Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet fr-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS McLanahan | hull: DD-615 | designation: Destroyer | class: Benson **[MIRROR]** http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd615.html (cl. Benson: dp. 1,620; l. 348'4"; cpl 259; a. 4 5", 4 20mm., 5 21" tt., 6 dcp.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-mclanahan-dd615-pkt-fr-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History Division, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, vol. IV (L-N), 'McLanahan' II entry, printed pp. 304-305 (Internet Archive scan of the official Navy publication, leaves n333-n334; verbatim transcription also at HyperWar ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd615.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. IV printed pp. 304-305 (namesake bio p. 304; I/II ship sections p. 305; scan leaves n333-n334); HyperWar mirror dd615.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the complete service record: laid down 29 May 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Shipbuilding Division, San Pedro, Calif.; launched 2 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Dorothy W. Howard; commissioned 19 December 1942, Lt. Comdr. H. R. Hummer in command; departed San Diego 19 February 1943 for DesRon 16, Atlantic Fleet; Norfolk 10 March; training at Casco Bay, Maine, and several coastal convoys; first transatlantic convoy to Algeria departed 28 April; east coast 8 June, departed again for north Africa 11 June; Oran 21 June; TF 81 antisubmarine-antiaircraft screen off Gela for Operation Husky 6-15 July 1943; Mediterranean and Atlantic escort duty; convoy attacked by aircraft with rocket bombs and torpedoes en route Oran-Naples 6 November 1943 (escaped damage; two merchantmen and one escort lost); Oran-Naples 13 May 1944 for the Anzio offensive, gunfire support up the Italian coast; amphibious exercises off Sicily early August 1944, sailed for the assault area 13 August, St. Raphael fire support 15 August, joined the beachhead screen 18 August along the Italian and Sicilian coasts; New York 14 September 1944; returned to the Mediterranean 21 December 1944; 'le Grande Garde' patrol, Ligurian coast bombardment Monte Carlo to Genoa from 19 January 1945; off San Remo 11 February 1945 a shore-battery projectile exploded 20-40 feet off the port quarter - one dead, eight severely wounded, holes above and at the waterline, one gun out of commission; departed for Oran 20 February; Toulon 21 March 1945 Croix de Guerre ceremony (Rear Adm. P. Jaugard, French Navy, to captain, medical officer, and 12 crew); Gibraltar patrol of the Mediterranean approaches to Casablanca; sailed for Boston 30 June, arriving 8 July 1945; departed Boston for the Pacific war zone 14 August, orders changed on news of Japan's surrender and remained with the Atlantic Fleet; cruises to New York, New Orleans, and Guantanamo Bay; moored Charleston, S.C. 3 November 1945, joined the Inactive Fleet, decommissioned 2 February 1946; remained in reserve berthed at Philadelphia into 1969; four battle stars for WWII. The same printed entry covers McLanahan I: namesake Lt. Tenant McLanahan, born in Louisiana, killed by a rifleshot in the neck 11 February 1848 while attached to USS Cyane in Lieutenant Heywood's party besieged by Mexican irregulars at San Jose, Baja California; DD-264 was a Clemson-class destroyer (Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy) that decommissioned at Halifax 8 October 1940 and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Bradford (H-72) under the destroyers-for-bases agreement. The struck/sold dates (Navy list 1 July 1971; sold 12 June 1974) come from the bracketed addendum present in the updated DANFS text (HyperWar transcription) - the printed 1969 volume predates the disposal and ends at the battle-star line. Spec block: 1,620 t; 348'4" x 36'1"; draft 17'4"; 37.5 k.; cpl 259; 4x5", 4x20mm, 5x21" tt., 6 dcp.; class Benson.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1974
- Population
- Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (design complement 259); reserve-fleet personnel 1946-1971
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy-authored service history containing no asbestos, material, or industrial-hygiene information; does not establish any exposure condition aboard. Printed 1969 text says 'Into 1969 she has remained in reserve... berthed at Philadelphia' - the HyperWar transcription reads 'Into 1960' and mis-transcribes 'On 20 February' (1945, Oran departure) as '29 February,' an impossible date; the printed scan controls. Names Charleston, S.C. as the mooring/inactivation site and Philadelphia as the reserve berth without naming the naval shipyards as performing work.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Destroyer Photo Archive, 'USS McLanahan (DD-615)' page (navsource.net mirror; navsource.org not reachable at fetch) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 05/615.htm vessel page, specifications block, operational/building data, photo captions, CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource's registry entry corroborates the DANFS chronology and adds: photo-caption record that the ship 'was under repair at the yard from January 25 to February 5 1943' at Mare Island Navy Yard; a 13 August 1973 photograph showing USS Thorn (DD-647), McLanahan, and USS MacKenzie (DD-614) at the Philadelphia Navy Yard confirming continued reserve berthing; and disposal detail 'Sold June 1 1974 to Andy International, Brownsville for $150,999 and broken up for scrap.' Specifications block: 2,395 t full; 348'4" x 36'1" x 13'2" max; 4 x 5"/38AA, 6 x 0.5" MG, 10 x 21" tt. (2x5); 50,000 SHP Bethlehem turbines, 2 screws; 35 knots; range 6,500 NM at 12 knots; crew 208. Commanding officers: LCDR H. R. Hummer Jr. to Aug 1943; LCDR N. C. Johnson to Mar 1944; CDR B. M. McKay to Jul 1945; LCDR W. J. Van Meter Jr. to Oct 1945; LCDR O. O. Liebschner to decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1974
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard repair workers Jan-Feb 1943; Andy International shipbreakers, Brownsville TX 1974
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive of official registry data - a reputable secondary compilation, not itself a primary record; adds no asbestos or industrial content. Conflicts with DANFS on launch date (7 September vs 2 September 1942), sale date (1 June vs 12 June 1974), complement (208 vs 259), and speed (35 vs 37.5 kt) - documented in gaps, DANFS carried where they conflict. The Mare Island repair window is contributor-captioned; the official Navy photo NH 107216 independently places her off Mare Island 5 February 1943.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-02
-
[4]Official U.S. Navy Photograph NH 107216, collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (HyperWar Online Library picture-data page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC photo NH 107216, Online Library of Selected Images picture-data page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy photograph NH 107216 shows USS McLanahan (DD-615) underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 5 February 1943 - placing the hull at a naval shipyard six weeks after commissioning, consistent with the post-shakedown repair availability NavSource dates 25 January - 5 February 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-02-05
- Limitations
- A dated official photograph establishing presence at the yard only - it does not describe work performed, materials disturbed, or anything about asbestos. The repair window itself is NavSource caption data, not the photo's metadata.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-03
-
[5]National Archives, Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations,' 1941-1988 (ancestor NAID 594258; VA-digitized Navy deck logs) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov series NAID 594258; archives.gov Special List 44 named-vessel list (McLanahan DD-264 rows only)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's deck-log series (RG 24, NAID 594258) covers 1941-1983 and holds per-month file units per hull - USS McLanahan's commissioned life (December 1942 - February 1946) falls inside coverage, so monthly deck logs for this hull should exist, recording underway periods, yard availabilities, and casualties. NARA Special List 44 (the pre-1947 finding aid) lists only the earlier McLanahan (DD-264), confirming DD-615 logs sit in the later series rather than SL-44. Concrete archival lead for yard-period and personnel documentation.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Commissioned-era crew 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Series-level confirmation only - the NARA catalog is a JS-rendered application not machine-readable at fetch, so individual DD-615 file units were not enumerated or retrieved; deck logs record positions, events, and muster data, not materials, and do not establish any asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-04
-
[6]DANFS-derived class/machinery data for this hull (NavSource specifications block: 50,000 SHP Bethlehem turbines, 2 screws; DANFS spec block: 37.5 kt) + Benson-class design data, Bureau of Ships 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels,' 1945 ed. vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010), 'No. 421 Class' machinery table (scan: shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1945v1.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 05/615.htm specifications block; DANFS spec block; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010) DD machinery table, 'No. 421 Class' rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull: a Benson-class destroyer built at Bethlehem San Pedro in 1941-42 carried four Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers (575 psi/700F per the BuShips machinery table for the class) and Bethlehem geared turbines at ~50,000 shp - squarely in the Navy's peak asbestos-construction era. Period-standard applications for the type: boiler-casing and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, packing, fireproofing, deck tile, and accommodation insulation. Unlike roughly thirty class members, this hull was never converted to a DMS fast minesweeper, so the class's 1944-45 conversion-yard pathway does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem San Pedro construction trades 1941-42; wartime engineering crew
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record exists for this hull; this row contextualizes, it does not establish asbestos aboard DD-615. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual. 50,000-shp figure is NavSource/secondary; the BuShips table shows 47,000 shp for lead ship DD-421 - a documented class-level discrepancy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-05
-
[7]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, abstract and ship-construction passage
- 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 1942 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 the Benson class. Cannot be read as evidence of asbestos aboard this specific vessel - included as era context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-06
-
[8]Batch-3587 search ledger (this record): printed DANFS vol. IV scan and HyperWar transcription, NavSource, NHHC photographic record (NH 107216), NARA finding aids and catalog, BuShips War Damage Report No. 51, NVR, CourtListener opinion/docket search, class-profile worktrees, shipyards.json cross-check, general web screening [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mclanahan-dd615-01 through sl-uss-mclanahan-dd615-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, industrial work order, material callout, or litigation naming USS McLanahan (DD-615) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1974 with no museum, NRHP, or survey phase that could have generated documentation.
- 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 - the 1941-42 construction era and steam plant make era-consistent asbestos likely, but nothing ship-specific substantiates it. Does not establish or defeat any exposure or legal-eligibility claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mclanahan-dd615-07
