USS MASSEY (DD-778)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, Massey (DD-778) (builder, dates, specifications, service narrative, battle stars; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page not located, URL patterns 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray transcription via Wayback capture 2024-12-11)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 14 January 1944 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Seattle, Wash.; launched 12 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Lance E. Massey, widow of Lieutenant Commander Massey; commissioned 24 November 1944, Comdr. Charles W. Aldrich in command. Spec block: Allen M. Sumner class; dp 2,200; l. 376'6"; b. 41'1"; dr. 15'8"; s. 34 k.; cpl. 336; a. 6 5", 12 40mm., 11 20mm., 10 21" tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct. Departed Bremerton 13 February 1945; screened escort carriers for the Okinawa campaign (off Okinawa from 1 April, radar picket duty in May, nine kamikazes splashed before departing 24 June); East China Sea antishipping sweep; air-sea rescue and courier duty to September. Atlantic Fleet from January 1946; Korea October 1950-March 1951 (Advance Force minesweep support, Wonsan/Hungnam/Songjin blockade and fire support, Hungnam evacuation cover 15-24 December 1950, Inchon-Seoul February 1951); Norfolk homeport from 2 July 1951; 1953 Londonderry Joint Antisubmarine School and 6th Fleet deployment with Cephalonia earthquake relief; 1957 NATO North Sea; December 1959 entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for modernization; April 1963 Boston for further modernization receiving a Drone Antisubmarine Helicopter deck; January-July 1966 Vietnam (gunfire support, Tonkin Gulf picket) returning via Suez to complete a circumnavigation 17 August 1966; 28 September 1966 entered Boston Naval Shipyard for repairs; May-September 1967 6th Fleet - went alongside USS Liberty (AGTR-5) with Davis (DD-937) the morning after the 8 June 1967 attack; Med April-September 1968; east-coast operations into 1969. 'Massey received two battle stars for World War II service and four battle stars for European service' (final clause a transcription error - see gaps; Korean service stars intended).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1944-1969

   Population

   Todd-Pacific Shipyards construction trades 1944; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 336)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcription's closing line reads 'four battle stars for European service' - a transcription error for Korean service per the association operations pages and secondary compilations. Mirror transcription cited because no live NHHC page was located (history.navy.mil URL patterns returned 404 - standing link-rot defect since batch-01). DANFS predates the 1973 decommissioning and does not cover it.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-01

2. [2]In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.), Docs. 5521 (filed 2008-08-05) and 5644 (filed 2008-10-09) - Defendant General Electric Company's Responses to Plaintiff's Motion to Vacate Conditional Transfer Order, re Bussey v. Buffalo Pumps, Inc., et al., E.D. Va. Nos. 2:08-cv-09367-JBF, -09378, -09379 (removed 2008-05-27 from Circuit Court for the City of Portsmouth, Va., No. CL08-950) (RECAP) [court_record]

   Locator

   MDL-875 master docket Docs. 5521 and 5644, Statement of Facts paras. 1-2 (recited complaint allegations; ship names at Doc. 5521 p.2 and Doc. 5644 p.2)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Pleading-stage asbestos litigation explicitly naming this hull: GE's MDL-875 transfer filings recite that plaintiff William W. Bussey 'alleges he developed malignant mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos allegedly associated with GE "turbines and generators" while serving in the United States Navy from 1960 to 1964 during his time aboard two World War II-era destroyers, the U.S.S. Massey (DD-778) and the U.S.S. Meredith (DD-880), both of which were constructed in 1944-1945' (Complaint paras. 2, 19, 18-25). Hull attribution is explicit - DD-778 named with hull number. Filed 29 April 2008 in Portsmouth Circuit Court; removed to the E.D. Va. Norfolk Division on 27 May 2008 on federal-officer grounds (28 U.S.C. 1442(a)(1)); JPML issued a Conditional Transfer Order toward MDL-875 (E.D. Pa.) on 17 June 2008; plaintiff moved to vacate; GE opposed. A parallel 40-plus-defendant state action, Bussey v. Alfa Laval, Inc., et al., Portsmouth Law No. CL08-1026, proceeded in the same court; Bussey's discovery and trial-preservation depositions concluded 29 July 2008.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1960-1964 (alleged exposure); 2008 (filings)

   Population

   William W. Bussey - U.S. Navy service 1960-1964 aboard USS Massey (DD-778) and USS Meredith (DD-880); diagnosed malignant mesothelioma circa 2007 (one year post-diagnosis as of the August 2008 filing; age 67, oxygen-dependent per the filing)

   Limitations

   Pleading-stage allegation recited in a defendant's jurisdictional brief - never adjudicated: no discovery record, trial finding, or judgment on exposure aboard this hull was located, and the claims later settled (see ev-uss-massey-dd778-03). Does not establish that asbestos was aboard, which products contained it, individual exposure, or causation. 'Turbines and generators' is the plaintiff's product theory, not a materials finding; NavSource's machinery line lists Allis-Chalmers turbines for this hull - the pleading's GE attribution is itself unverified.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-02

3. [3]Richmond BizSense, 'The Docket: Court Roundup for 4.12.11' - Portsmouth Circuit Court entries (reported compromise-settlement orders) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Richmond BizSense court roundup, 2011-04-12, Portsmouth Circuit Court entries (CL11001705)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Disposition record for the litigation naming this hull: the 12 April 2011 court roundup reports an 'Order Approving Compromise Settlement in the amount of $100,000' filed 6 April 2011 in Stephen T. Harper, Administrator of the estate of William W. Bussey, Deceased, v. Buffalo Pumps Inc., Portsmouth Circuit Court No. CL11001705 - the Bussey claims (which alleged Navy asbestos exposure aboard DD-778, ev-02) were resolved by settlement after the plaintiff's death, without any merits adjudication of the exposure allegation.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2011 (settlement order); 2008-2011 (litigation course)

   Population

   Estate of William W. Bussey (deceased); administrator Stephen T. Harper

   Limitations

   Reputable local business-press report of a court entry, not the order itself; the settlement resolves claims as a matter of compromise - it is not a finding that asbestos was or was not aboard DD-778, and whether the Massey allegation specifically underlay any portion of the $100,000 is undocumented. The federal member dockets' terminal entries (2:08-cv-09367/-09378/-09379) were not retrieved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-03

4. [4]Six v. United States, No. 1:04-cv-01727 (U.S. Court of Federal Claims, filed 2004-12-02, terminated 2007-12-19), Tucker Act 'Military Pay - Correct Records' (RECAP index) [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener docket 4197565, Docs. 60-20 and 60-21 (restricted-notice attachments: Liberty-incident analysis and June 1967 NAVSUPPACT Naples message traffic)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Resolved non-qualifying hit: the RECAP docket-index match for 'USS Massey' / 'DD-778' in this case is the vessel's incidental appearance inside administrative-record attachments about the June 1967 USS Liberty (AGTR-5) incident - Massey went alongside Liberty with Davis (DD-937) to render aid on 9 June 1967 and is named in contemporaneous Sixth Fleet message traffic filed as exhibits. This is other litigation, not asbestos litigation; the hull is incident scenery, not an alleged exposure site.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1967 (underlying incident); 2004-2007 (litigation)

   Population

   none for asbestos purposes - USS Liberty survivors/records matter

   Limitations

   Documents only that the vessel's name appears in Liberty-incident record attachments; nothing about materials aboard or exposure. Classified 'other litigation' after snippet-level review of the matched documents - no asbestos pleading appears in the indexed excerpts.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-04

5. [5]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, DD-778 USS Massey - operational/building data block, machinery line, fate line, namesake biography, and NARA-sourced photo captions [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-778 page - 'Operational and Building Data,' 'Fate,' machinery line, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource index data for this hull: laid down by Todd Shipyards, Seattle, 14 January 1944; launched 'August 19 1944' (conflicts with DANFS's 12 September 1944 - carried in gaps); commissioned 24 November 1944; 'Completed FRAM upgrade July 1960'; 'Decommissioned (?) 1969' (hedged - conflicts with the detailed association chronology placing decommissioning 17 September 1973 at Fort Schuyler; carried in gaps); stricken 17 September 1973; fate - 'Sold November 13 1974 to Union Minerals & Alloy, New York for $150,132 and broken up for scrap.' Machinery line: 60,000 shp; Allis Chalmers turbines; 2 screws; 36.5 knots; range 3,300 NM at 20 knots; crew 336; displacement 3,218 t full, 376'6" oa x 40'10" x 14'2" max. Photo captions include NARA imagery and a 1948 Tripoli anchorage with Kearsarge (CV-33).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Todd Seattle construction trades 1944; crew 1944-1973; Union Minerals & Alloy scrapping workforce 1974-75

   Limitations

   NavSource is a secondary compilation indexing official records, not a primary document; dates agree with DANFS except the launch date (Aug 19 vs Sep 12 - carried in gaps). The turbine attribution (Allis-Chalmers) conflicts with class-level references carrying GE geared turbines - noted in gaps. The '$150,132 to Union Minerals & Alloy' fate line rests on NavSource alone; the underlying disposal/sale record was not retrieved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-05

6. [6]USS Massey Association ship-history chronology (ussmasseyassociation.org pages 42, 51, 59, 67) - member/CO-recollection compilation hosting NARA-microfilm war-diary PDF; expressly 'not the official history' [other_primary]

   Locator

   ussmasseyassociation.org pages '1944-1948' (post-shakedown overhaul), '1958 - FRAM Modernization' (Norfolk Dec 1959, 7-month), '1961-1963' (Charleston VDS Apr 1961 + late-1961 interim availability; Boston overhaul Apr 1963), '1968-1973' (sixth Med deployment May-Oct 1969; Philadelphia 1970; INSURV Feb 1973; decommissioning 17 Sep 1973)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Shipyard-period and disposition detail for this hull beyond DANFS's cutoff: post-shakedown overhaul at Bremerton (Puget Sound) Navy Yard early 1945; Norfolk Naval Shipyard December 1959 for a 7-month FRAM II overhaul adding the DASH drone-helicopter flight deck and an aluminum hangar/superstructure ('complete refurbishment of the ship's hull and machinery'); Charleston Naval Shipyard April 1961 Variable Depth Sonar installation completing FRAM II, plus a late-fall 1961 Charleston interim repair availability; Boston Naval Shipyard regular overhaul from April 1963 (among the first FRAM II ships through a regular overhaul; DASH installation completed); a sixth Mediterranean deployment May-October 1969; Philadelphia Naval Shipyard regular overhaul in late 1970; Board of Naval Inspection and Survey (INSURV) material inspection at Newport February 1973; homeport shifts - Newport (DesRon 20), Brooklyn December 1969 (DesRon 30, Naval Reserve training ship), Fort Schuyler Bronx 1971 (DesRon 28 NRF); decommissioned 17 September 1973 at Fort Schuyler by RADM William B. Phuge, Commander Third Naval District, with LCDR R.V. Paul as final CO from 4 September 1973.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1945-1973

   Population

   Naval shipyard workers at Bremerton 1945, Norfolk 1959-60, Charleston 1961, Boston 1963/1966, Philadelphia 1970; crew 1944-1973

   Limitations

   Veterans-association compilation expressly disclaimed as 'not the official history' - corroborated where checkable (DANFS carries the December 1959 Norfolk and April 1963/September 1966 Boston yard periods; NavSource carries FRAM completion July 1960), but the Charleston 1961, sixth-Med-deployment 1969, Philadelphia 1970, INSURV 1973, and decommissioning-ceremony details rest on the association alone. No asbestos or materials content is addressed anywhere in the chronology.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-06

7. [7]USS Massey (DD-778) War Diaries, March-April 1945 - NARA microfilm (NPPSO-Naval District Washington Microfilm Section) hosted by the USS Massey Association [other_primary]

   Locator

   ussmasseyassociation.org wp-content/uploads/2019/02/MASSEY-War-Diaries-1944-1945.pdf (NPPSO microfilm header); NARA series 594258 for deck logs

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Digitized contemporaneous war diaries for this hull exist: the association hosts a ~12 MB PDF of the ship's March-April 1945 war diary (NPPSO microfilm transcription), recording daily operations under Comdr. Charles W. Aldrich - screening Task Unit 12.5.8 escort carriers Pearl Harbor-Guadalcanal, then the Okinawa gunline and radar-picket periods. Demonstrates that hull-level NARA records (war diaries; deck logs per RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978'; BuShips RG 19 General Information Books material specifications) survive and are the open archival channel for any material callout.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1945 (diaries); records custody ongoing

   Population

   wartime crew March-April 1945

   Limitations

   War diaries document operations, not materials or insulation composition - no asbestos callout appears in them. Establishing what was aboard requires the BuShips-era material specifications (NARA RG19 GIB), which were not retrieved. Association-hosted scan; underlying originals are NARA records.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-07

8. [8]DANFS/NavSource specifications (Allen M. Sumner class; 60,000 shp steam plant) + Atlas shipyard dataset records for the six documented yards + NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-778 machinery line; shipyards.json records 'todd-shipyards', 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard', 'norfolk-naval-shipyard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard', 'boston-naval-shipyard', 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'; NARA RG19 archival lead

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer built January-November 1944 at a wartime commercial yard (Todd-Pacific, Seattle) with a four-boiler, 60,000-shp geared steam-turbine plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings - the insulated-steam-plant configuration documented as asbestos-bearing across the WWII destroyer fleet. Her December 1959-July 1960 Norfolk Naval Shipyard FRAM II modernization ('complete refurbishment of the ship's hull and machinery' per the association) fell in the pre-substitution era when original insulation was typically disturbed or replaced. All six documented yards (Todd corporate family, Puget Sound NSY, Norfolk NSY, Charleston NSY, Boston NSY, Philadelphia NSY) are Atlas-dataset yards with yard-level asbestos documentation; yard-level records do not establish what was aboard this hull. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are the archival lead for hull-level specs.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1944-1973

   Population

   Todd-Pacific construction trades 1944; naval shipyard workers at five documented availabilities 1945-1970; crew 1944-1973

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding; the only ship-specific asbestos item for DD-778 is the unadjudicated Bussey pleading (ev-02). Yard datasets document the yards, not this hull's outfit. FRAM II's asbestos scope aboard this hull is inference - no work order, material schedule, or abatement record located. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-08

9. [9]Lemen RA, Landrigan PJ. 'Sailors and the Risk of Asbestos-Related Cancer.' Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8417. PMID 34444165 [other_primary]

   Locator

   IJERPH 2021;18(16):8417, ship-construction passages

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed review documenting that chrysotile and amphibole asbestos were used extensively in ship construction of the era - insulation, joiner bulkhead systems, pipe coverings, boilers, machinery parts, bulkhead panels - and that sailors both worked and lived at their exposure site. Establishes the era-level background against which a 1944 commercial-yard steam destroyer must be read.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   20th-century naval construction era

   Population

   Naval/merchant sailors generally (era context)

   Limitations

   Fleet-era epidemiology review; does not name this hull or class. Cannot be read as evidence of asbestos aboard DD-778 - included as background context only.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-massey-dd778-09

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP docket index type=r) for this vessel's exact name and hull number, plus RECAP document full-text review via authenticated API [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-massey-dd778-05 through -09, -14, -15

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Sweep results: 'USS Massey' opinion index 0 hits; 'DD-778' opinion index 0 hits; 'USS Massey' RECAP docket index 1 hit (Six v. United States - resolved non-qualifying, Liberty-incident scenery, ev-04); 'DD-778' RECAP docket index 2 hits (In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL-875 - QUALIFYING, the Bussey filings of ev-02; and the same Six docket); 'DD 778' spaced variant 2 hits (the same two dockets, no additional record); 'Massey asbestos' docket index 1,247 hits - surname collisions reviewed in the top 25 (Massey v. ACANDS, Massey v. 3M, et al.), none hull-attributable. No published opinion names this hull; the only qualifying litigation record located is the pleading-stage Bussey allegation (ev-02), resolved by settlement (ev-03). The phrase variant 'aboard the Massey' (opinion index) remained fleet-pacing-blocked at session end - open sweep item in the ledger.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-27

    Study period

    2026-09-27

    Population

    none identified beyond the Bussey record

    Limitations

    CourtListener indexes opinions and PACER dockets, not state trial filings, VA claims, asbestos trust claims, or settled/unreported matters - absence of further hits does not prove no other claim was ever filed; the Portsmouth Circuit Court actions (CL08-950, CL08-1026, CL11001705) themselves are outside indexed coverage and surfaced only through the MDL-875 filings and press. 'Massey' as a bare token is high-collision (1,247 surname hits, none hull-specific); hull attribution in the qualifying record is nonetheless explicit (DD-778 named). One phrase-variant opinion query remained pacing-blocked at session end - recorded 'blocked' in the ledger, not as a negative finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-massey-dd778-10