Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, Shelton II (DD-790) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking, transfer; verbatim transcription via hazegray/Wayback - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: second Shelton (DD-790), Gearing class; laid down 31 May 1945 by Todd Pacific Shipyards Inc., Seattle, Wash.; launched 8 March 1946, sponsored by Mrs. Loretta Shelton Miller; commissioned 21 June 1946, Comdr. C. L. Werts. Specs: dp. 2,425; l. 391'; b. 41'; dr. 19'; s. 35 k.; cpl. 296; 6x5in, 16x40mm, 10x20mm, 2 dct, 6 dcp, 10x21in tt. Korean War: TF 77 from June 1950; Hungnam bombardment with Helena (CA-75) 25 Oct 1951; bombline with St. Paul (CA-73) Dec 1951; Songjin Jan 1952; Yang Do defense Feb 1952 and on the 22d taken under fire by five shore batteries - four direct hits and ~50 near misses, 12 casualties, five-foot hole in the bow; repairs at Sasebo; third tour Nov 1952-Jun 1953 (Wonsan 40 days). FRAM conversion at Long Beach Naval Shipyard July-June 1961. Yokosuka homeport Jan 1962-Mar 1964; Operation Handclasp Indian Ocean cruise Mar-May 1964; Tonkin Gulf Jun 1964; Vietnam tours 1965-66, 1967, 1968-69, 1970, 1971; Guam Polaris-test support Jan-Apr 1968. Final deployment Jun 1972-Jan 1973 (gunline Jul 1972; DMZ duel with Providence 19 Oct; Hon Me raids 5 and 19 Dec, ~700 rounds hostile fire). Struck 31 March 1973 and sold to the Republic of China the following month, serving as Lao Yang (DD-20). Eight Korean and eight Vietnam battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Population
- Todd-Pacific Seattle construction trades 1945-46; USN crew 1946-1973 (design complement 296)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. FRAM start reads 'from July to June 1961' - construed July 1960 with June 1961 completion (NavSource). Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404; DANFS text ends at the 1973 transfer and predates Taiwan's 1999 decommissioning and 2003 reef sinking.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-01
-
[2]ROC Navy vessel-history digital archive (nmda.teldap.tw - system maintained by Academia Sinica Digital Culture Center, TELDAP), Lai Yang DDG-920 lineage-history page (萊陽軍艦沿革史) [museum_official]
- Locator
- nmda.teldap.tw Lai Yang (DDG-920) page, English summary block and specification table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ROC Navy Museum archive record for this hull's Taiwan career: ex-USS Shelton DD-790, Gearing-class (FRAM I) destroyer built by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle; laid down 31 May 1945, launched 8 March 1946, commissioned (USN) 21 June 1946; stricken 31 March 1973; transferred to the ROC Navy at San Diego on 18 April 1973 (received by ROC de facto ambassador Shen Chien-Hong) and renamed Lai Yang, hull number DD-920; Wu-Chin II fire-control-system modernization completed May 1980; 76 mm gun mounted 1982; redesignated DDG-920 with AAW capability; 25+ years ROCN service on Taiwan Strait patrols, convoy and training missions totaling 48,700 underway hours and 513,100 nm; decommissioned 16 March 1999.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1973-1999
- Population
- ROCN crew and yard workers 1973-1999
- Limitations
- Institutional archive documents the Taiwan service record and modernization events; it does not address materials, asbestos content, or any hazmat handling in the Wu-Chin II or pre-reef conversions. Hull-number sequence (DD-20 vs DD-920 vs DDG-920) varies across sources - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-02
-
[3]Central News Agency (CNA) report via Epoch Times, 30 March 2003 - Penghu warship-reef sinking of decommissioned Lai Yang [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Epoch Times 2003-03-30 article body (CNA-sourced)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous CNA-sourced report: the decommissioned ROCN Lai Yang (ex-DD-790) was donated by the Navy to Penghu County and sunk as a warship reef under the Council of Agriculture Fisheries Agency artificial-reef program - towed from Magong Third Fishing Harbor and scuttled by underwater demolition about 1 nm north of Nei'an village, Xiyu Township, Penghu, in ~39 m of water, 29-30 March 2003; the 11th ROC warship reef and Penghu's third. The report states the reef conversion included 'the most careful environmental treatment' (環保處理) before sinking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2002-2003
- Population
- reef-conversion workers 2002-03; divers thereafter
- Limitations
- Confirms disposition and pre-sinking environmental preparation in general terms; 'environmental treatment' is not specified as asbestos abatement and no materials inventory is given. Day-level date varies (29 vs 30 March 2003 across the CNA wire date and the ceremony description); secondary sources citing 'November 2002' reflect the plan date (NavSource wording 'as of November 2002 was to become an artificial reef') - treated as a correction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-03
-
[4]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (Sept. 28, 2018) - class engineering-drawing recital [court_record]
- Locator
- Omnibus opinion pp. 12, 19, 31 (OCR of scanned ECF 171) as recited in the Gearing class profile, ev-gearing-class-04
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Litigation-recited class evidence relevant to this hull's era/design: the omnibus opinion recites that 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class)' specifies 'amosite felts and asbestos cloths', and quotes an expert report estimating 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' DD-790 is a Gearing-class hull sharing the Sumner machinery design; the recital supports class/era inference only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940s design era; opinion filed 2018-09-28
- Population
- Destroyer fire/engine-room crews; litigation expert materials
- Limitations
- Litigation-record recital of an expert report (McCloskey) and a Navy engineering drawing - the drawing covers Sumner-class DD-692-group machinery shared by Gearing; the 30.3-ton figure is an expert partial tally for fire/engine rooms, not a classwide inventory and not an adjudicated finding; the opinion treats some related exposure conclusions as speculative. Not ship-specific to DD-790. Underlying exhibits not retrieved from RECAP (per Gearing class profile gap).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-04
-
[5]Consolidated era/yard inference - DANFS (documented yard events for this hull) + Gearing class profile (navypedia technical data, GAO HRD-80-2 policy context) + Atlas shipyard dataset records for todd-shipyards / long-beach-naval-shipyard / puget-sound-naval-shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative (yard events); shipyards.json records 'todd-shipyards', 'long-beach-naval-shipyard', 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference tied to documented hull events: (a) built 1945-46 at the peak Navy asbestos era by the Seattle yard of Todd Pacific Shipyards (Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, YN 45) - the Atlas yard record for Todd Shipyards Corp. documents steam-pipe lagging, turbine insulation, valve gaskets, pump packings, asbestos cement and pre-formed blocks as Todd product lines; (b) Bremerton (Puget Sound NSY) overhaul Jan-Apr 1948 - yard record documents thermal insulation incl. preformed 85% magnesia block boiler lagging with 15% asbestos content; (c) FRAM conversion at Long Beach NSY Jul 1960-Jun 1961 - yard record documents 100% amosite asbestos blankets used in shipboard insulation until ~1962 and a chest x-ray survey finding asbestos-related abnormalities in 16.0% of 6,640 employees. Each yard period would have disturbed era insulation under period practice; a ship-specific scope or inventory for DD-790 is not documented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-1973
- Population
- Construction trades Seattle 1945-46; PSNS Bremerton 1948; LBNSY 1960-61; Sasebo repair workers 1952; USN crew 1946-73
- Limitations
- Inference only - documented events and documented yard/product records, but no hull-level material schedule, work package, or survey ties specific ACM to DD-790. Does not establish quantities, individual exposure, or causation. NARA RG 19 General Information Books and FRAM work packages are the hull-level archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-05
-
[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (content via product-page description)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. DD-790 left U.S. service April 1973 - before this program existed - so U.S.-program abatement or survey of this hull under that regime is not expected; original-era and FRAM-era materials would ordinarily have remained unless disturbed by maintenance or the documented yard periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1979 program era (hull departed US service 1973)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level context, not class- or hull-specific; supports interpretation of why no U.S. asbestos survey of this hull is expected. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches per Batch-01 standing note); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-06
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 sweeps 2026-09-27: opinions "USS Shelton" = 0; opinions "DD-790" = 0; opinions "aboard the Shelton"/"USS Shelton (DD-790)" = 0; dockets "USS Shelton" = 2; dockets "DD-790" = 10 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search results 2026-09-27; MDL-875 master docket (jpml, filed 1991-01-17), RECAP documents 386408006 (ECF 6475-3) and 171155331 (Bankr. 20-60860 doc 132)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep resolved at document level 2026-09-27: zero opinion hits for exact-name, hull-number, and aboard-variant queries. The two 'USS Shelton' docket-text hits resolve to (a) the MDL-875 master docket (IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation No. VI, JPML) - the hull name appears in RECAP attachment 6475-3, the Nelson v. Alfa Laval complaint's exposure exhibit naming 'USS Shelton (DD-790)' (qualifying pleading-stage allegation - see ev-uss-shelton-dd790-11); and (b) Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, Inc. (Bankr. W.D. Va. 20-60860) doc 132, where the substring sits inside a petition signature list - a name collision, non-qualifying. The ten 'DD-790' docket hits are MDL-875 plus nine unrelated cases matching docket-entry-number text - all non-qualifying.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- litigation record through 2026-09-27
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Zero opinion hits means no published opinion indexes this hull's name or hull number; it does not exclude unindexed or state-court litigation. Document-level resolution came from the type=rd RECAP query (shelton-rd ledger row): attachment 6475-3 = the qualifying Nelson complaint exhibit; doc 17208407/132 = petition signature-list collision. The Nelson hit remains pleading-stage - a claimant's allegation, not an adjudicated finding. Absence of further qualifying litigation does not prove absence of exposure - it limits the public record; the ship departed US jurisdiction in 1973, before the asbestos-litigation era peaked.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-10
-
[8]Nelson (Donald) et al v. Alfa Laval, Inc. et al., No. 2:07-cv-08338-R-JTL (C.D. Cal., removed from Los Angeles Superior Court BC380991; filed 2007-12-27, terminated 2008-02-22), Complaint for Personal Injury - Asbestos, Exhibits A-B - contained in IN RE: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI), MDL No. 875 (J.P.M.L.), Notice of Related Action, ECF No. 6475 attachment 3 (filed 2010-12-13); RECAP doc 386408006 [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 ECF No. 6475 attachment 3, complaint pp. 37-38 of 38 (Exhibits A-B); RECAP mirror gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.6475.3_1.pdf; internal docket-report header identifies the case as 2:07-cv-08338-R-JTL (the notice's attachment label misprints '2:08-08338')
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull, at the least-final stage (pleading allegation only): the verified complaint's Exhibit A exposure-history table alleges plaintiff Donald Nelson's asbestos exposure at 'U.S. Navy - USS Shelton (DD-790)' with job title 'fireman/boiler tender' and exposure dates 1959-1963 at San Diego, California; Long Beach, California; and Chicago, Illinois. Exhibit B alleges diagnosis of mesothelioma on or about September 19, 2007. Hull attribution is unambiguous - the pleading prints the hull number 'DD-790'. The 1959-1963 alleged window overlaps this hull's documented FRAM conversion at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (July 1960-June 1961); the San Diego and Long Beach entries are consistent with the hull's documented West Coast operating base before its January 1962 Yokosuka homeport shift.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1959-1963 (alleged exposure); 2007-2010 (diagnosis, pleading, MDL notice)
- Population
- Donald Nelson (USN fireman/boiler tender 1959-1963 per pleading; mesothelioma dx 2007-09-19); co-plaintiff Hilaria Nelson
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION ONLY - a complaint's exposure-history exhibit alleges, nothing was adjudicated; the case terminated in C.D. Cal. on 2008-02-22 without a merits resolution located (disposition type not stated in the located record; any state-court merits history in BC380991 not located). No products are tied to this vessel specifically; the 'Chicago, Illinois' location entry is unexplained for this hull (possible Great Lakes training context, unverified). Does not establish asbestos presence aboard, causation, quantities, or eligibility. Does not lift the record tier: a bare complaint exhibit naming the hull - not recited in any judicial opinion - stays at pleading stage per the batch-level convention applied to USS John W. Weeks (DD-701), ev-uss-john-w-weeks-dd701-08.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-11
-
[9]NARA, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations; Shelton (DD-790) monthly logbook items (e.g., October 1968, NAID 7335497, via DPLA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog item 7335497 (via DPLA item index); series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds DD-790 deck logs within the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations series (monthly items; October 1968 verified in the DPLA index). Deck logs and muster rolls are the hull-level primary records for reconstructing yard periods, underway periods, and crew assignments relevant to any future exposure analysis.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1946-1973 (log coverage)
- Population
- USN crew 1946-1973
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - logbook contents not reviewed; deck logs do not themselves document asbestos materials, though they corroborate dates/places (e.g., yard periods) used in exposure reconstruction.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-07
-
[10]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-790 USS Shelton (specifications, building data, commanding officers, Taiwan service; via Wayback capture 2024-10-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-790 page header block (specs + building data) and CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource index record for this hull: Gearing class as built; displacement 3,460 t full; 390'6"oa x 40'10" x 14'4"; armament 6x5"/38 (3x2), 12x40mm, 11x20mm, 10x21" tt (2x5); machinery 60,000 shp, General Electric geared turbines, 2 screws; 36.8 kt; range 4,500 nm at 20 kt; crew 336; built by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, Seattle WA (YN 45); laid down 31 May 1945; launched 8 Mar 1946; commissioned 21 Jun 1946; FRAM upgrade completed June 1961; decommissioned and stricken 31 March 1973; transferred to Republic of China 18 April 1973, renamed Lao Yang (DDG-20 / DDG-920); decommissioned by Taiwan 16 March 1999; as of November 2002 was to become an artificial reef. Commanding-officer roster included (CDR C. L. Werts commissioning CO through CDR James E. McConville, Sep 1972-Mar 1973).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1945-2002
- Population
- USN crew 1946-1973; ROCN crew 1973-1999
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled photographic/historical index corroborating DANFS; where it conflicts with DANFS (crew 336 vs 296; builder facility name Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding vs Todd Pacific Shipyards) the DANFS figure is carried and the conflict logged in gaps. The November 2002 reef wording is a plan date, not the sinking (correction in ev-03). NavSource compiles from official sources but is not itself a primary document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-08
-
[11]NHHC DANFS, Shelton I (DE-407) - live NHHC page (namesake biography and first-hull loss) + NHHC 'Ships Named for Naval Aviators' appendix + NavSource DD-790 namesake block [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Shelton I (DE-407) DANFS entry (namesake biography + loss narrative); NHHC app12.pdf Shelton line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Namesake record: both Shelton hulls honor Ensign James Arnold Shelton, USNR - NHHC appendix lists 'Shelton (DE 407) ENS James A. Shelton, USNR 4 Apr 1944; (DD 790) 21 Jun 1946'. NHHC Shelton I DANFS: born Denton, Judith Basin County, Mont., 20 September 1916; enlisted 15 January 1941; Scouting Squadron 6 (USS Enterprise CV-6); his SBD (BuNo 03225) went down during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942; Navy Cross posthumous. First hull DE-407 (Brown Shipbuilding, Houston; commissioned 4 April 1944) was torpedoed by Japanese submarine RO-41 off Morotai on 3 October 1944, capsized under tow and sank; stricken 27 November 1944; one battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Identity/context only - establishes the namesake and distinguishes DD-790 (second Shelton) from DE-407 (first Shelton, lost 1944) so litigation and log references are attributed to the correct hull. Does not document materials aboard DD-790.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-shelton-dd790-09