Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, 'Newman (DE-205)' (NHHC page header '1943-1964') - verbatim NHHC page captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine 2025-12-09; live NHHC page returns 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS page 'Newman (DE-205)' (Wayback capture 2025-12-09); namesake paragraph + spec block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Aviation Machinist's Mate 3c Laxton Gail Newman (born Crivitz, Wisc., 25 November 1916; enlisted 23 April 1940; KIA 7 December 1941 in the Japanese attack on NAS Kaneohe Bay; posthumous Silver Star). Spec block (DE-205): dp. 1,400; l. 306'; b. 36'10"; dr. 12'7"; s. 24 k.; cpl. 186; a. 3 3", 4 1.1", 8 20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog, 3 21" tt; cl. Buckley. Laid down by the Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard 8 June 1943; launched 9 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. J. B. Newman (mother of the namesake); commissioned 26 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. W. C. Meyer USNR. Shakedown off Bermuda; six transatlantic convoy crossings 11 February-29 June 1944; conversion to a high-speed transport commenced 30 June 1944 at Staten Island; APD-59 shakedown Chesapeake Bay 19 September. Flagship TransDiv 103 to the Pacific; Hollandia 4 November; Hollandia-Leyte Gulf convoy escort to 12 December; Mindoro landing 15 December (24th Division troops); Lingayen beaches 11 January 1945 (158th RCT from Noemfoor); San Felipe 29 January; Grande Island, Subic Bay 30 January; Puerta Princessa, Palawan 28 February; Zamboanga 10 March; Talisay, Cebu 26 March; Parang, Mindanao 17 April; Morotai May; Borneo landings Brunei Bay 10 June and Balikpapan 1 July; Legaspi training; Okinawa 29 August; Jinsen, Korea occupation landing 8 September; escort duty Jinsen/Taku/Philippines; departed Far East 26 November 1945; New York 9 January 1946; Green Cove Springs 16th (Inactive) Fleet 18 February; later berthed Orange, Texas; struck from the Navy List in 1964; hulk sold for scrapping to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md., 15 August 1966. Five battle stars, WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 186); embarked troops (24th Division, 158th RCT, 24th Corps Army Service Command); conversion workforce at U.S. Naval Frontier Base Tompkinsville, Jun-Sep 1944
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS gives no formal decommissioning date (only 'joining the 16th (Inactive) Fleet' 18 February 1946) and no specific strike date ('in 1964'); NavSource supplies 6 May 1947 (decommissioning, APD page) and 1 September 1964 (strike) - conflicts logged in gaps. Live NHHC page returns 404; the Wayback capture cited is verbatim NHHC content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-01
-
[2]NavSource Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Newman (APD-59) ex DE-205 page (operational/building data, APD specifications block, commanding officers, campaign credits) + NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Index DE-205 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/10/04/04059.htm (APD-59 page incl. spec block, campaign and occupation tables, CO list); navsource.org/archives/06/205.htm (DE-205 operational data and CO list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource build and APD-configuration record for this hull: laid down 8 June 1943 at Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston S.C.; launched 9 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. J. B. Newman; commissioned 26 November 1943, LCDR William C. Meyer USNR; converted to a Charles Lawrence-class high-speed transport at Naval Frontier Base, Tomkinsville [sic], Staten Island N.Y.; redesignated APD-59 5 July 1944; flagship TransDiv 103 (CDR W. S. Parsons USN); struck from the Naval Register 1 September 1964; sold to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore for scrapping. Campaigns: Leyte landings 5-22 November 1944; Mindoro landings 12-18 December 1944; Zambales-Subic Bay/Grande Island 29-30 January 1945; Puerta Princessa, Palawan 28 February-1 March 1945; Visayan Island landings 26-27 March 1945; Balikpapan operation 26 June-4 July 1945. Navy Occupation Service Medal periods 2-12 September, 29 September-8 October, 26 October-27 November 1945. DE spec block: 1,400 t lt / 1,740 t fl; 306' oa; 2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines turbo-electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kts, 6,000 nm at 12 kts; complement 15 officers + 198 enlisted; armament 3x3"/50, 1 twin 40mm, 8x20mm, 3x21" tt, hedgehog, 8 dcp, 2 dct. APD spec block: 1,400 t lt / 2,130 t fl; 306' x 37' x 12'7"; 23.6 kt trial; 2 Combustion Engineering 'D' express boilers 435 psi/750 degF; 2 GE turbines, turbo-electric drive; 12,000 shp; 2 propellers; crew 12 officers + 192 enlisted; troop accommodations 12 officers + 150 enlisted; 4 LCVP; one 5"/38, three twin 40mm, six 20mm, 2 DCT. CO list: Lcdr Meyer (commissioning, to 1 Jul 1944), Lcdr Thieme (to 17 Dec 1945), Lt Meredith (to 2 Jan 1946), Lt(jg) Lirio (2 Apr-1 Jun 1946), Ens Johnson (to 1 Jul 1946), Lcdr Brownlow (to 1 Apr 1947), Ens Bouveron 'Decomm. CO' (to 5 May 1947).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1966
- Population
- As ev-01; plus Atlantic Reserve Fleet custodial personnel 1946/47-1964
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive transcribing official records (spec blocks derive from BuShips data); consistent with DANFS on dates. Internal conflicts within NavSource: decommissioning reads 18 February 1946 (DE-205 page, matching DANFS's in-reserve date) vs 6 May 1947 (APD-59 page, corroborated by the CO list's 'Decomm. CO' ending 5 May 1947); sale date reads 15 August 1966 (DE page and DANFS) vs 16 August 1966 (APD page); base name spelled 'Tomkinsville' vs 'Tompkinsville' on the BuShips letter. All logged in gaps rather than silently reconciled. Asbestos content is not addressed by these records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-02
-
[3]Bureau of Ships letter, serial APD59/S28 Section 814, 'U.S.S. NEWMAN (APD59) - Conversion from Destroyer Escort (DE),' 30 September 1944, /s/ E. W. Mills, Acting Chief of Bureau; with Headquarters Third Naval District first endorsement APD-59/DHq-5c of 5 October 1944, /s/ H. A. Jensen, Assistant Commandant for Operations (scan hosted on NavSource APD-59 page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APD-59 page image table: 'BUSHIPS letter U.S.S. Newman (APD) - Conversion from Destroyer Escort (DE), dated 30 September 1944 and Commandant Third Naval District first endorsement of 5 October 1944' (image 100405902.jpg; contributed by Susan Roper)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary Navy document for this hull's conversion, read from the scanned original: 'The NEWMAN was available at the Naval Frontier Base, Tompkinsville, S.I. from 30 June 1944 to 8 September 1944 for the subject conversion. The Bureau's records indicate that the conversion was completed on 7 September, one day in advance of the completion date.' The Bureau 'thoroughly concur[s]' in the commanding officer's remarks 'regarding the excellent work accomplished by the Naval Frontier Base' and calls the accomplishment 'a material contribution to the Navy's efforts to meet the material requirements incidental to the changing war conditions.' The Third Naval District endorsement (5 October 1944) forwards the letter, adds 'his personal commendation for the excellent and expeditious accomplishment of this conversion,' and directs that the basic letter be 'part of the record of the personnel contributing to the conversion.' Enclosure (A) referenced: CO Newman's letter APD59/S28/meb Ser. 370 of 20 September 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Naval Frontier Base Tompkinsville conversion workforce, 30 June-8 September 1944
- Limitations
- Administrative commendation letter - documents conversion dates and the performing activity (U.S. Naval Frontier Base, Tompkinsville, Staten Island; a Navy base, not a commercial yard) but contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos content. The referenced enclosure (CO Newman's 20 September 1944 letter) was not scanned. Image legibility is fair; transcription of quoted language verified against the scan.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-03
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan) + Buckley class profile (Atlas class-f worktree: buckley-class.class.json) + Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal (2005); Franke et al., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: a state of the science evaluation (1900-1970)' (2011); Atlas shipyard dataset, charleston-naval-shipyard record (tier 2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table; buckley-class.class.json (ev-buckley-class-01/02/04); Naval Engineers Journal 2005 via doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x; shipyards.json record 'charleston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: the Buckley class (this hull's as-built design) is the turbo-electric destroyer escort design - with the John C. Butler class, the only DE group carrying a full steam plant: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 confirm 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750 degF feeding GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp. NavSource's APD-59 spec block and the navypedia per-block boiler map agree on Combustion Engineering boilers for the DE199-213 block (this hull is DE-205). Peer-reviewed reviews of U.S. Navy asbestos practice document shipboard asbestos thermal insulation in standard use through this hull's 1943 construction era (the Navy approved and then required asbestos in insulation applications from the mid-1930s). A 1943 steam DE/APD would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and steam-line lagging, turbine insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing; builder Charleston Naval Shipyard is a tier-2 yard in the Atlas dataset with documented asbestos products (pipe insulation, boiler coatings, spray-on insulation, gaskets, packing). The June-September 1944 conversion at the Naval Frontier Base (troop berthing, LCVP davits, rearmament) and the 1946-47 inactivation are disturbance events where installed insulation would have been worked or renewed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (vessel USN service); 2005-2011 (era reviews)
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1943; Naval Frontier Base conversion workforce Jun-Sep 1944; crews and embarked troops 1943-1946/47
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The cited reviews are state-of-the-science literature covering 1900-1970 era practice and do not name this hull; the BuShips table documents the design, not this hull's material schedule; the Charleston yard's dataset findings are largely later-era (OSHA 1988, litigation 2014-2018), not 1943 construction. No insulation specification, survey, or material test for this hull was located (NARA RG19 GIB is the open lead); nothing quantifies material or establishes any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-04
-
[5]NARA National Archives Catalog (JS-rendered; not machine-searchable this session) - WWII deck logs (RG 24) and RG19 General Information Books hold per-vessel material specifications; NavSource APD-59 page hosts additional scans (undated wartime images; NHHC-linked DANFS entry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov (search UI, JS-only); navsource.net/archives/10/04/04059.htm image table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for this hull: NARA WWII deck logs for USS Newman (RG 24, Logs of U.S. Naval Ships and Stations, 1941-1978) and the RG19 General Information Books with per-vessel material specifications that could document as-built and post-conversion insulation fit; NavSource hosts wartime photos of the hull and links the NHHC DANFS entry; the scanned BuShips conversion letter (ev-03) is a NavSource-hosted document image.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 1943-1947 (record subjects); 2026-09-25 (index review)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - none of these sources is stated to contain asbestos or materials data; NARA deck logs record operations, not fiber content; the RG19 GIB retrieval was not performed; NARA catalog search is JS-rendered and could not be machine-queried this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-05
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 (type=o opinions + type=r RECAP dockets), authenticated fleet-paced sweep, 2026-09-25: "USS Newman" o/r = 0/0; "USS Newman" OR "U.S.S. Newman" OR "aboard the Newman" o = 0; "DE-205" o/r = 30/529 (all identifier collisions - docket/document/form numbers, sampled hits unrelated civil/criminal/bankruptcy matters); "APD-59" o/r = 0/4 (all name collisions - N.D. Ga. civil-rights dockets and a securities action, no vessel content); "Newman" "destroyer escort" asbestos o = 0 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-newman-apd59-08 through sl-uss-newman-apd59-15
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep completed across exact-name, hull-number, and surname-control queries: zero qualifying asbestos litigation names DE-205/APD-59. The only hits returned were identifier collisions: 'DE-205' matches a generic document/form numbering string across unrelated federal dockets (e.g., civil rights, criminal, bankruptcy cases), and 'APD-59' matches Atlanta-area docket references (civil rights and securities actions; no vessel content in any sampled record). No opinion, docket, or RECAP document ties this hull to an asbestos claim.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes a subset of state litigation and not all federal dockets carry full text; absence of an indexed hit does not prove no unfiled/settled/unindexed claim ever named this hull. Collision classification is based on the sampled result metadata and snippets; the 529 'DE-205' docket hits were not individually opened.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-06
-
[7]Batch-2445 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (Wayback capture of live page + verbatim mirrors); NavSource DE/APD pages; NavSource-hosted BuShips conversion letter scan; CourtListener exact-name, hull-number, and surname queries; Atlas shipyard dataset; NARA catalog; Navy Memorial Navy Log [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-newman-apd59-01 through sl-uss-newman-apd59-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-205/APD-59: no hull ACM survey, no abatement or hazmat disclosure, no material schedule, and no qualifying asbestos litigation names the vessel. The Buckley class profile likewise records no ship-specific asbestos record for any of the class's 148 hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-25
- Study period
- 2026-09-25
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steam-plant escort scrapped in 1966 (before the Navy's 1979 selective-replacement policy era) plausibly carried era materials to disposal, but that is inference. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-newman-apd59-07
