Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet jg-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Preston (DD-327). Hull number DD-327; designation
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-preston-dd327-pkt-jg-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Preston IV (DD-327)' (S. Matthew Cheser biography appended, published 14 February 2017) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Preston IV heading - specifications block and full service narrative (final two paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (DD-327: displacement 1,308 full load; length 314'5"; beam 31'8"; draft 9'10"; speed 35 knots; complement 122; armament 4 4-inch, 1 3-inch, 12 21-inch torpedo tubes; class Clemson). The fourth Preston (Destroyer No. 327) was laid down 19 July 1919 at San Francisco, Calif., by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.; reclassified as DD-327 on 17 July 1920; launched 7 August 1920; sponsored by Mrs. Josephus Daniels, wife of the Secretary of the Navy; commissioned 13 April 1921, Cmdr. George T. Swasey in command. After shakedown she exercised out of San Diego until December 1921, then joined the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Force, operating along the east coast with Caribbean winter exercises; June 1925 - July 1926 she served with U.S. Naval Forces in European Waters (Scandinavia to the Mediterranean), returning to New York in July 1926. Decommissioned at Philadelphia 1 May 1930; assigned to the Norfolk Navy Yard for strength tests; stricken from the Navy List 6 November 1931; hulk sold for scrap 23 August 1932.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1932
- Population
- Bethlehem Shipbuilding (San Francisco) construction trades 1919-21; peacetime crew 1921-30 (DANFS complement 122)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, specifications, and service history, not materials or asbestos content. Complement 122 is a design specification, not an actual muster. Live NHHC page verified reachable via browser user-agent (HTTP 200); generic fetch agents receive 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-01
-
[3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Preston (DD-327), 1921-1932' page and photos NH 43454, NH 86197, NH 86200, NH 86201, NH 86202 (U.S. Naval Historical Center Photographs) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Online Library ship page narrative + picture-data captions (ibiblio HyperWar mirror of the NHHC Online Library)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library of Selected Images catalogs this hull (page: 'USS Preston (DD-327), 1921-1932'): photo NH 43454 shows Preston moored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 31 May 1923 with USS Dobbin (AD-3), Sharkey (DD-281), Coghlan (DD-326), and Lamson (DD-328); NH 86202 shows her entering Copenhagen harbor 22 July 1925; NH 86197 shows four Destroyer Division 27 ships at Bergen, Norway, 22 August 1925; NH 86201 shows Preston and Coghlan at Trieste 26 March 1926; NH 86200 shows Destroyer Division 27 (Preston, Lamson, Coghlan, Bruce DD-329) at Venice 3 April 1926. The page narrative describes decommissioning 'at the beginning of 1930, during a major realignment of the Navy's destroyer force' and the hull's employment for strength tests at Norfolk Navy Yard before August 1932 scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1921-1932
- Population
- Crew 1921-1930; Philadelphia Navy Yard and Norfolk Navy Yard personnel
- Limitations
- Photographic catalog corroborates identity, deployment geography, Destroyer Division 27 assignment, and the Philadelphia and Norfolk yard associations - nothing about materials or asbestos. The page narrative's 'commissioned in August 1921' conflicts with DANFS's 13 April 1921 commissioning date; carried in gaps. Mirror hosted on ibiblio's HyperWar archive of NHHC content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-02
-
[4]C.O. Kell, 'Investigation of Structural Characteristics of Destroyers Preston and Bruce', Transactions of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), Vol. 39 (1931) pp. 35-62; Vol. 48 (1940) pp. 125-172; bibliographic details verified in subsequent peer-reviewed hull-girder literature (e.g., ASCE J. Struct. Eng. 113(10) reference list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SNAME Transactions vol. 39 (1931) and vol. 48 (1940); bibliographic verification via ASCE and Marine Structures citation lists
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The 'strength tests' DANFS assigns this hulk at Norfolk Navy Yard are the documented Navy structural experiments in which ex-Preston (DD-327) and ex-Bruce (DD-329) - flush-deck sisters and Destroyer Division 27 squadron mates - were loaded to hull-girder collapse, Preston under sagging and Bruce under hogging: C.O. Kell, 'Investigation of Structural Characteristics of Destroyers "Preston" and "Bruce"', Transactions SNAME Vol. 39 (1931), pp. 35-62 (Part I, Description) and Vol. 48 (1940), pp. 125-172 (Part 2, Analysis of Data and Results). The tests remain a cited landmark in hull-girder-strength literature.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1930-1932 (tests); 1931/1940 (publication)
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard test personnel 1930-32
- Limitations
- Documents the post-service disposition event (deliberate structural collapse testing of this hulk), not asbestos. The test reports themselves were not retrieved; bibliographic details confirmed through multiple peer-reviewed citation lists. Whether insulation or other materials were stripped before testing is not documented in sources reviewed - potentially relevant to what was aboard at disposal, not to crew-era exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-03
-
[5]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, PRESTON DD-327 entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- PRESTON DD-327 rows, RG 19, Alphabetical Ship Drawings NAID 53484779 and Microfilm NAID 175670332
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index lists PRESTON, DD-327, in Record Group 19 under Alphabetical Ship Drawings (NAID 53484779) and Microfilm (NAID 175670332). These holdings are leads for examining ship-specific plans, including any insulation and piping drawings for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The index establishes holdings, not the contents of individual drawings. No Preston drawing or material schedule was retrieved or reviewed; the index is not evidence of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-04
-
[6]Internet Archive item dd327bogp1921v2, digitized NARA RG 19 file unit 'Plans for the Destroyer USS Preston (DD-327), 1789 - 1967' (Booklet of General Plans, 1 January 1921) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item page and metadata (files: 00 cover photo; 01-05 booklet of general plans sheets)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized Booklet of General Plans dated 1 January 1921 for this specific hull survives and is publicly mirrored: Internet Archive item dd327bogp1921v2 ('USA - DD-327 USS Preston Booklet of General Plans (1921)'), six sheets, identified in the item metadata as downloaded from the US National Archives - file unit 'Plans for the Destroyer USS Preston (DD-327), 1789 - 1967', series 'Alphabetical Series of Ship Engineering Drawings, 1789 - 1967', Record Group 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships). Item metadata confirms yard number 248, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co., San Francisco; laid down July 19 1919; launched August 7 1920; completed April 13 1921.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1921 (plan set date)
- Limitations
- The six plan sheets exist as images (handwritten annotations; automated OCR produced no usable text). The sheets were not reviewed for insulation or material schedules - a booklet of general plans may or may not include them. Existence of the plans is an archival lead, not evidence of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-05
-
[7]DANFS specifications block (Clemson class; 35 k. geared-turbine plant per class design) + Atlas shipyard dataset, bethlehem-shipbuilding record (yard-level asbestos product documentation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS DD-327 specifications block; shipyards.json record 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Clemson-class flush-deck destroyer completed 1919-21 with a four water-tube boiler geared-turbine plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation and lagging on boilers, steam drums, and steam lines, plus gaskets, packing, and fireproofing - standard U.S. Navy destroyer construction practice of the era. Builder Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., San Francisco, resolves to Atlas yard 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'; NARA RG 19 General Information Books and the hull's Booklet of General Plans (ev-05) are the archival leads for hull-level material specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1932
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1919-21; crew 1921-30; Norfolk Navy Yard test personnel 1930-32
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific asbestos finding exists for this hull. The bethlehem-shipbuilding yard record's evidence rows center on other Bethlehem yards (Sparrows Point, Baltimore, Quincy); none is specific to the San Francisco yard where this hull was built, so even yard-level documentation is one step removed from this construction site. NARA GIB and plan-sheet review not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-06
-
[8]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research; Bureau of Ships General/Confidential/Secret Correspondence; General Information Books; Cartographic Branch sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA's research guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' describes the asbestos-relevant Navy record series: RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence filed by hull designation (e.g., 'DD327'), class correspondence filed under the class namesake's hull code ('DD186 Class' for Clemson-class), General Information Books, and cartographic holdings including S39 insulation/lagging and S48 piping drawings. It cautions 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
- Limitations
- This is a research guide, not a Preston material record. Its stated scope is Navy materiel 1941-1961, which postdates this hull's entire 1921-1930 commissioned service - the RG 19 correspondence series it describes (1940-1961) will not contain service-period files for this ship, though plan holdings (1789-1967) and the DD186-class filing convention still apply. It does not show that a Preston GIB exists or that this ship contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-07
-
[9]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-327 building-data card, commanding-officer list, and photo captions (incl. NHC photo captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-327 page: 'Operational and Building Data' card, 'Fate' line, commanding officers list, photo captions (Wayback capture 2024-05-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation of official data for this hull: NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-327 building-data card lists stricken November 6 1931 and 'Sold August 23 1932 to Boston Metals, Baltimore and broken up for scrap' - naming the scrap purchaser absent from DANFS; machinery 26,500 SHP geared turbines 2 screws; crew 114; call sign NUNJ. Its commanding-officer list (CDR George Truman Swasey Jr., Apr 13 1921 - Mar 28 1922; LCDR John Marie Creighton, Dec 18 1928 - May 1 1930) is consistent with DANFS commissioning/decommissioning dates. Photo captions additionally document Preston and Bruce (DD-329) in the Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal, circa 1922, and a St. Nazaire, France port visit June 1926.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1932
- Population
- Crew 1921-1930
- Limitations
- Secondary volunteer-compiled source, used only for details official sources omit (scrap purchaser, machinery summary) - not an official record and not asbestos evidence. Its 'commissioned April 21 1921' building-data line conflicts with its own CO list and DANFS (13 April 1921); the conflict is carried in gaps. Live page cited via Wayback capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py: "USS Preston" (o: 0; r: 1 collision), "DD-327" (o: 0; r: 5 collisions), "U.S.S. Preston" (o: 2 collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search counts and hit dispositions; search_ledger rows sl-uss-preston-dd327-10 through sl-uss-preston-dd327-14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in CourtListener. Exact-phrase "USS Preston" returned 0 opinions and 1 docket (United States v. QTC Medical Services, C.D. Cal. 2:14-cv-08961, a False Claims Act qui tam about medical-examination services - a vessel-name text mention in filings, not asbestos and not hull-attributable). "DD-327" returned 0 opinions and 5 dockets, all text-mention collisions (exhibit/document numbering): Williams v. City of Springfield (D. Mass. 2016), Joseph Campbell Foundation v. Anderson (N.D. Cal. 2007), Mississippi NAACP v. State Board of Election Commissioners (S.D. Miss. 2022), DC Comics v. Pacific Pictures (C.D. Cal. 2010), In re Millenkamp Cattle (Bankr. D. Idaho 2024). Variant "U.S.S. Preston" returned 2 opinions, both non-asbestos collisions: United States v. Moore (U.S.C.M.A. 1958, court-martial appeal - any Preston reference resolves to a later hull; DD-327 was scrapped in 1932) and Calmar S.S. Corp. v. United States (S.D.N.Y. 1951, maritime contract dispute).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (index sweep)
- Limitations
- Absence of located litigation does not prove no claim was ever filed - many asbestos cases settle without published opinions, and state-court filings are under-indexed. Hull scrapped in 1932, roughly four decades before the asbestos-litigation era began (post-Borel, 1973), which structurally reduces but does not eliminate the chance of litigation naming this hull. Four-hull name collision risk (DD-19, DD-379, DD-795, plus William B. Preston DD-344) means any future 'USS Preston' hit requires hull-number disambiguation; a 1936-or-later exposure window cannot resolve to DD-327.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-09
-
[11]Negative result from NHHC DANFS, NHHC Online Library photo catalog, NARA Ship Plan Index, NARA asbestos research guide, NavSource compilation, and CourtListener sweep posture; see search_ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-preston-dd327-01 through sl-uss-preston-dd327-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located in reviewed sources: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, hull material specification, or docketed case naming DD-327 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1932; no museum hull, NRHP listing, NHL designation, or HAER survey exists or can exist for this vessel.
- 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 - class/era inference (ev-06) supports period-standard insulation materials, but no source inspected names asbestos aboard this specific hull. NARA RG 19 plan holdings (ev-04, ev-05) and builder's specifications remain the unfetched archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-preston-dd327-10