Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]research packet kb-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (mirror-sourced).
- Evidence ID
- uss-menges-de320-pkt-kb-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Menges (DE-320), Naval History and Heritage Command [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry heading/specifications and full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies Menges as an Edsall-class destroyer escort; laid down 22 March 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas; launched 15 June 1943; commissioned 26 October 1943 under Lt. Cmdr. Frank M. McCabe, USCG; design complement 186. It records convoy escort, rescue of 137 Lansdale survivors and two German flyers on 20 April 1944, torpedo damage from U-371 on 3 May 1944 that destroyed the aft third and killed 31 and wounded 25, towing to Bougie and New York, repair with the stern of Holder, later convoy and antisubmarine service, Coast Guard Academy training, inactive reserve from March 1946, and decommissioning in January 1947.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Menges crew, Coast Guard Academy cadets, convoy and repair personnel
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service, operations, damage, repair, and decommissioning, not asbestos content, product identity, material quantity, condition, individual exposure, or legal eligibility. It does not state a post-decommissioning disposition or exact striking date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-01
-
[3]NHHC H-Gram 035-2, Mediterranean Theater Catch-up [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- H-Gram 035-2 discussion of Menges and Holder
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC recounts that the Coast Guard-manned USS Menges (DE-320) was hit off Algeria on 3 May 1944 by a German submarine-launched acoustic homing torpedo; the aft third was badly damaged, and Menges was saved and later repaired at New York with the stern of USS Holder (DE-401).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Menges crew and 1944 repair workers
- Limitations
- NHHC provides operational and repair history only. It does not establish asbestos-containing material, repair-material composition, worker exposure, quantity, condition, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-02
-
[4]GAO HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure (18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page highlights and linked 26-page report; policy summary
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy efforts concerning asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, including asbestos use in Navy ships and the Navy policy to remove and replace damaged insulation or insulation removed for necessary repairs. GAO’s report page identifies thermal insulation as a major Navy asbestos-use topic and notes a 1979 modification for selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1975-1979; contextual only for Menges
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and crews, program-wide
- Limitations
- Program-level evidence, not a survey of Menges or the Edsall class. The reviewed shipyard sites and 1975-1979 policy period do not establish asbestos presence, product identity, quantity, condition, removal, or exposure aboard a hull decommissioned in 1947.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-03
-
[5]National Archives, Logbooks of the U.S. Navy; post-1941 holdings and catalog guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA logbook description, post-1941 holdings, and catalog guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA identifies Navy deck logs as chronological operational records that can include daily activities, injuries, and other shipboard events, and states that post-1941 Navy logs are maintained at Archives II. The resource is an archival lead for Menges’s wartime and reserve records; no Menges log or engineering drawing was retrieved in this batch.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947; archival lead
- Population
- Menges crew and archival recordkeepers
- Limitations
- The NARA guidance page does not identify asbestos aboard Menges and does not establish that a Menges record is digitized or contains material information. No hull-specific log, drawing, specification, or survey was reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-04
-
[6]Negative authoritative-source finding from review of NHHC DANFS, NHHC operational histories, GAO HRD-80-2, and NARA archival guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- Source review logged in search_ledger entries sl-01 through sl-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- No affirmative ship-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, asbestos product identification, material specification, or disposal/hazmat record for USS Menges (DE-320) was located in the authoritative sources reviewed. Ship-specific asbestos documentation remains unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28 research review
- Limitations
- This is a documented research result, not proof that asbestos was absent. The review does not cover inaccessible archives, unindexed state records, private records, or unlocated NARA engineering files; it does not establish material absence, quantity, condition, exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 authenticated litigation sweep via required cl-auth-search.py helper, 28 September 2026 [court_record]
- Locator
- Authenticated helper stderr: fleet-wide pacing stand-down; query sequence recorded in search_ledger
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The required authenticated helper was invoked for the exact-name opinion query "USS Menges" but the fleet-wide pacing limiter reported that its request budget was momentarily spent before an API result was returned. The exact-name docket request was initiated and stopped; the "DE-320" opinion and docket queries were not sent. No qualifying, other, collision, or no-result classification is asserted for the blocked or unsent portions.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- This is a partial sweep, not a no-litigation finding. CourtListener coverage would in any event be limited to indexed opinions and federal RECAP material and would not establish the absence of state filings, unindexed pleadings, settlements, or other records. No anonymous, raw, or v3 request was used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-menges-de320-06