Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Robert Smith (Destroyer No. 324)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- service-history paragraphs and final disposition paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records the ship's service: departed San Francisco 5 April 1921 for San Diego as flagship of Division 45, 2d Destroyer Flotilla, U.S. Pacific Fleet; cruised the U.S. and Mexico west coast with the Battle Force into 1925; assigned to Destroyer Division 35 from September 1922; periodic annual overhauls at Mare Island Navy Yard; departed Mare Island 19 May 1925 for maneuvers off Lahaina Roads and a South Pacific cruise (Pago Pago, Melbourne, Lyttelton, Wellington, Tutuila), returning to San Diego 26 September 1925; transited the Panama Canal April 1927 to Tompkinsville, N.Y., operating in Panamanian waters in July; deployed to the Hawaiian Islands May and July 1928; returned to San Diego 28 August 1929 for inactivation. Decommissioned at San Diego 1 March 1930; towed to Mare Island Navy Yard 4 April 1930; struck from the Navy list 12 July 1930 and dismantled; materials sold 10 June 1931 for scrapping under the London Treaty for limitation and reduction of naval armament.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Operational history and yard periods do not establish particular shipboard materials or exposure. DANFS confirms annual Mare Island overhauls and final dismantling there but describes no materials removed or installed. Live NHHC page 404; Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-02
-
[2]National Archives, Special List 44, Named Vessels, 'Robert Smith' entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- alphabetical table, Robert Smith row (3/17/1921 - 3/1/1930)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (Named Vessels) lists Robert Smith deck logs covering 17 March 1921 through 1 March 1930, matching this hull's commissioned service dates exactly.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Inventory entry only, not a review of the logs. The row shows no hull number in the Other Name column; attribution to DD-324 rests on the unique date range matching this hull's commission-to-decommission service (the only USS Robert Smith). NARA states deck logs do not directly document asbestos materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-03
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command photographs NH 67859, NH 69444, NH 108348, 'USS Robert Smith (DD-324)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NH 67859 picture data (Online Library mirror); Wikimedia Commons category lists NH 69444 and NH 108348 as NHHC photos
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC photographic collection holds identified views of this hull: NH 67859 (underway, early 1920s, surface firing exercises), NH 69444, and NH 108348 (at anchor, 1920s). The Online Library picture data captions NH 67859 as USS Robert Smith (DD-324), courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Captions establish identity and photographed condition only; they identify no materials, insulation, or asbestos. Cited via the HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the NHHC Online Library picture data and a Wikimedia Commons index of NHHC numbers.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-04
-
[4]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- General Information Books section (RG 19 Entry P 9); Deck Logs and Muster Rolls section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Navy-asbestos research guide identifies RG 19 Entry P 9 (Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books) and period ship and machinery specification files as archival avenues for hull-level material research, and states that deck logs and muster rolls do not directly document asbestos. These records have not been retrieved for DD-324.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- NARA describes where evidence might be found, not the contents of this hull's files. The guide's scope is 1941-1961, after DD-324's era; the Destroyer GIB entry (to 1961) and earlier Bureau of Construction and Repair GIBs may still cover it, but nothing is retrieved or inferred here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-05
-
[5]U.S. General Accounting Office, HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, Navy enclosure dated 5 January 1979 [gao]
- Locator
- PDF pp. 11-12, Enclosure I, Navy letter (5 January 1979)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1979 Navy response reproduced by GAO describes asbestos in then-current Navy ship machinery and piping insulation, gaskets, packing, deck materials, and other applications. Robert Smith had been dismantled nearly five decades earlier and is not identified in the response.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The document concerns the Navy fleet in 1979 and ships delivered since 1973; it does not cover DD-324's 1919 construction or 1921-1930 service and cannot establish any asbestos product aboard this hull. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch this session; the document description follows the verified batch-3306 record of the same file.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-06
-
[6]Scoped negative review of NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture) and NHHC photo data, NARA Special List 44 and Navy-asbestos research guide, and GAO HRD-80-2; see search_ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- scoped source review and search_ledger sl-01 through sl-06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The reviewed NHHC history and photograph data, NARA log inventory and asbestos research guide, and GAO report yielded no verified ship-specific asbestos document for DD-324. The hull was dismantled in 1930-31, before asbestos surveys, abatement records, or museum-condition disclosures existed, so none can exist for it. Asbestos material and crew exposure aboard this hull remain unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Negative finding is limited to the named public sources and searches, not proof that the vessel lacked asbestos. NARA archival files (RG 19 Entry P 9, deck logs, specification files) have not been inspected; CourtListener status is separately recorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-07
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 search attempt, authenticated helper /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py, 27 September 2026; local helper diagnostics [court_record]
- Locator
- helper exit status 2, fleet pacing budget message; sl-uss-robert-smith-dd324-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The authenticated CourtListener v4 exact-name opinion search for USS Robert Smith was attempted five times through the required fleet-limited helper. Each attempt ended before an HTTP request because the shared pacing budget was spent. No CourtListener result or hit classification was obtained; hull-number, docket, and opinion follow-up searches remain unperformed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- This is a search-process status, not a CourtListener search result. It supports no conclusion that DD-324 had no litigation, and supplies no asbestos or exposure evidence. No anonymous, v3, or unpaced request was made.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-08
-
[8]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Robert Smith (Destroyer No. 324)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- specification block, namesake paragraph, and construction paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies Robert Smith as Destroyer No. 324 (DD-324), a Clemson-class steel flush-deck destroyer launched 19 September 1919 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. at San Francisco, California, sponsored by Miss Jane Cooper, and commissioned 17 March 1921 with Lt. Comdr. Paul M. Bates in command. Its specification block gives displacement 1,215 tons, length 314 ft 5 in, beam 31 ft 8 in, draft 9 ft 4 in (mean), speed 35 knots, complement 136, and armament of four 4-inch, one 3-inch, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes. The ship was named for Robert Smith (1757-1842), Secretary of the Navy 1801-1809.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The entry does not give a laying-down date, ship-specific machinery inventory, or any asbestos material or exposure finding. Complement 136 is the DANFS figure, not an independently verified actual crew count. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-27 (standing NHHC link rot per BATCH-01); verbatim Wayback capture of 2019-12-10 cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-robert-smith-dd324-01