Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet crew-manus-a-packet.md (9 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Varian
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-varian-de798-pkt-crew-manus-a-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Varian (DE-798) (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division; verbatim ibiblio HyperWar transcription - live NHHC page returns 404; identical text on hazegray mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Varian (DE-798)' - namesake biography, spec block, service narrative, disposition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 27 August 1943 at Orange, Tex., by the Consolidated Steel Corp.; launched 6 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Arnold F. Brunkow (sister of the namesake); commissioned 29 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. C. W. Petrie, USNR. Spec block: Buckley class, 1,400 t, 306 ft, 36 ft 10 in beam, 24 kt, complement 186, 3x3-in, 4x1.1-in, 8x20mm, 3x21-in tt, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 dcp (h.h.). Service: Bermuda shakedown March 1944; convoy GUS-33 escort; repairs at Boston; Casco Bay training; UGS-44/GUS-44, UGS/GUS-51 (ibiblio reads UGS/GUS-61) and UGS/GUS-58 round-trips; assigned to the first 'hunter-killer' group 30 November 1944 (TU 27.1.1); 16 January 1945 sank U-248 with Hayter (DE-212), Otter (DE-210), and 'Harry E. Hubbard (DE-748)' [sic - see limitations]; 24 April 1945 Varian and nine other DEs sank U-546, which had torpedoed Frederick C. Davis (DE-136); Varian picked up nine survivors; 12 May 1945 boarding party under Lt. (jg.) Earl D. Stevenson boarded U-805 and brought her to the east coast; Boston Navy Yard upkeep; Miami training role to 16 July 1945; Charleston availability for cancelled radar-picket conversion; Caribbean training; New London submarine training; New Haven Navy Day; inactivation at Green Cove Springs arriving 27 November 1945; decommissioned 15 March 1946, reserve; shifted to Texas group Reserve Fleet at Orange; struck 1 December 1972; sold 12 January 1974 to Southern Scrap Metal Co., Ltd., New Orleans; towed 31 January. Two battle stars. Namesake: Ens. Bertram Stetson Varian, Jr., USNR, VB-6 off USS Enterprise, lost at Midway 5 June 1942, posthumous Navy Cross.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel construction trades (Orange, Tex., 1943); USN crew 1944-46 (design complement 186); reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-72; scrapping workforce 1974
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history - not materials or asbestos content. The entry's 'Harry E. Hubbard (DE-748)' in the U-248 action is an internal error: DD-748 is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer serving in the Pacific; the fourth escort was Hubbard (DE-211) per the CTG 22.8 action report and NavSource (see ev-03, gaps). Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim mirror transcription cited (ibiblio; hazegray carries identical text). Ibiblio and hazegray differ on one convoy designation (UGS/GUS-61 vs UGS/GUS-51) - logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Varian (DE-798) page (volunteer archive; lead-level): specifications block, building/operational data, commanding-officers roster, captioned photographs, hosted scans of the ship's official war history and skipper's memoirs [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DE-798 page, 'Building and Operational Data' block, specifications block, commanding-officers table, 'Varian History' links (06798wh.jpg, 798a.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-archive detail corroborating and extending DANFS: keel laid 27 August 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex.; launched/christened 6 November 1943; commissioned 29 February 1944 Lcdr. C. W. Petrie, USNR; 16 January 1945 Varian with Otter (DE 210), Hubbard (DE 211), and Hayter (DE 212) sank U-248 NNE of the Azores; 25 October 1945 Navy Day at New Haven; decommissioned at Green Cove Springs 15 March 1946 'after 2 years and half month of service'; struck 1 December 1972; sold for scrapping 2 January 1974 to Southern Scrap Metal Co., New Orleans (conflicts with DANFS 12 January - gaps). Spec block: 1,400 lt / 1,740 full t, 300 ft wl / 306 ft oa, 36 ft 9 in beam, 10 ft 6 in draft limit, 2 'D' Express boilers + GE turbines with electric drive 12,000 shp 2 screws, 24 kt, 6,000 nm at 12 kt, complement 15/198. CO roster: Petrie (comm.) 29 Feb-11 Aug 1944; Lcdr. Leonard A. Myhre, USNR 11 Aug 1944-Dec 1945; Lcdr. John R. Beardall, Jr., USN Dec 1945-Jan 1946; Lt. Glen W. Wagner, USNR (decomm.) Feb-15 Mar 1946. Awards ribbons: Combat Action (retroactive), American Campaign, European-African-Middle Eastern w/ 2 stars, WWII Victory. Hosts scan of the ship-submitted official war history (24 November 1945) and memoirs of CO Myhre.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- USN crew 1944-46; reserve-fleet caretakers 1946-72
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained photo archive - lead-level documentation, not an official record; dates, roster, and captions are unverified against the underlying USN/NHHC/NARA originals. The hosted war-history scan is a primary document facsimile (see ev-03); its transcription is not asserted here. Nothing on materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-02
-
[4]USS Varian official records in facsimile: (1) ship-submitted 'History of U.S.S. Varian (DE-798) Commissioning to the Present' dated 24 November 1945 (NavSource scan 06798wh.jpg); (2) CO action report, SECRET ltr DE798/A9 Serial 0024/45 of 29 April 1945, 'Anti-Submarine Action on 24 April, 1945 - report of,' L. A. Myhre (uboatarchive.net U-546 document set incl. CTG 22.8 Special Operation and Action Report serial 04, 15 May 1945) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource images/798/06798wh.jpg (4-page war history); uboatarchive.net/U-546A/U-546VarianReport.htm (serial 0024/45); uboatarchive.net/U-546A/U-546CTGReport.htm (CTG 22.8 serial 04)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Primary-document facsimiles for this hull: the ship's official war history states she 'was the 100th ship launched at Consolidated Shipbuilding Co.' sponsored by a war-bond purchase of the people of Orange County, that 'only 10% [of the crew] having been to sea before,' summarizes 'two Nazi submarines sunk, one captured, and a distance traveled equal to four times around the world... in her 21 months of service,' names the U-805 boarding party (12-15 May 1945), and closes 'in St. John's River, Jacksonville, Florida, as a part of the inactive Atlantic Fleet.' The CO's SECRET action report of 29 April 1945 (serial 0024/45) documents the 24 April action minute-by-minute: Varian obtained sound contact on U-546 at 1405 at 1,500 yards, was ordered to hold contact and direct creeping attacks by Janssen, Hubbard, Neunzer, and Flaherty, fired hedgehogs 1659 and thirteen depth charges 1718, regained contact 1930, and observed the submarine sink at 2045 with 33 survivors taken by five DEs - 'VARIAN taking nine aboard.' The CTG 22.8 report of 15 May 1945 identifies the task group as 'USS OTTER (DE-210), USS HUBBARD (DE-211), USS HAYLER [Hayter] (DE-212) and USS VARIAN (DE-798)' - correcting DANFS's 'Harry E. Hubbard (DE-748)' attribution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1946 (documents); 2026 (facsimile review)
- Population
- USN crew 1944-46; U-805 boarding party 12-15 May 1945
- Limitations
- Volunteer-hosted facsimiles of official USN records - content read directly from scans/transcriptions; authenticity unverified against NARA originals. Neither document addresses materials or asbestos. The CTG report establishes the group's hull numbers; the January U-248 action's roster is documented separately (NavSource DE-211) - the DANFS 'DE-748' error is corrected, not merely questioned (DD-748 was a Pacific-theater Sumner-class destroyer).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-03
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[5]Buckley-class TE design data: BuShips 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels 1945' Vol. I DE design-group table (groups 2-3) + navypedia TE block map (boiler manufacturers per hull block) - per Atlas class profile buckley-class.class.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips SDB1945v1 pp. 234-235 (design groups 2-3); class-f/buckley-class.class.json propulsion_summary, member row DE-798, class_notes
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a turbo-electric destroyer escort built at Consolidated Steel, Orange, Tex., in 1943-44: the TE machinery plant - two 'D' express-type boilers at 435 psi / 750F superheat (Babcock & Wilcox for the DE-789-800 block per the navypedia map) feeding GE steam turbine-generators with electric drive, 12,000 shp, 2 shafts, ~24 kt - carries the full steam-ship material set of its era. Plausible period applications: boiler and fireroom insulation, steam-line and turbine lagging, valve/flange gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and friction linings on deck machinery. The Buckley class is the most asbestos-relevant DE design group alongside the steam-driven John C. Butler class (the other DE designs are diesel-electric).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1974
- Population
- Consolidated Steel Orange construction trades 1943-44; USN engineering crew 1944-46; yard workers Boston 1944/1945 and Charleston 1945; scrapping workforce New Orleans 1974
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - not a ship-specific finding. No contract material schedule, hull survey, or ship-specific document establishes asbestos aboard this hull; the boiler-manufacturer block map is navypedia-sourced, unverified against contract documents. Establishes no quantities and no individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-04
-
[6]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o; RECAP-docket index type=r) for exact name 'USS Varian' and hull number 'DE-798' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-varian-de798-05, -06, -07, -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name query '"USS Varian"' (type=o) returned 0 results - no opinion naming this vessel located in the opinion index. Hull-number query '"DE-798"' (type=o) returned 11 hits, all string collisions on case-name review - immigration/naturalization, criminal, contract, and water-rights matters (e.g., Kristensen v. McGrath denaturalization, Tapia v. Ashcroft, U.S. v. Gila Valley Irrigation); refined query '"DE-798" asbestos' (type=o) returned 0 results - no asbestos opinion mentions the hull number. RECAP-docket searches: '"USS Varian"' (type=r) returned 0 results; '"DE-798"' (type=r) returned 25 hits, all string collisions on case-name review - bankruptcy document/docket numbers, criminal prosecutions, and civil matters (e.g., Peninsula Airways bankruptcy, Sokolow v. Palestine Liberation Organization, U.S. v. Tsarnaev); none asbestos, maritime, or vessel-related. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Both indexes swept for name and hull number (opinion index additionally refined with hull+asbestos). Collision review was at case-name/docket-metadata level; match text not pulled per opinion, but none of the 36 returned matters is an asbestos or maritime case by name or nature. The sweep does not cover state-court records, trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Varian' collides with an electronics manufacturer (Varian Associates) and a surname - any future hit needs collision classification rather than automatic attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-05
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[7]Batch-4539 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + ibiblio/hazegray mirrors, NVR, NavSource, uboatarchive.net primary facsimiles, Atlas class profile and shipyard dataset, NARA catalog, CourtListener API v4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-varian-de798-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, or litigation naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was sold for scrap in January 1974 and was never a museum, memorial, or retained asset.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam DE would be era-consistent with asbestos materials, and mothballing/scrapping disturbance is undocumented in either direction. The hull no longer exists, so no present-day survey is possible. Construction-era yard records, yard availability records, and the scrapping file are paper leads only (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-06
-
[8]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-798; Consolidated Steel Corp. Orange yard records; Boston Navy Yard repair/upkeep records (1944, May 1945); Charleston Naval Shipyard availability records (July 1945, cancelled radar-picket conversion); Green Cove Springs inactivation/mothballing records; Texas Group Reserve Fleet custody records (Orange, Tex.); 1974 disposal file for the sale to Southern Scrap Metal Co. - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24 entry series (undigitized); Consolidated Steel Orange records; Boston/Charleston naval shipyard work files; NISMF Green Cove Springs / Texas Group records; disposal file
- 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-798's construction at Consolidated/Orange, and RG 24 deck logs cover the 1944-46 commission period including the Boston Navy Yard repair and upkeep periods and the July 1945 Charleston availability; (2) builder-yard records for Consolidated Steel's Orange, Tex. works would document construction materials at the source; (3) Green Cove Springs inactivation and Texas Group mothballing/preservation records cover the 1946-72 lay-up; (4) the 1974 disposal sale file to Southern Scrap Metal Co. is the scrapping-era record; (5) the ship's official war history (1945) and U-546 action-report set exist in facsimile (ev-03) - originals are official records.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1974 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - none of these holdings were pulled or digitized; contents unknown. They establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (same standing limitation as prior batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-varian-de798-07