Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet gn-packet.md (6 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-c-lawe-dd763-pkt-gn-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, William C. Lawe (DD-763) - verbatim transcription mirror (hazegray.org via Wayback capture 2025-05-15; live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-27) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specification block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 12 March 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Francisco, Calif.; launched May 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Nancy Lee Lawe; commissioned 18 December 1946, Comdr. George F. Lee in command. Returned to Bethlehem Steel for starboard reduction-gear repairs January 1947; San Diego shakedown March 1947; around-the-world cruise with Valley Forge (CV-45) January-June 1948 (46,000+ miles); home port Newport, R.I., from October 1949; overhauls at Boston Naval Shipyard summer 1951, June-September 1953, August-November 1955, and remainder of 1957; home port Mayport, Fla., from June 1959; 'In Commission In Reserve' 5 December 1960 for Mark I FRAM overhaul at Charleston, S.C., resuming full commission eleven months later and departing Charleston 11 November 1961; minor repairs at Rawls Bros. Shipyard, Jacksonville, December 1962; three-month Charleston overhaul December 1964-April 1965; Dominican Republic operations 1965; Charleston overhaul 1968; reduced operational status 1968-69; restricted overhaul at Jacksonville Shipyards early 1972; Vietnam combat December 1972-May 1973 (first combat in 27 years of service: night raid on North Vietnamese coastal defense sites 10 December 1972 with hostile return fire; gunfire support until the 28 January 1973 cease-fire; planeguard for Enterprise and Coral Sea); home port New Orleans, La., from 20 August 1973 with Naval Reserve embarked-training cruises; regular overhaul at Todd and Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, 15 August 1974 - sea trials 15 April 1975; Avondale restricted availability late 1975; Charleston restricted availabilities 1974, 1975, and June-September 1977; strike recommendation rescinded 27 July 1979; two battle stars for Vietnam service. Spec block: dp. 2,425; l. 390'6"; b. 40'10"; dr. 14'; s. 34.6 k.; cpl. 288; a. 6 5", 12 40mm., 10 20mm., 5 21"tt., 2 dcp., 6 dct.; cl. Gearing.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1979
- Population
- Bethlehem Steel San Francisco construction trades 1944-46; crew across 1946-1979 service (DANFS spec complement 288); yard workers at Boston NSY, Charleston NSY, Jacksonville yards, and Todd/Avondale New Orleans
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content - it establishes yard periods and crew-service windows relevant to exposure research, nothing more. The transcription contains repeated typographical errors ('William C. Lange'). The entry ends in 1979 and does not cover the 1983 decommissioning, reserve-fleet period, or 1999 sinking. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-01
-
[3]McLean v. United States, 446 F. Supp. 9 (E.D. La. 1977) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion factual findings (accident in No. 1 Fire Room; Avondale repair contract aboard USS WILLIAM C. LAWE) and damages award
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published merits opinion naming this hull: plaintiff Robert C. McLean, an insulator employed at Avondale Shipyards, was severely burned on 27 February 1975 while working in No. 1 Fire Room aboard USS WILLIAM C. LAWE, where Avondale was under Navy contract performing repairs (matching the 15 August 1974 - 15 April 1975 Todd/Avondale New Orleans overhaul recorded in DANFS). Navy personnel, lighting off boilers to test equipment, opened the wrong valve in No. 1 Engine Room and released hot suction/steam into the No. 1 Fire Room auxiliary feed pump line, blowing out the pump plug and spraying the plaintiff. The court found the United States negligent and awarded $412,246 in lost wages plus medicals; Avondale intervened for LHWCA reimbursement.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975 (injury); 1977 (opinion)
- Population
- Avondale Shipyards insulator Robert C. McLean (burned aboard, February 1975); Navy and yard personnel during the New Orleans overhaul
- Limitations
- Merits decision on a steam-burn negligence claim - this is OTHER litigation, not asbestos litigation; the opinion is silent on asbestos content. It establishes that insulation-trade labor was performed aboard this hull during the 1974-75 Avondale overhaul, but does not establish what the insulation contained, and contains no causation or asbestos-exposure findings.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-02
-
[4]Osborne v. 3M Company et al., No. 2:23-cv-01617-RMG (D.S.C.), Complaint, ECF No. 1 (filed 2023-04-18) [court_record]
- Locator
- Complaint paras. 7-8 and 91-96 (ECF No. 1, pp. 4, 17-18); RECAP gov.uscourts.scd.279647.1.0.pdf
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Pleading-stage AFFF/PFAS products complaint naming this hull: plaintiff Daniel Osborne alleges that 'from 1975 through 1980' he 'served as a firefighter with the United States Navy, during which time he was stationed at the RTC San Diego, located in California; on board the USS William C Lawe; and the NAS JRB New Orleans, located in Louisiana,' and that the Navy 'stored and used Defendants' AFFF containing PFOA and/or PFOS' at those locations 'including ... on board the USS William C Lawe,' causing his kidney cancer and partial nephrectomy. The alleged service window coincides with the hull's 1973-1983 New Orleans home-port period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1975-1980 (alleged exposure); 2023 (filing)
- Population
- Daniel Osborne (alleged USN firefighter 1975-1980; kidney cancer)
- Limitations
- Unadjudicated pleading allegation - classified at the least-final litigation stage (filed complaint). NON-ASBESTOS litigation (PFAS/AFFF firefighting-foam products case); the complaint contains no asbestos claim and nothing about the hull's insulation or construction materials. It alleges exposure aboard, not ACM presence; docket shows no termination date in the index as of access.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-03
-
[5]Goodrich v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Omnibus Opinion and Order, ECF No. 171, E.D. Va. No. 4:17-cv-00009 (2018; related published disposition 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 235491) [court_record]
- Locator
- Omnibus Opinion and Order ECF No. 171 (engineering-drawing and tonnage-tally recitals)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class-level litigation recital covering this hull's class: the Goodrich omnibus opinion recites 'an engineering drawing for the insulation and lagging of forced draft blower turbines for the class of destroyers (DD 692, USS Allen M. Sumner class), within which the USS Harlan Dickson fell, specifies the use of amosite felts and asbestos cloths,' and quotes an expert report estimating that 'a partial tally of the weight of the asbestos-containing thermal insulation and lagging products in the fire ... and engine rooms of a ship belonging to the USS Allen M. Sumner (DD 692) and USS Gearing (DD 710) classes of destroyers is 30.3 tons.' USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) is a Gearing-class destroyer.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1970s (materials era); 2018 (opinion)
- Population
- Class-level: Sumner/Gearing-class engineering-space crews and overhaul yard workers (era)
- Limitations
- Class-level recital only - the opinion quotes drawing and expert-report content for a different plaintiff's vessels and treats related exposure conclusions as speculative; nothing is adjudicated, and DD-763 is not named. Underlying exhibits (the drawing; the 30.3-ton report) were not retrieved from RECAP. This row contextualizes research priority; it is never a ship-specific finding for this hull. Opinion-date discrepancy (2018-09-28 per class research vs. 2018-10-26 LEXIS disposition) is carried in report gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-04
-
[6]NARA guided topic 'Researching Asbestos aboard U.S. Naval Vessels up through 1961' + GAO HRD-80-2, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure (Oct. 18, 1979) + DANFS spec block/narrative (propulsion and yard periods) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA guided-topics page (Navy asbestos through 1961); GAO HRD-80-2 product page; DANFS narrative yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: this hull was built 1944-46 around a four-boiler Babcock & Wilcox superheated steam plant with geared turbines of roughly 60,000 shp - the peak Navy asbestos era - and NARA's research guide describes asbestos use across U.S. Navy materiel up through 1961, a window covering her construction and first fifteen years of service. GAO documents fleet insulation policy (1975: asbestos insulation removed only when damaged or required for repairs; 1979: modified to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas), so original-era insulation typically remained aboard unless a yard period disturbed it. This hull's documented yard events - Boston Naval Shipyard overhauls 1951, 1953, 1955, and 1957; Charleston Mark I FRAM December 1960 - November 1961 plus overhauls 1964-65 and 1968; Jacksonville Shipyards restricted overhaul 1972; Todd/Avondale New Orleans regular overhaul 1974-75 and Avondale restricted availability 1975-76; Charleston restricted availabilities 1974, 1975, and 1977 - are the type of events that disturbed insulation under era practice.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1944-1983
- Population
- Bethlehem San Francisco construction trades; overhaul-yard workers at Boston NSY, Charleston NSY, Jacksonville, and Todd/Avondale New Orleans; crew 1946-1983
- Limitations
- Inference only - no ship-specific material document establishes asbestos aboard DD-763. The NARA guide and GAO report are program-level sources; FRAM/overhaul asbestos scope aboard this hull is inferred, not documented. Establishes no product, quantity, location, or individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-05
-
[7]MARAD Ship History database, WILLIAM C. LAWE (DD-763), Detail/5206 - milestones table [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD vesselhistory Detail/5206, Milestones table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official disposal-chain milestones for this hull: Acquisition 6/30/1993 'NAVAIR Target ship/FY 98'; Entry 7/6/1993 'ENRTY TO PROGRAM V'; Withdrawal 7/14/1998 'To NISMF for SINKEX prep.' Documents the hull's 1993 designation as a Navy aerial-target ship and its 1998 transfer out of the program to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility for sinking-exercise preparation, following its James River Reserve Fleet lay-up.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1983-1999
- Population
- NISMF/SINKEX-preparation workers 1998-1999; reserve-fleet custody personnel
- Limitations
- Milestone table only - MARAD's generic type fields mislabel this Gearing-class destroyer 'General Cargo / Break Bulk' and list 'Year Built 1945' (launch year; keel laid 1944). The actual sinking (14 July 1999) is documented only in secondary sources, not in this official record. SINKEX-preparation scope - including any asbestos or PCB removal before sinking - is not disclosed in the public record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-06
-
[8]DANFS, William C. Lawe (DE-313) and (DE-373) entries with namesake biography (hazegray transcription mirror at losthistory.net; live NHHC equivalents unavailable) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS escorts entries de313.htm and de373.htm (namesake biography and cancellation notes)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Name lineage for this hull: DD-763 was the third U.S. Navy ship named for Aviation Metalsmith Third Class William Clare Lawe (born 26 January 1910, Carson City, Mich.; enlisted 27 April 1928), a Torpedo Squadron 8 gunner killed 4 June 1942 when his TBF-1 Avenger (pilot Ens. Charles E. Brannon) was shot down attacking the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway; posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross. The name was first assigned to DE-313 (Evarts-class destroyer escort, laid down 22 January 1944 at Mare Island Navy Yard; construction cancelled 13 March 1944) and then to DE-373 (John C. Butler-class destroyer escort, Consolidated Steel Co., Orange, Tex.; contract cancelled 6 June 1944) before assignment to DD-763.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 1910-1944
- Limitations
- Namesake and naming lineage only - bears on vessel identity, not materials. 'Third ship of the name' is derived from the two documented earlier assignments in DANFS (secondary sources concur); the DD-763 DANFS entry itself does not recount the namesake biography.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep, 2026-09-27 (cl-auth-search.py, fleet-paced): "William C. Lawe" opinions = 1 hit (McLean - non-asbestos); "William C. Lawe" dockets = 1 hit (Osborne - non-asbestos AFFF); "DD-763" opinions = 0; "DD-763" dockets = 0; "aboard the Lawe"/"USS Lawe" variant opinion query not completed (pacing-blocked on repeated attempts) [court_record]
- Locator
- CourtListener API v4 search responses, 2026-09-27 (see search_ledger sl-04 through sl-07)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull was located in CourtListener's indexes. The only two exact-name hits are non-asbestos: McLean v. United States, 446 F. Supp. 9 (E.D. La. 1977) - a steam-burn LHWCA merits decision (see ev-02) - and Osborne v. 3M Company, D.S.C. 2:23-cv-01617 - an AFFF/PFAS products pleading (see ev-03). Hull-number queries returned zero hits in both the opinion and docket indexes. The distinctive name produced no collisions.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (search date)
- Limitations
- Coverage limits: CourtListener indexes do not comprehensively cover pre-PACER federal filings, state-court dockets, or MDL-875 consolidation records; absence of a hit does not prove no asbestos claim ever named this hull. The 'aboard the Lawe'/'USS Lawe' variant opinion query was pacing-blocked - coverage is partial as to phrasing variants; misspellings (e.g., 'Law,' 'Lowe') were not swept.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-08
-
[10]This record's search ledger: NHHC DANFS live page (404; mirror used); Naval Vessel Register (no record - pre-1987 disposal); MARAD milestones; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number sweeps; VA BVA decision search; NARA catalog attempt; NavSource; asbestos-topic web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull: no asbestos survey, material specification, sampling result, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) was found in the sources searched. Asbestos claims about this hull in open sources are confined to law-firm and marketing pages asserting standard era inference; all were excluded under batch source rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Study period
- 2026-09-27 (search date)
- Limitations
- A search-scope finding, not proof of absence: NARA RG 19 Entry P 9 General Information Books (per-hull material specifications), deck logs, and individual yard work packages are unretrieved; CourtListener coverage of MDL-875 and state filings is incomplete; SINKEX-preparation environmental documentation is not public. 'No ship-specific record located' is the finding - it does not assert the hull contained no asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-william-c-lawe-dd763-09