Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet gh-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-mansfield-dd728-pkt-gh-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Mansfield (DD-728) (namesake, name reassignment from DD-594, builder, dates, service narrative, battle stars; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: name canceled for DD-594 and reassigned to DD-728 on 26 July 1943; laid down 28 August 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 29 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Edmond F. Jewell; commissioned 14 April 1944, Comdr. Robert E. Brady, Jr., in command. Bermuda shakedown; training Norfolk and Casco Bay; San Diego 10 September 1944; Pearl Harbor exercises; Ulithi; Luzon strikes with TG 38.1/TG 38.2 incl. the December 1944 typhoon that capsized Hull, Spence, and Monaghan (survivor recovery); TG 30.1 January 1945 South China Sea raid; TG 58.1 Tokyo, Iwo Jima, Kyushu, Okinawa operations through 15 August 1945; DesRon 61 torpedo run into Nojima Saki (four enemy ships sunk or damaged); Tokyo Bay surrender. Postwar west-coast reserve training plus annual WestPac cruises. Korea: steamed from Sasebo 27 June 1950; DesDiv 91 flagship at Inchon Channel suppression of shore batteries; mine strike about two weeks after Inchon severed the bow below the main deck, seriously injuring 27 crewmembers; stub bow at Subic Bay, repairs at Naval Shipyard Bremerton; rejoined U.N. fleet late 1951. Overhaul fall 1955 at Naval Shipyard Long Beach; 1960 FRAM Mark II overhaul/conversion at Long Beach (3-inch/50 battery replaced by Mark 25 and Mark 32 ASW torpedo batteries; after superstructure configured for DASH); 1st Fleet training Oct 1960-Oct 1961; Yokosuka homeport three years (7th Fleet escort); return June 1964, homeport Long Beach; 7th Fleet deployment from 20 August 1965; repeated Vietnam operations (screening, plane guard, gunfire support, blockade patrol, junk interdiction, air-sea rescue) through 1969, incl. Gemini XI alternate recovery (September 1966) and Hong Kong station ship (November 1966). Five battle stars WWII, three Korean.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 345); yard trades at Bremerton (1950-51), Long Beach (1955, 1960), Hunter's Point (1964-65)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcription ends in 1969 (pre-decommissioning); disposal dates carried from secondary compilations (ev-05). Transcription defects: '196555' for the 1955 Long Beach overhaul and '16 February 1904' for the 1804 Decatur raid are typographical errors in the mirror; corrected values carried. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-01
-
[3]Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (C.D. Cal. 2013), Case Nos. CV 12-00793-MWF (AGRx), CV 12-00811-MWF (AGRx) (Fitzgerald, J.; decided 12 February 2013); CourtListener cluster 8723156 [court_record]
- Locator
- 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120: procedural history *1122-1123; Mansfield/Buffalo pumps analysis *1124-1126; Crane analysis (valves 'aboard the USS Mansfield and/or the USS Cockrell' assumed arguendo); dispositions granting all six motions
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal opinion names this hull: wrongful-death action by Rosalie Jean Nelson for decedent Roger Nelson, who served in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves as an Operations and Communications Officer aboard USS Mansfield 1960-1963 and USS Alvin C. Cockrell 1963-1968 - during 1960-63 the only commissioned USS Mansfield was DD-728. Procedural path: Hawaii state action filed 17 May 2011 (Roger Nelson deposed 10 June 2011), removed and transferred to MDL-875, dismissed 28 November 2011; California action filed 21 December 2011, removed on federal-officer jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. 1442). The order decides six defense motions for summary judgment - Crane Co., The Nash Engineering Co., Alfa Laval, Kaiser Gypsum, Buffalo Pumps/Air & Liquid, and Union Carbide - ALL GRANTED: the circumstantial-evidence theory of exposure was held speculative (decedent could not identify equipment brands, performed no hands-on maintenance, and no evidence placed him near defendants' asbestos work). The opinion also recites that USS Mansfield 'was undergoing a major overhaul when Roger Nelson first reported' - consistent with the 1960 Long Beach FRAM II window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- Alleged exposure 1960-1968 (Mansfield 1960-63, Cockrell 1963-68); litigation 2011-2013; opinion 2013-02-12
- Population
- Decedent Roger Nelson, USN O&C officer aboard USS Mansfield 1960-1963; widow Rosalie Jean Nelson
- Limitations
- Merits-level disposition classified per the less-final-stage rule: summary judgment granted to all six defendants on exposure/causation grounds - a merits-level NEGATIVE for this plaintiff, not an exposure adjudication. The ship-specific content (service aboard Mansfield 1960-63; Buffalo pumps in the forward engine room; major overhaul in progress) is recited motion-record material. Establishes that a credited decedent's service record includes this hull and that a ship-specific exposure theory was litigated and rejected; does not establish asbestos content, quantity, location inventory, causation, or legal eligibility. No appellate disposition located. A W.D. Wash. case of the same name (Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. C14-0162JLR, 2014 WL 6982476, 9 December 2014) is a DIFFERENT plaintiff (Richard J. Nelson, USS Kitty Hawk) - a case-name collision, not this litigation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-02
-
[4]Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (C.D. Cal. 2013) - undisputed product-presence recital in the summary-judgment record [court_record]
- Locator
- 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 at *1125-1126 (Air & Liquid/Buffalo Pumps undisputed facts; Crane arguendo analysis)
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Product identification on this hull from the litigation record: 'It is undisputed that, during the relevant time period, Buffalo Pumps (now Defendant Air and Liquid) manufactured and sold pumps that contained asbestos gaskets and packing, as well as asbestos-containing replacement parts (e.g., gaskets and packing). Likewise, it is undisputed that, at least at some point during the relevant time period, there were Buffalo pumps in the forward engine room aboard the USS Mansfield.' For Crane, the court assumed arguendo 'that Crane valves were aboard the USS Mansfield and/or the USS Cockrell' - Crane was not the Navy's exclusive valve supplier and no evidence placed the decedent near Crane valve work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1960-1963 (product presence window); opinion 2013
- Population
- Navy crew in forward engine room spaces, USS Mansfield, circa 1960-1963
- Limitations
- Product-presence finding at the summary-judgment stage: 'undisputed' means admitted by the parties for motion purposes - stronger than a bare pleading allegation, weaker than a trial finding. The Buffalo-pumps recital identifies location (forward engine room) but not quantity, model, or remaining material; the Crane reference is arguendo, not a presence finding. This product ID did not carry the plaintiff's case - the court held exposure from these products speculative on this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-03
-
[5]NHHC command-history archive: USS Mansfield (DD-728), 'Annual Revision to USS Mansfield (DD-728) Ship's History - 1965' (OPNAV Report 5750-1, signed Cdr. D. P. Nellis) and companion 1966 report (CO submission to CNO under OPNAVINST 5750.12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.navy.mil command-operation-reports/vietnam collection: Mansfield 1965.pdf (basic narrative, overhaul sentence; enclosure chronology) and Mansfield 1966.pdf (chronology)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship's-history submissions hosted by NHHC corroborate and extend the DANFS record: the 1965 report states the year 'began for the USS MANSFIELD (DD-728) under the command of Commander Robert C. MARSHALL, USN at Hunter's Point Naval Ship Yard, San Francisco, California in an overhaul period' - an overhaul period not listed in the DANFS narrative - followed by San Diego refresher training, departure for WestPac 20 August 1965, 33 days of fast-carrier operations with USS Midway (CVA-41), Subic Bay tender availability, and the September 1965 change of command (Nellis relieving Marshall). The 1966 report records: transit Subic Bay to Long Beach 19 January-7 February 1966; 'Operation Gray Ghost' maneuvers April 1966; transit Long Beach to Yokosuka 25 June-15 July 1966 with homeport change; South Vietnam gunfire support August 1966; TF 130 Gemini recovery-ship (alternate) September 1966; junk-traffic interdiction and gunfire support 23 October-19 November 1966; Hong Kong station ship 23 November-9 December 1966.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1964-1966
- Population
- Crew during the 1964-65 Hunter's Point overhaul period and 1965-66 WestPac deployments; Hunter's Point NSY trades
- Limitations
- Command-history reports document operational and yard-period chronology, not materials or asbestos content. The Hunter's Point overhaul is dated by the 1965 report only as in progress when the year began (start date likely late 1964; completion and scope undocumented). OCR of scanned PDF is imperfect (names/dates cross-checked against DANFS and NavSource).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-04
-
[6]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Index, USS Mansfield (DD-728) page (construction dates, FRAM completion September 1960, decommissioned 4 February 1971, stricken 1 February 1974, towed to Argentina August-October 1974; radio call sign NTXY); retrieval via Wayback capture - live page intermittently unreachable [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-728 page (Wayback 2024-07-15), specifications + operational/building data + fate lines
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-compilation record for this hull covering events postdating the DANFS narrative: completed FRAM upgrade September 1960; decommissioned 4 February 1971; stricken 1 February 1974; towed to Argentina August 1974, arriving October 1974. Sale to Argentina 4 June 1974 for spare parts is corroborated by the U.S. Navy destroyer-lineage compilation (generalstaff.org) and the Allen M. Sumner class profile; sister USS Collett (DD-730) was sold the same day.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1960-1979
- Population
- postwar crew to February 1971; Argentine custodial/scrapping personnel 1974 and after
- Limitations
- NavSource is a compiled secondary source, not an official record - used for post-1969 events DANFS does not reach. Its caption 'Commissioned as ARA Espora (D-31), decommissioned in 1979' is a documented error: ARA Espora (D-21) was the ex-Fletcher USS Dortch (DD-670, transferred 1961, scrapped 1977-78); Mansfield was sold for cannibalization and never commissioned under Argentine flag. NavSource also attributes Westinghouse turbines to this hull vs. the class-profile's GE - see gaps. Live navsource.org fetch failed; content verified via Wayback capture dated 2024-07-15.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-05
-
[7]Naval Vessel Register shipdetail page for DD-728 (nvr.navy.mil) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR shipdetail DD-728 shell page + site guidance on pre-1987 disposals
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NVR shipdetail query for DD-728 returns only the shell page: the register's own guidance states ships disposed of before 1987 are generally not included. No Mansfield entry exists; the 1974 striking and sale predate the register's coverage window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (search date)
- Limitations
- Negative result is a coverage limitation, not evidence about the vessel - NVR silence cannot confirm or deny any disposal detail. Decommissioning/striking/sale facts are carried per NavSource and secondary compilations instead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-06
-
[8]DANFS specifications block (Allen M. Sumner class; 34.2 kt; cpl. 345) + class-profile machinery standard + NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; allen-m-sumner-class class profile; shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Sumner-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler geared-turbine steam plant (60,000 shp) would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing - all Sumner hulls were built inside the Navy's documented asbestos-specification era and this hull's FRAM II modernization (1960) also predates the early-1970s substitution era. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' holding per-vessel material specifications are an archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-71
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific findings for this hull are ev-02 (Nelson litigation) and ev-03 (product-presence recital); this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-07
-
[9]Atlas shipyard dataset record 'bath-iron-works': Dr. Philip Drinker's 1942 Harvard industrial-hygiene study at Bath Iron Works (PMID 21016030) + OSHA Inspection 101450294 (1987) asbestos citations [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works', ev-bath-iron-works-01 (OSHA 1987) and ev-bath-iron-works-02 (Drinker 1942 study, PMID 21016030)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The builder yard is documented at yard level: Drinker's 1942 study recorded 'fairly serious dust risk' with exposure levels at ten times the safe threshold in the pipe-covering shops at Bath Iron Works - contemporaneous with this hull's construction program (laid down August 1943, launched January 1944, commissioned April 1944). OSHA's 1987 BIW health inspection separately recorded asbestos-standard citations (80-percent bulk sample result, Lab B24809, 20 May 1987).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942 (survey); 1943-44 (hull construction); 1987 (OSHA)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works insulators and pipe coverers, wartime peak (~12,000 employment); 1987 OSHA-sampled trades
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not hull-specific: the 1942 study predates this hull's keel-laying by about a year and names no vessel; the 1987 OSHA record postdates her construction by decades. Documents yard practice and conditions, not which products were installed aboard DD-728.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-08
-
[10]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
- regulatory
- Finding
- Era-boundary documentation: per the 1979 GAO report, the Navy's asbestos-substitution program did not begin until the early 1970s - all of this hull's construction (1943-44) and every documented yard period (Bremerton 1950-51 rebuild; Long Beach 1955 overhaul and 1960 FRAM II; Hunter's Point 1964-65 overhaul) fall inside the era when asbestos-containing insulation and components were standard Navy material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979 (report); 1943-1971 (this hull's applicable era)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only; gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, so content is via the product-page description. Establishes the policy era, not materials aboard this hull. Fieldwork yards for the report were other naval shipyards.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-09
-
[11]NARA Record Group 24 deck-log series (post-1955 holdings include DD-728-era logs; the USS Mansfield association site ussmansfield.com hosts NARA-sourced scans of October-November 1966 deck logs); BuShips RG 19 General Information Books [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov (RG 24/RG 19); ussmansfield.com deck-log scans (Oct-Nov 1966) as custody evidence
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival custody lead only: NARA holds postwar deck logs for DD-728 within the RG 24 deck-log series (the association site hosts scans of October-November 1966 logs obtained from NARA, confirming custody); BuShips records (RG 19) including the General Information Book for this hull are the likeliest primary repositories for per-vessel material specifications; Long Beach NSY and Hunter's Point NSY work packages for the 1955, 1960, and 1964-65 yard periods would document any asbestos-disturbing work.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1956-1971 (holdings window)
- Limitations
- Custody listing only - log contents were not examined and deck logs rarely record material content. No archival record has been retrieved that bears on asbestos aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-10
-
[12]Batch-3700 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via ibiblio HyperWar + Wayback; NavSource via Wayback; NHHC 1965/1966 command-history PDFs; NVR shipdetail shell; Atlas shipyard record (bath-iron-works); VA BVA indexed-decision web sweep; CourtListener API v4 opinion sweep; general web litigation-lead searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mansfield-dd728-01 through -10 (incl. -06b)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull-specific asbestos material record located: no insulation survey, abatement contract, disposal-condition hazmat disclosure, or hull material specification naming DD-728 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship-named litigation surface is a single published order - Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (C.D. Cal. 2013) - resolved against the plaintiff at summary judgment; its residual value to this record is the undisputed Buffalo-pumps-in-forward-engine-room recital (ev-03). No VA BVA decision naming this hull surfaced in the indexed corpus. The hull was sold to Argentina for cannibalization in 1974 and is no longer extant - no present-day survey is possible.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam-plant destroyer sits squarely in the Navy's documented asbestos-specification era, and class/era inference applies (ev-07). CourtListener coverage: 'USS Mansfield' opinion and docket sweeps complete (1 opinion + 5 dockets, all classified - every ship-relevant record belongs to the Nelson litigation); only the hull-number ('DD-728') queries were fleet-budget paced at research time - logged, not completed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-11
-
[13]CourtListener API v4 searches via authenticated helper, 2026-09-27: type=o "USS Mansfield" -> 1 opinion (Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., cluster 8723156); type=r "USS Mansfield" -> 5 dockets (2 qualifying Nelson Hawaii actions, 1 MDL-875 master docket carrying Nelson CTO filings, 2 name collisions); hull-number "DD-728" queries -> fleet-budget paced at research time [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py: type=o "USS Mansfield" -> cluster 8723156 (Nelson, sole hit); type=r "USS Mansfield" -> dockets 1:11-cv-00400 + 1:11-cv-00406 (D. Haw., Nelson asbestos), MDL No. 875 (JPML, Nelson CTO filings), 3:18-cv-05105 (W.D. Wash., firm-name collision), 2:14-cv-08961 (C.D. Cal., unrelated); type=o/r "DD-728" rc=2 (paced)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull: OPINION layer - "USS Mansfield" returned exactly one document, Nelson v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., 926 F. Supp. 2d 1120 (C.D. Cal. 2013), cluster 8723156 (ev-02/ev-03). DOCKET layer - "USS Mansfield" returned 5 dockets: (1-2) Nelson v. Crane Company, D. Haw. Nos. 1:11-cv-00400 and 1:11-cv-00406 (both P.I.: Asbestos; filed 2011-06-22, terminated 2011-11-03; parties Roger E. Nelson and Rosalie J. Nelson under 'In re: Hawaii State Asbestos Cases'; defendant set incl. Crane, Air & Liquid Systems, Warren Pumps, Kaiser Gypsum, Union Carbide - the SAME Nelson litigation's Hawaii removals later dismissed/re-filed in California per the 2013 opinion); (3) IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.) - master docket containing the Nelson conditional-transfer-order filings (CTO-420/CTO-421 papers referencing HI/1:11-cv-00406); (4) Varney v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., W.D. Wash. 3:18-cv-05105 - NAME COLLISION (match on law firm 'Foley & Mansfield', not the ship); (5) United States v. QTC Medical Services, C.D. Cal. 2:14-cv-08961 - NAME COLLISION (False Claims Act; 'Mansfield' appears in unrelated document text). No additional ship-relevant docket beyond the Nelson litigation surfaced. No name collisions on the exact name in the opinion layer: DD-728 is the only commissioned USS Mansfield since 1944 (DD-594 carried the name only on paper, renamed Hart before launching). The W.D. Wash. Nelson v. Air & Liquid opinion (C14-0162JLR, 2014) is a different plaintiff aboard USS Kitty Hawk - a case-name collision ruled out.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (search date)
- Limitations
- Opinion sweep complete (1 hit, classified); docket sweep complete (5 hits, all classified - every ship-relevant docket belongs to the single Nelson litigation). Hull-number queries ("DD-728", both types) remained blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget at session end - records naming the hull only as 'DD-728' are not ruled out (DD-706 precedent suggests such queries return tokenized docket-number storms). VA BVA full-text index was under maintenance; web-indexed BVA corpus surfaced no Mansfield decision.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mansfield-dd728-12