USS Sederstrom (DE-31)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Sederstrom (DE-31)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS 1976, Vol. 6, pp. 425-426; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209185052; parallel transcription at hazegray/losthistory.net) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Sederstrom (DE-31)' entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20251209185052; hazegray transcription DANFS Vol. 6 pp. 425-426)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC record for this hull: originally designated for transfer to the United Kingdom, laid down as BDE-31 on 24 Dec 1942 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif.; redesignated for U.S. Navy use 4 Jun 1943; launched as Gillette (DE-31) 15 Jun 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Thomas D. O'Dea; renamed Sederstrom 30 Jul 1943; commissioned 11 Sep 1943, Lt. Comdr. Lyman M. King, Jr., USNR, in command. Namesake Ens. Delmore Sederstrom, USNR Supply Corps (b. 3 Jul 1916, Montevideo, Minn.; Univ. of Oregon graduate; commissioned 17 Jan 1941; reported to USS Oklahoma BB-37 31 Aug 1941; killed at Pearl Harbor, declared dead 7 Dec 1941). Pacific service with CortDiv 31: first convoy to Pearl Harbor arriving 1 Dec 1943; Gilberts run as TU 16.25.9 departing 24 Dec, diverted to Funafuti; Samoa/Wallis run mid-Jan 1944; Makin 4 Feb; Kwajalein lagoon-approach patrol 7-25 Feb; screened transport Prince Georges to the Gilberts and Hawaii; Majuro convoy 25 Mar; Marshalls escort Apr; escorted Saipan invasion reserves (Reserve Group 2) arriving off Saipan 16 Jun; escorted LSTs/LCIs to Eniwetok 22 Jun; Tinian landings cover 24 Jul; plane guard for escort carrier USS Midway (CVE-63); Guam Patrol and Escort Group 10-22 Aug (flagship, ComCortDiv 31 embarked); Pearl Harbor navy-yard repairs to 8 Oct; Eniwetok-Ulithi screening Nov 1944-mid-Feb 1945; Iwo Jima reinforcement escort and patrol 5-11 Mar 1945; TU 51.29.19 to Ulithi staging; Okinawa 24 Mar-18 May - screening/plane guard for Support Carrier Unit 1 CVEs, then AA/AS beachhead screen; 22 Apr kamikaze crashed ~10 ft off starboard bow after AA damage, debris on bridge/forecastle, one man overboard recovered; escorted USS Arkansas (BB-33) out of the combat area early May; escorted USS Eldorado (AGC-11) to Guam arriving 22 May; convoy UOK-27 to Okinawa; Hagushi anchorage patrol 24 Jun-4 Jul. Departed 5 Jul for U.S. overhaul, arrived Puget Sound 26 Jul, entered Todd Shipyard, Seattle; war ended during the yard period; ordered to inactivation; decommissioned 15 Nov 1945; struck from the Navy list 28 Nov; hulk sold for scrapping 24 Nov 1947 to A.G. Schoonmaker Co., Inc., New York. Five battle stars. Spec block: 1,140 t; 289'5"; 35'1"; 8'3"; 21 k; cpl. 156; 3x3", 4x1.1", 9x20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog; class Evarts.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Mare Island construction workforce (1942-43); wartime crew (DANFS complement 156); Pearl Harbor navy-yard repair workforce Aug-Oct 1944; Todd Shipyards Seattle workforce Jul-Nov 1945

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, construction, and disposal chain. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Sederstrom (DE 31), file 06/031 (building/operational data, spec block, CO table, awards, photo index; page updated 2023-03-19) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 06/031.htm - specifications block, 'Sederstrom (DE 31) Building and Operational Data', commanding-officer table, awards ribbon display, photo index

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull corroborates DANFS and adds detail: keel laid as Gillette BDE-31 by Mare Island Navy Yard 24 Dec 1942; redesignated for USN 4 Jun 1943; launched as Gillette 15 Jun 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Thomas D. O'Dea; renamed Sederstrom 30 Jul 1943; commissioned 11 Sep 1943 at noon by Capt. Francis W. Scanland, Captain of the Yard, Mare Island Navy Yard, Lcdr. Lyman M. King, Jr., USNR, in command; decommissioned at the Todd Shipyard, Seattle, Wash. 15 Nov 1945; struck from NVR 28 Nov 1945; sold to A.G. Schoonmaker Co. Inc., New York City, and scrapped by the Zidell Corp., Portland, Ore. Spec block (Evarts class data on the ship page): GMT type (diesel-electric tandem motor drive, short hull, 3" guns); 1,140 t light / 1,430 t full; 283'6" wl / 289'5" oa; 35' beam; 11' draft limit; 4 GM Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp, 2 screws; 19 kts; 4,150 nm at 12 kt; complement 15 officers/183 enlisted; armament 3x3"/50 Mk22, 1 quad 1.1"/75 Mk2, 9x20mm Mk4, Hedgehog Mk10 (144 rds), 8 Mk6 DCP, 2 Mk9 DCT. CO table: King 11 Sep 43-21 Mar 44; Lcdr. Joseph Peter Farley 21 Mar 44-26 May 45; Lcdr. Bartholemew Henry Bossidy 26 May-18 Sep 45; Lt. Paul Dana Jr. 18 Sep-15 Nov 45 (decommissioning CO). Awards display: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive), American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign w/5 stars, WWII Victory. Sederstrom's bell is on display at the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, Salem, Oregon. U.S. Navy construction photos indexed (DE-31-4376-43 launch; DE-31-4379-43 launching party; DE-31-4382-43 sponsor; DE-31-4822-43 outfitting 7 Jul 1943 alongside USS Fleming DE-32).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1948

   Population

   Mare Island construction workforce (1942-43); wartime crew; Todd Shipyards Seattle workforce Jul-Nov 1945; 1947-48 scrapping-yard workers (Zidell Corp., Portland, per NavSource)

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC on the major dates. Data defects logged in gaps: building data reads sold '04 November 1947' while DANFS and NavalCoverMuseum read 24 Nov 1947 (DANFS carried); its spec block repeats class-standard figures (198 complement, 19 kt) that differ from this hull's DANFS spec block (156, 21 k); Zidell scrapping attribution is NavSource-only. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: 'The Evarts / Fighting DEs' class history (Robert P. Sables, LTC ret. AUS) - Evarts (GMT) class design, machinery, construction program [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 06/005a.htm - 'EVARTS CLASS SPECIFICATIONS' block + 'PROPULSION - TYPE GMT' section + construction-program narrative

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Class-level record for the Evarts (GMT) type to which this hull belongs: designed by Gibbs and Cox to British specifications for inexpensive, quickly built convoy escorts; 97 built (65 retained by USN, 32 to Royal Navy as the Captain class); built at Boston, Mare Island, Puget Sound, and Philadelphia Navy Yards; prefabricated in sections and welded on the slipways; propulsion TYPE GMT - four General Motors Model 16-278A diesel engines producing 6,000 hp, driving twin screws through tandem electric motor drives - a diesel-electric plant with no boilers or steam turbines; class figures 1,140 t standard / 1,430 t full, 289'5", 35'1", 8'3" mean draft, complement 15/183, 21 kt trial speed; excepting two hulls leased to China, the class was sold for scrap in 1946-47.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Evarts-class construction and crew populations (class context)

   Limitations

   Class-level description of design and program, not a hull record - propulsion and dimensions are class-standard; this hull's DANFS spec block (156 complement) differs from the class figures carried here (198). Establishes the diesel-electric machinery type relevant to which era-typical asbestos applications would plausibly apply (no boilers/steam plant) but establishes nothing about this hull's actual materials. Secondary compilation, consistent with DANFS.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-03

4. [4]Consolidated era/yard inference - DANFS spec block for this hull + Evarts (GMT) class data + Atlas shipyard dataset records for Mare Island Naval Shipyard (tier 2), Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (tier 1), and Todd Shipyards (tier 2) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block (this hull); NavSource Evarts class data; shipyards.json records 'mare-island-naval-shipyard', 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard', 'todd-shipyards' (Atlas dataset, evidence reviewed 2026-09-28)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a naval combatant built 1942-43 at the peak of WWII asbestos usage, this hull is of the era and construction program in which Navy ships commonly carried asbestos-containing materials. For this diesel-electric (GMT) class specifically - no boilers, no steam plant - era-typical applications would center on diesel-exhaust and machinery-space lagging, pipe lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical-cable insulation, deck coverings, joiner/bulkhead insulation, and fireproofing rather than boiler and steam-line insulation. Builder-yard and repair/overhaul-yard asbestos documentation exists at yard level in the Atlas dataset: Mare Island Naval Shipyard (tier 2; documented products incl. Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractories; 1998 Navy/City of Vallejo EIS documents ACM in yard buildings; Collins v. Plant Insulation, 185 Cal. App. 4th 260 (2010), yard-level mesothelioma verdict), Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (tier 1; Hawaii mesothelioma case-control OR ~10 for yard work; 7,971-worker cohort with exposure-response lung-cancer findings; asbestos documented in dry-dock area, buildings, and pipe systems), and Todd Shipyards (tier 2; asbestos-litigation documented incl. pipefitter insulation tear-out/installation work) - this hull's documented repair availability was at Pearl Harbor navy yard Aug-Oct 1944 and its overhaul/inactivation at Todd Shipyard Seattle Jul-Nov 1945 (ev-01).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1948

   Population

   Mare Island Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; ship's crew 1943-45; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard repair workforce Aug-Oct 1944; Todd Shipyards Seattle overhaul/inactivation workforce Jul-Nov 1945; 1947-48 scrapping workforce (Zidell Corp., Portland, per NavSource)

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or purchase/work order naming DE-31 was located; yard-level records document the yards, not the contents of this hull; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. The wartime 1942-43 build, the Aug-Oct 1944 Pearl Harbor repairs, and the Jul-Aug 1945 Todd Seattle overhaul are the hull's documented disturbance windows - their asbestos scope is inference. Todd Shipyards dataset record is keyed to the corporation's Brooklyn yard; the Seattle facility is the documented location for this hull's work.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-04

5. [5]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and emergency construction program under which this Mare Island-built Evarts-class escort was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-05

6. [6]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   survey ~1944-45; published 1946

   Population

   WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

   Limitations

   Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-06

7. [7]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Library, 'Veteran Exposure to Asbestos' [other_primary]

   Locator

   VA page sections 'What are sources of asbestos exposure in the military?' and 'Who's at risk?' (HTTP 200 verified 2026-09-28)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Federal VA health guidance states that asbestos-containing materials were used for fire safety in engine and boiler rooms and other below-deck areas of Navy ships built before the mid-1970s, and lists pipe coverings and lagging, gaskets, valves, cements, adhesives, and floor coverings among military asbestos applications - era-level context for this 1942-43-built escort's research prioritization.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   General historical context; Sederstrom constructed 1942-1943

   Population

   Navy veterans generally; no Sederstrom-specific population identified

   Limitations

   General VA health guidance, not a vessel survey or specification; it neither identifies USS Sederstrom nor proves that any listed material was installed, retained, disturbed, or caused exposure aboard this hull. Its 'engine and boiler rooms' framing is generic - this class has no boilers (GMT diesel-electric), so the boiler-room application does not apply to this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-07

8. [8]Batch-4216 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback + hazegray mirror; NavSource 06/031 ship page and Evarts-class article; NavalCoverMuseum corroboration; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); indexed-web checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-sederstrom-de31-01 through sl-uss-sederstrom-de31-18

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Sederstrom / DE-31 / BDE-31 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 results (2026-09-28, authenticated): '"USS Sederstrom"' opinions count 0 and dockets count 0; '"Sederstrom" asbestos' opinions count 5, all name-collision with counsel Erickson & Sederstrom, P.C. in Nebraska/upper-Midwest matters (e.g., Olivotto v. DeMarco Bros. Co., Neb. 2007 - an asbestos wrongful-death appeal in which the firm represented a compensation carrier, not a vessel reference); '"Sederstrom" asbestos' docket search count 9, all surname/docket collisions in unrelated matters (bankruptcy, product-liability, and commercial dockets); bare 'Sederstrom' opinions count 443 dominated by the same law-firm collision; '"DE-31" asbestos' opinions count 3, all docket-entry notation and Spanish 'de 31' date strings. The hull was scrapped in 1947-48: no museum, landmark, or post-service abatement record exists to check. Law-firm marketing ship lists that name DE-31 generically (shepardlawfirm.com, freeasbestostesting.com, mesotheliomahelp.org, duboselawfirm.com) are an excluded source class and were not used.

   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 - a 1943 Mare Island-built escort is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Sweep coverage: six queries completed clean across opinion and RECAP/docket indexes; a bare '"DE-31"' opinion query timed out (read timeout - the token is a known-noise class, '[DE 31]' docket-entry notation, cf. DE-30's 4,713-hit result) and was not pursued after its asbestos-qualified form returned pure noise; RECAP coverage is limited to indexed docket text, so a qualifying allegation could still exist in unindexed filings or under a non-exact phrasing (e.g., plaintiff narratives that name the ship without 'USS' or hull number).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-08

9. [9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships); Mare Island, Pearl Harbor, and Todd Seattle yard work-order records; NARA San Bruno U.S. Navy construction photographs indexed on NavSource [other_primary]

   Locator

   https://www.archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos (guide sections 'General Information Books,' 'Cartographic Branch,' RG 19/RG 38 series lists) ; /research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; NavSource 06/031.htm photo credits

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Sederstrom (DE-31) 1943-1945 (RG 24, NARA College Park); NARA's ship-asbestos research guide identifies responsive series for pre-1961 Navy vessels - RG 19 Entry P 9 Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books and Related Documentation; RG 38 Entry P 1-D material inspection records; and RG 19 ship engineering drawings including S39 insulation and lagging and S48 piping; BuShips Evarts-class (BDE/GMT) design records and Booklet of General Plans (RG 19); Mare Island Navy Yard construction records for the 1942-43 build; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard work orders for the Aug-Oct 1944 repair availability; Todd Shipyards Seattle work orders for the Jul-Nov 1945 overhaul and inactivation; U.S. Navy construction photographs of this hull (DE-31-4376-43, DE-31-4379-43, DE-31-4382-43, DE-31-4822-43) indexed on the NavSource page.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1942-1948 records

   Limitations

   Record-group and photo-index mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; the NARA online catalog could not be queried programmatically this session (API-gated/JS interface). The NARA asbestos research guide describes holdings and a research method only - it does not report that a Sederstrom GIB, drawing, inspection, or asbestos record exists. Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-sederstrom-de31-09