Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet jk-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-tucker-dd374-pkt-jk-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Tucker II (DD-374) (builder, dates, specifications, service narrative, sinking, striking; verbatim transcription attributed to Naval Historical Center - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Tucker II (DD-374)' entry, specifications block + service narrative (destroyerhistory.org verbatim transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 15 August 1934 at Portsmouth, Va., by Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 26 February 1936, sponsored by Mrs. Leonard Thorner; commissioned 23 July 1936, Lt. Comdr. George T. Howard; Destroyer Squadron 3 / Destroyer Division 6, Battle Force, based San Diego; Fleet Problem XX February 1939; Auckland, New Zealand 17 March 1941; tender overhaul at Pearl Harbor late 1941; moored berth X-8 East Loch on 7 December 1941 in a nest of five destroyers with tender Whitney (AD-4); five months convoy escort between west coast and Hawaii; escorted Wright (AV-1) to Tutuila, Suva, Noumea; Sydney 27 April 1942, then Melbourne, Perth, Fremantle; relieved Boise (CL-47) on convoy escort 10 July; departed Suva 1 August escorting SS Nira Luckenbach to Espiritu Santo; at 2145 struck a mine entering the Segond Channel that 'broke the destroyer's back'; sank 'in 10 fathoms at 0445 on 4 August 1942' after failed tow/beach attempts by YP-46 and Breese (DMS-18); minefield laid by U.S. forces 'only the day before, on 2 August' and not yet reported to the ships; casualties three killed in the explosion plus three missing; struck from the Navy list 2 December 1944; one battle star. Spec block: Mahan class; 1,500 t; 341'4"; beam 34'8"; draft 17'; 36.5 kt; complement 158; 5 x 5-inch, 4 x .50-cal MG, 12 x 21-inch torpedo tubes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1934-1944
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction workforce 1934-36; crew (design complement 158) 1936-1942
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The transcription reads YP-46 for the rescue craft while the modern NHHC page rendering reads YP-346 - discrepancy carried in gaps. Spec-block draft figure (17 ft) reads as a deep/maximum figure and differs from NavSource (12'4" max) - carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-01
-
[3]USS Tucker (DD-374) Pearl Harbor attack after-action report, DD374/A16-3 Serial 718, 'Offensive Measures Taken During December 7 Raid,' signed W.R. Terrell, Commanding Officer, dated 15 December 1941 (NHHC Action Reports digital exhibit; verbatim HyperWar transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Action report body, paragraphs 1-4 (ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/logs/DD/dd374-Pearl.html; canonical NHHC exhibit URL 404s)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous primary document for this hull: at 0757 on 7 December 1941 GM2c Walter E. Bowe manned an after .50-caliber machine gun and opened fire before the general alarm sounded ('believed... the first shot fired by the American Forces in Pearl Harbor'); the ship was 'nested alongside the tender, U.S.S. Whitney,' so No. 3 five-inch gun could not be fired; all other guns and machine guns manned and fired through the attacks; 'it is believed that this vessel shot down 3 or 4 enemy planes'; 'there were no losses to the personnel nor damage to materiel of this vessel.' Confirms her Pearl Harbor presence during the tender overhaul period and her proximity to the tender performing the work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1941-12
- Population
- Tucker crew at Pearl Harbor, 1941-12-07; USS Whitney (AD-4) tender workforce alongside
- Limitations
- A 1941 combat report; documents battle conduct and the underway-repair context (alongside the tender) but contains no materials, asbestos, or industrial-hygiene information. 'First shot' is recorded as a belief, not a finding. HyperWar transcription cited because the live NHHC exhibit page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-02
-
[4]Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images, USS Tucker (DD-374) 1936-1942 page (official NHC captions transcribed on HyperWar); BuShips/NARA photo 19-N-28632; NHC photos NH 59935, NH 60331, NH 59936, NH 99205-99207 [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar mirror of NHC Online Library page usnsh-t/dd374.htm - narrative paragraph + photo caption blocks (19-N-28632; NH 59935/60331/59936)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHC narrative independently dates the loss sequence: 'On 3 August 1942, while escorting a freighter, she entered a defensive minefield near Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides and struck a mine amidships... gradually sank despite attempts to tow her ashore... cost the lives of six of her crew.' Photo captions add ship-specific documentary facts: BuShips Collection photograph 19-N-28632 (U.S. National Archives) shows the ship 'off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 11 March 1942,' documenting a navy-yard presence during her west-coast convoy-escort period; completion photos NH 59935/60331/59936 show her off Norfolk Navy Yard on 2 March 1937.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1936-1942
- Population
- Crew 1936-1942; possible Mare Island yard/pier workforce March 1942 (if availability - unverified)
- Limitations
- NHC captions and narrative document movements and the loss, not materials or asbestos. The Mare Island frame proves presence off the yard on 11 March 1942; whether she underwent a yard availability (vs. an operational stop during convoy escort) is not stated - carried in gaps. Casualty total (six) reconciles with DANFS (three killed + three missing).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-03
-
[5]Destroyer History Foundation, 'Mahan Class' design page - specifications footnoted to the Bureau of Construction and Repair's General Information Book for USS Mahan and USS Cummings (source 1): 4 x Foster Wheeler boilers, 465 psi / 645 deg F; GE geared turbines; 50,000 shp; 2 shafts; design 36.5 kt; design complement 13 officers + 193 enlisted [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyerhistory.org Mahan class page, specifications block + footnotes; NavSource DD-374 machinery line
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: a Mahan-class destroyer built 1934-36 at a U.S. navy yard with a four-boiler, high-pressure/high-temperature steam plant (465 psi, 645 deg F; ~50,000 shp) would have carried the period-standard insulated fit - boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets and packing, fireproofing, bulkhead/compartment insulation, and deck coverings - the same insulated-steam-plant configuration documented as asbestos-bearing across the 1930s-40s destroyer fleet. NARA RG 19 BuC&R General Information Books (the source class page footnote 1 cites for Mahan/Cummings) hold per-vessel material specifications and are the archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1934-1942
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1934-36; engineering crew 1936-42
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding; no source documents an asbestos product aboard DD-374. The GIB cited covers sister ships Mahan and Cummings; whether Tucker's own GIB survives at NARA was not verified. NavSource lists 49,000 shp for this hull vs 50,000 shp class design vs HyperWar's 42,800 - figures conflict, carried in gaps. Does not quantify material or establish any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-04
-
[6]Atlas shipyard dataset, 'norfolk-naval-shipyard' record (tier 2): EPA Superfund site VA1170024813 (listed 1999); NAVFAC official site descriptions document asbestos among disposed wastes; yard asbestos products documented include Thermobestos, Marinite, Transite, pipe insulation and lagging, boiler and turbine insulation, gaskets and packing, deck coverings, bulkhead fire barriers [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipyards.json record 'norfolk-naval-shipyard' (EPA/NAVFAC citations); NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions page
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Builder-yard context: Norfolk Navy Yard (now Norfolk Naval Shipyard), where this hull was built 1934-36, is documented at yard level as a heavy asbestos-use site - EPA Superfund designation (VA1170024813, listed 1999), NAVFAC site descriptions confirming asbestos in disposed waste, and a 1979 government inspection noting asbestos dust conditions; the yard record's documented product list (insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, deck coverings) matches the materials a navy yard installed in new construction of the era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1934-1942 (hull); 1999+ (site documentation)
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard workforce (1934-36 construction period and later eras)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation only - establishes that the builder handled asbestos products, not that specific materials went aboard this hull. The yard's Superfund-era findings postdate Tucker's construction; no 1934-36 industrial record for DD-374 was located. Read as context for ev-04, not as ship-specific evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-05
-
[7]Lemen RA, Landrigan PJ. 'Sailors and the Risk of Asbestos-Related Cancer.' Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8417. PMID 34444165 [other_primary]
- Locator
- IJERPH 2021;18(16):8417, ship-construction passages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed review documenting that chrysotile and amphibole asbestos were used extensively in ship construction of the era - insulation, joiner bulkhead systems, pipe coverings, boilers, machinery parts, bulkhead panels - and that sailors both worked and lived at their exposure site. Establishes the era-level background against which a 1934-36 navy-yard steam destroyer must be read.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 20th-century naval construction era
- Population
- Naval/merchant sailors generally (era context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-era epidemiology review; does not name this hull or class. Cannot be read as evidence of asbestos aboard DD-374 - included as background context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-06
-
[8]Vanuatu Tourism Office (national tourism authority), 'Diving Guide: 4 Days in Espiritu Santo' - USS Tucker wreck entry; corroborated by recreational dive literature (Reef Smart Guides wreck sheet, GPS 15 deg 38.504'S, 167 deg 05.301'E) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- vanuatu.travel diving guide, USS Tucker section; reefsmartguides.com/uss-tucker/ (GPS)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Present-day wreck record: the hull remains where it sank - a dive site roughly 30 minutes by boat from Luganville at about 25 m on a white-sand bottom near the channel mouth between Aore Island and Espiritu Santo; the mine 'split the ship in two' consistent with DANFS's 'broke the destroyer's back'; dive literature places the wreck off Malo Island at 15 deg 38.504'S, 167 deg 05.301'E in ~17-22 m (DANFS: 'sank in 10 fathoms'). The shallow, intact-but-broken wreck retains whatever period materials were aboard at loss.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-present (site); documentation accessed 2026
- Population
- Recreational divers/site operators (present day - not an exposure population of record)
- Limitations
- Tourism/dive sources document location and dive status, not material condition; no survey, salvage, or hazmat record for the wreck was located, and no NHHC underwater-archaeology assertion over the site was verified (carried in gaps). The wreck's accessibility makes it a potential - but undocumented - future sampling target.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP docket index type=r) for this vessel's exact name and hull number [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-tucker-dd374-07 through -09
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located. Opinion index: zero hits for "USS Tucker", "U.S.S. Tucker", "DD-374"/"DD 374"/"DD374", and "aboard the Tucker"/"aboard USS Tucker"/"aboard the USS Tucker". RECAP docket index: zero hits for "USS Tucker"; two hits for the hull-number queries, both verified name collisions - Sloan v. United States, 1:06-cv-00483 (D.D.C., civil-rights class action; match is OCR-garbled Federal Reporter text '431 F.3d 374' inside an exhibit) and a SIPC/Madoff bankruptcy adversary docket (match is exhibit/account-number text). Neither involves the vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Population
- none identified
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes opinions and PACER dockets, not state trial filings, VA claims, asbestos trust claims, or settled/unreported matters - absence here does not prove no claim was ever filed. Sunk 1942 with six lost; any survivor-era claim would be decades old and outside indexed coverage. Consistent with zero qualifying findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-tucker-dd374-08