USS MULLANY (DD-528)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]research packet crew-ff-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-mullany-dd528-pkt-crew-ff-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Mullany II (DD-528) (specifications block, service narrative through 1969; verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription - live NHHC page serves 404; Wayback capture of official NHHC page 2012-09-14 at web.archive.org/web/20120914145546/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m15/mullany-ii.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio dd528.html; Wayback capture 20120914145546 of history.navy.mil/danfs/m15/mullany-ii.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: originally Beatty (DD-528), renamed Mullany 28 May 1941; laid down 15 January 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Union Plant, San Francisco, Calif.; launched 10 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Elton W. Grenfell; commissioned 23 April 1943, Comdr. Baron J. Mullaney in command. Aleutians escort, then 7th Fleet SW Pacific Dec 1943; Seeadler Harbor/Admiralties 2-4 Mar 1944; Leyte Gulf screening AGC-9 Wasatch Oct 1944; overhaul at San Francisco; Iwo Jima Feb 1945. 6 April 1945 kamikaze hit between No. 3 and 4 mounts off Okinawa; depth charges exploded; abandon ship ordered 1829 by Comdr. Albert O. Momm; Gherardi (DMS-30) took survivors, Purdy (DD-734) extinguished fires; skeleton crew reboarded 2300, one boiler lit, proceeded on one shaft to Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, arriving 29 May; 21 killed, 9 missing, 36 wounded. Repaired; Atlantic Fleet; decommissioned 14 February 1946 to Reserve Fleet, Charleston, S.C. Recommissioned 8 March 1951; three 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployments by Jan 1954; DesRon 18 to San Diego (redesignated DesRon 21) Dec 1954; eight WestPac deployments in ten years; Vietnam 1965-68 incl. screening Independence (CVA-62), Da Nang harbor defense, Qui Nhon shore bombardment, 28 watercraft destroyed 20-30 Nov 1966, screening Ticonderoga (CVA-14); Long Beach overhauls 1967 and into 1969. Seven WWII battle stars. Spec block: dp. 2,500; l. 376'2"; b. 39'7"; dr. 13'; s. 37 k.; cpl. 273; a. 5 5", 5 40mm., 7 20mm., 2 21" tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. Fletcher.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1969

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel Union Plant construction trades 1942-43; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 273)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Narrative ends in 1969 - the 1971 striking/ROCN transfer postdates this entry. Contains internal error 'departed Newport 31 November 1954' (impossible date; secondary sources read 1 December 1954). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; ibiblio and the Wayback NHHC capture agree verbatim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-01

3. [3]Taiwan digital archive vessel history, 慶陽軍艦 DDG-909 Chin-Yang (National Museum-level digital archives program, nmda.teldap.tw; bilingual page) [museum_official]

   Locator

   nmda.teldap.tw page_book01_16_ddg909.htm - English synopsis block and ROC-year chronology

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Republic of China official digital-archive record for this hull's post-USN career: DDG-909 Chin-Yang 'was the ex-USS Mullany, the Fletcher-class destroyer, DD-528' built by Bethlehem Steel San Francisco; she was 'sold and transferred to ROC Navy' at Long Beach, CA on 6 October 1971, the first Yang-class destroyer the ROCN purchased with its own funds; renamed Chin-Yang; on 2 April 1975 fired the first surface-to-air missile in ROC Navy history; Wu-Chin combat-system modernization (mast-laid ceremony under Vice Adm. Liu); 1986-1988 Hsiung-Feng II missile test-firings; 26 years ROCN service under 20 commanding officers; decommissioned/stricken 16 July 1999 (ROC year 88).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1971-1999

   Population

   ROCN crew and Taiwan naval-shipyard work force, 1971-1999

   Limitations

   Official ROC archive documents identity and disposition, not materials or asbestos content; no abatement, survey, or material-handling record is given for the ROCN career or the Wu-Chin reconstructions (substantial 1970s-80s yard work in Taiwan naval shipyards - undocumented channel). The page's English text reads 'launched on September 17, 1942' - an error matching sister Ammen DD-527's date, not this hull (10 October 1942 per DANFS). Sinking/disposal after 1999 stricken is not stated on this page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-02

4. [4]Official U.S. Navy photograph, Hunters Point Naval Shipyard photo no. 118-45-S4: 'The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mullany (DD-528) off the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California (USA), on 6 January 1945' (via NavSource/Wikimedia Commons) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wikimedia Commons file page, Summary/Source fields: 'U.S. Navy Hunters Point Naval Shipyard photo 118-45-S4 from Navsource.org'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official USN Hunters Point Naval Shipyard photograph 118-45-S4 places this hull at Hunters Point NSY on 6 January 1945, during the 'overhaul at San Francisco' that DANFS records between her October 1944 Leyte Gulf screening and January 1945 Hawaii training - identifying the yard for that documented availability.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1945-01-06

   Population

   Hunters Point NSY workers; USS Mullany crew, overhaul period late 1944 - January 1945

   Limitations

   A dated USN yard photo documents presence at the shipyard during the overhaul window; it does not describe the work performed, materials handled, or any asbestos content. Hunters Point NSY's own asbestos record is yard-level (Atlas dataset, incl. litigation and Superfund record), not proof of exposure aboard this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-03

5. [5]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 37 kt) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bethlehem Shipbuilding record (corporate-level, aliases incl. Union Iron Works - the San Francisco Union Plant that built this hull; yard evidence weighted to Baltimore-area Bethlehem yards) + NARA RG19 General Information Books archival lead [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; shipyards.json record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'; NARA RG19 lead

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer built 1942-43 with a four-boiler/60,000-shp steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings; builder Bethlehem Steel Co. Union Plant San Francisco is covered at corporate level in the Atlas yard dataset (bethlehem-shipbuilding; aliases include Union Iron Works), whose documented asbestos products include magnesia block, Marinite board, Transite pipe covering, Aircell, Armabestos, Unibestos, lagging, gaskets and packing. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are an unretrieved archival lead for hull-level specs.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-1999

   Population

   Bethlehem Union Plant construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-1971; ROCN crew/yard workers 1971-1999

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The Atlas bethlehem-shipbuilding record is corporate-level and its located worker studies are Baltimore/Sparrows Point-weighted; no Union Plant San Francisco-specific survey was located. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. NARA GIB retrieval not performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-04

6. [6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   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 - placing DD-528's construction (1942-43) and entire USN commissioned service (1943-1971) inside the documented asbestos-use era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   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.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-05

7. [7]Hilt et al. v. Foster Wheeler LLC, No. 3:11-cv-02367-WHA (N.D. Cal.) - 'Complaint for Survival, Wrongful Death - Asbestos', attached to Notice of Potential Tag-Along, In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L. docket 1245688, doc 7225-3, filed 2011-05-17); parallel complaint Hilt et al. v. C.C. Moore & Co. Engineers et al., No. 4:10-cv-05844-CW (N.D. Cal., removed from San Francisco Superior CGC-10-275705), doc 6718-3 (filed 2011-02-09) (RECAP) [court_record]

   Locator

   RECAP PDFs gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.7225.3.pdf pp.23-24 and gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6718.3.pdf p.22 (Exhibit A vessel tables); N.D. Cal. dockets 3:11-cv-02367-WHA and 4:10-cv-05844-CW

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Pleading-stage asbestos litigation naming this hull: the heirs of Robert Hilt (d. 21 August 2010, alleged asbestos-related lung disease) filed near-identical 'Complaint for Survival, Wrongful Death - Asbestos' actions in which Exhibit A - the decedent's exposure-site table under employer/location 'Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA' - lists MULLANY (DD-528) among the vessels the decedent allegedly worked on or around while employed at the yard as a laborer (1965) and Marine Machinist (Helper) (1966-1972). Both complaints were docketed into the asbestos MDL channel as JPML tag-along notice attachments; each RECAP PDF was OCR-verified during this session to contain 'MULLANY (DD-528)' in the vessel table.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   alleged exposure window 1965-1972; complaints filed 2010-2011

   Population

   Robert Hilt, Hunters Point NSY laborer / marine machinist helper 1965-1972 (alleged asbestos exposure); heirs incl. Geraldine Hilt, Sherlyn Hilt, Krishna Tindall

   Limitations

   PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding; the filings are verified to name this hull, but the alleged exposure aboard/near it is unadjudicated. Exhibit A lists dozens of vessels in a yard-wide table (boilerplate-leaning) and does not establish that asbestos was aboard DD-528, individual exposure, causation, or quantity. Per-vessel exposure dates in the scanned table are not reliably legible after OCR; the table's window is the decedent's 1965-1972 Hunters Point employment - DANFS documents no Mullany availability at Hunters Point in that window (1967/1969 overhauls were at Long Beach), so the allegation's physical premise is unverified. Underlying-case dispositions (remand/dismissal/settlement) not located; only the tag-along complaint attachments were retrieved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-06

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 sweep (type=o opinions and type=r RECAP dockets): 'USS Mullany', 'DD-528'; Hornsby v. United States, No. 2:22-cv-00427-RBS-LRL (E.D. Va., filed 2022-10-14, terminated 2025-04-02); Lu v. Purple Sushi, Inc., No. 1:19-cv-05828-PGG (S.D.N.Y.); In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL-875 (J.P.M.L. docket 1245688); VA Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions 1801667 (2018) and A24062598 (2024), va.gov vetapp [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener dockets 65423955 (Hornsby), 15822607 (Lu), 1245688 (MDL-875); Hornsby ECF 165-9 pp.5-6 (expert biography); BVA 1801667.txt and A24062598.txt (va.gov/vetapp18, vetapp24)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Complete CourtListener sweep for this hull. 'USS Mullany': ZERO opinion hits; one docket hit - Hornsby v. United States (E.D. Va. 2:22-cv-00427), NOT qualifying: an LHWCA/marine wrongful-death action over a 2021 tagout/door accident aboard USS McFaul (DDG-74) in which 'USS Mullany (DD 528)' appears only inside plaintiff's expert-designation exhibit (ECF 165-9) in expert Chester D. Rudolf III's service biography ('Main Propulsion Assistant on the destroyer USS Mullany (DD 528)'); settled/dismissed April 2025, no merits adjudication. 'DD-528': one opinion hit - In re Anonymous No. 40 D.B. 91 (Pa. 1993, attorney-discipline), collision noise (page-break marker '*528' after a '(dd)' paragraph; hull never referenced); three docket hits - Hornsby (same collision), Lu v. Purple Sushi (S.D.N.Y. 1:19-cv-05828, FLSA wage-and-hour collective action against a sushi restaurant - token collision, no maritime nexus), and the MDL-875 master docket via the two Hilt tag-along complaint attachments that name the hull (qualifying pleading-stage asbestos litigation - see ev-uss-mullany-dd528-06). Two VA BVA decisions name DD-528 - 1801667 (veteran served aboard Oct 1969-Sep 1971, records-verified; hull on the VA ships list for Qui Nhon Bay June 1965) and A24062598 (Mullany among blue-water ships a veteran handled cargo from while aboard USS Dixie) - both HERBICIDE adjudications, not asbestos. NO merits-stage or adjudicated asbestos finding naming DD-528 located; asbestos exposure touching this hull exists only at pleading-allegation stage.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   litigation 2010-2025; BVA 2018-2024

   Population

   Robert Hilt litigation parties (see ev-uss-mullany-dd528-06); Chester D. Rudolf III (expert witness; former Main Propulsion Assistant aboard DD-528); BVA veterans (service aboard 1969-71; cargo handling)

   Limitations

   CourtListener indexes opinions and RECAP dockets only - state-court, PACER-only, and settled-without-filing claims are outside coverage, so absence here is not proof no other claim was ever filed. The qualifying litigation found is pleading stage; underlying N.D. Cal. case dispositions were not traced (tag-along attachments only). Hornsby and the opinion hit are pure collisions; Lu is collision noise by case subject matter. BVA hits are administrative herbicide adjudications.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-07

9. [9]Batch-3503 search ledger (this record): DANFS (ibiblio + Wayback NHHC capture); NVR (no pre-1987 detail page); NavSource (unreachable; data via search index snippet); hazegray (OCR-corrupt mirror); ROCN official digital archive (nmda.teldap.tw); official USN photo 118-45-S4 via Commons; CourtListener API v4; VA BVA; GAO HRD-80-2; NARA catalog (no digitized result); law-firm/aggregator ship pages (excluded per sourcing rules) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-mullany-dd528-01 through sl-uss-mullany-dd528-15

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, materials inventory, hazmat disclosure, or merits-stage/adjudicated exposure finding located for DD-528 in the sources searched (see search_ledger); asbestos litigation naming the hull exists only at pleading-allegation stage (ev-uss-mullany-dd528-06). The hull passed its final 28 years to ROCN custody and was sunk off Taiwan on 1 November 2001, so the museum-disclosure and domestic-yard channels that produced ship-specific records for preserved hulls do not exist here; post-USN material history (including the Wu-Chin missile reconstructions in Taiwan naval shipyards) is undocumented in located sources.

   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 - era-standard applications are documented at class/era level and the ship served 28 further years under a navy whose material records are not publicly indexed in located sources. The hull no longer exists, so present-day ACM status is moot; the 2001 sinking site (artificial reef vs target - sources conflict) is itself an unverified-asbestos-disposal event.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-mullany-dd528-08