Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet ej-packet.md (3 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Williamson (Destroyer No. 244 / DD-244)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-williamson-dd244-pkt-ej-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Williamson (DD-244)' (Naval History Division / NHHC); verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription reviewed in full [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service narrative paragraphs, 1921-1948 disposition; closing battle-star line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS service narrative: Turkish-waters deployment 1921-1922; Atlantic Fleet/Scouting Force operations; Nicaragua 1927; early sonar installation at the Washington Navy Yard July 1934; overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard 1936; overhaul at the Pearl Harbor navy yard January 1938. Selected with Childs (DD-241) as the Navy's first flush-deck destroyer conversions to light seaplane tenders; conversion at Philadelphia from June 1938 removed all torpedo gear, two 4-inch guns, the 3-inch antiaircraft gun, depth-charge tracks, and the forward two boilers, and added deckhouse space forward; reclassified AVP-15 on 1 July 1938; completed conversion and departed Philadelphia 3 January 1939. Puget Sound Navy Yard overhaul from 5 February 1940; reclassified AVD-2 on 2 August 1940; under overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard on 7 December 1941; Aleutian service 1942-1943 (strafed at Umnak Pass June 1942, six wounded; PBY salvage depth-charge explosion 25 August 1942, 16 wounded and one blown overboard); Kiska/Attu support April-May 1943; reclassified back to DD-244 on 1 December 1943; repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard January 1944; Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa service as screening vessel and underway refueling unit for spotting planes. Decommissioned 8 November 1945; stricken 19 December 1945; sold through the Navy Disposal Agency 17 October 1946; hulk acquired by the North American Smelting Co., Philadelphia, and removed from Navy custody 30 October 1946; scrapped 4 November 1948. Four World War II battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- DANFS documents yard periods, the 1938-39 conversion scope (including removal of the forward two boilers), reclassifications, and disposition as events; it does not describe insulation materials, asbestos content, or work practices in those yards. The live NHHC page returned HTTP 404; verbatim transcription cited. No asbestos finding follows from a yard period or conversion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-02
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-244 / AVP-15 / AVD-2 / APD-27, USS Williamson (reviewed via Wayback Machine capture 2024-05-25; corroborating AVD index page at navsource.net/archives/09/56/5602.htm adds 'Redesignated AVD (Escort Type), 3 January 1943') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Operational and Building Data block; As Built machinery block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource Destroyer Photo Index for this hull (DD-244/AVP-15/AVD-2/APD-27) records: built by New York Shipbuilding, Camden, N.J. (yard number 233); reclassified Seaplane Tender AVP-15 on 1 July 1938; classification changed to AVD-2 on 2 August 1940; reverted to DD-244 on 1 December 1943; conversion to High Speed Transport APD-27 canceled 10 July 1944; decommissioned 8 November 1945; stricken 19 December 1945; sold 30 October 1946 and broken up for scrap. Its data block lists 1,215 tons, Westinghouse turbines, 26,000 shp, two screws, 35 knots, and a crew of 114.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- NavSource is a non-official photographic index, not a government record; its classification dates agree with the DANFS narrative except for the APD-27 cancellation (10 July 1944), the 3 January 1943 AVD (Escort Type) redesignation, and a crew figure of 114, none of which appear in DANFS - carried with those qualifications. The 'sold 30 October 1946' date corresponds to DANFS's removal-from-custody date; DANFS dates the sale approval 17 October 1946 and scrapping 4 November 1948.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-03
-
[4]National Archives, 'Special List 44 - Named Vessels,' Williamson entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- Named-vessels table, Williamson (AVD-2, DD-244) row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 lists Williamson under '(AVD-2, DD-244)' with deck-log coverage beginning 29 October 1920 and ending 8 November 1945, spanning the hull's entire commissioned life.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- This is a collection coverage index, not a reviewed deck log. It says nothing about asbestos, material composition, work practices, or exposures.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-04
-
[5]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research; Bureau of Ships correspondence; General Information Books; Board of Inspection and Survey Reports
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's naval-asbestos research guide states that asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941 to 1961 requires vessel-specific research. It directs researchers first to ship history, then to RG 19 Bureau of Ships correspondence filed under the hull designation, destroyer General Information Books, and relevant inspection reports.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The guide is an archival method and Navy-era context, not a Williamson material list or proof that any asbestos product was aboard. RG 19 and inspection files were not retrieved or reviewed for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-05
-
[6]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961'; DANFS DD-244 specifications and conversion narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- Opening paragraph and Beginning Research section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA describes the use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel during 1941-1961 as a documented research subject. Williamson served during 1941-1945, so that Navy-wide period is relevant research context for this hull; the guide provides no Williamson-specific material finding. Class/era context: a 1919-built Clemson-class steam plant of four boilers and geared turbines (forward two boilers removed in the 1938-39 conversion) is the kind of machinery for which era documentation describes asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, and packing - an inference about the type, not a record for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- Navy-wide era context only. It neither names Williamson nor identifies a product, location, quantity, person, or exposure event aboard her. It cannot support a statement that asbestos was present on this hull. The steam-plant description is documented for this hull; the asbestos association is era inference, not hull evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-06
-
[7]Batch 3242 official-source search ledger, rows sl-uss-williamson-dd244-01, -02, and -06 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-williamson-dd244-01, sl-uss-williamson-dd244-02, sl-uss-williamson-dd244-06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No Williamson-specific asbestos specification, survey, abatement record, or litigation record was located in the reviewed DANFS text, NARA's named-vessel deck-log index, NARA's naval-asbestos research guide, or the NavSource index. Mesothelioma marketing and law-firm list pages name this hull in generic ship rosters but provide no primary material record and were excluded. These sources establish identity, service history, and research leads, but not the composition of materials aboard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- This is a bounded negative search result, not proof that Williamson lacked asbestos. The actual RG 19 and RG 38 hull records were not retrieved, and no product inventory, location, exposure history, or legal outcome can be inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-07
-
[8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search through cl-auth-search.py, 27 September 2026; Batch 3242 query log [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-williamson-dd244-03 through -05; exact-name opinion and docket JSON responses count=0; DD-244 helper diagnostics exit 2 before HTTP request
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 exact-name searches for 'USS Williamson' returned zero hits in both the opinion index and the RECAP docket index. The DD-244 hull-number opinion and docket searches were attempted repeatedly through the authenticated helper but did not reach the API because the shared fleet pacing limiter denied a token on each attempt. No qualifying asbestos case, other case, or name collision can be classified from the blocked queries.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The zero results apply only to the exact-name opinion and docket queries. CourtListener's hull-number index was not successfully searched; absence of litigation or asbestos exposure cannot be concluded. The blocks were fleet pacing (helper exit 2 before any HTTP request), not an API 429 or a multi-hour daily-quota response.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-08
-
[9]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Williamson (DD-244)' (Naval History Division / NHHC); verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription reviewed in full [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Namesake biography block; DD-244 specifications block; first vessel-history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies Williamson as a Clemson-class destroyer laid down 27 March 1919 at Camden, N.J., by the New York Shipbuilding Co.; launched 16 October 1919; sponsored by Commander William Price Williamson's widow; reclassified from Destroyer No. 244 to DD-244 on 17 July 1920; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 29 October 1920, Lt. Comdr. J.C. Cunningham in command. The specifications block gives displacement 1,190 tons, length 314'4", beam 30'8", draft 9'3" mean, speed 35 knots, complement 122, and armament of four 4-inch guns, one 3-inch gun, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-27
- Limitations
- The live NHHC DANFS page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-27 (standing NHHC link rot per BATCH-01); the verbatim HyperWar transcription was reviewed in full and corroborated against the hazegray/losthistory.net transcription. DANFS documents construction, specifications, and service history, not materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-williamson-dd244-01