Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet crew-fh-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-twining-dd540-pkt-crew-fh-packet-md
-
[2]Sellers v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. et al., No. 1:12-cv-00117-MR (W.D.N.C., complaint filed 2012-05-31); noticed to MDL-875 (In re Asbestos Products Liability Litigation No. VI, J.P.M.L. docket 1245688) as tag-along, docs 8760-1/8761-1 (RECAP gov.uscourts.jpml.375294.8761.1) [court_record]
- Locator
- MDL-875 docket 1245688, doc 8761-1 at PDF p.22 (complaint Schedule I, 'Asbestos Exposure Worksite Information'); complaint proper at PDF pp.6-21 (W.D.N.C. Doc. 1, paras 12-22, 58)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull. In plaintiff Donald Lewis Sellers's complaint Schedule I ('Plaintiff-Worker Employment History / Asbestos Exposure Worksite Information', complaint p.17 = MDL doc 8761-1 p.22), the 1954-1958 U.S. Navy service entry lists three worksites: 'USS W.A. Mann (AP-112)', 'USS Orleck (DD-886)', and 'USS Twining (DD-540)' - the hull is named with its hull number, so attribution to DD-540 is explicit, not inferred. Plaintiff's occupations: Seaman, Fireman, Boiler Operator, Laborer, Owner/Operator. Pleading-stage product list: 'Block Insulation, Gaskets and Packing, Valves, Pumps, Boilers, Turbines, Draft Blowers, Steam Traps, Purifiers, Air Ejectors, Condensers, Generators, Joint Compound, Strainers, and other asbestos-containing materials.' The complaint alleges asbestos exposure during employment caused mesothelioma. Verified by direct OCR review of the 91-page RECAP attachment (scanned image PDF, text layer absent on complaint pages).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1954-1958 (alleged exposure window); 2012 (litigation)
- Population
- Donald Lewis Sellers (USN 1954-1958; mesothelioma); worksites incl. USS W.A. Mann (AP-112), USS Orleck (DD-886), USS Twining (DD-540)
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only - unadjudicated. The schedule allocates no per-vessel dates within the 1954-1958 Navy window, names no products aboard Twining specifically (the product list is case-wide), and establishes neither exposure aboard this hull nor asbestos content of this hull. Case disposition after MDL-875 transfer to E.D. Pa. not located. A complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-01
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[3]DANFS, Twining (DD-540) (builder, dates, service narrative, striking; verbatim transcription via hazegray.org mirror captured by Wayback - live NHHC page serves 404; transcription twice misprints hull number as 'DD-640') [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative (Wayback capture 2024-05-25 of hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd540txt.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 20 November 1942 at San Francisco, Calif., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched 11 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. S. B. C. Wood; commissioned 1 December 1943, Comdr. Ellis Kerr Wakefield in command. WWII: Saipan/Tinian bombardment and screening, radar picket in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Formosa raids, Leyte/Cape Engano, stood by burning Monterey (CVL-26) in the 18 December 1944 typhoon (one man lost overboard), Iwo Jima D-day picket, screened crippled Franklin (CV-13), Okinawa operations including the strikes that sank Yamato, home-island strikes through August 1945, occupation support in Sagami Wan and minesweeping support off Sendai. Puget Sound overhaul at Bremerton from 20 November 1945; decommissioned San Diego 14 June 1946; Naval Reserve Training Program from August 1946; recommissioned 10 June 1950; Korea 1951-52 (TF 77 screening, Hungnam/Wonsan interdiction) and second tour November 1952 - spring 1953 incl. training Chinese Nationalist Navy personnel at Formosa; Far East/west coast alternation to June 1963; transferred DesRon 5 to Reserve DesRon 27 May 1964; decommissioned and stricken 1 July 1971; sold 16 August 1971 to Taiwan as Kwei Yang (DD-8). Eight WWII and five Korean battle stars. Spec block: dp. 2,060; l. 376'6"; b. 39'7"; dr. 17'9"; s. 36.2 k.; cpl. 329; cl. Fletcher.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1971 (USN custody)
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel San Francisco construction trades 1942-43; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 329); ROCN crew post-1971
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The hazegray transcription misprints the hull number as 'DD-640' twice (header and lead paragraph) and garbles the armament line - hull number and specs carried from the unambiguous fields. Recommissioning date conflicts with secondary sources (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-02
-
[4]Destroyer History Foundation, USS Twining (DD-540) specifications page (builder's hull no. 5391; low-bridge 2,100-tonner characteristics; disposition notes incl. 'stricken 1994') [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/usstwining - Specifications tab
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Specialist-reference record for this hull: Bethlehem Steel San Francisco builder's hull no. 5391; five 5-inch/38 in single mounts, ten 40mm in five twin mounts, seven 20mm singles, ten 21-inch torpedo tubes in two quintuple mounts, six K-guns and two depth-charge racks; SC/SG radar, Mk 37 fire control, QC sonar; 'returned to the west coast too late to receive the 1945 refit.' Disposition note reads 'stricken 1994' for the ROCN phase - conflicts with secondary compilations reading 16 July 1999 (carried in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Reputable specialist reference (Destroyer History Foundation), not an official source - used for builder's hull number and configuration context only. Its 'stricken 1994' disposition conflicts with other secondary sources (1999-07-16); neither is official. Documents configuration, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-03
-
[5]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 4-boiler steam plant per class design) + Atlas shipyard dataset check: builder Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco (ex-Union Iron Works, Potrero) is NOT a shipyards.json entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; shipyards.json (37 yard_ids, none matching Bethlehem San Francisco/Union Iron Works/Potrero)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer built 1942-43 with a four-boiler/60,000-shp geared-steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder yard (Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco - the former Union Iron Works at Potrero Point) does not resolve to any yard_id in the Atlas shipyards.json dataset, so no yard-level asbestos documentation is attached; it is carried in gaps as a missing-yard lead. NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications remain an unretrieved archival lead for hull-level specs.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades 1942-43; crew 1943-71
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The ship-specific finding for this hull is ev-01 (Sellers pleading). This row adds class/era context and does not establish that any specific material aboard DD-540 contained asbestos. Builder yard not in Atlas dataset; NARA GIB retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-04
-
[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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing this hull's entire USN service period (1943-1971, including the 1945-46 Bremerton overhaul and 1950 recommissioning work) inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-05
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 sweeps: 'USS Twining' (type=o) = 0 hits; 'DD-540' (type=o) = 3 hits, all name collisions - Maxwell v. United States, 277 F.2d 481 (6th Cir. 1960); Klein v. United States, 285 F.2d 778 (Ct. Cl. 1961); Computer Products International v. United States, 26 Cl. Ct. 518 (1992); 'Twining' opinion sweep = surname collisions only [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener opinion ids 250742, 8613708, 6931010; CAP static case.law full text (f2d/277/cases/0481-01.json; f2d/285/cases/0778-01.json)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Name-collision classification: the three 'DD-540' opinion hits are contract/procurement cases in which 'DD-540' is a document, exhibit, or drawing index artifact - Caselaw Access Project full text of Maxwell (277 F.2d 481) and Klein (285 F.2d 778) contains no 'DD-540', 'destroyer', or 'USS' string, confirming the CourtListener matches are OCR/index artifacts, not ship references. Bare-surname 'Twining' opinion results are person-name collisions. No published opinion names USS Twining (DD-540); the only qualifying hit is the Sellers complaint (ev-01).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1960-1992 (opinion dates)
- Limitations
- Collision classification is based on full-text check of the two F.2d opinions via CAP and case-posture review of the third (1992 Cl. Ct. contract suit); the precise artifact string position in CourtListener's OCR was not retrieved for each. Does not limit the verified ev-01 docket finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-06
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[8]Batch-3515 search ledger (this record): DANFS via hazegray/Wayback (live NHHC 404); NavSource photo index; destroyerhistory.org; NVR; NARA catalog; shipyards.json; CourtListener API v4 (opinion + docket sweeps); general web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- this record, search_ledger
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Beyond the Sellers pleading (ev-01), no qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DD-540: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no museum hazmat disclosure (no museum phase - hull sold to Taiwan 1971), no published opinion naming the vessel, and no NARA-retrievable insulation specification. The hull's post-1971 material history under the Republic of China Navy is undocumented in official sources reached.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-standard applications are documented at class/era level (ev-04, ev-05). The pre-1972 sale means no modern-era ACM survey channel (museum disclosure, domestic demolition/abatement permitting) ever attached to this hull in U.S. records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-twining-dd540-07