Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet kn-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Richard M. Rowell (DE-403)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-pkt-kn-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Richard M. Rowell (DE-403) (namesake biography, builder, dates, service narrative, striking; live NHHC page returns 404 on all URL variants - verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-02-02) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, namesake paragraph + specifications block + service narrative (Wayback 2025-02-02 capture of history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/richard-m-rowell.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Ensign Richard Merrill Rowell, USNR fighter pilot aboard Lexington (CV-2), DFC 20 February 1942, gold star in lieu of second DFC at Coral Sea 7-8 May 1942, failed to return from his last mission. Laid down 18 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched 17 November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Agnes M. Rowell; commissioned 9 March 1944, Lt. Comdr. Harry A. Barnard, Jr., in command. Shakedown off Bermuda; departed Boston 6 May 1944 via Panama Canal and San Diego to Pearl Harbor (arrived 31 May); July convoy escort to Eniwetok; August transport group to Tulagi and escort carriers to Manus; September air-support screen for the 15 September Morotai landings, saving two pilots; 3 October - rescued Shelton (DE-407) survivors after RO-41 torpedo, and 'later that day she sank Seawolf (SS-197) by mistake'; screened carriers for the 20 October Leyte landings; 25 October - Taffy One off Surigao Island during the Battle off Samar, first intentional kamikaze attack, rescued one Santee (CVE-29) survivor; fought off another kamikaze attack 26 October while attacking an enemy submarine; donated blood plasma and medical supplies from Petrof Bay (CVE-80) to Suwanee (CVE-27); escorted Santee to Manus 27 October; arrived Pearl Harbor 19 November. 9 January 1945 Lingayen Gulf landings patrols; underwater demolition drills at Ulithi; Iwo Jima landings 19 February; Okinawa landings 1 April; Guam 11 May; July Leyte Gulf patrol; escorted Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75) to Ulithi; three transports to San Pedro Bay August; duty at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa September; arrived San Diego 6 November 1945. 'Decommissioned 2 July 1946, she remained in the Pacific Reserve Fleet until struck from the Navy list 30 June 1968.' Six battle stars for World War II service. Spec block: 1,745 t full load, 306 ft, beam 36 ft 7 in, draft 13 ft 4 in, 24 kt, complement 222, 2 x 5 in, 4 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm, 2 DCT, 8 DCP, 1 hedgehog, 3 x 21 in TT.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (DANFS design complement 222); Pacific Reserve Fleet caretakers 1946-1968
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The narrative does not mention the secondary-source attribution of I-54's sinking to this hull (23 October 1944) - not carried. Live NHHC DANFS page returns 404 on all URL variants (standing link rot, matches Batch-01 and batch-4295); verbatim Wayback capture of the NHHC page cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-01
-
[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels roster row for ROWELL, RICHARD M., DE-403 (shipscribe.com scan; page-image read of book pp. 258-259) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 alphabetical DE roster, line 291 ROWELL, RICHARD M. DE-403 (book pp. 258-259; shipscribe scan PDF p. 139)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster row for this hull (roster line 291): ROWELL, RICHARD M., official number DE-403, group design WGT, name footnoted for turbines built by Westinghouse; builder Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; contract price of hull and machinery $2,517,000 (cost plus fixed fee); contract signed 7 August 1942; keel laid 18 August 1943; ship launched 17 November 1943; contract date of completion 20 March 1944; date of preliminary acceptance 8 March 1944; date of first commission 9 March 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding Co. construction trades, Houston, Tex., 1943-44
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous build roster - documents identity, builder, contract, turbine manufacturer, and dates; contains no insulation or materials information and says nothing about asbestos. All dates concur with DANFS and NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. I (1945), Destroyer-Escort Vessels design-group table, group 6 / WGT (shipscribe.com scan; page-image read of book pp. 234-235) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table, group-6 row (book pp. 234-235; shipscribe scan PDF p. 127)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design-group table for this hull's design group: design group 6 (symbol WGT - gear turbine drive, 5-inch guns) - 306 ft oa / 300 ft wl, beam 36 ft 7 in; 1,350 t standard / 1,745 t full load; 19 tons per inch immersion; 24.3 kt trial speed; 1,600 t trial displacement; 13 ft 4 in maximum navigational draft; accommodations 15 officers + 207 enlisted; armament 2 x 5 in/38 cal. D.P. and 40mm AA (1 quad + 3 twin mounts). Machinery row: 2 propellers; geared turbines (footnote - turbines built by G.E. or Westinghouse, interchangeable as units; per-hull manufacturer per the alphabetical roster, which footnotes DE-403 for Westinghouse); 12,000 shp; boilers: 2 'D' express at 435 psi / 750 deg F; double-reduction main gears; ship's-service generators turbo-driven (450 V A.C.) with diesel-driven 40 kW 120 V D.C. units; fuel capacity 2,222 barrels fuel oil + 14 barrels diesel oil. Documents that the WGT design carried a full steam plant.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication)
- Population
- WGT-design crews (design accommodations 15 officers + 207 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation for the whole WGT group, not a per-hull material schedule - establishes plant type, boiler count/rating, and accommodations, not insulation content or asbestos. The 'D' express boiler manufacturer is not in this table; navypedia's block map assigns Combustion Engineering boilers to the DE-402-424 block (secondary compilation, unverified against contract documents).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-03
-
[5]Navypedia, 'WGT' destroyer escorts (JOHN C. BUTLER) (1943-1955) - class roster and technical-data table (compiled reference) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia WGT/John C. Butler page, roster table row DE403 and boiler-block footnote (DE339-372, 402-424 = Combustion Engineering)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class roster: DE-403 Richard M. Rowell listed as Brown Shipbuilding (Houston) yard number 76, laid down 8/1943, launched 17.11.1943, commissioned 3/1944, stricken 6.1968 - within the Brown Shipbuilding DE-402 through DE-424 block. The page's boiler-block map assigns Combustion Engineering 'D' express boilers to the DE-402..424 block (Westinghouse geared turbines throughout the class).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1955
- Population
- John C. Butler-class construction and operating crews (83 completed hulls)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (class-level): yard number, build dates, and boiler-block mapping corroborate the per-hull BuShips roster; boiler manufacturer attribution is navypedia's block map, unverified against contract documents. Not a materials or asbestos source - used for class enumeration, builder-block placement, and boiler-map context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-04
-
[6]NavSource Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Richard M. Rowell (DE-403) page (specs, building/operational data, awards, commanding-officer roster, photo captions, flag hoist NKKT) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/403.htm building-and-operational-data block, awards block, CO roster, and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource compiled record for this hull: keel laid 18 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched and christened 17 November 1943, sponsor Mrs. Agnes M. Rowell; commissioned 9 March 1944 while moored port side to the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co. dock, Houston, Lcdr. Harry A. Barnard, Jr., in command; 3 October 1944 rescued Shelton (DE-407) survivors then sank Seawolf (SS-197) in error (friendly fire); decommissioned at San Diego 26 June 1946 after 2 years 4 months service having steamed 140,000 miles (conflicts with DANFS's 2 July 1946 and with NavSource's own CO roster - carried in gaps); inactivation completed 1 October 1946 at San Diego, assigned to Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the NVR 30 June 1968; sold for scrapping June 1969. Awards: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive); American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars; WWII Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars. Complement 14 officers/201 enlisted. Commanding officers: Lcdr. Harry Allan Barnard Jr., USN (9 Mar 1944 - 20 Mar 1945, comm. CO); Lcdr. Norman B. Bullard, USNR (20 Mar 1945 - 15 Nov 1945); Lt. Gordon J. Andrew, USNR (15 Nov 1945 - Feb 1946); Lt.(jg) F. Frederick Moss, USNR (Feb 1946 - 2 Jul 1946, decomm. CO).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Wartime crew (NavSource complement 14 officers/201 enlisted)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary archive, not a contemporaneous record - dates concur with DANFS/SDB 1945 where they overlap except the 26 June 1946 decommissioning entry (DANFS reads 2 July 1946; the page's own CO roster ends the decommissioning CO's tenure 2 July 1946). Contributed photo captions are unattributed detail. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-05
-
[7]USS Slater (Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, Albany, N.Y.), 'DE Classified' Episode 4 - USS Richard M. Rowell, by Cassidy Griffin (audio episode + published transcript PDF with bibliography) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ussslater.org/de-classified-rowell (episode page; transcript PDF at /s/Ep-4-Rowell-Script.pdf, Ship's History and USS Seawolf sections)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Museum-produced service history of this hull supplying operational detail beyond the DANFS narrative: Shelton was hit while screening escort carriers Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70) and Midway (CVE-63); Rowell took Shelton's critically wounded aboard by motor whaleboat, was ordered to scuttle Shelton by gunfire (order canceled), and Shelton capsized about 52 miles off North Maluku's east coast; Seawolf was announced overdue 28 December 1944 and struck 20 January 1945, losing 62 sailors and 17 Army personnel. The museum also reports holding 'a fairly substantial collection of USS Rowell artifacts, including the ship's punishment log book' covering commissioning through July 1946 - a documented museum holding for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (events); episode production circa 2022
- Population
- Wartime crew 1943-46
- Limitations
- Museum production, not a contemporaneous record - a researched popular-history episode with transcript and bibliography; corroborates and supplements DANFS but is a secondary source for detail claims (its CVE-41 caption for Midway conflicts with DANFS's CVE-63 - the escort carrier was CVE-63). Contains no asbestos or materials information; the artifact collection is a holdings note, not a materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-06
-
[8]DANFS, Seawolf I (SS-197) (loss narrative naming this hull; live NHHC page 404 - verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-01-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Seawolf I (SS-197) entry, 15th war patrol paragraph (Wayback 2025-01-27 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS corroboration of the 3 October 1944 friendly-fire loss involving this hull: 'Seawolf and Narwhal (SS-167) exchanged radar recognition signals at 0756 on 3 October 1944 in the Morotai area. Shortly thereafter, a Seventh Fleet task group was attacked by a Japanese submarine. Shelton (DE-407) was torpedoed, and Rowell (DE-403) stood by to search for the enemy. Two planes were sent from the carrier Midway (CVE-63) to assist in the search. One of the planes sighted a submarine submerging and dropped two bombs on it even though it was in a safety zone for American submarines. The site was marked by dye and Rowell steamed to the area, made sound contact, and attacked with "hedgehogs." The second attack was followed by underwater explosions, and debris rose to the surface. No further contact was made with Seawolf, and her position would have placed her in the area where the plane and Rowell made their attacks.' Seawolf announced overdue 28 December 1944 and presumed lost; struck from the Navy list 20 January 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- USS Seawolf crew and embarked Army personnel (DANFS gives no casualty count - presumed lost with all hands; the Slater DEHM episode reads 62 sailors + 17 Army personnel); Rowell crew
- Limitations
- DANFS records the official narrative: Seawolf's position would have placed her in the area of the plane's and Rowell's attacks. The alternative-cause caveat (operational failure or other anti-submarine activity remains possible; Japanese reports do not mention the incident and RO-41 returned to Japan) is carried by the Slater DEHM episode (ev-06), not by DANFS. Documents a combat event involving this hull, not materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-07
-
[9]Era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 design-group-6 machinery row (2 'D' express boilers 435 psi/750 deg F; geared steam turbines) + GAO HRD-80-2 era context + Atlas class-profile litigation context for sister hull DE-446 (john-c-butler-class profile ev-john-c-butler-class-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 group-6 row (boilers '2 "D" express', 435 psi, 750 deg F; geared turbines 12,000 shp); class profile john-c-butler-class.class.json ev-03
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: a John C. Butler-class (WGT) destroyer escort built 1943-44 with a full steam plant - 2 'D' express boilers at 435 psi / 750 deg F feeding geared turbines (SDB 1945 design-group-6 machinery row) - would have carried era-standard asbestos applications for a steam-driven escort: boiler insulation, steam-line lagging, turbine lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass, fireproofing, and deck coverings. Class-level litigation context: pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec (W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537) name sister hull USS Brannon (DE-446) and recite that its Griscom-Russell evaporator was supplied per Navy specification without insulation, with proposed testimony that insulation installed aboard that hull 'could have included' asbestos or non-asbestos alternatives - pleading/exhibit-list level, unadjudicated (class profile ev-john-c-butler-class-03).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet maintenance 1946-68
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No insulation schedule or material list for DE-403 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. The DE-446 pretrial materials are unadjudicated recitals about a different hull and do not identify DE-403 materials. Builder yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Tex.) is not in the Atlas shipyards dataset - no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-08
-
[10]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-403 (built 1943-44) falls inside the documented asbestos-use era for Navy ship construction.
- 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 - standing condition since Batch-01); content via product-page description. Says nothing about this specific hull or any WGT-escort application specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 sweeps: 'USS Richard M. Rowell' opinion + docket; 'DE-403' opinion + docket (via fleet-paced authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-04 through sl-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-07 (queries and counts per row)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming DE-403 was located in the CourtListener indexes searched. Exact-name opinion sweep '"USS Richard M. Rowell"' (type=o): 0 hits. Hull-number opinion sweep '"DE-403"' (type=o): 17 hits, all reviewed and classified as name collisions - none reference the vessel (hits are reporter/docket-number collisions and unrelated matters; the sole 'Ship' substring is the law-firm name Barnhart & Shipley). Exact-name docket sweep '"USS Richard M. Rowell"' (type=r RECAP dockets): 0 hits. Hull-number docket sweep '"DE-403"' (type=r): not completed - the fleet-wide CourtListener pacing budget was exhausted at session end (short-wait pacing, not daily-quota exhaustion); recorded as blocked rather than silently skipped.
- 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. 'Rowell' is a surname collision risk (any hit must be hull-disambiguated); 'DE-403' collides with reporter/docket numbering. The DE-403 docket sweep remained blocked by fleet pacing when the session ended - opinion coverage is complete, docket coverage is partial (name sweep done, hull-number sweep pending).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-10
-
[12]Batch-4303 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (Wayback); NavSource archive page; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 (page-image read); navypedia WGT roster; USS Slater DEHM episode transcript; DANFS Seawolf I entry (Wayback); NVR detail lookup; NARA digitized deck-log inventory; VA/BVA web search; general web sweep; CourtListener sweeps (see sl-04 through sl-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-01 through sl-uss-richard-m-rowell-de403-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-403: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material schedule, or museum documentation exists for this hull - it was sold for scrapping in June 1969, pre-dating the museum-donation and hazmat-disclosure era that produced records for other hulls. The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum (USS Slater) holds USS Rowell artifacts including the ship's punishment log book (commissioning through July 1946) - a holdings note with no materials content. Web search returned no ship-specific asbestos documentation; general 'asbestos' hits naming WWII destroyer escorts are law-firm marketing listicles, non-authoritative and excluded by batch rules.
- 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 - 1943-44 escort construction falls inside the documented Navy asbestos-use era, and the WGT design's steam plant is within the categories where shipboard asbestos was standard. Deck logs (RG 24) and BuShips construction records (RG 19, incl. any General Information Book) at NARA 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-richard-m-rowell-de403-11