Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet lk-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS **Raby** (DE/DEC-698)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-raby-de698-pkt-lk-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Raby (DE-698) (namesake, builder, dates, service narrative, striking; verbatim NHHC text via HyperWar/ibiblio transcription - live NHHC page serves 404; hazegray.org transcription corroborates) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Raby (DE-698)', specifications block + service narrative + headnote (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of NHHC text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 7 June 1943 as DE-698 by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; named Raby on 22 June 1943; launched 4 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. James Joseph Raby (widow of Rear Admiral James Joseph Raby, b. Bay City 17 September 1874, Navy Cross for WWI convoy-escort command of Albany and Missouri, later Commandant of NAS Pensacola/8th Naval District and of the 6th Naval District and the Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., d. near Midway, Ga., 15 January 1934); commissioned 7 December 1943 at New Orleans, Lt. Comdr. J. Scott II in command. After shakedown off Bermuda, sailed from Norfolk 10 February 1944 via the Panama Canal for Noumea (arrived 11 March); escorted fast convoys from Guadalcanal to Manus; hunter-killer activities in the Solomons spring 1944; convoy escort in the Solomons until 26 October, then Manus; December shift to Ulithi; January 1945 to Guam as escort and patrol ship into June; two slow tows to Okinawa 22 June-31 August; departed for Pearl Harbor and the United States 13 September 1945. 7th Fleet duty in the Far East from 6 April 1946 (rescued crew of a downed B-29 same day); Hong Kong, Kiirun, Shanghai, Tsingtao; operated out of Okinawa, China, and Japan; returned to San Diego 9 April 1947; TF 15 assignments and Pearl Harbor runs; Bikini/Kwajalein/Eniwetok arrival 1 May 1948; San Diego 28 January 1949. Reclassified control escort ship DEC-698 on 2 November 1949; transited the Panama Canal 25 January 1950 for Norfolk; operated Norfolk/Caribbean 3.5 years; at the Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, June-September 1953; arrived Atlantic Reserve Fleet berthing area St. James River, Fla., 24 September; decommissioned 22 December 1953; back to DE-698 on 27 December 1957; transferred to the Orange, Tex., berthing area 1960; struck from the Navy list 1 June 1968 and subsequently sold for scrap. Three battle stars for World War II. Spec block: 1,740 t full load, 306 ft, beam 36 ft 10 in, draft 13 ft 6 in, 24 kt, complement 213; armament 3x3", 4x40mm, 8x20mm, 3x21" tt, 8 dcp, 1 dcp(hh), 2 dct; cl. Buckley. Headnote: Raby (DE-190) was renamed Baker on 3 September 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 213)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The online DANFS text ends at the 1968 striking with 'subsequently sold for scrap' - it carries no sale date, so 18 July 1969 is carried from secondary sources (ev-07). The narrative omits the 19-31 May 1944 England-group antisubmarine actions and the 23 January 1945 I-48 action, both documented elsewhere (ev-02, ev-03). Live NHHC pages (raby.html, raby-ii.html) return 404; verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-01
-
[3]The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (NHHC; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription), entry for 23 January 1945; corroborated by DANFS Conklin (DE-439) entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN Chronology 1945 chapter, 23 January entry; DANFS 'Conklin (DE-439)' narrative (ibiblio)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official record placing this hull in a documented combat action: '23 January, Tue. - Pacific: Destroyer escort Conklin (DE-439), supported by sisterships Corbesier (DE-438) and Raby (DE-698) sinks Japanese submarine I 48 (fresh from her unsuccessful kaiten mission to Ulithi), 25 miles off Yap, 09deg45'N, 138deg20'E.' DANFS for Conklin (DE-439) corroborates: on 25 January (sic; chronology dates the sinking 23 January) 'she headed a team including Corbesier (DE-438) and Raby (DE-698) in the sinking of another submarine, I-47' (sic - the submarine was I-48; I-47 survived the war; the discrepancy is logged in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-01-23
- Population
- Crew of Raby and of hunter-killer group ships Conklin DE-439 and Corbesier DE-438
- Limitations
- Documents this hull's presence and role in a documented ASW kill - vessel-history value only; contains no materials or asbestos information. The Conklin DANFS entry mislabels the victim I-47 and gives 25 January; the official chronology's I-48 / 23 January is carried (Conklin discrepancies logged).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-02
-
[4]CinCLant 'Analysis of Antisubmarine Action by USS England (DE-635)' and USS England action report, 19-31 May 1944 (transcriptions of official wartime action reports, uboatarchive.net); corroborated by DANFS England (DE-635) entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboatarchive.net England2A.htm (CinCLant analysis, distribution list naming CO USS RABY DE-698) and England2.htm (England action report, para. 2)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Transcribed official action reports place this hull in the hunter-killer group that made the first of USS England's six 1944 submarine kills: the CinCLant analysis subject line covers 'Anti-Submarine Coordinated Actions Including USS ENGLAND, USS GEORGE, USS RABY, USS SPANGLER, and USS HAZELWOOD of 19-31 May, 1944'; the England report narrates 19 May 1944 'in company with USS RABY (DE 698), and USS GEORGE (DE 697) with ComCortDiv 39 on GEORGE as OTC and ComCortDiv 40 on ENGLAND' - a three-ship scouting line (Raby, George, England, 400-yard intervals) at 05-10S/158-18E; Raby and George 'changed course and rejoined us, standing well clear, to render any assistance it might be necessary to give' during England's hedgehog runs that destroyed I-16. DANFS for England records the six-kill series (I-16 on 19 May; RO-106, RO-104, RO-116, RO-108; RO-105 shared with four other ships on 31 May) and the Presidential Unit Citation, without naming the escorts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-05-19 to 1944-05-31
- Population
- Crews of Raby, George DE-697, England DE-635, Spangler DE-696, Hazelwood DD-531
- Limitations
- uboatarchive.net is a private transcription host for official wartime documents - primary content, secondary host; the underlying action reports are NARA-held originals. Documents presence of this hull in the scouting line for the 19-31 May actions; kills are credited to England alone (shared RO-105) per DANFS - do not attribute submarine kills to this hull. Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan, OCR) + navypedia TE boiler-block map (DE693-705 = Combustion Engineering); Atlas buckley-class.class.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table (groups 2-3); navypedia us_de_te block map row DE693-705; class-f/buckley-class.class.json ev-buckley-class-01/02/04
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a Buckley-class (TE) destroyer escort built 1943 carried a full steam plant - two 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750F superheat (Combustion Engineering for the DE-693-705 Defoe construction block per navypedia) feeding GE turbo-electric machinery, 12,000 shp - one of only two DE designs with a steam plant and therefore among the most asbestos-relevant DE machinery types: boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, and deck coverings typical of 1943 construction.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1953
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; crew 1943-53
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No member-level asbestos record exists for any Buckley hull in the class profile's sweep; the boiler-manufacturer block map is navypedia-sourced and unverified against contract documents. Establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-04
-
[6]Batch-4476 search ledger (this record): DANFS via HyperWar/ibiblio; NavSource archive; official USN WWII chronology; uboatarchive action-report transcripts; NVR; Atlas shipyard dataset; NARA deck-log series lead; CourtListener sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-raby-de698-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-698: no hull ACM survey, no abatement or hazmat disclosure, no museum/owner documentation (hull sold for scrap 1969, nothing preserved), and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming the vessel was located in the CourtListener sweep. Consistent with the Buckley-class profile, which located no ship-specific asbestos record for any of the 148 built-to-design hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1943 construction-era materials are well documented at class level; NARA RG 19 contract files, General Information Books, and the yard-period records for the 1947 Mare Island overhaul and 1953 Philadelphia inactivation are undigitized. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (opinions type=o; RECAP dockets type=r) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-raby-de698-05/-06/-07/-08 (per-query results)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull: exact-name opinion query "USS Raby" returned 0 results; hull-number opinion query "DE-698" returned 2 hits, both non-qualifying number collisions - Price v. Simmons, 196 F. App'x 696 (10th Cir. 2006), a prisoner habeas petition, and Dewey J. O'Brien v. United States, 275 F.2d 696 (9th Cir. 1960), a Federal Tort Claims Act falling-tree case; neither references a vessel. Exact-name docket query "USS Raby" (type=r) returned 0 results. Bare-name asbestos-context opinion query "Raby" + asbestos returned 50 results, none containing 'Raby' in case name or snippet - loose-token matches to unrelated asbestos opinions, all non-qualifying. No qualifying asbestos litigation, no name-collision asbestos opinion, and no docket naming the vessel was located (see search_ledger for per-query status).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage bounded by fleet pacing budget - the "DE-698" docket query was blocked by the shared fleet pacing limiter at session time and is logged as such rather than retried into a ban; the bare 'Raby' asbestos query matched on tokens loosely and none of the 50 hits references the surname or the vessel, but full text of all hits was not pulled. A complaint alleging exposure aboard the hull could exist undigitized or under different naming (e.g., 'DEC-698'). Absence of located litigation is not proof none was filed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-06
-
[8]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Raby (DE 698) page (secondary compilation hosting official U.S. Navy photographs and the war-history scan link) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/06/698.htm - 'Building and Operational Data' block, spec block, photo captions DE-698-1599-47/-1597-47/-1595-47, CO roster; war-history link images/698/06698wh.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled building/operational data and official photo references for this hull: keel laid 7 Jun 1943 by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; named 22 Jun 1943; launched/christened 4 Sep 1943 sponsored by Mrs. James Joseph Raby; commissioned New Orleans 7 Dec 1943, Lcdr. J. Scott II; '23 January 1945: Raby, in company with Corbesier (DE 438) and Conklin (DE 439) sank the Japanese submarine I-48 off Yap'; war's-end assignment Pacific Fleet Cruiser-Destroyer Force, San Diego; reclassified DEC 698 2 Nov 1949; homeport San Diego to Norfolk Jan 1950; '22 December 1953: Decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla.' into Atlantic Reserve Fleet St. James River; DE-698 again 27 Dec 1957; Orange, Tex. reserve berthing 1960; struck NVR 1 Jun 1968; '18 July 1969: Sold for scrapping.' Official U.S. Navy photo captions DE-698-1599-47, DE-698-1597-47, and DE-698-1595-47 document the ship off Mare Island Naval Shipyard 25 August 1947 'in overhaul at the yard from 27 June to 08 September 1947' - a documented in-yard period at an asbestos-context naval shipyard. Spec block: TE (turbine-electric drive, 3-inch guns), 2 'D' Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, complement 15/198. CO roster: Lcdr. James Scott II (to ~Aug 1944), Lcdr. John Lathrop Slade Jr. USNR (to ~Sep 1945), Lt. John M. Regan USNR, Lcdr. Horatio N. Warren USNR, Lcdr. Gustave Albert Wolf, Lcdr. Thomas Chapin Buell, Lcdr. George Henry Rood (to ~Mar 1952). Page links the ship's official war's-end 'War History' scan (images/698/06698wh.jpg), which returned HTTP 500 to all retrieval attempts this session - content unretrieved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1969; page last updated 2020-04-09
- Population
- Mare Island Naval Shipyard overhaul workers Jun-Sep 1947; crew 1943-53; reserve-fleet caretakers 1953-68
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation citing official USN photographs - the compilation layer is not itself authoritative. The 18 July 1969 sale has no named buyer or scrapping site in any source searched; DANFS ends with 'subsequently sold for scrap' undated. War-history scan link exists but is unretrievable at this writing (host 500); CO roster is compilation-grade. Complement 15/198 totals 213, consistent with DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-raby-de698-07