Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-ff-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-luce-dd522-pkt-crew-ff-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Luce II (DD-522) - builder, dates, full service narrative, loss account, battle stars (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 24 August 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; launched 6 March 1943 (sponsor Mrs. Stephen B. Luce Jr.); commissioned 21 June 1943, Comdr. D. C. Varian. Departed New York 5 September 1943, arrived Bremerton 28 October; plane-guard for Enterprise to Pearl Harbor; patrol and ASW duty off Attu 30 November 1943 - 8 August 1944; TF 94 bombardments of Paramushiru (3-4 February, 26 June) and Matsuwa (13 June) 1944, sinking a 2,000-ton freighter; TF 79 Leyte assault 20-23 October; Huon Gulf landings 12-27 December; TF 78 Lingayen operation January 1945 (splashed attacker 11 January); San Antonio-San Felipe landings; TF 51 Keise Shima screen 24 March; radar picket off Kerama Retto from 1 April. Sunk 4 May 1945: two kamikazes evaded CAP, she splashed one but its bomb's explosion caused a power failure, the second struck the after section - port engine out, engineering spaces flooded, rudder jammed; abandoned at 0814 and sank in a violent explosion, 126 of her 312 officers and men lost. Five battle stars. Specs: 2,050 t; 376'6" x 39'4"; dr 13'9"; 35.5 kt; cpl 329; 5x5", 10x40mm, 7x20mm, 8x21" tt, 6 dcp, 2 dct; Fletcher class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 329; 312 aboard at loss)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service, and loss - not materials or asbestos content. The ibiblio transcription carries a typographical error ('8 August 1994' for the patrol end date - 1944 in context) and truncates the resupply-convoy sentence ('between' - destination unstated). Casualty figure (126 of 312) conflicts with other sources - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-27; mirror transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Luce (DD-522), 1943-1945' (Naval Historical Center photo page; ibiblio mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library page for DD-522; photos NH 51451, NH 75609, 80-G-K-3859, 80-G-K-3860
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHC photo record for this hull: launch photo NH 75609 (6 March 1943, 'Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company shipyard, Staten Island, New York'); underway view NH 51451 (1944, Camouflage Measure 32 Design 18D); and color views 80-G-K-3859/3860 placing USS Luce at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, circa June-September 1943 (post-commissioning fitting-out window). NHC narrative text confirms build at Staten Island, commission June 1943, Aleutians November 1943 - August 1944, three Kurile bombardments, Leyte October 1944, Lingayen January 1945, Okinawa picket duty, and sinking by kamikaze 4 May (page text carries a '1944' typo for the loss year; 'nearly 150 of her crew were lost').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew; New York Navy Yard workers (presence only)
- Limitations
- Photo-catalog narrative confirms the hull's documented presence at New York Navy Yard June-September 1943 but does not state what work was done there; 'nearly 150' casualty wording differs from DANFS's 126 - conflict carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos information. Live NHHC page unreachable; ibiblio mirror cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-02
-
[4]United States Navy Memorial, Navy Log / Lost Ship's Tribute entry for Luce (DD-522) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navylog.navymemorial.org/luce - tribute text + Lost At Sea log (148 names, 8 pages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official memorial record for this hull: Ship Designation DD-522; Date Lost Friday, May 4, 1945, 'Kamikaze Attack off Kerama Retto'; narrative records radar-picket assignment off Okinawa, the first attacker splashed with a near-miss bomb causing power failure, the second striking the after section (port engine out, engineering spaces flooded, rudder jammed), abandon ship within half an hour, 126 of her 312 officers and men lost, survivors rescued by friendly forces. The attached Lost At Sea log lists 148 named sailors for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew lost with the ship, 4 May 1945
- Limitations
- Memorial record corroborates loss date and narrative; its own Lost At Sea log of 148 names differs from its narrative figure of 126 - conflict carried in gaps. Picket-station assignment date given as April 30, 1945 vs. DANFS's picket assignment from 1 April - consistent with RP-12 station assignment within a picket rotation. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-03
-
[5]NAVPERS 605 Muster Roll of the Crew of USS Luce (DD-522), 4 May 1945 (facsimile/transcription hosted at ww2db.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ww2db.com doc 487, NAVPERS 605 facsimile pages (Report of Changes entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Reproduction of the ship's own NAVPERS 605 quarterly muster roll and Report of Changes for the period ending 4 May 1945: crew entries carry 'Killed' and 'Missing' dispositions attributed to 'Sinking of ... LUCE' - a crew-level primary Navy personnel document for this hull's loss.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- USS Luce crew at loss, 4 May 1945
- Limitations
- Primary document content (NAVPERS 605 form) hosted on a secondary volunteer site (ww2db.com); transcription fidelity not verified against the NARA original. Establishes crew roster and casualty dispositions only - no materials or asbestos content. Muster rolls are held at NARA (RG 24) - archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships DD 522 entry (commanding-officer roster, loss position, casualty variant) + navypedia Fletcher class table DD522 row (builder 'Bethlehem, Staten I, Port Richmond', yard no. 8029, 'sunk 3.5.1945') [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship 1976 spec/career/CO table; navypedia us_dd_fletcher.htm DD522 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary reference works: uboat.net lists the CO roster - T/Cdr. Donald C. Varian (21 Jun 1943 - 22 Nov 1943), T/Cdr. Hinton A. Owens (22 Nov 1943 - 1 Feb 1945), Lt.Cdr. Jacob W. Waterhouse (1 Feb 1945 - 4 May 1945, wounded survivor) - reports 186 survivors and 150 lost, and gives loss position 26 deg 35 min N, 127 deg 10 min E. Navypedia's DD522 row confirms Bethlehem Staten Island/Port Richmond construction (yard no. 8029) but reads 'sunk 3.5.1945' - the one-day-earlier date also carried in the class profile's member table.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew
- Limitations
- Both are secondary reference works, not primary sources. The CO roster and loss position are unverified against official records; the navypedia '3 May' sinking date conflicts with DANFS, NHHC, and the Navy Memorial (4 May) and is rejected - conflict documented in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-05
-
[7]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 35.5 kt) + Fletcher class profile (class-c worktree): class machinery 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 GE geared steam-turbine sets, 60,000 shp, 2 shafts; Atlas shipyard dataset Bethlehem Shipbuilding corporate record [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; class-c fletcher-class.class.json machinery block; shipyards.json 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Fletcher-class destroyer built 1942-43 at Bethlehem Staten Island with a four-boiler steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings; the builder is covered at yard level by the Atlas Bethlehem Shipbuilding composite record (aliases include the Port Richmond/Staten Island operation).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No materials schedule, insulation spec, or survey for DD-522 itself was located; the hull was lost in 1945, so no abatement or museum-disclosure record exists to check. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-06
-
[8]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, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing DD-522's 1942-43 construction and entire 1943-45 service life inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, same posture as prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep: "USS Luce" type=o = 2 hits (Mahoney v. Del Toro, 1st Cir. 2024; Brenner v. United States, Ct. Cl. 1973); "DD-522" type=o = 0 hits; "USS Luce" type=r = 3 dockets (Mahoney 1:22-cv-11074 D. Mass.; Boesenhofer v. AECOM 2:17-cv-01072 E.D. Pa.; MDL-875 JPML master docket) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 results: "USS Luce" type=o (2 hits), type=r (3 hits incl. Boesenhofer docket_id 4683896 and MDL-875 doc 3337); "DD-522" type=o (0 hits)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located; every hit resolves as a name collision or an indirect list/citation reference. Opinions (type=o): Mahoney v. Del Toro, No. 23-1615 (1st Cir. Apr. 18, 2024) - BCNR discharge-review; plaintiff served aboard USS Luce in the Persian Gulf 1986-89 = DDG-38. Brenner v. United States (Ct. Cl. 1973) - military records/pay; plaintiff served aboard USS Luce in 1965 under Cdr. Lademan = DLG-38. Dockets (type=r): Mahoney district docket = same DDG-38 matter. Boesenhofer v. AECOM, 2:17-cv-01072 (E.D. Pa., MDL-875) - qualifying asbestos litigation BUT the decedent was a civilian Philadelphia Naval Shipyard employee 1966-1997 whose alleged exposures were aboard ships docked at PNSY; 'USS Luce' in that docket is either a PNSY-docked hull of the 1966-97 window (= DDG-38) or a citation echo of the Deuber order (which the Boesenhofer MSJ order cites) - DD-522 in either reading is impossible, sunk 1945. MDL-875 JPML master docket hit = 'USS Luce' inside doc 3337, a 233-page opposition to vacate a conditional transfer order in Turner v. Anchor Packing (E.D. La. 2001-2767) - a filing-stage list reference at most; hull attribution unverified within the document but the PNSY-era asbestos context of every other 'USS Luce' hit points to DDG-38. "DD-522" opinion search: zero results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1965-2024 (litigation window of hits)
- Limitations
- Search-index sweep; classifies indexed opinion/docket text only (MDL-875 exhibits and state-court complaints not in RECAP are outside it). Pleading-stage allegation discipline: even a verified vessel-list mention would be an allegation, not a finding - here no hit even alleges exposure aboard THIS hull. RECAP 'DD-522' docket sweep remained pending on fleet pacing at session end (see sl-07). Absence of located litigation does not prove no crew-era exposure occurred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-08
-
[10]NARA records: WWII ship muster rolls (RG 24) and WWII Action and Operational Reports / war damage reports (RG 38) for DD-522; BuShips General Information Books (RG 19) per-vessel material specifications [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov; RG 24 muster rolls; RG 38 WWII action reports; RG 19 BuShips GIB
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not digitized in the free catalog: the ship's 4 May 1945 muster roll exists (NAVPERS 605; facsimile reproduced at ww2db - ev-04) and the RG 38 action/loss report for the sinking and the RG 19 General Information Books materials entries are the strongest remaining hull-level leads for both casualty accounting and materials content.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- USS Luce crew; Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades
- Limitations
- Repository-level lead only; specific accession not identified in the online catalog, contents unverified. NARA catalog API deprecated; catalog search page is JS-rendered and did not return results to automated fetch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-09
-
[11]Deuber v. Asbestos Corp. Ltd. et al., No. 2:10-cv-78931-ER (E.D. Pa., MDL-875; orig. D.N.J. 10-02686), Order granting Warren Pumps' motion for summary judgment (filed Dec. 2, 2011) [court_record]
- Locator
- E.D. Pa. order filed 2011-12-02, pp.1-2 (decedent's work history) and deposition excerpts (Dec. 2 order at 5: 'rip-out work performed ... aboard the USS Luce and USS Saratoga during the course of overhauls'; '18 month, almost two year overhaul'; 'engine room and the boiler room')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Documents that the asbestos-litigation 'USS Luce' is a different hull: decedent Armand Deuber was a CIVILIAN rigger at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard ~1967/68-1973 whose deposition described asbestos-insulation rip-out aboard 'the USS Luce' during an ~18-month overhaul - engine room and boiler room, machinery sent to shops. In 1967-73 the only commissioned USS Luce was DLG-38/DDG-38 (in service 1962-1991); DD-522 had been on the bottom since 1945 and never had a Philadelphia overhaul. The order granted Warren Pumps summary judgment on product-identification grounds - a merits-level defense outcome for that plaintiff, not exposure evidence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1967-1973 (work); 2010-2011 (litigation)
- Population
- Civilian PNSY rigger 1967/68-1973 (Deuber); PNSY trades
- Limitations
- context_only: this litigation concerns DDG-38, not this hull - carried expressly to prevent misattribution of 'USS Luce' asbestos exposure claims to DD-522. Stage: summary-judgment disposition on product-ID grounds; the shipboard testimony is deposition recital, never adjudicated. Confirms nothing about DD-522's materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd522-10