Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet ja-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-reuben-james-dd245-pkt-ja-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Reuben James I (DD-245), current revision (HyperWar verbatim transcription; live NHHC page serves 404 - standing NHHC link rot); older DANFS edition transcribed at hazegray.org (Wayback capture http://web.archive.org/web/20241209155221/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd245txt.htm) supplies the 1921-22 itinerary detail (Zelenika/Gruz, Le Havre Olympia ceremonies, Danzig ARA) and reads 'Haines'/'115 died' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry - current revision via HyperWar dd245.html; older edition via hazegray dd245txt.htm (Wayback); specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 2 April 1919, launched 4 October 1919, commissioned 24 September 1920 (CDR Gordon W. Hines [sic - 'Haines' in older edition] in command); Clemson-class four-stack destroyer. Atlantic Fleet service - older edition details the 1921-22 itinerary: Newport to Zelenika Yugoslavia (arr. 18 December 1920), Adriatic/Mediterranean refugee and postwar-investigation work from Zelenika and Gruz, Le Havre ceremonies for the return of the Unknown Soldier aboard Olympia (October 1921), American Relief Administration support at Danzig 29 October 1921 - 3 February 1922, departed Gibraltar 17 July 1922; Nicaragua patrol 1926; decommissioned Philadelphia 20 January 1931; recommissioned 9 March 1932; Cuban waters 1933-34; San Diego 1934; returned to Atlantic Fleet January 1939; Neutrality Patrol from September 1939; convoy escort force from March 1941 based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland. Sailed from Argentia 23 October 1941 escorting convoy HX-156; torpedoed at about 0525 on 31 October 1941 by 'U-562' [printed error - corrected to U-552 by NHHC H-Gram 001 and NavSource]; magazine exploded and ship sank quickly; 44 survived, 100 died; first U.S. Navy ship sunk by hostile action in WWII. Niblack's own DANFS entry (DD-424) independently confirms her as one of the four escorts and reads 'Only 45 survivors were picked up' - consistent with the 45-name survivor list in ev-02.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1941
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades 1919-20; crew 1920-1941 (DANFS spec complement 144)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specs, not materials or asbestos content. Its printed 'U-562' is a known error (actual attacker U-552 per NHHC H-Gram 001). Its casualty line (44 survived / 100 died) conflicts with the older DANFS edition and NavSource (115 died); see ev-02 primary casualty enumeration and gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-01
-
[3]Commanding Officer, Receiving Ship New York, to Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, 'Personnel of U.S.S. Reuben James,' 5 December 1941, with Enclosures (A) survivors list and (B) dead list (Navy personnel casualty report; HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar USN/ships/logs/DD/dd245-cas.html - cover letter + Enclosure A (survivors) and Enclosure B (lost) name lists
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous Navy personnel record for this hull's loss: the 5 December 1941 BuNav-bound report transmits a survivors list of 45 names (44 annotated 'Rescued'; two noted as seriously injured - Thompson and Turnbull; one name, Zapasnik, lacks the rescue annotation) and a 'List of Personnel Lost' naming 7 officers - headed by LCDR Heywood Lane Edwards, commanding - and 92 enlisted men (99 total, per name count of the transcribed list). Establishes the size and composition of the wartime crew aboard at loss and that all officers died.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941
- Population
- 144 aboard at loss per reconciled accounting (143 crew + 1 passenger): 44 enlisted survivors, ~99-100 dead including CO
- Limitations
- Personnel casualty documentation only - contains no materials or asbestos information. The enumerated dead (99 names) conflict with the 100- and 115-death figures in DANFS revisions and secondary compilations; secondary accounts describe one additional enlisted passenger aboard, which would reconcile to 100 (see gaps). HyperWar transcription may contain OCR/spelling artifacts; the underlying document is a NARA-held record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-02
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[4]NHHC H-Gram 001 (Director's Corner, published 16 April 2020), 'Neutrality Patrol' section (Wayback capture; live NHHC page 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- H-Gram 001, section 2 'Neutrality Patrol' (paragraph on 31 October 1941)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC H-Gram identifies the attacking submarine as U-552 (correcting the 'U-562' printed in DANFS), states the torpedo was 'intended for a merchant ship (so said the Germans),' that it detonated the forward magazine and sank the ship within 5 minutes, and gives the crew as 136 enlisted and seven officers of whom 44 enlisted and no officers survived. Also establishes context: the undeclared Atlantic naval war preceding Pearl Harbor (Niblack depth-charging April 1941; Greer/U-652 September 1941; Kearny torpedoed 17 October 1941).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941
- Population
- Crew at loss: 136 enlisted + 7 officers
- Limitations
- Authoritative NHHC summary but a secondary narrative, not a contemporaneous document; its crew accounting (143 aboard, 99 lost) implies 99 dead, one short of DANFS's 100 - reconciled via the 'one enlisted passenger' figure in secondary accounts (see gaps). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-03
-
[5]NavSource Naval History destroyer archive, USS Reuben James (DD-245) page (machinery/spec line, CO list, NHHC and NARA photograph captions incl. NH 6455 and NARA 80-G-391561/391562) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-245 page - spec block, fate line, photo caption grid, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource/NHHC-photo-archive record for this hull: Clemson class; machinery '26,500 SHP; Geared Turbines, 2 screws'; 35 kt; built by New York Shipbuilding (laid down 2 April 1919, launched 4 October 1919); sunk by U-552 south of Iceland 31 October 1941. Photo captions from NHHC/NARA collections document the Camden Wet Basin fitting-out (28 September 1920, alongside Childs, McFarland, Sturtevant, Williamson, Sands, Lawrence, Hopkins, Bainbridge, Goff, Barry), launch sponsor Miss Helen Strauss, recommissioning at Philadelphia Navy Yard 9 March 1932, and grounding at Lobos Cay, Cuba, 30 November 1939 (NARA 80-G-391561/391562). CO list gives LCDR Heywood Lane Edwards in command 6 April 1940 - 31 October 1941.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1941
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding fitting-out trades September 1920; Philadelphia Navy Yard recommissioning workforce 1932; crew 1920-1941
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-run archive hosting official NHHC/NARA photographs - the images and captions are primary; header spec/loss lines are compilations (its '115 lost' casualty figure conflicts with primary accounting; its 'commissioned September 20 1920' header conflicts with the DANFS 24 September date its own photo caption repeats). Machinery detail omits boiler count. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-04
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[6]DANFS specifications block (Clemson class; geared-turbine steam plant per NavSource line) + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'new-york-shipbuilding' (yard-level asbestos product documentation incl. 85% magnesia insulation, asbestos gaskets, packing, Transite panels) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json record 'new-york-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Clemson-class flush-decker completed 1919-20 at New York Shipbuilding (Camden) with a four-boiler, geared-turbine steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos thermal insulation - magnesia block/lagging (period 85% magnesia was typically asbestos-felted), boiler and steam-line insulation, gaskets, packing, and related products. Builder yard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 1) with a specific asbestos product list including Ehret Magnesia 85% Magnesia insulation, Pabco Six-Ply Super Caltemp block, Johns-Manville Transite panels, asbestos gaskets and packing materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1941
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction/fitting-out trades 1919-20; Navy crew and overhaul-yard workers 1920-1941
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific finding. The yard dataset documents products in use at New York Shipbuilding, not their installation on this specific hull. Hull-level construction specifications (which would confirm specific insulation materials) were not retrieved; see archival-lead row ev-07.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-05
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[7]Sunken Military Craft Act (Pub. L. 108-375, Title XIV, secs. 1401-1408; 10 U.S.C. 113 note), implemented at 32 CFR Part 767; SECNAVINST 5360.6 (11 July 2018), Human Remains Associated with Sunken Military Craft [other_primary]
- Locator
- 32 CFR 767.3 (definitions), 767.5 (policy); SECNAVINST 5360.6 paras. 1-3
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- This hull's wreck is a 'United States sunken military craft' as defined in 32 CFR 767.3 - a sunken warship owned or operated by the United States on military noncommercial service when it sank. NHHC is the DON steward and permitting authority for such craft; the remains of the ~99-100 dead within the wrecksite are covered by SECNAVINST 5360.6 policy recognizing the sea as the crew's final resting place. Regulatory consequence: the hull will not be salvaged, surveyed for hazardous materials, or abated; no post-loss shipboard-materials documentation can arise.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2004-present (regulatory); wrecksite since 1941-10-31
- Limitations
- Establishes wreck custody and why no asbestos documentation is expected; contains no asbestos or materials information itself. The wreck's precise position is unsurveyed; the regulatory status applies regardless of survey state.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-06
-
[8]Independence Seaport Museum (J. Welles Henderson Archives), New York Shipbuilding Corporation records 1895-1967 (~6,500 photographs, ~70 specification books, contract data sheets, hull drawings); Camden County Historical Society New York Shipbuilding collection (blueprint series incl. Navy design-yard work) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Penn/Philadelphia Area Archives finding aids ISM.NYSB.ISM and ISM.NYSB.WARD; cchsnj.org/newyorkship
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival repositories holding builder's records for this hull's shipyard: the Independence Seaport Museum's New York Shipbuilding collection includes ~70 specification books, contract data sheets, hull drawings/blueprints, and launch/commissioning records from the builder's files; the Camden County Historical Society holds a complementary NY Shipbuilding archive including the blueprint series. A hull-level specification book for DD-245, if retained, would itemize insulation and gasket materials as specified.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1919-1920 (construction records)
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding construction trades (potential)
- Limitations
- Lead only - no DD-245-specific specification book was located or retrieved; collection finding aids do not index individual hulls to destroyer-number granularity. NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 24 (Bureau of Navigation personnel records, incl. the casualty report transcribed at ev-02) are the parallel federal leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweep (see search_ledger sl-06 through sl-08): opinion and RECAP-docket index searches for the exact ship name and hull number [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search, type=o queries "USS Reuben James" / "Reuben James" asbestos / "DD-245"; type=r docket queries (see search_ledger)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation attributable to this hull was located. Opinion search '"USS Reuben James"' returned two opinions, both Magneson v. Mabus (D.D.C., 85 F. Supp. 3d 221 (2015) and 174 F. Supp. 3d 114 (2016)) - military-records-correction suits against the Secretary of the Navy, not asbestos cases; the ship reference is to the later namesake (FFG-57 era service). '"Reuben James" asbestos' and '"DD-245"' returned zero opinion hits. Docket-index search returned four hits: Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. (N.D. Cal. 3:08-cv-03013) is genuine asbestos litigation in which the phrase 'Reuben James' appears in docketed document text - resolved on document review to the DE-153 namesake frame (alleged 1974-84 Norfolk Naval Shipyard work; DD-245 was already 33 years sunk), a name collision documented at ev-10; Magneson v. Mabus (D.D.C.) is other litigation / FFG-57-era collision; United States v. Riley (D.N.H. criminal) and Circuit City Stores (Bankr. E.D. Va.) are name collisions, not asbestos. Hull-number docket sweep '"DD-245"' returned 22 hits, all unrelated civil dockets where the token is OCR/form-field noise on scanned documents - no asbestos or naval-vessel reference.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (sweep)
- Limitations
- Coverage limited to CourtListener's opinion and RECAP-docket indexes; state-court filings and non-digitized records are not captured. A 1941-loss hull has a compressed litigation window anyway (crew served 1920-41; asbestos claims surfaced decades later against product manufacturers and would not necessarily name the vessel). Absence of a docketed naming is recorded as a negative finding, not proof no claim ever existed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-08
-
[10]Batch-3243 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC, NPS NRHP (not applicable - no designation), NVR, NavSource/NH photo archive, BuNav casualty report via HyperWar, NHHC H-Gram, VA BVA decision index, CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-reuben-james-dd245-01 through sl-uss-reuben-james-dd245-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, NPS/HAER documentation, or docketed case naming DD-245 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). A 1941 combat loss leaves no post-service hull to survey; the wreck is a protected war grave.
- 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 - 1920-era steam-plant construction makes period asbestos-containing insulation plausible at class/era level (see ev-05). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-09
-
[11]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Company, No. 3:08-cv-03013-JSW (N.D. Cal., filed 2008-06-18, terminated 2009-02-02); removed from San Francisco Superior Court case CGC-08-274617 under the federal-officer removal statute; suitNature 368 P.I. : Asbestos [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket 4174328; declaration of Charles R. Cushing, doc 22 (gov.uscourts.cand.204462.22.0), paras. 3 and 8; matching RECAP docs also include entry_nos. 1 and 20
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Exact-name docket hit resolved to a namesake hull - NOT this ship. Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co. is genuine asbestos litigation (plaintiffs alleged decedent Ronald Redman's fatal asbestos cancer was contributed to by work on Viad/Griscom-Russell marine distilling plants sold to the U.S. Navy; removed under 28 U.S.C. 1442(a)(1); remand denied, orders of 2008-09-30 (2008 WL 4447729) and 2008-11-25 (2008 WL 5048205)). The 'Reuben James' match is inside the Charles R. Cushing declaration (doc 22), which states plaintiffs alleged the decedent 'was exposed to asbestos while working at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 1974 through 1984 aboard the USS John King, the USS DuPont, the USS Ingraham, the USS Kearny, and the USS Reuben James.' Cushing identifies that vessel as 'the USS Reuben James (DE-153)' and argues the allegation is temporally impossible: DE-153 was 'sunk as a target on March 1, 1971' before the 1974 start, and FFG-57 was not commissioned until 1986. DD-245 was sunk in action in 1941 - decades before the alleged work window - so the reference cannot attach to this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2008-2009 (litigation); alleged exposure window 1974-1984
- Limitations
- Classified as name collision for this hull: the docketed reference is to a 'USS Reuben James' alleged aboard during 1974-84 shipyard work, which postdates DD-245's 1941 loss; the declaration itself identifies DE-153. Even had it named this hull it would be pleading-stage allegation only (litigation-stage discipline). The plaintiff allegation's temporal impossibility for any Reuben James (DE-153 sunk 1971; FFG-57 commissioned 1986) is the defense declarant's argument, not an adjudicated fact. Court orders reviewed (govinfo package USCOURTS-cand-3_08-cv-03013) name no vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-reuben-james-dd245-10