USS Tidewater (AD-31)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]In re Asbestos Litigation (Dumas v. ABB Group, Inc., et al.), Civil Action No. 13-229-SLR-SRF (D. Del.), Report and Recommendation, Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon, 2015 WL 5766460 (Sept. 30, 2015) - official court PDF at ded.uscourts.gov [court_record]

   Locator

   R&R pp. 3-4 (service history recital), pp. 7-8 (Aurora/Tidewater testimony), pp. 11-12 (IMO/DeLaval Tidewater 1969-1971), pp. 36-37 (disposition table and filing date); WL cite and adoption verified via later D. Del. opinions quoting them

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Federal asbestos personal-injury action naming this hull in the exposure record. Arthur Dumas alleged asbestosis from a ~20-year Navy career beginning 1954 (complaint filed 2012-12-14 in Delaware Superior Court, removed to D. Del.). The R&R recites: 'Plaintiff next served aboard the USS Tidewater ... until 1971' and 'testified that he possibly could have been exposed to asbestos from others working on pumps, valves, and insulation in his vicinity'; per the IMO section, the Tidewater tour ran 1969-1971, during which 'he conducted repairs on 20 to 25 ships working on machinery in engine rooms' out of the Tidewater repair shop and was exposed to asbestos from pump insulation tearouts and gasket seal work. The magistrate recommended granting summary judgment to Electrolux (Copes-Vulcan), ABB (Bailey Meter), Velan Valve, GE, CBS, Foster Wheeler, and Owens-Illinois, and denying it to Buffalo, Aurora, and IMO (DeLaval), with Ingersoll Rand and Warren denied-in-part.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1969-1971 (alleged exposure window aboard this hull); 2012-2015 (litigation to R&R)

   Population

   Arthur Dumas, plaintiff (Navy warrant officer/engineering ratings, 1954-1974 career); Tidewater repair-shop and engine-room personnel 1969-1971

   Limitations

   Recommendation-stage record (28 U.S.C. 636(b)): it recites allegations and deposition testimony and recommends summary-judgment dispositions - it finds no fact itself. A recommended denial of summary judgment means only that a genuine issue of material fact existed; recommended grants are merits-level negatives for this plaintiff, not evidence about the ship. No trial finding, verdict, or settlement for this plaintiff was located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-01

2. [2]In re Asbestos Litigation (Dumas v. ABB Group, Inc., et al.), Civil Action No. 13-229-GMS (D. Del.), Memorandum and Order adopting the R&R, Judge Gregory M. Sleet, 2016 WL 310724 (Jan. 26, 2016) - official court PDF at ded.uscourts.gov [court_record]

   Locator

   Memorandum pp. 4-5 (Aurora objection analysis reciting Tidewater testimony), pp. 8-9 (conclusion and order); Order adopting R&R (D.I. 423 adopted)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   District court adopted the R&R over the parties' objections. Summary judgment GRANTED to Electrolux, ABB, Velan Valve, GE, CBS, Foster Wheeler, and Owens-Illinois; DENIED to Buffalo, Aurora, and IMO; Ingersoll Rand and Warren GRANTED IN PART (as to punitive damages only). In the Aurora analysis the court expressly recited the Tidewater testimony: 'Dumas testified that while serving on the Tidewater he conducted repairs on 20 to 25 ships working on machinery in engine rooms and that he was exposed to asbestos from Aurora pump insulation and gasket seal work,' and held the evidence sufficient to let a fact finder decide Aurora supplied original asbestos-containing products to which Dumas was substantially exposed. An earlier memorandum in the same docket (June 2014) had granted defendants' motion to apply maritime law and denied plaintiff's Virginia-law motion.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   2015-2016 (SJ adjudication); underlying alleged exposure 1969-1971

   Population

   Same as ev-01

   Limitations

   Summary-judgment-stage dispositions, not trial findings: the denials establish only that triable issues existed on exposure/causation as to Aurora, IMO, and Buffalo; the grants are merits-level negatives for this plaintiff as to seven defendants. Nothing in the order adjudicates that asbestos was or was not aboard this hull, and no post-SJ disposition (trial verdict or settlement) was located in the public record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-02

3. [3]Dumas R&R, product-identification testimony sections (Aurora Pump; IMO Industries/DeLaval); NavSource AD-31 spec block (Foster & Wheeler boiler plant) [court_record]

   Locator

   R&R pp. 7-8 (Aurora/Tidewater), pp. 11-12 (IMO/DeLaval Tidewater 1969-1971), disposition table p. 36; adoption memorandum pp. 4-5; NavSource 0331.htm propulsion lines

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Products tied to this hull in the litigation record: Aurora pumps and IMO (DeLaval) pumps - Dumas testified that aboard the Tidewater (1969-1971) he oversaw maintenance and repair of machinery in engine rooms, conducted/supervised repair work on 20-25 ships out of the Tidewater repair shop, and was exposed to asbestos from pump insulation tearouts and gasket seal work on those products; claims against both manufacturers survived summary judgment. Foster Wheeler - documented by the NavSource spec block as the manufacturer of this hull's two D-type boilers - was also a Dumas defendant but was GRANTED summary judgment.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1969-1971

   Population

   Tidewater repair-division and engine-room personnel; crews of tended destroyers under repair 1969-1971

   Limitations

   Product identification is allegation/testimony-stage: SJ denial means a jury could find exposure, not that the court found the products or their asbestos aboard this hull; the testimony describes asbestos work on tended ships' machinery handled through the tender's repair shop as much as the tender's own plant. The Foster Wheeler grant is a merits-level negative for this plaintiff and is not evidence about boilers aboard this hull. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-03

4. [4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Tidewater' (AD-31), Naval History and Heritage Command (entry published 2015-09-30) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Tidewater' entry, specifications block + full service narrative; Wayback capture https://web.archive.org/web/20241210212208/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tidewater.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull (spec block: dp. 16,800 f.; l. 492'0"; b. 70'0"; dr. 27'6"; s. 18.0 k.; cpl. 1,017; a. 1 5", 8 40mm., 12 20mm.; cl. Shenandoah): laid down 27 November 1944 at the Charleston Navy Yard; launched 30 June 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Robert N. S. Baker; commissioned at Charleston 19 February 1946, Capt. Frank H. Ball in command. Postwar she completed only sea trials, then decommissioned to the Charleston reserve group as accommodation ship for the staff of Commander Submarine Group 3. Recommissioned at Charleston 2 October 1951 (Capt. Harold S. Harnly); reported to Destroyer Flotilla 4 at Norfolk February 1952; Exercise Mainbrace fall 1952; first of many annual 'Springboard' exercises February 1953; Mine Force support at Charleston July 1953; Norfolk naval shipyard overhaul beginning 12 August 1953; first 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployment spring 1954, beginning a 13-year pattern of 10 Mediterranean deployments alternating with 2d Fleet tender duty out of Norfolk; hosted Queen Frederika of Greece on the fourth deployment (1960); served as advanced base ship at Suda Bay, Crete for 6th Fleet units during the Six-Day War (eighth deployment, 1967); June 1962 Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul included helicopter-pad installation; completed tenth Mediterranean deployment 2 May 1969; flagship for Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 4, 10 September-13 November 1970; Navy agreed to lease her to Indonesia 4 January 1971; decommissioned at Norfolk 20 February 1971 and recommissioned the same day in the Indonesian Navy as Dumai, Col. Mardianus Aruf in command.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1944-1971

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1944-46; crew 1946-1971; Norfolk Naval Shipyard overhaul workers 1953 and 1962; tended destroyer crews

   Limitations

   Authoritative operational history naming this hull throughout; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material information - supports no asbestos claim. Canonical NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-19 (standing NHHC link rot); text verified verbatim against the Internet Archive capture of the NHHC page dated 2024-12-10.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-04

5. [5]NavSource Naval History, AD-31 page (Destroyer Tender Photo Index): specification block, Charleston Navy Yard launch-photo captions, commanding-officer table, and NVR-derived disposition dates [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 0331.htm specifications block + captions 09033167/09033168 + CO table + chronology; 0331c.htm narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Specification block: displacement 11,755 t. (lt) / 16,880 t. (fl); length 492'; beam 69'6"; draft 28'; speed 18.4 kts. (trial); complement 59 officers + 918 enlisted; propulsion - one Westinghouse turbine, two Foster & Wheeler D-type boilers (435 psi, 740 deg), single Westinghouse main reduction gear, single propeller 8,500 shp; armament - two single 5"/38, four twin 40mm, twelve single 20mm. Charleston Navy Yard photo captions document that Tidewater was 'the biggest ship that Charleston Navy Yard had ever built,' a $10,000,000 project launched 30 June 1945 with Rep. L. Mendel Rivers speaking; sponsor Mrs. Robert N. Scott Baker was wife of the yard's Industrial Manager. Disposition dates per the Naval Register: struck 15 June 1978; purchased outright by Indonesia under the Security Assistance Program 1 March 1980; deleted by the Indonesian Navy 1984, 'fate unknown.' The companion community page (0331c.htm), sourced to DANFS and Tidewater cruise books, adds: keel arc struck 27 November 1944 11:15 a.m.; a yard/community war-bond drive dedicated to the hull raised $2.5 million; 300 yard workers rode the launch; sister tender USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) was the yard's other and last build.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1944-1984

   Population

   Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1944-45 (incl. the 300 workers who rode the launch)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer-compiled unofficial archive - the spec block and NVR-derived dates are secondary, not a primary register record; the hull predates the live NVR's coverage, so the 1978 stricken and 1980 sale dates are not verified against a primary page. NavSource's own index header prints '8 February 1946' for commissioning against DANFS's 19 February (its own CO table agrees with DANFS), and prints pennant '562' where its own photo captions and secondary sources show 652 - see the correction row. No asbestos content in this source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-05

6. [6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II, with federal asbestos supply reserved for shipbuilding - the era and program under which this hull was built (laid down November 1944, launched June 1945, Charleston Navy Yard).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-06

7. [7]Oxford v. Foster Wheeler LLC, 177 Cal.App.4th 700, 99 Cal.Rptr.3d 418 (Cal. App. 1st Dist. 2009) - published appellate opinion arising from sister C3-type tender USS Klondike (AD-22) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text, complaint recital and evidence sections (vLex mirror); NavSource 0331.htm propulsion lines

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Published appellate opinion records trial evidence that Foster Wheeler D-type marine boilers were built to Navy performance/mechanical specifications that 'required that asbestos be used in certain parts of the boilers' - asbestos in the insulation, hand holes, manholes, and flanges connecting valves and steam outlets, in the economizer, and in one-inch high-temperature insulating block inside the furnace walls, tube banks, and roof of the steel enclosure; and that a tender boiler-repair-shop worker's duties required him to 'remove, install, disturb, and handle asbestos-containing products.' The NavSource spec block documents this hull's plant as two Foster & Wheeler D-type boilers - the same product type, and the same repair-ship mission, litigated in Oxford.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1946-1971 service era; boiler product type litigated for the 1963-1967 repair era

   Population

   Engineering crew (boiler technicians); repair-division personnel handling tended ships' boiler and machinery components (product-type context)

   Limitations

   Cross-hull product-type inference: Oxford names sister tender Klondike (AD-22), not this hull; asbestos content of this hull's boilers is inferred from the documented product type and Navy specification practice, not a ship-specific record. Litigation-stage note: Oxford's plaintiff verdict was reversed and remanded in 2009 on inconsistent-verdict grounds, so the opinion stands as trial testimony recited in a published opinion, not an affirmed exposure finding. Does not establish individual exposure aboard this hull, quantities, or causation. Opinion text verified via the vLex mirror; canonical free link (law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2009/a121577/) returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-19.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-07

8. [8]DANFS 'Tidewater' entry vs NavSource AD-31 index header / commanding-officer table / photo captions vs secondary compilations (Wikipedia infobox) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 0331.htm index header + CO table + captions; 0331c.htm narrative; DANFS entry via Wayback capture; Wikipedia infobox (conflict claim only)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved or flagged: (a) Commissioning - NavSource index header prints '8 February 1946'; DANFS, NavSource's own commanding-officer table, and the NavSource community narrative print 19 February 1946 (Capt. Ball's tenure begins 19 Feb) - DANFS adopted, the '8 February' header treated as a transcription variance. (b) First decommissioning - NavSource index prints 'in 1946' while its CO table prints decommissioning 15 January 1947; DANFS gives no date - both framings flagged, neither asserted alone. (c) Recommissioning - DANFS and the NavSource index print 2 October 1951; the NavSource CO table prints Capt. Harnly's tenure beginning 20 October 1951 - DANFS adopted, variance flagged. (d) Indonesian pennant number - NavSource index prints 'KRI Dumai (562)'; its own photo captions and secondary sources print 652 - 652 adopted. (e) Outright purchase date - NavSource prints 1 March 1980; Wikipedia prints 14 March 1980 - NavSource carried, variance flagged unresolved. (f) Complement - DANFS cpl. 1,017; NavSource 59 officers + 918 enlisted (=977) - figures kept separate, not merged. (g) Minor spec variances - DANFS dp. 16,800 (f.) vs NavSource 16,880 (fl); beam 70'0" vs 69'6"; draft 27'6" vs 28'; armament 1 5"/8x40mm vs 2 single 5"/38 + 4 twin 40mm (same barrel count for 40mm, differing 5-inch count).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   1944-1984

   Limitations

   Publication-level discrepancy resolution among the cited sources; does not materially affect identity or timeline. Secondary compilations appear here only as conflicting claims, not as an evidence basis. No asbestos content in the underlying sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-08

9. [9]Batch-461 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 0331.htm/0331c.htm; D. Del. official opinion PDFs; web-indexed litigation sweep; va.gov BVA decisions; claimsres.com Thurston trust documents; MARAD ShipHistory; NVR online; NARA record-group guidance [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-tidewater-ad31-01 through sl-uss-tidewater-ad31-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping hazmat disclosure, NVR entry (hull struck 1978, before the live register's coverage), or museum record naming this hull with asbestos data was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The Dumas litigation (ev-01/-02/-03) is the only located ship-specific asbestos record, and it is allegation/SJ-stage. CourtListener systematic sweeps could not be run - API returned HTTP 429 (125/day quota exhausted, retry-after ~6h) and the HTML endpoint returned 403 on 2026-09-19, the same wall documented by batches 151, 448, and 456; coverage beyond the web-indexed sweep is an open item, not a completed negative. BVA full-text search returned no decision naming this hull. The C.E. Thurston & Sons trust's published 'Sites Verification Spreadsheet' is a blank submission form - no populated ship list located; a law-firm claim that the trust lists AD-31 could not be verified and was excluded.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-19

   Study period

   2026-09-19

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard; the hull was deleted/scrapped abroad in 1984, leaving no extant hull to survey and no U.S. disposal record. The blocked CourtListener sweep means additional unindexed dockets may exist. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-09

10. [10]NARA record-group mapping for this hull: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Charleston Navy Yard records, NARA Southeast Region), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov RG 24/RG 181/RG 19 guide pages; ded.uscourts.gov docket 13-229

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds Navy deck logs through the 1970s - this hull's logs would cover 1946-1971, including the 1969-1971 window of the Dumas testimony; RG 181 records of naval districts and shore establishments include Charleston Navy Yard construction records (NARA Southeast Region, Atlanta) covering this hull's 1944-46 build; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records cover tender construction specifications and repair policy; the Dumas docket itself (D. Del. 13-229, via PACER/RECAP) contains the full deposition transcripts cited in the R&R.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-19

    Study period

    1944-2016 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and finding-aid mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents exist for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-tidewater-ad31-10