Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet kn-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Richard S. Bull (DE-402)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-richard-s-bull-de402-pkt-kn-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Richard S. Bull (DE-402) (namesake biography, builder, dates, Pacific service narrative, striking and target disposal; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404; hazegray mirror https://hazegray.org/danfs/escorts/de402.htm confirms same text) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 18 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched 16 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Richard S. Bull, Sr.; commissioned 26 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. A. W. Gardes in command; shakedown off Bermuda; departed Boston 6 May 1944 via Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor (30 May); Eniwetok 27 June; escorted Long Island (CVE-1) and other escort carriers to Pearl Harbor 5 July; task force with Sangamon (CVE-26) 6 August, Manus 13 August, Morotai landings 15 September; protected carrier forces supporting Leyte landings 20 October; rescued a Chenango (CVE-28) fighter pilot 22 October; Battle off Samar 25 October in 'Taffy One' ~130 miles south of the Taffy Three attack, rescued 24 men from Suwanee (CVE-27) after the kamikaze attack; rescued 139 survivors of Eversole (DE-404), sunk by I-45 off Dinagat Island, on 29 October; Lingayen Gulf landings 9 January 1945; rescued three Natoma Bay (CVE-62) aviators 17 February; Iwo Jima landings support 19 February; Okinawa escort-carrier protection 1 April-16 May and June; Philippine Sea Frontier convoys; departed Leyte 14 October, arrived San Diego 6 November 1945; entered Pacific Reserve Fleet March 1946; struck from the Navy list 30 June 1968 and sunk as a target; five battle stars for World War II service. Spec block: 1,745 t full load, 306 ft, 36 ft 7 in, 13 ft 4 in, 24 kt, complement 222, class John C. Butler.
- 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 (design complement 222)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. 'Entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet in March 1946' conflicts with NavSource's decommissioning date of 10 January 1947 - carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-01
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[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Richard S. Bull (DE-402) page (building/operational data, awards ribbons, namesake biography, commanding-officer data per uboat.net corroboration); hosts link to the ship-submitted official WWII war history [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/402.htm - Building and Operational Data block; awards ribbon block; namesake biography; commanding officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource building/operational data for this hull: launched and christened 16 November 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Richard S. Bull, Sr. (mother of Lt. Bull); commissioned 26 February 1944, Lcdr. A. W. Gardes in command; decommissioned 10 January 1947 at the Naval Repair Base, San Diego, Cal., after 2 years and 10.5 months of service having steamed 128,417 miles (last ship's muster dated 1 July 1946); inactivation completed 15 January 1947, assigned to Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; struck from the NVR 30 June 1968; sunk as target off the California coast 24 June 1969. Awards listed: Combat Action Ribbon; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 4 stars; World War II Victory Medal; Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 star. Namesake detail beyond DANFS: service aboard USS Indianapolis (CA-35) July 1936-July 1939, Scouting Squadron 41 aboard USS Ranger (CV-4), lost 8 May 1942 as VF-2 5th Division Leader escorting the group commander. Commanding officers per the uboat.net warship compilation: Lt.Cdr. Alfred Wiltz Gardes, Jr., USN (26 Feb 1944 - 20 Nov 1944); Frederick Strong Moseley, USNR (20 Nov 1944 - 7 Nov 1945); Lt.Cdr. James Reed Gattmann, USNR (from 7 Nov 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Crew 1944-47 (2 yr 10.5 mo commissioned service, 128,417 miles steamed)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled archive, not an official record - its decommissioning/inactivation and sinking dates are the most detailed public source but are secondary provenance; the conflicts with DANFS's 'March 1946' reserve-fleet entry are carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos, materials, or hazmat content. The hosted ship-submitted war history is a lead, not yet retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-02
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[4]War History of USS Edmonds (DE-406), ship-submitted official WWII war history (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- de406-warhistory.html - opening narrative paragraph (CortDiv 63 roster)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The transcribed official war history of sister ship USS Edmonds (DE-406) names this hull's tactical unit: 'She was assigned to Escort Division 63 which also included the USS Richard S. Bull (DE-402), division flag, USS Richard M. Rowell (DE-403), USS Eversole (DE-404), USS Dennis (DE-405), and USS Shelton (DE-407). Comdr. James V. Bewick, USN was Commander Escort Division 63.' Establishes DE-402 as CortDiv 63 flagship operating in company with the division's Brown-built sister DEs during the 1944-45 Pacific campaign.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- CortDiv 63 crews including the embarked division staff (Comdr. Bewick) aboard DE-402 as flagship
- Limitations
- Names the hull's division assignment and flagship role; contains no materials or asbestos content. A sister ship's submitted war history is contemporaneous official-derived documentation transcribed by HyperWar; original in NARA custody.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group-6 (WGT) row (shipscribe.com scan) + navypedia WGT boiler-block map (Combustion Engineering boilers for DE-402-424) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group-6 row; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt boiler-block map
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: DE-402 is a WGT-design (design group 6) John C. Butler-class escort - 2 'D' express boilers at 435 psi/750F (Combustion Engineering for the DE-402-424 block per the navypedia block map) feeding 2 Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 12,000 shp, twin screws, 24.3 kt. A 1943-44 steam escort of this design would have carried era-standard asbestos applications concentrated in the machinery plant: boiler and turbine insulation, steam-line lagging, gaskets and packing, plus fireproofing, accommodation insulation, deck coverings, and friction linings on deck machinery.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; crew 1944-47
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The boiler-block map is a secondary compilation unverified against contract documents; no ship-specific material schedule was located. Establishes nothing about quantities, condition, or any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-04
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[6]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o; RECAP dockets type=r) for exact name 'USS Richard S. Bull', unquoted-precision name 'Richard S. Bull', and hull number 'DE-402' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-05 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep complete: '"USS Richard S. Bull"' opinions = 0 results; '"Richard S. Bull"' opinions = 41 hits, all attorney-name collisions on review (a Missouri/St. Louis attorney 'Richard S. Bull, Esq.' appears as counsel across 1930s-60s opinions - Johnson v. Commissioner, Heideman v. Kelsey, Martin v. National Surety, Nulsen v. National Lead, Gorman v. Washington University, etc.) - none vessel- or asbestos-related; '"DE-402"' opinions = 14 hits, all identifier collisions (docket/report numerals, statutory and address strings) with no vessel or asbestos content; '"USS Richard S. Bull"' RECAP dockets = 0 results; '"Richard S. Bull"' RECAP dockets = 0 results; '"DE-402"' RECAP dockets = 149 hits, all document-entry/Delaware-entity string collisions in unrelated criminal, bankruptcy, and civil dockets - none vessel- or asbestos-related. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep covers the CourtListener opinion index and RECAP dockets only - not state-court records, asbestos-trust claims, VA adjudications, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Richard S. Bull' collides with a Missouri attorney name; 'DE-402' collides with document-number and Delaware-entity strings - any future hit needs collision classification rather than automatic attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-05
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[7]Batch-4302 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + HyperWar/hazegray mirrors, NVR, NavSource, HyperWar Edmonds (DE-406) war history, BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (shipscribe scan), Atlas shipyard and class-profile datasets, CourtListener API v4, Library of Congress Veterans History Project [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-01 through -16
- 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-era documentation can exist - the hull was sunk as a target off California on 24 June 1969 and was never a museum, memorial, or NDRF asset. A short commissioned career (26 Feb 1944 - 10 Jan 1947) limits the exposure-relevant window to construction at Brown Shipbuilding and wartime service; no documented navy-yard overhaul or conversion periods were located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the hull no longer exists in recoverable form, so no present-day survey is possible, and whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. Construction-era yard records, deck logs, and the ship-submitted war history are paper leads only (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-06
-
[8]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) for DE-402's Brown Shipbuilding construction and RG 24 deck logs 1944-46; ship-submitted official WWII war history hosted by NavSource; Library of Congress Veterans History Project AFC/2001/001/63382 (QM2c John Graham Spencer, USS Richard S. Bull DE-402, 1943-1946); Naval Repair Base San Diego inactivation records 1946-47; INSURV/disposal records for the 1968 striking and 1969 target sinking; Brown Shipbuilding/Brown & Root Houston yard records - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24 record series (undigitized); navsource.org/archives/06/402.htm war-history link; loc.gov/item/afc2001001.63382/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material documentation not yet retrieved: (1) NARA RG 19 per-vessel specifications and ships-data books covering DE-402's construction at Brown Shipbuilding, and RG 24 deck logs 1944-46; (2) the ship-submitted official war history ('the official War History of USS Richard S. Bull as submitted by the ship at war's end' per the NavSource page) - a first-person crew-authored ship document; (3) Library of Congress Veterans History Project collection AFC/2001/001/63382 - oral history of Quartermaster Second Class John Graham Spencer, service unit USS Richard S. Bull (DE-402), dates of service 1943-1946; (4) Naval Repair Base San Diego inactivation records 1946-47; (5) INSURV/disposal file for the 30 June 1968 striking and 24 June 1969 target sinking; (6) Brown Shipbuilding/Brown & Root Houston yard records for the 1943-44 construction period.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1969 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. The NavSource-hosted war history is a facsimile whose original is in NARA custody; the LOC collection is an oral-history holding, not a materials record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-07
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[9]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial materials naming John C. Butler-class sister USS Brannon (DE-446), with exhibit list citing the Navy insulation-spec suite (BuShips Manual ch. 39 Thermal Insulation NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) 1945; Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' Oct 1945; BuEng ch.13 1933/39; BUMED 1977 memo) [court_record]
- Locator
- W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537 pretrial/exhibit materials per Atlas john-c-butler-class profile (ev-john-c-butler-class-03)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Class-level litigation context: pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name John C. Butler-class sister USS Brannon (DE-446) and recite that 'Griscom-Russell supplied the Navy with the evaporator on Mr. Jack's ship in conformity to detailed precise specifications... without insulation. The Navy did not consult it about the type of insulation it planned to use,' with proposed testimony that 'asbestos was a critical material during WWII when the Navy installed the distiller on Mr. Jack's ship' while 'on the USS BRANNON this could have included fiberglass, mineral wool or other non-asbestos insulation.' The docket's expert/exhibit materials cite the period Navy insulation-spec suite - the documentary channel in which a hull-level material specification for this class would most likely surface.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2017 (litigation); wartime exposure window
- Population
- John C. Butler-class crews (class context); DE-446 veteran plaintiff
- Limitations
- Class/era context only - DE-446's litigation and materials are not DE-402's, and the Jack materials are pleading/exhibit-list stage, unadjudicated. No qualifying case names DE-402. The cited Navy spec suite was identified but not retrieved - see class-profile search ledger sl-john-c-butler-class-07.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-richard-s-bull-de402-08