Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet ko-packet.md (4 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Samuel B. Roberts · Hull: DE-413 · Designation: destroyer escort · Class: John C. Butler
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-pkt-ko-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Samuel B. Roberts I (DE-413) (namesake biography, builder, dates, Samar loss narrative, striking; verbatim 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 Coxswain Samuel Booker Roberts Jr., USNR (posthumous Navy Cross, Guadalcanal 28 Sep 1942); laid down 6 December 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex.; launched 20 January 1944 (sponsor Mrs. Samuel B. Roberts); commissioned 28 April 1944, Lt. Comdr. R.W. Copeland, USNR; shakedown Bermuda 21 May-19 June; availability at Boston Navy Yard; departed Norfolk 22 July, Panama Canal 27 July, Pearl Harbor 10 August; convoy escort Pearl Harbor-Eniwetok; Manus; joined TU 77.4.3, Northern Air Support Group off Samar. On 25 October 1944 joined the torpedo attack on Japanese cruisers (one torpedo hit; at least 40 gunfire hits on a second); struck by a salvo of 14-inch shells that opened a 40'x10' hole in the port side of the No. 2 engine room; abandoned and sank; 120 survivors on three rafts ~50 hours. Included in the Presidential Unit Citation to TU 77.4.3; one battle star; struck from the Navy list 27 November 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; wartime crew (design complement 222; 120 survivors of the sinking)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Casualty accounting is expressed only as '120 survivors'; consolidated killed/missing toll is not stated - carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (checked 2026-09-28).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-01
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[3]Commanding Officer, ex-USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), 'Combined Action Report, Surface Engagement off Samar, Philippine Islands, and Report of Loss of U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), on 25 October 1944,' secret letter DE-413/A16-3(Zbk), Serial X001, 20 November 1944, with ComDesDiv 69 and ComCarDiv 25 (CTU 77.4.3) endorsements (NARA reproduction via HyperWar) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar/NARA NewPDFs scan, pp. 1-3 (endorsements); full report pp. 1-23
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Report of Loss for this hull exists and is digitized: 23-page NARA scan of Lt. Comdr. Copeland's combined action report and report of loss with first and second endorsements; ComDesDiv 69 endorsement states the ship's performance 'was in every respect in accordance with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service' and recommends Copeland for gallantry 'above and beyond the call of duty.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944-10-25; report dated 1944-11-20
- Population
- Crew aboard at loss (design complement 222)
- Limitations
- Image-only scan with no text layer; document body not text-extracted this session - casualty tables, machinery-space damage narrative, and any materials detail it may contain are unverified pending manual reading. Existence and endorsement language verified via indexed text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-02
-
[4]U.S. Navy press release, 'Navy confirms wrecksite off Philippines coast that of USS Samuel B. Roberts' (27 June 2022) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navy.mil Press Office release, 27 June 2022
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy confirmation: on 25 June 2022 the Navy confirmed the wrecksite of USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413), located by Victor Vescovo/Caladan Oceanic and EYOS Expeditions 'more than four miles beneath the surface in the Philippine Sea' at 6,895 meters - 'the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed.' The release states the wrecksite 'is considered a Department of the Navy sunken military craft protected from unauthorized disturbance by the Sunken Military Craft Act (SMCA)' and that 'there are no plans to disturb USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413)'; a commemorative bronze plaque carried aboard USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) during its 14 April 1988 mine strike is now in the collection of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2022
- Population
- None aboard; 2022 survey expedition crew only
- Limitations
- Confirms wreck location, depth, legal protection status, and non-disturbance intent - not materials content. navy.mil returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; content verified via indexed text of the official release. Precise wreck coordinates are not published (consistent with SMCA protection).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-03
-
[5]USNI News, 'USS Samuel B. Roberts, Sunk in Battle of Leyte Gulf, Found' (28 June 2022) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI News article, 28 June 2022 (John Grady)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Expedition detail corroborating the Navy release: six dives over eight days (17-24 June) searching for Samuel B. Roberts and Gambier Bay (CVE-73); debris positively identified 18 June via the triple torpedo-tube launcher; wreck found in two pieces ~10 m apart on a slope; NHHC director Rear Adm. Samuel Cox confirmed the identification; submersible Limiting Factor with a first-of-its-kind submersible-mounted sidescan sonar built by Deep Ocean Search.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2022-06-17 to 2022-06-28
- Population
- 2022 expedition personnel
- Limitations
- Specialist naval press corroborating the official Navy confirmation - not an independent official record; adds expedition mechanics only. No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-04
-
[6]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group 6 (WGT) table row (shipscribe.com scan), with the John C. Butler-class profile boiler-block map (Navypedia compilation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group 6 row; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt block map; Jack v. Borg-Warner exhibit list (ECF 738-1) document identifications
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's plant: BuShips design group 6 (WGT) - 306 ft oa, 1,350 t standard, 24.3 kt, two 'D' express boilers at 435 psi/750 deg F, two Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, accommodations 15 officers/207 enlisted; the class boiler-block map assigns Combustion Engineering boilers to DE-402 through DE-424 (this hull's block). A wartime steam plant of this era would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing - and DE-era litigation materials identify the controlling Navy insulation specs (NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) ch. 39 'Thermal Insulation' Aug 1945; Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' Oct 1945; BuEng ch. 13) as the era's document suite.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943-44; crew Apr-Oct 1944
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific material schedule, survey, or contract document for DE-413 was located. The block map is a secondary compilation (unverified against contract documents); the spec suite was identified via a litigation exhibit list, not retrieved. Establishes no quantity and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-05
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[7]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial materials and exhibit list (ECF 738 att. 1) naming sister hull USS Brannon (DE-446) [court_record]
- Locator
- W.D. Wash. 2:17-cv-00537, ECF 738 att. 1 pp. 12, 26-27 + exhibit list
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Class-context litigation record: pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name USS Brannon (DE-446, a John C. Butler-class sister) and recite that 'Griscom-Russell supplied the Navy with the evaporator on Mr. Jack's ship in conformity to detailed precise specifications... without insulation,' with proposed testimony that 'asbestos was a critical material during WWII when the Navy installed the distiller on Mr. Jack's ship' while conceding 'on the USS BRANNON this could have included fiberglass, mineral wool or other non-asbestos insulation.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Litigation 2017-2019; WWII-era construction period referenced
- Population
- Machinist's mate aboard USS Brannon DE-446 (sister hull context)
- Limitations
- Concerns sister hull DE-446, not DE-413; pretrial/exhibit-list recital, not adjudicated fact; the document itself concedes non-asbestos insulation was possible aboard the sister ship. Included to show the class's litigation surface and the insulation-spec theory - establishes nothing about materials aboard DE-413.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-06
-
[8]CourtListener authenticated sweep, exact phrase 'Samuel B. Roberts': 2 opinion hits (Carney v. Sec. of Defense, D.R.I. 1971; United States v. Valencia-Aguirre, M.D. Fla. 2006) - both name collisions in non-asbestos matters; 17 docket hits - 16 name collisions; 1 asbestos docket resolved by full-text pull: Murphy v. Asbestos Corporation Ltd. et al., E.D. Pa. No. 2:17-cv-03898 (filed 2017-08-25, terminated 2022-03-16; MDL-875 posture), Amended Complaint ECF No. 14 (filed 2017-09-08) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search type=o/r/rd, query "Samuel B. Roberts" (2026-09-28); Murphy v. Asbestos Corp. Ltd., E.D. Pa. 2:17-cv-03898, ECF 14 pp. 1, 10-14 (service dates and exposure allegations); U.S. v. Vergara, D.D.C. 1:10-cr-00018, ECF 261-11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep produced no qualifying litigation naming DE-413. The lone asbestos docket hit was resolved by full-text review of the amended complaint: Murphy v. Asbestos Corp. alleges plaintiff James Murphy served in the Navy 'aboard the USS Samuel B. Roberts from 1954-1956' as a machinist's mate, third class, with detailed exposure allegations (steam-line pipe insulation, boiler firebox refractory, gaskets, valves, pumps, turbines). The referent is unambiguously DD-823 - the Gearing-class destroyer in commission 1946-1970; DE-413 had been sunk for a decade in the alleged exposure window and FFG-58 was not yet built. The complaint's alleged products (Westinghouse turbines, Foster Wheeler boilers) are also consistent with DD-823's plant, not the WGT block mapping (Combustion Engineering boilers) assigned to the DE-402-424 hulls. A second collision is documented in United States v. Vergara (D.D.C. 1:10-cr-00018, ECF 261): a USCG LEDET officer's statement describes deployment 'on the USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (SBR)' in the Eastern Pacific in December 2008 - FFG-58. The remaining hits are person-name collisions (bankruptcy debtors, a defendant-physician, unrelated plaintiffs/defendants).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1954-1956 (alleged exposure aboard DD-823); 2017-2022 (Murphy litigation)
- Population
- James Murphy (USN machinist's mate aboard DD-823 1954-56, mesothelioma); no DE-413 litigation population located
- Limitations
- Murphy is a pleading-stage allegation against a different hull (DD-823) - classified as collision, not exposure evidence for DE-413; even as to DD-823 it alleges but does not adjudicate exposure. The complaint names no hull number; attribution is by service-window exclusion (DE-413 sunk 1944; FFG-58 commissioned 1986). Absence of a docketed case does not prove no DE-413 crewmember ever filed a claim - crew-era asbestos suits may exist on PACER outside the indexed corpus.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-07
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[9]Batch-4314 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC and mirrors; NARA Report of Loss reproduction; U.S. Navy press office; USNI News; CourtListener API v4 (opinion, docket, RECAP-document indexes); Atlas shipyards.json (37 yards) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming DE-413 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's profile forecloses the usual record types - total commissioned life ~6 months with one post-shakedown availability (Boston Navy Yard, June-July 1944), sunk in action 25 October 1944, wreck at 6,895 m protected under the Sunken Military Craft Act with no disturbance planned.
- 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 at construction - era inference for a 1944 WGT steam plant remains reasonable but unproven for this hull, and the wreck's depth and protected status make in-place verification effectively impossible. Does not establish or defeat any individual claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-samuel-b-roberts-de413-08