Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet 750-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lewis-de535-pkt-750-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Lewis II (DE-535) 1944-1965 (NHHC entry, Dr. Timothy L. Francis, updated 2008-06-30; live NHHC page 404 - Wayback capture 2015-09-20 cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Lewis II (DE-535)' - specification block, namesake bio, service narrative (full text via Wayback 2015-09-20)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship history: namesake Ens. Victor Alan Lewis USNR (VT-8 TBF pilot killed 4 Jun 1942 at Midway, posthumous Navy Cross); laid down 3 Nov 1943 Boston Navy Yard, launched per DANFS 23 Mar 1944 (conflicts with 7 Dec 1943 carried by NavSource/uboat/Navypedia - logged), sponsored Mrs. Serena V. Lewis, commissioned Boston 5 Sep 1944. WWII: shakedown Bermuda; Pearl Harbor 5 Dec 1944; convoy PD220-T to Eniwetok; ASW sweeps near Yap; TU 50.7.2 (with Silverstein DE-534, Howard F. Clark DE-533, Raymond DE-341) for Iwo Jima logistics; TF 58 screening; Okinawa TG 50.8 screening; typhoon 2 Jun 1945 (67-degree roll); Ulithi Surface Patrol from 2 Jul. Decommissioned 31 May 1946; Reserve Fleet San Diego 30 Jul 1946. Refitted Mare Island Navy Yard, recommissioned 28 Mar 1952. Korea: TE 95.21/95.20 blockade and bombardment; 21 Oct 1952 two 75mm hits at Wonsan - first penetrated forward fireroom and pierced No. 1 boiler, killing six fire and boilermen outright and mortally wounding a seventh; repairs Yokosuka mid-Nov 1952. Overhauls: Long Beach early 1953 and 1954 (four months); San Francisco 21 Nov 1955-14 Mar 1956 (modernization); San Francisco 1 May-26 Jul 1958; Guam homeport Oct 1958; Operation Nekton sonar tracking for Trieste's 23 Jan 1960 Challenger Deep dive. Decommissioned Mare Island 27 May 1960; recommended for disposal 22 Dec 1965; stricken 1 Jan 1966; towed out by Tawasa (ATF-92) and sunk as target 21 Apr 1966. Three WWII + one Korean battle star. Spec block: 1,350 t, 306 ft, beam 36'7", draft 15'3", 24 kt, complement 222, 2 5-in DP, 6 40mm, 10 20mm, 1 Hedgehog, 8 DCT, 2 DC tracks; class John C. Butler.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crews (DANFS complement 222)
- Limitations
- Service history and specification record, not a materials or asbestos document - establishes hull identity, yard periods, and the 21 Oct 1952 fireroom damage-and-repair event but says nothing about insulation content. Internal date conflicts (launch 23 Mar 1944 in this text vs 7 Dec 1943 in other sources; decommissioning 31 May vs 1 May 1946) are logged in gaps rather than reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, DE-535 USS Lewis (building/operational data, CO list, U.S. Navy photo captions incl. MINSY conversion and drydock records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org DE-535 page - 'Building and Operational Data' block; photo captions 0653504 (28 Mar 1952 recommissioning) and 0644104 (17 Jan 1956 MINSY dry dock)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource ship record corroborating and extending the yard-period documentation: launched/christened 7 Dec 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Serena V. Lewis; decommissioned at San Diego after 1 year 8 months and 79,074 miles steamed; '1951: Underwent SBC-63, ASW Upgrade at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard'; recommissioned Mare Island 28 Mar 1952; homeport changed to Guam Oct 1958; decommissioned Mare Island 27 May 1960 after 8 years 2 months; struck from NVR 1 Jan 1966 (9 years 10 months total service). U.S. Navy photo caption DE-535-12541-3-52 documents conversion status at Mare Island NSY 1 Oct 1951-9 May 1952; photo MINSY 27713-1-56 documents Lewis in Mare Island dry dock No. 2 15 Dec 1955-18 Jan 1956 (overhaul completed 9 Mar 1956). Specs block: WGT, 2 'D' Express boilers, 2 geared turbines 12,000 shp; complement 14 officers/201 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- Mare Island NSY conversion/overhaul/inactivation workforces 1951-60; crews 1952-60
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled photo archive quoting official U.S. Navy photo captions - secondary compilation, but the yard-status dates derive from captioned official photographs. Documents that the conversion/overhauls occurred aboard this hull; contains no asbestos or material content information - conversion/repair scope unverified for ACM.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table row 6 + Navypedia WGT member-table boiler-block map [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table row 6; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt member table (boiler-block map)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: the class's WGT steam plant (design group 6: two 'D'-type express boilers 435 psi/750F superheat, Westinghouse geared turbines, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts; Navypedia's block map assigns Babcock & Wilcox boilers to the DE-531-554 block including DE-535) installed in a 1943-44 hull is consistent with peak-era asbestos applications - fireroom and machinery-space insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, and asbestos-felt insulation products - as standard Navy practice of the period.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44; engineering crews 1944-60
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or specification document for DE-535 was located; SDB group table and the Navypedia boiler map describe the design, not this hull's as-built material content. Establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-03
-
[5]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial/exhibit-list materials, ECF 738 att. 1 (naming USS Brannon DE-446, same class) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 6100500; ECF 738.1 exhibit list items Honeywell-160 through -167
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The only located asbestos-litigation docket naming a John C. Butler-class hull identifies the era's controlling Navy insulation-document suite as exhibits: 'Bureau of Ships Manual, Chapter 39, Thermal Insulation, NAVSHIPS 250000(39), dated 24 August 1945'; 'Navy Department Specification, Felt, Insulating, Asbestos, 32F3a, dated 15 October 1945'; 'General Specifications for Machinery - Subsection S39-1, Bureau of Engineering, dated 3 Feb 1939'; BuEng Manual ch.13 'Instructions Relative to Heat Insulation' (rev. 1933, repr. 1939); BUMED Code-55 memo 'Occupational Health Issues for POM-80' (9 Jun 1977). These specifications governed insulation aboard DEs of this build era; retrieval pending.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1933-1977 (documents); litigation 2017-2019
- Limitations
- Exhibit-list identifications in a docket naming DE-446, not this hull - class-level context and document leads only. The underlying spec documents were not retrieved; nothing here establishes asbestos aboard DE-535 or any exposure. That docket itself conceded non-asbestos insulation was possible on the named ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - the fleet posture under which era insulation typically remained aboard until a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation post-dating this hull's existence (sunk 1966); included as fleet-era context for why original-era insulation scope went unmanaged and undocumented - not evidence about DE-535. Full text blocked to automated fetch (HTTP 403); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 sweep 2026-09-28: "USS Lewis" type=r (11 dockets) and type=o (2 opinions); "DE-535" type=r (91 hits, page-1 review) - candidate dockets Redman v. A.W. Chesterton (N.D. Cal. 3:08-cv-03013), Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton (S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771), Rushton v. A.W. Chesterton (W.D. Wash. 2:22-cv-00500), Filer v. Foster Wheeler (E.D. Pa. 2:12-cv-60034, MDL-875), Dain v. 3M (D.S.C. 2:22-cv-03360) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28; docket IDs 4174328, 4331985, 63238504, 5134446, 65391723; opinion clusters 8686752, 1057814 (collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep by exact name and hull number found NO adjudicated or pleading-stage record verified to name this hull. 'USS Lewis' opinion search returned only Gibbs v. Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock (Va. Cir. Ct. 2010; Supreme Court of Virginia 2012) - asbestos litigation concerning USS Lewis & Clark (SSBN-644), a different vessel: name collision. 'USS Lewis' docket search returned five asbestos-case dockets whose indexed text contains the string 'USS Lewis', role and hull attribution unverified: Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. (N.D. Cal. 3:08-cv-03013, removed from S.F. Superior 2008; published orders 2008 WL 4447729 and 2008 WL 5048205 address federal-officer removal and the government-contractor defense re Navy marine distilling units), Gitto v. A.W. Chesterton (S.D.N.Y. 1:07-cv-04771, MDL-875; plaintiff was a Brooklyn Navy Yard shipfitter 1951-1996, a yard this hull never entered), Rushton v. A.W. Chesterton (W.D. Wash. 2:22-cv-00500, 2022), Filer v. Foster Wheeler (E.D. Pa. 2:12-cv-60034, MDL-875; the published opinion 994 F. Supp. 2d 679 does not contain the string, so the reference sits in another docket document), Dain v. 3M (D.S.C. 2:22-cv-03360, 2022). 'DE-535' docket search returned 91 hits of identifier noise (document/exhibit numbers), no asbestos relevance in the page-1 sample.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2007-2022 (candidate docket filings)
- Population
- Unverified from index
- Limitations
- A bare 'USS Lewis' string is ambiguous across at least four asbestos-era vessels (DE-535; Lewis Hancock DD-675, Fletcher-class, in commission 1943-46/1950-57; Lewis & Clark SSBN-644; Lewis B. Puller) plus persons surnamed Lewis - attribution to DE-535 in any candidate docket is unverified and none of the located hits is a verified exposure-site reference for this hull. Docket-text hits are pleading/exhibit-stage at most; nothing adjudicated. 'DE-535' type=o query remained blocked at session end (fleet pacing); logged in search_ledger.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-06
-
[8]Batch-4367 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture); NavSource DE-535 archive; uboat.net warship record; Navypedia member table; CourtListener API v4 exact-name and hull-number sweeps; GAO HRD-80-2 product page [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lewis-de535-01 through sl-uss-lewis-de535-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified case naming DE-535 as an exposure site was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sunk as a target 21 Apr 1966 - no museum record, NRHP/NHL file, or extant-fabric survey can exist for the present day.
- Verification
- verified
- 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 1943-44 steam-plant destroyer escort is era-consistent with asbestos insulation (see ev-03), and five asbestos dockets containing an unresolved 'USS Lewis' reference remain open archival leads (ev-06). Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lewis-de535-07