Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Lamberton (Destroyer No. 119)' (published 2016-02-24) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specification line and complete vessel narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies Lamberton (Destroyer No. 119): named for Rear Admiral Benjamin P. Lamberton (1844-1912), Dewey's chief of staff aboard Olympia at Manila Bay; laid down 1 October 1917 by Newport News Shipbuilding Co.; launched 30 March 1918 (sponsor Miss Isabell Stedman Lamberton); commissioned 22 August 1918; Caribbean shakedown, Azores maneuvers spring 1919, San Diego/Pacific Fleet from August 1919; decommissioned 30 June 1922; recommissioned 15 November 1930; redesignated AG-21 on 16 April 1932 and converted to a target-towing ship (San Diego, 1933-1940, towing for surface ships, submarines, and aircraft, plus experimental minesweeping); DMS-2 on 19 November 1940; Pearl Harbor from 11 September 1941; escorting Minneapolis to Oahu during the 7 December 1941 attack, then swept the harbor and spent seven months on Hawaiian offshore patrol; Aleutian patrol and escort operations from July 1942 including the May 1943 reinforcement lift for the second landing at Massacre Bay, Attu; San Diego target towing for the rest of the war; AG-21 again on 5 June 1945; final decommissioning at Bremerton on 13 December 1946; sale for scrapping on 9 May 1947 to National Metal & Steel Co., Terminal Island; and one World War II battle star. Specification line: 1,090 tons; 314'5" x 31'8" x 8'8"; 35 kts; complement 113; armament 4 x 4", 2 x 3", 1 dcp., 2 dct.; class notation 'Rathburne'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Service-history and specification evidence only. DANFS does not identify asbestos products, an asbestos survey, an exposure event, or a person exposed aboard this hull. The live history.navy.mil URL returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot, same as prior batches); cited via the 2024-12-04 Wayback capture. The older hazegray/losthistory.net DANFS transcription differs on four points (36 kts vs 35; recommissioned 16 vs 15 November 1930; AG-21 reversion 1946 vs 1945; sale '3 May' vs 9 May 1947) - NHHC current text carried, variants logged in gaps. Its 'cl. Rathburne' label is addressed in ev-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-01
-
[2]National Archives, Special List 44, Named Vessels, Lamberton entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- Named Vessels table, two consecutive Lamberton rows (verified live 2026-09-26; adjacent Lansdale row cross-references 'see Lamberton, 1922' for a shared log run)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 indexes two Lamberton log-book runs under the same DD-119, AG-21, and DMS-2 hull identity: 22 August 1918 to 30 June 1922 and 15 November 1930 to 30 June 1945. The index's own 11/15/1930 start date independently corroborates the 15 November 1930 recommissioning date. The latter endpoint is the index's log coverage, not a decommissioning date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The index establishes log holdings and hull continuity, not the contents of those logs. It does not establish asbestos aboard the vessel. The 1945 index endpoint does not displace DANFS's 1946 final decommissioning date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-02
-
[3]NHHC DANFS entries for Lamberton (Destroyer No. 119), Rathburne I (Destroyer No. 113), and Hopkins III (DD-249) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specification lines of all three DANFS entries; Hopkins III service narrative on DMS-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class correction: the Lamberton DANFS specification uses 'cl. Rathburne'; NHHC's Rathburne I (DD-113) DANFS entry identifies Rathburne as class Wickes. Thus the Rathburne label is a subgroup reference within the Wickes family, and the source does not support PRIMARY's Hopkins class assignment. NHHC separately identifies Hopkins III as DD-249, a Clemson-class destroyer later DMS-13.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The broad Wickes classification follows the NHHC Rathburne-to-Wickes relationship and Lamberton's own Rathburne label; NHHC's Lamberton entry itself does not use the word Wickes. The correction concerns identity and class, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-03
-
[4]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Introduction, Beginning Research, Specification Files, and Ship Engineering Drawings sections (page verified live 2026-09-26)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's asbestos research guide describes the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 and directs researchers to vessel-specific Bureau of Ships correspondence, specifications, and RG 19 ship engineering drawings, including S39 insulation and lagging drawings and S48 piping drawings. This is general Navy-era context overlapping Lamberton's commissioned service, not a finding about Lamberton or the Wickes class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The guide does not name this hull, document the Wickes-class material schedule, or show that asbestos was installed aboard Lamberton. Its 1941-1961 scope does not itself address Lamberton's 1917-1918 construction materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-04
-
[5]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, LAMBERTON entries (catalogs 53484414, 175669667); NARA-digitized Booklet of General Plans NAIDs 78116633/78116636/78116641 via NavSource indexing [other_primary]
- Locator
- LAMBERTON DMS-2 and DD-119 rows (catalog identifiers 53484414 and 175669667); NavSource minesweeper archive 11/0902 photo blocks citing the three NAIDs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index lists LAMBERTON DMS-2 under RG 19 Alphabetical Ship Drawings (catalog 53484414) and LAMBERTON DD-119 under RG 19 Microfilm (catalog 175669667); both rows verified live in the index. Separately, NavSource indexes digitized National Archives sheets of the hull's DMS-2 Booklet of General Plans under NAIDs 78116633, 78116636, and 78116641 (outboard/inboard profiles and deck plans), reposted at researcheratlarge.com - the sheets show mixed 1919-era and 1942/43-era fits. These are hull-specific leads for examining drawings, plans, and any material or insulation callouts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The online index lists record series, not drawing content. The underlying plans were not examined and no asbestos content can be inferred from their existence. A separate 'Lamberton DD-19' trial-curves index row was excluded as an apparent identifier mismatch. catalog.archives.gov direct NAID retrieval returned no content to automated fetch; NAID-level metadata verified through the secondary index only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-05
-
[6]Batch 3127 source search ledger, NHHC/NARA/NPS public-source review [other_primary]
- Locator
- Search ledger sl-uss-lamberton-dd119-01 through -06 and -14 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, material specification, museum stewardship disclosure, or exposure finding for Lamberton was located in the NHHC, NARA, and NPS public sources searched for this batch. The hull was sold for scrap in May 1947 - pre-regulation-era demolition with no expectation of surviving environmental documentation - and no NRHP/NHL, HAER, MARAD, or NVR record exists for her.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A bounded search result, not proof asbestos was absent. The indexed NARA drawings and logs were not obtained. CourtListener searching is tracked separately (ev-08). WWI-era steam construction was era-consistent with asbestos lagging, and 1947 scrapping predates documentation norms - no finding either way is supportable beyond the inference level.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-06
-
[7]Pearl Harbor Navy Yard War Diary, April 1942, NPS-hosted transcription/scanned compilation [nps]
- Locator
- PDF page 31 (zero-indexed page 30), 10 April 1942 entry, LAMBERTON line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A Pearl Harbor Navy Yard war diary entry dated 10 April 1942 lists LAMBERTON among ships whose work was completed and which departed, with 'sound gear' given as the work description.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Documents a yard-work event and sound-gear topic only. It does not describe materials, work spaces, personnel, insulation disturbance, asbestos, or exposure. The exact scope of the sound-gear work is not supplied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search responses and fleet limiter diagnostics, Batch 3127 search ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- Search ledger sl-uss-lamberton-dd119-07 through -13; CourtListener opinion cluster 1565939 (McComb v. McCormack) classified name collision on full-text review via openjuris/ecases
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 searches on 26 September 2026: 'USS Lamberton' returned zero opinion results and zero RECAP docket results; 'DD-119' returned zero opinion results; 'Lamberton DD-119' returned one opinion hit (McComb v. McCormack, 159 F.2d 219, 5th Cir. 1947 - a Texas land-title dispute in which 'Lamberton' is the Lamberton Drilling Company party and 'DD-119' matched survey map-line labels: name collision, verified via full text); 'Lamberton asbestos' returned six opinion hits, all name collisions (surname matches such as an assistant appellate defender in State v. Pinela, N.M. App. 1992; insurance/criminal dockets with no vessel nexus). No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Variant queries 'Lamberton' + 'DMS-2'/'AG-21'/'navy' and 'DD-119' type=docket were attempted but could not acquire fleet pacing slots within the helper's window - they are logged as blocked, not as no-result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The completed queries cover exact name (opinions + dockets), hull number (opinions), and asbestos-keyword surfaces - all zero or collisions. Residual gap: designation-variant and hull-number-docket queries remained throttle-blocked at session end; low-likelihood given the completed surface, and logged rather than overstated. CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets - state trial filings and unindexed dockets are outside scope. No litigation hit was located to classify at a pleading or later stage; this is a search result, not proof that no asbestos action ever existed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-08
-
[9]Naval Historical Center (NHHC), 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' (faq102-6), CINCPAC report vessel listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vessel listing table, DMS rows: 'DMS 2 LAMBERTON - Grounded'; Wayback capture 2001-12-20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' (CINCPAC report extract with vessel-damage listing) names this hull: 'DMS 2 | LAMBERTON | Grounded' - Lamberton was among the 222 vessels driven aground in Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan), Okinawa, during Typhoon Louise on 9 October 1945 (fleet-wide: 12 ships sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged). The listing retains her prior DMS-2 designation although she had reverted to AG-21 on 5 June 1945. She was later refloated and returned to duty (secondary sources; the NHHC row itself records only 'Grounded').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Storm-damage record only - establishes the hull's presence and grounding at Okinawa on 9 October 1945, not materials aboard and not repair scope. The refloat/return-to-duty detail is secondary-sourced (not stated in the NHHC listing row). NHHC's 'DMS 2' label is designation lag in the report - same hull, not a different vessel. This episode is not present in the DANFS narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-09
-
[10]NavSource minesweeper archive (navsource.net/archives/11/0902.htm) and destroyer index (/archives/05/119.htm) photo captions citing official NARA/NMUSN and U.S. Navy photo numbers [other_primary]
- Locator
- Photo caption blocks: 'On 27 July 1942 ... Lamberton accidentally rammed ... Chandler (DMS-9)'; 'in overhaul at Mare Island from 13 March until 9 May 1945'; NARA identifiers 80-G-16430/31/32
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photo records indexing official imagery document two further hull events: (a) on 27 July 1942, during Task Force 8's approach on Kiska, Lamberton accidentally rammed high-speed minesweeper Chandler (DMS-9); NARA photos 80-G-16430, 80-G-16431, and 80-G-16432 (National Museum of the U.S. Navy) show damage to Lamberton on 31 July 1942; (b) Lamberton was in overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard from 13 March until 9 May 1945 (U.S. Navy photos 3330-45 series and 3370-45 series). NavSource also carries the striking date 28 January 1947 and the DD-119 designation date 17 July 1920, neither stated in the DANFS entry text.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Photo-caption and index-level sourcing - the collision and the Mare Island availability rest on NavSource captions citing official photo numbers, not on the underlying records reviewed at NARA/NMUSN. A yard availability is documented but its work scope (and any insulation disturbance) is not. No asbestos content. NavSource's two Lamberton pages themselves conflict on the 1930 recommissioning day (15 vs 16 November) - a source-reliability flag logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-10
-
[11]U.S. Navy Memorial, Navy Log entry 'Borgnine, Ernest' (service record cites history.navy.mil); corroborated by USNI Naval History interview 'It Made a Man Out of Me' (February 1998) [museum_official]
- Locator
- navylog.navymemorial.org entry - USN 10/1935-10/1941, ship list: USS LAMBERTON DD-119; usni.org Naval History Feb 1998 interview
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Crew-era personnel record: Seaman Ernest Borgnine (later the Academy Award-winning actor; honorary Chief Petty Officer 2004) served aboard Lamberton during his first enlistment, October 1935 to October 1941 - spanning the AG-21 target-towing years and the November 1940 DMS-2 reclassification, leaving before the Pearl Harbor deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Personnel/context value only - establishes a verifiable named crew member aboard this hull 1935-41; says nothing about asbestos, materials, or duties exposing him to machinery spaces. Service-end month varies by source (September vs October 1941) - carried as October per Navy Memorial/NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lamberton-dd119-11