Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, Luce I (Destroyer No. 99), updated Robert J. Cressman, 27 March 2023 (live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-28; verbatim text retrieved via Wayback capture 2024-12-28; hazegray/losthistory transcription concurs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Luce I entry, specification block + service narrative + disposal paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 9 February 1918 at Quincy, Mass., by Fore River Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 29 June 1918, sponsored by Mrs. Boutelle Noyes, daughter of Rear Adm. Luce; commissioned 11 September 1918, Lt. Cmdr. Ralph C. Parker; Troop Convoy 67 escort 23 September 1918, detached at the Azores, Gibraltar 19 October, Mediterranean escort/patrol to war's end; Adriatic patrol with the Food Commission from 26 November 1918 for five months; eastern Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas May-June 1919; returned via Gibraltar to New York 10 July 1919, then Boston overhaul; Reserve Squadron 1, Atlantic Fleet, 29 October 1919; reclassified a light mine layer 18 March 1920; Newport destroyer-force operations April-July; designated DM-4 on 17 July 1920; joined Mine Squadron 1, Gloucester, 5 July 1921; Caribbean operations January 1922; decommissioned at Philadelphia 30 June 1922; recommissioned 19 March 1930, Panama with submarines of the Canal Zone Control Force April-May, Mine Squadron 1 training, final decommissioning at Boston 31 January 1931; stricken from the Navy Register 7 January 1936; sold to Schiavone-Bonomo Corp., New York, 29 September 1936; scrapped 13 November 1936. Spec block: displacement 1,191; 314'5" x 31'9" x 9'2"; 35.0 knots; complement 133; 4 x 4-inch, 2 x 1-pounders, 12 x 21-inch torpedo tubes; class Wickes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1918-1936
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918; USN crew (design complement 133) 1918-1922 and 1930-1931
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, design figures, reclassification, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on the access date; text is from the archived page (Wayback 2024-12-28) and the verbatim hazegray transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-01
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[2]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images: USS Luce (Destroyer # 99, later DM-4), 1918-1936 (Naval Historical Center photo catalog; verbatim mirror via HyperWar/ibiblio) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library ship page dd99.htm; captions NH 103190, NH 100440, NH 51450, NH 103075
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official photo-catalog record for this hull: NHHC describes Luce as 'a 1060-ton Little class destroyer' built at Quincy, commissioned September 1918, reclassified a light minelayer in March 1920 and 'formally designated DM-4 in July of that year,' laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 1922, in 'red lead row' until stricken January 1936 and sold for scrapping September 1936. Photo NH 103190 (Boston Navy Yard, circa spring 1921) documents the minelayer conversion on this hull: 'torpedo tubes removed and replaced with mine tracks running along each side to the stern from just aft of Number Four Smokestack,' and the original print references a Commandant, Boston Navy Yard letter of 11 May 1921 - evidence the conversion work was performed/documented at Boston Navy Yard. Other cataloged views: NH 100440 (Azores, October 1918, dazzle camouflage), NH 51450 (Boston Navy Yard, 28 November 1919), NH 103075 (forecastle, fall 1918).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1918-1936
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard workforce 1919-1921 (commissioning upkeep, overhaul, minelayer conversion); USN crew
- Limitations
- Photo-catalog summary and official photographs; documents the ship's configuration and the minelayer conversion event, not insulation or other material content. The page labels her 'Little class' (the period sub-grouping of Bethlehem-design Wickes hulls) while the DANFS spec block reads 'Wickes' - carried as Wickes per DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive, Luce (DM-4) ex-DD-99, and Destroyer Archive USS Luce (DD-99) pages (navsource.org/archives/05/099.htm; retrieved via Wayback captures 2023-09-30 / 2024-05-04; live navsource.org fetch refused) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 11/0804.htm mine-warfare page and 05/099.htm destroyer page, 'Operational and Building Data' + 'Specifications' blocks + photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource photographic-archive record for this hull: 'CLASS - WICKES (LITTLE)' - 'Built to a different set of plans (Bethlehem) than the Wickes (Bath).' Building data concurs with DANFS (laid down 9 February 1918 Fore River, Quincy; launched 29 June 1918; commissioned 11 September 1918 at the Boston Navy Yard; decommissioned Philadelphia 30 June 1922, berthed there in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 19 March 1930; decommissioned Boston 31 January 1931; stricken 7 January 1936; sold 29 September 1936 to Schiavone-Bonomo Corp. and broken up). Propulsion spec block: four White-Foster boilers, two 12,100-shp Parsons turbines, two shafts; a 1921 Ships' Data entry reads four Yarrow boilers and two 27,340-shp Curtis geared turbines. Machinery line on the destroyer page: 24,200 shp, geared turbines, 2 screws. Records the hull was originally planned as 'Schley' and renamed Luce before launch (name change dated 4 December 1917 on the page; 24 September 1917 per Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1921). Photo captions identify the builder as 'Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts' in 1918 (NH 43020, NH 43021, NH 51446, NH 51447).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1917-1936
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918; USN crew 1918-1922, 1930-1931
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation transcribing official photo captions and period Ships' Data - used for the propulsion/spec figures DANFS omits and for the Schley-rename detail; its own pages conflict on the DM-4 designation date (17 July vs 18 July 1920) and the rename date (4 December vs 24 September 1917) - conflicts carried in gaps; DANFS governs (reclassified 18 March 1920, designated DM-4 17 July 1920). Crew figure (103/122) conflicts with the DANFS complement of 133. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-03
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[4]DANFS specification block (Wickes class) + Atlas shipyard dataset records 'fore-river-shipyard' and 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' (yard-level asbestos product documentation) + NHHC Online Library conversion photo NH 103190 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; shipyards.json 'fore-river-shipyard' and 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'; NHHC NH 103190 caption
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: this hull is a Bethlehem-design Wickes-class flush-decker built February-June 1918 at Bethlehem's Fore River yard, Quincy, with a four-boiler (water-tube), twin-shaft geared-steam-turbine plant rated by NavSource/period Ships' Data at 24,200-27,340 shp. Steam plants of the era carried period-standard boiler and steam-line insulation, lagging, flange gaskets, and machinery packing, for which asbestos was a standard marine material; the Atlas shipyard dataset documents asbestos product lines at fore-river-shipyard and bethlehem-shipbuilding (both tier 3, yard level). The documented hull-specific machinery-eras work is the 1920-21 minelayer conversion (torpedo tubes removed, mine tracks fitted - NH 103190) and routine Navy-yard availabilities at Boston and Philadelphia.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1918-1936
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918; Boston and Philadelphia navy-yard workers during documented availabilities; USN engineering crew 1918-1922, 1930-1931
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no source names asbestos aboard this hull. The yard records' asbestos documentation concentrates on later-era work and does not establish 1918 material use on this hull. The conversion photo documents structural change, not insulation content. NARA RG 19 per-vessel material specifications are the open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-04
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[5]Batch-3905 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback + hazegray transcription), NHHC Online Library photo catalog, NavSource archive pages, NARA naval asbestos research guide, NARA Special List 44, Naval Vessel Register, web sweep; CourtListener authenticated sweeps (see search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-luce-dd99-01 through sl-uss-luce-dd99-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or official document identifying asbestos aboard DD-99/DM-4 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1936 - decades before asbestos regulation, surveys, and abatement records exist - so no post-era documentation channel is expected; nothing about materials aboard this hull is positively documented.
- 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 1918 steam plant is era-consistent with asbestos insulation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility for any person.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-05
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[6]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (guided research topic) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Guide sections: General Information Books; Board of Inspection & Survey reports; Cartographic Branch (Ship Engineering Drawings, S39/S48)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's naval asbestos research guide identifies record series potentially responsive for this hull: RG 19 Entry P 9 (Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books) and Entry P 11 (Minesweeper and Minelayer General Information Books) - both apply to DD-99/DM-4 across her two configurations; ship engineering drawings under local identifier 19-Hull, including Material Group S39 (Insulation and Lagging) and S48 (Piping), arranged by hull number; and RG 38 Board of Inspection and Survey material inspection reports (Entry P 1-D destroyer series). The guide warns that deck logs and muster rolls do not directly document asbestos materials.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- records coverage 1902-1976
- Limitations
- The guide is oriented to 1941-1961 records; this hull's service (1918-1922, 1930-1931) predates that window, though the named GIB and drawing series span earlier years. NARA describes record series, not a retrieved Luce file - it does not establish that her books or drawings survive, name asbestos, or that asbestos was aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-06
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[7]National Archives, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (vessel logbook index) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessel table, 'Luce (DD-99, DM-4)' entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 indexes two deck-log series for this hull: Luce (DD-99, DM-4) covering 11 September 1918 - 30 June 1922, and Luce (DD-99, DM-4) covering 19 March 1930 - 31 January 1931 - matching the two commissioned periods exactly.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1918-1931 records
- Limitations
- Catalog entries for logs, not the logs themselves, and logs were not retrieved or reviewed. NARA states deck logs do not directly document asbestos materials; they may help date shipyard work but cannot establish material identity or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-07
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[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches (type=o opinions, type=r dockets, type=rd RECAP documents) via cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-28 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-luce-dd99-08 through sl-uss-luce-dd99-13; Boesenhofer Doc. 287 plain text (ship-launched-1958 list); MDL-875 Doc. 3337 deposition excerpt ('DLG')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming DD-99/DM-4 located. Every vessel-related hit resolved to a different hull or a non-ship reference: (1) 'USS Luce' opinion hits (2) = Mahoney v. Del Toro, 99 F.4th 25 (1st Cir. 2024) and Brenner v. United States, 202 Ct. Cl. 678 (1973) - Navy personnel/selection-board cases, not asbestos, post-dating this hull's 1936 scrapping; (2) 'USS Luce' docket hits = Boesenhofer v. AECOM, No. 2:17-cv-01072 (E.D. Pa., MDL-875) and the MDL-875 master docket - full-text pull of Boesenhofer Docs. 287/289 shows 'the USS Luce' among ships 'launched in 1958' = DDG-38 (worked aboard 1967-1978), and the MDL-875 Doc. 3337 deposition identifies 'the USS LUCE' as 'DLG. Destroyer leader guided missile' = ex-DLG-7/DDG-38 (aboard in the 1960s), with a Westinghouse affidavit citing 'USS Luce DL-7'; (3) 'USS Luce' + asbestos opinion search = 0 results; (4) 'Luce' 'DD-99' = 0 results; (5) 'DD-99' opinion hits (32) = New York Appellate Division family-court docket-number fragments, not the ship; (6) 'Schiavone-Bonomo' (the 1936 scrapping firm) = 105 hits, all the firm's commercial/admiralty/property litigation; its asbestos-refined subset (4) = premises/insurance/workmen's-compensation collisions (e.g., Anderson v. A.J. Friedman Supply multi-defendant asbestos PI; Bolger v. Chris Anderson Roofing workmen's comp), none naming DD-99 or any vessel; (7) 'Destroyer No. 99' = 0 results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Coverage limited to CourtListener-indexed federal/state opinions and federal dockets; unindexed state trial filings, settled MDL-875 claimant records, and pre-digital proceedings are not covered. Same-name hulls DD-522 (sunk 1945) and DDG-38 (1958-1991) create collision risk; every located reference resolved to DDG-38 or to non-ship uses. No search can prove the absence of all possible litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-08
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[9]DANFS Luce I specification block ('cl. Wickes'); NHHC Online Library characterization ('Little class destroyer' - the Bethlehem-plan sub-grouping of Wickes) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NHHC Online Library dd99.htm; master-hull-list.json (origin/master-hull-list-verify) same-name check
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Metadata correction: an upstream PRIMARY/source record labeled this hull's class 'Hopkins.' Official sources establish Wickes class - the DANFS specification block reads 'cl. Wickes' and the NHHC Online Library describes her as a Little-class (Bethlehem-design Wickes sub-group) destroyer. The master hull list contains no DD-99 entry at any tier; the same-name VERIFY entries (DD-522 Fletcher class; DDG-38 Farragut class) are different hulls, not duplicates of this vessel. Carried: Wickes class, Fore River (Bethlehem-design 'Little' variant) build.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Corrects class metadata only; no bearing on asbestos findings. 'Little class' is a period/secondary sub-grouping label for Bethlehem-plan Wickes hulls - Wickes per DANFS is the carried class.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-luce-dd99-09