USS PILLSBURY (DD-227)

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

1. [1]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Pillsbury I (DD-227)' [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specification block and full service narrative; Wayback capture 2023-11-09 of live NHHC page

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull (updated NHHC entry, accessed via Wayback capture of the live page): the first Pillsbury (DD-227) was laid down by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pa., 23 October 1919; launched 3 August 1920, sponsored by Miss Helen Langdon Richardson; commissioned 15 December 1920, Lt. H. W. Barnes in command. Specification block: displacement 1,190; length 314'4"; beam 30'8"; draft 9'3"; speed 35 k.; complement 116; armament 4 4-inch, 1 3-inch, 12 21-inch torpedo tubes; class Clemson. Service: 'served for many years with the Asiatic Fleet'; on 27 November 1941 departed Manila by order of Commander Asiatic Fleet Admiral T. C. Hart; operated near Borneo at the outbreak of war; reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols out of Balikpapan, then night patrols from Surabaya with cruisers Houston and Marblehead and destroyers of Division 58, including 'the action of Badoeng Strait 4 February 1942'; on the night of 19-20 February fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship without result, then at 0210 engaged a ship dead ahead with main battery and .50-caliber guns - the spotter observed three sure hits and the target erupted in flames; Pillsbury and Parrott (DD-218) were then detached to Tjilatjap. Loss: no U.S. logs or battle reports; postwar interrogation of Japanese task-force officers reported Pillsbury and Asheville (PG-21) sunk in a night surface action by 'teamwork' firing of three cruisers of Cruiser Division 4 and two destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 4 'in Bali Strait,' all three sinkings (with Edsall, DD-219) 'approximately 200 miles east of Christmas Island' between the 1st and 4th of March 1942; no survivors were picked up; two battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1919-1942

   Population

   Cramp shipyard construction trades 1919-20; Asiatic Fleet crew 1920s-1942 (design complement 116); all hands lost March 1942

   Limitations

   Documents identity, builder, dates, service narrative, and loss; does not address materials or asbestos content and gives no stricken date. Two internal tensions carried in gaps: it dates departure from Manila 27 November 1941 while the contemporaneous ONI Combat Narrative has Pillsbury still in navy-yard repair in early December; and it places the sinking 'in Bali Strait' while also 'approximately 200 miles east of Christmas Island,' two locations far apart. The live NHHC URL returned 404 to this fetch; the Wayback capture of the live page is cited.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-01

2. [2]Office of Naval Intelligence, Combat Narratives: The Java Sea Campaign (1943); NHHC 75th Anniversary Edition reprint, Washington Navy Yard, 2017 (ISBN 9781943604043, LCCN 2017009477) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Order of battle (Destroyer Squadron 29 listing); 'Withdrawal from the Philippines' chapter (Cavite bombing, departures); 'Action in Badoeng Strait - February 19' (second-wave engagement); evacuation-of-Java chapter (Tjilatjap dispatch)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporaneous official operational history naming this hull: the ONI Combat Narrative 'The Java Sea Campaign' (Publications Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, 1943; NHHC 75th-anniversary reprint 2017, ISBN 9781943604043) lists Pillsbury in Destroyer Squadron 29 (Capt. Herbert V. Wiley), in the division under Comdr. Paul H. Talbot (after January 29, Lt. Comdr. Edward N. Parker) with Peary, Pope, and John D. Ford - identified elsewhere in the same narrative as Destroyer Division 59; Pillsbury's commanding officer is listed as Lt. Comdr. Harold C. Pound. Pillsbury-specific entries: 'the Peary and the Pillsbury were in early December still at the navy yard undergoing repairs necessitated by a collision in October'; on 10 December Japanese bombers destroyed the navy yard at Cavite, where Peary 'completing repairs' was hit; 'the two remaining destroyers, Pillsbury and Peary, were sent south the next day' after the late-December departure decision (c. 27 December); footnote 17 lists Pillsbury among the U.S. destroyers in the 4 February action ('There is no official report, but it appears that the American destroyers participating in this action were Stewart, Barker, Bulmer, Pillsbury, Parrott, and John D. Edwards'); in the second wave of the 19-20 February Badoeng Strait attack 'The Pillsbury's guns scored four direct hits on the vessel to port, which she believes sank' (about 0212); 'Pillsbury and Parrott after participating in the Bali raid had been withdrawn from the striking force in urgent need of overhaul'; on the final evacuation order from Tjilatjap, 'Of the vessels thus dispatched Edsall, Pillsbury, Asheville, and a few British corvettes have not been heard from and are considered lost.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1942 (narrative compiled 1943)

   Population

   Crew under Lt. Comdr. Harold C. Pound, late 1941-1942; Cavite navy yard repair workers October-December 1941

   Limitations

   Contemporaneous 1943 narrative: it documents wartime operations and a documented October 1941 collision repair period at the navy yard (Cavite context), but says nothing about materials or asbestos and could not describe the sinking's details (written before Japanese interrogation results). The order-of-battle table prints 'Destroyer Division 50' for the Talbot/Parker division that the narrative elsewhere calls DesDiv 59 - a print artifact noted here. The collision partner is not named in the text; secondary accounts state Pillsbury collided with Peary. Its late-December departure timing conflicts with DANFS's 27 November departure statement - carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-02

3. [3]Stars and Stripes, 'Navy confirms find of sunken WWII US warship known as the dancing mouse' (11 November 2024), quoting NHHC Director Cox; corroborated by NPR, 'The USS Edsall, sunk by Japanese forces in World War II, has been found' (12-13 November 2024), citing an NHHC spokesperson [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Stars and Stripes article, Cox quotation and identification paragraphs; NPR article, identification paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Wreck-status record for this hull: the Royal Australian Navy wreck located by MV Stoker in late summer 2023 south of Christmas Island (depth over 18,000 ft) had to be distinguished from Pillsbury before identification. NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox is quoted: 'There was another ship, the [USS] Pillsbury, that went down' nearby. 'It's the same class of ship. It would have looked virtually identical,' and 'the Pillsbury is thought to have been more heavily damaged than the Edsall.' NHHC underwater archaeologists concluded the wreck was Edsall; the U.S. Navy determined 6 November 2024 that 'the preponderance of evidence leads to the identification of the wreck as the remains of Edsall' (announced 11 November 2024). Pillsbury - described as 'sunk a day later' than Edsall - therefore has no located wreck.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2023-2024 (wreck evaluation); loss March 1942

   Population

   Crew lost with the ship, March 1942

   Limitations

   Press reporting of official NHHC determinations; establishes that a same-class wreck candidate was evaluated and ruled out as Pillsbury, and that NHHC attributes Pillsbury's sinking to 'a day later' than Edsall's 1 March 1942 loss (i.e., 2 March). No Pillsbury wreck survey exists - no position, imagery, or material assessment is published, and none is expected (deep water, war grave).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-03

4. [4]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, PILLSBURY entries [other_primary]

   Locator

   PILLSBURY rows, RG 19 Alphabetical Ship Drawings and Microfilm; DE-133/DER-133 namesake rows

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA's Ship Plan Index lists PILLSBURY DD-227 in Record Group 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) under Alphabetical Ship Drawings (NAID 53484744) and Microfilm (NAID 175670269). The index separately lists the later namesake PILLSBURY DE-133 (Microfilm NAID 175670270) and PILLSBURY DER-133 (Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings NAID 153715130), confirming two distinct hulls carried the name. These RG 19 entries are leads for examining ship-specific plans, including any insulation or piping drawings.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1919-1942 (records created)

   Limitations

   The index establishes holdings, not the contents of individual drawings. No Pillsbury drawing or material schedule was retrieved or reviewed; the index is not evidence of asbestos aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-04

5. [5]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]

   Locator

   Beginning Research; General Information Books; Cartographic Branch; Other Records and their usefulness

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   NARA's research guide describes potential asbestos-relevant Navy record groups for the 1941-1961 period, including RG 19 General Information Books filed by hull designation (Pillsbury would file as DD227, with class correspondence under the class namesake hull) and S39 insulation/lagging and S48 piping drawings, and states that deck logs and muster rolls do not directly show asbestos aboard ships.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1941-1961 (guide scope); ship's life 1920-1942

   Limitations

   This is a research guide, not a Pillsbury material record. Its coverage scope (1941-1961) postdates almost all of this ship's 1920-1942 life, so even the records it describes may not cover the construction-era material fit. It establishes where to search, not that a Pillsbury GIB exists or that asbestos was aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-05

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

   Locator

   Highlights, paragraphs 1-2

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The 1979 GAO review documents asbestos insulation policy and exposure concerns across Navy shipbuilding and repair, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. This is program-level context only.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1979 (study); ship's life 1920-1942

   Limitations

   GAO studied policy decades after Pillsbury's 1942 loss and did not examine this hull. It cannot establish this ship's materials, exposures, or construction-era work.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-06

7. [7]Negative result from NHHC DANFS, ONI Combat Narrative, NHHC-attributed press reporting, NARA Ship Plan Index, NARA asbestos research guide, and GAO HRD-80-2 review; see search_ledger [other_primary]

   Locator

   Search ledger sl-uss-pillsbury-dd227-01 through sl-uss-pillsbury-dd227-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The official sources and catalog entries reviewed for this record (NHHC DANFS updated entry, ONI/NHHC Combat Narrative 'The Java Sea Campaign,' NHHC-attributed wreck-identification reporting, NARA Ship Plan Index, NARA asbestos research guide, GAO HRD-80-2) yielded no ship-specific asbestos survey, product schedule, abatement record, or material finding for Pillsbury. Asbestos presence aboard DD-227 remains unknown.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Limitations

   This is a bounded search result, not proof that asbestos was absent. Pillsbury was sunk in combat in 1942, so no postwar abatement, scrapping, or museum documentation exists; the only remaining ship-specific material leads are archival (NARA plans and any surviving Bureau of Ships correspondence for DD-227).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-07

8. [8]CourtListener authenticated API v4 search attempts via fleet helper; helper pacing messages [court_record]

   Locator

   Search ledger sl-uss-pillsbury-dd227-11 through sl-uss-pillsbury-dd227-14

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull was attempted via the authenticated fleet helper (cl-auth-search.py). Each call returned the fleet pacing guard message that the shared request budget was momentarily spent; no opinion or docket result was returned in this session. No litigation classification (qualifying asbestos litigation / other litigation / name collision / no result) can be made from this incomplete sweep.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Limitations

   Blocked by fleet pacing, not a negative result: no CourtListener query for this ship returned data in this session, so this row proves nothing about the presence or absence of litigation naming the hull. Note also that a second USS Pillsbury (DE-133, later DER-133, Edsall-class destroyer escort, 1943-c.1960, the U-505 capture ship) exists - it had the longer postwar service life and is the likelier litigation target; any future docket hits must be checked for name collision.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pillsbury-dd227-08