Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Thomas I (Destroyer No. 182)' - verbatim text via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live page returned 404 to automated fetch this session) and the hazegray/losthistory transcription mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Specifications block; namesake biography; construction and U.S.-service paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (Destroyer No. 182: dp. 1,213; l. 314'4"; b. 30'11"; dr. 9'4" (mean); s. 33.67 k.; cpl. 122; a. 4 4", 1 3", 12 21" tt.; cl. Wickes). Namesake Lt. Clarence Crase Thomas, USNA 1908, killed 28 April 1917 commanding the naval armed guard on merchantman SS Vacuum (torpedoed by U-21 west of the Hebrides) - first U.S. naval officer killed in WWI; posthumous Navy Cross. Laid down 23 March 1918 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched 4 July 1918; sponsored by Mrs. Evelyn M. Thomas, widow of Lt. Thomas; commissioned 25 April 1919, Lt. Comdr. Harry A. McClure in command. Operated off the east coast on training cruises and exercises; designated DD-182 in the Navy-wide hull-number assignment of 17 July 1920; decommissioned at Philadelphia 30 June 1922; lay in reserve in the Philadelphia Navy Yard's back channel for the next 18 years. Recommissioned 17 June 1940; assigned to Destroyer Division 79, Atlantic Squadron, for neutrality-patrol-era training off the eastern seaboard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1940
- Population
- Newport News Shipbuilding construction trades 1918; commissioning-to-1922 crew and 1940 reactivation crew (DANFS design complement 122)
- Limitations
- Ship identity, namesake, specifications, and service history only. DANFS does not identify asbestos aboard, itemize materials, or quantify any individual exposure. Live NHHC page (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/thomas-i.html) exists per Wayback capture of 2025-12-09 but returned 404 to this session's automated fetch; mirror transcription at losthistory.net/hazegray agrees verbatim except one convoy designation variant (mirror reads PQ 16; NHHC text reads PQ 15 - the April-May 1942 convoy consistent with the record; NHHC carried).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-01
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[2]NHHC, DANFS, 'Thomas I (Destroyer No. 182)' (transfer and foreign-service paragraphs); UK Treaty Series No. 21 (1940), Cmd. 6224 (treaties.fcdo.gov.uk) for the transfer instrument; naval-history.net (Lt Cdr G. B. Mason RN service history) for Devonport/Chatham/Falmouth refit dates, Norwegian-manning window, and BISCO/Metal Industries disposal detail; Tin Can Sailors (destroyers.org) DD-182 disposition record for the return/scrapping chain [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS foreign-service paragraphs; Cmd. 6224 exchange-of-notes text ('fifty United States Navy Destroyers generally referred to as the 1,200-tons type'); naval-history.net xGM-Chrono-11US-HMS_St_Albans service-history entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Transfer and foreign-service chain: under the destroyers-for-bases exchange of notes of 2 September 1940 (UK Treaty Series No. 21 (1940), Cmd. 6224 - 'fifty United States Navy Destroyers generally referred to as the 1,200-tons type'), Thomas arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 18 September 1940 in the second increment of the 50 flush-decked destroyers; she was decommissioned and turned over on 23 September 1940, renamed HMS St. Albans (I.15), and commissioned into the Royal Navy the same day; struck from the U.S. Navy list 8 January 1941. RN service: Belfast 9 October 1940; Devonport refit 11 October-1 November 1940; permanent escort to the 1st Minelaying Squadron (with sisters St. Mary's ex-DD-185, Bath ex-DD-181, Charlestown ex-DD-184); early Denmark Strait minelaying; convoy escort; searched for SS Almeda Star survivors 17-18 January 1941; Chatham repairs 11 February-22 April 1941; transferred for manning to the Royal Norwegian Navy-in-exile 14 April 1941; collision sinking minesweeper HMS Alberic during work-up (May), returned to duty 4 June; 7th Escort Group, Liverpool; MV Empire Dew survivors 12 June; shared in sinking U-401 with HMS Wanderer and HMS Hydrangea in convoy SL.81 screen, 3 August 1941; gale damage on convoy ON.22, 8 October 1941, repairs Iceland then London to mid-December; escorted damaged HMS Illustrious Liverpool-Clyde March 1942; Type 271 radar fitted Liverpool; screened convoy PQ 15 to Russia April 1942; with HMS Seagull sank Polish submarine Jastrzab (ex-P-551) 2 May 1942 (friendly fire, boat ~100 miles off station); Liverpool Special Escort Division incl. RMS Queen Elizabeth escort early June; Falmouth refit 5 July-29 October 1942, reverting to British manning; Coastal Command training target January 1943; North Sea sortie under air attack February 1943; Western Local Escort Force, Halifax, rest of 1943; arrived Tyne 10 January 1944, laid up. Transferred to the Soviet Navy 16 July 1944, renamed Dostoinyi ('worthy'); Northern Fleet to 1948; returned to British at Rosyth 28 February 1949 (Tin Can Sailors disposition reads 4 March 1949), renamed HMS St. Albans, de-stored, placed on Disposal List; sold to BISCO 4 April 1949 for demolition by Metal Industries; arrived in tow at the Charlestown breaker's yard near Rosyth 18 May 1949.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940-1949
- Population
- RN crew 1940-41 and 1942-44; Norwegian Navy-in-exile crew 1941-42; Soviet crew 1944-49; UK dockyard refit workers (Devonport, Chatham, London, Falmouth) 1940-42; Charlestown breakers 1949
- Limitations
- Documents flag transfers and four documented refit/repair windows (Devonport, Chatham, London, Falmouth) - work events of the type that disturb machinery materials - but identifies no materials and no asbestos. The Cmd. 6224 instrument covers all 50 destroyers and does not name this hull; DANFS supplies the hull-level inclusion. Refit dates beyond DANFS's 'Chatham in February' and 'Falmouth between July and October 1942' come from the Mason service history (compiled secondary), as do the BISCO sale date and breaker's-yard arrival - DANFS reads only 'broken up for scrap at Charlestown, England, in April of 1949'; disposal-dating nuance carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-02
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[3]National Archives, 'Special List 44 - Named Vessels,' Thomas (DD-182) entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- Named-vessel table, Thomas (DD-182) rows (two spans plus 'see Thatcher' and 'see Kalk' cross-references); adjacent Thomas (DE-102) span distinguished
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 (Named Vessels) lists Thomas (DD-182) in two deck-log spans - 25 April 1919-30 June 1922 and 17 June 1940-23 September 1940 - matching this hull's two commissioned periods exactly. Cross-reference notes file part of the coverage under other hull names ('see Thatcher, 1922' for a 1 January-30 June 1922 span; 'see Kalk, 1940' for the 17 June-23 September 1940 span), indicating some Thomas logs are bound under sister-ship records. The log holdings could narrow dates of work performed aboard; the underlying pages were not reviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919-1940
- Limitations
- The table lists inclusive dates of deck-log coverage, not asbestos findings. The 'see Thatcher'/'see Kalk' notes mean complete coverage may require pulling logs bound under those sister ships' names; underlying pages not examined. A separate Special List 44 'Thomas' span (21 November 1943-30 June 1945) is the Cannon-class DE-102, not this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-03
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[4]Rushworth, 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal (2005); Franke et al., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: a state of the science evaluation (1900-1970)' (2011); Atlas shipyard dataset, newport-news-shipbuilding (tier 1) and philadelphia-naval-shipyard (tier 3) records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Naval Engineers Journal 2005 (doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.2005.tb00336.x); Franke 2011 state-of-science review; shipyards.json records 'newport-news-shipbuilding' and 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: peer-reviewed reviews of U.S. Navy asbestos practice document shipboard asbestos thermal insulation in use from the 1880s through the 1950s - spanning this hull's 1918 construction at Newport News and every subsequent commission, reserve-period maintenance, the June-September 1940 reactivation at Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the Royal Navy refits at Devonport (October-November 1940), Chatham (February-April 1941), London (October-December 1941), and Falmouth (July-October 1942). A Wickes-class destroyer built at Newport News in 1918 (Lamberton build group - Bath design) with the class's four-boiler, twin-screw steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos-containing boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. Builder Newport News Shipbuilding is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (evidence_tier 1 - documented products incl. Kaylo, Unibestos, Johns-Manville, and raw asbestos mud), and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (the 18-year reserve berth and 1940 reactivation site) is documented at tier 3 with named product lines; both yard records' evidence concentrates on WWII-and-later workforces, not 1918 construction or this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1949
- Population
- Newport News construction trades 1918; Philadelphia Navy Yard reserve/overhaul workforce 1922-1940; RN-dockyard refit workforces 1940-1942; crew 1919-1940
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The cited reviews are state-of-the-science literature covering era practice and do not name this hull; class machinery details are secondary references. The yard records document the builders' sites across the workforce era, predominantly WWII-and-later, and name no work on this hull. No insulation specification, survey, or material test for this hull was located; nothing quantifies material or establishes any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-04
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[5]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961'; Internet Archive identifier ddflushdeckersbogp1919 (NARA RG 19, 'Plans for Flush Deckers, 1789-1967') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guide: Introduction; 'Beginning Research'; Bureau of Ships correspondence; General Information Books; Cartographic Branch. BOGP item: archive.org/details/ddflushdeckersbogp1919 (10 sheets, dated 1919-10-01, RG 19 Alphabetical Series of Ship Engineering Drawings)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Navy asbestos research guide identifies asbestos use in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 and directs hull research to RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence (arranged by Navy Filing Manual hull designations - this hull would file under DD182), General Information Books, and engineering drawings including S39 insulation/lagging sheets; ship-class correspondence files under the class namesake's hull number (DD75 for Wickes) and private-yard correspondence under QM/Newport News. These are the record series where hull-level material specifications for a 1918-built Newport News destroyer would sit. A digitized 1919 Wickes & Clemson class Booklet of General Plans (NARA RG 19, via the Internet Archive, originating at Navy Yard Newport News) provides class-level general arrangements. Royal Navy-era records for HMS St. Albans (I.15) - ship's logs in TNA series ADM 53 and refit files - were not searched to file level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1940
- Limitations
- NARA's guide describes Navy-wide material use and research methods, not a Thomas inventory. Its stated materiel window (1941-1961) largely postdates this hull's U.S. service (ended 23 September 1940); the relevant holdings are the earlier construction-era series and the 1940 RG 19 general correspondence covering the final commission. RG 19 ship files, GIBs, S39 drawings, deck-log pages, and TNA ADM 53 logs were not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-05
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[6]CourtListener API v4 authenticated searches, 2026-09-26: q='USS Thomas'+asbestos type=o (0); q='DD-182' type=o (0); q='USS Thomas' type=o (4 hits, all collisions); q='USS Thomas' type=r (15 hits, 3 asbestos dockets resolving to SSBN-618/SSBN-610); q='DD-182' type=r (23 hits, all reviewed - all collisions); q='HMS St. Albans' type=r and type=o (0 both); q='St. Albans'+asbestos type=o (17, geographic collisions); q='Thomas'+asbestos type=o (6,692 - control). Saved raw results: cl-uss-thomas-opinion.json, cl-uss-thomas-docket.json, cl-dd182-docket.json, cl-dd182-docket-p2.json, cl-hms-stalbans-docket.json, cl-hms-stalbans-opinion.json, cl-stalbans-asb-opinion.json, cl-thomas-asb-opinion.json, plus cl-dd182-opinion.json and cl-uss-thomas-asb-opinion.json (0 hits each) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-thomas-dd182-06, -07, -15 through -17; RECAP document-level checks: MacQueen doc 256 (USS Thomas Jefferson SSBN-618), Speck doc 475 (USS Thomas A. Edison SSBN-610), Redman doc 11 exh. A jobsite list (USS Thomas Jefferson SSBN-618); BIW opinion text via hallapproved.com mirror of 34 Fed. Cl. 218
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation names USS Thomas (DD-182). Authenticated CourtListener sweeps (2026-09-26, via the fleet-paced helper only): 'USS Thomas' + asbestos opinions = 0 hits; 'DD-182' opinions = 0 hits; 'HMS St. Albans' dockets = 0 hits; 'St. Albans' + asbestos opinions = 17 hits, all geographic collisions on St. Albans, Vermont / West Virginia municipalities and party names - no vessel reference. Exact 'USS Thomas' opinions returned 4 hits, all resolved to non-qualifying contexts: Bennett v. Tarquin, 466 F. Supp. 257 (D. Haw. 1979) - names USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), the respondent's submarine command, not asbestos; Strand v. United States, 127 Fed. Cl. 44 (2016) and a 2018 companion - 'Thomas' is Judge Thomas C. Wheeler, not a vessel; Bath Iron Works Corp. v. United States, 34 Fed. Cl. 218 (1995) - shipbuilding-contract dispute naming USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51), a cruiser BIW itself built. Exact 'USS Thomas' dockets returned 15 hits: three asbestos dockets - MacQueen v. Union Carbide, 1:13-cv-00831 (D. Del., filed 2013), Speck v. 3M, 3:20-cv-05845 (N.D. Cal., filed 2020), and Redman v. A.W. Chesterton, 3:08-cv-03013 (N.D. Cal., filed 2008) - each resolved by reading the matched RECAP documents to other hulls: MacQueen and Redman name USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618) in plaintiffs' Newport News jobsite/exposure lists; Speck names USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610). The remaining 11 'USS Thomas' dockets are non-asbestos matters (criminal, civil rights, election, bankruptcy, mass-tort MDL administration) whose filing text merely contains the string. 'DD-182' dockets returned 23 hits, all reviewed across two pages: every hit is a non-asbestos collision where 'DD-182' appears as a filing or exhibit identifier (dockets include Franks v. MKM Oil, Portier v. City of New York, Johnson v. Louisville/Jefferson County, DoorDash v. City of New York, In Re National Prescription Opiate Litigation, Cordova v. LSU Health, Walsh v. AEU Benefits), none an asbestos or maritime case. Control query 'Thomas' + asbestos returned 6,692 opinions - surname/geographic noise, unusable for attribution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep discipline: every hit classified at the less-final stage and resolved to match context before attribution. The three asbestos dockets are complaint/pleading-level vessel lists even for the correct submarines - allegations, not findings - and all name other hulls (SSBN-618, SSBN-610), never DD-182. DD-182's U.S. service ended September 1940; the matched asbestos cases concern 1960s-70s submarine work at Newport News. Residual limits: CourtListener's index covers participating jurisdictions only, and RECAP full-text OCR of scanned exhibits can miss hull references; state-court dockets outside RECAP are not covered. Absence of qualifying hits is consistent with the hull's 1940 foreign transfer and 1949 scrapping - pre-litigation-era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-06
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[7]Batch-3186 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (Wayback capture + mirrors); UK Treaty Series Cmd. 6224; naval-history.net RN service history; NARA Special List 44; NARA Navy asbestos research guide; Atlas shipyards.json builder check; NavSource index; CourtListener (see ev-06 and search_ledger) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-thomas-dd182-01 through sl-uss-thomas-dd182-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey exists or was generated (the hull left U.S. custody in September 1940 and was broken up at Charlestown in 1949, decades before shipbreaking asbestos documentation), no abatement contract or hazmat disclosure exists, and no primary record naming asbestos aboard this hull was found in the sources searched. The usual exposure-record pathways - postwar U.S. yard abatement records, museum disclosures, veteran litigation naming this hull - are largely absent for a ship scrapped abroad in 1949.
- 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-built steam destroyer consistent with era practice would have carried insulated steam-plant materials, and her documented refit windows are the type of events that disturb such material. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation sweep completeness and residual limits are documented at ev-06.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-dd182-07