Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Tillman I (DD-135) - verbatim transcription (live NHHC page not located; history.navy.mil danfs/t URLs all return 404 as of 2026-09-26) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (USN 1918-1940; RN HMS Wells 1940-1945)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for this hull (Tillman I, Destroyer No. 135/DD-135; verbatim transcription): laid down 29 July 1918 by the Charleston (S.C.) Navy Yard; launched 7 July 1919 (transcription misreads '1918' - impossible, corrected per NavSource/Dreadnought/Wikipedia concurrence); sponsored by Miss Mary Y. Tillman, granddaughter of Senator Tillman; reclassified DD-135 17 July 1920; commissioned 10 April 1921, Lt. Louis R. Vail in command. Charleston, Division 20 Squadron 9 Destroyer Flotilla 1 Atlantic Fleet to summer 1921; half complement winter 1921-22, Division 33 Squadron 8; decommissioned 3 July 1922, laid up Philadelphia Navy Yard; recommissioned Philadelphia 1 May 1930 (Lt. Comdr. Alfred Y. Lanphier); Division 23 Squadron 7 Scouting Fleet; Division 48 by 1 January 1931; reserve/NROTC training cruises; Boston, 1st Naval District, from spring 1933; Scouting Fleet Training Squadron, rotating reserve at Charleston; full-time Training Squadron duty 1 January 1934; DesDiv 29 DesRon 10, Charleston/Boston, Caribbean landing exercises; decommissioned 15 June 1939. Recommissioned Philadelphia 24 August 1940 under the destroyers-for-bases exchange (agreement 23 July 1940); arrived Halifax, N.S., 21 November 1940 with DesDiv 72 - the last group of the 50 transferred; decommissioned 26 November 1940; stricken 8 January 1941. HMS Wells (I.95) commissioned RN 5 December 1940; collision with HMS Newmarket (ex-USS Robinson DD-88) 9 December; sailed 4 February 1941 with HMS Newark (ex-USS Ringgold DD-89), lost topmast in gale; 17th Destroyer Division escorting 1st Minelaying Squadron; Iceland convoys; U-boat attacks 10-12 June 1941 (own depth charges damaged her); refit Hull autumn 1941; stood by grounded SS 'F. J. Cullen' off Barra Island 16 January 1942; bombed with Brighton (ex-USS Cowell DD-167) west of Faroes spring 1942; Convoy KX-6 / Operation Torch November 1942, return MKF December; Rosyth Escort Force August 1943 (Firth of Forth-Thames); Clyde refit late 1944; target ship Western Approaches early 1945; reserve Greenock; decommissioned July 1945; 'scrapped at Troon, Scotland, on 24 July 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1918-21; U.S. Navy crews 1921-1940 (DANFS complement 122); Royal Navy crew 1940-45
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The HyperWar/ibiblio transcription contains two apparent OCR errors - launch '7 July 1918' (precedes keel-laying; all secondary concurrence reads 1919) and reserve 'mid-1946' (inconsistent with July 1945 payoff/scrapping; Wikipedia's rendering of the same text reads mid-1945, consistent with the Troon yard record). Live NHHC page returns 404 - verbatim mirror cited per standing NHHC link-rot note.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-01
-
[2]NavSource Naval History - Destroyer Photo Archive, USS Tillman (DD-135) page (navsource.net) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DD-135 page: 'As Built' specification block, Operational and Building Data table, RN service narrative ('On British Service'), CO roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Naval History DD-135 page (compiled from official records and contributed material): call sign NEQT; as built 1,154 tons; 314'5" x 31'8" x 9'10" max; armament 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA (1 x 3"/23 in some ships), 12 x 21" TT; machinery 24,200 shp, geared turbines, 2 screws; 35 knots; crew 103. Building data: laid down Charleston Navy Yard 29 July 1918; launched 7 July 1919; commissioned 30 April 1921 (conflicts with DANFS 10 April and its own CO roster); decommissioned Philadelphia 2 July 1922 (vs. DANFS 3 July); recommissioned 1 May 1930; decommissioned 15 June 1939; recommissioned 24 August 1940; decommissioned/transferred to Britain 26 November 1940 as HMS Wells (I95); stricken 8 January 1941; fate 'broken up for scrap in 1946' (conflicts with ClydeMaritime November 1945 - logged). Compiled RN service narrative (credited to Robert Hurst) adds detail absent from DANFS: collision also with a jetty 9 December 1940; defects at St. John's NF to 30 January 1941; repairs at Halifax/St. John's; arrived Devonport 9 March 1941, refit completed 10 April; 1st Minelaying Squadron at Kyle of Lochalsh from 13 April; sixteen Iceland ferry convoys vs. five minelaying sorties; Humber refit 3 September-25 November 1941; Tobermory work-up; Newport (Mon.) refit June-mid-September 1942 incl. Type 271 radar; RMS Queen Mary escort; Clyde refit January 1943; Newport again April 1943. Commanding-officer roster: Vail (Apr 1921), Yeatman, Lanphier (May 1930), Fischer, Umstead, Sullivan, Bowman, Wenger (to Jun 1939); Hooper and Moore (Aug-Nov 1940).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- U.S. and RN crews; Charleston/Philadelphia navy yard workers (layup 1922-30, recommissionings); Devonport/Humber/Newport/Clyde dockyard workers 1941-44
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled transcription of official records plus contributed photographs - not an official Navy publication. Conflicts carried in gaps: commissioned 30 April vs. DANFS 10 April 1921 (its own CO roster supports 10 April); decommissioned 2 July vs. DANFS 3 July 1922; crew 103 vs. DANFS complement 122; 24,200 vs. 27,000 shp (class BOGP); 'broken up 1946' vs. ClydeMaritime November 1945. RN narrative is secondary compilation. Contains no asbestos or hazardous-material statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-02
-
[3]DANFS/NavSource/1919 class BOGP machinery data; Atlas shipyards.json record 'charleston-naval-shipyard' (yard-level asbestos-product findings); NARA Ship Plan Index [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource machinery block; shipyards.json 'charleston-naval-shipyard' asbestos_products_documented; NARA Ship Plan Index TILLMAN rows
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Wickes-class destroyer built 1918-21 at Charleston Navy Yard with a four-boiler (White-Forster-type), 265-psi steam turbine plant would have carried period-standard insulating materials - boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing - in which asbestos fiber was common in U.S. naval construction of the era. Builder Charleston Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas shipyards dataset (evidence_tier 2) with documented asbestos products including steam-system thermal insulation, pipe insulation (5-50% asbestos content), boiler external coatings, pump/valve gaskets, and rotating-equipment packing - though those yard-level findings derive largely from WWII-era and later litigation, two decades after this hull's build. NARA RG 19 holdings for this hull (Alphabetical Ship Drawings NAID 53488330; Microfilm NAID 175670934) and the class Booklet of General Plans are the archival route to hull- or class-level insulation specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard construction trades 1918-21; U.S. Navy engineering crews 1921-1940; RN engineering crew 1940-45 (inference only)
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no source inspected names the insulation products fitted aboard this hull, and the hull's 1945 scrapping forecloses later survey or abatement records. The Charleston yard-level asbestos documentation postdates this hull's build by two-plus decades and does not evidence conditions in 1918-21. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, location, or any individual exposure aboard DD-135.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-03
-
[4]U.S. Navy Yard Newport News, Booklet of General Plans - Wickes & Clemson classes, 1 October 1919 (NARA RG 19 file unit 'Plans for Flush Deckers, 1789-1967'; digitized at archive.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org item ddflushdeckersbogp1919, sheet '02 - general information.jpg' (machinery/boilers/propeller tables, read from image)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized class-level primary artifact inspected: 'USA - DD Wickes & Clemson Class Booklet of General Plans (1919)' - official Navy booklet issued by Navy Yard Newport News dated 1 October 1919, scanned from NARA file unit 'Plans for Flush Deckers, 1789-1967' (EXIF provenance 'rg19'). The 'General Information' sheet tabulates the class machinery: '2 H.P. & 2 L.P. WESTINGHOUSE MARINE GEARED TURBINES. R.P.M. OF TURBINES 3000; R.P.M. OF PROPELLERS 452; S.H.P. TOTAL 27,000, 250 LBS STEAM AT TURBINE'; boilers 'FOUR WHITE-FORSTER, STEAM PRESSURE LBS 265, FURNACE VOLUME EACH CUB FT 661, HEATING SURFACE 6875 SQ FT FOR EACH BOILER'; propellers 'TWO TRUE SCREW CAST SOLID MANG[ANESE] BRONZE, DIA 9'-0"'. This is a class plan - the asbestos-relevant observation is a four-boiler 265-psi geared-steam plant consistent with era insulation practice; the sheet itself contains no insulation or asbestos statement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1919 (plan date); class construction 1917-1921
- Limitations
- Class plan issued by a specific construction yard (Newport News) - boiler/turbine details are class-standard but OEM choices varied across the eight flush-decker builders; Westinghouse turbines are not confirmed for this Charleston-built hull. Image-only blueprint scan; remaining sheets (deck plans, arrangements) not exhaustively reviewed. No insulation schedule or asbestos statement on the machinery sheet.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-04
-
[5]National Archives Ship Plan Index (TILLMAN DD-135 rows: NAIDs 53488330, 175670934); NARA guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961'; NHHC/U.S. Naval Historical Center photograph catalog numbers (via NavSource captions and ibiblio Online Library picture-data page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index TILLMAN DD-135 rows; guided topic page (S39/S48 drawing guidance); ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary NH 103772 picture-data page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov) lists TILLMAN DD-135 in Record Group 19 under 'Alphabetical Ship Drawings' (NAID 53488330) and 'Microfilm' (NAID 175670934) - confirmed existence of ship-specific engineering drawings for this hull. NARA's guided asbestos-research topic ('Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961') identifies S39 insulation-and-lagging and S48 piping drawings within RG 19 cartographic holdings as the useful records for hull-level asbestos research, but its correspondence coverage runs 1940-1961 - postdating most of this hull's U.S. career; earlier Bureau of Construction & Repair-era records and RG 24 deck logs (indexed by ship name, 1919-1940) are the applicable leads. NHHC photo catalog holdings for this hull: NH 41782 (Charleston Navy Yard, 14 June 1921), NH 103192 (Boston Navy Yard, circa mid-1921), NH 103772 (crew at Boston Navy Yard, 22 July 1921), NH 67801 (New York Harbor, 1930s).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation only - the drawings' contents, including any insulation specification, were not retrieved or inspected (College Park pull required, no spend authorized). The NARA asbestos guide's correspondence window (1940-1961) largely postdates this hull's U.S. service, so RG 19 drawing files and earlier bureau records are the applicable leads. UK refit/maintenance records for the I95 period are at The National Archives (ADM series), not searched this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-05
-
[6]Destroyers for Bases Agreement, 2 September 1940 (executive agreement; NHHC FAQ transcription via Wayback) + FDR Message to Congress (3 Sep 1940) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC FAQ faq59-24 (full text of exchanged notes); FDR message to Congress text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement of 2 September 1940 (exchange of notes, British Ambassador Lothian and Secretary of State Hull; FDR message to Congress transmitting the notes and the Attorney General's 27 Aug 1940 opinion) is the legal instrument under which this hull was transferred at Halifax on 26 November 1940. DANFS records the leaders' 23 July 1940 agreement and notes Tillman was among the last group (DesDiv 72) of the 50 'overage destroyers' exchanged for 99-year leases on British base sites in the Western Hemisphere.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940
- Limitations
- Documents the transfer instrument and program, not this hull's material condition; the agreement contains no ship-by-ship condition survey. Hull-level transfer detail comes from DANFS (ev-01).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-06
-
[7]ClydeMaritime (clydemaritime.co.uk), Troon shipbreaking yard record, 'USS Tillman' (vessel name on arrival: HMS Wells) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ClydeMaritime vessel record: arrival/breakup/beaching/completion dates block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- ClydeMaritime's Troon shipbreaking-yard record for this hull (as HMS Wells, ex-USS Tillman): arrival at Troon 22 July 1945; sold off 24 July 1945 (the date DANFS renders as 'scrapped'); breakup started 6 August 1945; first beached 9 September 1945; breakup completed 23 November 1945. Also records: twin-screw propulsion; launched 07/07/1919; completed 30/04/1921; RN commission 05/12/1940; RN service mainly Iceland convoy and east-coast/Firth of Forth escort; January 1942 stood by grounded SS 'R. J. Cullen' at Barra (vs. DANFS 'F. J. Cullen' - logged). Resolves DANFS's compressed 'scrapped at Troon on 24 July 1945' into sale date plus a four-month breakup sequence.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Troon shipbreaking workers (Aug-Nov 1945)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation of yard records (Ailsa/Troon breakers), not an official register - dates are plausible and internally consistent but the underlying yard ledger was not inspected. Contains no asbestos, hazmat, or material-statement; scrapping predates any asbestos-survey regime, and UK shipbreaking waste records of the era do not address the question.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-07
-
[8]DANFS, Tillman II (DD-641) - verbatim transcription (Gleaves-class; Charleston Navy Yard; commissioned 4 Jun 1942; decommissioned 6 Feb 1947; struck Mar 1972; three WWII battle stars) + NH 103773 caption noting the namesake portrait was removed from USS Tillman (DD-641) in August 1969 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Tillman II (DD-641) entry, specifications block + commissioning/decommissioning/striking data; NavSource NH 103773 photo caption (DD-641 reference)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Name-collision record: TWO U.S. Navy destroyers have carried the name Tillman - this hull (DD-135, Charleston-built, USN 1921-1940, RN as HMS Wells, scrapped 1945) and USS Tillman DD-641 (Gleaves-class, also built at Charleston Navy Yard, commissioned 4 June 1942, three WWII battle stars, decommissioned 6 February 1947, in reserve until struck from the Navy list March 1972). Any 'USS Tillman' litigation, survey, or service record dated after 1941 must be attributed by hull number or service dates - asbestos-era exposure claims are statistically more likely to concern DD-641 (commissioned in peak asbestos-construction era, career extending to 1972). 'HMS Wells' also collides with other RN vessels of the name; pennant I95 disambiguates this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Disambiguation row only - establishes the collision surface, not any exposure fact. Prevents misattribution of post-1941 'USS Tillman' records (esp. DD-641, in service to Feb 1947 and retained until struck March 1972 - a full asbestos-era career) to this hull scrapped in 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-08
-
[9]Batch-3141 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (and mirrors), NavSource, NARA Ship Plan Index + guided asbestos topic, archive.org NARA-derived plan set, ClydeMaritime yard record, Destroyers-for-Bases treaty record, UK-source checks [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-tillman-dd135-01 through sl-uss-tillman-dd135-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located in the non-litigation repositories searched: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum condition report, or official material record naming DD-135 or HMS Wells I95 was found (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1945, predating asbestos survey practice and the litigation era, so no postwar hull record is expected to exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era construction practice is consistent with asbestos-containing insulation in machinery spaces, but nothing inspected establishes it for this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated via required fleet helper cl-auth-search.py): type=o 'USS Tillman' count=0; type=r 'USS Tillman' count=0; type=r 'DD-135' count=10 all classified non-ship name collisions (Portier LLC v. City of New York 1:21-cv-10347 S.D.N.Y. exhibit labels; United States v. Basham 13-9 4th Cir.; Raimer v. Carter 2:11-cv-09761 C.D. Cal.; Jackson v. Onondaga County; POGO v. DOJ 1:20-cv-01415 D.D.C.; SCO v. IBM; AIG v. Knight Oil Tools; Muzak Holdings bk; Mass. DSS v. Riordan); further variants blocked by fleet-wide pacing budget [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener v4 search result sets (o 'USS Tillman' count=0; r 'USS Tillman' count=0; r 'DD-135' count=10 reviewed one-by-one, all collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated search (2026-09-26): opinions 'USS Tillman' 0 hits; dockets 'USS Tillman' 0 hits - no indexed opinion or docket names the exact ship name at all, neither this hull (DD-135) nor the later USS Tillman DD-641. Dockets 'DD-135' 10 hits, ALL name collisions on the exhibit-label/OCR string (e.g., 'Exhibit DD-135' in the Portier v. City of New York sealed-exhibit series; OCR noise in unrelated criminal/tort/FOIA/contract/insurance filings) - none asbestos or vessel-related. Classification: no qualifying asbestos litigation located. Remaining variant queries ('aboard the Tillman' opinions; 'HMS Wells' + asbestos; 'DD-135' opinions) blocked by spent fleet pacing budget after multiple spaced attempts - logged as open lead.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- sweep executed 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Search covers CourtListener's indexed corpus only; state courts, non-digitized federal dockets, and in-filing-text mentions not surfaced by the executed queries are outside coverage. Zero hits on the exact ship name in both indexes and all-collision results on the hull-number docket query constitute a real negative result - but the sweep is incomplete: 'aboard the Tillman' (o), 'HMS Wells'+asbestos (r), and 'DD-135' (o) were not executed (fleet pacing budget spent across multiple spaced attempts). Any future 'Tillman' hit must be attributed by hull number - DD-641 (1942-1972) is the more likely asbestos-era referent; see ev-08.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tillman-dd135-10