USS Koelsch (DE-1049)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet hv-packet.md (11 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-koelsch-de1049-pkt-hv-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Koelsch (DE-1049) (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, July 2015 edition - verbatim transcription via Tin Can Sailors destroyers.org; live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   destroyers.org DE-1049 page, 'Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, July 2015' namesake, ship-history, and disposition blocks

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 19 February 1964 at Bay City, Mich., by Defoe Shipbuilding Co.; launched 8 June 1965, sponsored by Miss Virginia L. Koelsch, niece of Lt. (j.g.) John Kelvin Koelsch (Medal of Honor, posthumous, 1955); builders' trials Lake Huron 14-15 April 1967; departed Bay City 11 May 1967 via the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway; commissioned at Boston Naval Shipyard 10 June 1967, Comdr. John A. Buck in command; home port Newport, R.I. Yard periods documented in the narrative: Boston Naval Shipyard fitting-out through 1967 (much of it in drydock; sonar-dome rubber coating; ASWC&CS installation; replacement of eight superheater tube stubs on the 1A boiler; DASH removal); Boston post-shakedown availability 14 January-22 March 1969; Boston Naval Shipyard overhaul 15 September-21 December 1970; Charleston Naval Shipyard regular overhaul 17 June 1974-19 March 1975 (SPS-40D radar, TACAN, CHT, AFFF, rubberized SQS-26BX dome, major boiler and supercharger repairs, ICCHP, LAMPS conversion); Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Baltimore, ROH 3 April 1978-27 June 1979; Coastal Drydock and Repair Corporation, Brooklyn, eleven-month ROH October 1982-October 1983; Bath Iron Works, Portland, Maine ROH 4 January 1988-28 February 1989 (stop-work order 28 January 1988 after the proposed Garcia-class decommissioning; sonar-dome repairs, forward gun mount, and full NTDS overhaul cancelled for lack of funding). In-service boiler repair events: Athens September 1972; Barcelona January-February 1985 (1A boiler flareback, 1A supercharger replaced); Bermuda July 1985 (1B main feed pump, 1B boiler); automatic boiler control system alteration 28 April-6 May 1987. Reclassified frigate FF-1049 30 June 1975. Decommissioned 31 May 1989 at Charleston; transferred same day to the Pakistani Navy under a five-year lease as Siqqat (F-267); returned to U.S. custody at Singapore 19 August 1994; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and transferred to the Maritime Administration 28 September 1994; sold to Trusha Investments Pte., Ltd c/o Jacques Pierot, Jr. and Sons, Inc. of New York City for $625,824 and scrapped at Hong Kong.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1964-1994

   Population

   Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1964-67; crew 1967-89; yard workers at six documented availabilities 1967-89; Pakistani crew 1989-94; Hong Kong scrapping workers 1994

   Limitations

   DANFS documents construction, service history, yard periods, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. Yard entries are ship-specific events whose asbestos scope is unknown and unasserted. Stricken/MARAD dates conflict with NVR and NavSource (carried in gaps). Transcription mirror cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register ship detail, KOELSCH (FF 1049) ex-DE 1049 (NAVSEA official inventory; record last updated 2000-06-29; Wayback capture 2017-01-09) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR SHIPSDETAIL_FF_1049 data block (UIC, status, builder, milestone dates, propulsion type, custodian, last-updated line)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official NAVSEA inventory record for this hull: UIC 54044; class FF 1040; type Frigate; status 'Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration' with date status changed 09/28/1994; builder Defoe Shipbuilding Co.; award 03/21/1963; keel 02/19/1964; launch 06/08/1965; delivery 05/23/1967; commission 06/10/1967; decommission 05/31/1989; stricken date 07/01/1994; propulsion type 'Steam Turbines'; custodian Maritime Administration (National Defense Reserve Fleet); years from commission to decommission 22.0.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1963-1994

   Population

   Crew 1967-89

   Limitations

   NVR confirms official milestone and disposition data, not materials. Its stricken date (07/01/1994) conflicts with DANFS (09/28/1994) and NavSource (08/19/1994) - carried in gaps. Physical-characteristics and accommodations fields are blank in the record, so no official complement exists. Live NVR page for this disposed hull serves only the navigation shell; Wayback capture cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-02

4. [4]NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Koelsch (DE 1049), page 06/06021049 (specification block and custodial chronology; Wayback capture 2024-05-25) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 06/06021049 'Specifications' block and 'Building and Operational Data' chronology

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource custodial record for this hull: class Garcia, SCB No. 199A (1961-1963), ten in class; displacement 2,620 t std / 3,400 t full; length 390 ft wl / 414 ft 6 in oa; beam 44 ft; draft 24 ft; propulsion 2 Foster Wheeler 1200-psi boilers, 1 Westinghouse geared turbine, 35,000 shp, 1 shaft; speed 27 kt; range 4,000 nm at 20 kt; complement 13 officers / 234 enlisted; armament 2 x 5-inch/38 Mk30 (2x1), Mk16 ASROC (1x8), 6 x Mk32 torpedo tubes (2x3); radars SPS-10/SPS-40; sonar AN/SQS-26BX (DE 1047-1051); 1 SH-2 LAMPS helicopter. Chronology: contract 1963-03-21; keel '19 February 1965' (sic - conflicts with DANFS/NVR 1964); launched 1965-06-08; builders' trials Lake Huron 1967-04-14/15; departed Bay City 1967-05-11; commissioned Boston Naval Shipyard 1967-06-10, Escort Squadron 6 Newport; DesRon 24 from 1970-07; homeport Mayport 1973-08-26; reclassified FF-1049 1975-06-30; decommissioned Naval Station Charleston 1989-05-31; leased to Pakistan as Siqqat 'F-266'; 'struck from the NVR' 1994-08-19; 'transferred back to MARAD at Singapore and sold for scrap, same date' 1994-09-09 to Trusha Investments for $625,824.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1963-1994

   Population

   Defoe construction trades 1964-67; crew 1967-89

   Limitations

   Secondary custodial archive, not an official record - used for the specification block and chronology where DANFS/NVR are silent (complement, dimensions) or conflicting. Keel year (1965), Siqqat pennant (F-266), strike date (1994-08-19), and MARAD/sale date (1994-09-09) all conflict with DANFS and/or NVR; DANFS/NVR values are carried and the conflicts are logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-03

5. [5]Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University Libraries, vessel record DE-1049 (USS KOELSCH), Defoe hull number 438 [museum_official]

   Locator

   BGSU HCGL item 434656 vessel data table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   University-archive vessel record for this hull: registry U.S. Navy; destroyer escort; builder Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, MI; Defoe yard hull number 00438; steel hull; length 414.50 ft, width 44.00 ft, depth 24.16 ft; 'passed downbound at Port Colborne, May 12, 1967' on the St. Lawrence transit; 'Commissioned on June 10, 1967.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1964-1967

   Population

   Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1964-67

   Limitations

   Institutional archive confirms builder identity and Great Lakes transit detail; it documents the vessel, not materials or asbestos content. HCGL holds Defoe Shipbuilding records - an archival lead for hull-level construction documentation not pursued.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-04

6. [6]Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, October 1994, 'MarAd Accepts Bids On Vessels For Scrapping' (Invitation for Bids No. EXC-8632; see B94-131, 1994-08-03) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Maritime Reporter October 1994, page 104, contract-notice column

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporaneous trade press documents the MARAD scrapping sale of this hull: Trusha Investments Pte. Ltd., c/o Jacques Pierot Jr. & Sons Inc., New York, offered $625,824 for the 'Koalsch' (printed 'FF-1048' - a typographical error; the price and purchaser match the DANFS/NVR record for FF-1049 exactly, and the actual FF-1048, Sample, went to Brazil) and $635,602.50 for sister Brumby (FF-1044); the vessels 'are to be scrapped in the United States or approved foreign countries.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1994

   Population

   Hong Kong scrapping workers 1994

   Limitations

   Confirms the MARAD sale mechanism and price for the scrapping disposal; contains no asbestos or hazmat content. A USNI Proceedings status-change note (May 1994) records that the MARAD transfer for the returned Pakistan-lease frigates was a paper transfer made one day before the scrap sale.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-05

7. [7]Stokes v. AC&S Inc. et al., No. 13-4002 (3d Cir. Oct. 8, 2014) (non-precedential), on appeal from E.D. Pa. Nos. 2-09-cv-91897, 2-01-md-00875 (MDL-875, Judge Robreno); In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. V) [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener docket 4136354 (ca3 13-4002), recap document 3011506090 index match; opinion text via Villanova Third Circuit repository mirror (2014 Decisions, item 1046)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull, resolved adversely to the plaintiff: 'USS Koelsch' appears in the indexed CourtListener docket text of the Stokes appellate record (appellant brief with Volume I appendix, ECF 3011506090). Decedent Raymond Edward Stevens alleged mesothelioma from asbestos-containing 'Micarta' panels he helped install aboard U.S. Navy vessels 1960-1985, manufactured by CBS Corp. (Westinghouse successor) and distributed by International Paper; his only exposure evidence was deposition testimony that the panel (named variously 'Mako,' 'Mika,' 'Miko,' 'Mickeda,' 'Mikeda') was stamped as containing asbestos - later retracted ('Did you ever see the word asbestos on the panel itself? A: No'; he 'just kn[e]w'). The district court granted summary judgment; the Third Circuit (Chagares, J., joined by Ambro and Vanaskie) affirmed 8 October 2014, holding no reasonable jury could credit the internally inconsistent testimony, and citing defense proof - a Westinghouse Micarta division affidavit, an internal Westinghouse letter, and two sets of Navy construction specifications - that asbestos-containing Micarta was never approved for Navy vessels and that non-asbestos, paper-based panels were used aboard Navy ships.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1960-1985 (alleged exposure); 2009-2014 (litigation)

   Population

   Raymond Edward Stevens (panel installer aboard Navy vessels 1960-1985; d. 2012-08-10 of mesothelioma while suit pending)

   Limitations

   Classified at the less-final stage per batch discipline: the ship-name reference sits in a brief/appendix-level record and the exposure allegation was never adjudicated in the plaintiff's favor - the case ended as a merits-level negative (affirmed summary judgment for defendants), so it evidences litigation naming the hull, not exposure aboard it. Whether Koelsch appears in the record as an alleged exposure vessel or as a list/appendix reference was not separately verified beyond the docket index match (RECAP document not pulled). Incident bonus of the record: it documents Navy construction specifications prohibiting asbestos in Micarta-type paneling - a specific non-asbestos product line aboard Navy ships.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-06

8. [8]United States v. Doss, 15 M.J. 409 (C.M.A. 1983), No. 45,140, NMCM No. 82-2738 (Everett, C.J.) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion factual recital (offense allegations, p. 410)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Other litigation, not asbestos: a published Court of Military Appeals opinion on multiplicity for findings. The appellant's unit was this hull: 'The absences were from appellant's unit, the USS KOELSCH, located at Mayport, Florida... The restriction was to the USS KOELSCH' - the charged unauthorized absences, breaches of restriction, and disobedience (UCMJ Articles 86, 134, 91; contested Article 95 resisting-apprehension charge) all occurred aboard USS Koelsch on 31 August 1981.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1981 (offenses); 1983 (opinion)

   Population

   Seaman Apprentice O'Neal Doss, USN (crew, 1981)

   Limitations

   Military criminal case - contains no asbestos, industrial-hygiene, or ship-materials content; logged so the exact-name court hit is classified correctly and not misread as asbestos litigation. Its only informational value is confirming a crew population aboard this hull at Mayport in 1981.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page and full-text PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf), report highlights and summary text

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO HRD-80-2 documents the Navy's shipboard asbestos program during this hull's mid-life: asbestos thermal insulation was 'the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships,' and the Navy stated that ships delivered in the years before the report 'contain some asbestos' while most ships 'delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation' - placing a 1967-delivered escort in the pre-phaseout population; the Navy's October 1975 policy removed and replaced only damaged insulation or insulation that had to come out for repairs, modified in 1979 to add selective replacement in high-maintenance areas, with an estimated 30-50 percent of thermal insulation normally remaining untouched for the life of a ship; fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1979 (report); policies 1975-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers and crews (program scope)

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation, not hull-specific - the report does not name this ship and does not establish what insulation was installed, removed, or retained aboard Koelsch. Does not establish individual exposure, quantities, or present-day presence (hull scrapped 1994). gao.gov blocks automated fetches in earlier sessions; product-page description plus prior full-text review carried.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-08

10. [10]NAVSHIPS instruction dated 9 February 1971 on asbestos exposure hazards, transmitted with Shipbuilding Contractors Association memo (document image via ToxicDocs/UCSF Industry Documents-style archive, toxicdocs.org) [other_primary]

    Locator

    toxicdocs.org document gDOjBpQk7kLBDm0e4Zb7ON599 - SCA cover memo and enclosed NAVSHIPS instruction text (items 1-3, 12, 17)

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    The Navy's first asbestos-exposure control instruction for shipbuilding and repair identifies 'the fabrication, installation, repair or removal of pipe and boiler insulation materials' as the most critical asbestos use in the Navy from a safety viewpoint and prescribes rip-out controls, industrial-hygiene inspection, and a 5-fiber/ml TLV. The instruction postdates this hull's 1964-67 construction by four-plus years - the hull was built before the Navy's formal asbestos-control regime existed, and its six documented availabilities (Boston 1967/1969/1970; Charleston 1974-75; Baltimore 1978-79; Brooklyn 1982-83; Portland 1988-89) span both sides of the instruction's effective date.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1971

    Population

    Shipyard insulation workers and supervisors (instruction scope)

    Limitations

    Program-level regulation, not a hull record - it establishes when Navy asbestos controls began and what they covered, not what was aboard this ship. Mirror-hosted primary document; the instruction's own text is legible in the scan. Does not establish asbestos presence aboard Koelsch, exposure of any individual, or abatement performed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-09

11. [11]NavSource spec block for this hull (2 Foster Wheeler 1200-psi boilers; 1 Westinghouse geared turbine; 35,000 shp; 1 shaft) read with GAO HRD-80-2 era findings and NAVSHIPS 1971 instruction scope [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource 06/06021049 'Propulsion' line; corroborating era records at ev-08 (GAO HRD-80-2) and ev-09 (NAVSHIPS 1971); DANFS yard/repair narrative at ev-01

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Era/design inference for this hull: the documented propulsion plant (2 Foster Wheeler 1,200-psi boilers, 1 Westinghouse geared steam turbine, single shaft, 35,000 shp) is a steam plant of the type whose era insulation suite - boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, flange gaskets, valve packing - was manufactured with asbestos fiber under Navy specifications before the 1970s phase-out documented in ev-08/ev-09. The hull additionally carried habitability-era applications typical of a 1960s escort (bulkhead and accommodation insulation, deck coverings, cable insulation). Recurring documented boiler work (superheater tube stubs 1967; Athens 1972; major boiler/supercharger repairs 1974-75; flareback casualty and supercharger replacement 1985; 1B boiler/feed-pump repairs 1985; boiler-control alteration 1987) marks engineering spaces where era insulation would have been disturbed. Asbestos presence aboard this specific hull is era inference, not ship-proven.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    1964-1994

    Population

    Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1964-67; engine-room crew 1967-89; availability yard workers (Boston NSY 1967/1969/1970; Charleston NSY 1974-75; Bethlehem Baltimore 1978-79; Coastal Drydock Brooklyn 1982-83; BIW Portland 1988-89); Pakistani crew 1989-94; scrapping workers Hong Kong 1994

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, survey, or abatement record was located. Does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, its quantities, locations, or condition, and does not establish or defeat any individual exposure claim. The ship was scrapped at Hong Kong in 1994; present-day presence is moot.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-10

12. [12]Batch-3978 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (404; Tin Can Sailors transcription); NVR Wayback; NavSource Wayback; BGSU HCGL; Maritime Reporter 1994; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated helper); web index [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-koelsch-de1049-01 through sl-uss-koelsch-de1049-10

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or docketed case producing an exposure finding names this hull. CourtListener surfaced exactly two hull-name records: the Stokes asbestos docket (ev-06, resolved for defendants) and the Doss court-martial (ev-07, non-asbestos). Hull-number opinion queries ('DE-1049', 'FF-1049') produced zero qualifying hits - the five 'DE-1049' results are substring collisions (Invention Secrecy Act, medical-malpractice, and contract cases) and 'FF-1049' returned none. Web-index searches surfaced only law-firm marketing pages claiming exposure aboard 'USS Koelsch FF-1049' (shepardlawfirm.com; mesotheliomaveterans.org frigate list; navyshipexposure.com Garcia-class page - all excluded per source policy; none contains ship-specific documentation).

    Verification

    partial

    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 - a 1967 steam-escort build is era-consistent with installed asbestos insulation. Coverage caveat: hull-number DOCKET queries ('DE-1049', 'FF-1049', type=r) could not be run - the fleet-wide pacing budget was intermittently spent across repeated spaced attempts; that residual is logged in gaps, not hidden. Does not establish or defeat any exposure or eligibility claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-koelsch-de1049-11