Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet lk-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS **Spangler** (DE-696)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-spangler-de696-pkt-lk-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Spangler (DE-696), NHHC ship-history page (live URL 404 on 2026-09-29; cited via 2025-02-02 Wayback capture of history.navy.mil) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (Wayback 20250202214531)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 28 April 1943 by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Mich.; launched 15 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Myrtle Spangler; commissioned 31 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. W. A. Burgett in command. Specs block: 1,400 t, 306'0" x 37'0", 23.6 kt, complement 213, 3x3", 6x40mm, 3x21" tt. Named for Lt. (j.g.) Donald Hays Spangler, killed aboard USS Atlanta (CL-51) off Savo Island 13 November 1942. Service: Bermuda shakedown; Pacific via Panama December 1943; flagship, Escort Division 39; South Pacific convoy escort; 30-31 May 1944 hunter-killer action against RO-105 with Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75) group - Spangler attacked with 24 depth charges, kill credited to England (DE-635); Purvis Bay overhaul June-July 1944; October 1944 station ship Funafuti; Guam-based escort and hunter-killer/air-sea-rescue duty from 1 January 1945 incl. Saipan station ship 26 April-27 May 1945; returned September 1945 for overhaul at San Pedro; Far East deployments 1946-47, 1955-56, 1957; San Diego-based operations 1947-1958; decommissioned 8 October 1958 at Astoria, Oregon, Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; stricken 1 March 1972; hulk sold 20 November 1972 to Zidell Explorations Inc., Portland, Oregon, for scrapping. Two battle stars WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Defoe Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; wartime and postwar crew (complement 213)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. DANFS does not state the commissioning location (NavSource gives Naval Station Algiers, La.) and does not name the San Pedro overhaul facility. Live NHHC URL returns 404; verbatim text cited via Wayback capture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-01
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[3]Buckley-class (TE) machinery per NavSource DE-696 photo archive ('2 "D" Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12000 shp, 2 screws'); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 design-group table and navypedia per-block boiler-manufacturer map as compiled in the Atlas buckley-class profile (class-f) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-696 specifications block; class-f/buckley-class.class.json ev-buckley-class-01/-02/-04
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull's Buckley-class TE plant = two superheated 'D' express boilers (435 psi/750F per BuShips design-group data) plus GE turbo-electric machinery at 12,000 shp - boiler/fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings were era-standard on 1943 steam construction. Navypedia block map attributes Combustion Engineering boilers to the DE-693-705 block (class-level attribution, not a hull record).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Defoe construction trades; crew 1943-1958; reserve-fleet caretakers 1958-1972
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific document confirms asbestos-containing material aboard DE-696. NavSource is a volunteer photo archive (secondary); BuShips design-group data describes the class, not this hull's as-built material schedule. The class profile records no ship-specific asbestos record for any Buckley hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-02
-
[4]NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov): SPANGLER / DE-696 / RG 19, Hull Series of Ship Engineering Drawings, NAID 153715098; NARA digitized Navy deck-log index lists Spangler (DE-696) monthly logs for 1956, 1957, and 1958 (through October 1958) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index entry 'SPANGLER | DE-696 | 19 | Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings | 153715098'; navy-online digitized-log list, Spangler panel (e.g., NAID 219084820 for 1956-01)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official Ship Plan Index lists hull-specific RG 19 engineering drawings for DE-696 (NAID 153715098) - the per-hull drawing series that includes general plans and arrangements through which insulation/machinery installation is documented. NARA's digitized deck-log index (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online) lists Spangler (DE-696) monthly deck logs digitized for January 1956 through October 1958 (decommissioning).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1958 records; indexed/digitized status as of 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Archival holdings documented, contents not reviewed - the drawings and logs exist but were not examined for insulation/material notations. Wartime logs (1943-45) are not in the digitized index; they reside in RG 24 (Special List 44 era) and in association-hosted scans. These are leads, not findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-03
-
[5]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (product page; full text 403 to automated fetch) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text not fetched; gao.gov 403 to automated access)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Navy-wide program context: GAO documented that asbestos's major shipboard use was thermal insulation and that the Navy's 1975 standing policy removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1975-1980 policy period vs. hull active service 1943-1958
- Population
- Navy shipboard workers, Navy-wide (context)
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - Spangler left active service in October 1958, before the policies GAO describes; the findings do not establish material presence, condition, or handling aboard this hull during service, reserve-fleet layup, or disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-04
-
[6]Oregon DEQ, 'Zidell Waterfront Property Cleanup' community presentation (Portland Harbor area; site remediation summary) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DEQ CAG presentation, 'Background' and 'Site Contaminants' slides (336 ships dismantled; asbestos contaminant; certified abatement project)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Disposal-pathway context: DANFS documents this hull's sale to Zidell Explorations, Portland, on 20 November 1972 for scrapping. Oregon DEQ documents the Zidell waterfront site (purchased 1946) as a shipbreaking yard that dismantled 336 ships over ~30 years with scrap sold and waste used as site fill; asbestos is listed among confirmed site contaminants, and the 2010-2011 remedy included a certified asbestos-abatement project with air monitoring and bulk ACM disposal under DEQ oversight.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1946-1976 operations; 1987-2011 assessment/remediation
- Population
- Zidell shipbreaking workforce 1946-mid-1970s (yard-level); remediation workers 2010-2011
- Limitations
- Yard-level record only - DEQ does not name individual hulls and the finding does not establish that DE-696's materials contained asbestos or that hull-specific ACM was removed at this site. Documents the receiving site's documented shipbreaking-era asbestos contamination and regulated remediation; no ship-specific conclusion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-05
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[7]USS Spangler (DE-696) association site (ussspangler.net): history page, deck-tour retraced 1943 General Deck Plans, hosted 1943-45 deck-log scans; NavSource DE-696 photo archive (commissioning location; official Navy photo DE-696-1572-47, Mare Island, 23 Aug 1947) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ussspangler.net/uss-spangler-history and /deck-tour/information; navsource.net/archives/06/696.htm (photo captions)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary-source detail on this hull's maintenance history: the veterans' association's retraced general plans record yard overhauls at Todd Shipyards San Pedro (late 1945 - corroborated by DANFS's 'San Pedro ... for overhaul'), Mare Island (mid-1947 - corroborated by official Navy photo DE-696-1572-47 placing the ship at Mare Island 23 August 1947), Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (late 1948), San Francisco Naval Shipyard (late 1950), and Pearl Harbor (January-April 1955). The association also hosts scans of 1943-1945 deck logs and crew lists. NavSource gives the commissioning location as Naval Station Algiers, La. (Commandant, Eighth Naval District).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1945-1955 yard periods
- Population
- Yard workers at named facilities during listed periods (if attributions correct); crew
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations, not primary documents - yard attributions beyond DANFS's San Pedro reference rest on the association's retraced plans and contributor material; the underlying BuShips/NAVSEA work packages and complete deck logs at NARA are the primary-source lead. Not independently verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated litigation sweep attempt, 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- Helper output: 'COURTLISTENER PACING: the fleet-wide request budget is momentarily spent' on 5 attempts (exit 2)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener sweep attempted via the required fleet helper (cl-auth-search.py): the exact-name opinion query "USS Spangler" (type=o) was submitted on five attempts spaced across the session and each received the helper's fleet-wide pacing-budget stand-down before an API result - the shared ~114/hour budget was momentarily spent. Per the helper's guidance, no bypass, anonymous, or retry-loop request was made; the exact-name docket query and the "DE-696" opinion/docket queries were therefore not sent. No negative conclusion is drawn from the unavailable sweep. The Buckley-class research profile separately records a class-wide CourtListener sweep locating no asbestos docket naming any Buckley-class hull (with name-collision corrections for other class names).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is limited to indexed opinions and federal RECAP dockets and cannot establish the absence of state trial-court filings, unindexed pleadings, or settlements; here, no query completed, so even indexed coverage is a documented limiter gap rather than a no-result.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-07
-
[9]Batch-4474 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; NARA Ship Plan Index and digitized deck-log index; NavSource and veterans-association compilations; Oregon DEQ Zidell record; NVR (out-of-scope for pre-1987 disposals); CourtListener sweep (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-spangler-de696-01 through sl-uss-spangler-de696-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material schedule, disposal hazmat record, or confirmed litigation naming USS Spangler (DE-696) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The digitized deck logs and RG 19 hull drawings have been located but not reviewed - they remain the principal archival leads.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 steam-plant escort's era-typical materials are consistent with retained ACM, and this hull's 14+ years of continuous commission plus reserve-fleet layup are unexamined. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is incomplete (sweep blocked), so this finding excludes litigation confirmation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-spangler-de696-08