USS WILLIS A. LEE (DL-4)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet lw-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED. Queue name/hull match; consistent with DANFS-incorporating article and globalsecurity.org — real identity: USS Willis A. Lee; hull: DL-4 (kept DL designation for her whole career; reclassified from destroyer to frigate-type "DL" usage in 1955)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-pkt-lw-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS/NHHC, 'Willis A. Lee (DL-4)' (Robert J. Cressman, published 2021-03-31). Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-29; text accessed via Wayback capture 2025-02-02 (web.archive.org/web/20250202224200/ of the canonical URL). [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS entry 'Willis A. Lee (DL-4)', specifications block + service narrative (Wayback capture 2025-02-02)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: named for Vice Adm. Willis Augustus Lee Jr. (1888-1945), commander of the fast battleships that won the Guadalcanal night action 14-15 November 1942; laid down as DD-929 on 1 November 1949 at Quincy, Mass., by the Shipbuilding Division of Bethlehem Steel Co.; reclassified a destroyer leader, DL-4, on 9 February 1951; launched 26 January 1952, sponsored by Mrs. Fitzhugh L. Palmer Jr. (niece of Vice Adm. Lee); commissioned at Boston Naval Shipyard 5 October 1954, Cmdr. Fredericik [sic] H. Schneider Jr. in command. Spec block: displacement 4,730; length 493'0"; beam 50'0"; draft 14'0"; speed 30 knots; complement 403; armament 2 5-inch, 4 3-inch, 8 20mm, 2 rocket launchers (Weapon Alfa), 1 depth-charge track; class Mitscher. Service: shakedown Guantanamo Bay; homeport Newport, R.I., Atlantic Fleet; first ship of her type to operate with the Sixth Fleet (July 1955 Mediterranean; NHHC photo NH 106843 caption records her at Istanbul 16 August 1955 as flagship of Commander, Destroyer Flotilla Six); reclassified a frigate in 1955; assisted burning fishing vessel Agda off Montauk Point November 1956; carried King Ibn Saud to New York February 1957; filmed for 'Windjammer'; first Arctic Circle crossing 20 September 1957; Operation Inland Sea flagship (RADM Edmund B. Taylor, TF-47) Great Lakes cruise summer 1959; FRAM overhaul at Boston Naval Shipyard entered November 1960 adding DASH helicopter hangar, topside ASW torpedo armament, bow-mounted sonar dome, removing Weapon Alfa mounts; Texas Tower No. 2 crew evacuation and Hurricane Esther guard duty on emerging from the yard; 10 days on the Cuban quarantine line October 1962; Haitian-waters sonar evaluations March 1963; attached to Destroyer Development Group 2 summer 1963; extensive boiler repairs at Boston Naval Shipyard late 1963 through 29 April 1964; Exercise Steel Pike flagship for RADM Mason Freeman, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla 2; restricted availability at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, East Boston, end of 1964; lengthy engineering overhaul and sonar modification at Boston Naval Shipyard from 30 June 1965; fourth and final Mediterranean deployment November 1966 to 20 May 1967; placed out of commission December 1969; stricken 15 May 1972; sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. of New York City and towed for final voyage 5 June 1973; subsequently scrapped.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1949-1973

   Population

   Bethlehem Quincy construction trades 1949-54; commissioning/yard crews at Boston Naval Shipyard; crew 1954-69 (design complement 403)

   Limitations

   DANFS documents construction, service, and disposition - not materials or asbestos content. Internal inconsistency: the text dates yard emergence 'September 1960' although it places yard entry in November 1960 'almost a year' earlier and the associated Hurricane Esther occurred September 1961; the association history gives 5 September 1961 - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim text verified via Wayback capture.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-01

3. [3]In re Joint Eastern District and Southern District Asbestos Litigation (McPadden v. John Crane-Houdaille, Inc.), 995 F.2d 343 (2d Cir. 1993), No. 980, Docket 92-9031, decided 25 May 1993 (CourtListener cluster 9018512; verbatim public-domain reporter text also at law.resource.org) [court_record]

   Locator

   995 F.2d 343, Part I 'Background' paras 4-8 (exposure testimony, damages, liability verdict) and Part II paras 17-22 (FRE 407 reversal, remand for new trial on all issues)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published Second Circuit opinion in the consolidated New York asbestos litigation recites sworn trial testimony naming this hull: Martin McPadden 'testified that beginning in 1957, while serving in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Willis A. Lee, he worked as a fireman striker and later as a machinist's mate. Everything in the engine room was covered in insulation that contained asbestos. Among the insulation identified was Crane's encapsulated asbestos valve packing - a sealing product used to control or stop leakage from coming up through the shaft of a valve.' The jury found the McPadden family suffered $5,917,781.85 in damages and found Crane 10% responsible for the decedent's death (judgment $1,562,725.40 plus interest). The Second Circuit reversed and remanded for a new trial on ALL issues solely on Fed. R. Evid. 407 grounds (post-exposure warning labels admitted over objection); the reversal did not reach the sufficiency of the exposure evidence. DL-4 was the only commissioned USS Willis A. Lee in 1957.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1957-1962 (alleged Navy exposure aboard this hull); 1991-1993 (consolidated trial and appeal)

   Population

   Martin McPadden (USN fireman striker/machinist's mate aboard USS Willis A. Lee from 1957; deceased; mesothelioma); engine-room crew

   Limitations

   Trial-stage exposure record: sworn testimony recited in a published appellate opinion. The verdict for plaintiff against Crane was vacated and remanded for a new trial on all issues on an evidentiary ground (FRE 407, subsequent remedial measures) unrelated to whether asbestos was aboard - under batch discipline the exposure record stands at the trial stage. The opinion does not itself adjudicate asbestos content aboard the hull; it recites testimony. Post-remand outcome (settlement or retrial) not located. Decedent had substantial post-Navy asbestos exposure (Con Edison powerhouses 1962-68 and later buildings) - causation was apportioned, not exclusive to this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-02

4. [4]Vesper v. 3M Company et al., No. 1:15-cv-01322-JBS-AMD (D.N.J.), Opinion of Chief Judge Jerome B. Simandle, filed 19 December 2016 (Docket Entry 161; govinfo USCOURTS collection) [court_record]

   Locator

   Vesper opinion, Section III.D 'Warren' (D.N.J. 15-1322, Doc. 161, pp. 17-19 of the filed PDF)

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   A decided federal summary-judgment opinion recites sworn product-identification testimony naming this hull: Warren Pumps' corporate representative Roland Doktor 'testified that a condenser circulating pump, later installed on the naval ship USS Willis A. Lee, included asbestos components, namely, a gasket and asbestos packing' [Doktor's Dep., Docket Entry 114-10, 229:1-19]; that 'list[s] of materials' on technical drawings of a Warren condenser circulating pump listed asbestos sheet gaskets, asbestos sheets, and asbestos packing as component parts; and that 'the main condenser circulating pump would normally be located in the engine room of the ship' [Doktor's Second Dep., Docket Entry 114-14]. The court DENIED Warren's summary-judgment motion (genuine factual issue as to Warren exposure in this plaintiff's case), while granting the motions of Buffalo Pumps and Sid Harvey and denying DAP's.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1950s-1970s (exposure era); 2015-2016 (litigation)

   Population

   Crew and shipyard workers in engineering spaces aboard this hull; plaintiff George Vesper's claims concerned New York Shipbuilding work

   Limitations

   Manufacturer-representative deposition testimony recited in a summary-judgment opinion - a specific product with asbestos components identified as installed aboard this hull. The court did not adjudicate whether the pump was aboard; the testimony is record evidence recited in the analysis, not a finding. The plaintiff's own claimed exposures arose from New York Shipbuilding work (incl. USS Kitty Hawk), not this hull - the Willis A. Lee passage is Warren corporate-rep product testimony from 'earlier, unrelated proceedings.' Documents an asbestos-component product aboard the hull per the manufacturer's own witness; does not address quantity, remaining material, or exposure of any individual.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-03

5. [5]Fuoco v. 3M Company et al., No. 1:13-cv-07054-JHR-JS (D.N.J.), Opinion of Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez, filed 29 September 2015 (Docket Entry 96; CourtListener RECAP docket 5836414) [court_record]

   Locator

   Fuoco opinion (D.N.J. 13-7054, Doc. 96), Warren Pumps analysis - plaintiff's-opposition recital

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   A decided federal summary-judgment opinion referencing this hull through the same Warren Pumps corporate-representative deposition record: plaintiff 'references the 2007 deposition testimony of a Warren Pumps corporate representative in another case which revealed that the company's pumps at times may have contained asbestos-containing components, and that asbestos-containing gaskets and packing were used on circulating pumps on board the USS Willis A. Lee,' plus 'a 1958 technical manual prepared by Warren Pumps which calls for the use of asbestos packing and gaskets for circulating pumps' (Pl. Br., Ex. F). Warren's summary-judgment motion was GRANTED - the decedent's alleged exposure was aboard USS Ammen (DD-527), 1942-45, and the court found no record evidence tying him to a Warren pump.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1942-1945 (plaintiff's alleged exposure); 2013-2015 (litigation)

   Population

   Estate of Joseph R. Fuoco (USN machinist mate aboard USS Ammen 1942-45, mesothelioma)

   Limitations

   The hull name appears inside the court's recital of the plaintiff's argument (prior-litigation product evidence), not as this plaintiff's exposure site - the Fuoco decedent served USS Ammen. Warren's win is a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not evidence about this hull. The underlying 2007 Doktor deposition corroborates the Vesper product-identification record. A defense summary-judgment disposition does not adjudicate the Willis A. Lee product question either way.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-04

6. [6]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation No. 0803605 (decision date 31 January 2008; docket no. 04-17 920), appeal from VA RO St. Petersburg, Florida [other_primary]

   Locator

   BVA Citation 0803605, 'Reasons and Bases' - Pulmonary Disorder section

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   A federal administrative adjudication naming this hull in an asbestos-exposure claim: a veteran who served August 1962 to February 1966 contended he was exposed to asbestos through his military occupational specialty as an engine operator 'aboard the U.S.S. John Willis and the U.S.S. Willis A. Lee.' The Board found his exposure testimony 'consistent with his military occupational specialty' and 'for the purpose of this inquiry will proceed as though he was exposed to asbestos during service' - an arguendo assumption - then DENIED service connection because his diagnosed disorders (emphysema, COPD) are obstructive, not asbestos-related restrictive disease, and no nexus was shown. DL-4 was in commission throughout the claimed period; co-named USS John Willis (DE-1027) was in commission 1957-1972.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1962-1966 (claimed exposure); 2003-2008 (claim and adjudication)

   Population

   Navy veteran, engine operator aboard USS Willis A. Lee and USS John Willis, 1962-1966

   Limitations

   Administrative adjudication (VA Board of Veterans' Appeals), not an Article III court record. The exposure was assumed arguendo as consistent with the claimant's MOS - it was not adjudicated as fact; the claim was denied on diagnosis/nexus grounds. Establishes that an asbestos claim naming this hull was made and adjudicated to a final denial; establishes nothing about whether asbestos-containing material was or was not aboard. Sailor's rating described as 'engine operator.'

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-05

7. [7]Naval Vessel Register entry, WILLIS A LEE (DL 4) (ex-DD 929), FRIGATE (NAVSEA/NAVSHIPSO; live page renders shell only - data verified via Wayback capture 2020-10-30) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR ship detail page DL 4 - Vessel Status block and Milestone Dates (Stricken Date)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The Naval Vessel Register's official inventory entry for this hull records: WILLIS A LEE (DL 4), ex-DD 929, type FRIGATE, class DL 2, UIC 52229; Status 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale' with date status changed 06/01/1973; Stricken Date 05/15/1972. This corroborates the DANFS disposition record (stricken 15 May 1972; sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.; towed away 5 June 1973).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1972-1973 (disposition)

   Limitations

   NVR documents administrative status dates only - physical characteristics fields are blank and no asbestos, materials, or hazmat data is carried. Ships disposed before 1987 are being added to NVR gradually, so record completeness varies. Live page returned the site shell without the ship detail on 2026-09-29; values verified via Wayback capture.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-06

8. [8]DANFS disposition narrative (sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., NYC; towed 5 June 1973, scrapped) + NavSource building-data block (decommissioned 19 December 1969; sold 18 May 1973 to Union Minerals and Alloys, scrapped) + NARA photograph 555767 (June 1974) of ex-Navy hulls awaiting Union Minerals scrapping at the former Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock yard, Kearny, N.J. (incl. ex-USS John Willis DE-1027, the BVA co-vessel) + NYT 25 Oct 1964 / 13 Apr 1968 shipbreaking coverage of the Kearny site [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative final paragraph; NVR status block; NARA photo 555767 (June 1974); NYT 1964/1968 Kearny shipbreaking articles

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Disposition chain for this hull: sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation of New York City (sale 18 May 1973 per the NavSource photographic-history building data; Navy disposal effective 1 June 1973 per NVR; towed away 5 June 1973 per DANFS) and scrapped. Union Minerals' shipbreaking operation for Navy hulls of this disposal cohort was at the former Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard on the Hackensack River at Kearny, New Jersey - a tier-2 asbestos-documented yard in the Atlas dataset - where a June 1974 NARA photograph shows sister-cohort Navy hulls (including ex-USS John Willis DE-1027, the co-named vessel in the BVA claim) awaiting scrapping.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1973

   Population

   Union Minerals & Alloys shipbreaking workforce, Kearny NJ site (hull attribution probable, unverified)

   Limitations

   The sale, tow-away, and scrapping are documented for this hull; Union Minerals' Kearny operation is documented at yard level. The specific demolition site for THIS hull is not independently documented in the primary sources located (Union Minerals also brokered scrap elsewhere). Shipbreaking-era exposure would have fallen on the commercial scrapping yard, not the Navy; no abatement, survey, or environmental record for this hull's dismantling was located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-07

9. [9]DANFS specifications block and yard-period narrative (Bethlehem Quincy build 1949-54; Boston Naval Shipyard commissioning and repeated availabilities) + Atlas shipyard dataset records: bethlehem-shipbuilding (Quincy, tier 3), fore-river-shipyard (Quincy, tier 3), boston-naval-shipyard (tier 3), federal-shipbuilding-kearny (tier 2) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; shipyard-exposure-map shipyards.json records for bethlehem-shipbuilding, fore-river-shipyard, boston-naval-shipyard, federal-shipbuilding-kearny

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference only: a Mitscher-class steam plant (geared turbines, 80,000 shp) built 1949-1954 and repeatedly overhauled 1956-1965 falls in the period when Navy specifications and builder practice used asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, and fireproofing. The builder yard (Bethlehem's Quincy operation at Fore River) and the principal repair yard (Boston Naval Shipyard) are tier-3 asbestos-documented yards in the Atlas dataset; the documented builder product list includes Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, pipe insulation/lagging, thermal and block insulation, gaskets, valve and pump packing, fireproofing, asbestos cloth/tape/felt, asbestos cement, and asbestos-coated welding rods. The ship-specific records in this record (ev-02, ev-03, ev-04, ev-05) are the operative findings; this row adds context, not an independent ship-specific finding.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1949-1973

   Population

   Bethlehem Quincy construction trades 1949-54; Boston Naval Shipyard yard workers 1954-1965 availabilities; crew 1954-69

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - not a ship-specific finding. Nothing in this row establishes that any particular asbestos product was installed aboard this hull; the litigation records name an engine-room insulation environment generally plus two product-level items (Crane valve packing; Warren pump gasket/packing). FRAM-period (1960-61) asbestos disturbance scope at Boston Naval Shipyard is not documented for this hull - noted in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-08

10. [10]Batch-4570 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; Naval Vessel Register; NavSource photographic archive; CourtListener API v4 opinion and RECAP docket searches; VA BVA decisions index; NARA catalog; EPA/HAER/NPS checks [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-01 through sl-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-10

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Sweep results for this hull: CourtListener docket index returns two asbestos cases with the hull name in document text (Fuoco, Vesper - both carried as rows); the published appellate record In re Joint E. & S. Dists. Asbestos Litig., 995 F.2d 343 (2d Cir. 1993) names this hull in trial testimony (McPadden). Separately, no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials inventory, hazmat disclosure, or government study naming this hull was located in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    2026-09-29

    Limitations

    Absence of a located survey or inventory does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the litigation records are consistent with era-standard materials and the ship was scrapped in 1973 without any public ACM documentation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep completeness: name queries and the DD-929 construction-number docket variant ran under fleet-shared quota (DD-929 returned collisions only); the 'Willis Lee' spelling variant was deferred under fleet pacing - logged in the ledger.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-09

11. [11]NARA RG 24 logbooks/deck logs (USS Willis A. Lee DL-4, 1954-1969) and RG 19 ship records (Booklets of General Plans / General Information Books for DD-929/DL-4); Boston Naval Shipyard FRAM work packages 1960-1961 [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA catalog.archives.gov (search attempted 2026-09-29, not resolvable via public fetch); RG 24/RG 19 finding aids

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads not retrieved: NARA holds routine deck logs (RG 24, College Park) and per-vessel records groups (RG 19 general information books / booklets of general plans) that could contain material specifications for this hull; Boston Naval Shipyard FRAM overhaul work packages (November 1960 - September 1961 yard period) would document material removed and installed. NARA catalog search for this hull's records is not publicly resolvable online (JS-only catalog); nothing retrieved.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Limitations

    Leads only - no retrieval performed, no spend authorized. Existence of relevant per-hull material specifications in these record groups is probable but unverified; deck logs rarely document insulation materials directly.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-willis-a-lee-dl4-10