Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet kv-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-mason-de529-pkt-kv-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC ship history, Mason II (DE-529) (expanded NHHC entry published 1 July 2020; live history.navy.mil page serves 404 - Wayback capture 2025-12-11 used; older DANFS verbatim transcription at HyperWar/ibiblio) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC ship-history page 'Mason II (DE-529)', full narrative incl. namesake paragraph, convoy chronology, Commanding Officers table, and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC record for this hull: laid down 14 October 1943 at Boston, Mass., by the Boston Navy Yard; launched 17 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Ida K. Mason, mother of the late Ens. Newton H. Mason (VF-3 pilot killed at Coral Sea 8-9 May 1942, posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross); commissioned 20 March 1944, Lt. Cmdr. William M. Blackford, USNR. One of two U.S. warships (with PC-1264) manned predominantly by African-American enlisted sailors - crew of 204, of whom 160 were African American, trained at segregated Camp Robert Smalls, Ill. Shakedown Bermuda April-May 1944; Charleston Navy Yard 8 June; convoy CK-3 14 June; Horta, Belfast (23 July), Boston availability with DAQ calibration (2 August); convoy NY-119 from South Brooklyn 19 September with Maumee (AO-2), Abnaki (AT-96), O'Toole (DE-527), John J. Powers (DE-528), John M. Bermingham (DE-530), Edgar G. Chase (DE-16); ST-179 salvage screening 26 September; severe storm from 16 October split the deck plate, welded back by two damage controlmen underway; advance section into Falmouth 18 October in 80-knot gusts; Scilly Isles barge search; Plymouth storm repairs; New York arrival 22 November. UGS-64 (19 December), Oran 5 January 1945, TG 60.11/GUS-64; 11 January rammed a wooden derelict (sound gear and pit log damage); Bermuda diver inspection 19 January; ten-day repair availability New York Navy Yard 22 January-2 February; UGS-74 (12 February), GUS-76 (8 March), Navy Yard Bayonne availability (24 March); New London exercises with S-20 (SS-125); Bureau of Aeronautics filmed crew for 1945 documentary 'The Negro Sailor'; UGS-86 (14 April), GUS-88 (7 May); New York 23 May; Meyer relieved Blackford 12 June, Phillips assumed command 20 September; NTC Miami school ship (28 July-August); underwater-signal testing Bermuda; Charleston 10 September; decommissioned 12 October 1945; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1945; sold and delivered at Charleston to Thomas Harris of Barber, N.J., 18 March 1947 for scrapping. NHHC records that Blackford's official commendation recommendation 'fell on deaf ears' and that Secretary of the Navy John Dalton awarded long-overdue commendations to surviving veterans 'in the 1990s.' Specifications: 1,140 tons; 289'5"; 35'1"; 8'3" mean; 21 kt; complement 156; 3x3", 4x1.1", 9x20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (204 ship's company per NHHC; design complement 156)
- Limitations
- DANFS/NHHC documents service history, namesake, crew composition, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. The current NHHC page corrects the old DANFS sponsor reading 'Mrs. David Mason' to 'Mrs. Ida K. Mason'; the HyperWar transcription also carries OCR typos ('DE-629', '14 October 1843'). Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture 2025-12-11.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-01
-
[3]NPS / Boston National Historical Park, Stephen P. Carlson, 'Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard' (2005) - appendix ship-list entry for Mason (DE-529) [nps]
- Locator
- Appendix 'Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard' table, Mason row (DE-529)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NPS Boston NHP appendix listing independently corroborates this hull's build record: 'Mason - Escort Vessel - DE-529 - laid down 1943 Oct 14 - launched 1943 Nov 17 - commissioned 1944 Mar 20' at the Charlestown Navy Yard, matching the NHHC build dates.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44
- Limitations
- Appendix table entry confirms builder and build dates only; carries no materials or asbestos information. The original nps.gov URL (parkhistory/online_books/bost/bosthips.pdf) now redirects to a generic page; the identical PDF is served via the GPO PURL cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-02
-
[4]National Archives, Rediscovering Black History blog, 'USS Mason, USS PC-1264, and the African-American Crews during World War II' (Ligon & Bradley, NARA College Park, 2015-07-23) + National Archives at Boston, 'Sailors of the USS Mason (DE-529)' holdings highlight (archives.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Rediscovering Black History post (2015-07-23) incl. NAID citations; archives.gov/boston/highlights/uss-mason-sailors (catalog item 38329723)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NARA records-based account for this hull: commissioned 20 March 1944 'with a crew of 150 African-American enlisted men and six officers'; damaged in a severe storm on one Atlantic convoy in 1944 - the crew repaired the ship and continued the voyage, but 'did not receive any letters of commendation for this act until 1994'; decommissioned 12 October 1945 and sold for scrap. NARA at Boston separately identifies Mason as 'the first U.S. Navy ship with a predominantly Black crew' and holds the First Naval District record photograph (catalog item 38329723, RG 181). The blog cites the ship's wartime deck logs in RG 24, Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978 (series NAID 594258), with Mason deck-log items NAID 28918537 and NAID 28918635 and photograph NAID 6210481.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945; 1994 (commendation); 2015 (NARA post)
- Population
- African-American enlisted crew and officers, 1944-45
- Limitations
- NARA confirms crew composition, the 1944 storm-damage episode, the 1994 commendation, and the existence of hull-level records (deck logs, photographs); it carries no materials or asbestos information. Crew figures differ from NHHC's (150 Black enlisted + 6 officers at commissioning vs. 204 total / 160 Black sailors) - carried in gaps, not reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-03
-
[5]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, USS Mason (DE-529) index and Part II (verbatim transcription; live NHHC photo pages serve 404) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library index pages for DE-529 (ibiblio mirror), photos 80-G-218856, 80-G-218861, NH 106729-32, 80-G-44826, 80-G-214542-44
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photographs documenting this hull: 80-G-218856 - commissioning ceremonies on the fantail in a driving snowstorm at the Boston Navy Yard, 20 March 1944, CO Lt. Comdr. William M. Blackford in center; 80-G-218861 - African-American crewmembers moored at Boston Navy Yard 20 March 1944 (sister ship John M. Bermingham (DE-530) and LST-982 fitting out nearby); NH 106729 - crew mustered in Dress Blues on the bow, New York Harbor; NH 106730-106732 - signalmen and officers on North Atlantic convoy duty, 1944 (Graham donation, 1991); 80-G-44826 and 80-G-214542-44 - crew training at Norfolk Naval Training Station, 3 January 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Wartime crew, 1944
- Limitations
- Photo captions document identity, crew, and activity - no materials, machinery, or asbestos information. Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC photo pages return 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-04
-
[6]National Museum of the United States Navy (NHHC), 'African Americans [in the Navy]' pamphlet - WWII timeline entries on the Mason/PC-1264 experiment [museum_official]
- Locator
- NMUSN pamphlet 'African Americans' timeline, 1944 WWII-era entries (PDF text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy museum publication names this hull: 'As an experiment, the destroyer escort USS Mason (DE-529) and the submarine chaser USS PC 1264 became vessels manned solely by African Americans enlisted Sailors' and '1944 - The Navy experimented with allowing African Americans into all rates with the destroyer escort USS Mason (DE-529) and patrol craft USS PC 1264. The crews of both ships exceeded the Navy's expectations.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- African-American enlisted crew, 1944-45
- Limitations
- Confirms the crew-composition experiment aboard this hull; carries no materials or asbestos information. 'Solely' overstates slightly - other official sources (NHHC ship history, NARA) describe a predominantly Black enlisted crew with white officers.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-05
-
[7]S. Con. Res. 34, 111th Congress (2009-07-22, introduced by Sen. Burris) + DVIDS/Defense Media Activity - Navy Production video 'USS Mason' (ID 584330, VIRIN 180205-O-MO260-805, 2018-02-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- S. Con. Res. 34 whereas clauses (NY119, 1994 commendation, 1998 DDG-87 naming); DVIDS video 584330 descriptive text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official records of this hull's NY-119 action and delayed recognition: the congressional resolution recites that 'in September 1944, the crew of the USS Mason DE-529 helped save Convoy NY119, ushering the convoy to safety despite a deadly storm in the Atlantic Ocean,' that 'in 1994, President Clinton awarded the USS Mason DE-529 a long-overdue commendation, presenting the award to 67 of the surviving crewmembers,' and that 'in 1998, the Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton made an official decision to name an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer the USS Mason DDG-87 in order to honor the USS Mason DE-529.' The DoD production adds the operational detail: the deck split under storm strain, the crew self-repaired underway and rescued other ships, convoy commander Cdr. Alfred Lind ('the plucky Mason') recommended the letter of commendation that was not issued at the time.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944; 1994; 1998; 2009
- Population
- Wartime crew 1944; surviving crewmembers (67) at 1994 presentation
- Limitations
- Legislative recital and public-affairs production, not war diaries - the resolution's 'September 1944' conflates the convoy's 19 September departure with the severe storm NHHC dates 16-18 October; commendation wording varies across official sources (Clinton 1994 presentation to 67 survivors per the resolution; NHHC attributes the awards to SecNav Dalton 'in the 1990s'). No materials or asbestos information in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-06
-
[8]DANFS specifications block and build record (Evarts class; Boston Navy Yard; 21 kt, complement 156) + Atlas shipyard dataset records (boston-naval-shipyard tier-3; brooklyn-navy-yard; charleston-naval-shipyard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS/NHHC specifications block + narrative; shipyards.json records 'boston-naval-shipyard', 'brooklyn-navy-yard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Evarts-class destroyer escort completed 1943-44 in a U.S. Navy yard would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-electric ship - exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck/bulkhead coverings - but no boilers or steam lagging, the largest asbestos categories of steam ships. Documented yard availabilities for this hull (Charleston Navy Yard June 1944; Navy Yard Annex South Boston August 1944; New York Navy Yard September 1944 and the January-February 1945 collision repair; Navy Yard Bayonne March 1945; Brooklyn pier availabilities May-June 1945) are repair/maintenance events at asbestos-era Navy yards. Builder Boston Naval Shipyard is documented as a tier-3 asbestos-era yard in the Atlas dataset (yard-level John Crane gasket/sealing litigation record).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-44; Navy-yard availability workforces 1944-45; wartime crew
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No primary source names asbestos materials aboard this hull; the diesel-electric (GMT/'short hull') plant detail rests on standard secondary compilations and is unverified against an official source (see gaps). Yard availabilities are documented events but their asbestos scope is undocumented. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-07
-
[9]Batch-4360 search ledger (this record): NHHC expanded ship history and DANFS transcription with Wayback verification; NPS yard-history appendix; NARA blog and NARA Boston holdings; NHHC Online Library photo captions; NMUSN pamphlet; S. Con. Res. 34; DVIDS production; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries; NARA catalog; NavSource compilation review [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mason-de529-01 through sl-uss-mason-de529-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-529: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, or docketed case adjudicating exposure aboard this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The one CourtListener asbestos-docket match (Gillis v. Phelps Dodge, via MDL-875 tag-along) names 'the USS Mason' without a hull number and resolves to DD-852 as the probable referent - see ev-10. The hull was sold for scrapping 18 March 1947 - decades before the Navy's asbestos-control programs and before modern hazmat documentation existed - so this negative finding is expected rather than probative.
- 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 1943-44 Navy-yard build is era-consistent with asbestos use, but no primary source names materials on this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-08
-
[10]NARA holdings leads (documented by NARA itself): RG 24 Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978 (series NAID 594258 - Mason deck logs; item NAIDs 28918537 commissioning/crew list and 28918635 Norfolk-Oran deck-log pages; photo NAID 6210481); RG 181 First Naval District WWII administrative history photo (catalog item 38329723); RG 19 Bureau of Ships General Information Books / ship plan records (per-vessel material specifications lead); Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels 1945 Vol. 1, NAVSHIPS 250-010 (escort-vessel characteristics; shipscribe.com scan is image-only, not OCR'd) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Rediscovering Black History post (NAID citations 594258, 28918537, 28918635, 6210481); archives.gov/boston item 38329723; NARA RG 19 series descriptions; NAVSHIPS 250-010 scan index (shipscribe.com)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level records not yet retrieved: DE-529's wartime deck logs exist in NARA RG 24 (the NARA blog displays the commissioning crew list and December 1944 Norfolk-to-Oran deck-log pages); per-hull material and machinery specifications may exist in RG 19 General Information Books or BuShips plan files; the 1945 Ships' Data (NAVSHIPS 250-010) escort-vessel section would carry the official machinery listing for this hull (the available scan is image-only and was not OCR'd).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Leads only - holdings identified by NARA but deck-log and GIB contents not examined for materials data; presence of DE-529-specific asbestos content within them is not established. NARA catalog API is key-gated/JS-rendered - item-level verification of the NAIDs beyond the blog's display was not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-09
-
[11]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL-875 (J.P.M.L.), docket 1245688, entry 8184-1 - Notice of Potential Tag-Along attaching Gillis v. Phelps Dodge Industries, Inc. et al., No. 1:11-cv-12138-JCB (D. Mass., removed from Middlesex Superior Court 09-04998; NoS 368 P.I. Asbestos), defendant's notice text at para. 9 [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 (J.P.M.L.) docket 1245688 entry 8184-1, para. 9 (filed 2011-12-09); underlying case Gillis v. Phelps Dodge, D. Mass. 1:11-cv-12138
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos pleading-stage allegation naming 'the USS Mason': the defendant's tag-along notice (attaching the removed D. Mass. case file) recites that plaintiff's Exposure Sheet alleged Phelps Dodge Industries supplied asbestos-containing wire and cable with which decedent Edward A. Gillis worked 'at, among other sites, government contractor General Dynamics in Quincy, MA in 1944 to 1945 and on the USS Mason for the United States Navy in 1945 to 1946.' Hull attribution weighs strongly toward USS Leonard F. Mason (DD-852), not this hull: DD-852 was under construction at the same Quincy yard (Bethlehem Steel Fore River - the facility the pleading styles 'General Dynamics') in exactly the alleged 1945-46 window, while DE-529 was decommissioned and laid up at Charleston, S.C., pending sale. For DE-529 this is therefore a probable name collision, not qualifying exposure evidence.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-1946 (alleged exposure); 2011 (litigation)
- Population
- Edward A. Gillis (decedent; shipyard/vessel worker 1944-46, per pleading)
- Limitations
- Pleading allegation only (exposure-sheet claim recited in a defendant's removal/tag-along filing), never adjudicated; does not establish exposure, asbestos presence, product identity aboard either hull, or legal eligibility. The allegation names 'the USS Mason' without a hull number; attribution to DD-852 is circumstantial (same yard, same window) though strong, and DE-529 cannot be categorically excluded from the allegation text. Classified at the lowest stage per batch discipline; underlying complaint text (D. Mass. 1:11-cv-12138) is the follow-up source. Cross-reference: the DD-852 record (uss-leonard-f-mason-dd852) may want this docket noted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 search, 2026-09-28: "USS Mason" type=o (0); "USS Mason" type=r (6 - classified below); "DE-529" type=o (3 - all identifier collisions); "DE-529" type=r (174 count; returned set reviewed - all identifier/docket-number collisions, none asbestos, none vessel) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mason-de529-07, -08, -11, -12, -13 (queries + RECAP document verifications)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull: zero published opinions name the ship. Docket index, "USS Mason" (6 hits): Students for Fair Admissions v. USNA (D. Md. 1:23-cv-02699) - verified NON-asbestos, ship-name reference in a trial exhibit: the filed historical report states 'The destroyer escort Mason (DE-529) and the submarine chaser PC-1264, were the only two World War II warships with predominantly Black crew members' (names THIS hull; education civil-rights case); Hornsby v. United States (E.D. Va. 2:22-cv-00427) - verified NAME COLLISION: deposition recites PMS maintenance 'on both the USS McFaul and the USS Mason, ships of the same class' (DDG-74 class = Arleigh Burke = DDG-87), non-asbestos LHWCA marine-injury case; MDL-875 tag-along 8184-1 - asbestos pleading naming 'the USS Mason' with unresolved hull attribution (see ev-10); Northwest Territorial Mint (W.D. Wash. bankruptcy), Mocha Mill v. Port of Mokha (N.D. Cal. RICO), Troell v. Binance (S.D.N.Y.) - name collisions. "DE-529" opinions (3): Villanueva Ortiz v. Pagan Rodriguez (P.R. App. x2) and United States v. Stoian (E.D. Ky.) - all document/identifier collisions. "DE-529" dockets (174): returned set all identifier noise (bankruptcy, fraud, criminal, copyright docket-entry numbering).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep establishes only what CourtListener indexes contained on 2026-09-28 - coverage limits: state-court pleadings and unreported matters are incompletely indexed; MDL-875 member-docket text is not hull-searchable in all cases; the 174-count 'DE-529' docket set is larger than the returned page and pattern-verified as numbering noise, not individually audited end-to-end. The one asbestos-adjacent reference (Gillis) is an unadjudicated pleading with ambiguous hull attribution. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mason-de529-11