Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet jo-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-sims-dd409-pkt-jo-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Sims I (DD-409) (namesake biography, builder, dates, service narrative, loss; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block + service narrative (complete entry)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: first Sims named for Admiral William Sowden Sims (1858-1936); laid down 15 July 1937 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 8 April 1939, sponsored by Mrs. William S. Sims; commissioned 1 August 1939, Lt. Comdr. W. A. Griswold in command. Shakedown in the Caribbean and post-shakedown availability at Boston Navy Yard; joined Atlantic Squadron at Norfolk 2 August 1940; Neutrality Patrol in Caribbean and South Atlantic incl. Martinique Nov-Dec 1940; Newport R.I. from 28 May 1941; Iceland patrols July-Oct 1941 with DesRon 2. After 7 December 1941, DesRon 2 joined Task Force 17 built around Yorktown (CV-5); Norfolk to San Diego to Samoa (arrived 23 Jan 1942); Marshall Islands raid 28-30 Jan 1942 (bombed 28 Jan, near-misses); Canton Island February; Lae-Salamaua strike cover 10 March; New Caledonia-Tonga operations. Coral Sea: assigned to escort oiler Neosho (AO-23); detached after refueling 5-6 May; on 7 May three Japanese air attacks - 15 high-level bombers at 0930 (no damage), 10 aircraft at 1038 (nine bombs evaded), then 36 dive bombers; three 500-lb bombs hit, two exploding in the engine room; the ship buckled amidships and sank stern first with a further explosion; Chief Signalman R. J. Dicken in a damaged whaleboat picked up 15 other survivors; rescued by Henley (DD-391) on 11 May; struck from the Navy list 24 June 1942; two battle stars. Spec block: dp 1,570; l 348'2"; b 35'4"; dr 9'11"; s 35+ k; cpl 241; a. 4x5" 8x21"tt; cl. Sims.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1937-1942
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1937-39; prewar and wartime crew (design complement 241 per DANFS); ~225 lost at sinking
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The '15 other survivors' phrasing yields 16 survivors total; the contemporaneous ComDesPac report reads 'thirteen known survivors' and the Australian shipwreck register reads 15 survivors/237 lost - conflict carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center (NHHC) Online Library of Selected Images, USS Sims (DD-409) page, 1939-1942 (verbatim transcription incl. official photo captions 19-N-20822, NH 63125, NH 91706, 19-N-21804, 19-N-21805) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library DD-409 ship page, narrative + photo captions 19-N-20822/NH 63125/NH 91706/19-N-21804/19-N-21805
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC ship page for this hull: 'lead ship of a class of 1570-ton destroyers' built at Bath, Maine; commissioned August 1939; Atlantic service for two-and-a-half years incl. fleet training, neutrality patrols and 'short of war' operations; transited to the Pacific December 1941; TF 17 around Yorktown; early May 1942 assigned to escort oiler Neosho; sunk 7 May 1942 by enemy carrier planes, Neosho scuttled after damage. Photo captions document the hull off the Kennebec River on builder's trials 6 July 1939 flying the Bath Iron Works flag (19-N-20822, NH 63125, NH 91706 - 'Mark 37 main gun battery director has not yet been installed') and off the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, 9 May 1940 (19-N-21804, 19-N-21805, Bureau of Ships Collection, U.S. National Archives).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1942
- Population
- Builder's trials crew July 1939; crew at Boston Navy Yard May 1940
- Limitations
- NHHC narrative and captions document the hull's history and yard presences (builder's trials July 1939; Boston Navy Yard May 1940); contain no materials or asbestos information. The Boston Navy Yard captions establish presence at the yard on that date, not the scope of any availability or repair work performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-02
-
[4]Commander Destroyers, Pacific Fleet report, 'Sinking of the U.S.S. SIMS (DD-409) by Japanese Bombers in the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942' (L11-1/A12 serial 0724, to Secretary of the Navy via Cincpac/Cominch) incl. Enclosure A survivor narrative; and Senior Line Petty Officer R. J. Dicken, C.S.M., 'Personal observations of SIMS #409 disaster' (13-18 May 1942) - HyperWar transcriptions of Navy documents [other_primary]
- Locator
- ComDesPac serial 0724 basic letter para 1-2 + Enclosure A survivor narrative; Dicken report (HyperWar dd409-Coral-ComDesPac.html and dd409-Coral.html)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous primary records for this hull's loss: eight named survivors interviewed (Dicken CSM bridge; Savage FC3c director; Munch MM2c steering engine room; Reilly WT1c No.1 fireroom; Canole MM2c and Vessia F2c No.2 fireroom; Ernst FC3c plotting room; Gober Sea2c No.2 gun). The report records 'steam on all boilers' at General Quarters, SC radar manned (no FD radar installed), bombs exploding in forward and after engine rooms, survivors' opinion the final explosion may have been a boiler explosion (assessed unlikely - steam pressure had dropped to zero; depth charge or warhead more likely), and 'all hands believed killed at their battle stations in the engine rooms.' Dicken's report records that 'all muster rolls, log books and valuable papers went down with the Sims' - the ship's own records were lost with the hull. ComDesPac notes 'only thirteen known survivors.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-05-07 to 1942-05-18
- Population
- Crew aboard at loss (8 named survivors interviewed; engine-room and fireroom stations documented)
- Limitations
- A combat loss report - documents machinery operation and casualty circumstances, not materials; contains no insulation or asbestos statement. Survivor count ('thirteen known') conflicts with DANFS (16) and the Australian register (15) - carried in gaps. Transcription hosted by HyperWar/ibiblio of the NARA-held original; page images not independently verified against the archive copy.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-03
-
[5]Bureau of Construction and Repair, General Information Book, USS Sims, Hughes (DD 409-410) - 14-page scan via Destroyer History Foundation; full series at NARA RG 19 (publications concerning naval vessels, 1900-45) [other_primary]
- Locator
- GIB scan pp. 8-12 'PROPELLING MACHINERY' (Boilers, Turbines, Propellers tables, per-hull columns)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The class General Information Book tabulates DD-409 individually (with sister DD-410): propelling-machinery section lists oil-fired Babcock boilers with 665-psi steam drums and Westinghouse geared turbines, consistent with the class table (3 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 665 psi/715 deg F; 50,000 shp; 2 shafts - destroyerhistory.org citing the GIB and Friedman). Documents this hull's steam plant type and parameters from a contemporaneous Navy specification document. OCR keyword scan of the 14-page scan: no occurrence of asbestos, insulation, lagging, magnesia, or covering terms.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- circa 1939 (document); 1937-1942 (hull)
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction and machinery workforce; engineering crew 1939-42
- Limitations
- The public scan (General A-1 sections: dimensions, capacities, machinery, armament) contains NO insulation, lagging, covering, or asbestos itemization - it neither establishes nor excludes asbestos materials aboard. The complete GIB volumes at NARA RG 19 remain the archival lead for hull-level material specifications. Scan is legible but not text-layered; OCR review performed 2026-09-27.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-04
-
[6]DANFS spec block + BuC&R GIB DD-409/410 machinery section (3x Babcock oil-fired 665-psi boilers; Westinghouse geared turbines) + Atlas shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' (documented yard-level asbestos product inventory incl. Kaylo pipe covering, asbestos felt, loose packing; 1942 Drinker Harvard study of pipe-covering-shop dust risk, PMID 21016030) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; GIB propelling-machinery tables; shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' (ev-bath-iron-works-01/02)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Sims-class destroyer built 1937-39 by Bath Iron Works with a three-boiler 665-psi high-pressure superheated steam plant and geared turbines would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, flange gaskets, valve and machinery packing, and fireproofing; builder Bath Iron Works is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2; asbestos product inventory incl. Kaylo pipe covering, Foster Wheeler gaskets, asbestos felt, loose packing, vinyl floor tile, adhesives) including Dr. Philip Drinker's 1942 Harvard study documenting 'fairly serious dust risk' in the yard's pipe-covering shops at ~10x the safe threshold. No hull-level itemization located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1937-1942
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1937-39; Boston Navy Yard post-shakedown availability workforce 1939-40; crew 1939-42
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no document reviewed itemizes insulation or coverings aboard this hull, and the ship sank in 1942 before any post-war asbestos survey era. The 1942 yard study postdates this hull's 1939 completion and documents yard conditions, not this vessel. This row contextualizes; it is not a ship-specific finding. NARA RG 19 GIB full-volume retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-05
-
[7]Australian Government, 'Inclusion in the National Heritage List of the Battle of the Coral Sea Site' (instrument C2025G00215, signed by Minister Tanya Plibersek 2025-02-13 under s.324JJ EPBC Act 1999; listed 2025-04-17; announced 2025-06-01) + DCCEEW place page (National Heritage List Place ID 106080) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Instrument Schedule, boundary clause + criterion-values table; DCCEEW place page 'The Battle of the Coral Sea Site' (dcceew.gov.au)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Australian official record for this hull's wreck site: the National Heritage List instrument's Schedule declares the site's heritage attributes 'include the shipwrecks of USS Lexington, USS Neosho and USS Sims' within a ~43,270 sq km polygon of Australia's EEZ (~1,200 km east of Cooktown); the DCCEEW place page describes '3 preserved shipwrecks within the Battle of the Coral Sea Site' - USS Neosho (oil tanker), USS Sims (its escort), USS Lexington - attacked by Japanese forces 7-8 May 1942. Establishes the wreck's protected status as a war grave within the listed site.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2025 (listing); 1942 (loss)
- Population
- War grave - ~225+ crew lost with the ship (figure unresolved across sources)
- Limitations
- The listing establishes the wreck's presence within the heritage polygon and its legal protection; it does not publish the wreck's precise coordinates. Whether the hull was definitively located/imaged is unresolved in public sources - a CSIRO survey report (post-Sept-2019 RV Investigator voyage) states 'Neither the USS Neosho nor USS Sims have ever been found,' while June 2025 coverage quotes wreck observations (carried in gaps). No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 sweep (authenticated; fleet-paced helper cl-auth-search.py): exact-name and hull-designator queries across opinion and RECAP docket indexes [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py results: type=o '"USS Sims"' count=1 (Bass), '"DD-409"' count=0; type=r '"USS Sims"' count=1 (Varnum, hull attribution unresolved)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep, exact name + hull designator. Opinion index: '"USS Sims"' = 1 hit, a collision (United States v. Bass, 40 M.J. 220, C.M.A. 1994 - court-martial of a Navy petty officer for offenses aboard 'USS Sims' at Naval Station Mayport in 1991, which can only be the Knox-class frigate USS Sims DE-1059/FF-1059, in service 1970-1991 - DD-409 sank in 1942); '"DD-409"' = 0 hits. Docket index '"USS Sims"' = 1 hit: Varnum v. Air and Liquid Systems, Inc. (S.D. Ill. 3:15-cv-00450, cause '28:1441 Petition for Removal - Asbestos Litigation,' suitNature '368 P.I. : Asbestos', filed 2015-04-22, terminated 2016-02-24) - an asbestos docket in which 'USS Sims' appears in indexed text, but the hull attribution (DD-409 vs FF-1059) is unverified: RECAP full-text retrieval was repeatedly blocked by fleet-wide pacing (stand-down) and remains an open item. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull confirmed.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Name-collision discipline applies: two Navy hulls bore the name Sims (DD-409, sunk 1942; FF-1059, in service 1970-1991), so any 'USS Sims' service reference postdating May 1942 resolves to the frigate, and a pleading-stage reference without a hull number cannot qualify for this record. The Varnum hit is classified archival_lead pending full-text review - an unadjudicated docket-text match is not evidence of exposure aboard this hull. The '"DD-409"' docket-index query was also blocked by pacing and is logged in search_ledger, not a completed negative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sims-dd409-07