Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet iu-packet.md (6 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-thatcher-dd162-pkt-iu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Thatcher I (DD-162) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 8 June 1918 at Quincy, Mass., by the Fore River Plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 31 August 1918 (sponsor Doris Bentley); commissioned 14 January 1919. Atlantic Fleet service incl. NC-boat transatlantic-flight picket station 9 (May 1919); reclassified DD-162 17 July 1920; Pacific Fleet/San Diego from autumn 1921; decommissioned San Diego 7 June 1922; laid up through 1939; recommissioned San Diego 18 December 1939; Panama Canal transit 1 April 1940; neutrality patrols east coast/Gulf of Mexico; withdrawn from Destroyer Division 69 for transfer under the destroyers-for-bases executive order (50 'over age' destroyers for 99-year base leases); arrived Halifax 20 September 1940; decommissioned 24 September 1940; struck from the Navy list 8 January 1941; renamed HMCS Niagara (DANFS reads 'I.67'); RCN convoy-escort service incl. U-570 capture (27-28 August 1941); boiler repair at Pictou May-August 1942; further Pictou refits June and October 1943; torpedo-firing training ship at Halifax then St. John, N.B., from spring 1945; decommissioned 15 September 1945; turned over to War Assets Corp. 27 May 1946; broken up for scrap soon thereafter. DANFS specifications: dp. 1,191; l. 314'4"; b. 30'11"; dr. 9'2" mean; s. 34.9 k.; cpl. 122; a. 4 4", 2 3", 12 21" tt.; class Wickes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- Fore River/Bethlehem construction trades 1918-19; USN crew 1919-1922 and 1939-1940 (design complement 122)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service history, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Pennant discrepancy: DANFS reads 'I.67' while official Canadian sources read 'I57' - logged in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-01
-
[3]Government of Canada / Royal Canadian Navy, Ships' Histories: HMCS Niagara (1st of name, I57) [other_primary]
- Locator
- canada.ca, HMCS Niagara ships' history entry (data block and narrative)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official RCN ship history for this hull as HMCS Niagara (I57): completed 1919 as USS Thatcher, served US Pacific Fleet to 1922; transferred to the RCN at Halifax 24 September 1940 and sailed for the UK 30 November; assigned to Escort Group 4, Greenock (March 1941), then the newly formed Newfoundland Escort Force (June); on 28 August 1941 took aboard the crew of surrendered U-570 south of Iceland; 'In common with the other Town Class destroyers, HMCS Niagara required major refits on a number of occasions'; on 2 March 1944 became a torpedo-firing training ship at Halifax; paid off at Sydney, N.S., 15 September 1945; sold 1946 and broken up in 1947. RCN figures: displacement 1069.2 t; 95.8 m x 9.3 m x 2.6 m; speed 28 knots; crew 153; builder Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. Ltd., Quincy, Mass.; laid down 8 June 1918; launched 31 August 1918.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- RCN crew 1940-1945 (listed crew 153); refit and repair yard workers (Halifax, Devonport, Clyde, Pictou)
- Limitations
- Official Canadian government source documents the RCN chapter and confirms 'major refits' without naming materials - no asbestos information. RCN figures (28 kt, crew 153, metric dimensions) reflect as-transferred condition and differ from DANFS design figures - carried separately, not merged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-02
-
[4]CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum, HMCS Niagara ship history [museum_official]
- Locator
- CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum ship-history article, disposal paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DND-accredited museum record supplies the disposal detail absent from DANFS: recommended for disposal 24 August 1945; sailed to Sydney for destoring 2 September; paid off 15 September 1945; declared surplus 25 February 1946; turned over to War Assets Corporation at Sydney, N.S., 27 May 1946; sold 15 August 1946 to International Iron and Metal Co., Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, on condition that she be broken up for scrap.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- Scrapping yard workers (International Iron and Metal, Hamilton), 1946-1947
- Limitations
- Documents end-of-life chain of custody and scrapping condition; names no materials and contains no asbestos information. The scrapping location (likely Hamilton, Ontario area) is not stated. 'Museum official' classification per house enum - the museum is DND-accredited; the underlying data derives from Canadian naval records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-03
-
[5]Refit/repair sequence compiled from DANFS (official) and canada.ca (official RCN), with NavSource compiled Canadian-service detail (secondary, via Wayback capture; navsource.org DNS unresolvable 2026-09-26) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative (Pictou repair/refits); canada.ca HMCS Niagara entry ('major refits'); NavSource DD-162 Canadian-service paragraph (Wayback 2020 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific maintenance/refit sequence - the disturbance pathway on an aging steam plant: DANFS records boiler repair at Pictou May-August 1942 and refits at Pictou June and October 1943; the official RCN history records that Niagara 'required major refits on a number of occasions'; the compiled NavSource Canadian-service text adds a Devonport refit (arrived 30 November 1940; work/trials/defects plus Tobermory work-up to April 1941), a two-month Halifax refit from 15 September 1941, Clyde repair 14 January - 10 February 1942 for weather damage, boiler defects keeping her at Halifax May-July 1942, and increasing machinery defects through 1943 that led the RCN to restrict her to training duties by January 1944.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- RCN crew; refit/repair workers at Devonport (UK), Clyde (UK), Halifax and Pictou (Canada), 1940-1943
- Limitations
- Documents repeated boiler-plant repair and refits aboard this hull but names no materials - no source states asbestos content. Devonport/Clyde/Halifax specifics derive from a compiled secondary record (NavSource, via Wayback) rather than a primary document; the Pictou boiler repair and 'major refits' facts carry official sourcing (DANFS; canada.ca). Minor venue conflict: DANFS puts the May-August 1942 boiler repair at Pictou while the compiled text puts a Halifax yard stay May-July 1942 - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-04
-
[6]DANFS specifications block (Wickes class, 1918 construction); NavSource DD-162 page via Wayback (Bethlehem 'Little' subclass designation - secondary compilation); Atlas shipyard dataset records 'fore-river-shipyard' (tier 3) and 'bethlehem-shipbuilding' (tier 3): documented yard-level asbestos products incl. lagging, boiler/turbine insulation, gaskets, packing, fireproofing; Oliver v. General Electric Co. et al., D. Md. Civ. No. 1:16-cv-01057 (Fore River pipefitter apprentice 1967-70) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json records 'fore-river-shipyard', 'bethlehem-shipbuilding'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a 1918 Wickes-class destroyer of the Bethlehem 'Little' subclass built at the Fore River Plant would have carried period-standard insulation and sealing materials - boiler and steam-line insulation, pipe lagging, gaskets, packing - which in the steam-shipbuilding industry of the era commonly contained asbestos. The builder yard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 3), including a docketed case by a Fore River pipefitter apprentice (1967-1970) and documented asbestos product categories at the yard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945 (hull); yard evidence 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Fore River construction trades 1918-19; USN/RCN crews 1919-1945
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no ship-specific materials specification, survey, or testimony for this hull was located. The yard's dated asbestos evidence postdates this hull's 1918 construction by decades and concerns its later workforce. WWI-era (1918) insulation practice was magnesia-dominant with asbestos in lagging, gaskets, and packing; no source located states asbestos quantities or products installed aboard DD-162. NARA hull-level specification books (RG19 'General Information Books') are an unretrieved lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 search ledger (opinion + RECAP docket indexes): "USS Thatcher" type=o 0 results; "DD-162" type=o 0 results; "USS Thatcher" type=r blocked by fleet pacing - see search_ledger rows sl-uss-thatcher-dd162-05/06/07 [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4, type=o queries ("USS Thatcher", "DD-162") via cl-auth-search.py
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep for this hull: the opinion index returned zero results for both the exact name 'USS Thatcher' and the hull number 'DD-162' - no opinion names this vessel or its hull number. The RECAP docket index query ('USS Thatcher', type=r) was repeatedly blocked by the fleet-wide pacing budget and remains an open lead. Name-collision discipline pre-stated for any future docket hits: 'USS Thatcher' also denotes DD-514 (Fletcher-class, in service 1943-1945), a documented asbestos-litigation vessel; WWII-era-window hits are collisions for this record, not evidence for DD-162 (USN service 1919-22/1939-40; RCN 1940-45).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Partial sweep: opinion index (type=o) completed for exact name and hull number - both 0 results; RECAP docket index (type=r) blocked by fleet pacing across 8 attempts over ~50 minutes (2026-09-26) - logged 'blocked', not 'no result'. Zero opinion hits is a real negative for published-case exposure; absence of a docketed case was not fully testable this session. A complaint's vessel list would be a pleading allegation in any case, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-06
-
[8]Batch-3168 search ledger (this record): DANFS (HyperWar mirror; live NHHC 404); canada.ca RCN ships' histories; CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum; Naval Vessel Register; NavSource (Wayback); CourtListener; hazegray mirror; shipscribe Ships' Data Book 1922 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-thatcher-dd162-01 through sl-uss-thatcher-dd162-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, claims record, or docketed case naming DD-162 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in Canada in 1947, predating the asbestos-regulatory era and any museum/hazmat documentation regime.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1918 steam-plant destroyer is era-consistent with period insulation materials. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. The vessel's foreign disposal (War Assets Corp., Canada, 1946) places scrapping-era records outside U.S. environmental-documentation regimes.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-07
-
[9]Navy Department, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels (1922 edition, shipscribe-hosted scan of the official publication); NARA RG 24 deck logs (1939-40 commission period); Library and Archives Canada / War Assets Corp. disposal file for HMCS Niagara [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/pubs/SDB1922.pdf (image scan); NARA RG 24; Library and Archives Canada
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads, unretrieved: (1) The 1922 Ships' Data Book scan (Google/shipscribe) contains the official hull-level machinery table for DD-162 - image-only PDF, page unextracted; it would confirm boiler type/count and turbine make for the propulsion record. (2) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the 1939-40 second commission. (3) Canadian records (LAC / War Assets Corp.) for HMCS Niagara's refit files and 1946 disposal.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1947 (records)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none retrieved or reviewed; contents unverified. Ships' Data Book tabulates machinery (boilers, turbines, shp) but not insulation materials; the LAC/War Assets file is the most plausible repository for scrapping-yard hazmat detail, if any exists for a 1946 disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thatcher-dd162-08