USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]research packet lx-packet.md (10 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS William V. Pratt

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-pkt-lx-packet-md

2. [2]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 22015190, Docket No. 17-28 148 (decided 16 March 2022; vacating the 16 February 2022 decision for due-process failure and granting de novo) [other_primary]

   Locator

   BVA decision text: ORDER, FINDINGS OF FACT 2-3, REASONS AND BASES (in-service incurrence and nexus sections)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Adjudicated benefits decision naming this hull: the Board found that the veteran, who served aboard USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13) as a radar operator from September 1965 to August 1969, 'was exposed to asbestos during service' (minimal-probability MOS, reasonable doubt resolved in his favor), and granted service connection for a respiratory disorder (COPD and emphysema) secondary to asbestos exposure and vapors/dusts/gases/fumes. The veteran's credited account described asbestos in engineering spaces, main-deck passageways, and berthing spaces during assigned fire watches, plus secondary exposure via personnel from high-concentration engineering spaces; he also described blowing particulate matter about with air compressors while cleaning. Record documents pleural plaques ('pathognomonic of asbestos exposure' per the private medical opinion) and interstitial pulmonary nodules.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1965-1969 (service/exposure); 2014-2022 (claim and appeals)

   Population

   One veteran, radar operator aboard USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13), Sep 1965 - Aug 1969

   Limitations

   Non-precedential administrative adjudication (38 C.F.R. 20.1303): establishes in-service asbestos exposure for THIS claimant at the equipoise-plus-reasonable-doubt standard, not the material composition of the hull. The treating physician's statements that 'any ship whose keel was laid prior to 1978 has asbestos as lagging' are era generalizations, not a survey of this hull. The companion asbestosis claim was denied (no current diagnosis). Documents one claimant; does not quantify ACM or address other crew exposure or tort eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register, ship detail 'WILLIAM V PRATT (DDG 44) (ex - DLG 13)', UIC 52684 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR ship detail page, VESSEL STATUS + MILESTONE DATES blocks (last updated 02/16/2011)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official inventory record for this hull: class code DDG 37; builder NAV SY/PHILADELPHIA; award date 23 July 1956; keel date 1 March 1958; launch date 6 March 1960; delivery 19 October 1961; commission 4 November 1961; decommission 30 September 1991; stricken 20 November 1992; status 'disposed of, by navy sale' effective 14 September 1995; designation note 'ex - DLG 13'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1956-1995

   Population

   Hull lifecycle milestones

   Limitations

   NVR milestones are the register-of-record but conflict with the DANFS text on keel (1 vs 7 March 1958) and launch (6 vs 16 March 1960) dates - carried here as NVR values with the conflict documented, not reconciled. NVR does not give the DLG-to-DDG reclassification date, the scrapyard buyer, or any materials/asbestos information. NVR SHIPSDETAIL pages returned only a template shell; this record was retrieved via the getHull?shipId=1273 path.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-02

4. [4]DANFS, William V. Pratt (DLG-13) (namesake biography + ship service history through 1978 + specifications block; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry text (namesake bio, ship narrative through 1978, specifications block)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: laid down 7 March 1958 by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; launched 16 March 1960, sponsored by Mrs. William V. Pratt; commissioned 4 November 1961, Comdr. Boyd E. Gustafson. DesRon 18 out of Norfolk from September 1962; NATO exercises Riptide IV (1963), Masterstroke and Teamwork (1964); first of more than a dozen Sixth Fleet assignments February-August 1964; first overhaul at Norfolk beginning November 1964; arrived new home port Mayport 15 April (printed year sequence internally inconsistent; reconstructed 1965 - see gaps); sole WestPac deployment June 1967 - January 1968, Gulf of Tonkin north and south SAR stations August-November 1967 (relieved Berkeley DDG-15 on 12 August); Charleston Naval Shipyard overhaul 1 March - 6 September 1968; Jordan-crisis contingency force off the Levantine coast September-October 1970; Navy-distillate propulsion conversion 29 October 1971 - 17 January 1972; decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard September 1972 for AAW modernization; recommissioned 6 October 1973, Comdr. Rodney B. McDaniel, new homeport Charleston S.C.; Mediterranean deployment September 1974 - March 1975 (Independence/Saratoga screen); reclassified guided missile destroyer DDG-44 on 1 July 1975; UNITAS XVI (1975); Charleston restricted availability 15 December 1975 - 29 March 1976; International Naval Review New York 4 July 1976; Mediterranean October 1976 - April 1977 (FDR screen); Charleston 10-week availability April-July 1977; UNITAS XIX (1978, circumnavigating South America). One battle star for Vietnam service. Specifications block: DLG-13, dp 5,709, 513 ft, 33 kt, cpl 377; 'cl. Coontz'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1958-1978 (entry coverage)

   Population

   Philadelphia Naval Shipyard construction trades 1958-61; crew 1961-1991 (design complement 377); Norfolk/Charleston/Philadelphia yard workforces during overhauls

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Internal inconsistencies: printed overhaul completion '26 March 1966' is incompatible with its own deployment sequence (consistent reading is 1965); keel/launch dates conflict with NVR (7 vs 1 March 1958; 16 vs 6 March 1960); reclassification reads 1 July 1975 vs 30 June in NVR-derived indexes. Transcription mirror cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-03

5. [5]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13, later DDG-44), 1961-1995' (Naval Historical Center page, HyperWar/ibiblio mirror) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library photo-index page, narrative header

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC summary record extending the official history past the DANFS cutoff: a 4,150-ton Farragut-class guided missile frigate built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, commissioned November 1961; career pattern of alternating Sixth Fleet and Second Fleet assignments; Vietnam War operations July-December 1967; Jordanian civil war naval presence 1970; decommissioned September 1972 for extensive modernization, returned to service a year later; Mediterranean October 1974 - March 1975; reclassified guided-missile destroyer DDG-44 July 1975; UNITAS XVI; Bicentennial Naval Review 4 July 1976; second UNITAS cruise circumnavigating South America; combat systems updates 1979-80; Sixth Fleet and northern Europe 1981; Lebanon crisis actions 1982 including gunfire support for U.S. Marines at Beirut; Mediterranean and Red Seas 1984, Mediterranean 1987 and 1989 with Norway/North Sea-English Channel exercises bracketing 1989; Caribbean law-enforcement work with the U.S. Coast Guard 1990; participation in the war that drove Iraq from Kuwait in early 1991; decommissioned September 1991, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register November 1992, sold for scrapping 1995. Named for the Navy's fifth Chief of Naval Operations.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1978-1995

   Population

   Crew 1978-1991 (post-DANFS era coverage)

   Limitations

   NHHC summary documents service history and broad deployment chronology, not materials or asbestos content; month-level dates only for decommissioning/striking/sale (NVR supplies day-level). 'In July of the latter year' reclassification statement is consistent with DANFS 1 July 1975.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-04

6. [6]USS Providence (SSN-719) 1987 Command Operation Report, NHHC command-operation-report archive [other_primary]

   Locator

   1987 COR chronology section, 24-29 June entries (NHHC-hosted PDF, indexed text)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   A contemporaneous Navy command operation report names this ship: USS Providence recorded '24 JUN - 29 JUN In port Cartagena, Spain for port visit. Moored alongside USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG-41) - first SSN 688 to DDG mooring ever conducted. PRATT provided outstanding support services.' Corroborates the 1987 Mediterranean deployment window in the NHHC summary.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1987

   Population

   Crew alongside SSN-719, Cartagena, June 1987

   Limitations

   The source itself misprints the hull number - DDG-41 was USS King; USS William V. Pratt was DDG-44. Context corroboration of a port call during the documented 1987 Mediterranean deployment; no asbestos or materials content. The PDF is indexed by search engines but returned an empty body to automated fetch; quote verified via indexed text.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-05

7. [7]DoD photo DN-ST-91-11657, National Archives NAID 6470184 (caption via DoD media record) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NARA catalog NAID 6470184; caption text preserved at commons.wikimedia.org File:USS_William_V._Pratt_(DDG-44).jpg

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official DoD photo record for this hull during the Gulf War: 'The guided missile destroyer USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DDG-44) takes on fuel from the Military Sealift Command-operated fleet oiler USNS JOSHUA HUMPHREYS (T-AO-188)... The destroyer is conducting Maritime Interdiction Force missions in support of U.N. trade sanctions against Iraq in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm' - Red Sea, 1 March 1991. Corroborates MIF duties during the final deployment.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1991

   Population

   Crew during MIF operations, Red Sea, March 1991

   Limitations

   Photo caption documents activity, not materials or asbestos. A secondary-source claim that Pratt was MIF 'flagship' (destroyerhistory.org photo caption of DN-ST-91-11483) is not confirmed in an official text located and is carried in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-06

8. [8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2 (title, abstract, fieldwork scope)

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained aboard older ships for decades unless a yard period removed it. GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; this hull underwent its first overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the documented era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1975-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workforces, late-1970s program scope

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; GAO did not survey this hull. Supports era context for why insulation persisted aboard, not any fact specific to this ship. gao.gov blocks automated fetches (HTTP 403); product-page description used. Full-text pull remains an open lead.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-07

9. [9]U.S. Navy fact file for DDG-37 Farragut/Coontz class (FAS dod-101 mirror) + Atlas shipyard dataset records for Philadelphia, Norfolk, and Charleston Naval Shipyards [other_primary]

   Locator

   FAS dod-101 DDG-37 class fact-file page (power plant block); shipyards.json records 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard', 'norfolk-naval-shipyard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard'

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a Farragut-class guided missile frigate built 1958-61 with a 4 x 1,200-psi boiler, twin-screw geared steam plant (85,000 shp, 33 kt per the class fact file) would have carried period-standard asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing; builder Philadelphia Naval Shipyard is documented at yard level in the Atlas dataset (tier 3 - OSHA 1989 inspection citations, named asbestos products in appellate opinions, Merwitz verdict) and also performed her 1972-73 AAW modernization; Norfolk and Charleston Naval Shipyards (tier 2 documented yards) performed her overhauls.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1958-1991

   Population

   Philadelphia NSY construction and modernization trades 1958-61, 1972-73; overhaul workforces Norfolk 1964-65, Charleston 1968, 1975-76, 1977; crew 1961-1991

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - the ship-specific findings for this hull are ev-01 (BVA exposure adjudication) and the history rows; this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding. The class fact file is a mirror of Navy-published specs; NARA RG19 General Information Books per-vessel material specifications are an unretrieved archival lead.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-08

10. [10]Chesher v. 3M Co., 234 F. Supp. 3d 693 (D.S.C. 2017), No. 3:15-cv-02123-DCN (order denying Crane Co.'s motion for summary judgment); CourtListener cluster 7324150 [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion factual-background footnote (Crane admission re USS Pratt) and conclusion (MSJ denied), 234 F. Supp. 3d 693

    Finding type

    litigation_product_id

    Finding

    Published summary-judgment opinion in a mesothelioma maritime action names this hull: defendant Crane Co. 'admits to supplying valves to the USS Cadmus, USS Fox, USS Mahan, and USS Pratt' (ECF No. 226-8, Answers to Interrogs. 20). Plaintiff James Wilson Chesher served in the U.S. Navy 1965-1989 as machinist mate then commissioned officer, conducting or overseeing valve and de-aerating feed-tank maintenance including replacement of internal packing and bonnet gaskets; the court DENIED Crane's summary-judgment motion, finding the supply-record and specification evidence sufficient to raise a genuine issue of fact on the product-nexus question. Hull attribution: during 1965-1989 the only USS Pratt in U.S. service was DLG-13/DDG-44 (DE-363 left U.S. service in 1946 and transferred to South Korea in 1961); the same admission names Farragut-class sister USS Mahan (DDG-42).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1965-1989 (alleged exposure era); 2015-2018 (litigation)

    Population

    James Wilson Chesher (USN machinist mate/officer 1965-1989, mesothelioma) and spouse

    Limitations

    Discovery-stage record: the opinion recites Crane's interrogatory answer that it supplied valves to 'USS Pratt' - it establishes Crane equipment aboard this hull, NOT that those valves contained asbestos, that Chesher served aboard Pratt, or that any exposure occurred aboard; the asbestos-component drawing evidence in the opinion is tied to USS Henderson, USS Fox, and USS Kraus, not Pratt. Summary-judgment denial is a procedural ruling on genuine fact issues, not a merits finding. Case terminated 30 March 2018; merits outcome for the Chesher plaintiffs not located.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-09

11. [11]CourtListener API v4 sweep: "William V. Pratt" (opinions and RECAP dockets); "USS Pratt" OR "DLG-13" OR "DDG-44" (opinions) [court_record]

    Locator

    CourtListener API v4 search results (type=o: 'William V. Pratt' count=0; 'USS Pratt' OR 'DLG-13' OR 'DDG-44' count=1 = Chesher cluster 7324150; type=r: 2 hits incl. docket ids 21916024, 5442006)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener sweep classifications: 'William V. Pratt' opinion search = 0 hits; 'USS Pratt' OR 'DLG-13' OR 'DDG-44' opinion search = 1 hit - Chesher v. 3M Co. (234 F. Supp. 3d 693, D.S.C. 2017), qualifying product-identification litigation naming this hull (ev-09); 'William V. Pratt' OR 'USS Pratt' docket search = 2 hits - William v. Pratt and Verna M. Pratt (Bankr. D. Vt. 04-11443, name collision) and the Chesher docket (scd 3:15-cv-02123, asbestos PI). No published opinion adjudicates exposure aboard this hull; the only tort-litigation trace is the Chesher supply-record admission at discovery stage.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    through 2026-09-29

    Population

    Indexed federal/state opinions and RECAP dockets naming the ship or its hull numbers

    Limitations

    CourtListener indexes are not exhaustive of state dockets or unreported MDL-875 matters; absence of a hit is absence from this index, not proof none exists. Bare hull-number strings ('DLG-13', 'DDG-44') were covered in the opinion sweep only; a RECAP docket search limited to bare hull numbers was not separately run before the fleet pacing budget stood the session down. The VA BVA grant (ev-01) is an administrative adjudication outside CourtListener's coverage.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-10

12. [12]Negative finding across searched repositories (NHHC, NVR, DANFS, VA BVA index via web search, CourtListener, GAO, NARA catalog, Atlas shipyard dataset) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Search ledger sl-01 through sl-08 (repositories and outcomes)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No hull-level asbestos survey, abatement contract, OSHA or NESHAP record, or scrapping hazardous-material manifest naming USS William V. Pratt (DLG-13/DDG-44) was located in the sources searched. The ship-specific asbestos records found are the VA benefits adjudication (ev-01) and the Chesher valve-supply admission at discovery stage (ev-09). This absence is a result, not a proof of absence - Brownsville scrapping records and NARA RG19 material books remain unretrieved.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    research sweep 2026-09-29

    Population

    n/a

    Limitations

    Absence of located documentation is not evidence that ACM was absent aboard; it means public indexing produced no ship-specific materials record. The 1995 DRMS sale to a Brownsville breaker may have produced disposal paperwork not published online.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-william-v-pratt-dlg13-11