Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet ix-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-semmes-dd189-pkt-ix-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Semmes I (Destroyer No. 189)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service narrative, paragraphs 5-7
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC DANFS records Semmes's World War II service and disposal: escort missions, Key West Sound School training, and antisubmarine patrols added to experimental duties after U.S. entry into the war; at Key West 16 March-16 April 1942; collision with the British ship Senateur Duhamel off Cape Lookout on the morning of 6 May 1942 (the British ship sank; Semmes assisted survivors); temporary repairs at Morehead City; permanent repairs completed at Norfolk on 3 June 1942; continued test, evaluation, patrol, and escort work through the end of the war in Europe; post-war tests for the Underwater Sound Laboratory, New London, and training services to the Submarine School and Fleet Sonar School; entered Philadelphia Navy Yard 21 May 1946; decommissioned 2 June 1946; struck from the Navy list 3 July 1946; hulk sold for scrapping to Northern Metals Corp., Philadelphia, 25 November 1946; scrapped the following year.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The 1942 post-collision repair period at Norfolk and the Philadelphia Navy Yard inactivation periods are documented events; DANFS does not describe materials disturbed, removed, or installed and does not establish asbestos work or exposure. The Norfolk facility is not further identified in the entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-03
-
[3]National Archives, Ship Plan Index, SEMMES DD-189 entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- SEMMES DD-189 entries, RG 19, Alphabetical Ship Drawings (NAID 53486707) and Microfilm (NAID 175670674)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index lists SEMMES, DD-189, in Record Group 19 under Alphabetical Ship Drawings (NAID 53486707) and Microfilm (NAID 175670674). These collections are leads for examining ship-specific plans, including any available insulation and piping drawings. The index also lists SEMMES DDG-18 (a different hull, the later guided-missile destroyer) under separate NAIDs - the two hulls must not be conflated in archival retrieval.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The index establishes holdings, not the contents of individual drawings. No Semmes drawing or material schedule was retrieved or reviewed; the index is not evidence of asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-04
-
[4]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research; General Information Books; Cartographic Branch (S39/S48); Other Records and their usefulness
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA's research guide describes potential asbestos-relevant Navy record groups for the 1941-1961 period, including RG 19 Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books (Entry P 9, 1907-1961) and S39 insulation/lagging and S48 piping drawings among Ship Engineering Drawings. It states that deck logs and muster rolls provide no direct evidence of asbestos aboard ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- This is a research guide, not a Semmes material record. It establishes where to search and why service records are insufficient; it does not show that a Semmes GIB exists or that this ship contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-05
-
[5]U.S. GAO, HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure (1979) [gao]
- Locator
- Product-page description (full text returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The 1979 GAO review documents asbestos insulation policy and exposure concerns across Navy shipbuilding and repair, with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards. This is program-level context only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- GAO studied policy decades after Semmes's 1946 decommissioning and did not examine this hull. It cannot establish this ship's materials, exposures, or repair work. gao.gov blocked the automated full-text fetch; the product-page description was used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-06
-
[6]Negative result from NHHC DANFS, NARA Ship Plan Index, NARA asbestos research guide, and GAO HRD-80-2 review; see search_ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- Search ledger sl-01 through sl-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official sources and catalog entries reviewed for this record did not yield a ship-specific asbestos survey, product schedule, abatement record, or material finding for Semmes. Asbestos presence aboard DD-189 remains unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- This is a bounded search result, not proof that asbestos was absent. Underlying NARA plans, GIBs, the 1942 Norfolk repair work package, Coast Guard reconditioning records, and scrapping files were not obtained.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-07
-
[7]Vollman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 5:22-cv-02564-KBH (E.D. Pa.), Memorandum and/or Opinion, ECF No. 431 (filed 2025-08-21) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 431, p.3 (alleged exposure 1972-1990 and 'USS Semmes' recital), pp.14-16 (Eaton summary-judgment grant)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- NAME COLLISION - resolved by full-text review. In Vollman v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (E.D. Pa. 5:22-cv-02564, MDL-875 remand), the court's 21 August 2025 summary-judgment opinion recites the allegation that decedent Greg Vollman was exposed to asbestos 1972-1990 while working for the U.S. Navy, Lehigh University, and Bethlehem Steel, and that Eaton (successor to Cutler-Hammer) sold asbestos-containing brake linings 'used on cranes while Plaintiff worked at Bethlehem Steel and the USS Semmes.' DD-189 was scrapped in 1947 and did not exist during the alleged window; the only USS Semmes extant in 1972-1990 is the guided-missile destroyer DDG-18 (commissioned 1962, in service through at least 1974 per DANFS). The opinion granted Eaton's summary-judgment motion on product-identification grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- This record's subject is DD-189; the Vollman allegation describes DDG-18 (DD-189 was scrapped in 1947; DDG-18, commissioned 1962, was the only USS Semmes extant in 1972-1990), so it is a name collision for this hull - not exposure evidence aboard DD-189. Even as to DDG-18 the reference is a recited pleading allegation, and the claim against the associated defendant ended in a defense summary-judgment grant (a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not an exposure finding).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-08
-
[8]Horton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 3:22-cv-00518 (S.D. Ill.), docket 63162870; match within Notice of Removal filing incl. State Court Complaint, ECF No. 1-1 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket index for 3:22-cv-00518 (S.D. Ill.); matching document ECF No. 1-1 (State Court Complaint)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos docket in which 'USS Semmes' appears in indexed CourtListener docket text: Horton v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., No. 3:22-cv-00518 (S.D. Ill.), an asbestos personal-injury case removed from St. Clair County state court (filed 2022-03-14; terminated 2022-05-16). The match occurs in docket documents including the 20-page state-court complaint (ECF No. 1-1); the vessel's role in the allegations and its hull attribution (DD-189 vs. DDG-18) are not resolved from the public index.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Indexed docket-text match only; unadjudicated. Does not establish exposure aboard this hull, asbestos presence, product identity, or legal eligibility. Hull attribution (DD-189 vs. DDG-18) unresolved - DD-189 left service in 1946, so an alleged exposure after 1962 would indicate DDG-18.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-09
-
[9]Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal.), docket 4174328; match within ECF No. 11, Declaration in Support of Motion to Remand [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket index for 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal.); matching document ECF No. 11 (Rosenthal declaration, 323 pp.)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos docket in which 'USS Semmes' appears in indexed CourtListener docket text: Redman v. A.W. Chesterton Co., No. 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal.), an asbestos personal-injury removal action (filed 2008-06-18; terminated 2009-02-02). The match occurs within a 323-page declaration in support of a motion to remand (ECF No. 11); the vessel's role in the allegations and hull attribution (DD-189 vs. DDG-18) are not resolved from the public index.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Indexed docket-text match only; unadjudicated. Does not establish exposure aboard this hull or asbestos presence. Hull attribution (DD-189 vs. DDG-18) unresolved from the index; a post-1962 exposure window would indicate DDG-18.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-10
-
[10]In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875, docket 1245688, ECF No. 7281-9; Motors Liquidation Co., No. 09-50026 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.), docket 4327513, ECF No. 9455 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener docket indexes; matching documents ECF No. 7281-9 (Avondale vessel exhibit) and ECF No. 9455 (claims objection)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Two additional exact-name docket matches in which 'USS Semmes' appears in indexed CourtListener docket text: (1) In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (JPML master docket) - the match is in an exhibit titled 'Vessels Constructed at Avondale Since Founding of Company 1938' (ECF No. 7281-9). NHHC DANFS confirms Semmes DDG-18 was built at Avondale Shipyards, Westwego, La. (laid down 1960), while DD-189 was built at Newport News in 1918, twenty years before Avondale's 1938 founding - an Avondale-built-vessel list can only name DDG-18, so this is a name collision resolved by attribution logic though the document itself was not pulled. (2) Motors Liquidation Co. bankruptcy, No. 09-50026 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) - the match is in a 188-page claim-objection motion (ECF No. 9455); vessel role and hull attribution unresolved.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Indexed docket-text matches only; neither establishes exposure aboard, asbestos presence, or hull attribution by document text. The Avondale attribution rests on DANFS (DDG-18 laid down 18 August 1960 at Avondale Shipyards; DD-189 built 1918 at Newport News, predating Avondale's 1938 founding) rather than on the exhibit's own text, which was not retrieved. The bankruptcy reference may name the ship in a claimant's work history.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-11
-
[11]CourtListener authenticated API v4 search responses via cl-auth-search.py [court_record]
- Locator
- Search ledger sl-06 through sl-11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweep via the fleet helper: exact-name opinion query 'USS Semmes' returned count 0; hull-number opinion query 'DD-189' returned count 0; exact-name docket query 'USS Semmes' returned 5 hits (classified in ev-08 through ev-11 - one resolved name collision to DDG-18, four unresolved archival leads); hull-number docket query 'DD-189' was blocked by the fleet pacing guard and not completed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- The zero counts apply only to opinion full-text search; no published opinion names USS Semmes (either hull). Docket matches are indexed-text references requiring hull attribution. The hull-number docket query remained blocked by fleet pacing at close of work - the sweep is incomplete, not proof that no complaint exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-12
-
[12]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Semmes I (Destroyer No. 189)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specifications block and service narrative, opening paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC DANFS identifies Semmes as a Clemson-class destroyer (DD-189): displacement 1,190; length 314'5"; beam 31'8"; draft 13'6"; speed 35 kt; complement 120; armament 5 x 4-inch, 1 x 3-inch, 12 x 21-inch torpedo tubes. Laid down 10 June 1918 by Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.; launched 21 December 1918; sponsored by Mrs. John H. Watkins, granddaughter of namesake Raphael Semmes; commissioned 21 February 1920, Comdr. H.H. Norton in command.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Documents identity, construction, and design specifications, not asbestos composition, installed products, or occupational exposure. The complement of 120 is the DANFS specification, not an actual wartime muster.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-01
-
[13]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Semmes I (Destroyer No. 189)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service narrative, paragraphs 2-4
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC DANFS records Semmes's interwar service: post-shakedown exercises, a 1921 Caribbean and South America cruise via the Panama Canal, inactivation and decommissioning at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 17 July 1922, transfer to the U.S. Coast Guard and commissioning in that service on 25 April 1932, reconditioning at Boston with basing at New London, return to the Navy and recommissioning as an experimental ship on 20 April 1934 under the London Treaty, redesignation as auxiliary ship AG-24 on 1 July 1935, and assignment to Experimental Division 1 testing underwater sound equipment with assigned submarines into the 1940s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Documents service history including the Coast Guard period and conversion to experimental auxiliary; NHHC does not describe materials removed or installed during inactivation, Coast Guard reconditioning, or conversion and does not establish asbestos work or exposure. The Coast Guard hull number CG-20 is not stated in DANFS and is carried in aliases from secondary sources only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-semmes-dd189-02