -17; cl-results/*.json retained locally
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Completed CourtListener sweep: '"USS Kleinsmith"' opinions 0 hits; '"USS Kleinsmith"' dockets 1 hit - Morgan v. Bill Vann Co., qualifying asbestos docket naming the hull (ev-09); '"Kleinsmith" asbestos' opinions 3 hits all name collisions (persons named Kleinsmith in Dillingham Ship Repair x2 and Duckett v. Alaska Steel - no vessel reference in opinion text); '"Kleinsmith" asbestos' dockets 11 hits - Morgan plus bankruptcy/civil-rights dockets where Kleinsmith is a person or creditor name; '"Kleinsmith"' dockets 20 hits all person-name collisions; '"DE-718"' opinions 8 hits all unrelated alphanumeric strings; '"APD-134"' opinions 0 hits. Classification: 1 qualifying asbestos docket at discovery/pleading stage; all other hits name collisions or no result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- RECAP coverage is partial - 14 docket entries carried full text; the complaint and most early filings are not in RECAP. Indexing covers free sources only; state-court filings and paid PACER documents outside RECAP are not covered. A zero or collision result does not prove no other litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kleinsmith-de718-10