Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Stockton III (DD-646) - hazegray.org verbatim transcription (live hazegray page does not resolve to fetch; Wayback Machine capture 2024-11-27 used; all live history.navy.mil DANFS URL variants for Stockton return HTTP 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry DD-646 (Stockton III), specification block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: Gleaves-class destroyer (1,630 tons; 348'3" length; 36'1" beam; 17'5" draft; 37.4 knots; complement 276; 4 5-inch, 4 40mm, 7 20mm, 5 21-inch torpedo tubes, 2 depth-charge tracks, 6 depth-charge projectors). Laid down 24 July 1942 at Kearny, N.J., by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched 11 November 1942 (sponsor Mrs. Horace K. Corbin); commissioned 11 January 1943, Lt. Comdr. R. E. Braddy. Atlantic Fleet from 15 March 1943, four New York-North Africa convoy escorts 28 May 1943-3 January 1944; to the South Pacific 24 January 1944; Seventh Fleet, Los Negros bombardment and landings 29 February, Seeadler Harbor 9-13 March; New Guinea screening at Humboldt Bay 22 April and Wakde 17 May, gunfire support Biak 27 May, minor shore-battery shell damage 28 May, towed immobilized Kalk (DD-611) to Humboldt Bay 12 June; Noemfoor landings 2 July; to 3d Fleet 22 August, escorted Peleliu transports 15 September-14 October; overhaul at Seattle, refresher at Pearl Harbor completed 24 January 1945; screened escort carriers at Iwo Jima 10 February-9 March 1945 (21 February kamikaze attack sank Bismarck Sea CVE-95, damaged Lunga Point CVE-94); Logistics Support Group escort 18 March 1945 to war's end (Okinawa, Ryukyus, home-island strikes); with Morrison (DD-560) sank Japanese submarine I-8 on 31 March 1945 after a 3.5-hour action; directed salvage of Thornton (AVD-11) early April; occupation support ~1.5 months; sailed from Japan 15 October 1945 via Singapore and Cape Town to New York; decommissioned 16 May 1946, reserve at Charleston, S.C.; struck from the Navy list 1 July 1971; 8 battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 276)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content - no insulation, machinery-material, or abatement data. Mirror transcription cited because live NHHC and hazegray pages do not resolve; transcription prints 'Balk (DD-611)' for the towed destroyer (the vessel was USS Kalk, DD-611) - a letter-drop artifact carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-01
-
[2]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Stockton (DD-646), 1943-1973' ship page (HyperWar/ibiblio mirror of the Naval Historical Center page); captions photos NH 99598, NH 92884 (Destroyer Squadron 19), 80-G-19359, 80-G-374402 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library ship page dd646.htm + photo captions NH 99598, NH 92884, 80-G-19359, 80-G-374402
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library record for this hull: a 1,630-ton Gleaves-class destroyer built at Kearny, New Jersey, commissioned January 1943; employed in the Atlantic war zone a year escorting East Coast-North Africa convoys; to the South Pacific late January 1944 for the Admiralties campaign (February-March) and northern New Guinea operations (April-August); supported the Peleliu invasion September 1944; stateside overhaul; screened escort carriers at Iwo Jima February-March 1945; escorted logistics support ships for the Okinawa and home-island campaigns for the rest of the war; occupation service September-October 1945; returned via the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic; decommissioned at Charleston, S.C., mid-May 1946; Atlantic Reserve Fleet ~2.5 decades; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register at the beginning of July 1971; sold for scrapping May 1973. Photographs held: builder delivery off Kearny 9 January 1943 (NH 99598); launching at Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, 11 November 1942 (80-G-19359); underway off Madagascar late 1945 (80-G-374402); DesRon 19 homeward bound Oct-Dec 1945 including Stockton (NH 92884).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1973
- Population
- Wartime and postwar crew; DesRon 19 cohort
- Limitations
- NHHC historical narrative and photo captions - documents identity, service, and disposition, not materials or asbestos content; 'sold for scrapping in May 1973' corroborates NavSource's 25 May 1973 sale record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-02
-
[3]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' DD-646 data page (DANFS-derived class figures) + BuShips Ships' Data 1945 machinery table as summarized in the Atlas Benson/Gleaves class profile [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar DD-646 data page; class profile benson-gleaves-class.class.json machinery summary (BuShips Ships' Data 1945, 'No. 421 Class')
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for this hull's class: Gleaves-class destroyers carried 4 superheated Babcock & Wilcox boilers and geared steam turbines (~50,000 shp per DANFS-type figures; BuShips Ships' Data Jan 1945 prints 47,000 shp and 575 psi/700F for class lead DD-421 - documented class-level discrepancy), built 1938-43 - squarely the Navy's peak shipboard-asbestos era. Period-standard applications for such a plant: boiler casing and fireroom insulation, steam-pipe and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, accommodation/bulkhead insulation, deck tile, and fireproofing. Unlike 30+ class members, this hull never underwent a DMS fast-minesweeper conversion yard period.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (hull era); class design 1938-1943
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no source inspected names a product aboard DD-646. Establishes no quantities, locations, remaining material, or individual exposure. Machinery figures are class-level (the 47,000 vs 50,000 shp discrepancy is documented in the class profile).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-03
-
[4]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944); introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX (1990) - as cataloged in the Atlas shipyard dataset record ev-federal-kearny-ihs-1944 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Atlas shipyards.json record 'federal-shipbuilding-kearny', evidence ev-federal-kearny-ihs-1944 + products_documented pd-federal-kearny-01/-04; survey PDF at toxicdocs.org
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Builder-yard evidence: an Owens-Illinois industrial health survey of Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ, conducted 30 August-2 September 1944, documented insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation in confined shipyard spaces, with dust counts measured during cutting and fitting; the Atlas yard dataset independently records Superex pipe covering at Kearny for the 1940-1948 window and Garlock asbestos gaskets for 1930-1975 - both windows overlapping this hull's July 1942-January 1943 construction at that yard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944 survey; product windows 1940-1948 (Superex) and 1930-1975 (Garlock) overlap hull build 1942-43
- Population
- Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. insulators and pipefitters, wartime peak (yard peak employment ~35,000)
- Limitations
- Yard-level, not hull-level: the survey postdates this hull's construction period by ~20 months and does not name DD-646 or list what was installed aboard her. Survey conducted by a product manufacturer (Owens-Illinois) with commercial interest; dust counts in mppcf (pre-fiber-count era). Establishes era-concurrent yard practice only - not a ship-specific finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-04
-
[5]U.S. General Accounting Office, HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (Oct. 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page abstract, gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- GAO reports Navy-wide that thermal insulation was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships fleet-wide, and describes the Navy's 1975 policy (remove/replace only damaged or repair-necessitated insulation) and its 1979 revision (selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). Institutional Navy-wide practice context for a steam-powered hull of this build era; this hull spent the policy window (1975-79) stricken in the reserve fleet, so the policies described would not have touched her materials.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979 (report); Navy-wide practice described spans earlier decades
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers, 1970s (report population; not this hull's population)
- Limitations
- gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; the finding is drawn from the GAO product-page abstract, not the full PDF text (standing defect per BATCH-01-REPORT.md). Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards in the 1970s; the report does not name USS Stockton or the Gleaves class. Navy-wide institutional context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-05
-
[6]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (guided research topic) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided research topic, opening sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA describes the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 as a frequently requested research topic and outlines the record series relevant to documenting whether a particular naval ship carried asbestos material. This hull's entire U.S. commissioned service (January 1943-May 1946) falls inside the guide's stated window - the era context applies, though no hull-specific volume was retrieved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-1961 (guide scope); hull service 1943-1946
- Population
- WWII-era Navy personnel and shipyard workers (guide's subject population)
- Limitations
- Era-level Navy materiel context and research guidance only. The guide does not identify asbestos aboard Stockton, the Gleaves class, or Federal Shipbuilding output; it cannot establish a product, quantity, location, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-06
-
[7]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - General Information Books and Board of Inspection and Survey Reports sections (RG 19 Entry P 9, Destroyer/Destroyer Escort/Frigate GIBs [Item S-68], 1902-1961; RG 38 InSurv reports; RG 19 Bureau of Ships general correspondence filed by hull designation - this hull files under DD646, class correspondence under 'DD423 Class') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided research topic, GIB and InSurv sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA identifies record series capable of holding hull-specific material specifications: RG 19 Entry P 9 destroyer General Information Books (which can list a vessel's insulation and machinery materials; series span 1902-1961 covers this 1942-built hull) and RG 38 Board of Inspection and Survey reports, plus Bureau of Ships general correspondence filed under hull code DD646 and class file 'DD423 Class'. If a GIB survives for DD-646 it would be the type of record able to confirm hull-specific insulation materials; none was retrieved in this pass.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- record series spans 1902-1961
- Limitations
- Series-level descriptions only; NARA cautions GIB coverage is incomplete by hull, and no DD-646-specific volume or report was inspected or established to survive. Research lead, not evidence of any material aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-07
-
[8]Naval Sea Systems Command, Standard Item 009-10, 'Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM); control' (FY24 issue, dated 25 October 2022) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA FY24 Standard Items package, item 009-10
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- NAVSEA's current repair standard instructs that shipboard materials including insulation, lagging, gaskets, deck tile, underlayment, cabling, and mastic be treated as potential asbestos-containing material until reliable testing establishes otherwise - the material categories a hull-level record would need to address.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2022 (standard); not this hull's era
- Limitations
- A modern precautionary repair standard issued ~50 years after this hull was scrapped; identifies material categories for research, not products documented aboard this hull. navsea.navy.mil returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; document identity and date verified via indexed text, content not directly inspected this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep, 2026-09-27 (cl-auth-search.py, fleet-paced): exact-phrase opinion queries "USS Stockton", "U.S.S. Stockton", "aboard the Stockton", "DD-646" all returned count=0; "USS Stockton" dockets returned count=0; "DD-646" dockets returned 10 hits, all non-vessel name collisions; broad queries "Stockton" asbestos (115 hits) and "Stockton" asbestos navy (17 hits) reviewed across sampled pages - all surname, law-firm (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP), street-address, or city-name collisions [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 type=o and type=r search results (count fields + case lists), 2026-09-27
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in CourtListener's opinion or RECAP indexes. The ten "DD-646" docket hits are non-vessel collisions in which 'DD-646' appears as a document/fragment string: patent litigation (University of Pittsburgh v. Varian Medical Systems, W.D. Pa. 2:08-cv-01307 - a model/part number), accounting-fraud removals (Rabobank v. EisnerAmper S.D. Fla. 1:20-cv-22009; Rabobank v. Crowe S.D. Fla. 1:19-cv-23100 and S.D.N.Y. 1:20-cv-01556), bankruptcies (Lehman Brothers S.D.N.Y. 08-13555; ICPW Liquidation C.D. Cal. 1:17-bk-12408), device-forfeiture dockets (U.S. v. 38 SIM Cards and U.S. v. One Black Apple iPhone, D. Me. 1:24-mj-00177/-00176), and Ohio civil-rights license-plate cases (Wonser v. Norman S.D. Ohio 2:24-cv-02160; Saki v. Norman N.D. Ohio 1:25-cv-01893 - 'DD-646' is a special-license-plate string). No hit names Stockton as a ship or touches asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (sweep)
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage limits: opinion and RECAP indexes do not comprehensively cover pre-electronic-filing state court records or pre-PACER federal filings; this hull's service ended 1946 and she was scrapped 1973, largely before the asbestos-litigation era. The broad "Stockton" asbestos opinion query returned 115 hits - 40+ reviewed, all non-vessel collisions (litigant surnames, the Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP firm name, street addresses, the City of Stockton); unreviewed pages carry the same collision profile but were not individually inspected. Collision hulls Stockton II/DD-73 (WWI-era, RN Ludlow) and Stockton I produced no hits under the exact-phrase queries either.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-09
-
[10]Batch-3620 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; hazegray/Wayback transcription), NHHC Online Library (ibiblio mirror), HyperWar DD-646 data page, NavSource (indexed), NARA asbestos guide, GAO HRD-80-2, NAVSEA Standard Item 009-10, Atlas shipyard dataset (federal-shipbuilding-kearny), CourtListener opinion and RECAP indexes, general web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-stockton-dd646-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, material specification, sampling result, abatement contract, museum or hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming DD-646 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the ship's 1942-43 four-boiler steam plant is era-consistent with period insulation practice, and the builder's yard is documented using asbestos products in the same era - but no hull-level material record was retrieved. The hull was scrapped in 1973, before hazmat-disclosure regimes and the asbestos-litigation era. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-stockton-dd646-10