Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Marchand (DE-249) (namesake, builder, dates, service narrative, decommissioning and berthing; live NHHC page returns 404 - Wayback capture of the NHHC page cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (NHHC page via Wayback capture 2022-05-15)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Fireman First Class Roy Joseph Marchand (born Crandall, Miss., 17 September 1920; killed aboard Pecos (AO-6) 1 March 1942 when aircraft from Japanese carrier Soryu sank her near Christmas Island; posthumous Silver Star). Spec block: dp. 1,200; l. 306'; b. 36'7"; dr. 8'7" mean; s. 21 k.; cpl. 186; a. 3x3", 2x40mm, 8x20mm, 2 dct., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (h.h.); cl. Edsall. Laid down by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 30 December 1942; launched 30 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Charles D. Marchand; commissioned 8 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. F. Lynch, USCG, in command. Shakedown off Bermuda; arrived Charleston Navy Yard 31 October 1943; ASW exercises at Quonset Point; target ship for Torpedo Squadron 13 at Provincetown; Norfolk 12 December. Flagship of Escort Division 20: Norfolk 14 December convoy to Europe via Gibraltar, Casablanca 7 January 1944, New York 24 January. Departed New York 22 February with convoy CU-15; 25 February gale collision - SS El Coston rammed SS Murfreesboro, then rammed Marchand starboard amidships damaging her forward control room plates; Marchand received 28 survivors (Ricketts DE-254 took 33), escorted El Coston toward Bermuda until she sank 27 February; survivors debarked New York 1 March. Convoy New York-Lisahally 6 April-3 May 1944; nine more round trips New York/Boston to United Kingdom ports 21 May 1944-11 June 1945. Pacific transfer June-July 1945 via Chesapeake, Guantanamo; Pearl Harbor 26 July; post-surrender maneuvers Eniwetok/Kwajalein 3 September-15 October; Guadalcanal 18 October; Pearl Harbor 10 November via Canton; San Diego 23 November; New York via Panama Canal 11 December. Green Cove Springs 23 January 1946 for inactivation; decommissioned 25 April 1947 into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; berthed at Orange, Tex., into 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1969
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew, predominantly U.S. Coast Guard (DANFS design complement 186); Atlantic Reserve Fleet caretakers 1947-1971
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Launch date (30 March 1943) conflicts with the contemporaneous BuShips Ships' Data 1945 roster (20 March 1943) and the decommission date (25 April 1947) conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum (15 April 1947) - both carried in gaps. DANFS namesake paragraph prints 'Henderson (DD-785)', anachronistic for a March 1942 death (DD-785 commissioned September 1943) - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page returns 404; Wayback capture of the NHHC page cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for MARCHAND, DE-249 (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 252-253) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 roster row 211, MARCHAND DE-249 (book pp. 252-253; shipscribe scan PDF p. 136)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull: MARCHAND, official number DE-249, design group FMR; builder Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; contract price $2,921,000 (cost-plus-fixed-fee); contract signed 18 January 1942; keel laid 30 December 1942; ship launched 20 March 1943; contract date of completion 30 June 1943; date of preliminary acceptance 7 September 1943; date of first commission 8 September 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Co. construction trades, Houston, Tex., 1942-43
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. Its launch date (20 March 1943) conflicts with DANFS and NavSource (30 March 1943) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-4 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table: design group 4 (symbol FMR - Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse-gear drive) - 306 ft oa, 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 t standard / 1,590 t full load; ~21 kt; machinery 4 Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts; boiler columns read 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, 120 V D.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted; armament 3 x 3 in/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the FMR design carried a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- FMR-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole FMR group (85 hulls), not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table OCR'd from a scanned page; individual cell values can be partially garbled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-03
-
[4]Navypedia, 'FMR' destroyer escorts (EDSALL) (1943-1944) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia FMR/Edsall-class page, roster table row DE-249 + technical-data block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls completed by two builders - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. (DE-129 through DE-152 and DE-316 through DE-338) and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex. (DE-238 through DE-255 and DE-382 through DE-401). DE-249 Marchand is rostered at Brown Shipbuilding yard no. 20, laid down 12.1942, launched 20.3.1943 (agreeing with the BuShips roster, not the DANFS 30 March), commissioned 9.1943, stricken 1.1971. Technical-data block reads complement 186 - matching the DANFS design complement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Edsall-class construction and operating crews (85 hulls)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (class-level): the builder blocks and hull count corroborate the per-hull BuShips roster; complement 186 matches DANFS. Not a materials or asbestos source - used for class enumeration and corroboration of the builder and launch date only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-04
-
[5]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Marchand (DE-249) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, commanding-officer list, flag hoist NZNF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/249.htm specifications block + building-and-operational-data block + commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: Edsall class, FMR type (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive, 3-inch guns); displacement 1,200 t light / 1,590 t full; length 306 ft oa; propulsion 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 21 kt; range 9,100 nm at 12 kt; complement 8 officers / 201 enlisted. Keel laid 30 December 1942 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched and christened 30 March 1943, sponsor Mrs. Charles D. Marchand; commissioned 8 September 1943, Lcdr. Gilbert I. Lynch, USCG, in command; decommissioned 15 April 1947 at Green Cove Springs, Fla. after 3 years 7 months; struck from the NVR 2 January 1971; sold for scrapping 30 January 1974. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal. Commanding-officer list shows U.S. Coast Guard officers through September 1946 (Lynch, Young, Carney USCGR, Lusk) before the final USN commander (Lcdr. Vaughen) - a Coast Guard-manned escort.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Wartime crew (NavSource complement 8 officers/201 enlisted); Coast Guard-manned through 1946
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB where they overlap except launch day (30 March vs. SDB 20 March) and decommission day (15 April vs. DANFS 25 April) - both conflicts carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-05
-
[6]Era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (no boilers; F.M. diesel) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts (cannon-class profile ev-cannon-class-03; uss-edsall-de129 ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-4 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); cf. cannon-class profile ev-cannon-class-03 and uss-edsall-de129 ev-06 (same diesel-DE application set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1942-43 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design. The February 1944 collision damage (forward control room plating, starboard amidships) and subsequent repair availability are documented events in this hull's history, but no repair record or material schedule was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-47; reserve-fleet maintenance 1947-71
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-249 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex.) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-06
-
[7]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020 (citation carried from uss-edsall-de129 ev-07, verified there 2026-09-28; direct fetch returns HTTP 429) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- galvnews.com article_c2c77857, 27 Jul 2020
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister hull built by the same yard: the Galveston Daily News reported asbestos in public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) and USS Cavalla (SS-244) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the Galveston Park Board cited U.S. Navy inspection recommendations that an asbestos survey be conducted. USS Stewart is a Brown Shipbuilding-built Edsall-class hull (DE-238, yard no. 9) - the same class and same builder as DE-249 (yard no. 20) - class-and-builder corroboration that this shipbuilding program carried asbestos-containing material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2020
- Population
- Museum staff/volunteers and Seawolf Park visitors; abatement crews
- Limitations
- Evidence about a sister hull (DE-238), NOT this hull: a museum-hull lifecycle DE-249 never had (DE-249 was scrapped 1974). Documents asbestos aboard one Edsall-class, Brown-built ship as delivered/preserved; establishes nothing about DE-249's materials, quantity, or any individual exposure. Direct fetch of the article returns HTTP 429 to automated requests; the citation and content description are carried from the verified batch-4037 record (uss-edsall-de129 ev-07, accessed 2026-09-28).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-07
-
[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 the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-249 (built 1942-43) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description. Says nothing about this specific hull or any diesel-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Marchand' / 'DE-249' / 'Marchand asbestos' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'USS Marchand' type=o count=0, type=r count=0; 'DE-249' type=o count=13 (all ECF-number/name false positives); 'Marchand asbestos' type=o count=90 (all surname/term collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"USS Marchand"' (type=o): 0 hits. Docket sweep '"USS Marchand"' (type=r): 0 hits - no docketed case names the ship. Hull-number sweep '"DE-249"' (type=o): 13 hits, all false positives - ECF document-entry citations ('[DE# 249]', '[DE 241]'), Spanish-language opinions, and unrelated civil/commercial cases (Certain Underwriters v. Cameron Int'l, Smart v. City of Miami Beach, SEC v. Lauer, Moffett v. Commerce Trust, and similar); zero vessel or asbestos references among them. Supplemental 'Marchand asbestos' (type=o): 90 hits, all surname/term collisions - 'Marchand' is a common Louisiana surname in genuine asbestos cases (Colleen Comer Marchand et al. v. Asbestos Defendants, La. App./La. 2010 - the Marchands are plaintiffs' family members, not a vessel), plus unrelated bankruptcy, successions, and commercial hits; no returned case names the ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage is the CourtListener opinion + RECAP docket indexes only; state-court dockets not mirrored, PACER-only filings, and settled/undocketed claims are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. DE-249's out-of-service date (1947) predates the asbestos-litigation era; 'Marchand' is a high-collision surname (Louisiana asbestos dockets include an entire Marchand family case caption) and 'DE-249' collides with ECF entry numbering. Fleet-paced access was heavily contended this session - the sweep set required ~1 hour of paced retries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-09
-
[10]Batch-4169 search ledger (this record): DANFS via Wayback capture; NavSource archive page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (roster row 211 + design-group-4 table, OCR); Navypedia FMR roster; GAO product page; NARA digitized deck-log inventory; Naval Vessel Register; VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-04 through sl-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-marchand-de249-01 through sl-uss-marchand-de249-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-249: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in January 1974, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for sister hull Stewart (DE-238). The only 'asbestos' hits naming USS Marchand (DE-249) in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull (bellucklaw.com, mesotheliomahelp.org, shepardlawfirm.com) - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof of absence aboard - 1942-43 escort construction falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and same-builder sister hull DE-238 carried documented asbestos. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) at NARA are unsurveyed leads. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-marchand-de249-10