Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS (1969) Vol. 4, p.433, Moore (DE-240) - builder, dates, namesake, service narrative, striking and target sinking; verbatim transcription (live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative + bracketed disposal addendum
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 20 July 1942 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched 20 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Fred Moore, mother of namesake Seaman 1st Class Fred Kenneth Moore (killed aboard USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 manning antiaircraft gun No. 1; posthumous Navy Cross); commissioned 1 July 1943, Lt. Comdr. H. P. Michiels in command. Atlantic convoy escort under TF 63 from 10 September 1943 (two North Africa transits by year-end); New England operations January 1944 relieving Decker (DE-47); ASW patrols with Tripoli (CVE-64) in TG 24.14 / TG 22.4 (Cape Verde, Bermuda-Argentia); then with Core (CVE-13) in TG 22.4 for the remainder of the war in Europe, Cuba to Newfoundland. Overhauled May-June 1945 (Tompkinsville, Brooklyn, Boston) for Pacific reassignment; departed 24 June as CortDiv 7 flagship; Pearl Harbor 4 August; Saipan 29 August; TF 94 Bonin-Volcano area; anchored off western Iwo Jima 3 September; air-sea rescue with Fleet Air Wing 18. Returned to the U.S. late 1946; inactivation begun January 1947; decommissioned 30 June 1947 into the 16th Fleet at Green Cove Springs, later Norfolk Reserve Group. Bracketed addendum (Bauer & Roberts, Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy 1775-1990, p.225): stricken from the Navy Register 1 August 1973; sunk as a target off Virginia 13 June 1975.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 186 per DANFS)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, dates, and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim transcription cited via hazegray mirror (losthistory.net). DANFS launch date (20 December 1942) conflicts with the contemporaneous BuShips 1945 roster (21 December 1942) - carried in gaps. DANFS design complement of 186 conflicts with NavSource (209) and the BuShips accommodations row (216) - carried in gaps. The overhaul sequence (Tompkinsville, Brooklyn, Boston) does not name the performing yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-01
-
[2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row 229 for MOORE, DE-240 (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 252-253) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. I, Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster, book pp. 252-253 (PDF pp. 136-137), roster row 229
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull: MOORE, official number DE-240, design group FMR; builder Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; contract price $2,921,000; contract signed 18 January 1942; keel laid 20 July 1942; launched 21 December 1942; shipbuilding contract completed 15 March 1943; preliminary acceptance 30 June 1943; first commission 1 July 1943. The launch date (21 December) is the contemporaneous official figure and conflicts with the DANFS/NavSource figure of 20 December 1942 - the conflict is documented, not reconciled (see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43
- Limitations
- OCR of a scanned page - cell values were read at 300 dpi and cross-checked against DANFS/NavSource; the roster documents construction milestones and contract data, not materials or asbestos content. Launch-date value differs from DANFS by one day - both figures are official.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; OCR of book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. I, DE design-group table, book pp. 234-235 (PDF p. 127), group-4/FMR row and symbol key
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table for DE-240's group: design group 4 (symbol FMR - 'Fairbanks Morse diesel reverse gear drive' per the table's symbol key) - 306 ft oa / 300 ft wl, extreme beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 tons standard / 1,590 tons full load; trial speed ~21 kt; machinery: F.M. diesel model 38D8-1/8 engines, 6,000 shp, 2 propellers; boilers column reads 'None' - the FMR class carried no boilers or steam plant; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW A.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 edition; design applies to 1942-44 construction
- Population
- Class-wide: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls
- Limitations
- Class/design-group data, not a hull-specific materials schedule - establishes the propulsion type (geared diesel, no boilers) that bounds the asbestos-relevant plant categories. Accommodations figure (216) is berthing capacity, not wartime complement; conflicts among complement sources carried in gaps. OCR of scanned table.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-03
-
[4]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Moore (DE 240) page - building/operational data, spec block, commanding-officer roster, photo-captioned yard availabilities [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-240 page - specifications block, Building and Operational Data, photo captions 0624004/0624007 (NY Navy Yard, Jan 1944), 0624005/0624008/0624002/0624006 (off New York, May 1944), 0624003 (Caribbean, Apr 1945), commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource archive page for this hull corroborates DANFS dates (laid down 20 July 1942; launched 20 December 1942; commissioned 1 July 1943; decommissioned Green Cove Springs 30 June 1947; struck 1 August 1973; sunk as target off Virginia 13 June 1975), records her as 'the first ship to be named in his honor' (Seaman 1st Class Fred Kenneth Moore), and adds ship-specific operational detail: flagship of Escort Squadron 7 with squadron mates Keith (DE-241), Tomich (DE-242), J. Richard Ward (DE-243), Otterstetter (DE-244), Sloat (DE-245); New York Navy Yard availabilities 26 December 1943 - 5 January 1944 (post-voyage repairs incl. newly installed SL radar servicing platform and bridge modifications) and 30 April - 14 May 1944; Guantanamo Bay training 8-13 April 1945. Commanding officers: Lcdr. Henry Peter Michiels USNR (1943-07-01 to 1944-03-06); Lcdr. Roy Herbert Jones USNR (to 1945-05-15); Lcdr. John S. Montedonico USNR (to 1945-12-07); Lcdr. Clarence Raymond Deller Jr. USN (from 1945-12-07). Class spec block: Edsall class, FMR geared diesel (4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws), 21 kt, complement 8/201.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1975
- Population
- Wartime crew; NY Navy Yard repair workers 1943-44
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive citing official records and Navy photos - corroborating context, not a primary Navy document; dates agree with DANFS except as noted. Complement figure (8/201 = 209) conflicts with DANFS (186) - carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-04
-
[5]Navypedia, 'FMR' destroyer escorts (EDSALL) (1943-1944) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navypedia FMR/Edsall class page - roster row DE-240 (yard no. 11) and technical data table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: 85 Edsall-class (FMR) hulls ordered from two builders - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. (DE-129 through DE-152 and DE-316 through DE-338) and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex. (DE-238 through DE-255 and DE-382 through DE-401). DE-240 Moore appears as Brown yard no. 11: laid down 20 July 1942, launched 21 December 1942 (agreeing with the BuShips roster, not the DANFS figure), commissioned 1 July 1943, stricken August 1973. Class technical data: complement 186 - matching the DANFS design complement. Machinery description: '6000hp diesel machinery (4 1500hp diesels working through gears on 2 shafts)'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1944 construction
- Population
- Class-wide: 85 FMR hulls
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference - used to corroborate the official BuShips roster (launch date, builder block, yard number) and DANFS (complement); it is not itself a primary Navy record. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-05
-
[6]Construction-era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (boilers 'None'; F.M. diesel drive) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB 1945 Vol. I design-group-4 row (book pp. 234-235); GAO HRD-80-2 era framing
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1942-43 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 row: boilers 'None'), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships - boiler and steam-line lagging - do not apply to this hull type.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-47
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. Does not quantify material, locate it aboard, or establish any individual's exposure; no ship-specific source documents asbestos aboard DE-240.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-06
-
[7]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Galveston Daily News, 2020-07-27 article (survey, abatement approval, Seawolf Park dispute)
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister hull built at the same yard: the Galveston Daily News reported that an environmental survey had identified asbestos in the boiler room and public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the vessels had been closed to the public since November 2019. USS Stewart is a Brown Shipbuilding (Houston) Edsall-class hull - two hull numbers from Moore (DE-240) and in the same January 1942 Brown contract block (BuShips roster).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2019-2020
- Population
- Museum visitors and abatement crews, Seawolf Park, 2019-2020
- Limitations
- Sister-hull evidence is class context only - it demonstrates era asbestos content in a preserved Brown-built Edsall hull but does NOT establish that asbestos was aboard DE-240; Stewart's survival to the museum era is what produced the survey record that Moore (sunk 1975) never received.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-07
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (summary)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use, with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-240 (built 1942-43) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 report covering WWII-era construction practices
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches and the product-page description is the cited content; the report's yard fieldwork did not cover DE-240 and establishes nothing about this hull specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Moore' and 'DE-240' (authenticated via fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py; RECAP full text via cl-paced-fetch.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results 2026-09-28; Schott v. CBS RECAP docs gov.uscourts.paed.298607.26.0_1.pdf (p.7 ship list; pp. citing service aboard 'USS Moore' 1959-66, LBNSY overhauls) and .39.0.pdf (SJ order reciting 'commissioned in 1944')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"USS Moore"' (type=o): 0 hits. Hull-number sweep '"DE-240"' (type=o): 31 hits, all ECF document-entry-number false positives ('DE 240'/'DE-240' docket-entry citations inside unrelated opinions - Puerto Rico real-estate, criminal, and employment matters); zero vessel or asbestos relevance. Docket sweep '"USS Moore"' (type=r): 2 hits - (1) Schott v. CBS Corp., 2:09-cv-63308 (E.D. Pa., MDL-875) is genuine asbestos litigation but full-text review of ECF Nos. 26 and 39 shows the vessel is USS Samuel N. Moore (DD-747), expressly so identified in the defense brief's ship list, with decedent's service 1959-1966 aboard a ship 'commissioned in 1944' that underwent Long Beach Naval Shipyard overhauls - incompatible with DE-240 (commissioned 1943, decommissioned 1947, never at Long Beach) and therefore a name collision for this hull; (2) Norman v. Elkin, 1:06-cv-00005 (D. Del.) is a stockholder suit - collision. Docket sweep '"DE-240"' (type=r): 380 hits, all docket-entry-number collisions in unrelated matters; none vessel-related.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2009-2014 (litigation); alleged exposure 1959-1966
- Population
- Robert Schott (decedent, USN fireman/machinist mate 1959-66) - exposure attributed to DD-747, not DE-240
- Limitations
- The Schott resolution required full-text review - a docket-level 'USS Moore' match alone would have been misassigned to DE-240; the brief's own ship list and the service window (1959-66, ship commissioned 1944) exclude DE-240. Note that two other Moore-named hulls exist (DE-442 Ulvert M. Moore; DD-747 Samuel N. Moore) - 'USS Moore' text matches are inherently ambiguous across hulls. Sweep covered the opinion and RECAP docket corpora; state-court and non-digitized dockets are outside scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-09
-
[10]Batch-4160 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS transcription; NVR; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (OCR); NavSource archive; Navypedia class roster; NARA catalog; CourtListener name and hull-number sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-moore-de240-01 through sl-uss-moore-de240-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-240: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract or hazmat disclosure, no material schedule, no pre-disposal record for the 1975 target sinking (which predates modern hazmat-disclosure regimes), and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this vessel. Because the hull was sunk in 1975, no museum, donation, or present-day survey record can exist - unlike preserved sister Stewart (DE-238), whose 2019-20 survey documented asbestos aboard.
- 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 asbestos was never aboard - era materials could have been present; the negative finding covers the public record searched, not undigitized archives (NARA RG 24 deck logs, Brown Shipbuilding builder records). Does not establish or defeat any claim of individual exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-moore-de240-10