Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet kx-packet.md (8 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (designation note: served as DER-540)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-vandivier-de540-pkt-kx-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Vandivier (DER-540) (Naval History and Heritage Command, entry published 2015-11-17; verbatim text via Wayback capture 2016-03-10 - live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry 'Vandivier' via Wayback 2016-03-10 capture - namesake biography, DER-540 spec block, construction/conversion/service narrative, disposition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull. Spec block (DER-540): 1,350 t; 306 ft; 36 ft 7 in beam; 13 ft 4 in draft; 24.3 kt trial; complement 222; armament 2x5-in, 1 dct, 1 dcp (hedgehog); DANFS classes the hull under 'cl. Wagner' (the two-ship DER-539/540 conversion pair). Namesake: Ens. (lt. jg. retroactive) Norman Francis Vandivier, USNR, b. 10 Mar 1916 Edwards, Miss.; naval aviator, Bombing Squadron 6, USS Enterprise (CV-6); Air Medal for the 1 Feb 1942 Kwajalein raid; Navy Cross posthumous for his dive on Akagi at Midway 4 Jun 1942 (water landing, never seen again). Ship history: laid down Boston Navy Yard 8 Nov 1943 as John C. Butler-class DE-540; launched 27 Dec 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Mary Hardin Vandivier; WWII ended before completion, work tapered off and was suspended 17 Feb 1947; work resumed 1 Jul 1954 to complete her as a destroyer escort radar picket ship; redesignated DER-540 2 Sep 1954; commissioned 11 Oct 1955, Lt. Comdr. Frank B. Correia in command. Service: outfitting Boston, then Newport, R.I.; shakedown to the West Indies departing Newport 14 Jan 1956 (Roosevelt Roads, Guantanamo Bay; port visits Ponce, San Juan, Guantanamo, Havana); departed Havana 15 Mar, arrived Boston 20 Mar; post-shakedown availability to mid-April, then radar picket duty with the Atlantic Fleet out of Newport - two-week picket-line tours alternating with one-week in-port periods; 1956 special cruises (American Society of Planners, women officer candidates, dependents); 1957 picket Jan-Feb, three-month overhaul, Guantanamo refresher 10 Jun-mid-Jul, Fall River availability, Rockland Maine Seafood Festival 1-4 Aug; Bermuda visit 8 May 1958 (three days), then Atlantic Barrier Patrol; escorted President Eisenhower at the America's Cup Races off Narragansett Bay 20 Sep 1958; 1959: two-day Bermuda visit in April, dependents' cruise 5 Sep; 1960 same routine until decommissioned 30 Jun 1960 and placed in reserve with the Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; struck from the Navy list 1 Nov 1974; 'sunk as a target' (narrative reads 'late 1974').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1943-47 and 1954-55; NIRSY Boston caretakers 1947-54; USN crew 1955-60 (DER complement 222); Philadelphia Group reserve-fleet caretakers 1960-74; 1975 sinking exercise personnel
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. Its narrative compresses disposal to 'late 1974' (she was in fact sunk Feb 1975 per NavSource - carried in gaps). The spec block is the DER configuration (armament '2 5-in' reflects the picket fit, not the designed DE fit). Launch year stated as 1943 - corroborated by contemporaneous press (ev-03) despite the 1944 in NavSource and in sister-ship Wagner's own DANFS entry. Live NHHC page returns 404 (standing rot); Wayback capture cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Vandivier (DE-540) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): building/operational data block, DE-configuration spec block, photo captions incl. NHHC aerial USN 1033702 (19 Dec 1957, Atlantic), commanding-officer roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-540 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, spec block, commanding-officers table, photo captions (06540xx series incl. USN 1033702)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive operational detail corroborating and extending DANFS: radio call sign NHMW; no awards/campaign ribbons carried. Building/operational data block: keel laid 8 Nov 1943 Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown; launched and christened sponsored by Mrs. Mary Hardin Vandivier (NavSource misdates the launch 27 Dec 1944 - the correct year is 1943, see ev-03); construction suspended 17 Feb 1947 (postwar cutbacks), towed to the Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard, Boston, and 'mothballed'; construction resumed 1 Jul 1954 at the Boston Naval Shipyard for completion as a radar picket escort ship; redesignated DER-540 2 Sep 1954; commissioned 11 Oct 1955 at the Boston Naval Shipyard, Lcdr. Frank B. Correia in command, assigned to Newport, R.I., Escort Squadron 18; decommissioned 30 Jun 1960 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard after 4 years and 8-2/3 months of service, custody to CO Philadelphia Group U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet; struck from the NVR 1 Nov 1974; sunk as a target off the Florida coast 7 Feb 1975. Command roster (four officers): Lcdr. Frank B. Correia (comm.) 11 Oct 1955-15 May 1957; Lcdr. William R. Johnson 15 May 1957-25 Jul 1958; Lcdr. John T. S. Kearns 25 Jul 1958-10 Feb 1960; Lcdr. James R. Vallely (decomm.) 10 Feb-14 May 1960.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Population
- USN crew 1955-1960; Philadelphia reserve-fleet caretakers 1960-1974
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates, roster, and captions unverified against underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. The block's 1944 launch year is a documented error (ev-03). The last-listed CO's tenure ends 14 May 1960, six weeks before the 30 Jun 1960 decommissioning - interim command undocumented. The DE-configuration spec block (14 officers/201 enlisted) predates the DER fit. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-02
-
[4]Associated Press, '2 Destroyer Escorts Launched at Boston,' The Lewiston Daily Sun (Lewiston, ME), 28 Dec 1943 (cited in Wikipedia's USS Wagner article; corroborated by Silverstone, The Navy of World War II 1922-1947, Routledge 2012, p.112) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Lewiston Daily Sun 1943-12-28 (AP), per USS Wagner Wikipedia citations nn.1-2; navypedia us_de_tev_wgt member table (both hulls '27.12.1943')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press resolves a documentary conflict: Wagner (DE-539) and Vandivier (DE-540) were launched together in a double ceremony at the Boston Navy Yard on 27 December 1943 (AP dispatch published 28 Dec 1943). This confirms the launch year in Vandivier's own DANFS entry (1943) and contradicts the 1944 stated in NavSource's building-data block and in sister ship Wagner's own DANFS entry.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard launch-day workforce, December 1943
- Limitations
- Citation verified at second hand - the AP item is cited in the Wikipedia USS Wagner article (which expressly notes 'though DANFS states 1944' for Wagner) and the date is consistent with navypedia's build table; the newspaper page image itself was not retrieved this session. Establishes launch timing only - nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-03
-
[5]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), DE design-group table (shipscribe.com scan, OCR) - per Atlas class profile john-c-butler-class.class.json ev-01 [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 design-group table row 6; class-f/john-c-butler-class.class.json member row DER-540
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official BuShips design reference for this hull's design group: design group 6 (WGT, geared-turbine drive) - 306 ft oa, 1,350 t standard, 24.3 kt, 2 shafts, 12,000 shp, 2 'D' express boilers 435 psi/750F; accommodations 15 officers/207 enlisted. DE-540 is a built member of this design group (Boston Navy Yard block, DE-531-554; per the class profile's navypedia block map this block carries Babcock & Wilcox boilers).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the table names the design group, not this vessel; boiler-maker attribution for the DE-531-554 block rests on navypedia and is unverified against contract documents. The table describes the as-designed DE; the DER conversion's altered fit (radar mast/electronics, reduced armament) is not in this source. Establishes propulsion configuration only - no materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-04
-
[6]Era/design inference consolidated from DANFS spec block + BuShips design-group-6 data + Atlas class profile class_notes (john-c-butler-class.class.json) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; SDB1945v1 group-6 row; class-f/john-c-butler-class.class.json asbestos_application row ev-john-c-butler-class-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a geared-steam-turbine escort built at the Boston Navy Yard across two eras (WWII partial build 1943-47, mothballed 1947-54, completed as a DER conversion 1954-55): the WGT machinery plant - two superheated 'D' Express boilers (435 psi/750F) driving two Westinghouse geared turbines, 12,000 shp - is a full steam plant, so the period-standard asbestos categories for a WWII-era steam escort apply at class level: boiler and machinery insulation, steam-line lagging between fireroom and engine room, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, fireproofing, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and friction linings on deck machinery. The 1954-55 radar-picket completion added Cold War-era materials work (electronics spaces, revised topside/armament) at a naval shipyard in the same asbestos era; the builder yard is the Atlas shipyards.json entry 'boston-naval-shipyard', so yard-level context applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard/Naval Shipyard trades 1943-47 and 1954-55; USN engineering crew 1955-60
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific finding. No materials schedule, insulation spec, or survey names this hull; the listing of plausible applications is era-standard, not ship-proven. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or location aboard DE-540/DER-540. Whether 1947 mothballing preserved or disturbed era insulation, and what the 1954-55 conversion installed or removed, are undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-05
-
[7]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial-order materials, ECF 738 att. 1 (verified at class level in the Atlas John C. Butler class profile, 2026-09-16) [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF 738.1 pp. 12, 26-27 and exhibit list items Honeywell-160 through -167 (per class profile ev-john-c-butler-class-03/-04)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Sister-hull litigation context (class level only): pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec name USS Brannon (DE-446, same John C. Butler class per the docket's own Jane's Fighting Ships exhibit) and recite the theory that 'Griscom-Russell supplied the Navy with the evaporator on Mr. Jack's ship in conformity to detailed precise specifications... without insulation' while 'asbestos was a critical material during WWII when the Navy installed the distiller on Mr. Jack's ship' - the exhibit list identifies the era's controlling insulation-spec suite (BuShips Manual ch.39 Thermal Insulation, NAVSHIPS 250-000(39), 24 Aug 1945; Navy Dept spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos,' 15 Oct 1945; BuEng 'General Specifications for Machinery' S39-1, 3 Feb 1939; BuEng Manual ch.13 heat-insulation instructions, rev. 1933/repr. 1939; BUMED Code-55 memo 'Occupational Health Issues for POM-80,' 9 Jun 1977, ex-NARA).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- Service era WWII/postwar; litigation 2017-2019
- Population
- Machinist's mate aboard USS Brannon DE-446 (alleged); JCB-class engineering crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Sister hull and allegation/exhibit-list level - DE-446, not DE-540; the recital itself concedes non-asbestos insulation (fiberglass, mineral wool) was possible aboard that ship. Documents the litigation theory and the spec suite to pull for class-level material confirmation; establishes nothing about DE-540. The spec documents themselves remain unretrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page (full text blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403; per class profile) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level context for era exposure pathways aboard steam escorts generally: GAO documented that Navy policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless disturbed. For this hull the frame is limited: she left active service in 1960, lay in reserve 1960-74, and was sunk as a target Feb 1975 - before either policy's operative period, so her era exposure windows are construction/completion, active service, reserve-fleet caretaking, and the sinking itself.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review (context)
- Limitations
- Fleet/program-level documentation, not class- or hull-specific; both policies postdate this hull's active service, so the row is context for why era materials persist in-service, not evidence about this ship. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov 403 to automated fetch - standing defect).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o and RECAP index type=r) for 'USS Vandivier', 'Vandivier', 'DE-540', and 'DER-540' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vandivier-de540-05 through -12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep results: exact-name opinion query '"USS Vandivier"' returned 0 results. Exact-name RECAP-docket query '"USS Vandivier"' returned 0 results. Hull-number opinion query '"DER-540"' returned 0 results; '"DE-540"' returned 11 results, all string collisions on case-name/court review (Puerto Rico Comision Industrial worker's-compensation opinions and criminal/civil dockets whose texts carry unrelated 'DE-540' numeral strings - none references a vessel, naval service, or asbestos). Partial-name opinion query '"Vandivier"' returned 192 results dominated by surname collisions (Indiana/Kentucky family-name litigation - Vandivier v. State and similar; the namesake family was from Johnson County, Indiana). Partial-name RECAP query '"Vandivier"' returned 28,107 dockets - surname mass (bankruptcies etc.); the exact-name legs being clean means no docketed case names the hull in 'USS Vandivier' form. Hull-number RECAP query '"DE-540"' returned 66 dockets; page 1 (20 dockets) reviewed on case-name/court - all PACER docket-entry-number collisions; deeper pages are a residual unenumerated tail in gaps. No merits-stage, pleading-stage, or adjudicated asbestos finding names this hull; no case of any kind names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28 (sweep)
- Limitations
- Sweep covers indexed federal/state opinions and RECAP dockets only - not state-court filings, asbestos-trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Vandivier' is an uncommon surname but is a real one (Indiana family), so the bare-surname indexes are dominated by person-name collisions; targeted refinement legs ('"Vandivier" asbestos', '"Vandivier" navy/ship') were queued but the fleet-wide pacing budget was spent repeatedly - logged as blocked, deferred for a later pass. The 192-opinion and 28,107-docket surname tails are therefore not fully enumerated; a hull reference could in principle hide in the tail (e.g., a ship named without 'USS'), though exact-name cleanliness in both indexes makes that unlikely.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-08
-
[10]Batch-4373 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture), NVR, NavSource photo archive, Atlas class profile (john-c-butler-class), Atlas shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4, NHHC Online Library photo index, contemporaneous AP wire (launch-date corroboration) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vandivier-de540-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or material-condition report was found in the public sources searched, and no court document names the hull (CourtListener exact-name queries returned zero in both indexes - ev-08). No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was sunk as a target in 1975 and was never a museum, memorial, or NDRF asset. The hull's exposure-relevant windows are the incomplete WWII build (Boston Navy Yard, 1943-47), seven years mothballed at the Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard, Boston (1947-54), the DER completion/conversion at the Boston Naval Shipyard (1954-55), five years of commissioned picket service out of Newport (1955-60), reserve-fleet lay-up at Philadelphia (1960-74), and the 1975 target sinking; none of these has a located asbestos document.
- 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. The hull no longer exists (sunk), so no present-day survey is possible; whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. The unusual two-era build (1943-47 plus 1954-55) means the hull carries material from both construction regimes - an exposure surface with no documentation at either end. Paper leads remain (RG 19 specifications, RG 24 deck logs, conversion yard work packages, the 1975 sinking/target file).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-09
-
[11]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-540/DER-540; Boston Naval Shipyard DER-conversion work package (1954-55); NIRSY Boston mothball records (1947-54); Philadelphia Group reserve-fleet records (1960-74); the 1975 target-sinking/SINKEX file (Atlantic Fleet weapons range); NHHC photographic holdings (USN 1033702 aerial, 19 Dec 1957, and related prints - the Online Library hull index lists DE-540 'Vandivier (1955-1975). Completed as DER-540' without an active photo page, i.e., holdings exist but are undigitized online) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24 entry series (undigitized); NHHC Online Library DE hull-number index (de-no4.htm, DE-540 listing)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level material documentation not yet retrieved: (1) NARA RG 19 holds BuShips per-vessel specifications and ships-data books covering DE-540's Boston Navy Yard construction, and RG 24 deck logs cover 1955-60; (2) the 1954-55 DER-conversion work package at the Boston Naval Shipyard may contain material schedules for the completed configuration; (3) NIRSY Boston mothball-period records may describe material condition during the 1947-54 lay-up; (4) Philadelphia Group reserve-fleet and disposal records may describe condition at end of life; (5) the Feb 1975 target-sinking file (Atlantic Fleet/SINKEX records) may document pre-sinking preparation, which in this era typically included removal of hazardous material; (6) NHHC photographic holdings cover the hull (USN 1033702, aerial 19 Dec 1957) but are undigitized online.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1975 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized this session; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (standing limitation).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandivier-de540-10