Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]DANFS, Meade II (DD-602) - verbatim NHHC page via Wayback capture 2025-01-04 (live NHHC page returns HTTP 404; archive cited per standing Batch-01 link-rot convention) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Meade II (DD-602)', spec block + namesake paragraphs + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: spec block (DD-602: dp. 1,620; l. 348'4"; b. 36'1"; dr. 17'4"; s. 38 k.; cpl. 268; a. 4 5", 4 1.1", 7 20mm., 5 21" tt., 2 dct., 6 dcp.; cl. Benson). Second Meade laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co., Shipbuilding Div., Staten Island, N.Y., 25 March 1941; launched 15 February 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Moray Nairne Wootton; commissioned at Brooklyn Navy Yard 22 June 1942, Lt. Comdr. R. S. Lamb in command. Service: escorted Washington (BB-56) to the South Pacific (Tongatabu 14 September 1942); Guadalcanal campaign incl. the 13-15 November 1942 night battles - bombarded four beached enemy transports north of Tassafaronga and rescued 266 survivors of Preston (DD-379) and Walke (DD-416); Juneau (CL-52) survivor search off San Cristobal 16 November; salvage escort with Navajo (AT-64); screened Portland (CA-33) to Sydney and Minneapolis (CA-36) to the New Hebrides; Battle of Rennell Island 29-30 January 1943 (TF 18 escort carriers); Aleutians April-August 1943 (Attu bombardment 11 May; Kiska occupation); Puget Sound overhaul; Tarawa/Betio bombardment 20 November 1943 (TF 53); with Frazier (DD-607) sank Japanese submarine I-35 22 November 1943 (five depth-charge attacks; Frazier rammed); Marshalls - Taroa, Kwajalein, TF 58 raids (Yap, Woleai, Palaus, New Guinea, Truk, Ponape); Majuro blockade/bombardment patrols May-July 1944; Mare Island overhaul; Pearl Harbor torpedo/gunnery school; escort to Ulithi, Eniwetok, Guam; 7th Fleet Philippines January-July 1945 (Lingayen Gulf patrol; Macajalar Bay, Mindanao, TG 78.3, 10 May); post-surrender escort voyage to Okinawa and provisions run to French Indochina (Gulf of Tonkin, 23 September); departed Manila 2 November 1945; extensive overhaul at Norfolk from 11 December 1945; sailed to Charleston 4 March 1946; decommissioned 17 June 1946, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, berthed with the Atlantic Inactive Fleet at Orange, Tex. ('into 1969 she remains in reserve'). Nine battle stars for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1969
- Population
- Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1941-42; ship's company 1942-46 (design complement 268)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, construction, service history, reserve status, and awards; it contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. The entry predates the 1971 striking and 1973 sinking (ends 'into 1969'). Wayback capture of the live NHHC page cited because the live URL returns HTTP 404 (standing link-rot per Batch-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-01
-
[2]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Meade (DD-602), 1942-1973' page + construction subpage (photos 19-N-30822, 19-N-30835, 19-N-30808, 19-N-30817, 19-N-30805, 19-N-30842/43, 19-N-71186/87) - verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the NHHC pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library usnsh-m/dd602.htm + dd602-v.htm (construction page)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library record for this hull: 'a 1620-ton Benson class destroyer... built at Staten Island, New York'; 'the third of five Benson class destroyers constructed between late 1940 and mid-1942 at the Bethlehem Steel Company's Staten Island, New York, shipyard' (construction page); placed in commission at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, 22 June 1942. Service summary consistent with DANFS (Guadalcanal to February 1943; Attu and Kiska; Tarawa; I-35 assist 22 November; Kwajalein; Marshalls; 'Overhauled at Mare Island, California, during the summer of 1944'; Philippines February 1945 to war's end; French Indochina; 'following a shipyard overhaul, was decommissioned in June 1946'; 'laid up as a member of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for the next twenty-five years'). Disposal: 'Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in June 1971, she was sunk as a target in February 1973.' Named for Rear Admiral Richard Worsam Meade (1837-1897) and Brigadier General Robert Lemy Meade, USMC (1841-1910). Bureau of Ships construction photographs document the hull on the ways at the Bethlehem Staten Island yard, June 1941-January 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1973
- Population
- Ship's company 1942-46; Atlantic Inactive Fleet caretakers, Orange, Tex., 1946-1973
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical-center publication (mirrored transcription): documents service history, builder, and disposal; no asbestos, insulation, or materials content. Striking given only to month (June 1971); sinking to month (February 1973) - NavSource's 'January 1 1971' stricken and '18 February 1973 off Florida' are secondary refinements, conflict carried in ev-10 and gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-02
-
[3]NavSource Online, Destroyer Photo Index DD-602 USS Meade - building/operational data block and photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/05/602.htm - 'Operational and Building Data' block + fate line + CO roster
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: 'Laid down by Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, NY March 25 1941. Launched February 15 1942 and commissioned June 22 1942. Decommissioned June 17 1946. Stricken January 1 1971. Fate: Sunk as target off Florida February 18 1973.' Data block: displacement 2,395 tons (full); 348'4"oa x 36'1" x 13'2" (max); armament 4 x 5"/38AA, 6 x 0.5" MG, 10 x 21" tt (2x5); machinery 50,000 shp, Bethlehem turbines, 2 screws; speed 35 knots; range 6,500 nm at 12 knots; crew 208. Commanding-officer roster listed (LCDR Raymond Starr Lamb, 22 June 1942 - 10 June 1943; LCDR John Munholland, to 11 October 1944; CDR Richard Gary Colbert - later ADM - to 12 December 1945; LCDR Robert Stephen Guy to 17 June 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1973
- Population
- Ship's company 1942-46
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, consistent with DANFS/NHHC on the skeleton record. 'Stricken January 1 1971' conflicts with NHHC Online Library's 'June 1971' and the 1 June 1971 figure in secondary compilations - conflict carried in gaps; NHHC month is controlling here. Spec figures (35 kt, crew 208) differ from the DANFS design block (38 kt, cpl. 268) and HyperWar ships page (37 kt, 276) - variances logged, not merged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-03
-
[4]HyperWar/ibiblio, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - DD-602 USS Meade spec page (DANFS-type data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DD-602_Meade.html data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS-type spec page for this hull: 'Benson Class Destroyer: Displacement: 1620 tons; Length: 348'2"; Beam: 35'4"; Draft: 17'4"; Speed: 37 knots; Armament: 4 5"/38, 5x4 21" torpedo tubes; Complement: 276; High-pressure super-heated boilers, geared turbines with twin screws, 50,000 h.p.; Built at Bethlehem, Staten Island and commissioned 1942.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Ship's company (design complement 276 per this source)
- Limitations
- Spec-block transcription only - complements the DANFS narrative but contains no asbestos/materials information. Its figures (37 kt, complement 276, beam 35'4") differ slightly from the DANFS spec block (38 kt, 268, 36'1") and NavSource (35 kt, 208) - logged as source variance, not reconciled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-04
-
[5]Benson/Gleaves-class profile (ships-worktrees class-f/benson-gleaves-class.class.json) machinery and era data + Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels' Vol. I (Jan 1945, shipscribe.com scan) + navypedia member-row data (us_dd_bristol.htm, DD-602 row: yard no. 8033, 'Bethlehem, Staten I, Port Richmond') + Atlas shipyards.json bethlehem-shipbuilding record (yard-level asbestos product identification) [other_primary]
- Locator
- class-f benson-gleaves-class.class.json member row DD-602 + propulsion/notes blocks; SDB1945v1 'No. 421 Class' machinery table; navypedia us_dd_bristol.htm DD-602 row; shipyards.json yard_id 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: this hull is a WWII Benson-class destroyer (1941-repeat 'Laffey group' per navypedia labels; Bethlehem design-office subclass) built March 1941-June 1942 at Bethlehem Steel's Staten Island yard, carrying the class-standard steam plant - 4 Babcock & Wilcox superheated boilers (575 psi/700F per BuShips Ships' Data 1945), 2 geared steam-turbine sets (Bethlehem), 2 shafts, nominally 50,000 shp (BuShips table shows 47,000 shp for lead ship DD-421 - documented class discrepancy). Steam destroyers of this configuration and era carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder corporation is documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyards dataset (bethlehem-shipbuilding, tier 3): documented yard-level products include Unibestos, Transite, Marinite, pipe insulation/lagging, block insulation, gaskets, packing, asbestos cement, and asbestos-containing paint - corporate/yard-level evidence, not a hull finding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1941-42; ship's company 1942-46; overhaul-yard crews (Puget Sound 1943, Mare Island 1944, Norfolk 1945-46, Charleston 1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No BuShips material schedule, insulation specification, or hull-level survey naming DD-602 was located (NARA RG 19 retrieval not performed). Yard-level product documentation does not establish that any given product went aboard this hull, establishes no quantities, and establishes no individual's exposure. The Atlas yard record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' is a corporate-level entry keyed to Quincy; the Staten Island (Mariners Harbor/Port Richmond) yard has no separate dataset row - granularity gap logged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-05
-
[6]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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s, with standing policy (1975) removing asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs - placing this hull's construction (1941-42), its entire commissioned service (1942-46), and its quarter-century reserve-fleet layup inside the documented asbestos-use era. Any original-era insulation aboard at decommissioning would ordinarily have remained in place through mothballing to the 1973 sinking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description. No hull-level survey for DD-602 exists in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-06
-
[7]In re New York Asbestos Litigation, 145 F.R.D. 644 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) (Weinstein, J.) - Rule 42(a) consolidation opinion; also cited 26 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 701; 1993 WL 39305 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, factual recital of the Molloy action (92 Civ. 7414) - 'pipefitter's helper from 1943 to 1944 at Bethlehem Steel on Staten Island'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal opinion recites asbestos-exposure allegations at this hull's builder yard in the construction era: plaintiff Harold Molloy 'claimed exposure from his work as a pipefitter's helper from 1943 to 1944 at Bethlehem Steel on Staten Island and at the Todd Shipyard in Brooklyn' (alleged asbestos-containing cement, block, and pipecovering; gastric cancer). The opinion consolidates twelve of thirteen New York asbestos actions for trial, several alleging shipyard exposures; it documents that the builder yard's workforce was exposed to asbestos-containing insulation products in the same era this hull was built there (1941-42).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (alleged exposure); 1993 (opinion)
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel Staten Island yard workers 1943-44; New York asbestos plaintiffs
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation context, not a hull finding: the opinion names the yard, not USS Meade; Molloy's exposure window (1943-44) postdates this hull's June 1942 commissioning though it overlaps its construction cohort at the same yard; the allegation is recited in a procedural consolidation opinion, not adjudicated; hallapproved.com mirror surfaced in search but is blocklisted - reporter citation and the CourtListener F.R.D. volume index are cited instead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated, via cl-auth-search.py): "USS Meade" type=o; "USS Meade" type=r; "DD-602" type=o and type=r; "U.S.S. Meade" type=o [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results, 2026-09-27 (queries and counts in search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep for this hull (2026-09-27): the 'USS Meade' opinion-index query returned zero hits - no published opinion names a 'USS Meade'. The remaining queries ('USS Meade' docket index, 'DD-602' opinion and docket indexes, 'U.S.S. Meade' variant, and the In re New York Asbestos Litigation opinion fetch) were pacing-blocked by the shared fleet quota and are logged pending in the search ledger.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Sweep is partial: opinion coverage verified clean for the exact name; docket coverage and the hull-number queries incomplete at commit - absence of hits in the queried indexes is not proof that no case naming the hull exists. Name-collision note: 'USS Meade' also designated the Clemson-class DD-274 (1919-1922), so only pre-1923 hits could refer to that hull; 'Meade' alone is a high-collision term (Fort Meade, Gen. George G. Meade, common surname) - any hit requires hull/date disambiguation before attribution to DD-602. Per batch discipline a pleading-stage reference would classify as allegation, not adjudicated exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-08
-
[9]Batch-3574 search ledger (this record): DANFS verbatim (NHHC via Wayback); NHHC Online Library ship and construction pages (ibiblio mirror); NavSource destroyer index; HyperWar ships spec page; navypedia member table; class-f Benson/Gleaves profile; Atlas shipyards.json; CourtListener API v4; federal opinion check (In re NYAL, 145 F.R.D. 644); VA BVA decision search; general-web asbestos-mention check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-meade-dd602-01 through sl-uss-meade-dd602-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-602: no hull ACM survey, no abatement record, no materials inventory, no museum hazmat disclosure, and no asbestos case naming this hull in the completed CourtListener indexes. The only web mentions are law-firm marketing pages (asbestos-ships.com, mesotheliomahelp.org, asbestosnavy.com) that assert exposure aboard this hull without sourcing - excluded as non-authoritative by batch rules. The hull's lifecycle explains the thin record: reserve-fleet storage 1946-71 and a target sinking in 1973 left no museum, scrapping, or donation phase generating hazmat documentation, and no hull survey of the sunken wreck exists.
- 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 1941-42 Bethlehem-built steam destroyer is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing (ev-05, ev-06), and the builder yard's asbestos exposure is documented at yard level (ev-07). This row records that no ship-specific documentation was located; it does not establish presence or absence, exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-09
-
[10]NARA record series leads (RG 24 deck logs 1942-46; RG 19 BuShips construction records incl. any DD-602 General Information Book; RG 181 naval shipyard records for New York/Brooklyn NYd commissioning, Puget Sound 1943, Mare Island 1944, Norfolk 1945-46, Charleston 1946 work packages; Atlantic Reserve Fleet Orange, Tex. inactivation/preservation records; 1973 target-sinking operational/exercise records; 80-G still-picture series incl. the 19-N Bureau of Ships construction views) + destroyerhistory.org Benson-class ship page + NHHC photo nos. 19-N-30805/30808/30817/30822/30835/30842/30843/71186/71187 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 24/RG 19/RG 181 series descriptions; NHHC photo nos. listed; destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass (class hub)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy ships and stations' - DD-602 deck logs for the commissioned period 1942-06-22 to 1946-06-17; (b) NARA RG 19 BuC&R/BuShips construction records incl. any hull-specific General Information Book for DD-602 and Bethlehem Staten Island construction correspondence (yard no. 8033); (c) NARA RG 181 work-package/overhaul records for the documented yard periods - New York Navy Yard commissioning 1942, Puget Sound 1943, Mare Island 1944, the 'extensive overhaul' begun at Norfolk 11 December 1945 (facility not named in DANFS - likely Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth; unverified), and Charleston 1946 inactivation; (d) Atlantic Reserve Fleet / NISMF Orange records for the 1946-71 layup and the 1973 tow-out/target transfer; (e) records of the February 1973 target sinking (platform, location depth) - not located in digitized sources.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1973 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/collection mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for DD-602 is unknown until surveyed. The Norfolk yard attribution is inference (DANFS names only 'Norfolk, Va.'); the Orange reserve-fleet file inventory is unverified. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-10
-
[11]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS (NHHC via Wayback) vs. NHHC Online Library vs. NavSource vs. HyperWar ships page vs. navypedia/class profile vs. Wikipedia secondary compilation [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS via Wayback (meade-ii.html); NHHC Online Library dd602.htm and dd602-v.htm; navsource.net/archives/05/602.htm; ibiblio DD-602_Meade.html; navypedia us_dd_bristol.htm DD-602 row; en.wikipedia.org DD-602 infobox (secondary leads only); globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/dd-602.htm (DANFS reprint, OCR-degraded)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies logged, not silently reconciled: (a) Stricken date - NHHC Online Library reads 'June 1971' (month only) and secondary compilations read 1 June 1971 (Wikipedia, navypedia '6.1971'); NavSource, uboat.net, and NavalCoverMuseum read 'January 1 1971'. June 1971 carried per NHHC; the January figure is logged as a likely compilation error. (b) Sinking - NHHC reads 'sunk as a target in February 1973'; NavSource/NCM/uboat.net refine to 'off Florida, 18 February 1973'; precise position undocumented in official sources. (c) Complement - DANFS spec block 268; HyperWar ships page 276; NavSource 'Crew 208' (as-designed); all three recorded. (d) Speed - DANFS 38 k.; HyperWar 37 kt; NavSource 35 kt. (e) Minor narrative variances between the NHHC DANFS page and the GlobalSecurity reprint (rescued '266 men' vs '288'; San Cristobal search '16 November' vs '18'; TF 53 vs 'TF 63'; San Francisco arrival '26 July' vs '28'; returned to Marshalls '4 May' vs '1'; Manila return '29 September' vs '20') are OCR garble in the reprint - the NHHC/Wayback text is controlling. (f) Sponsor's surname is spelled 'Wootton' in DANFS and 'Woottan' on the NHHC construction page - the DANFS spelling carried. (g) Namesake given name: DANFS/NHHC read 'Robert Lemy Meade'; secondary compilations read 'Robert Leamy Meade'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1973
- Limitations
- Reconciles publication-level discrepancies among official and secondary sources; none of the underlying sources contains asbestos information, and none of the variances affects identity, the service timeline, or the asbestos documentation status.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-meade-dd602-11