Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]research packet kc-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (DANFS text via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) — real identity: USS Thomas J. Gary
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (DANFS text via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror)
- Evidence ID
- uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-pkt-kc-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS Vol. VII (T-V), 'Thomas J. Gary' entry, Naval History Division/GPO - text verified against the Internet Archive scan of the print edition (live NHHC page 404; ibiblio/HyperWar transcription carries a one-day keel-date error) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. VII 'Thomas J. Gary' entry (archive.org djvu text ~lines 28325-28480); Vol. III 'Gary' entry for DE-61/CL-147 name lineage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: (DE-326; dp. 1,200 est.; l. 306'; b. 36'7"; dr. 12'3"; s. 21.2 k.; cpl. 216; a. 3 3", 6 40mm., 10 20mm., 2 dct., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.); cl. Edsall). Named for Seaman 2d Class Thomas Jones Gary (b. 16 Sep 1922, Texas City, Tex.; killed aboard California (BB-44) at Pearl Harbor after rescuing three or four wounded men from closed and burning compartments; posthumously commended by the Secretary of the Navy). Laid down 15 June 1943 at Orange, Tex., by Consolidated Steel Corporation; launched 21 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Willie Mae Gary, mother of the namesake; commissioned 27 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. William H. Harrison, USNR. Post-shakedown overhaul at Charleston; Atlantic convoy escort to May 1945 (eight transatlantic convoys to Mediterranean/UK ports); aided Huron (PF-19) December 1944; renamed Thomas J. Gary at Boston 1 January 1945 (the name Gary was assigned to CL-147 the same day, per the Vol. III 'Gary' entry; CL-147 cancelled 12 August 1945). Pacific from July 1945; evacuated Allied POWs from Kiirun, Formosa 5-6 September 1945 with Kretchmer (DE-329); out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 7 March 1947. Delivered to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 24 July 1956 for radar-picket conversion; redesignated DER-326 1 November 1956; recommissioned 2 August 1957; Atlantic Barrier/DEW-line picket duty from Newport, R.I.; Boston Navy Yard overhauls (Jul-Oct 1959; late 1961; 24 Sep-Dec 1963); Cuban Quarantine patrols Oct-Nov 1962; Thresher search April 1963; Operation Deepfreeze deployments 1965-66 and 1966-67; homeport Key West from 1 July 1967; two Navy Unit Commendations. Decommissioned 22 October 1973 at the Quai d'Honneur, Bizerte, and commissioned the same day by the Tunisian Navy as President Bourgiba; struck from the Navy list that day.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades 1943; wartime and DER-era crew (design complement 216)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The ibiblio/HyperWar transcription misreads '16 June 1943' for the print edition's '15 June 1943' (keel date) and garbles 'DE-326' as 'DE-26' once - the print scan controls; discrepancies logged in gaps. Tunisian-service endpoint (1992 fire, scrapping) postdates the DANFS entry and rests on secondary sources (see ev-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Thomas J. Gary (DE 326) specifications and building/operational data block (US Navy photo captions incl. 2 Aug 1957 Philadelphia Navy Yard recommissioning view) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/06/326.htm - specifications block and building/operational data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: keel laid 15 June 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Tex. (corroborates the DANFS print date against the ibiblio transcription's '16 June'); specifications - Edsall class, type FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse-gear drive), 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 engines + 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws, 21 kt, 9,100 nm at 12 kt, complement 8 officers/201 enlisted; commissioned as USS Gary; renamed 1 January 1945; delivered to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 24 July 1956 for DER conversion; reclassified DER-326 1 November 1956; recommissioned 2 August 1957 at Philadelphia, Lcdr. W. H. Childress in command, Escort Squadron 16, Newport, R.I.; Deepfreeze deployments 13 Sep 1965-21 May 1966 and 24 Aug 1966-24 May 1967 (around-the-world voyages); homeport Key West 1 July 1967; decommissioned and struck 22 October 1973 at Bizerte on transfer to Tunisia as President Bourgiba; NavSource records a major engine-room fire 16 April 1992 leaving her non-operational, then service as fleet headquarters and accommodation ship berthed at Bizerte.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1992
- Population
- Construction trades 1943; USN crew 1943-47 and 1957-73; Tunisian crew 1973-92
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (volunteer photo archive), not an official record - used to corroborate the keel date and for post-1973 Tunisian status detail absent from DANFS; the 1992 fire and accommodation-hulk endpoint are consistent with the ECU archive finding aid and CIMSEC but rest on secondary sourcing. Contains no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-02
-
[4]DANFS specifications block (Edsall class; 21.2 k.) + NavSource machinery spec (FMR geared-diesel plant) + Atlas shipyard dataset records 'charleston-naval-shipyard' (tier 2: wartime fiber measurements to 70 f/cc, Whalen 2014 and Twidwell 2018 verdicts), 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' (tier 3: named-product litigation incl. Taylor; OSHA 1989 citations), 'boston-naval-shipyard' (tier 3: John Crane gasket litigation); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 DE section (class profile convention) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block + service narrative (yard periods); shipyards.json records 'charleston-naval-shipyard', 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard', 'boston-naval-shipyard'; navsource.org/archives/06/326.htm machinery spec
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Edsall-class destroyer escort built mid-1943 at Consolidated Steel, Orange, Tex., would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-powered escort - exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck coverings - but no boiler or steam-line lagging (FMR plant: 4 Fairbanks-Morse 38D8-1/8 geared diesels + 4 diesel-generators, ~6,000 shp, 21 kt). Documented post-delivery work all occurred at asbestos-era Navy yards in the Atlas dataset: post-shakedown overhaul at Charleston Naval Shipyard (early 1944) and drydocking/preservation there from 29 May 1946; the 1956-57 radar-picket conversion at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (a major structural/electronics refit: delivered 24 Jul 1956, recommissioned 2 Aug 1957); and Boston Naval Shipyard overhauls in 1959, late 1961, and Sep-Dec 1963. Each yard period is a documented event at a documented yard - the asbestos scope of each is inference, not record.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1973
- Population
- Consolidated Steel trades 1943; Charleston/Philadelphia/Boston yard workers at the 1944/1946/1956-57/1959/1961/1963 yard periods; USN crew 1943-47, 1957-73; Tunisian crew 1973-92
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder/overhaul-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The diesel plant means the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line insulation) do not apply. No materials schedule for this hull was located; the builder yard is absent from the Atlas dataset (gap). Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-03
-
[5]Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 'Tuning into Tunisia: An Assessment of Tunisia's Naval Forces'; East Carolina University Joyner Library finding aid, Richard Hamilton Smith Papers #1171 (biographical note); Tin Can Sailors (destroyers.org) DE-326 page [reputable_press]
- Locator
- cimsec.org assessment (single-sentence disposition); digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/1171 biographical note; navsource.org 06/326 operational data; destroyers.org/ships/de-326
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-USN disposition for this hull: as President Bourgiba she was the largest vessel in Tunisia's maritime forces after the 22 October 1973 transfer. She was rendered non-operational by a severe engine-room fire on 16 April 1992 (per NavSource, ECU finding aid, and CIMSEC), remained at Bizerte as fleet headquarters/accommodation ship (NavSource), and was subsequently scrapped circa 1992-93; Tin Can Sailors reports her mast preserved at Bizerte. Disposal in Tunisia means no U.S. disposal/abatement record exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1973-1993
- Population
- Tunisian Navy crew 1973-1992; disposal/scrapping workers circa 1992-93
- Limitations
- Secondary sources only - no official Tunisian naval record was located, and the fire date, accommodation-hulk period, scrapping window, and preserved mast all rest on NavSource/ECU/association/think-tank retellings that agree but are not primary documentation. No source located addresses materials aboard at disposal; the fire is noted because fire-damage and scrapping are the disposal-phase exposure pathway, not because any asbestos finding exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-04
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 searches (authenticated, fleet-paced): 'USS Thomas J. Gary' type=o (0 hits); 'Thomas J. Gary' type=o (1 hit, collision) and type=r (2 dockets, collisions); 'DE-326' type=o (18 hits, all collisions) and type=r (196 dockets, all collisions); 'DER-326' type=o (0); 'President Bourgiba' type=o (0); 'USS Gary' type=o (2 hits, collisions) and type=r (14 dockets, collisions) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search endpoint, queries as cited; collisions verified from returned case names, courts, and snippets
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (authenticated API v4, 2026-09-28): 'USS Thomas J. Gary' (type=o) returned 0 hits - no published opinion names the vessel. 'Thomas J. Gary' (type=o) returned 1 hit, Hudson v. Hutchinson, 41 S.W.2d 1013 (Tex. App. 1931) - a land-partition suit among Gary-family heirs; human-name collision, non-qualifying. 'Thomas J. Gary' (type=r) returned 2 dockets, both personal bankruptcies (Bankr. D. Md. 05-18741; Bankr. N.D.N.Y. 97-14014) - human collisions. 'DE-326' (type=o) returned 18 hits, all 'DE 326' document-entry/docket-number strings in unrelated matters (Florida criminal appeal, Puerto Rico cases, bankruptcy and condemnation matters) - non-qualifying. 'DE-326' (type=r) returned 196 dockets, the same 'DE #326' document-entry string inside unrelated federal filings; none vessel-related or asbestos-related. 'DER-326' (type=o) returned 0. 'President Bourgiba' (type=o) returned 0. 'USS Gary' (type=o) returned 2 hits - Sturm v. U.S. Dep't of Defense (D.D.C. 2025, Navy medical-disability dispute; the only USS Gary in commission during the plaintiff's 1990s service is FFG-51) and Warrington v. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Ry. (7th Cir. 1990, 'USS Gary Works' = U.S. Steel's Gary Works mill) - both non-qualifying collisions. 'USS Gary' (type=r) returned 14 dockets dominated by U.S. Steel 'USS Gary Works' bankruptcy/adversary text and unrelated federal matters; none asbestos litigation naming this hull. Classification: no qualifying asbestos litigation for DE-326/DER-326 located. Name-collision environment: 'Gary' collides with a common surname, the U.S. Steel Gary Works, DE-61 (a separate 1943 hull, transferred to Britain as HMS Duckworth), the cancelled CL-147 name assignment, and FFG-51 (in commission 1984-2015) - all hits were resolved against this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- litigation index through 2026-09-28
- Population
- No vessel-identified plaintiffs located
- Limitations
- Sweep result, not a merits finding: type=o coverage supports 'no published opinion names this hull' and type=r found no indexed docket text naming it - but state-court complaints and MDL-875 claimant vessel lists not filed into RECAP-indexed federal dockets would not surface, and Tunisian-era claims (1973-1992) would not appear in U.S. indexes at all. One mid-sweep request timed out and was re-run through the same helper; no throttle encountered.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-05
-
[7]Batch-4228 search ledger (this record): DANFS GPO print scans (Vols. III and VII); NavSource; ECU Joyner Library archive finding aid; CIMSEC; Atlas shipyard dataset; CourtListener exact-name, hull-number, and ex-name sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-326: no hull ACM survey (none plausible - hull scrapped abroad circa 1992-93 after a 1992 fire), no abatement or hazmat disclosure, no material schedule, and no qualifying asbestos case names the vessel in CourtListener opinion or docket indexes. The only documentation bearing on asbestos aboard this hull is class/era inference (Edsall-class FMR diesel design) and documented yard periods at asbestos-era Navy yards (Charleston 1944/1946; Philadelphia DER conversion 1956-57; Boston 1959/1961/1963).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials would have been standard at build, and the 1956-57 DER conversion at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is the kind of major refit in which era insulation was both disturbed and installed; it means no source located documents them for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. NARA RG 19 construction records / any DE-326 General Information Book and the ECU Smith Papers remain unsurveyed archival leads.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-06
-
[8]East Carolina University, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina Manuscript Collection - Richard Hamilton Smith Papers (#1171) finding aid [museum_official]
- Locator
- digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/1171, container list Box 1-2
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An institutional archive holds per-hull primary materials for DE-326: the Richard Hamilton Smith Papers (Smith served aboard 1943-45, later commanding officer) include a 31 March 1945 muster list, a June 1945 deck-log officer list, 1944/1945 sailing and ports-visited lists, the 29 Aug-8 Sep 1945 action report for the Kiirun POW evacuation, radiomen's newsletters, and officer correspondence - ship-specific crew-population and operational documents not digitized except one item.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1939-1988 (collection span)
- Population
- USS Thomas J. Gary crew, 1943-1945 (documented by muster/deck-log lists)
- Limitations
- Finding aid only - collection contents are not digitized (one item excepted) and were not reviewed; the materials are operational/biographical records with no stated asbestos content. Useful to future researchers for crew enumeration and ship movement, not a materials source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thomas-j-gary-de326-07