USS PARKER (DD-604)

Evidence

6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).

1. [1]DANFS, Parker II (DD-604) (namesake bio, builder, dates, service narrative; verbatim text via Wayback Machine capture 2010-12-08 of history.navy.mil/danfs/p2/parker-ii.htm - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 2010-12-08)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 9 June 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; launched 12 May 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Edward Lloyd Winder; commissioned 31 August 1942, Comdr. John W. Bays in command. Spec block: dp. 1,620; l. 348'; b. 36'; dr. 13'4"; s. printed as '16 k.' (OCR/encoding artifact in the archived page; class design speed 35-37 kt); cpl. 276; a. 4 5", 2 40mm, 10 21" tt., 1 dct., 1 dcp. (hh.); cl. Benson. Service: shakedown East Coast/Cuban waters; convoy escort to North Africa - attack on Mehedia and Port Lyautey 7 November 1942; five North Africa convoy voyages, the fourth supporting the Sicilian invasion 5-13 July 1943; UK/Mediterranean escort; 6 November 1943 - 30 enemy planes attacked her convoy, Parker shot one down; Casco Bay training 7 February-2 April 1944; submarine patrol Task Unit 27.6.1, 3-11 April; departed New York 21 April, Mers-el-Kebir 2 May; Anzio-Naples operations 17 May-4 June (Ardea sector bombardment 31 May-1 June); Leghorn-Palermo operations 13 June-9 August; southern-France invasion 13-17 August (shore bombardment, AA support); convoy Cape Camarat-Naples 21 August; departed Naples 31 August with Destroyer Squadron 16, arrived New York 14 September; repairs Charlestown, Mass.; Norfolk 11 November; Naples 26 November; December convoy to New York; departed Norfolk 6 January 1945 with TG 62.1 to Oran 17 January; Gibraltar patrol; March bombardments (4, 6, 11, 12, 20) on Franco-Italian and western Italian fronts out of Cannes and Toulon; New York 23 May; Guantanamo training; departed San Diego 29 July, Pearl Harbor 4 August; departed Pearl Harbor 17 August, Okinawa 4 September; escorted convoy to Jinsen, Korea, 15 September, Okinawa 17 September 1945; decommissioned 31 January 1947; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, berthed Charleston, S.C. 'where she remains into 1970' (entry written circa 1970). Four battle stars for WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1970

   Population

   Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (design complement 276)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The archived transcription's speed field reads '16 k.' - an encoding artifact (the source page uses mojibake characters throughout); Wikipedia prints 36 kn and NavSource 35 kt for the class/hull. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; the 'remains into 1970' berthing line is contradicted by a 1970 Orange, Texas photo record - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-01

2. [2]ConvoyWeb (Arnold Hague convoy database, compiled from Admiralty records), vessel search 'PARKER' [other_primary]

   Locator

   convoyweb.org.uk Hague search results for 'PARKER' (18 USS PARKER listings among merchant namesakes)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Independent convoy-level documentation of this hull's wartime employment: the Hague database lists 'USS PARKER' (distinguished from the merchant Parkers James/Josiah/Samuel/Theodore/Abel Parker Upshur/John M. Parker/R M Parker Jr, which appear in the same result set) in 18 convoys - UGF.1 (Oct 1942 Hampton Roads-Casablanca, the Operation Torch assault convoy, matching the DANFS Mehedia/Port Lyautey passage), GUF.3 (Dec 1942 Oran-Hampton Roads), UGF.3 (Dec 1942 Hampton Roads-Casablanca), UGS.5 (Feb 1943), GUS.5 (Mar 1943), UGS.8 (Apr 1943 Hampton Roads-Algiers), GUS.7A (May 1943), GUF.9 (Jul 1943), GUS.14 (Aug 1943 Alexandria-Hampton Roads), UGF.10 (Aug 1943), GUF.10 (Sep 1943), KMF.25A + MKF.25A (Oct-Nov 1943 Liverpool-Alexandria / Port Said-Clyde - KMF.25A is the convoy attacked by German aircraft 6 November 1943), GUS.34 (Mar 1944), UGF.12 (Jul 1944), UGF.17 + GUF.17 (Nov-Dec 1944, matching the DANFS Naples 26 November/1 December return cycle), UGF.19 (Jan 1945, matching the 6-17 January Norfolk-Oran voyage).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Wartime crew 1942-1945

   Limitations

   Database lists convoy membership (as escort); it does not describe activity within each convoy and contains no material/asbestos data. Two listings conflict with the DANFS timeline - GUS.34 (departs Port Said March 1944) overlaps the 7 February-2 April Casco Bay training period, and UGF.12 (departs Hampton Roads July 1944) overlaps the 13 June-9 August Mediterranean period; flagged in gaps rather than reconciled.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-02

3. [3]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index, USS Parker (DD-604) - operational/building data block, photo captions, and CO list (compiled from Naval Vessel Register data); corroborated by uboat.net Allied Warships ship/1795 (DD 604) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-604 'Operational and Building Data' block (stricken/sold/fate lines) + photo captions; uboat.net ship/1795 history and command tables; NVR ship-detail lookup returned no record for DD-604

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Post-1970 disposition beyond the DANFS horizon: stricken 1 July 1971; sold for scrap to Luria Brothers, Philadelphia, PA, 25 May 1973. NavSource building data: Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, NY (YN 8035); call sign NBJY; crew 208 (as built); Bethlehem turbines, 50,000 shp, 35 kt. Commanding officers: Cdr. John W. Bays (Aug 1942-Dec 1943), Cdr. John F. Flynn (Dec 1943-Mar 1945), Cdr. LeRoy T. Taylor (Mar 1945-Mar 1946). Photo captions document the hull at New York Navy Yard on commissioning day (31 August 1942 - presence documented; commissioning venue not stated by DANFS), at Charleston Navy Yard circa January 1946, and in a 1970 destroyer nest at the Orange, Texas Inactive Ship Facility alongside Meade (DD-602), Ordronaux (DD-617), and Hobby (DD-610) - correcting/extending the DANFS 'berthed at Charleston, S.C. where she remains into 1970' by showing the hull at Orange in 1970. uboat.net adds: ordered 16 December 1940; carried COMDESRON 16 (T/Capt. T.L. Wattles, later T/Capt. C.J. Cater) - the DesRon 16 flagship role consistent with the southern-France narrative.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1946-1973

   Population

   Reserve-fleet maintenance 1947-1971; 1973 dismantlement workforce (Luria Brothers, Philadelphia)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilations consistent with NVR data; the underlying pre-1987 NVR disposal record is not digitized (NVR ship-detail lookup for DD-604 returns only the generic shell page - register only covers post-1987 disposals). The Charleston-to-Orange reserve-fleet transfer date is undocumented; the venues conflict between DANFS (Charleston into 1970) and the NavSource 1970 Orange photo is logged in gaps. Scrapping performed by Luria Brothers, Philadelphia - not a naval shipyard; no dismantlement hazmat or asbestos record located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-03

4. [4]NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov Cartographic Research): PARKER DD-604 entries - RG 19 'Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings' file unit NAID 153714606, and RG 19 'Microfilm' series NAID 175670188 [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index, PARKER rows: Hull series NAID 153714606; Microfilm NAID 175670188

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-specific engineering-drawings holdings for DD-604 exist in NARA Record Group 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships): a hull-series file unit (NAID 153714606) and a microfilm series entry (NAID 175670188), both indexed under 'PARKER DD-604' in the NARA Ship Plan Index. No digitized booklet of general plans for DD-604 was located on archive.org (a search returns no DD-604 plan set, unlike sister USS Gleaves DD-423 whose June 1945 BOGP is digitized).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1945 (drawing dates)

   Population

   Design/drafting (BuShips, Bethlehem); shipyard planning trades

   Limitations

   Index-level record only - the drawings themselves are not digitized and were not pulled; whether the file unit's machinery/piping plates carry insulation material callouts (and thus any asbestos-relevant content) is unknown until the College Park holdings are examined. The catalog API did not render record detail to automated fetch at check time; NAIDs are cited from the published index table.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-04

5. [5]Consolidated era inference - Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 1 (Jan 1945) destroyer machinery table (shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas shipyard dataset 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' record (evidence_tier 3) + class profile benson-gleaves-class [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v1 DD machinery table (No. 421 class rows); shipyards.json record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'; class-f benson-gleaves-class.class.json propulsion/notes

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: DD-604 is a 1941-42 Bethlehem Staten Island-built destroyer of the peak Navy asbestos era, Benson subclass (1941 repeat 'Laffey' group per the class profile), with 4 high-pressure superheated boilers (575 psi/700 deg F class figures) and Bethlehem geared steam turbines of ~50,000 shp (DANFS-type/NavSource figure; BuShips SDB 1945 lists 47,000 shp for class lead DD-421 - documented discrepancy). Typical period applications for this plant: boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, deck coverings/tile, accommodation insulation, fireproofing. The builder's corporate yard record in the Atlas dataset (bethlehem-shipbuilding, tier 3) documents an extensive product list - 85% Magnesia block, Marinite, Transite, Aircell, Armabestos, Limpet spray, Unibestos, Raybestos cloth, gaskets, packing, asbestos-coated welding rods - plus Bethlehem shipyard cohort findings (80% lung damage among Baltimore shipyard workers, PMID 7342758; multi-yard Selikoff survey, PMID 417776). Unlike 30+ class sisters, DD-604 had no 1944-45 DMS-conversion yard period; documented availabilities were routine stateside repair/training cycles (Charlestown 1944).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1973

   Population

   Bethlehem Staten Island construction trades 1941-42; wartime and reserve-era crews/maintenance personnel 1942-1973

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-corporation inference only - no ship-specific finding. Typical applications establish typicality of design, not installation aboard this hull; no quantities, no individual exposure, and no product identification for DD-604. The bethlehem-shipbuilding yard evidence is dominated by Baltimore/Sparrows Point and Quincy facilities; the Staten Island (Mariners Harbor) yard is not separately itemized in the record. Turbine/hull-specific machinery figures for DD-604 vs the class table are unresolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-05

6. [6]CourtListener API v4 litigation sweep, 2026-09-27 (this record's search ledger) [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger sl-uss-parker-dd604-04/05/06

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No qualifying asbestos litigation located naming this hull. Exact-name sweeps: 'USS Parker' returned 0 hits in the opinion index (type=o) and 0 hits in the RECAP docket index (type=r). Hull-number sweeps: 'DD-604' produced 0 opinion hits and 2 RECAP docket hits, both resolved to name collisions at document level - (1) DC Comics v. (C.D. Cal. No. 2:10-cv-03633-ODW-RZ, copyright): 'DD-604' occurs inside the page text of an attachment captioned 'EXHIBIT DD' (doc 162-14); identifier collision, not a vessel reference. (2) Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Company (N.D. Cal. No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW, asbestos personal-injury removal docket): doc 11 (Declaration of Deborah R. Rosenthal supporting plaintiff Jeri Redman's motion to remand, Paul & Hanley LLP) contains the string 'DD-604' as 'USS INGRAHAM (DD-604)' in the decedent's alleged ship-exposure list - a pleading-level allegation attaching the wrong hull number to a different vessel (Ingraham was DD-444/DD-694; DD-604 is Parker). The full OCR text of the 5-page declaration and bundled exhibits (~572k characters) contains zero 'Parker' mentions; the vessel reference is to Ingraham. Not qualifying litigation for this hull - classified as name collision. Law-firm 'Navy ship asbestos lists' do name USS Parker (DD-604) - excluded per source policy; such lists are marketing claims asserting no adjudicated fact.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2026-09-27

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Negative finding bounded by index coverage: RECAP/opinion indexes are not exhaustive, and un-digitized state or federal records are outside coverage; absence of located litigation does not mean none exists. Document-level resolution was performed on both 'DD-604' hits (CourtListener recap-documents record 1812456 plain_text, cross-checked against the archive.org RECAP PDF gov.uscourts.cand.204462.11.0.pdf). Even taken at face value, the Redman occurrence is a pleading allegation (lowest litigation stage) about USS Ingraham under a mistaken hull number - it alleges nothing about Parker.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-parker-dd604-06