USS RATHBURNE (DD-113)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]research packet is-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Rathburne (first of that name; "Rathburne" is DANFS's spelling — an incorrect spelling of Rathbun, also spelled Rathbourne/Rathburn/Rathbon); hull Destroyer No. 113 / DD-113; type destroyer, Wickes class

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-rathburne-dd113-pkt-is-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Rathburne I (APD-25) / DD-113 entry (live NHHC page serves 404; verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio incl. namesake biography, and hazegray mirror losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/destroy/dd113txt.htm) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry - spec block + namesake paragraph + full service narrative (ibiblio apd25.html; hazegray dd113txt.htm)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull (spec block: Destroyer No. 113; dp. 1,060; l. 314'6"; b. 31'; dr. 12'; s. 35k.; cpl. 133; a. 4 4", 2 3", 12 21" tt.; cl. Wickes). Namesake John Peck Rathbun, Continental Navy officer; DANFS notes 'Rathburne' is an incorrect spelling of Rathbun. Laid down 12 July 1917 by William Cramp & Sons' Co., Philadelphia; launched 27 December 1917, sponsored Miss Malinda B. Mull; commissioned 24 June 1918, Comdr. Ward R. Wortman. WWI: coastal convoys mid-Atlantic to Halifax and oceanic convoys to Azores, Jul-Nov 1918; last convoy New York 27 Nov; Cuba maneuvers 1919; Brest May-Jun 1919; Pacific Fleet Aug 1919; Puget Sound overhaul first half 1920; designated DD-113 July 1920; Washington/Gulf of Alaska Aug 1920-Jan 1921; California ops; Cavite/Asiatic Fleet Aug 1921-Jul 1922; China coast; Nagasaki 30 Aug 1922; San Francisco 2 Oct; decommissioned San Diego 12 February 1923; reserve fleet to 1930. Recommissioned 8 February 1930; eastern Pacific fleet exercises through 1933; Fleet Problem XV Caribbean spring 1934; West Coast Sound Training Squadron 1936; schoolship to spring 1944. Departed San Diego 25 April 1944 for Puget Sound conversion to high-speed transport; reclassified APD-25 20 May 1944; amphibious training San Diego June; Hawaii July; UDT 10 aboard 10 August; west 12 August. Peleliu/Angaur Sept 1944 (UDT 10 and UDT 8 support); Ulithi reconnaissance; Leyte Gulf 18-21 Oct (UDT 10 Red Beach 19 Oct, Dulag fire support, messenger runs); Lingayen Gulf Jan 1945 (TU 77.2.1, splashed two planes 5 Jan, UDT 10 Blue Beach 7 Jan); San Narciso 29 Jan; Saipan/Iwo Jima mail March; POWs to Guam; Kerama Retto 18 April; Hagushi 19 April; kamikaze hit port bow waterline ~2200 on 27 April - three compartments flooded, fires on forecastle, no casualties; Kerama Retto; temporary repairs by mid-May; San Diego 18 June; reconverted to destroyer, reclassified DD-113 20 July 1945. Sailed east 29 September; Philadelphia 16 October; decommissioned 2 November 1945; struck from Navy list 28 November [1945]; sold for scrapping to Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, November 1946. Six battle stars WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Cramp construction trades 1917-18; WWI and interwar crews (design complement 133); WWII crew and embarked UDT 10 personnel 1944-45

   Limitations

   DANFS documents namesake, construction, service chronology, reclassifications, striking, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. The '28th' striking date follows the 2 November 1945 decommissioning in the same sentence (i.e., 28 November 1945); Wikipedia's infobox reads 1946 - conflict logged in gaps. Mirror transcriptions cited because the live NHHC DANFS page returns 404 (standing NHHC link rot per BATCH-01).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-01

3. [3]NavSource Destroyer Photo Index DD-113 / APD-25 page (navsource.net/archives/05/113.htm) + Amphibious archive APD-25 page (navsource.net/archives/10/04/04025.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-113 page 'Operational and Building Data' block + machinery/spec block + CO list; APD-25 page CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource record for this hull: class Wickes; as built displacement 1,154 tons; dimensions 314'5" oa x 31'8" x 9'10" max; armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA (1 x 3"/23 AA in some ships), 12 x 21" tt; machinery '24,200 SHP; Geared Turbines, 2 screws'; speed 35 knots; crew 103. Operational/building data: laid down Cramp, Philadelphia 12 July 1917; launched 27 December 1917; commissioned 24 June 1918; decommissioned San Diego 12 February 1923; recommissioned 8 February 1930; reclassified high-speed transport APD-25 20 May 1944; reclassified back to DD-113 20 July 1945; decommissioned Philadelphia 2 November 1945 and berthed there until sale; stricken 28 November 1945; sold 21 November 1946 to Northern Metals, Philadelphia, and broken up for scrap. Commanding-officer list runs commissioning through 2 November 1945 (LCDR Lewis James Garfield final).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1946

   Population

   Crew (NavSource reads 103; DANFS design complement 133)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary archive consistent with DANFS on all carried dates; the machinery line and crew figure (103 vs DANFS cpl. 133) are NavSource's own compilation - variants logged in gaps. Sale date 21 November 1946 supplies the day DANFS omits; consistent with uboat.net ('Sold 21 November 1946').

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-02

4. [4]NARA Special List 44, named-vessel logbook inventory (archives.gov) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov SL44 'Rathburne (DD-113)' rows (two coverage ranges)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA named-vessel logbook inventory lists 'Rathburne (DD-113)' twice: coverage 6/24/1918-2/13/1923 (commissioning through first decommissioning) and 2/8/1930-11/2/1945 (recommissioning through final decommissioning) - deck logs spanning both commissioned periods including the 1944 APD conversion and 1945 combat damage/repairs.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1918-1945

   Limitations

   Archival lead only - logbooks are unpulled; contents are vessel-movement/administrative logs that could corroborate yard periods and (at most) incident-level repair entries, not material specifications. Retrieval not performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-03

5. [5]Wickes-class machinery block map (naval-encyclopedia.com, secondary compilation) + NavSource DD-113 machinery line + destroyerhistory.org flush-deck class page [other_primary]

   Locator

   naval-encyclopedia Wickes machinery block map ('DD113 to 118, 125 to 130, 142 to 160: Two Parsons geared steam turbines, four White-Forster boilers'); NavSource DD-113 machinery line; destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck class description

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a 1917-18 Cramp-built Wickes-class flush-deck destroyer with the class-standard steam plant - four water-tube boilers feeding geared steam turbines driving two shafts (24,200 shp per NavSource, 35 kt per DANFS); the naval-encyclopedia block map assigns DD-113-118/125-130/142-160 two Parsons geared turbines + four White-Forster boilers (secondary, unverified against contract documents). Steam warships of the WWI emergency building program carried era-standard insulation and lagging on boilers, turbines, steam lines, valve and flange gaskets, and machinery packing; the documented May 1944 Puget Sound conversion to a high-speed transport (flush-deck APD pattern: two stacks/boilers removed, troop berthing and four LCVP davits added, armament rearranged) is the kind of yard event that disturbs insulation, as are the 1920 Puget Sound overhaul, the 1945 battle-damage repairs, and the 1945 Philadelphia inactivation.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1917-1945

   Population

   Cramp construction trades 1917-18; Puget Sound yard workers 1920 and 1944; crew 1918-1923, 1930-1945

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record supports 'documented aboard this hull' wording; establishes no quantities, no locations, and no individual exposure. WWI-era (1917-18) material practice is less documented than the WWII program; whether insulation aboard this hull contained asbestos at all is unverified. Boiler/turbine manufacturers secondary-sourced. No conversion work package or bill of material located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-04

6. [6]Atlas shipyards.json records for puget-sound-naval-shipyard (tier 1) and philadelphia-naval-shipyard (tier 3) - internal dataset, shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json (no public URL); yard-level documentation for the yards tied to this hull [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipyards.json yard_id puget-sound-naval-shipyard and philadelphia-naval-shipyard; DANFS conversion/inactivation narrative

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Yard-level context for the Navy yards tied to this hull: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton) hosted this hull's first-half-1920 overhaul and its April-May 1944 conversion to APD-25 (DANFS: 'departed San Diego for Puget Sound and conversion to a high-speed transport'); the yard is tier-1 in the Atlas dataset with documented asbestos conditions including fiber measurements of 40-150 fibers/cc during rip-out operations and cohort findings (pulmonary abnormalities in 21% of pipe coverers/insulators). Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is the probable venue of the October-November 1945 inactivation/decommissioning (DANFS reads only 'arrived at Philadelphia'); that yard is tier-3 in the dataset with named-product documentation (Unibestos, Kaylo, Thermasil, Garlock gaskets/packing), documented litigation (Merwitz 2014), and OSHA 1989 asbestos citations. Builder William Cramp & Sons is NOT in the yard dataset - carried in gaps.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1920-1945 (yard events); yard documentation 1970s-1989

   Population

   Puget Sound NSY trades 1920 and 1944; Philadelphia NSY trades 1945

   Limitations

   Yard-level records only - they document conditions at the yards, not aboard this hull. Philadelphia Naval Shipyard attribution for the 1945 inactivation is probable-not-certain (DANFS/NavSource say 'Philadelphia' without naming the facility); Puget Sound Navy Yard as the 1944 conversion facility is strongly implied by DANFS ('for Puget Sound and conversion') but the facility name is not printed - both logged in gaps. No element of this row is evidence of asbestos aboard DD-113/APD-25.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-05

7. [7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - program-level context [gao]

   Locator

   GAO HRD-80-2 (Oct 1979)

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy's standing asbestos-removal policy dates from 1975 (remove asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). This hull was sold for scrap in November 1946 - decades before any standing Navy asbestos-control program, before OSHA's asbestos standard, and before disposal hazmat documentation practices - so no U.S.-custody abatement or disposal-phase material record is expected to exist for this hull, and none was located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1979 policy era vs. 1917-1946 U.S. custody of this hull

   Limitations

   Program-level context only - GAO HRD-80-2 does not name this hull or class; it bounds what documentation could exist, it does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard. gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches; product-page description relied on per BATCH-01 standing note.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-06

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS Rathburne' / 'Rathburne' / 'DD-113' / 'APD-25' (authenticated, cl-auth-search.py); sole name hit: Estate of Wenzel v. Seaward Marine Services, Inc., 709 F.2d 1326 (9th Cir. 1983), CourtListener opinion 420006 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener type=o ('USS Rathburne' 1; 'U.S.S. Rathburne' 0; 'aboard the Rathburne' 0; 'DD-113' 0; 'APD-25' 0; 'Rathburne' 902 surname); type=r ('USS Rathburne' 1 = Gerads 3:23-cv-03672; 'Rathburne asbestos' 30 = Gerads + MDL-875 master + bankruptcy/service-list noise); Gerads docket_id 68013233, opinion cluster 9691103

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener sweeps complete - no qualifying litigation names this hull; every vessel-name hit resolves to the second Rathburne (FF-1057) or to surname collisions. Opinion index: '"USS Rathburne"' = 1 hit - Estate of Wenzel v. Seaward Marine Services, Inc., 709 F.2d 1326 (9th Cir. 1983), opinion 420006 - NON-QUALIFYING twice over: (a) name collision (Navy hull-cleaning contract 1979-82, fatal dive 3 Oct 1980 - the only Rathburne then in commission was the frigate FF-1057; DD-113 was scrapped by 1947); (b) not asbestos litigation (Jones Act/LHWCA seaman-status dispute over a diver's asphyxiation scraping the frigate's sea chests). '"U.S.S. Rathburne"' = 0; '"aboard the Rathburne"' = 0; '"DD-113"' = 0; '"APD-25"' = 0; bare 'Rathburne' = 902 hits, person-surname collisions (Rathburn v. United States, Disciplinary Counsel v. Rathburn, etc.). Docket index: '"USS Rathburne"' type=r = 1 hit - Gerads v. 84 Lumber Co. et al., No. 3:23-cv-03672 (S.D. Ill., filed 2023-11-13, 'P.I.: Asbestos', Judge Yandle) - asbestos personal-injury action in which the complaint alleges exposure aboard 'USS Preble and USS Rathburne'; NON-QUALIFYING for this hull by service-date collision: the district court's published Memorandum and Order of 8 May 2024 (denying 12(b)(6) motions of Redco, Hercules, GE, TKD; CourtListener cluster 9691103) recites that 'Gerads was next exposed to asbestos while serving as a boiler technician in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Preble and USS Rathburne from 1968 through 1972' - a window in which the only commissioned USS Rathburne was the Knox-class frigate FF-1057 (DE-1057 until 1975; DDG-46 Preble was likewise a 1960s Pearl Harbor-homeported ship). 'Rathburne asbestos' type=r = 30 hits - Gerads plus MDL-875 master-docket index, bankruptcy mass-docket/service-list noise (W.R. Grace 01-01139, Bestwall, Motors Liquidation, LTL, GUE, DPH, Ditech, OldCo/Coltec, Winn-Dixie, Coastline Care), surname matches, and unrelated dockets - all non-qualifying for DD-113.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1968-1972 (Gerads alleged exposure, frigate era); 1980-1983 (Wenzel); sweep run 2026-09-26

   Population

   Kenneth Wenzel (civilian diver, fatality aboard FF-1057 1980); James Gerads (USN boiler technician 1968-1972 aboard USS Preble DDG-46 and USS Rathburne FF-1057)

   Limitations

   Coverage complete for both name stylings, aboard-the-ship phrasing, both hull numbers, and the bare surname in the opinion index, plus exact-name and surname+asbestos docket queries. 'Rathburne' is a person surname AND the name of a second ship (FF-1057, in commission 1970-1992) - the two vessel-name hits located (Wenzel 1983 opinion; Gerads 2023 docket) both resolve to the frigate era, not DD-113; they are classified as collisions, not silently counted. Gerads remains a pleading-stage allegation for FF-1057 in any event - it alleges, never adjudicates, exposure. A negative sweep does not exclude unindexed dockets, unreported settlements, or state-court matters outside RECAP.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-07

9. [9]Batch-3121 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray + HyperWar/ibiblio, NavSource DD-113/APD-25 archives, NARA Special List 44, Naval Vessel Register DD-113/APD-25 detail pages, NPS/HAER probes, CourtListener sweeps, marketing-list sweep [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-rathburne-dd113-01 through sl-uss-rathburne-dd113-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-113/APD-25: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or docketed asbestos case naming the vessel was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was sold for scrap in November 1946 - before the Navy's documented asbestos-control program era (GAO HRD-80-2: standing removal policy dates from 1975), before OSHA's asbestos standard, and before disposal hazmat documentation practices - so no U.S.-custody abatement or disposal-phase material record is expected to exist.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1917-18 steam-plant hull is consistent with era insulation materials retained through its service life and wartime yard events. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-rathburne-dd113-08