Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Tomich (DE-242) (namesake biography, builder, dates, Atlantic/Mediterranean convoy narrative, Pacific/China service, reserve-fleet movements, disposal chain; Robert J. Cressman, updated 26 Sep 2017 - Wayback capture; live NHHC page 404s) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative + disposal paragraph (Wayback capture 20241209113213)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 15 September 1942 at Houston, Tex., by the Brown Shipbuilding Co.; launched 28 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. O. L. Hammonds; commissioned 27 July 1943, Lt. Comdr. H. A. Hull in command (spec block: 1,200 tons, 306'0" x 36'10" x 12'3", 19.5 kt, complement 216, three 3-inch, hedgehog, depth-charge tracks/projectors; class Edsall). Bermuda shakedown; Caribbean training; search for Dorado (SS-248) 17-22 Oct 1943; convoy escort UGS-24/GUS-24 (Casablanca), UGS-30/GUS-29 (Gibraltar; moored alongside HMS Warspite), UGS-36 (31 Mar-1 Apr 1944 sonar contact and 20-minute Ju 88 air attack, no losses), UGS-43, UGS-50/GUS-50; escorted tug Carib (AT-82) towing Menges (DE-320) to Horta; New York Navy Yard availabilities Dec 1943, Feb 1944, May 1944, Jul 1944; hunter-killer training with Core (CVE-13) Nov 1944; Boston Navy Yard overhaul May-Jun 1945; Pearl Harbor 7 Aug 1945; Saipan, Bonins, air-sea rescue station relieving Helm (DD-388), Iwo Jima/Okinawa operations; Tsingtao 13 Jan 1946, China duty to 10 Apr 1946. Inactivation at Charleston May-Aug 1946; decommissioned in reserve Green Cove Springs 20 Sep 1946; Norfolk reserve group; towed with Swasey (DE-248) by Hoist (ARS-40) to InActShipFac Orange, Tex., 1-12 Jun 1970; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 Nov 1972 with five similar vessels; acquired by Andy International, Inc., Ship Dismantling Facility, Brownsville, Tex. (bid opened 13 Dec 1973); towed by tug Texan (Bludco Barge and Towing Co.) 7 Mar 1974 to the scrapper. One battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; wartime and China-service crew (DANFS design complement 216); reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1974; shipbreaking workers 1974
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, specifications, and the disposal chain, not materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing link-rot); verbatim text cited via the 9 Dec 2024 Wayback capture of history.navy.mil. NavSource's '18 January 1974: sold for scrapping' line versus DANFS's bid-opened/tow dates (13 Dec 1973 / 7 Mar 1974) is carried as a flagged variance in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-01
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[2]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Escort Photo Index DE-242 (FMR-type specifications; building/operational data; awards; commanding-officer list; NH 79953 namesake photo caption) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-242 'Specifications' + 'Building and Operational Data' blocks + CO list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled ship-record data for this hull: Edsall class, FMR type - four Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesel engines plus four diesel generators, 6,000 shp, two screws, 21 kt, 9,100 nm at 12 kt; complement 8 officers / 201 enlisted; keel laid 15 Sep 1942 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston; launched/christened 28 Dec 1942; commissioned 27 Jul 1943 (Lcdr. H. A. Hull); decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Fla., 20 Sep 1946 'after 3 years and 1¾ months of service'; struck from the NVR 1 Nov 1972; sold for scrapping 18 Jan 1974. Radio call sign N-Y-I-C. Awards line: Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 star, WWII Victory Medal. Commanding officers: Lcdr. Hadlai A. Hull, USNR (Jul-Dec 1943); Lcdr. Charles B. Brown (Dec 1943-12 Jun 1945); Lt. Reed Whitney (to decommissioning). Namesake photo caption (USN photo NH 79953): Peter Tomich's Medal of Honor 'resided aboard USS Tomich until her decommissioning.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1974
- Limitations
- NavSource is a secondary compiled index, not an official record - its FMR propulsion block, complement split (8/201 vs DANFS 216), and '18 Jan 1974 sold' date are the only public source located for those details; underlying NVR/Navy status-card sources not directly verified. Complement and sale-date conflicts carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-02
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[3]NARA Catalog file units for USS Tomich: 'USS TOMICH - War History' (NAID 77693326, microfilm roll A2094); 'USS TOMICH - War Diary' monthly units Feb 1944-Sep 1945 (NAIDs incl. 77534550, 83559457, 139941636, 139881377, 139885385, 78688702, 139785953); muster rolls 'Tomich (DE-242), 7/27/43-9/1/46' (NAID 192549065, microfilm roll 7562) - RG 38/RG 24, digitized via Fold3/Ancestry partnerships [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov records search 'Tomich (DE-242)': NAIDs 77693326 (war history), 77534550/83559457/139941636/139881377/139885385/78688702/139785953 et al. (war diaries 2/1944-9/1945), 192549065 (muster rolls 1943-46)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The National Archives catalog holds ship-specific record units for this hull spanning the commissioned period: a War History file unit, monthly War Diary units covering at least February 1944 through September 1945, and muster rolls covering 27 July 1943 - 1 September 1946 (the full commission). The muster rolls (crew lists) are digitized and identify individual crew by name/rating - the population record for any future exposure-claim research. Deck logs for this hull are expected in 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978' (NAID 594258) but digitized status for DE-242 was not confirmed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Wartime and China-service crew (muster rolls by name/rating)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - records describe operations and crew, not materials or asbestos content; unit contents not individually reviewed; deck-log coverage for this hull unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-03
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[4]U.S. Navy photographs of this hull (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons file pages; Norfolk image sourced from the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association collection): at anchor c.1945; docked at Norfolk, Va., April 1945 in Camouflage Measure 32 Design 3D; moored in the Huangpu River, Shanghai, February 1946 [other_primary]
- Locator
- commons.wikimedia.org Category:USS Tomich (DE-242) - three file pages incl. 'docked at Norfolk, April 1945' and 'Huangpu River, Shanghai, February 1946'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous U.S. Navy photographs of this hull exist: docked at Norfolk in April 1945 wearing Camouflage Measure 32 Design 3D (consistent with the DANFS Norfolk availability sequence), and moored in the Huangpu River at Shanghai in February 1946 (consistent with the documented China service). The images corroborate DANFS dates/locations and are the closest public visual record of the hull's as-built condition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Population
- Crew 1945-46
- Limitations
- Photographic documentation of locations and configuration - not materials or asbestos content. Provenance is the Commons/DESA file pages, not an NHHC catalog entry (no accession numbers located); live NHHC photo pages currently fail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-04
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[5]NavSource DE-242 specifications block (Edsall class, FMR type: 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38D8-1/8 geared diesels, 4 diesel generators, 6,000 shp, 2 screws) + era naval-shipbuilding practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-242 specifications block; era-construction context per GAO HRD-80-2 and the Edsall-class treatment in batch-4037 through batch-4063 records
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an Edsall-class (FMR) destroyer escort built 1942-43 carried a diesel-geared plant - four Fairbanks-Morse diesels with diesel generators, no boilers and no steam system - so era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-electric escort apply: engine and exhaust/muffler insulation, compressed-asbestos-sheet gaskets, valve and machinery packing, electrical cable insulation, joiner and bulkhead board, brake linings on winches and windlass, and deck coverings. Ships built at Brown Shipbuilding's Houston yard in 1942-43 were constructed in the period when asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1974
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-1974; shipbreaking workers 1974
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The diesel plant means the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line lagging) do not apply to this hull. Does not quantify material, does not establish any individual's exposure, and does not establish that any specific product aboard contained asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-05
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[6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use and that Navy asbestos-management policy began in 1975 (removal only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). This hull spent 1946-1974 in the reserve fleet and was sold for scrapping in 1974 - before any such policy existed - so no pre-disposal asbestos survey or abatement requirement applied to it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979 (report); 1975-1979 (policy period)
- Population
- Navy shipyard and scrapping workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not ship-specific; establishes only that no federal asbestos program governed this hull's 1974 disposal. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches); content via product-page description. Does not speak to material aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-06
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[7]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweeps (cl-auth-search.py): "USS Tomich" type=o 0 hits, type=r 0 hits; "Tomich asbestos" type=o 0 hits; "Tomich" type=o 359 hits (all surname collisions - Tomich v. Cohen line, State v. Tomich criminal cases, Tomich v. City of Pocatello, etc.; none maritime or asbestos); "DE-242" type=o 16 hits and type=r 328 hits (all identifier-string collisions - 'DE 242' docket-entry citations, heaviest in S.D. Fla.; no asbestos or maritime case) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener authenticated searches type=o and type=r, 2026-09-28
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located: zero opinions and zero RECAP dockets name 'USS Tomich'; 'Tomich asbestos' returned zero opinions; the 359 bare-name 'Tomich' opinion hits are surname collisions (NY probate/civil, Missouri criminal, Idaho municipal - none maritime or asbestos); all 'DE-242' opinion and docket hits are identifier-string collisions ('DE 242' = docket-entry citations). No asbestos case names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Negative litigation finding only - absence of docketed litigation does not establish absence of exposure or asbestos aboard; it records that no public court record links this hull to asbestos claims. Hull-number hits were classified at index level (the dominant collision pattern is 'DE ###' docket-entry citation); no candidate required document-level retrieval.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-07
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[8]Batch-4162 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription via Wayback; NavSource DE-242; NARA catalog units (war history, war diaries 2/44-9/45, muster rolls 1943-46); NHHC/Commons photo records; GAO HRD-80-2; VA BVA text search; CourtListener name and hull-number sweeps (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-tomich-de242-01 through sl-uss-tomich-de242-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-242: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the ship was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was never preserved, was stricken in 1972 and scrapped at Brownsville in 1974 - before the Navy's asbestos-management program existed (GAO HRD-80-2) - so no disposal-era survey was generated either.
- 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 - a 1942-43 combatant is era-consistent with standard ACM applications; it establishes only that no public hull-specific documentation was located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tomich-de242-08