Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet eu-packet.md (7 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-nicholson-dd442-pkt-eu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Nicholson III (DD-442) entry (spec block + service narrative + namesake biography; verbatim transcription - hazegray live unreachable, Wayback capture 2024-11-26 cited; live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (hazegray dd442txt.htm, Wayback capture 2024-11-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 1 November 1939 by Boston Naval Shipyard; launched 31 May 1940; sponsored by Mrs. S. A. Bathriek, great-granddaughter of Samuel Nicholson; commissioned 3 June 1941, Comdr. J. S. Keating in command. Shakedown in the eastern Atlantic; North Atlantic convoy escort Boston-Iceland-Scotland-England to fall 1942; turbine casualty kept her out of the initial Casablanca landings, arrived 12 November 1942; 1943 Bizerte campaign and initial Salerno assaults under heavy Luftwaffe attack; after five Mediterranean months, US overhaul then sailed from New York early January 1944; New Guinea February 1944, LST escort at Cape Gloucester, gunfire support through the New Guinea campaign and Admiralties - at Seeadler Harbor drew fire from a battery on Hanwei/Hauwei and took a 4-inch shell in No. 2 ammunition handling room, 3 killed and 4 wounded, then wiped out the position; August 1944 Third Fleet in the Marshalls, screened fast carriers on the Bonins/Formosa/Philippines raids, Palaus invasion support and Yap neutralization; Leyte invasion and Battle for Leyte Gulf with the Seventh Fleet; Seattle overhaul; February 1945 Guam-Ulithi escort; Okinawa radar picket line late March, untouched by kamikazes, rescued survivors of Little and Morrison; final operations against Japan, off Honshu at war's end, Sagami Wan 29 August, Tokyo Bay 15 September; San Diego 6 November, Charleston 23 November for the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; decommissioned 26 February 1946; Naval Reserve training ship 3d Naval District 30 November 1948; recommissioned 17 July 1950; decommissioned and transferred to the Italian Navy 15 January 1951 as Aviere. Ten battle stars for WWII. Spec block: 1,630 t; 348 ft; beam 35 ft 4 in; draft 10 ft 2 in; 37 kt; complement 276; 4x5in, 1 dcp, 2 dct, 1 Y-gun, 10x21in tt; cl. Gleaves.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1951
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard construction trades 1939-41; wartime and NRT-era crew (design complement 276)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not state the striking date (1951-01-22 per NavSource) or the post-1969 Italian disposition (entry closes 'Through 1969 she serves Italy as Aviere'). The 1943-44 overhaul yards and the Seattle overhaul yard are not named. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; sponsor surname reads 'Bathriek' here and 'Bathrick' in other transcriptions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Archive, USS Nicholson (DD-442) photo index page - operational and building data (Wayback capture 2024-05-25) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-442 page, 'Operational and Building Data' block + class data block (Wayback 2024-05-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource building/disposal record for this hull: laid down by Boston Navy Yard 1 November 1939; launched 31 May 1940; commissioned 3 June 1941; decommissioned 26 February 1946; recommissioned 17 July 1950; decommissioned 15 January 1951; stricken 22 January 1951; to Italy 15 January 1951, renamed Aviere; converted to experimental gun ship 1970; stricken and sunk as target 1975. Data block: class Gleaves as built; 2,395 tons full; 348 ft 4 in oa x 36 ft 1 in x 13 ft 2 in max; 4 x 5in/38AA, 6 x 0.5in MG, 10 x 21in tt (2x5); machinery 50,000 shp, General Electric turbines, 2 screws; 35 knots; range 6,500 nm at 12 knots; crew 208; call sign NETZ.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1975
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard construction trades 1939-41; crew 1941-51
- Limitations
- Secondary photographic-archive compilation transcribing official data - corroborates DANFS dates and adds the stricken date DANFS omits. Its 'General Electric turbines' attribution for this hull conflicts with class-level data naming Westinghouse (DD-423) and a BuShips Bethlehem row for DD-421 - per-hull turbine builder unresolved, carried in gaps. Documents no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-02
-
[4]Marina Militare (Italian Navy) official website, retired-ships entry for Nave Aviere (second of the name), ex-USS Nicholson [other_primary]
- Locator
- marina.difesa.it navi_radiate/_Aviere.aspx, paragraph on the second Aviere
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Italian Navy official record for this hull's second career: the second destroyer Aviere, ex-US Nicholson, 'classe Livermore' per the Marina's own labeling, entered (US) service 3 June 1941; after WWII service under the US flag and a period in reserve was delivered to the Marina Militare Italiana 25 June 1951; took part in fleet activities until 1970 when she was redesignated 'Nave per esperienze' (experimental ship) for trials of weapon systems then coming into service aboard new units.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1951-1975
- Population
- Italian Navy crew 1951-75
- Limitations
- Official Italian Navy history page for the later namesake F 583 which summarizes the second Aviere's career - documents the Italian-era identity and timeline, not materials or asbestos content. Its delivery date (25 June 1951) postdates the US-side decommission/transfer date (15 January 1951, DANFS) and differs from an Italian veterans' publication (25 May 1951 delivery) and Tin Can Sailors (6/11/1951) - discrepancy carried in gaps. The Marina labels the class 'Livermore' - the early-war US class label later merged into Gleaves - subclass naming carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-03
-
[5]Tin Can Sailors (National Association of Destroyer Veterans), USS Nicholson DD-442 ship page (DANFS-derived history, August 2015 update, plus class data block) [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyers.org/ships/dd-442 data block, disposition line, namesake text, and DANFS ship history
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Veterans-association record for this hull: DD-442; launch 05/31/1940; commissioned 06/03/1941; decommissioned 01/15/1951; call sign NETZ; class Gleaves; namesakes the five Nicholson family members (James, Samuel, John, William Carmichael, James William Augustus); disposition 'To Italy 6/11/1951 (Aviere)'. Carries the verbatim DANFS ship history. Class data block for USS Gleaves (DD-423) as of 1945: 348 ft 4 in x 36 ft 1 in x 13 ft 6 in; 1,630 t standard / 2,525 t full; 4 boilers, 2 Westinghouse turbines, 50,000 hp; 37.4 kt on trials; complement 16 officers + 260 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1975
- Population
- Crew 1941-51; Italian crew 1951-75
- Limitations
- Veterans-association page - reputable secondary source consistent with DANFS. Its disposition date '6/11/1951' conflicts with DANFS (transfer 15 January 1951) and Marina Militare (delivery 25 June 1951) - carried in gaps. The class data block is DD-423's, not this hull's; Westinghouse turbine attribution is class-level. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-04
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[6]ibiblio HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' DD-442 spec block (Gleaves class; 1,630 t; 348'4"; 37 kt; complement 276; 'High-pressure super-heated boilers, geared turbines with twin screws, 50,000 h.p.') + Atlas shipyard dataset, Boston Naval Shipyard record (yard tier 3: John Crane gasket/packing exposure allegation, In re John Crane, Inc., Tex. App. 2003) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio DD-442 spec block; shipyards.json record 'boston-naval-shipyard'; class profile benson-gleaves-class.class.json (BuShips SDB1945v1 machinery row)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Gleaves-class destroyer built 1939-41 with four superheated boilers (Babcock & Wilcox per class machinery data; 575 psi/700 F per BuShips Ships' Data 1945 for the class) and a 50,000-shp geared-turbine plant falls inside the Navy's peak asbestos era - period-standard applications were boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Builder Boston Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 3, John Crane gasket/packing litigation). NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications are an archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1951
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard construction trades 1939-41; crew 1941-51
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The yard's product-level record is undated and postdates the construction window; it documents yard working conditions, not materials aboard DD-442. No hull material schedule was located. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-05
-
[7]NARA Record Group 24, series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (NAID 594258; 228,033 file units) - deck logs for commissioned periods of this hull (1941-1951) held in this series; WWII war diaries/action reports in RG 38 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov series NAID 594258 (search-within page); catalog UI JS-rendered, per-hull enumeration not completed
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead for hull-level records: NARA's 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' series (NAID 594258) holds Navy deck logs covering this hull's commissioned periods; ship-specific deck logs, war diaries, and action reports (e.g., the Hauwei battery action and Okinawa radar-picket rescues) are primary sources from which shipyard availabilities and aboard-ship conditions could be developed. No digitized file unit was enumerated for DD-442 in this pass - the catalog search interface is JavaScript-rendered and did not return result lists to automated fetch.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1951
- Limitations
- Lead only - deck logs document movements and events, not materials content; no file unit for this hull was individually verified. Presence of logs in the series is inferred from the series' stated coverage, not from a per-hull catalog hit.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-06
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[8]Batch-3427 search ledger (this record): CourtListener opinion and RECAP sweeps; NHHC DANFS mirrors; NavSource; Tin Can Sailors; Marina Militare; NVR; NARA catalog; LOC/HAER; VA BVA corpus [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-nicholson-dd442-06 through sl-uss-nicholson-dd442-09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep 2026-09-27 (authenticated v4, fleet-paced helper): no qualifying asbestos litigation naming DD-442 located. Opinion index: "USS Nicholson" returned 1 hit - Saunders v. Luckenbach Co., 262 F. 845 (S.D.N.Y. 1919), a WWI-era submarine-incident case naming a U.S.S. Nicholson two decades before this hull was laid down (WWI Nicholson was DD-52) - name collision, not vessel litigation. "DD-442" returned 0 opinion hits. RECAP docket index: "USS Nicholson" returned 2 dockets - Webb v. Baldor Electric Co., 1:22-cv-00145 (S.D. Miss., asbestos PI removal complaint; its ship list reads 'USS NICHOLSON - DD-982 ... 1976/1979', i.e. the Spruance-class hull - name collision, not this vessel) and Motors Liquidation Co., 09-50026 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y., GM bankruptcy; 'USS Nicholson' appears inside doc 9455's 188-page claims-objection exhibit - an insurance-benefits schedule line listing beneficiary 'HOLLAND RICHARD ... USS NICHOLSON, FPO Miami FL' among Cold-War-era hulls (DDG-18, DDG-11, DD-980, AS-32), i.e. a sailor's mailing address consistent with DD-982 - name collision, non-asbestos). "DD-442" returned 19 dockets - all unrelated civil matters (habeas, forfeiture, tax, contract, trademark, civil rights, patent, MDL tag-along) where 'DD-442' is an incidental token; none is asbestos or admiralty, none references a vessel. Combined classification: no qualifying vessel litigation; 1 opinion-level name collision (Saunders, DD-52-era), 2 docket-level name collisions verified non-DD-442/non-asbestos (Webb = DD-982 exposure allegation; Motors Liquidation = insurance-beneficiary address listing a sailor aboard a Cold-War-era USS Nicholson, consistent with DD-982), 19 hull-token collisions.
- 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 - a 1939-41 steam destroyer sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos era and the era inference stands on its own. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard, and does not establish or defeat any individual claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener covers indexed federal/state opinions and PACER dockets - unindexed filings, state-court complaints without RECAP capture, and trust claims are outside its coverage. The Webb complaint text and the Motors Liquidation exhibit text were both retrieved and inspected; both name-collision classifications are verified at document level. Name-collision caution applies: three other US hulls carried the name (TB-29, DD-52, DD-982) - DD-982's 1979-2003 career overlaps the asbestos-litigation era and is the Nicholson appearing in both docket hits.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-nicholson-dd442-07