Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet lk-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS **Rich** (DE-695)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-rich-de695-pkt-lk-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Rich I (DE-695) (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division; verbatim hazegray DANFS transcription via Wayback capture 2023-06-08 - live NHHC page returns 404; hazegray.org no longer resolves). Expanded May-2019 DANFS text transcribed at destroyers.org (Tin Can Sailors). [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Rich' (namesake biography + hull I entry, spec block, service narrative, stricken date); expanded text: destroyers.org/ships/de-695 'USS RICH DE-695 Ship History - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, May 2019'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 27 March 1943 by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; launched 22 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Ralph McMaster Rich; commissioned 1 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. E. A. Michel, Jr., USNR, in command (expanded DANFS: at Naval Station New Orleans; sponsor given as Mrs. Marjorie E. Rich, the namesake's widow). Spec block: Buckley class, 1,800 t, 306 ft, 36 ft 10 in beam, 13 ft 6 in draft, 24 kt, complement 215, 3x3in + 4x40mm + 8x20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (h.h.), 3x21in tt. Service: Bermuda shakedown; post-shakedown availability at Boston Navy Yard Nov 1943; coastwise escort/patrol (Argentia, Newport, Casco Bay, NY; Dec 1943 escort of HMNZS Leander to Boston with Barber DE-161); CortDiv 19 transatlantic convoy escort - three round trips Londonderry/Lisahally-NY Jan-May 1944 with NY drydock periods Feb and Mar 1944; last transit with TG 21.8/convoy TCU 12 departing 12 May, Londonderry 23 May; Operation Neptune - screened TF 125 bombardment group off Utah Beach 6-8 June 1944. Loss: 8 June, ordered ~0830 to Fire Support Area 3 to assist Glennon (DANFS prints 'DD-840' - a typo; the 1944 hull was DD-620) mined NW of the Saint-Marcouf Islands; ~0920 mine off starboard beam, three minutes later a second directly under the ship blowing off ~50 ft of stern, a third mine two minutes later buckling the forward section; abandoned and sank ~3 mi off Saint-Marcouf at approx. 49 deg 31 min N, 01 deg 10.5 min W, Bay of Seine. Casualties: 27 killed, 73 wounded, 62 missing; 54 including Michel recovered and returned to duty. Stricken from the Navy Register 29 July 1944. One battle star, WWII. Namesake: Lt.(j.g.) Ralph McMaster Rich, USNR (1916-1942), VF-6 Enterprise, Midway fighter-cover section leader, posthumous Navy Cross, killed in aircraft crash 18 June 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades (Bay City, 1943); USN crew Oct 1943-Jun 1944 (spec complement 215; ~80% of crew had never been to sea per expanded DANFS); casualty population 27 KIA / 73 WIA / 62 MIA
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, service history, and loss - not materials or asbestos content. DANFS prints 'Glennon (DD-840)' - a typographical error; the mined destroyer at Normandy was Glennon DD-620 (DD-840 was the second Glennon, commissioned 1945) - noted, not silently corrected. Sponsor-name variant between editions (Mrs. Ralph McMaster Rich vs Mrs. Marjorie E. Rich) and complement variants (215 spec vs 15+198 roster) carried in gaps. Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim mirrors cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center (NHHC) Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Rich (DE-695), 1943-1944' photo-catalog page with captions NH 44311-44313, 80-G-K-14425 (HyperWar mirror of the official NHHC page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- ibiblio HyperWar mirror of NHHC Online Library page usnsh-r/de695.htm, lead narrative + photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC photo-catalog record for this hull: 'a 1400-ton Buckley class escort ship built at Bay City, Michigan, was commissioned at the beginning of October 1943'; Bermuda shakedown; East Coast escort/patrol to Feb 1944; three round-trip transatlantic convoy voyages; Normandy screening 6-8 June 1944; on 8 June 'while offering assistance to the mine-damaged destroyer Glennon, she hit two more German mines. One blew off her stern while the other exploded under her hull forward of amidships. Her back broken, USS Rich quickly sank. Ninety of her crew were lost with her, and over seventy were wounded.' Photo captions document Glennon (DD-620) standing-by vessels and PT-504 rescuing survivors; NARA-held photo 80-G-K-14425 shows a Rich survivor (S2c Robert S. Whitaker) hospitalized December 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- USN crew at loss, 8 June 1944 (~90 lost incl. killed+missing, 70+ wounded)
- Limitations
- NHHC casualty figure ('ninety lost, over seventy wounded') counts killed-plus-missing as 'lost' and reconciles with DANFS's 27 killed / 73 wounded / 62 missing (89-91 total lost depending on accounting); variants from secondary sources are carried in gaps. Photo page documents loss circumstances, not materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-02
-
[4]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Rich (DE-695) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, NVR strike entry, namesake biography, captioned USN/NHHC photographs, war-history cover scan [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-695 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, commanding-officers table, 'Rich History' war-history link
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive detail corroborating and extending DANFS: '27 March 1943 keel laid by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; 22 June 1943 launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Ralph McMaster Rich; 01 October 1943 commissioned, Lcdr. Edward A. Michel, Jr., USN, in command; 08 June 1944 struck a mine and sank off Utah Beach, Quineville, France - of her crew, 27 men were killed, 73 were wounded, and 62 were missing; 29 July 1944 struck from the NVR with 8 months and 7 days of service.' Spec block corroborates class data (Buckley TE: 2 'D' Express boilers, GE turbines with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 screws, 24 kts, complement 15/198). CO roster: Michel sole CO 1 Oct 1943 - 8 Jun 1944. Awards ribbons listed. A link presents a scan of the cover of 'the official War History of USS Rich as submitted by the ship at war's end' - the underlying document is in official custody (NARA/NHHC) but only the cover image is hosted.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Defoe construction trades 1943; USN crew Oct 1943-Jun 1944
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates and captions unverified against the underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. The war-history link is a cover-image scan only (06695wh.jpg); document contents not transcribed or retrieved. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-03
-
[5]Buckley-class TE design data - Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (groups 2-3, shipscribe.com scan) + Atlas class profile buckley-class.class.json (navypedia per-block boiler-manufacturer map) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 DE design-group table; class-f/buckley-class.class.json propulsion_summary + member row for DE-695 (Defoe, laid 1943-03, launched 1943-06-22, sunk 1944-06-08)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a TE-design Buckley-class escort built 1943 at Defoe, Bay City: BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design groups 2-3 document 2 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi/750 deg F superheat feeding GE turbo-electric machinery, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, ~23.6 kt - a full superheated steam plant, the heaviest machinery fit used in any destroyer-escort class. Navypedia's per-block boiler map assigns Combustion Engineering boilers to the DE-693-705 block containing this hull. Period-standard asbestos applications for a 1943 steam-escort build are boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, gaskets and packing, fireproofing, deck coverings, and electrical insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Defoe construction trades 1943; USN engineering crew Oct 1943-Jun 1944
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - not a ship-specific finding. The boiler-manufacturer block map is navypedia-sourced and unverified against the DE-695 contract documents. Establishes no quantities, locations, or exposure for any individual aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-04
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o; RECAP docket index type=r) for exact name 'USS Rich' and hull number 'DE-695' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-rich-de695-05 through -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (all four queries completed): exact-name query '"USS Rich"' (type=o) returned 0 results - no published opinion naming any USS Rich exists in the opinion index. Hull-number query '"DE-695"' (type=o) returned 9 hits, all identifier/string collisions on review - Borom v. Town of Merrillville (N.D. Ind. 2012, tort), Peters v. HHS (6th Cir.), U.S. v. Peters (6th Cir.), U.S. v. Cutler (10th Cir.), U.S. v. Hernandez (6th Cir.), U.S. v. Jazorek (7th Cir.), De Martini v. Scavenger's Protective Assn. (Cal. App.), U.S. v. Johnson (7th Cir., drug conspiracy), Three Affiliated Tribes v. U.S. (Ct. Cl. 1968); none references a vessel, naval service, or asbestos. RECAP-docket query '"USS Rich"' (type=r) returned 0 dockets. Hull-number docket query '"DE-695"' (type=r) returned 41 dockets/70 documents, all screened - every hit is a docket-entry or defendant's-exhibit number ('DE 695'/'DE-695', e.g., '[DE 695] Exhibit' seal orders, 'Motions 690, 695'); zero reference a vessel, naval service, or asbestos. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Both indexes swept for both name and hull number - complete. The sweep does not cover state-court records, asbestos-trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'USS Rich' is a high-collision name - the Gearing-class USS Rich (DD-820/DDE-820) carried the same namesake 1946-1977 (notably, no DD-820 asbestos docket surfaced on the exact-name query either); any exposure window after June 1944 cannot refer to this hull, and any future hit needs hull attribution before classification.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-05
-
[7]Batch-4473 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + hazegray/HyperWar/destroyers.org mirrors, NHHC Online Library, NavSource, Atlas class profile + shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4, NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-rich-de695-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, or litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. No preservation- or disposal-era documentation can exist - the hull sank in combat 8 June 1944, eight months after commissioning, and the wreck remains in place off Normandy; it was never a museum, memorial, or reserve-fleet asset. The hull's entire career ran October 1943 - June 1944, narrowing every exposure window to wartime construction, shakedown, one Boston Navy Yard availability, two New York drydock periods, and eight months of commissioned service.
- 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 - a 1943 steam-plant escort would era-typically have carried asbestos insulation. The hull no longer exists in recoverable form, so no present-day survey is possible; whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. Construction-era yard records and the loss file are paper leads only (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-06
-
[8]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-695; WWII war-diary holdings for DE-695 Oct 1943-Jun 1944; the 8 June 1944 sinking casualty/loss file (post-loss reporting by CO Michel and rescue units); Boston Navy Yard Nov 1943 availability and New York Feb/Mar 1944 drydock records; Defoe Shipbuilding contract/material records; the ship-submitted official war history referenced by NavSource - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24/WWII war-diary series (undigitized); NHHC digitized collections (no DE-695 holding located); NavSource-hosted war-history cover facsimile (original location unstated); defoenet.com private yard archive
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material documentation not yet retrieved: (1) NARA RG 19 holds BuShips per-vessel specifications and ships-data books covering DE-695's construction at Defoe/Bay City, and RG 24 deck logs cover the entire Oct 1943-Jun 1944 career including the Boston Navy Yard availability and New York drydock periods; (2) WWII war diaries for the hull and the casualty/loss file for the 8 June 1944 sinking document material condition at loss; (3) Defoe Shipbuilding contract and material records - the yard operated 1905-1976 and a private historical archive exists at defoenet.com - are the builder-side lead; (4) the ship's official war history submitted at war's end exists as a cover-scan on NavSource - a primary document whose original is in official custody.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (standing limitation per prior batches); NHHC digitized war-diaries collection holds no DE-695 scan.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-rich-de695-07