Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet kp-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-robert-f-keller-de419-pkt-kp-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Robert F. Keller (DE-419) (Naval History and Heritage Command, entry dated 14 October 2005; verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry 'Robert F. Keller (DE-419)' via Wayback 2025-12-09 - namesake biography, spec block, service narrative, disposition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 12 January 1944 by Brown Ship Building Co., Houston, Tex.; launched 19 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Peter S. Keller; commissioned 17 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. R. J. Toner, USNR, in command. Spec block: John C. Butler class, 1,745 t full load, 306 ft, 36 ft 7 in beam, 13 ft 4 in draft, 24 kt, complement 222, 2x5in + 4x40mm + 10x20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (hedgehog), 3x21in tt. Service: Bermuda shakedown; escorted Currituck (AV-7) to Canal Zone, transited canal 7 September 1944; convoy escort San Francisco-Pearl Harbor arriving 1 October; Escort Division 72 screening Coral Sea (CVE-57); TG 30.7 hunter-killer sweeps Philippine Sea; rescued four survivors of capsized Hull (DD-350) 22 December 1944 (Typhoon Cobra); TG 30.7 to 5th Fleet 28 January 1945; Iwo Jima campaign February 1945 (witnessed Bismarck Sea CVE-95 kamikaze sinking night of 21 February); Leyte upkeep 7 March; Okinawa operation from 21 March (destroyed three floating mines en route); escorted Anzio (ex-Coral Sea) to Ulithi 27 April; returned 10 May escorting San Francisco (CA-38); Leyte availability 17 June; TG 30.6 ASW sweeps east of Tokyo from 6 July; assisted in the kill when Lawrence C. Taylor (DE-415) sank I-13 (16 July); Guam; escorted occupation transports to Jinsen, Korea, 8 September; Okinawa 22 September; Chinese ports through year's end. Decommissioned San Diego 24 April 1946; 'in service' September 1946 as NRT ship, 13th Naval District, Puget Sound; to east coast January 1950; 'in commission in reserve' 31 March 1950 as NRT ship Washington DC (Potomac River Naval Command); active status in commission 18 November 1950; through 1955 made 39 cruises training over 3,500 reservists; decommissioned 21 September 1959 to 'in service' NRT Baltimore (5th Naval District); recommissioned 2 October 1961 (Berlin Crisis), Atlantic/Caribbean; decommissioned 1 August 1962 to 'in service' NRT 5th Naval District; out of commission in reserve at Philadelphia January 1965; spring 1972 survey found her unfit; stricken from the Navy list 1 July 1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1972
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Houston, 1944); USN crew 1944-46 (design complement 222); Naval Reserve trainees aboard 1946-50 (Puget Sound), 1950-59 (Washington DC), 1961-62 and 1962-65 (5th ND)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. Entry ends at striking (1972); the 5 February 1974 sale is carried from secondary compilation only (ev-02). Live NHHC page returns 404 on 2026-09-28 (standing NHHC rot); Wayback capture of the NHHC page cited. Complement figure (222) differs from NavSource's 14/201 roster block - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Robert F. Keller (DE-419) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, spec block, photo captions incl. 3 January 1945 Sargent Bay collision series, commanding-officer roster, links to hosted scans of the ship-submitted official war history (versions 1 and 2) and supplemental history; corroboration for the 3 January 1945 collision from the NHHC-published Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II - 1945 (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-419 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, photo captions (06419xx series incl. the five-view 3 Jan 1945 Sargent Bay collision set), commanding-officers table, 'Robert F. Keller History' links
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive detail corroborating and extending DANFS: decommissioned 24 April 1946 at San Diego 'after 1 year and 10 months of service'; September 1946 'In Service' assigned to NRT 13th Naval District at Puget Sound; 31 March 1950 'in Commission, in Reserve' NRT Potomac River Naval Command, Washington DC; 18 November 1950 recommissioned (NRT); 21 September 1959 decommissioned to 'in service' NRT (NavSource data block reads Potomac River Naval Command Washington DC; DANFS reads Baltimore under 5th Naval District - conflict carried in gaps); 2 October 1961 recommissioned for the Berlin Crisis at the Washington Naval Weapons Plant, Lcdr. C. W. Jones, USNR; 8 October 1961 arrived Newport, R.I., flagship Escort Squadron 12; 1 August 1962 decommissioned at the Navy Yard Annex, Washington DC, back to 'in service' NRT; 14 January 1965 placed 'out of service' at the U.S. Reserve Fleet Basin, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 'after a total of 20 years and 3 months of service'; 1 July 1972 struck from the NVR; 5 February 1974 sold for scrapping. A five-view photo series documents the 3 January 1945 collision with Sargent Bay (CVE-83) during a mail-delivery exercise - independently corroborated by the Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II - 1945 entry for 3 January: 'Escort carrier Sargent Bay (CVE-83) and destroyer escort Robert F. Keller (DE-419) are damaged in collision during mail delivery exercise, Philippine Islands area.' Full command roster of 15 officers/OinCs published. Awards ribbons carried: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive), Navy Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific w/5 stars, WWII Victory, National Defense w/1 star, Philippine Liberation w/1 star. Ship's history adds: eleven months Pacific war service, nine enemy floating mines destroyed, seven downed Navy pilots picked up, member of hunter-killer group credited with four Japanese submarines, five battle stars (Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima, Okinawa Gunto, Third Fleet ops).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- USN crew and Naval Reserve trainees aboard across 1944-1965; Philadelphia Reserve Fleet caretakers 1965-1972
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates, roster, and captions unverified against underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. The 5 February 1974 sale date is secondary-compilation only (NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals; no MARAD custody card - the hull was Navy-disposed). The 21 September 1959 assignment location conflicts with DANFS (Washington DC vs Baltimore - carried in gaps). The hosted war-history scans are primary-document facsimiles whose contents were not transcribed here. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan, OCR) - per Atlas class profile john-c-butler-class.class.json ev-01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table row 6; class-f/john-c-butler-class.class.json member row DE-419
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design reference for this hull's design group: design group 6 (WGT, geared-turbine drive) - 306 ft oa, 1,350 t standard, 24.3 kt, 2 shafts, 12,000 shp, 2 'D' express boilers 435 psi/750F; accommodations 15 officers/207 enlisted. DE-419 is a built member of this design group (Brown Shipbuilding block, DE-402-424; per the class profile's navypedia block map this block carries Combustion Engineering boilers).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the table names the design group, not this vessel; boiler-maker attribution for the DE-402-424 block rests on navypedia and is unverified against contract documents. Establishes propulsion configuration only - no materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-03
-
[5]Era/design inference consolidated from DANFS spec block + BuShips design-group 6 data + Atlas class profile class_notes (john-c-butler-class.class.json) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; SDB1945v1 group-6 row; class-f/john-c-butler-class.class.json asbestos_application row ev-john-c-butler-class-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a geared-steam-turbine escort built at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, in 1944: the WGT machinery plant - two superheated 'D' Express boilers (435 psi/750F) driving two Westinghouse geared turbines, 12,000 shp - is a full steam plant, so the period-standard asbestos categories for a WWII steam escort apply at class level: boiler and machinery insulation, steam-line lagging between fireroom and engine room, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and friction linings on deck machinery. The builder yard (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston) is not an entry in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset, so no yard-level industrial-hygiene documentation is carried for it.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944 (construction); 1944-1965 (service)
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (Houston, 1944); USN engineering crew 1944-46; NRT-era engineering spaces use 1946-65
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific finding. No materials schedule, insulation spec, or survey names this hull; the listing of plausible applications is era-standard, not ship-proven. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or location aboard DE-419. Brown Shipbuilding's absence from the yard dataset means no yard-context inference is layered on; the gap is logged, not filled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-04
-
[6]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial-order materials, ECF 738 att. 1 (verified at class level in the Atlas John C. Butler class profile, 2026-09-16) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF 738.1 pp. 12, 26-27 and exhibit list items Honeywell-160 through -167 (per class profile ev-john-c-butler-class-03/-04)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Sister-hull litigation context (class level only): pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name USS Brannon (DE-446, same John C. Butler class per the docket's own Jane's Fighting Ships exhibit) and recite the theory that 'Griscom-Russell supplied the Navy with the evaporator on Mr. Jack's ship in conformity to detailed precise specifications... without insulation' while 'asbestos was a critical material during WWII when the Navy installed the distiller on Mr. Jack's ship' - the exhibit list identifies the era's controlling insulation-spec suite (BuShips Manual ch.39 Thermal Insulation, NAVSHIPS 250-000(39), 24 Aug 1945; Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos,' 15 Oct 1945; BuEng 'General Specifications for Machinery' S39-1, 3 Feb 1939; BuEng Manual ch.13 heat-insulation instructions, rev. 1933/repr. 1939; BUMED Code-55 memo 'Occupational Health Issues for POM-80,' 9 Jun 1977, ex-NARA).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Service era WWII/postwar; litigation 2017-2019
- Population
- Machinist's mate aboard USS Brannon DE-446 (alleged); JCB-class engineering crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Sister hull and allegation/exhibit-list level - DE-446, not DE-419; the recital itself concedes non-asbestos insulation (fiberglass, mineral wool) was possible aboard that ship. Documents the litigation theory and the spec suite to pull for class-level material confirmation; establishes nothing about DE-419. The spec documents themselves remain unretrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page (full text blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403; per class profile) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level context for era exposure pathways aboard steam escorts generally: GAO documented that Navy policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless disturbed. For this hull the frame is limited: she left active service in 1965 and was stricken/scrapped 1972-74, before either policy's operative period - her era exposure pathway is the wartime construction/service/NRT period and the 1974 scrapping, not Navy abatement programs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (context)
- Limitations
- Fleet/program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific; both policies postdate this hull's disposal, so the row is context for why era materials persist in-service, not evidence about this ship. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov 403 to automated fetch - standing defect).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP index type=r) for 'USS Robert F. Keller', 'Robert F. Keller', and 'DE-419' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-05 through -09 and sl-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-14
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name opinion query '"USS Robert F. Keller"' returned 1 result - Hagarty v. United States, 449 F.2d 352, 196 Ct. Cl. 66 (Ct. Cl. 1971): a military-pay suit by a Navy commissary steward who served aboard USS Robert F. Keller in 1963 and was reduced in grade after a June 1963 captain's mast aboard the ship - OTHER LITIGATION naming the hull (non-asbestos); the vessel is the situs of a disciplinary proceeding, not an exposure claim. Partial-name opinion query '"Robert F. Keller"' returned 6 results - 5 name collisions (two debtor bankruptcies of a Robert F. Keller; three opinions referencing a different Robert F. Keller in non-naval, non-asbestos contexts) plus the same Hagarty opinion. Hull-number opinion query '"DE-419"' returned 11 results, all string collisions (unrelated Spanish-language text, docket-entry 'DE' numeral references, report strings). Exact-name RECAP-docket query '"USS Robert F. Keller"' returned 1 result - the qualifying pleading-stage asbestos disclosure in Modley v. 20th Century Glove Corp. (MDL-875 doc 4837; carried at ev-10). No merits-stage or adjudicated asbestos finding names this hull. Partial-name RECAP query '"Robert F. Keller"' returned 7 dockets - the same MDL-875 Modley docket plus 6 name collisions; hull-number RECAP query '"DE-419"' returned 106 dockets dominated by PACER docket-entry-number collisions (pages 1-2 reviewed, all collisions; deeper pages are a residual unenumerated tail in gaps). See search_ledger rows sl-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-05 through -09 and -14 for per-query status.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1963 (shipboard events); 1971 (opinion); 2006 (Modley filing); 2026-09-28 (sweep)
- Population
- Richard K. Hagarty (commissary steward 2/c aboard DE-419, 1963; pay/grade claim, non-asbestos); Franklin J. Modley (boiler tender aboard DE-419 1954-55, alleged - ev-10)
- Limitations
- Sweep covers indexed federal/state opinions and RECAP dockets only - not state-court filings, asbestos-trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Keller' is a common surname, so any future hit requires collision classification, not automatic attribution. Hagarty confirms the vessel's 1963 in-service NRT status (consistent with DANFS) but establishes nothing about materials aboard. A pleading allegation is the least-final litigation stage and is not evidence that asbestos was aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-07
-
[9]Batch-4320 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture), NVR, NavSource photo archive and hosted war-history scans, Atlas class profile (john-c-butler-class), Atlas shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4, MARAD Vessel History Database, NHHC Online Library photo index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or material-condition report was found in the public sources searched. The only exposure-role court document naming the hull is a pleading-stage initial-disclosure allegation (Modley, MDL-875 doc 4837; ev-10) - an allegation, not a finding. No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was sold for scrap 5 February 1974 and was never a museum, memorial, or NDRF asset. The hull's exposure-relevant windows are construction (Houston, 1944), wartime service (1944-46), the long Naval Reserve Training career (1946-65 - an unusually extensive in-service NRT run that put rotating reserve crews aboard for two decades), reserve-fleet lay-up at Philadelphia (1965-72), and scrapping (1974); none of these has a located asbestos document.
- 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, so no present-day survey is possible; whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. The NRT-era cadre/reservist population is a distinctive feature of this hull's exposure surface (rotating trainees, 1946-65) but is undocumented. Paper leads remain (RG 19 specifications, deck logs, the 1972 survey file, war-history scans).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-08
-
[10]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-419; spring 1972 Board of Inspection and Survey / material survey file at Philadelphia; disposal/sale file (Feb 1974); the ship-submitted official war history (two versions hosted as NavSource scans; originals official records); NHHC photographic holdings (3 Jan 1945 Sargent Bay collision series and related prints) - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24/INSURV entry series (undigitized); NavSource-hosted war-history facsimiles (original custody unstated); NHHC Online Library DE hull-number index
- 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-419's construction at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, and RG 24 deck logs cover 1944-65; (2) the spring 1972 survey that found her unfit for further service and the sale/disposal paperwork may describe material condition at end of life; (3) the ship's official war history submitted at war's end exists in two NavSource-hosted facsimile versions - the originals are official records; (4) NHHC photographic holdings cover the hull (the Online Library index lists DE-419 without a linked photo page, i.e., holdings exist but are undigitized online).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-1974 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized this session; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (standing limitation).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-09
-
[11]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L. docket 1245688), Doc. 4837 - Plaintiffs' Motion to Vacate Conditional Transfer Order in Modley et al. v. 20th Century Glove Corp. of Texas et al. (S.D. W. Va. No. 2:06-cv-00213; underlying civil action 05-C-2222), with Plaintiff's Initial Disclosure attached (filed 2006-06-27; RECAP document 173046940) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 Doc. 4837 pp. 11-22 (scan): initial-disclosure work-history table, exposure-information table, and product tables; OCR text via CourtListener RECAP API
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull at pleading stage: the Plaintiff's Initial Disclosure filed with the Modley plaintiffs' motion to vacate a Conditional Transfer Order names USS Robert F. Keller as an alleged exposure site. Plaintiff Franklin J. Modley (b. 1935; mesothelioma diagnosed 13 May 2005, pleural plaque 18 October 2005) lists Navy service aboard USS Robert F. Keller 1954-55 as 'boiler tender/technician' (alongside USS Allen M. Sumner 1955-57 and USS Shenandoah 1957) and repeats the hull in the exposure-information table with Foster Wheeler noted as contractor. The disclosure's product tables tie this hull to alleged asbestos-containing products: gaskets and packing (A.W. Chesterton, Anchor Packing, Argo Packing, Garlock, Victor Gasket/Dana Corp., Durametallic, Greene-Tweed, John Crane; supplier Fairmont Supply Co.), pipe insulation (Owens-Illinois, Philip Carey), boiler insulation (Owens-Illinois, Philip Carey), cement/mud (Owens-Illinois), turbines (General Electric, Westinghouse), boilers (Babcock & Wilcox), economizer (Foster Wheeler), compressors (Ingersoll-Rand), pumps (Crane, Ingersoll-Rand), asbestos wicking for smoke stacks, cloth (Uniroyal), mortar and refractories/firebrick (Corhart, Universal Refractories), and micarta (Westinghouse).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-1955 (alleged exposure); 2005-2006 (litigation)
- Population
- Franklin J. Modley, USN boiler tender/technician aboard USS Robert F. Keller 1954-55 (alleged); mesothelioma and pleural plaque diagnosed 2005
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only - the initial disclosure is the least-final litigation stage, unadjudicated, and not evidence that asbestos was aboard. Its product attributions are the plaintiff's pleading, not findings: e.g., it alleges Babcock & Wilcox boilers aboard, while the class profile maps Combustion Engineering boilers to the DE-402-424 block (itself unverified against contract documents) - a conflict the pleading does not resolve. The hull appears on a shared service/product list alongside two other vessels, so hull-specific attribution is unparticularized. The JPML's disposition of the CTO motion and any merits outcome in the underlying S.D. W.Va. case were not located. Verified against the filed document's OCR text via the CourtListener RECAP API (document 173046940).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-f-keller-de419-10