Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]research packet gc-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-wadleigh-dd689-pkt-gc-packet-md
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[2]Halseth v. General Electric Company, No. 3:07-cv-02543-EMC (N.D. Cal.), Complaint Exhibit A, ECF No. 1-2 (filed 2007-05-14); cause 28:1332 Diversity-Asbestos, nature 368 P.I.: Asbestos; docket terminated 2016-06-13 [court_record]
- Locator
- ECF No. 1-2 (Complaint Exhibit A), pp. 15-17 of PDF (Hunter exposure table 'USS WADLEIGH (DD-689) 1951-1954' and job-duties narrative)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Asbestos personal-injury complaint's Exhibit A (plaintiff workup for Donald Hunter) expressly names 'USS WADLEIGH (DD-689)' as an exposure site for 1951-1954: 'Aboard the USS WADLEIGH (DD-689), plaintiff worked in the boiler room. Plaintiff performed maintenance and repair work on BABCOCK & WILCOX boilers. Plaintiff removed and replaced tubing in boilers. Plaintiff used hand tools to remove old gaskets on manhole and handhold covers. Plaintiff then installed new FLEXITALLIC gaskets. Plaintiff removed and reinstalled insulation on steam lines during repairs to leaking pipes. Plaintiff recalls installing JOHNS MANVILLE insulation. Plaintiff repaired and repacked DELAVAL pumps.' Hunter was diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural disease (on or about 2007-01-15) and asbestosis (2006-06-22). Multi-plaintiff complaint (Halseth, Wagenman, Robinson, Hunter) against General Electric Co. and Viad Corp.; Wadleigh is one of nine named vessels plus shore facilities in Hunter's exhibit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1951-1954 (alleged exposure); 2007-2016 (litigation)
- Population
- Donald Hunter (USN boiler mechanic/boiler-room worker aboard 1951-1954, per allegation); multi-plaintiff asbestos suit
- Limitations
- Pleading-stage allegation only - complaint/exhibit text, unadjudicated; no discovery record, fact-finding, or merits ruling on the Wadleigh allegation was located in the public index (docket terminated 2016-06-13 without a located merits opinion). Recalled product names are the plaintiff's recollection, not a ship's-manifest finding. Establishes no quantity of asbestos aboard and says nothing about legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-01
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[3]DANFS, Wadleigh (DD-689) (builder, dates, service narrative, Chilean transfer; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + service narrative (hazegray transcription via Wayback capture 2024-05-25)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 5 April 1943 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched 7 August 1943 (sponsor Miss Clara F. Wadleigh); commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 19 October 1943 (Lt. Comdr. Walter C. Winn). WWII: escorted Iowa carrying President Roosevelt from Cairo; Marshalls bombardment March 1944; with Melvin (DD-680) sank submarine RO-114 off Tinian; mine strike at Kossol Passage 16 September 1944 (3 killed, 20 injured, three engineering compartments flooded); Mare Island Navy Yard rebuild to 20 February 1945; 5th Fleet radar picket; Tokyo Bay area at surrender 2 September 1945. Reserve San Diego January 1947; recommissioned 3 October 1951; Atlantic Fleet/Newport; Boston Naval Shipyard overhaul (3-inch guns replacing 40mm); 1954 WestPac/Formosa; 1958 Lebanon crisis TF 61; Project Mercury TG 140.8, 5 May 1961; decommissioned at Norfolk 28 June 1962; transferred to Chile under the Military Aid Program 'in 1963,' renamed Blanco Encalada, identification number 14; served Chilean Navy 'into 1979.' Six WWII battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1962 USN; 1962-1979 Chilean
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943; wartime and postwar crew (design complement 329 per DANFS block)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Its 'in 1963' transfer phrasing conflicts with the Chilean commissioning decree effective 26 July 1962 (armada.cl) and NavSource's 'July 26 1972' (typo) - carried in gaps. Its 'January 1947' reserve entry conflicts with NavSource's 20 June 1946 decommissioning - carried in gaps. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-02
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[4]Bureau of Ships, 'Structural Repairs in Forward Areas During World War II,' Navy Department, December 1949 - Wadleigh (DD-689) case study pp. 47-58 (NARA RG 181 sourced booklet; HyperWar/NHC transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wadleigh case study, pp. 47-58 of the BuShips booklet (NARA RG 181, Entry 59A-271 source scan; transcription HyperWar/NHC; plates 19-23, photos 36-48)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuShips repair documentation for this hull: mine detonation at frame 112 at 1428 on 16 September 1944 in Kossol Passage flooded compartments B-2, B-3-1, and B-4 (engineering spaces), opened a hole frames 106-118, reduced section modulus to about 14% of intact, and killed power. USS Clamp (ARS-7) made emergency repairs; USS Prometheus (AR-3) repair work began 23 September including a 20-ton diver-fitted caisson (18 days to build); hull drydocked in USS ARD-16 on 9 November 1944. Repair scope included removal of damaged structure and 'about half of boiler 3 and all auxiliary machinery in way of the damage was removed'; sea chests in B-2-1 and B-2 were blanked, damaged pipe stanchions between shell and main deck were replaced with built-up columns, and a gasket-type stuffing box was installed where the starboard shaft penetrates bulkhead 110. Hull then went via Pearl Harbor to Mare Island Navy Yard where, per DANFS, she was 'nearly rebuilt from the keel up,' emerging 20 February 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (damage and repair); 1949 (publication)
- Population
- Wadleigh crew and USS Clamp/USS Prometheus repair personnel; ARD-16 drydock crews (Sep-Nov 1944); Mare Island Navy Yard trades (Nov 1944-Feb 1945)
- Limitations
- Documents the casualty, flooded engineering spaces, and machinery/structural repair scope - it does not mention asbestos or insulation material. Any disturbance or renewal of era insulation during this repair is inference from era practice, not stated by the source. Does not establish exposure to any person or material content aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-03
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[5]Armada de Chile, official 'Unidades Historicas' page, Destructor 'Almirante Blanco Encalada' 3o (ex-USS Wadleigh) [other_primary]
- Locator
- armada.cl unidades-historicas entry for Destructor 'Almirante Blanco Encalada' 3o
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Chilean Navy official record for this hull's post-USN service: ex-USS Wadleigh listed under prior names as 'USSS DD Wadleigh'; 'Esta unidad fue entregada a Chile en prestamo renovable a 5 anos en 1962. Dado de Alta por Decreto C.J.A. N 4520/17 de 27 de julio de 1962, a contar del 26 de julio de 1962. Se autoriza enajenacion por D.S. (M) N 17 de 8 de junio de 1982.' = delivered to Chile on a renewable 5-year loan in 1962; commissioned by decree effective 26 July 1962; disposal (enajenacion) authorized by decree 8 June 1982. Chilean-era fit listed: 4 x 5"/38, 6 x 3"/50, 8 x 20mm, 2 hedgehogs, 5 x 21" torpedo tubes; 60,000 SHP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1962-1982
- Population
- Chilean Navy crew 1962-1982
- Limitations
- Official Chilean service chronology only - no asbestos, material, or disposal-method detail. The post-1982 disposal and reported 1991 target sinking rest on secondary sources (navypedia/wiki-derived; DoD imagery confirms USS O'Bannon's UNITAS XXXII participation off Chile). Chilean-custody maintenance/abatement history undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-04
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[6]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-689 USS Wadleigh (building/disposition data, commanding-officer chronology, BuShips damage-diagram plates) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource DD-689 page 'Operational and Building Data' block + commanding-officers table (Wayback capture 2023-12-28)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource hull record: Fletcher class as built; machinery listed as '60,000 SHP; Westinghouse Turbines, 2 screws'; laid down Bath Iron Works 5 April 1943; launched 7 August 1943; commissioned 19 October 1943; 'Decommissioned June 20 1946 and recommissioned October 3 1951. Decommissioned June 28 1962. Stricken September 1 1975. To Chile July 26 1972, renamed Blanco Encalada. Fate: Stricken and scrapped in 1983.' Commanding-officer chronology (Winn 1943-45, Morton to 20 June 1946, Pauli from 3 October 1951 ... LCDR Dorsey to 28 June 1962) corroborates the two-decommissioning dates. Photo captions source mine-damage diagrams/photos to the December 1949 BuShips 'Structural Repairs in Forward Areas' booklet (Plates 19/23, Photos 35/37/48).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1991
- Population
- USN crew 1943-1962
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive (NavSource), not a primary source. 'To Chile July 26 1972' contradicts the Chilean decree (effective 26 July 1962) and is treated as a typo; 'scrapped in 1983' conflicts with the 1982 disposal decree and secondary-source 1991 target sinking - both carried in gaps. Turbine maker reads Westinghouse here vs GE in class references - flagged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-05
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[7]DANFS specifications block (Fletcher class; 4-boiler steam plant, 60,000 shp) + Atlas shipyard dataset, Bath Iron Works record (yard tier 2; includes Dr. Philip Drinker's 1942 industrial-health survey documenting 'fairly serious dust risk' in the BIW pipe-covering shop) + GAO HRD-80-2 (Navy asbestos program era documentation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS DD-689 specifications block; shipyards.json record 'bath-iron-works' (Drinker 1942 survey row); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; Fletcher-class profile ev-fletcher-class-03/-05
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Fletcher-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler, 60,000-shp geared-turbine steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing; the builder, Bath Iron Works, is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 2), including a 1942 industrial-health survey of pipe-covering-shop asbestos dust risk conducted the year before this hull was laid down. GAO HRD-80-2 documents that the Navy did not begin substituting asbestos insulation until the early 1970s - placing this hull's entire USN service (1943-1962) inside the documented asbestos-use era. The 1944-45 BuShips-documented repair removed about half of boiler 3 and auxiliary machinery in flooded compartments; insulation disturbance/renewal in that work is era inference, not documented material content.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1943-1962 USN era; Chilean custody to 1982; sunk 1991
- Population
- Bath Iron Works construction trades 1943; USN crew 1943-1962; repair-ship/drydock crews 1944-45
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. The ship-specific findings for this hull are ev-01 (Halseth pleading), ev-03 (BuShips repair record). Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure. NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' per-vessel material specifications remain an unretrieved archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-06
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[8]Batch-3664 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404) + hazegray transcription; BuShips 1949 repair booklet; NavSource; armada.cl; CourtListener ship-name and hull-number sweeps (type=o and type=r) with RECAP complaint full text; NPS/NRHP; museum/abatement disclosure sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-wadleigh-dd689-01 through sl-uss-wadleigh-dd689-08
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, shipyard work-package disclosure, transfer/sale hazmat record, or Chilean disposal environmental record naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The Halseth complaint (ev-01) is the only located litigation record naming this hull; it is a pleading-stage allegation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard; the hull was expended as a target in 1991, foreclosing later survey. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wadleigh-dd689-07