Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet kj-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: Ramsden; hull DE-382; destroyer escort, Edsall class (diesel; 1,253 std tons; 21 knots) [VIA-WP] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ramsden
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ramsden-de382-pkt-kj-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Ramsden (DE-382) - older edition verbatim transcription via hazegray mirror (losthistory.net); current January 2016 edition verbatim transcription via Tin Can Sailors destroyers.org. Live NHHC page returns 404. [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray danfs/escorts/de382.htm (namesake + spec block + service narrative); destroyers.org/ships/de-382/ 'Ship History' (Jan 2016 ed., incl. Disposition note)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 26 March 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Corp., Houston, Tex.; launched 24 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. James L. Ramsden; commissioned 19 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Madacey, USCG, in command - a Coast Guard-manned Navy ship assigned to CortDiv 23. Shakedown off Bermuda; convoy NY-47 to the Canal Zone 19 December 1943; UGS-30 Casablanca; UGS-36 Bizerte (10 March 1944); Luftwaffe attack 0405-0420 on 1 April 1944 - five aircraft lost, one to Ramsden's guns; Tunisia 3 April; Casco Bay availability; seven North Atlantic convoys to UK and France. Pacific transfer via Panama Canal 18 June 1945; Adak 8 July; Attu 15 July; plane guard to war's end; Ominato Ko 9 September 1945; Okinawa 25 November; Tsingtao 11 December; occupation support to 11 February 1946; decommissioned Green Cove Springs 13 June 1946. USCG WDE-382 recommissioned 28 March 1952, Honolulu air-sea rescue patrol two years; decommissioned San Diego 10 April 1954, Navy Reserve Fleet 28 June 1954. DER conversion at Long Beach from 19 October 1956; redesignated DER-382 1 November 1956; recommissioned 10 December 1957; Pearl Harbor homeport, barrier patrol Midway to the Aleutians to spring 1960; decommissioned 23 June 1960, Pacific Reserve Fleet. Older edition ends 'into 1974, remains with that fleet, berthed at Stockton'; current edition adds: stricken 1 August 1974, expended in support of a fleet training exercise 1 January 1975. One battle star WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; USCG-manned wartime crew (DANFS design complement 186); USCG crews 1952-54; DER crews 1957-60; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-52, 1954-56, 1960-74
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim transcriptions cited (hazegray = older edition ending at 1974 in-mothballs; Tin Can Sailors = January 2016 edition adding the 1974-08-01 striking and 1975-01-01 target expenditure). DANFS spec block reads '12 21-in tt.' for torpedo armament - inconsistent with the Edsall-class single triple 21-inch mount shown by NavSource; treated as a transcription artifact, armament detail not asserted beyond the spec block.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for RAMSDEN, DE382 (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 256-257) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 roster row 274, RAMSDEN DE382 (book pp. 256-257; shipscribe scan PDF p. 138)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull (roster row 274): RAMSDEN, official number DE382, design group FMR; built by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; contract price of hull and machinery $2,183,000 (superscript 3 = cost plus fixed fee per 'Notes and Definitions'); contract signed 7 August 1942; keel laid March 26, 1943; ship launched May 24, 1943; contract date of completion September 10, 1943; date of preliminary acceptance October 18, 1943; date of first commission October 19, 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Corp. construction trades, Houston, Tex., 1943
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. All dates concur with DANFS. Row read from the scanned page image (no text layer in the PDF).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 4 / FMR (shipscribe.com scan; book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-4 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table for the class: design group 4 (symbol FMR - Fairbanks-Morse diesel reverse-gear drive) - 306 ft oa, 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,200 t standard / 1,590 t full load; 21 kt; machinery 4 Fairbanks-Morse model 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines, 6,000 shp, 2 shafts; boilers 'None'; 2 diesel ship's-service generators (100 kW, A.C.); accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted; armament 3 x 3 in/50 cal. D.P. Documents that the FMR design carried a diesel plant with no boilers or steam system.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- FMR-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole FMR group (85 hulls), not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. Table read from scanned page images; row verified in the batch-4037 USS Edsall (DE-129) record against the same source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-03
-
[5]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Ramsden (DE 382) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, commanding-officer roster, photo captions with NARA photo numbers; Wayback capture 2025-01-21 - live page fetch failed) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/382.htm specifications + building-and-operational-data blocks + photo captions + CO roster (Wayback 2025-01-21 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: FMR type; displacement 1,200 t light / 1,590 t full; 4 Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8 geared diesels, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; complement 8/201. Keel 26 March 1943 Brown Shipbuilding Houston; launched 24 May 1943; commissioned 19 October 1943 at the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co. dock, Capt. D. C. Redgrave USN Supervisor of Shipbuilding officiating; decommissioned Green Cove Springs 13 June 1946; loaned to USCG 28 March 1952; decommissioned San Diego 10 April 1954; DER conversion begun at Long Beach Naval Shipyard 19 October 1956; reclassified DER-382 1 November 1956; decommissioned San Francisco 23 June 1960; struck from the NVR 1 August 1974 with 7 years 2 2/3 months total service; sunk as target, date unknown. Photo captions: NARA 80-G-313021 (3 April 1945, New York Bay - entered New York Navy Yard 21 March 1945 for voyage repairs, alterations, training, recreation; moored Earle Naval Ammunition Depot same day); NARA Riverside 195295 (10 December 1957 recommissioning at Long Beach Naval Shipyard); July 1973 moorage at the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Mare Island Naval Shipyard. CO roster (Wolfgang Hechler): Madacey USCG 19 Oct 1943-4 Mar 1944; Baketel USCGR to 26 Mar 1945; Winter USCGR to 7 Oct 1945; Welton USCG to 13 Jun 1946; Van Pelt 10 Dec 1957-5 Feb 1959; Clifford to 23 Jun 1960.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Wartime USCG crew (NavSource complement 8 officers/201 enlisted); USCG 1952-54; DER crews 1957-60
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB where they overlap. NavSource's own data line reads 'recommissioned ... 22 October 1957' while its photo caption and CO roster date recommissioning 10 December 1957 (agreeing with DANFS) - conflict carried in gaps; its 'WDE 482' contradicts DANFS and the USCG Historian roster (WDE-382) - carried in gaps. Contributed photo captions are unattributed detail. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-04
-
[6]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, Cutters (65 ft or greater) roster - '306' Edsall Class (WDE)' listing USCGC RAMSDEN (WDE-382) [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil cutter index, '306' Edsall Class (WDE)' group listing (reproduced on multiple roster pages incl. ?Page=4 and tag pages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official USCG Historian's cutter roster lists this hull as USCGC RAMSDEN (WDE-382) within the 306-foot Edsall-class WDE group - where each cutter's WDE number matches its Navy DE number (Newell WDE-322, Falgout WDE-324, Lowe WDE-325, Finch WDE-328, Koiner WDE-331, Forster WDE-334, Ramsden WDE-382, Richey WDE-385, Vance WDE-387, Durant WDE-389, Chambers WDE-391). Confirms the Coast Guard loan period (1952-1954) and that the official hull designation is WDE-382, matching DANFS - correcting the 'WDE-482' propagated by NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, USNI Proceedings reunion listings, and veteran reunion sites.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1952-1954
- Population
- USCG crew, 1952-1954
- Limitations
- Roster entry documents the official designation and loan period only - no service detail, materials, or asbestos content. The widespread WDE-482 variant is recorded as a documented source conflict (gaps) rather than silently reconciled; whether an early WDE-4xx assignment existed briefly before renumbering is unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-05
-
[7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row (no boilers; F.M. diesel) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-pattern precedent for diesel-powered escorts [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-4 row (machinery, 'None' in boiler columns); cf. cannon-class profile ev-cannon-class-03 and batch-4037 ev-uss-edsall-de129-06 (same diesel-DE application set)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1943 would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust-system insulation and lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Because the FMR plant has no boilers or steam lines (SDB 1945 design-group-4 machinery row), the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply to this design.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; crew 1943-46, 1952-54, 1957-60; reserve-fleet maintenance 1946-52, 1954-56, 1960-74
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-382 was located; this establishes era-consistent expectation for the type, not that any specific material went aboard this hull. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. Builder yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex.) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached for construction; documented Navy-shipyard periods (New York Navy Yard voyage repairs 1945; Long Beach NSY DER conversion 1956-57) are events without recorded asbestos scope.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-06
-
[8]Keri Heath, 'World War II-era vessels in Galveston to undergo asbestos abatement', Galveston Daily News, 27 July 2020 (citation re-verified in class-f gato-class profile and batch-4037 ev-uss-edsall-de129-07, accessed 2026-09-16/28) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- galvnews.com article_c2c77857, 27 Jul 2020
- Finding type
- abatement_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos aboard a preserved Edsall-class sister hull built by the SAME yard: the Galveston Daily News reported asbestos in public areas of USS Stewart (DE-238) and USS Cavalla (SS-244) at Seawolf Park, with contractor Separation Systems Consultants approved to proceed with abatement; the Galveston Park Board cited U.S. Navy inspection recommendations that an asbestos survey be conducted. USS Stewart (DE-238) is a Brown Shipbuilding, Houston-built Edsall-class hull - class- and builder-level corroboration that Edsall-class construction carried asbestos-containing material.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2020
- Population
- Museum staff/volunteers and Seawolf Park visitors; abatement crews
- Limitations
- Evidence about a sister hull (DE-238), NOT this hull: same class and same builder but a museum-hull lifecycle DE-382 never had (DE-382 was sunk as a target in 1975). Documents asbestos aboard one Edsall-class ship as delivered/preserved; establishes nothing about DE-382's materials, quantity, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - DE-382 (built 1943; DER conversion at a Navy shipyard 1956-57) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction and overhaul.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description. Says nothing about this specific hull or any diesel-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-08
-
[10]NARA holdings for this hull: WWII war diary 'USS RAMSDEN - War Diary, 9/1-30/44' (National Archives Catalog id 134368733, RG CNO WWII War Diaries, via DPLA item dc00f7101efd063d724f32ce54bd5729, micro serial 89293, serial 10, file A12-1/A16-3) + digitized DER-era deck logs October 1957-June 1960 (Bureau of Naval Personnel Logbooks collection, e.g. May 1959 = catalog id 181799032; NARA online deck-log list entry 'Ramsden (DER-382)') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' page, Ramsden (DER-382) entry (Oct 1957-Jun 1960 links); DPLA item for the 1944 war diary
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized primary records exist for this hull and are identifiable: a September 1944 war diary (transmitted to CNO under the WWII war-diary program) and the complete DER-commissioning deck-log run October 1957 through June 1960 are digitized in the National Archives Catalog. These are the strongest available primary-source leads for any future hull-level materials survey; neither was opened for materials content in this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944; 1957-1960
- Limitations
- Existence and digitization status verified; contents unsurveyed - no claim is made that either record contains materials or insulation information. WWII-era (1943-46) deck logs and the USCG-era (1952-54) logs are NOT in the digitized inventory; Archives II textual reference (archives2reference@nara.gov) is the path for those plus RG 19 BuShips construction records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Ramsden' / 'DE-382' / 'Ramsden asbestos' (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results 2026-09-28: 'USS Ramsden' type=o count=0, type=r count=0; 'DE-382' type=o count=20 (all ECF false positives); 'Ramsden asbestos' type=o count=6 (all surname/term collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names this hull. Opinion sweep '"USS Ramsden"' (type=o): 0 hits. Docket sweep '"USS Ramsden"' (type=r): 0 hits - no docketed case names the ship. Hull-number sweep '"DE-382"' (type=o): 20 hits, all ECF document-entry-number false positives (e.g., 'Order of Reference (DE 382)' in Foley v. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and similar unrelated opinions); zero vessel or asbestos references among them - non-qualifying. Supplemental 'Ramsden asbestos' (type=o): 6 hits, all name collisions - the Idaho law firm Ramsden, Marfice, Ealy & Harris appearing as counsel (Barrett v. Hecla Mining, Marek v. Hecla) and unrelated full-text term hits (State v. Lead Industries, St. Louis Safe Deposit, etc.) - non-qualifying.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep coverage is the CourtListener opinion + RECAP docket indexes only; state-court dockets not mirrored, PACER-only filings, and settled/undocketed claims are outside it. 'No result' does not prove no claim was ever filed - it proves no indexed opinion or docket names the hull. The 'DER-382' supplemental sweep could not be completed in this session (fleet-wide hourly budget spent - see ledger sl-09) and remains an open lead; the hull's final decommissioning (1960) predates the asbestos-litigation era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-10
-
[12]Batch-4280 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions (hazegray older ed.; Tin Can Sailors Jan 2016 ed.); NavSource archive page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 roster and design table (scan); USCG Historian cutter roster; GAO product page; NARA digitized deck-log inventory + DPLA war-diary item; VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-uss-ramsden-de382-04 through sl-uss-ramsden-de382-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ramsden-de382-01 through sl-uss-ramsden-de382-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-382: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was stricken 1 August 1974 and expended as a target 1 January 1975, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for sister hull Stewart (DE-238). The only 'asbestos' hits naming USS Ramsden (DE-382) in general web search are law-firm marketing listicles that enumerate every WWII hull (e.g., Shepard O'Donnell shipyard-page hull list) - non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules. A VA/BVA decision sweep returned a USS Ramsey (DEG-2/FFG-2) asbestos claim - a different ship, name collision only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof of absence aboard - 1943 escort construction and a 1956-57 Navy-shipyard conversion fall inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and same-builder sister hull DE-238 carried documented asbestos. Deck logs (RG 24 - DER era digitized; WWII and USCG eras at Archives II), the 1944 war diary, and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) are unsurveyed leads. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ramsden-de382-11