Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet gh-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-pkt-gh-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729) - verbatim transcription mirrored at navysite.de; live NHHC DANFS page returns 404, HyperWar/ibiblio transcription was never produced (dead link at /hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd729.html), hazegray.org mirror unreachable from research machine (identical opening verified against indexed hazegray snippet) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (navysite.de/dd/dd729.htm, 'USS LYMAN K. SWENSON History' section)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 11 September 1943 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched 12 February 1944 (sponsor Miss Cecelia A. Swenson, the namesake's daughter); commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 2 May 1944. DesRon 61 service off Leyte, Luzon, the December 1944 typhoon, the January 1945 South China Sea raid, and Okinawa; postwar 7th Fleet tour 1946-47; Korea service in DesRon 91 including the 13 September 1950 Wolmi-do bombardment ahead of the Inchon landing (casualties included Lt. (jg.) David H. Swenson, the namesake's nephew; Navy Unit Commendation and Korean Presidential Unit Citation); entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard 27 June 1960 for FRAM II refit (helicopter flight and hangar deck added); Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul January 1965; Long Beach Naval Shipyard predeployment repairs 26 January - 1 March 1967; Vietnam deployments 1965-1970; decommissioned February 1971; sold to Taiwan May 1974 for spare parts. Five WWII and six Korean battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 345); Mare Island FRAM II yard workforce 1960-61
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and yard periods, not materials or asbestos content; the entry does not use the word asbestos. FRAM II is documented as an event - any asbestos disturbance during it is inference. Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC serves 404 and no HyperWar transcription exists; the navysite text's opening block was verified verbatim against the indexed hazegray DANFS snippet (same spec block: cpl. 345).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729) - Views during and after FRAM II Modernization' (Naval Historical Center photo catalog; verbatim NHHC text mirrored at ibiblio.org HyperWar) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library pages usnsh-l/dd729.htm, dd729-b.htm, dd729-g.htm, dd729-k.htm (FRAM II page text and photo captions NH 88082-83, NH 96963-70, 80-G-419905 et al.)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC photo-record documentation of this hull's yard periods: 'In 1960-61, Lyman K. Swenson received an extensive modernization at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, under the "Fleet Rehabilitation And Modernization" program' - the catalog shows the ship 'undergoing "FRAM II" modernization' at Mare Island Berths 21-24 on 12 July 1960 (photos NH 88082/NH 88083) and off Mare Island 27 January 1961 following the work (NH 96966/67). Companion pages document the ship at the Mare Island Navy Yard 3-5 January 1946 and 7-14 November 1947 (postwar overhauls), the Wolmi-do bombardment photos of 13-15 September 1950 taken from aboard this hull, and the burial at sea of Lt. (jg.) David H. Swenson.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1946-1961 (documented yard periods); 1950 (Inchon photos); 1970 (final photos)
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard workforce 1960-61; ship's crew during yard availability
- Limitations
- Official photo catalog documents the yard events and dates but contains no materials or asbestos information - the significance for this record is that a multi-month FRAM II yard availability aboard this hull is ship-specifically documented; any asbestos disturbance in that availability is inference, not documented fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-02
-
[4]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729) - lifecycle dates and yard-period corroboration (secondary compilation of official records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 'Operational and Building Data' block + photo captions for NH 96959-65 (1946, 1947), dry dock photo 23 Aug 1960
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource operational/building data for this hull: laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath ME, 11 September 1943; launched 12 February 1944; commissioned 2 May 1944; 'Completed FRAM upgrade January 1961'; decommissioned 12 February 1971; stricken 1 February 1974; 'To Taiwan May 6 1974 and cannibalized for spare parts.' Photo captions add yard-period detail DANFS omits: Mare Island overhaul 31 October 1945 - 10 January 1946 (stern/broadside/bow views, 3 January 1946), Mare Island overhaul 10 September - 21 November 1947, and the ship in Mare Island dry dock No. 2 during the FRAM II conversion (23 August 1960 crew muster photo).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Mare Island yard workforce (1945-46, 1947, 1960-61 availabilities); crew
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary document - dates corroborate DANFS and the NHHC catalog and add the stricken/transfer dates DANFS's narrative rounds off ('May 1974'). The 1945-46 and 1947 Mare Island overhaul windows come from photo-caption metadata, not a work order. Crew figure here (336) conflicts with the DANFS spec block (345) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-03
-
[5]Pelton v. John Crane, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-04316 (N.D. Ill.), Memorandum Opinion and Order, ECF No. 337 (entered Jan. 31, 2024) (Blakey, J.); CourtListener RECAP document, 22 pp. [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 337 pp. 1-3 (factual recital of DD-729 service and gasket/packing work; Woodruff affidavit) and pp. 21-22 (disposition)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Merits-stage federal opinion naming this hull. In a maritime asbestos tort (plaintiffs Chloyde and Shirley Pelton; decedent developed malignant mesothelioma), Judge Blakey's Memorandum Opinion and Order on defendant John Crane's summary-judgment motion recites the record facts: Pelton enlisted 1959 and 'served as a pipefitter and shipfitter aboard two destroyers, the USS Lyman K Swenson (DD-729) from 1959-1961 and the USS Pritchett (DD-561) from 1961-1962, and a destroyer tender, the USS Frontier [AD-25], for 10 months until 1963'; as pipefitter/shipfitter he 'routinely installed and removed gaskets and packing from pipe valves containing asbestos'; retired Navy Capt. Bruce Woodruff opined by affidavit that 'more likely than not' Pelton received substantial asbestos exposure during the 38 months aboard DD-729, Pritchett, and Frontier, and that John Crane was a major supplier of gaskets and packing to the Navy and 'among the most significant equipment suppliers on these ships.' Disposition: summary judgment GRANTED as to Count II (willful and wanton conduct); DENIED as to Count I (negligence) and Count III (strict product liability) - the exposure-based claims proceeded. Case terminated 2024-03-06 (docket).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1963 (alleged exposure); 2021-2024 (litigation)
- Population
- Chloyde Pelton (USN pipefitter/shipfitter aboard DD-729 1959-1961; mesothelioma)
- Limitations
- Summary-judgment-stage opinion: the service-and-exposure account is a recital of deposition testimony and expert affidavit accepted for SJ review, not an adjudicated finding of exposure or product attribution aboard this hull; the court did not decide whether DD-729 asbestos caused the disease. Counts I and III surviving SJ means the exposure evidence was sufficient to proceed - it is not a jury finding. Post-SJ disposition (settlement vs other) not adjudicated in located documents.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-04
-
[6]Pelton v. John Crane, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-04316 (N.D. Ill.), Notice of Removal Exhibit A (state-court complaint, Circuit Court of Cook County No. 2021L006906), ECF No. 12-1 (filed Aug. 20, 2021) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 12-1 (Exhibit A, complaint) para. i-ii (ship list and exposure allegation)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage document naming this hull: the removed Cook County complaint pleads that plaintiff Chloyde Pelton 'served in the U.S. Navy as a pipefitter/shipfitter from approximately 1959 through 1963 on various ships including, but not limited to the U.S.S. Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729), U.S.S. Pritchett (DD-561) and the U.S.S. Frontier (AD-25)' and that he 'was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers emanating from' the defendants' products during his employment; defendants named include Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (successor to Buffalo Pumps) and John Crane.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1963 (alleged exposure); 2021 (pleading)
- Population
- Chloyde Pelton (USN 1959-1963)
- Limitations
- Pleading allegation - the less-final stage of the Pelton record; the hull naming is a complaint allegation, and the merits-stage record is the ECF 337 summary-judgment opinion (ev-04), which recites but does not adjudicate exposure. Establishes no fact about materials aboard by itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-05
-
[7]Dennis v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 2:19-cv-09343-GW-KS (C.D. Cal.), Protective Order, ECF No. 81, Exhibit A (entered Jul. 14, 2020) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 81, Exhibit A p. 7 (vessel/Bates table row 'USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD 729)')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Discovery-stage record in a second asbestos action (suit nature 'P.I.: Asbestos'): the stipulated protective order's Exhibit A, 'DOCUMENTS SUBJECT TO STIPULATION RE PROTECTIVE ORDER,' lists ship-specific document productions including 'USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD 729)' at Bates ranges LYSWN-28 to LYSWN-31 and LYSWN-38 to LYSWN-40 (alongside USS Bridget (DE-1024) at BRIDG ranges) - documents specific to this hull were produced and protected in asbestos litigation discovery.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2019-2020 (litigation)
- Population
- Patrick W. Dennis (plaintiff); production custodians unspecified
- Limitations
- Discovery-stage record: the Bates listing proves hull-specific documents were produced under protective order but does not reveal their contents or whether the operative pleading names DD-729 verbatim - the Dennis complaint naming this hull was not located in RECAP (either not digitized or does not contain the exact phrase; the type=rd full-text sweep surfaced only this protective order for the docket). Classify as discovery-stage hull documentation, not an exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-06
-
[8]DANFS specifications block + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works record (evidence_tier 2: 1942 Harvard/Drinker pipe-covering-shop dust study, PMID 21016030; OSHA 1987 inspection; Austin v. Raybestos-Manhattan, 471 A.2d 280 (Me. 1984)) + NARA RG 19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block (via navysite.de transcription); shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' (ev-bath-iron-works-02, PMID 21016030)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler, two-shaft geared-steam-turbine plant (60,000 shp, 34 kt) was constructed entirely inside the Navy's documented asbestos era and would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2), including the 1942 Harvard/Drinker finding of 'fairly serious dust risk' in pipe-covering shops at roughly ten times the safe threshold. The 1960-61 Mare Island FRAM II availability predates Navy asbestos substitution and is the kind of tear-out work that disturbed original insulation - disturbance scope on this hull is undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; Mare Island FRAM II workforce 1960-61; crew 1944-71
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific findings for this hull are the litigation rows (ev-04, ev-05, ev-06); this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. The Drinker study documents the yard's pipe-shop hazard in 1942, not this hull. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-07
-
[9]CourtListener litigation sweep (API v4, authenticated): opinions "Lyman K. Swenson" (1 hit), opinions "DD-729" (0), opinions "USS Swenson" (0), dockets "Lyman K. Swenson" (2 hits), RECAP full-text "Lyman K. Swenson" (4 docs), RECAP "Lyman Swenson" (0) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4: type=o q="Lyman K. Swenson"/"DD-729"/"USS Swenson"; type=r q="Lyman K. Swenson"; type=rd q="Lyman K. Swenson"/"Lyman Swenson" (results in cl sweep notes, search_ledger sl-08, sl-12, sl-13)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Full sweep result: qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull is limited to Pelton v. John Crane (N.D. Ill. 1:21-cv-04316; pleading + summary-judgment opinion, ev-04 and ev-05) and Dennis v. Air & Liquid Systems (C.D. Cal. 2:19-cv-09343; protective-order Bates production, ev-06). The only opinion-index hit for the vessel name is a NAME COLLISION: Swenson v. Swenson, 101 Cal. App. 440, 281 P. 674 (Cal. App. 1929) - the divorce case of the ship's own namesake, Captain Lyman K. Swenson, fifteen years before the hull was laid down. Hull-number and 'USS Swenson' opinion queries and the 'Lyman Swenson' RECAP query returned zero.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (index coverage varies by court)
- Limitations
- Index coverage varies by court; unindexed dockets, settled matters, and non-OCR'd documents are invisible to the sweep. The Dennis complaint was not located in RECAP full-text (see ev-06 limitation). No appellate record naming this hull exists; Pelton is a district-level SJ disposition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-08
-
[10]Batch-3701 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Online Library, HyperWar/ibiblio, NavSource, Naval Vessel Register, MARAD ship-history database, USS Lyman K. Swenson Sailors Association (dd729.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No physical-materials ship-specific record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, ACM inventory, or product-identification document naming DD-729 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The sailors' association's health-information page is a link list to outside mesothelioma resources and documents no shipboard materials. Disposal route (1974 sale to Taiwan as a cannibalized spares hulk) leaves no surviving hull, no museum stewardship, and no modern survey/abatement trail. Ship-specific asbestos documentation is therefore litigation-derived only (ev-04 through ev-06).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located physical record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - litigation recites asbestos-containing gaskets and packing worked aboard, and era/plant type make period-standard materials the reasonable expectation; but no inspection or abatement document exists in located public sources. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Deck logs, BuShips General Information Books, and Mare Island FRAM work packages were not retrieved and remain leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-09
-
[11]USS Lyman K. Swenson DD729 Sailors Association (dd729.com) - health-information page and document leads (war diary, action reports, cruise books, deck-log excerpts); association site, not an official source [other_primary]
- Locator
- dd729.com /Documents/Claim_Support.htm (mesothelioma link list) and /hist.html (document index)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The sailors' association site hosts a 'Claim Support' page whose mesothelioma section is only a link list to outside veteran-resources sites - no ship-specific asbestos documentation. Useful leads it does host: a transcribed 'Factual Account of Ship's War Operations,' LKS war diary and action reports June-November 1950, 1962-64 and 1970 cruise books, and a 1964 deck-log extract documenting the ship pierside in Saigon 4-5 May 1964 (Agent Orange claim context, not asbestos).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- site current through ~2020
- Population
- Crew/reunion community
- Limitations
- Veterans' association compilation - not an authoritative source for materials or asbestos content; none of its asbestos-related links are ship-specific. The deck log and war-diary documents are leads for service detail, unretrieved here for materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lyman-k-swenson-dd729-10