Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet li-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS text not directly indexed for this hull; Wikipedia article explicitly incorporates public-domain DANFS text and is corroborated by hullnumber.co
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-loeser-de680-pkt-li-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Loeser (DE-680) (Naval Historical Center; verbatim Wayback capture 2004-03-14 of history.navy.mil/danfs/l7/loeser.htm - live NHHC page returns 404 on both current and legacy URL patterns) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Loeser (DE-680)' - namesake biography, spec block, service narrative; Wayback capture 2004-03-14
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 27 July 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; launched 11 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Marion Loeser (widow); commissioned 10 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. Chester A. Kunz in command. Spec block: Buckley class, 1,400 t, 306 ft, 37 ft beam, 9 ft 5 in draft, 23.5 kt, complement 186, 3x3in + 4x1.1in + 8x20mm + 3x21in tt, 8 dcp, 2 dct, 1 dcp (h.h.). Service: Bermuda shakedown; departed Norfolk 11 December 1943 for Pearl Harbor and South Pacific escort duty - Funafuti, Guadalcanal, Efate, Espiritu Santo; four months Solomons transport escort; Sydney repairs July 1944; three weeks in drydock at Purvis Bay; escorted Celeno (AK-76) and LST-120 to Guam, arrived 5 September; ASW patrol off Guam; Pearl Harbor 8 October - 'extensive engineering alteration' October-early November; Manus 25 November for Amphibious Group 3; Lingayen Gulf invasion - off beachhead 11 January 1945, transport escort through swept channels, anti-submarine hunt off Lingayen 18 January-7 February; Ulithi; Iwo Jima - arrived 19 March, began 9 days of antisubmarine patrol; Eniwetok 2 April; Pearl Harbor 13 April, Hawaiian submarine-training duty to war's end; San Francisco 3 September 1945, overhaul + 5 months San Diego Underway Training Unit; Atlantic Fleet New London 3 April 1946 submarine training; decommissioned 28 March 1947 into Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Charleston. Recommissioned Charleston 9 March 1951, Lt. Comdr. Frederick L. Edwards; Atlantic Fleet Norfolk; springs at Naval Operational Development Station Key West, a major overhaul, 1952 European cruise (Edinburgh, Kristiansand), 1954 cruise operating with Wisconsin (BB-64) (Dublin, Portsmouth). Designated Naval Reserve ship for Little Creek, Va., June 1958; decommissioned 1 December 1958 'in service' under Commandant 5th Naval District (Selected Reserve Ship Program - Regular nucleus crew augmented by reservists on monthly weekend cruises). Recommissioned 2 October 1961 for the Berlin crisis; Guantanamo refresher; Newport; Caribbean patrol along eastern Cuba 12 January-24 March 1962; decommissioned 1 August 1962 to Naval Reserve ship for Williamsburg, Va.; home port shifted to Washington Naval Shipyard 20 October 1964; served as Naval Reserve ship for Washington, D.C., until struck from the Navy list 23 August 1968. Two battle stars for World War II. Namesake: Lt. Comdr. Arthur Edward Loeser (b. Rahway, N.J., 1903), USNA 1927, engineering officer of Atlanta (CL-51), killed in action 13 November 1942 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- Bethlehem Fore River construction trades (Quincy, 1943); USN crew 1943-47, 1951-58, 1961-62 (design complement 186); Regular nucleus crew + rotating reservists 1958-61 and 1962-68
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 on both current (/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/loeser*.html) and legacy (/content/history/nhhc/...) patterns; the 2004 Wayback capture of the official NHC page is cited (destroyers.org hosts the identical entry labeled 'DANFS, April 2016'). The entry ends at striking and does not record disposal. '9'5"' draft in the spec block differs from NavSource's 10'6" draft limit - dimensions are not carried in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Loeser (DE-680) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, commanding-officer roster, captioned photographs including 26 April 1945 underway floating-drydock exercise in ARD-21 off Pearl Harbor [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-680 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, commanding-officers table, photo captions 0668006-0668015 (ARD-21 drydock exercise 26 Apr 1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive detail corroborating and extending DANFS: keel laid 27 July 1943 by Bethlehem Steel (Fore River Yard) Shipyard, Inc., Quincy; launched and christened 11 September 1943; commissioned 10 October 1943, Lcdr. Chester A. Kunz in command. Decommissioned 29 March 1947 at Charleston (custody to CO Charleston Group, U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet); recommissioned 9 March 1951 at Charleston, assigned Atlantic Destroyer Force, Norfolk; assigned NRT 5th Naval District Little Creek June 1958; decommissioned 1 December 1958, placed 'In Service'; recommissioned 2 October 1961 for the Berlin Crisis; decommissioned 1 August 1962, reverting to 'In Service' as NRT ship at Williamsburg, Va.; homeport shifted to Washington Navy Yard 20 October 1964; placed 'out of commission, out of service' 21 September 1968 at the U.S. Naval Ship Deactivation Facility, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth; 'Struck from the NVR' 23 September 1968; '1969: sunk as a target.' Command roster (partial): Lcdr. Chester A. Kunz Jr. (comm. CO) to 14 June 1944; Lcdr. John Proctor to ~Aug 1945; Lcdr. Horace E. Bent to ~1946; Lcdr. Frederick L. Edwards Jr. from 9 March 1951; Lcdr. Herman J. Stansell Jr. Jan 1956-Aug 1957; Lcdr. Robert M. Keller from Aug 1957. Spec block corroborates TE design (2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kt) and gives complement 15 officers/198 enlisted. Call sign NTRF, voice call 'Pottstown'; ribbons include Asiatic-Pacific with 2 stars and Philippine Liberation.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- USN crew incl. postwar NRT nucleus crew and reservists; Norfolk Naval Shipyard deactivation workforce 1968
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates, roster, and photo captions unverified against underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. Two date conflicts with DANFS: first decommissioning (29 vs 28 March 1947) and striking (23 September vs 23 August 1968) - DANFS dates carried, conflicts logged in gaps. 'Sunk as a target 1969' is uncorroborated by any authoritative disposal record located. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-02
-
[4]Buckley-class TE design data (DANFS spec block; BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' Vol. I Jan 1945, DE design-group table via shipscribe.com scan; navypedia us_de_te block map) + Atlas shipyards.json records 'fore-river-shipyard' (tier 3) and 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' (tier 1) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table (scanned pages; class-file cross-check pp. 234-235); navypedia us_de_te boiler-block map (DE-675-683 = Combustion Engineering); shipyards.json 'fore-river-shipyard' and 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' records
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a steam-plant escort built at Bethlehem Fore River in 1943: the Buckley TE design - two superheated 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F feeding GE turbine-generators, turbo-electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, 23.6 kt (BuShips Ships' Data 1945 groups 2-3) - is one of only two DE designs with a full steam plant, so the steam-ship asbestos categories apply as plausible era applications: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine/machinery lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, friction linings. Navypedia's per-block boiler map assigns Combustion Engineering boilers to the DE-675-683 block including this hull (secondary compilation, unverified against contract documents). Builder-yard context: the Atlas dataset documents Fore River Shipyard at tier 3 (asbestos litigation; documented products include boiler, pipe, and turbine insulation, fireproofing, gaskets, packing, asbestos cement) and documents Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard at tier 1 (published worker-cohort mesothelioma studies, e.g. PMID 4016758, 7918819) - the yard where this hull underwent a documented 'extensive engineering alteration' October-November 1944 per DANFS.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943 (construction); 1944 (PHNSY alteration); 1943-1968 (service)
- Population
- Bethlehem Fore River construction trades 1943; USN engineering crew 1943-68; Pearl Harbor NSY alteration workforce Oct-Nov 1944; deactivation workforce 1968
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - not a ship-specific finding. Yard-level asbestos documentation does not establish materials installed aboard this hull; the 1944 Pearl Harbor alteration's material scope is undocumented. Establishes no quantities, no locations, and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-03
-
[5]CourtListener API v4 sweep via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced): exact name '"USS Loeser"' and hull number '"DE-680"' against the opinion index (type=o); RECAP-docket queries (type=r) per search_ledger [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-loeser-de680-05, -06, -07, -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name query '"USS Loeser"' (type=o) returned 0 results - no opinion naming this vessel located in the opinion index. Hull-number query '"DE-680"' (type=o) returned 10 hits, all string collisions on manual review - Puerto Rican Spanish-language case text ('de 680' fragments in Garcia Rodriguez, Rubert Armstrong, Armstrong Mayoral, Ramos Buist), a patent-infringement matter (Helms Products v. Lake Shore Mfg., 7th Cir. 1955), criminal-sentencing and employment references (McPherson v. State; Krotkoff v. Goucher; United States v. Gordon; Little v. Kone - an elevator-defendant personal-injury action) - none references a vessel, naval service, or asbestos. RECAP-docket search '"USS Loeser"' (type=r) returned 0 results - no docket naming this vessel. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Opinion index swept for both name and hull number; docket index swept for the exact name (0 results). The '"DE-680"' RECAP-docket query returned the fleet-wide pacing 'momentarily spent' status on spaced retries at drafting; final status in search_ledger sl-08 - opinion-index hull-number hits were all string collisions, so expected yield is nil. The sweep does not cover state-court records, trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Loeser' is a surname (e.g., unrelated litigants), so any future hit requires collision classification rather than automatic attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-04
-
[6]Batch-4457 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback NHC capture), NVR, NavSource, Atlas class profile and shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4, NARA catalog, Tin Can Sailors association record [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-loeser-de680-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, or litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was sunk as a target after 1968 striking and was never a museum, memorial, or postwar reserve-fleet asset beyond its own service.
- 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. The hull no longer exists in recoverable form, so no present-day survey is possible; whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. Construction-era yard records, deck logs, the 1944 Pearl Harbor alteration work package, the 1968 deactivation file, and the disposal record are paper leads only (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation aboard ships only when damaged or when required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it. For this hull the policy context covers her full 1943-1968 service span including the 1951-58 active period and 1958-68 reserve-training service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull- or class-specific; gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches (standing defect since Batch 01) - content via product-page description. Does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-06
-
[8]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-680; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard work package for the October-November 1944 engineering alteration; the 1951-58 'major overhaul' yard records (yard unnamed in DANFS); the September 1968 U.S. Naval Ship Deactivation Facility file at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; the target-sinking disposal record - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24 series (undigitized); PHNSY and Norfolk NSY work records; NavSource-hosted photographs only
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material documentation not yet retrieved: (1) NARA RG 19 holds BuShips per-vessel specifications covering DE-680's construction at Bethlehem Fore River; (2) NARA RG 24 deck logs cover commissioned periods 1943-47, 1951-58, 1961-62; (3) the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard alteration work package (Oct-Nov 1944) and the unnamed-yard 'major overhaul' records (1951-58) may document insulation disturbance; (4) the September 1968 deactivation file at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the disposal/target-sinking record document material condition and disposition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1969 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (same standing limitation as prior batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-loeser-de680-07