Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet kq-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Mitchell
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-mitchell-de43-pkt-kq-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Mitchell I (DE-43) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Mitchell I (DE-43)', specifications block + service narrative (hazegray transcription of DANFS Vol. 5, 1969, p.396)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Ens. Albert Edward Mitchell, USNR (born Seattle 25 December 1914; naval aviator, Patrol Squadron 42; killed in action June 1942). Laid down as BDE-43 on 12 January 1943 by the Puget Sound Navy Yard for transfer to Great Britain; ordered retained for USN service; reclassified DE-43 on 16 June 1943; named Mitchell 23 June; launched 1 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Albert E. Mitchell, widow of the ensign; commissioned 17 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. M. S. Erdahl in command. Shakedown and training off San Diego; sailed 2 February 1944 escorting a convoy of eight Liberty ships to Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor 10 February; four months operating with American submarines in TF 16, Service Force Pacific Fleet; sailed for the Pacific war zone in TG 16.6 on 8 June; six months operating out of Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Seeadler Harbor (Admiralties), and Ulithi screening underway replenishment operations, guarding harbor entrances, and destroying floating enemy mines; 3 December 1944 struck a whale, seriously damaging underwater sound equipment, repaired in floating drydock ARD-15 at Ulithi; 21 February 1945 deck log: 'Steaming toward rendezvous point southeast of Iwo Jima'; escort and patrol missions during the Okinawa operation; screening vessel in Rear Admiral W. D. Semple's TG 78.4 at the Balikpapan, Borneo, assault of 6 July 1945; TG 30.8 protecting convoys supplying the occupation of Japan, August-September 1945; briefly joined American ships in Tokyo Harbor 5 September; departed 18 September via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor, arriving San Francisco 8 October; last underway as a commissioned vessel 6 November 1945 to Kaiser's Victory Yard, Richmond, Calif.; decommissioned there and struck from the Navy list 29 December 1945; sold for scrapping and delivered to the purchaser, Puget Sound Navigation Co., Seattle, Wash., 11 December 1946. Nine battle stars for World War II service. Spec block: 1,140 t; 289'5"; b. 35'1"; dr. 11'10"; s. 21 k.; cpl. 156; cl. Evarts; armament 3 3", 4 1.1", 9 20mm, 8 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks, 1 hedgehog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Puget Sound Navy Yard construction workforce 1943; wartime crew (design complement 156)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, builder, dates, and service narrative - not materials or asbestos content. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot). Date conflict with secondary sources (striking 19 vs 29 December 1945) and with the ship's own war history (Tokyo Bay entry 2 vs 5 September 1945) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-01
-
[3]U.S.S. Mitchell (DE-43), 'Ship's History,' serial DE43/A12-1 no. 441, 3 October 1945, Commanding Officer to The Secretary of the Navy, Enclosure (A), signed J. K. Carpenter (scan hosted by NavSource DE photo archive) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Cover letter serial 441 (3 Oct 1945) + 'History of the U.S.S. Mitchell (DE-43)' pp. 1-4 (06043wh.jpg)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own end-of-war history, forwarded 3 October 1945 (cover letter serial DE43/A12-1 no. 441, references AlPac 202-45 and AlPac 219-45, signed J. K. Carpenter, commanding): nucleus crew from Miami building to a complement 'of nearly two hundred' at Seattle; christened and commissioned at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, 17 November 1943 by the widow of Ens. Albert E. Mitchell, Lt. Comdr. M. S. Erdahl accepting command; December 1943 - captain transferred to a U.S. Naval Hospital, executive officer J. K. Carpenter took temporary command; Erdahl resumed command on the 28th; shakedown at San Diego described as a three-week intensive training period (CIC, gunnery, damage control, formation steaming); participated in the 'Battle of San Clemente' dress rehearsal for the Marshalls invasion with Comdr. R. E. Lockwood, ComDesDiv 49, pennant aboard; post-shakedown availability at Treasure Island; departed 2 February 1944 for Pearl Harbor with eight liberty ships, reporting to Commander Submarines for temporary duty that extended to roughly four months; ComDesDiv 49 pennant shifted to U.S.S. Reynolds (DE-42); Erdahl transferred to hospital April 1944, Carpenter temporary command until assuming command as Lt. Comdr. 13 May 1944. June 1944 assigned to the fueling area off the Marianas during the Saipan invasion, crossing the 180th meridian; June-July Eniwetok-fleet-tanker runs; September operations vicinity of Palau; October screening north of Palau during TF 38 operations and northeast of Luzon; November typhoon edge at anchor in Ulithi; December 'ramming a whale which sheered off' underwater gear, repaired in a Ulithi floating drydock, then towing-test duty with U.S.S. Kwajalein (a CVE) to Manus. 1945: Philippine Sea fueling area northeast of Luzon near Formosa; transferred to the 5th Fleet Logistics Support Group; February Iwo Jima operations with Task Force 58 and B-29 flight watching; March Okinawa operating area, floating mines spotted and sunk; a broken strut returned her to Ulithi; screening duties 100 miles off Okinawa during April-May; on the 14th [of May] one of the escorts spotted a submarine; end of May returned to Third Fleet operational control; June typhoon - 'sailed right through the eye of it at 0450', 120-knot winds, 60-degree rolls; temporary Seventh Fleet transfer in Leyte Gulf for the Balikpapan, Borneo invasion, operating with a carrier support group in Makassar Strait; July back to Leyte/Third Fleet/Ulithi and the operating area off Japan proper, escort duties for groups serving TF-38 air strikes on Japan into August; 15 August word to cease operations against Japan; sent to Tokyo Bay 2 September right after the surrender ceremony, remained in the operating area until 7 September; 13 September orders to proceed with ComCortDiv 49 via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor to the West Coast for decommissioning; departed Ulithi 18 September. Closing assessment: 'She sank no submarines and shot down no planes, but she stayed out there and did the job.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (document dated 1945-10-03)
- Population
- Wartime crew 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Volunteer-hosted (NavSource) scan of the official ship-submitted document; the original is held by NARA/NHHC. Service chronology only - no materials or asbestos content. Written underway approaching Pearl Harbor (document dated 3 October 1945, pre-dating arrival at San Francisco 8 October); minor date variance vs DANFS on the Tokyo Bay entry (2 vs 5 September) carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-02
-
[4]Evarts-class 'GMT' design specifications (NavSource DE-43 archive specifications block, secondary) + Atlas shipyard dataset Puget Sound Naval Shipyard record; NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-43 specifications block (GMT type, propulsion, 19 kts); shipyards.json record 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: an Evarts-class destroyer escort built at a Navy yard in 1943 falls inside the period when naval construction used asbestos throughout - thermal insulation on engine exhausts and hot machinery, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, bulkhead fireproofing, and deck coverings are the period-standard applications. The Evarts 'GMT' type ran 4 x General Motors 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive (6,000 shp, 2 screws) - a diesel-electric plant with no boilers or steam distribution lines - so the boiler-room and steam-line insulation inference applicable to the steam DE classes (Buckley TE, John C. Butler WGT) does not transfer to this hull; asbestos relevance centers on exhaust lagging, machinery-space insulation, gaskets, electrical and deck materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Puget Sound Navy Yard construction trades 1943; crew 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - not a ship-specific finding; no asbestos survey, material schedule, or quantity exists for DE-43 in the public sources searched. Diesel plant lowers but does not eliminate asbestos relevance. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications not retrieved - open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-03
-
[5]Peer-reviewed historical review of asbestos exposure conditions at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard circa 1940-1965 (PMID 19235622) + EPA Superfund record, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex (WA2170023418); per Atlas shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMID 19235622 (visual/historical review, published 2009); EPA WA2170023418; shipyards.json 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard' products list
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard documentation at yard level: the yard that built this hull January-November 1943 is documented in the peer-reviewed literature as asbestos-intensive across 1940-1965 - a window containing Mitchell's entire construction period - with documented materials including thermal insulation, gaskets, electrical systems, deck tiles, fireproofing, and refractory materials; PSNS is a listed Superfund site (EPA WA2170023418) with asbestos among site contaminants.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1940-1965
- Population
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workforce (1940-1965 record)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull record - establishes asbestos conditions at the builder during the construction window, not materials installed aboard DE-43. Quantified measurements in the cited literature center on 1962-1972 trades exposures; the 1940-1965 span is a photographic/archival review.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-04
-
[6]NARA WWII War Diary for U.S.S. Mitchell, September 1-30, 1944 (7-page scan set; National Archives source via Digital Public Library of America, hosted on Wikimedia Commons) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikimedia Commons category 'USS Mitchell (DE-43)' - files 'USS MITCHELL - War Diary, 9-1-30-44 - DPLA - 6e3a9e7ca3a0ea1fd8d43014e1d5f987 (pages 1-7)'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized ship-specific primary record exists: the USS Mitchell (DE-43) war diary for 1-30 September 1944 (the Palau-vicinity operating period), seven page scans sourced from the National Archives via DPLA and hosted on Wikimedia Commons. Deck logs (NARA RG 24) and additional monthly war diaries for this hull exist as archival series; the September 1944 diary is confirmed digitized.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-09
- Population
- Wartime crew September 1944
- Limitations
- Existence and provenance verified (NARA-sourced scans); page content not transcribed or analyzed this session - cited as an archival lead for operational detail, not for any materials or asbestos content (war diaries record operations, not hull materials).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-05
-
[7]Batch-4327 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; hazegray mirror transcribed), ship-submitted war history scan (NavSource), NARA WWII War Diary September 1944 (DPLA/Commons), NARA catalog, NVR (out of coverage scope), NPS/MARAD stewardship channels, Atlas shipyards.json (PSNS and Kaiser yard records), NavSource DE archive specifications, CourtListener API v4 sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-mitchell-de43-01 through sl-uss-mitchell-de43-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, abatement or remediation record, hazmat disclosure, or documented ACM inventory for DE-43 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrap in 1946 after roughly two years of service - no museum custody, no postwar overhauls, no NPS or MARAD stewardship - so the usual channels through which ship-specific asbestos documentation surfaces do not exist for this vessel.
- 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 - no original-construction material schedule was consulted (NARA RG19 'General Information Books' and PSNS construction records are the open leads). Does not establish or defeat any individual exposure or legal-eligibility claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 searches (authenticated, fleet-metered): '"USS Mitchell"' type=o (0 hits); '"USS Mitchell"' type=r (1 hit - Agee v. Chesterton, D. Del. 1:06-cv-00668); '"DE-43"' type=o (202 hits, all identifier collisions); 'Mitchell "destroyer escort"' type=o (0 hits) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results, queries as listed; Agee v. Chesterton complaint ECF No. 1 (gov.uscourts.ded.37303.1.0.pdf) - 'USS Mitchell in Port Wyneme, California' exposure recital
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (API v4, 2026-09-28): '"USS Mitchell"' (type=o) returned 0 hits - no published opinion contains that exact phrase. '"DE-43"' (type=o) returned 202 hits, all identifier collisions - 'DE-43' occurs as docket-entry/document references ('D.E. 43') and unrelated numeric strings across screened results (cruise-line, insurance, criminal, and bankruptcy matters); zero asbestos mentions and zero vessel references in screened results. 'Mitchell "destroyer escort"' (type=o) returned 0 hits. '"USS Mitchell"' (type=r) returned exactly 1 docket: Agee v. Chesterton, D. Del. 1:06-cv-00668 (filed 2006-10-30, terminated 2007-03-20), nature of suit 368 Asbestos personal injury - Prod. Liab. Full-text review of the 99-page complaint (ECF No. 1, RECAP gov.uscourts.ded.37303.1.0) resolves the match as a NAME COLLISION, not qualifying litigation for this hull: the complaint recites 'USS Mitchell in Port Wyneme [Port Hueneme], California as a laborer from 1961 to 1965' for one plaintiff - an exposure window 15+ years after DE-43 was sold for scrap (December 1946), so the allegation cannot refer to this hull. Other 'Mitchell' matches in the complaint are 'Mitchell Dam (a division of Alabama Power)' worksites. Classification: NO qualifying asbestos litigation located for DE-43; the single docket hit is an impossible-hull reference (referent unresolved - no USN vessel named Mitchell existed in 1961-65).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1961-1965 (alleged window, non-attributable); 2006-2007 (litigation); sweep 2026-09-28
- Population
- Agee plaintiff cohort (alleged exposure aboard 'USS Mitchell' 1961-65 - impossible for DE-43)
- Limitations
- Sweep result, not a merits finding: opinion-index coverage supports 'no published opinion names USS Mitchell,' but pleadings naming the hull without a published opinion would not surface at type=o, and the single type=r hit was resolved to document level (complaint PDF reviewed). The Agee allegation is a pleading-stage recital in any case - and is temporally impossible for DE-43 (1961-65 window vs hull scrapped 1946-47). All four queries completed this session - the final query initially hit a fleet pacing-token timeout and completed on patient retry (0 hits).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-mitchell-de43-07
