Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Whitman (DE-24) (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 1981, Vol. 8, pp. 282-283; verbatim hazegray/losthistory.net transcription - live NHHC page returns 404 on current and legacy URL patterns; the destroyers.org transcription of the March 2022 NHHC web text corroborates) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Whitman' - namesake biography, DE-24 spec block, service narrative, disposition
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 7 September 1942 as BDE-24 at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., initially earmarked for Royal Navy lend-lease transfer; retained by USN and reclassified DE-24 on 7 January 1943; launched 19 January 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Josephine P. Whitman, widow of the namesake; commissioned at Mare Island 3 July 1943, Lt. Carl E. Bull in command. Spec block: Evarts class, 1,140 t, 289'5", 35'1" beam, 8'3" mean draft, 21 kt, 3x3in + 4x1.1in + 9x20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog. Service: San Diego shakedown; Convoy 2298 to Pearl Harbor (departed San Francisco 11 September 1943); escorted Pocomoke (AV-9) to Canton and Phoenix Islands; Gilbert Islands operation with ComEscortDiv 10 embarked as CTG 57.7, Tarawa lagoon patrol (November-December 1943); engine repairs at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard January 1944; Marshalls invasion escort of TU 53.8.3 tankers to Majuro; Hawaii-Marshalls convoy escort; major overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard March 1944, returned to Pearl Harbor 10 May; escorted TU 16.6.4 Service Force tanker group fueling Marianas-operation fleet units (June 1944); submarine target services out of Pearl Harbor October 1944-May 1945 plus ASW patrols and plane-guarding (rescued Lt.(jg.) Ward J. Taylor 23 February 1945 while plane-guarding for Fanshaw Bay CVE-70); TG 96.3 patrol/escort Eniwetok, Johnston Island, Kwajalein, Ulithi June-August 1945; at Eniwetok at the surrender. Departed Kwajalein 14 September 1945; San Pedro 27 September; decommissioned 1 November 1945; struck from the Navy list 16 November; sold to National Metal and Steel Co., Terminal Island, Calif., delivered 31 January 1947; scrapped 20 March 1948. Four battle stars. Namesake: Lt.(jg.) Robert Scott Whitman, Jr., USNA 1939, VP-44 PBY pilot, shot down 4 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; USN crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, specifications, service history, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. The spec block lists no complement. Live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim mirror transcription cited. Decommissioning date (1 November) and striking (16 November) are distinct in DANFS; some secondary sources merge them - conflict logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-01
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[2]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945' Vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010, shipscribe.com scan) - List of Naval Vessels roster + DE design-group table [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf List of Naval Vessels roster (PDF pp. 15-16: WHITMAN under 'GMT design'); DE design-group table, book pp. 234-235 (PDF p. 127); navypedia us_de_gmt.htm member table, DE24 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official April 1945 BuShips record: the List of Naval Vessels roster groups WHITMAN (DE-24) under the 'GMT design' heading among the destroyer-escort vessels, and the DE design-group table (book pp. 234-235) defines 'GMT = Diesel electric tandem motor drive - short hull' as design group 1 - machinery 'G.M. diesel model 16-278A,' 6,000 shp, 2 propellers, boilers 'None'; 283 ft 6 in waterline, 1,140 t standard / 1,430 t full load. Independently corroborated by the navypedia GMT member table row: 'DE24 (ex-BDE24) Whitman, Mare Island N Yd, Vallejo - laid 9/1942, launched 19.1.1943, comm. 7/1943, stricken 11.1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1945 (publication); 1942-1945 (recorded construction)
- Population
- GMT-design DE crews 1943-45
- Limitations
- Official BuShips record establishes this hull's design group and machinery type (including the absence of boilers), not materials or asbestos content - the design tables record characteristics, not insulation schedules. OCR of the textless 2-up scan used for the table read; the roster's GMT heading and WHITMAN entry were verified directly. Navypedia is a secondary reference carried for corroboration only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-02
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[3]Evarts-class GMT design data (BuShips 'Ships' Data 1945' Vol. I design-group table + DANFS spec block) + Atlas shipyards.json record 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' (tier-2 yard; documented products and 1998 EIS/EIR ACM record) and 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' (documented asbestos cohort findings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 DE design-group table (book pp. 234-235); DANFS DE-24 spec block + service narrative (yard availabilities); shipyards.json 'mare-island-naval-shipyard' evidence ev-mare-island-01/-02 and asbestos_products_documented; 'pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard' cohort findings
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-electric escort built at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1942-43: the GMT plant - four General Motors 16-278A diesel-generator sets on tandem electric drive, 2 shafts, 6,000 shp, ~21 kt - has NO propulsion boilers and no steam system, so the heavy steam-ship asbestos categories (boiler lagging, steam-line insulation) do not apply. Plausible period applications concentrate in diesel exhaust/muffler insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, deck coverings, accommodation insulation, and friction linings on deck machinery. Builder-yard context: Mare Island Naval Shipyard is a tier-2 yard in the Atlas dataset - documented products include Unibestos, Marinite boards, Transite pipe, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, and refractory materials, and the 1998 disposal EIS/EIR documents ACM in shipyard buildings. Two documented availabilities put the hull at asbestos-era naval yards: engine repairs at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (January 1944) and a major overhaul at Mare Island (March-April 1944); the asbestos scope of either is undocumented.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (construction and availabilities)
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades 1942-43; Pearl Harbor Navy Yard repair workers January 1944; Mare Island overhaul workers March-April 1944; USN engineering crew 1943-45
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a ship-specific finding. The yard documentation is site-level (yard buildings, yard-wide products) and does not establish which products, if any, were installed aboard DE-24; the 1998 EIS/EIR postdates construction by half a century. Does not establish asbestos presence, quantity, or location aboard this hull, and does not speak to any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-03
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[4]CourtListener API v4 sweep (opinion index type=o; RECAP docket index type=r) for exact name 'USS Whitman' and hull number 'DE-24' via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-whitman-de24-05, -06, -07, -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep: exact-name query '"USS Whitman"' returned 0 results on both the opinion index (type=o) and the RECAP docket index (type=r) - no opinion or docket naming this vessel located. Combined name/hull query '"Whitman" "DE-24"' (type=o) returned 3 hits, all name collisions on review - Homere v. Incorporated Village of Hempstead, 322 F. Supp. 3d 353 (E.D.N.Y. 2018, employment-harassment); Curet Rivera v. Departamento de Educacion, 3 T.C.A. 491 (P.R. App. 1997, education); Marquez v. Junta Insular de Elecciones, 41 P.R. Dec. 1 (1930, election law) - none references a vessel, naval service, or asbestos. Hull-number query '"DE-24"' (type=r) returned 8,748 docket hits, all bulk string collisions on PACER 'DE 24' docket-entry notation ('per DE 24 Order,' 'See DE 24 for image'); sampled top results contain no vessel, naval-service, or asbestos reference. No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Opinion index swept for the exact name and the name+hull-number combination; docket index swept for the exact name (0 hits) and hull number (bulk 'docket entry 24' collisions, none vessel-related in the sampled top results). The sweep does not cover state-court records, trust claims, or non-U.S. jurisdictions. 'Whitman' is a common surname and place name (heavy collision surface) - any future hit needs collision classification rather than automatic attribution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-04
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[5]Batch-4159 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + hazegray/losthistory mirror + destroyers.org transcription, NVR, NavSource, navypedia GMT table, BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. I (shipscribe), Atlas shipyard dataset, CourtListener API v4, NARA catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-whitman-de24-01 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. No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was scrapped at Terminal Island in 1947-48, before the Navy's documented asbestos-control era, and was never a museum, memorial, or reserve-fleet asset.
- 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, so no present-day survey is possible; whether era materials aboard contained asbestos is undocumented in either direction. Construction-era yard records (NARA RG 19 General Information Books / contract specifications; Mare Island work orders; RG 24 deck logs) are paper leads only (ev-06).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-05
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[6]NARA RG 19 (BuShips contract specifications / General Information Books) and RG 24 (deck logs) for DE-24; Mare Island Navy Yard production/repair records for the 1942-43 build and the March-April 1944 overhaul; Pearl Harbor Navy Yard records for the January 1944 engine repairs - all undigitized or not located online [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 19/RG 24 entry series (undigitized); Mare Island and Pearl Harbor Navy Yard record series
- 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 General Information Books that may cover DE-24's construction at Mare Island, including insulation schedules; (2) RG 24 deck logs cover the 1943-45 commissioned period; (3) Mare Island Navy Yard records may document the build and the March-April 1944 overhaul scope; (4) Pearl Harbor Navy Yard records may document the January 1944 engine-repair scope. None of these holdings were pulled or digitized.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (records); 2026 (lead status)
- Limitations
- Leads only - contents unknown; they establish nothing about materials aboard. NARA catalog returns an SPA shell to programmatic fetches (standing limitation across batches).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-whitman-de24-06