Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet eu-packet.md (6 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-wilkes-dd441-pkt-eu-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Wilkes III (DD-441), NHHC entry (published 18 Nov 2015; builder, dates, full service narrative, disposal; Wayback capture 2024-12-08 - live NHHC page returns 404; verbatim transcriptions verified at ibiblio HyperWar https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd441.html and the hazegray mirror https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/destroy/dd441txt.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Wilkes III' entry, specifications block + full service narrative (web.archive.org capture 20241208000453; live URL 404; verbatim mirrors ibiblio dafs/DD/dd441.html and losthistory.net hazegray dd441txt.htm)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 1 November 1939 by the Boston Navy Yard; launched 31 May 1940, sponsored by Mrs. Bessie Wilkes Styer; commissioned 22 April 1941, Lt. Comdr. J. D. Kelsey in command. Spec block: dp 1,630, l. 348'3", b. 35'4", dr. 10'2", s. 35 k., cpl. 239, a. 4 5", 10 21" tt., 2 dct., 1 dcp., 12 .50-cal. mg.; class Gleaves. Service: ready for sea 1 June 1941; New England shakedown; Bermuda 24 Aug screening North Carolina (BB-55) and Washington (BB-56) shakedowns; Boston availability Sept; Guantanamo training; Hampton Roads Oct; Argentia Nov, escorted torpedoed Salinas (AO-19) to Cape Sable; HX-162 Iceland convoy 28 Nov-Dec; Argentia-Iceland convoys Dec; Boston holidays. Jan 1942 Argentia run with Madison/Roper/Sturtevant, HX-169, Londonderry, ON-59; 18 Feb 1942 grounded off Newfoundland on the 'milk run' with Truxtun (DD-229) and Pollux (AKS-2) - Wilkes backed clear about 0700 with no deaths; Pollux and Truxtun totally lost with 205 men, the Atlantic Fleet's largest casualty list of the war to that date; Boston repairs; 1 Apr TF 21 Boston Navy Yard availability; 8 Apr collision with British tanker SS Davila (port side abreast No. 1 fireroom), restricted availability at the navy yard to 3 June; Convoy AS-4 July (Fairport sunk 16 Jul; two submarine contacts attacked 16-17 Jul); Norfolk/Halifax; October TF 33 amphibious drills; 24 Oct North Africa convoy. 8 Nov 1942 Fedhala assault (Operation Torch, TF 34) - control vessel then fire-support vessel, nine-charge pattern on contact; 9 Nov chased French destroyer off Casablanca; convoy-anchorage torpedoings (Winooski AO-38, Joseph Hewes AP-50) 11 Nov; escorted Augusta into Casablanca 12 Nov; screened torpedoed Electra (AK-21) in 15 Nov; Norfolk 30 Nov. 1943: two NY-Casablanca round trips, Panama Canal convoy escort May, three North Africa round trips Jun-Dec. Jan 1944 Pacific transit via Panama with Swanson (DD-443) and Marshall (DD-676); escorted SS Mormacdove to Milne Bay; Admiralties operation (Los Negros/Hayne Harbor landings 4 Mar, Lemondrol Creek/Momote bombardment, Seeadler Harbor); carried Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger to Wakde-Sarmi; Tanahmerah Bay 22 Apr; Wakde 17 May; Biak; Noemfoor 1 Jul; Cape Sansapor 30 Jul; TF 38 screen Aug-Oct (Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, Saipan, Yap, Ulithi, Peleliu, Formosa, Luzon, Leyte, Samar strikes; TG 38.4 comm link off Cape Engano 25 Oct); Puget Sound Navy Yard 15 Dec then Todd's Pacific Shipbuilding Co., Seattle overhaul from 17 Dec. 1945: post-overhaul Franklin (CV-13) escort; Ulithi; Guam drydock 26 Mar (underwater sound equipment); Okinawa Hagushi 1 May; Kerama Retto; Nansei Shoto carrier cover May; TF 38 support Jul-Aug; capitulation notice 15 Aug; TU 30.8.9 Marianas/Bonins screen; Okinawa 3 Sep; TG 70.6 Yellow Sea; Jinsen (Inchon), Korea occupation area Sep-20 Oct; return via Saipan/Pearl Harbor/San Diego/Panama to Charleston 2 Dec; Inactive Fleet Atlantic 3 Dec; navy-yard preservation 4-31 Dec; out of commission in reserve 4 March 1946; struck from the Navy list 16 September 1968; sold to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., New Orleans, 29 June 1972. Ten battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1972
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1939-41; wartime crew (design complement 239 per DANFS); yard workers at documented availabilities
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Cited via Wayback capture because the live NHHC page returns 404 (standing NHHC link-rot); the ibiblio and hazegray/losthistory transcriptions carry the same text verbatim. Stricken date in DANFS (16 September 1968) conflicts with NavSource and Tin Can Sailors (1 March 1971) - carried in gaps. No asbestos content anywhere in the entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, Destroyer Photo Archive - USS Wilkes (DD-441) page, plus NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive USNS Wilkes (T-AGS-33) page and hazegray DANFS 'Wilkes II' (DD-67) transcription for the name-collision window (volunteer archival compilations, not official records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Operational/building data block, spec block, photo captions incl. NA 19-N-30362 and BNY photo series (navsource.net/archives/05/441.htm); collision pages navsource.net/archives/09/10/1033.htm (T-AGS-33) and losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/destroy/dd67txt.htm (DD-67)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource chronology and spec block: class Gleaves; displacement 2,395 tons (full); 348'4" oa x 36'1" x 13'2" max; armament 4 x 5"/38AA, 6 x 0.5" MG, 10 x 21" tt (2x5); machinery 50,000 SHP, General Electric turbines, 2 screws; 35 knots; range 6,500 nm at 12 knots; crew 208; call sign NIBQ. Building/disposal block: 'Laid down by Boston Navy Yard November 1 1939. Launched May 31 1940 and commissioned April 22 1941. Decommissioned March 6 1946. Stricken March 1 1971. Sold June 29 1972 and broken up for scrap.' Photo captions document this hull moored/fitting out at Boston Navy Yard July 1941 (NHHC photo NH 50245; Boston Navy Yard photos 1572-41 and 1852-41); a December 1941 Boston Navy Yard drydocking - 'Wilkes arrived at Boston shortly before Christmas for "Voyage Repairs" and installation of her SC radar... After drydocking WILKES moored as seen at Pier 8 on 30 December 1941' (National Archives photo 19-N-30362); Ms 22 repaint before Torch with twin 40-mm mounts installed in December 1942; officers on the foc'sle at Brooklyn NY August 1943; and wartime service photos including the engine-room gang off Casablanca November 1942. Collision-window corroboration: NavSource's companion service-ship page documents USNS Wilkes (T-AGS-33) - laid down 18 July 1968 at Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City; in MSC service 16 July 1971 (at Boston Naval Shipyard); out of service 1979; to Tunisia 29 September 1995 as Khaireddine (A-700) - and the hazegray DANFS 'Wilkes II' transcription documents Destroyer No. 67, Sampson class, commissioned 10 November 1916, decommissioned 5 June 1922, Coast Guard service 1926-1934, struck 5 July 1934.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1972
- Population
- Crew (208 per NavSource block); Boston Navy Yard construction and repair trades 1939-42
- Limitations
- Volunteer archival compilation, not an official record - corroborates identity, milestones, specifications, and fate; supplies a per-hull machinery datum (General Electric turbines) where the Tin Can Sailors class box reads Westinghouse for lead ship DD-423. TWO conflicts vs DANFS: stricken 'March 1 1971' vs DANFS 16 September 1968, and decommissioned 'March 6 1946' vs DANFS 4 March 1946 - both carried per DANFS with the NavSource readings flagged in gaps. Spec-block figures (2,395 t full, 13'2" max draft, crew 208) differ from the DANFS block (1,630 t, 10'2" dr., cpl. 239) - design-vs-as-built variance, carried in gaps. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-02
-
[4]Boston Naval Shipyard Production Record (Andrew Toppan compilation, hazegray.org shipbuilding series - cited via losthistory.net mirror; hazegray.org unreachable at research time) [other_primary]
- Locator
- hazegray BNSY production list, chronological table row 'Wilkes (DD 441)'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Boston Naval Shipyard's official-derived production list names this hull: 'Wilkes (DD 441), Gleaves Class Destroyer, 22 Apr 1941, Scrapped 1972' - corroborating the builder (Boston Navy Yard / Charlestown), the commissioning date, and the 1972 scrapping fate.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1941; 1972
- Population
- Boston Naval Shipyard construction trades 1939-41
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation of the yard's construction output; corroborates builder, commission date, and disposition. Lists commissioning date rather than keel date, so it does not arbitrate any laid-down question. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-03
-
[5]Tin Can Sailors (destroyers.org) USS Wilkes DD-441 page - data block + disposition line + verbatim DANFS text + class data + namesake entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- destroyers.org/ships/dd-441 - data block, 'Disposition' line, class data box, DANFS history section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Destroyer-association record for this hull: launch 05/31/1940, commissioned 04/22/1941, decommissioned 03/04/1946, call sign NIBQ, voice call signs BLUE RIBBON and COCKFIGHT; disposition 'Stricken on 3/1/1971. Sold on 06/29/1972 to the Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., New Orleans.' - corroborating the DANFS decommissioning date (4 March 1946, against NavSource's 6 March) and the 29 June 1972 sale, while giving the 1971-03-01 stricken date that conflicts with DANFS's 16 September 1968. Class data block (as of 1945, for lead ship DD-423): 4 boilers, 2 Westinghouse turbines, 50,000 hp, 16 officers/260 enlisted. The page carries the DANFS narrative text verbatim, corroborating the service history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1972
- Population
- Reserve-fleet and disposal-period context
- Limitations
- Veterans' association compilation quoting DANFS text and register-style disposition data; its 3/1/1971 stricken date agrees with NavSource against DANFS's 16 September 1968 - conflict carried, not adjudicated. The class data box describes lead ship DD-423 (Westinghouse turbines); NavSource's per-hull machinery block for DD-441 reads General Electric - supplier variance recorded, not adjudicated. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-04
-
[6]NavSource machinery block (ev-02) + ibiblio 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' DD-441 spec block ('high-pressure super-heated boilers, geared turbines with twin screws, 50,000 h.p.') + BuShips Ships' Data Jan 1945 'No. 421 Class' machinery table (Benson/Gleaves class: 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers 575 psi/700 F, 47,000 shp; shipscribe.com scan SDB1945v1) + Atlas shipyard dataset records 'boston-naval-shipyard' (tier 3; John Crane gasket/sealing product-ID), 'todd-shipyards' (tier 2; Todd Shipyards Corp. corporate-level), 'charleston-naval-shipyard' (tier 2; asbestos product list + litigation) + NARA RG 19 asbestos-research path [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource machinery block; ibiblio DD-441 spec block (hyperwar/USN/ships/DD/DD-441_Wilkes.html); shipyards.json records for the three yards; BuShips SDB1945v1 'No. 421 Class' row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a Gleaves-class destroyer built 1939-41 at Boston Navy Yard with a four-boiler high-pressure superheated steam plant (Babcock & Wilcox 575 psi/700 F per BuShips Ships' Data 1945; General Electric geared turbines per NavSource, 47,000-50,000 shp, 2 shafts) would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation - boiler and turbine lagging, steam-line insulation, valve gaskets and packing, and fireproofing - as documented for WWII-era naval construction generally. Builder yard is tier 3 in the Atlas dataset with a documented asbestos product identification (John Crane gaskets/sealing). Documented yard periods for this hull - Boston Navy Yard (construction; Dec 1941 drydock/voyage repairs + SC radar install per NavSource caption; Feb-Mar 1942 grounding repairs; Apr 1942 TF-21 availability; Apr-Jun 1942 collision restricted availability), Todd's Pacific Shipbuilding Co. Seattle (overhaul, 17 Dec 1944-28 Jan 1945), and Charleston Naval Shipyard (Dec 1945 preservation + Mar 1946 decommissioning) - sit at yards carrying their own tier 2-3 asbestos records. The 8 April 1942 collision struck the port side abreast the No. 1 fireroom - a documented structural repair adjacent to machinery spaces. NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' and BuShips correspondence are the archival leads for hull-level material specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction and repair trades 1939-42; wartime crew; Todd's Seattle overhaul workers Dec 1944-Jan 1945; Charleston NSY preservation workers Dec 1945-Mar 1946
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no retrieved source names an asbestos product installed on this hull, and the hull's 1939-41 construction largely predates the NARA asbestos guide's mapped correspondence window (1941-1961). Yard-level dataset records are context for the trades who worked aboard, not proof of material aboard. 'todd-shipyards' is the corporate-level dataset slug - the actual facility was Todd's Pacific Shipbuilding Co., Seattle. Machinery figures carry the documented 47,000-vs-50,000 shp BuShips-vs-DANFS-type discrepancy (recorded at class level). This row adds context, not a ship-specific finding; establishes nothing about presence, quantities, exposure, or causation for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-05
-
[7]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Corn & Starr 1987, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship documenting extensive asbestos use as insulation and fireproofing across WWII-era U.S. shipbuilding - the era context for this 1939-41-built steam destroyer, whose class carried the boiler/steam-line categories most associated with documented naval asbestos applications.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940s (study window)
- Population
- WWII-era shipbuilding workforce (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship, not a ship-specific finding; the study concerns WWII shipbuilding policy and this hull was built 1939-41, immediately before and overlapping the wartime programs it covers. Supports era plausibility only - nothing about this vessel's actual materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-06
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, cl-auth-search.py) + web-level check of CourtListener-indexed material [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py 2026-09-27: '"USS Wilkes" asbestos' type=o HTTP 200 count=0 (clean); '"USS Wilkes"' type=o HTTP 200 count=0 (clean); '"DD-441"' type=o attempts exit 2 fleet-pacing and type=r sweeps not reached; web-level site:courtlistener.com and general litigation queries - name collisions only
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Wilkes (DD-441) was located at the sources reached during research. Authenticated CourtListener API v4 (cl-auth-search.py, 2026-09-27): '"USS Wilkes" asbestos' type=o returned HTTP 200, count 0, and bare '"USS Wilkes"' type=o returned HTTP 200, count 0 - clean negatives for the vessel-name opinion queries. The remaining queries ('"DD-441"' type=o, '"USS Wilkes"' type=r docket-level) were fleet-throttled at research time - a recorded gap, not a clean negative. Web-level checks over CourtListener-indexed material returned only name collisions: criminal dockets for defendants surnamed Wilkes (United States v. Wilkes 1:19-cr-00128 D. Md.; United States v. Wilkes 3:07-cr-00330 S.D. Cal.), Jerome P. Wilkes v. United States (D.C. Cir. 1969, criminal appeal, 419 F.2d 684), and Wilkes v. Bisso Towboat Co. 2:03-cv-01163 (E.D. La., marine personal-injury - surname, not the vessel). General web search returned only marketing/lead-generation ship pages listing DD-441 (mesotheliomasymptoms.com, duboselawfirm.com ship lists) - excluded as sources per batch rules.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (sweep attempts)
- Population
- N/A
- Limitations
- PARTIAL sweep: the vessel-name opinion queries ('"USS Wilkes" asbestos' and '"USS Wilkes"') are complete authenticated clean-zeros; the hull-number opinion query ('"DD-441"') and docket-level (type=r) queries were fleet-throttled at research time (cl-auth-search.py exit 2) and are a recorded gap, not a clean negative. A docketed case naming the vessel could exist beyond the checked surface. WWII destroyer-era plaintiffs usually name shipyards and product manufacturers rather than hulls, so hull-name absence is expected and not exculpatory. Name-collision analysis: 'Wilkes' is a high-frequency surname/place name; USNS Wilkes T-AGS-33 (MSC service 1971-1979) adds a post-1971 Navy-vessel collision class, and DD-67 (1917-1922) covers the pre-1941 window.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-07
-
[9]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (research guide: VA claims context; RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence series path; RG 24 logbooks; RG 181 naval district/yard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos (HTTP 200); archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-plans (HTTP 200); NARA photo 19-N-30362
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's official research guide maps the record path for ship-level asbestos inquiry: Record Group 19 (Bureau of Ships) correspondence series arranged by Navy filing scheme (1941-1961), RG 24 deck logs, and RG 181 yard records. For this hull: WWII deck logs sit in RG 24; Boston Navy Yard construction and 1941-42 repair records are in RG 181; RG 19 hull-series engineering drawings for DD-441 are requestable via the NARA Cartographic Branch ship-plan index. NavSource photo captions already document NARA-held imagery for this hull (e.g., 19-N-30362, Boston Navy Yard Pier 8, 30 December 1941; NHHC photo NH 50245).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- Records path for 1939-1946 service
- Limitations
- Research-path guide only - establishes where ship-specific asbestos documentation would live, not that any exists for this hull. The guide's core correspondence window (1941-1961) postdates this hull's 1939-41 construction start; BuShips records for the build would sit in predecessor/earlier series. NARA catalog API v2 requires an API key (not available at research time); per-hull holdings not enumerated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wilkes-dd441-08