Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet jh-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-william-b-preston-dd344-pkt-jh-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'William B. Preston (Destroyer No. 344)' (live page returns 404; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture 2025-02-01 and hazegray mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block and full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: Clemson-class destroyer (displacement 1,308; length 314'4"; beam 30'11"; draft 9'10"; speed 35 knots; complement 221; armament four 4-inch, one 3-inch, twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes). Laid down 18 November 1918 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Va.; launched 9 August 1919; designated DD-344 on 17 July 1920; commissioned 23 August 1920. Asiatic Fleet service from mid-1922 with home port Cavite; Nanking refugee evacuation and shore bombardment March 1927 (Yangtze Service Medal); San Diego homeport with the Battle Force by 1929; decommissioned in reserve at Philadelphia 15 October 1934. Selected for conversion to small seaplane tender 18 November 1939 (AVP-20) and converted at the New York Navy Yard; recommissioned 14 June 1940; reclassified AVD-7 on 2 August 1940. Attached to Patrol Wing 10 at Cavite from December 1940; attacked at Malalag Bay, Davao Gulf, 8 December 1941 by aircraft from Japanese carrier Ryujo, evading bombs while two tended PBYs were sunk; withdrew through the East Indies to Australia; bomb hit aft during the 19 February 1942 Darwin raid (11 killed, 2 missing, 3 wounded); repaired at Sydney; seaplane-tender operations from Western Australian bases 1942-1944; overhaul with drydocking at Terminal Island October-November 1944; Bethlehem Steel Alameda availability February 1945; plane-guard duty off San Diego through war's end; arrived Philadelphia 9 October 1945; decommissioned 6 December 1945; stricken 3 January 1946; sold to Northern Metals Co. of Philadelphia 6 November 1946 for scrapping. One battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1918-1920; crew 1920-1934 and 1940-1945 (design complement 221)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, designations, service events, and disposal - it does not address materials or asbestos content aboard. The live NHHC page serves 404; text cited from the 2025-02-01 Wayback capture of the NHHC page itself, corroborated verbatim by the hazegray DANFS mirror (losthistory.net).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-01
-
[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, vol. 2, appendix 5 (seaplane tender designation table) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix 5, William B. Preston row (item 20 in the AVP/AVD listing)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC's naval-aviation ship table (Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, vol. 2, appendix 5) lists William B. Preston: commissioned 23 August 1920; DD-344; AVP-20 from 18 November 1939; AVD-7 from 2 August 1940; decommissioned 6 December 1945; stricken 3 January 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1920-1946
- Limitations
- Confirms the designation chronology and stricken date independently of the DANFS narrative; consistent with DANFS on all dates. The table does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-02
-
[4]Naval History and Heritage Command, 'A Collection of Articles on Naval Aviation in World War II' (Naval Aviation News, Sept-Oct 1991 article by Cdr. Dorny on Patrol Wing 10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ww2-13.pdf, PatWing-10 narrative paragraphs (Malalag Bay detachment; first-morning attack)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- An NHHC-published Naval Aviation News history article records William B. Preston (AVD-7) as one of the four Patrol Wing 10 tenders at Cavite (with Langley, Childs, and Heron), describes her Malalag Bay detachment sending daily PBY patrols over the Philippine Sea, and states that on the first morning of the war Japanese aircraft from the carrier Ryujo 'found Preston, worked her over, and sank two PBYs on the water.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1940-1942
- Limitations
- Official Navy publication corroborating combat events; it counts six Zeros where DANFS counts nine 'Claudes' and 13 'Vals' (conflict carried in gaps), and dates PatWing 10's establishment to 16 December 1940 where DANFS dates Preston's Canacao Bay arrival 22 December (carried in gaps). It does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-03
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, H-Gram 067 (Director's historical note on the Darwin raid) [other_primary]
- Locator
- H-Gram 067, paragraph on Darwin raid results
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC H-Gram 067 (Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox) on the 19 February 1942 Darwin raid states that 11 Allied ships were sunk and 13 damaged, 'including seaplane tender William B. Preston (AVD-7).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1942
- Limitations
- Confirms the hull was damaged in the Darwin raid; casualty and damage detail (bomb hit aft; 11 killed, 2 missing, 3 wounded) comes from DANFS (ev-01). Does not address materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-04
-
[6]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Williamson (Destroyer No. 244)' (conversion paragraph) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Paragraphs beginning 'With the increase in patrol plane forces' and 'As the conversion work proceeded'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The DANFS entry for Williamson (DD-244) describes the flush-deck destroyer-to-seaplane-tender conversion type: for the first pair converted (Williamson and Childs), all torpedo gear, two 4-inch guns, the 3-inch antiaircraft gun, depth-charge tracks, and the forward two boilers were removed; deckhouse space, patrol-squadron accommodations, aviation gasoline supply, and a boat derrick were added. William B. Preston underwent the same conversion type at the New York Navy Yard in 1939-40 (per her own DANFS entry), though this passage names only Williamson and Childs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1938-1940
- Limitations
- Program-level description naming Williamson and Childs only; applying the itemized scope to this hull is class-level inference - the passage does not state that William B. Preston's conversion removed boilers or any other specific item, and it does not mention insulation or asbestos. Cited via hazegray mirror; the live NHHC Williamson page returns 404 this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-05
-
[7]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (deck-log index) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 table, 'William B. Preston' rows (DD-344; AVP-20, AVD-7)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (Named Vessels) indexes deck logs for this hull in two entries: 'William B. Preston (DD-344), 8/23/1920-10/15/1934' and 'William B. Preston (AVP-20, AVD-7), 6/14/1940-12/6/1945' - matching the destroyer and tender commission periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1920-1945
- Limitations
- Confirms deck logs survive for both configurations; deck logs document locations and events, not materials - the NARA asbestos guide itself cautions that logs do not provide direct asbestos evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-06
-
[8]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research; General & Confidential Correspondence; General Information Books (Entry P 9 destroyer GIBs); Cartographic Branch sections
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's shipboard-asbestos research guide identifies RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence (filed by hull designation under the Navy Filing Manual, e.g. 'DD344' or the class file), destroyer General Information Books (Entry P 9), insulation-and-lagging engineering drawings, and public-yard 'NY' correspondence files as routes to vessel-level material evidence. It cautions that deck logs and muster rolls do not themselves provide direct evidence of asbestos aboard a ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- archival guide, current
- Limitations
- The guide describes possible record series, not an identified William B. Preston file or any finding that this hull carried asbestos. RG 19 files and drawings were not retrieved in this batch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-07
-
[9]U.S. Government Accountability Office, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (1979), highlights [gao]
- Locator
- Product page and report highlights, paragraphs on 1975 and 1979 Navy policy
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- GAO reported that the Navy's 1975 policy for asbestos insulation on Navy ships was to replace damaged insulation or insulation removed for necessary repairs, with a 1979 change for high-maintenance areas. This is later Navy-wide policy context only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period described)
- Limitations
- The report postdates this hull's 1946 sale for scrap by decades and its fieldwork concerned other yards; it cannot establish asbestos aboard William B. Preston or policy in force during her service. gao.gov returns 403 to automated fetches; the product-page description and known report content were used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-08
-
[10]DANFS specifications block (Clemson class, 1918-1920 build, 35-knot steam plant) + NARA 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (RG 19 Entry P 9; Navy Filing Manual filing practice) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS DD-344 specifications block; NARA guide GIB and correspondence sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: DD-344 was a Clemson-class flush-deck destroyer built at a Navy yard in 1918-1920 with steam machinery, laid up 1934, and converted to a seaplane tender at the New York Navy Yard in 1939-40 - an era of documented extensive asbestos use in naval construction. Steam vessels of her construction era carried thermal insulation on boilers, steam drums, and steam lines plus gaskets and packing, and insulation products of the period commonly contained asbestos fiber. NARA RG 19 Entry P 9 'Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Frigate General Information Books' and Bureau of Ships public-yard correspondence are the archival leads for hull-level materials data.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1918-1945
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades 1918-1920; New York Navy Yard conversion trades 1939-1940; crew 1920-1934 and 1940-1945
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - NO ship-specific asbestos finding; no surveyed material, specification sheet, or removal record for this hull was located. Conversion scope applied from the Williamson/Childs program description is itself class-level. NARA GIB and yard-correspondence retrieval not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket searches via authenticated fleet helper, 27 September 2026 [court_record]
- Locator
- type=o "USS William B. Preston" count=0; type=r "USS William B. Preston" count=0; type=o "DD-344" count=0; type=r "DD-344" count=4 (all non-qualifying collisions); type=o "William B. Preston" count=8 (all name collisions, non-qualifying)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS William B. Preston (DD-344) located on CourtListener. Authenticated v4 searches (2026-09-27): '"USS William B. Preston"' returned zero opinion results and zero RECAP docket results; '"DD-344"' opinions returned zero results and '"DD-344"' RECAP dockets returned four hits, all name collisions where 'DD-344' matches an internal document or exhibit string in unrelated cases (FTC v. Revmountain LLC, D. Nev. 2017; Citizens for Consumers v. Abbott Laboratories, D. Mass. 2001; Dunmore School District v. PIAA, M.D. Pa. 2020; Motors Liquidation Company bankruptcy, S.D.N.Y. 2009); '"William B. Preston"' opinions returned eight hits, all name collisions with nineteenth-century individuals (e.g., Wells v. Boyd, Ky. 1864; United States v. Tithing Yard & Offices, Utah 1893; Kirkmans v. Rices, 1843) - none vessel-related or asbestos-related.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener's opinion and RECAP indexes only - unindexed state-court filings, MDL-875 docket attachments, and non-digitized records are not captured. The ship was sold for scrap in 1946, before the asbestos-litigation era, so absence of hits is expected rather than exculpatory. Distinct-hull caution: other destroyers named Preston (DD-19, DD-327, DD-379, DD-795) are different vessels; the exact-name searches returned no hits of any kind.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-10
-
[12]Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images, photograph NH 51995, 'USS William B. Preston (DD-344)' (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Photo NH 51995 picture-data page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official Navy photograph catalog record (Naval Historical Center Online Library, mirrored on ibiblio) documents USS William B. Preston (DD-344) underway with a homeward-bound pennant at the mainmast, probably at the end of her Asiatic Fleet deployment in the later 1920s (photo NH 51995).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- late 1920s (photo)
- Limitations
- Photograph documents the destroyer-configuration hull in service; it is not a materials record and says nothing about insulation or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-b-preston-dd344-11