Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet crew-fj-packet.md (8 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Ross (DD-563). Hull: DD-563. Designation: DD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-ross-dd563-pkt-crew-fj-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Ross (DD-563) (namesake, specifications block, service narrative; verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Captain David Ross, Continental Navy officer who commanded the private armed ship Belvedere in the Quasi-War with France; laid down 7 September 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Seattle, Wash.; launched 10 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William J. Malone; commissioned 21 February 1944, Comdr. Benjamin Coe. Spec block: dp. 2,050; 376'6" x 39'8"; dr. 17'9"; 37 k.; cpl. 314; cl. Fletcher. Service: shakedown off California; TF 52 to Saipan (carrier screen/plane guard June-July 1944); Palaus - Peleliu fire support for UDT beach clearance, Ngesebus shelling, call fire (September 1944); Leyte - covering minesweeping/hydrography units off Dinagat Island when she struck two mines at 0133 and 0155 on 19 October 1944 (forward and after engine rooms; 3 killed, 20 missing, 9 injured); assisted by Chickasaw (ATF-83) and Preserver (ARS-8); salvage under repeated air attack; docked in ARD-19 at San Pedro Bay 24 November (further damage 28 November when a 'Tojo' crashed the ARD); towed via Humboldt Bay from 13 December; reached Mare Island 2 March 1945; repairs complete end of June; Ulithi 14 August; Tokyo Bay 5 September; occupation duty into October; inactivation at Seattle 9 November 1945; decommissioned San Diego 4 June 1946; reserve fleet; activated summer 1951, recommissioned 27 October 1951; Norfolk homeport from March 1952; Philadelphia overhaul fall 1952; world cruise 1954 (7th Fleet, Indochina evacuation operations 24-29 July 1954); Mediterranean deployments 1955-56 and 1957-58 (Suez transit, Red Sea/Persian Gulf/Indian Ocean Nov-Dec 1957); departed Norfolk August 1959 for Beaumont, Tex., inactivation; in reserve from 10 August, decommissioned 6 November 1959 (transcription reads '1949' - documented typo); inactive fleet at Norfolk into 1974. Five WWII battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-44; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 314)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The entry ends in 1974 and does not record the 1 December 1974 striking or the 1978 target sinking (carried via NavSource, ev-02). The '6 November 1949' decommissioning line is a transcription/printing typo for 1959 (in reserve from 10 August 1959 per the same paragraph; corroborated by NavSource, uboat.net, globalsecurity). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History destroyer photo index, USS Ross (DD-563) - operational/building data, machinery, stricken date and fate (live navsource.org DNS-failed; Wayback capture 2025-03-15 used) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-563 page, class/data block, 'Operational and Building Data', 'Fate' line, and photo captions (Wayback capture 20250315211436)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource data block for this hull: class Fletcher as built; displacement 2,924 tons full; dimensions 376'5" oa x 39'7" x 13'9" max; machinery 60,000 shp, Westinghouse turbines, 2 screws; speed 38 knots; crew 273. Operational data: laid down by Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding September 7 1942; launched September 18 1943; commissioned February 21 1944; decommissioned June 4 1946; recommissioned October 27 1951; decommissioned November 6 1959; stricken December 1 1974; fate: 'Sunk as target off Puerto Rico January 26 1978.' Photo captions document the Mare Island availability (overhaul 1 March - 27 June 1945) and wreckage/blueline photo sets 'From the USS Ross NA 19NGC text files' (NARA 19-N-GC series) dated 10 and 19 March 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1978
- Population
- Crew 1944-59; inactive fleet maintenance staff 1959-74; target-sinking exercise participants 1978
- Limitations
- Secondary photographic-history compilation, not an official record - carried for the stricken date and disposal, which postdate the DANFS entry, and for the NARA photo-series lead. Launch date reads September 18 1943, conflicting with DANFS's 10 September 1943 - conflict documented in gaps, DANFS carried. 'Westinghouse turbines' conflicts with the class-profile GE framing - noted in gaps. Does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-02
-
[4]Destroyer History Foundation (destroyerhistory.org), 'USS Ross (DD-563), Fletcher-class destroyer in World War II' ship page [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyerhistory.org Fletcher-class selected-ships page for USS Ross (text under 'USS Ross (DD-563)')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Corroborating history for this hull: 'first commissioned 21 February 1944, the 151st ship of the Fletcher class'; built at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Seattle; Destroyer Squadron 56 for the Marianas; mining on 19 October 1944 'in a swept area about eight miles off Homonhon Island' - two mines amidships within half an hour, 23 crewmembers killed; towed by Chickasaw to Montoconan Island anchorage; seven weeks under multiple air attacks and a typhoon in ARD-19, San Pedro Bay; towed 13 December via Humboldt Bay to Mare Island, arriving 2 March 1945; reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 21 in February 1945; repairs complete June 1945; Ulithi on cease-fire day; Tokyo Bay 5 September; decommissioned 1959; stricken 1974.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Crew 1944-45 (mining casualties: 23 lost per this source)
- Limitations
- Foundation history page (secondary compilation) - corroborates DANFS/NavSource chronology; casualty framing '23 crewmembers killed' reconciles DANFS's 'three killed, 20 missing, nine injured' (3 KIA + 20 MIA). The 'eight miles off Homonhon Island' location slightly reframes DANFS's Dinagat Island narrative. No materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-03
-
[5]NARA 19-N-GC series - USS Ross photo/text files (Mare Island, March 1945), indexed via NavSource photo captions; NARA RG19 BuShips per-vessel 'General Information Books' lead [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-563 photo captions citing 'USS Ross NA 19NGC text files' (Mare Island, March 1945); catalog.archives.gov v1/v2 API attempts 2026-09-27
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead: NARA holds the 'USS Ross NA 19NGC' file set - wreckage photographs and blueline drawings made at Mare Island in March 1945 documenting the mine-damage spaces (gutted forward/after engine-room areas) and repair progress for this hull (NavSource captions, photos dated 10 and 19 March 1945). These are hull-level repair documentation; whether they include material/insulation specifications is unverified. NARA RG19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications remain an unretrieved lead for hull-level specs. NARA catalog API calls returned the SPA shell, not records, to automated fetch on 2026-09-27.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Mare Island repair workforce, March-June 1945
- Limitations
- Lead only - the 19-N-GC photographs document battle-damage extent and repair work but are not confirmed to identify insulation materials or asbestos content; not retrieved. Absence from digitized NARA records does not indicate absence of holdings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-04
-
[6]Fletcher-class profile (class-c/fletcher-class.class.json) machinery and era data + builder-yard lineage (Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., organized by Todd Seattle Dry Docks with General Construction Co.; 45 destroyers built; renamed Todd Pacific Shipyards June 1944 - per MOHAI/Archives West collection descriptions; the yard is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry) [other_primary]
- Locator
- class-c/fletcher-class.class.json (propulsion block); Archives West xv617157 (Todd Shipyards Corporation photographs finding aid: 'Sheet metal workers, Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, Seattle Division, circa 1943'); shipyards.json (absence of Seattle-Tacoma entry)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer with a four-boiler steam plant (class standard: 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, geared steam turbines, 60,000 shp) would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder yard - Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Seattle (the expanded Todd subsidiary Harbor Island plant) - was the West Coast's largest destroyer producer (45 hulls); it is NOT an Atlas shipyards.json entry, though its parent corporate line (Todd Shipyards Corporation) is covered by the dataset's aggregate 'todd-shipyards' record.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Seattle-Tacoma construction trades 1942-43 (yard peak employment ~28,000 per secondary accounts); crew 1944-59
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No class-level insulation specification or BuShips material schedule was located for the Fletcher class; Seattle-Tacoma/Todd Pacific yard-level asbestos documentation specific to the wartime destroyer-construction period was not located in public sources. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing DD-563's construction (1942-44) and entire commissioned service (1944-46, 1951-59) inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-06
-
[8]Kelly et al. v. CBS Corporation et al., No. 3:11-cv-03240-VC (N.D. Cal.), Order granting dismissal with prejudice of asbestos-exposure claims on or after Dec. 5, 1980 as to defendant Puget Sound Commerce Center, Inc., f/k/a Todd Shipyards Corporation (filed 2015-05-19) [court_record]
- Locator
- Kelly v. CBS 3:11-cv-03240-VC (N.D. Cal.), Doc. 182 order text; Wineland v. Air & Liquid Systems MSJ order (brownsims.com PDF mirror)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Builder-yard successor litigation context: the corporate successor of this hull's builder (Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. -> Todd Pacific Shipyards -> Todd Shipyards Corporation -> Puget Sound Commerce Center, now Vigor Shipyards at Harbor Island) appears as a named premises defendant in federal asbestos litigation; this 2015 order resolves a stipulation dismissing post-December-5-1980 exposure claims against the entity, implying pre-1980 asbestos-exposure claims against the yard entity remained pled in the case. Wineland v. Air and Liquid Systems (N.D. Cal.) separately pleads asbestos exposure of a worker during a 1974 Todd Shipyards overhaul of USS Tuscaloosa (different hull).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1974-2015 (litigation window)
- Population
- Todd Shipyards workers/crew (premises-defendant posture)
- Limitations
- Yard-corporate context only - these dockets concern the builder's successor entity as a premises defendant, not materials aboard DD-563. The Kelly order is a stipulated dismissal resolving only post-1980 claims; it does not adjudicate exposure. Wineland names a different vessel (LST-1187). Establishes that the builder's successor faced asbestos premises claims; establishes nothing about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-07
-
[9]CourtListener exact-name and hull-number sweep: "USS Ross" (type=o) 1 hit - Bae Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Inc. v. United States, No. 22-1263 C (Fed. Cl. filed 2022-11-16, reissued; Judge Somers); "DD-563" (type=o) 0 hits; "USS Ross"+asbestos (type=r) 2 docket hits, both non-qualifying [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py type=o "USS Ross" (count=1, cluster 8511997) and "DD-563" (count=0); type=r "USS Ross" asbestos (count=2: wawb 16-11767 bankruptcy; uscfc 1:03-cv-01613 contract) - both non-qualifying; 2026-09-27
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated API sweep (cl-auth-search.py, v4): "USS Ross" opinions = 1 result, Bae Systems Norfolk Ship Repair v. United States (Court of Federal Claims, 2022) - a ship-repair contract dispute; the 'USS Ross' referenced is DDG-71 (Arleigh Burke destroyer, in commission 1997-present, whose 2007 Selected Restricted Availability was performed at the BAE Norfolk yard) - NAME COLLISION, not DD-563, and non-asbestos. "DD-563" opinions = 0 results. "USS Ross"+asbestos RECAP docket query = 2 results, both non-qualifying name collisions: Northwest Territorial Mint LLC ch.11 bankruptcy (Bankr. W.D. Wash. 16-11767, filed 2016-04-01 - 'Ross' is owner Ross Hansen) and Bell BCI Company v. United States (Fed. Cl. 1:03-cv-01613, 2003 - Tucker Act construction contract). The unqualified "USS Ross" and "DD-563" docket-type sweeps were attempted but the fleet-wide pacing budget blocked the remaining requests mid-session - recorded in the search ledger.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2022 (litigation); sweep 2026-09-27
- Population
- n/a (collision hit involves DDG-71)
- Limitations
- Opinion sweep is complete for exact-name and hull-number queries and shows no qualifying asbestos litigation naming DD-563; the sole name hit is a 2022 contract case involving the DDG-71 namesake. Docket sweep completed only in asbestos-qualified form - both hits are name collisions (a person named Ross; an unrelated contract docket). The unqualified RECAP docket sweeps remain blocked (fleet pacing) - unexamined docket text could still contain ship-name references; residual docket-level risk is carried honestly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-08
-
[10]Batch-3534 search ledger (this record): DANFS verbatim transcription (ibiblio); NavSource via Wayback (live DNS-failed); destroyerhistory.org; NARA catalog API (SPA shell, not records); NVR (pre-1987 hulls excluded); independent web litigation sweep (marketing pages only); CourtListener authenticated API (opinions complete; dockets partially blocked by fleet pacing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ross-dd563-01 through sl-uss-ross-dd563-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-563: no hull ACM survey, no abatement record, no materials inventory, no museum hazmat disclosure (the hull was stricken 1974 and sunk as a target off Puerto Rico 1978, so neither a U.S. museum channel nor a domestic scrapping-disclosure record exists), no asbestos case naming this hull in located records (CourtListener opinion sweep: the only 'USS Ross' hit is a DDG-71 contract case; 'DD-563' returns zero), and independent web litigation searches returned only marketing/class-pattern pages (shepardlawfirm.com dedicated DD-563 page; mesotheliomasymptoms.com vessel page; mesolawcenter.com and mesotheliomahelp.org destroyer lists) - excluded per sourcing rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-standard applications are documented at class/era level (ev-05, ev-06), and the hull no longer exists (sunk 1978), so present-day ACM status is moot. The CourtListener RECAP docket sweep is incomplete (fleet pacing) - unexamined docket text could still contain ship-name references. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ross-dd563-09