Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet km-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-wilhoite-de397-pkt-km-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Wilhoite (DE-397) entry - namesake biography, specifications block, and full service narrative (verbatim transcription on the hazegray mirror; the live NHHC page returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry: namesake paragraph; specifications block; service narrative (WWII Atlantic/Pacific, DER conversion, Vietnam)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: named for Ensign Thomas Mack Wilhoite, USNR (b. 12 February 1921, Guthrie, Ky.), VF-9 aviator off USS Ranger (CV-4), killed 8 November 1942 near Port Lyautey during Operation Torch, posthumous Silver Star. Specifications: displacement 1,200 t; length 306'0"; beam 36'7"; mean draft 8'7"; speed 21 kt; complement 186; armament 3 x 3-inch, 2 x 40mm, 10 x 20mm, 2 dct, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog; 'cl. Edsall'. Laid down 4 August 1943 at Houston by Brown Shipbuilding Co.; launched 5 October 1943, sponsor Mrs. Corinne M. Wilhoite; commissioned at Houston 16 December 1943, Lt. Eli B. Roth in command. Yard/availability events documented: Charleston Navy Yard post-shakedown 11-21 February 1944; New York Navy Yard availabilities April 1944, September-7 October 1944, 8-19 February 1945, 11-19 May 1945; Charleston Naval Shipyard major repairs/alterations May-June 1945 for Pacific deployment; complete overhaul at the New York Naval Shipyard early 1946; extensive conversion to radar picket ship at Charleston Naval Shipyard 1954 - 22 March 1955 (reclassified DER-397 on 2 September 1954; recommissioned there 29 January 1955; dockyard hands until 22 March); Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard restricted availability spring 1969; decommissioned at Bremerton, Wash., 2 July 1969 and simultaneously stricken; sold 19 July 1972 to General Metals Corp., Tacoma, and scrapped. Awards: Presidential Unit Citation (TG 22.3, Bogue hunter-killer group), Navy Unit Commendation (with Brister DER-327, TF 115 off Vietnam), one WWII battle star, six Vietnam battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; USN crew December 1943 - June 1946 and January 1955 - July 1969 (design complement 186); navy-yard workers at Charleston, New York, Pearl Harbor, Bremerton availabilities and the 1954-55 conversion
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, service history, and yard-period events, not materials or asbestos content. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing NHHC link problem also noted in BATCH-01). One internal slip noted in the narrative: a late-war patrol paragraph lists 'Haverfield (DE-398)' where context (and the earlier Cockrill (DE-398) reference) indicates the companion hulls were Cockrill DE-398 / Haverfield DE-393 - immaterial to the record but logged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-01
-
[3]DANFS (April 2016 revision), Wilhoite (DE-397) - verbatim transcription hosted on Tin Can Sailors (destroyers.org), labeled 'Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, April 2016'; the live NHHC page serves 404 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- destroyers.org DE-397 page - ship-record block, namesake panel, ship history, 'Disposition' line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The current DANFS revision corroborates the narrative and adds the disposition line: 'she was simultaneously stricken and sold on 19 July 1972 to General Metals Corp., Tacoma, Wash., and subsequently scrapped.' Ship-record block confirms: hull DE-397, launched 10/05/1943, commissioned 12/16/1943, decommissioned 07/02/1969, other designation DER-397, class Edsall, call sign NTHU / voice call 'Smokeyhill' (DER era).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- USN crew December 1943 - June 1946 and January 1955 - July 1969
- Limitations
- Third-party transcription of the official DANFS revision (the NHHC page itself is unreachable - standing NHHC link problem). Documents operations and disposition, not materials; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-02
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Vol. I, NAVSHIPS 250-010 (15 April 1945) - List of Naval Vessels roster, DESTROYER-ESCORT VESSELS design-group characteristics table, and per-ship name index (shipscribe.com scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf - List of Naval Vessels DE roster (printed p.13, 'FMR design' block) and DE name index (printed p.262 area); DE design-group characteristics table (printed pp.234-235), FMR row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official April 1945 BuShips roster lists DE-397 WILHOITE under the 'FMR design' heading (in the DE-382 RAMSDEN through DE-401 HOVDEN block), and the alphabetical name index confirms 'WILHOITE - DE397'. The DE design-group characteristics table defines FMR as 'Fairbanks Morse diesel reverse gear drive': 2 propellers, F.M. model 38D8-1/8 diesel engines, 6,000 shp, boilers column 'None', design accommodations 15 officers + 201 enlisted, main battery 3 x 3-inch/50. This hull is therefore the geared Fairbanks-Morse diesel design, not a steam plant - the boilers field reads 'None' for the group.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- April 1945 edition
- Population
- Edsall/FMR design program
- Limitations
- Program/design data, not materials documentation - the table records official characteristics, not insulation or asbestos content. Its value here is negative-capacity: a design with no boilers and no steam plant does not carry the boiler/steam-line asbestos categories. Textless 2-up scan; content verified by OCR (FMR roster block and name index in the List of Naval Vessels section; FMR row of the DE design-group characteristics table).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-03
-
[5]NHHC, 'Appendix 12 - Ships Named for Naval Aviators' (naval aviation history reference list, official NHHC PDF) [other_primary]
- Locator
- app12.pdf - Appendix 12 list, W section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC reference list entry: 'Wilhoite (DE 397) ENS Thomas M. Wilhoite, USNR 16 Dec 1943' - corroborates the namesake and the 16 December 1943 commissioning date on an official history.navy.mil document independent of the unreachable DANFS page.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Reference-list corroboration only - namesake and commissioning date, no service or materials detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-04
-
[6]USS Slater (DE-766) museum - 'Modifications of Destroyer Escorts' (official museum site of the preserved Cannon-class DE) [museum_official]
- Locator
- ussslater.org 'Modifications of Destroyer Escorts' page, DER section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Museum documentation of the DER conversion program this hull went through: the Navy converted 'thirty-four EDSALL class DEs and two JOHN C. BUTLER class ships' to radar picket escorts (DERs) in the 1950s - more radar equipment added (tripod mast, early-warning and height-finder radars), serving the Distant Early Warning line and later Vietnam Market Time interdiction. Wilhoite's own conversion (Charleston Naval Shipyard 1954-55, DER-397) is the ship-specific application documented in ev-01.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1951-1958
- Population
- Edsall-class DER conversions (34 hulls), 1951-58 era
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - describes the DER conversion program, not this hull's material changes. No asbestos or insulation scope is stated for any conversion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-05
-
[7]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 the Navy's extensive shipboard asbestos insulation use with substitution not beginning until the early 1970s - this hull's August-December 1943 construction, 1944-46 wartime availabilities, and 1954-55 conversion all fall inside the documented asbestos-use era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level era context only; not hull-specific. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - content via the product-page description; full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-06
-
[8]Era/design inference drawn from BuShips 'Ships' Data' 1945 Vol. I FMR design table + DANFS construction/conversion dates + GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1.pdf DE design table (boilers 'None' for FMR group); DANFS narrative (1954-55 Charleston conversion)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: an FMR-design destroyer escort built August-December 1943 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, would have carried the era-standard asbestos set appropriate to a geared-diesel ship - exhaust-system insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck coverings. The design matters to the inference: the official BuShips table records boilers 'None' for the FMR group, so the largest asbestos categories of steam ships (boiler and steam-line lagging) do not apply to this hull's design. Separately documented for this hull: a major conversion yard period at Charleston Naval Shipyard 1954-55 (DER conversion per DANFS) - a period event at an asbestos-era navy yard whose materials scope is not public.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1943; USN crew 1943-46 and 1955-69; Charleston Naval Shipyard conversion workers 1954-55
- Limitations
- Class/era and design inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No ship-specific insulation schedule, survey, or abatement record exists for DE-397/DER-397 in the sources searched; the 1954-55 conversion's disturbance or renewal of era materials is undocumented. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 sweep for this hull: 'USS Wilhoite' (type=o) = 0 results; 'Wilhoite' (type=o) = 340 results, all surname collisions (divorce, criminal, veterans-benefits matters in which Wilhoite is a person/party); 'DE-397' (type=o) = 8 results, all identifier-string collisions; 'DER-397' (type=o) = 0; 'USS Wilhoite' (type=r RECAP dockets) = 0 results [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener search results for 'USS Wilhoite', 'Wilhoite', 'DE-397', 'DER-397' (type=o), 2026-09-28; search_ledger rows sl-uss-wilhoite-de397-08 through -10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation located at either level: zero opinions name 'USS Wilhoite' or 'DER-397'; the 340 'Wilhoite' opinion hits are person/party-name collisions with no vessel reference; the 8 'DE-397' opinion hits are identifier-string collisions (docket numbers, citations) with no vessel reference; the RECAP docket index contains zero 'USS Wilhoite' dockets. Separately, no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or government document naming this hull was found in the public sources searched; web-level 'USS Wilhoite asbestos' hits are confined to law-firm/lead-generation list pages (asbestos-ships.com, freeasbestostesting.com), which are non-qualifying sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Negative litigation finding only - absence of docketed litigation does not establish absence of exposure or asbestos aboard; it records that no public court record located links this hull to asbestos claims.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-08
-
[10]NARA, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' - official index of digitized deck logs; Wilhoite (DE/DER-397) listed with monthly logs January 1956 through July 1969 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online - 'Wilhoite (DE/DER-397)' entry (W section); NARA series 594258 (Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official deck-log index lists Wilhoite (DE/DER-397), commission December 1943 / decommission July 1969, with fully digitized deck logs for every month January 1956 - July 1969 (the entire DER commission; digitized under the VA/NARA Blue Water Navy scanning program). Deck logs record daily events, availabilities, and yard periods and are the standard starting point for hull-level verification. Additional unretrieved leads: WWII-era deck logs (1943-46, RG 24/series 594258, not in the digitized list), BuShips General Information Books / per-vessel material specifications (RG 19), and Charleston Naval Shipyard 1954-55 conversion work packages.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1956-1969 (digitized coverage)
- Limitations
- Logs are digitized and indexed but were not retrieved or read in this session - existence and date coverage verified from NARA's index page, contents unknown. These are leads for future ship-specific verification, not findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilhoite-de397-09