Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Ringgold II (DD-500) (namesake biography, builder, dates, service narrative, specifications block, battle stars; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (ibiblio HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: second USS Ringgold, named for Rear Adm. Cadwallader Ringgold (1802-1867); laid down 25 June 1942 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.; launched 11 November 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Arunah Sheperdson Abell (grandniece of the admiral); commissioned 30 December 1942, Comdr. Thomas F. Conley in command. Spec block: dp 2,050; l. 376'6"; b. 39'8"; dr. 13'; s. 37 k.; cpl. 273; a. 5 5", 4 40mm., 5 20mm., 10 21" tt., 6 dcp., 2 dct.; cl. Fletcher. Service: shakedown Brooklyn Navy Yard to Guantanamo Bay through 8 February 1943; training off Trinidad to mid-July; Panama Canal 27 July; Pearl Harbor, pennant of Commander Destroyer Division 50; Marcus Island strike 1 September 1943; Gilbert raids (Tarawa/Makin) 18-19 September; Wake Island strike 5-6 October. Tarawa assault: night of 19 November her first salvo struck friendly submarine Nautilus at the conning-tower base (dud, ruptured main induction valve); 20 November she and Dashiell led into the lagoon under fire - took two hits, both duds, one knocking out her port engine (Chief Engineer Lt. Comdr. Wayne A. Parker credited with plugging a hole with his body); provided close call-fire support through the battle. Repairs December 1943 (yard unstated); Kwajalein/Eniwetok January-February 1944; Kavieng bombardment 20 March; Hollandia 24 April-1 May; Marianas June (Guam - Landing Craft Control Vessel, dispatched 23 waves); Morotai; Panaon Island, southern Leyte, 20 October 1944; ordered to Mare Island, Calif., for overhaul two days later. February 1945 TF 58 first mainland Japan strikes; repairs at Ulithi and Pearl Harbor; rejoined fast carriers for Okinawa 4 June 1945; July 1945 3d Fleet strikes incl. night antishipping sweeps off northern Honshu (15-16 July) and Suruga Wan/Shimizu bombardment (30 July); escorted Antietam to Guam 22 August; departed for U.S. east coast via Okinawa and Pearl Harbor 16 September. Decommissioned 23 March 1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Charleston, S.C., into 1959; designated for transfer to the Federal Republic of Germany under the military assistance program; modernization and outfitting at Charleston Naval Shipyard; formally transferred to the German Navy 14 July 1959 and redesignated Z-2. Ten battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1959 (U.S. custody)
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1942; wartime crew (spec complement 273); postwar reserve-custody and 1959 Charleston Naval Shipyard modernization workforce
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The December 1943 repair yard and the Ulithi/Pearl Harbor repair facilities are not named in the entry; the post-1959 German and Greek careers and final scrapping are outside the DANFS record and rest on secondary compilations. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-01
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[2]NavSource Online, Destroyer Photo Archive - USS Ringgold (DD-500) page (volunteer archival compilation, not an official record); corroborated by Wikipedia infobox and uboat.net Allied Warships entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/05/500.htm operational/building data block and German commanding-officer list (search-snippet verified)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation operational/building data for this hull (search-snippet verified; direct fetch blocked): 'Laid down by Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny NJ. June 25 1942. Launched November 11 1942 and commissioned December 24 1942. Decommissioned March 23 1946. Stricken October 1 1974. To West Germany July 14 1959, renamed FGS Z-2. To Greece September 18 1981, renamed HS Kimon (D 65) Used for spare parts. Stricken and broken up for scrap in 1993 at Piraeus.' Post-USN career per corroborating compilations (Wikipedia, uboat.net, seaforces, de.wikipedia Zerstörer 2): Bundesmarine Zerstörer 2, pennant D171, class 119, in service 1959-1981 (commanding-officer list on NavSource shows continuous German commissionings through 18 September 1981; refit at NDL-Werft Bremerhaven after October 1959 arrival per fletcherfahrer.de); transferred to the Hellenic Navy 18 September 1981 as Kimon; placed in reserve 1987; stricken and scrapped 1993. German Wikipedia records the 1959 transfer as initially a U.S. loan ('vorerst als amerikanische Leihgabe') and notes the ex-Fletcher hulls passed into German federal ownership in the 1970s - consistent with the secondary U.S. stricken date of 1 October 1974. Scrapping location conflicts: NavSource reads Piraeus, de.wikipedia reads Turkey.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1993 (post-U.S. custody)
- Population
- Bundesmarine crews 1959-1981; Hellenic Navy crews 1981-1987; Piraeus scrapping workforce 1993
- Limitations
- NavSource/Wikipedia/uboat.net/navypedia are secondary compilations, not official records; the 'commissioned December 24 1942' date conflicts with DANFS's 30 December 1942 (DANFS carried; conflict logged in gaps). Greek pennant number reported inconsistently (D 65 in NavSource text vs D42 in Wikipedia/seaforces). The U.S. stricken date of 1 October 1974 rests on secondary sources - DANFS records the 1959 transfer but no strike date, and the hull predates the online Naval Vessel Register; the loan-to-ownership reading from de.wikipedia is plausible but unverified against a primary source. Scrapping location conflict (Piraeus vs Turkey) unresolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-02
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[3]DANFS spec block + Fletcher-class machinery spec (class profile: navypedia + BuShips Ships' Data 1945) + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny' (tier 2; documented Superex pipe covering, Kaylo boiler insulation, Monokote fireproofing, Garlock gaskets; Owens-Illinois industrial-health survey of the yard, Aug. 30 - Sep. 2, 1944) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny'; fletcher-class.class.json class machinery block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Fletcher-class destroyer built 1942 at Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Kearny, with a four-boiler steam plant (class spec: 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 GE geared steam-turbine sets, 60,000 shp, 2 shafts) would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation - boiler and turbine lagging, steam-line insulation, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing - as documented for WWII-era naval construction generally (GAO HRD-80-2: Navy did not begin substituting alternative insulation until the early 1970s). The builder yard is tier 2 in the Atlas dataset with named asbestos products (Johns-Manville Superex pipe covering, Owens-Illinois Kaylo, W.R. Grace Monokote fireproofing, Garlock gaskets) and a 1944 Owens-Illinois industrial-health survey of insulator and pipefitter work at the yard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1942; crew 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The 1944 yard survey postdates this hull's November 1942 launch and documents yard practice, not materials aboard DD-500. Yard product documentation likewise describes the yard's supply stream, not this hull's bill of materials. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-03
-
[4]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (research guide: VA-claims context; RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence path; RG 24 logbooks) + NARA Special List 44 named-vessels index [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov asbestos research guide (RG 19 filing-path section); SL-44 named-vessels index, 'Ringgold (DD-500)' row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official research guide maps the record path for ship-level asbestos inquiry for this hull: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) correspondence series (1940-1961) filed by hull code DD500; Fletcher-class correspondence under DD445 Class (the guide itself uses a Fletcher-class hull, USS Kidd DD-661, as its worked example); type correspondence under DD as last resort; and private-yard correspondence under QM/Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock. The guide's mapped window (1940-1961) covers this hull's construction, entire U.S. service, and the 1959 Charleston Naval Shipyard modernization. The SL-44 named-vessels index carries a DD-500 row: wartime deck logs held for 1 September 1943 - 30 June 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1961 (RG 19 window); 1943-1945 (SL-44 log coverage)
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- The guide maps where ship-level asbestos records would sit if they exist - it is not itself evidence of asbestos aboard this hull, and no retrieval of the underlying correspondence or logs was performed. The SL-44 coverage window (1943-09-01 to 1945-06-30) omits the commissioning period and the final war/postwar months; additional logs may sit in RG 24 outside the indexed range.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-04
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[5]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, cl-auth-search.py fleet meter) - exact-name and hull-number sweep [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search results, 2026-09-27 (cl-auth-search.py)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep results for this hull (2026-09-27, authenticated API v4 via cl-auth-search.py fleet meter): '"USS Ringgold"' type=o count 0; '"USS Ringgold"' type=r count 0; '"DD-500"' type=o count 0; '"DD-500"' type=r count 27, all name collisions - the 'DD-500' string hits unrelated matters (civil rights, criminal, bankruptcy, patent, election, and terrorism dockets incl. Grant v. Trump (S.D.N.Y.), Horn v. Medical Marijuana (W.D.N.Y.), Network-1 v. Google (S.D.N.Y.), Shatsky v. PLO (S.D.N.Y.)); none is an asbestos personal-injury docket and none references a vessel. '"Ringgold" asbestos' type=o count 11, all name collisions/non-vessel - surname and Georgia/Louisiana/Texas town and Pennsylvania school-district referents dominate (incl. In re Tri-State Crematory Litigation, located in Ringgold, Ga.); two are genuine asbestos matters (Bethlehem Steel v. Mobley, 9th Cir. 1990, 912 F.2d 1084 / 920 F.2d 558; Fisk v. WCAB, Pa. Cmwlth. 1993) whose 'Ringgold' referent shows no vessel context in indexed text - and neither case survives the ship-context sweeps (no opinion in the index contains 'USS Ringgold' or 'DD-500'). '"the Ringgold"' type=o count 101, geographic/institutional collisions dominate (Ringgold Telephone Co., Ringgold School District, towns in GA/LA/TN, Ringgold County IA); no vessel-context hit in the results reviewed. NO QUALIFYING ASBESTOS OPINION OR DOCKET names USS Ringgold / DD-500 in CourtListener's index.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is opinions + RECAP docket index only; a state-court or non-digitized federal case naming the vessel could exist beyond the index. A bare-surname 'Ringgold' vessel reference without 'USS'/'DD-500'/'the Ringgold' phrasing cannot be excluded absolutely - but with the exact-name, hull-number, and article-name sweeps all clean, any such reference would be an outlier. Sweep completed under intermittent fleet-pacing constraints (helper exit-2 blocks between successful queries).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-05
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[6]Batch-3482 search ledger (this record): DANFS verbatim transcription; NavSource/Wikipedia/uboat.net secondary compilations; NARA asbestos research guide + SL-44 index; Atlas shipyard dataset; Fletcher-class profile; CourtListener sweep; web-level litigation/material check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ringgold-dd500-01 through sl-uss-ringgold-dd500-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No materials-level ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-500: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no hazmat disclosure, no museum record (the hull was scrapped in 1993 - location conflict between compilations, Piraeus vs Turkey, see gaps), and no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located in the sources searched (see search_ledger). Marketing ship pages asserting generic asbestos presence aboard DD-500 exist (e.g., law-firm and referral-site pages) but are excluded as non-authoritative.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- None
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-standard applications are documented at class/era level and the construction-era window is squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use period (GAO HRD-80-2). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ringgold-dd500-06