USS Woodson (DE-359)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, Woodson (DE-359) (namesake biography, spec block, builder, dates, full service narrative, striking and sale; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404 for both URL patterns) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, DE-359 spec block + namesake biography + service narrative

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull. Spec block: DE-359 - 1,350 tons; 306'0" length; 36'7" beam; 13'4" draft; 24.3 k (trial); complement 222; armament 2x5", 4x40mm, 10x20mm, 8 dcp, 1 hedgehog, 2 dct, 3x21" tt; class John C. Butler. Namesake: Jeff Davis Woodson, born Autman, Tex. 10 June 1908; enlisted 23 June 1926 at Little Rock, Ark.; Aroostook (CM-3); aviation training NAS San Diego and NAS Pensacola; aviation pilot first class; patrol/scouting squadrons incl. Lexington (CV-2); chief aviation machinist's mate by spring 1937; VU-1, Benham (DD-397), NAS Norfolk/Pensacola 1940-41; joined Torpedo Squadron 8 aboard Hornet (CV-8) 2 September 1941; temporary Lt.(j.g.) during the April 1942 Doolittle-raid cruise; killed 4 June 1942 in Torpedo Squadron 8's attack at Midway; posthumous Navy Cross. Hull: laid down 7 March 1944 at Orange, Tex., by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd.; launched 29 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Joyce M. Woodson; commissioned 24 August 1944, Lt. Comdr. J. L. Foley in command. Service: fitting out Galveston; shakedown Bermuda from 11 September; diverted to aid survivors of Warrington (DD-383), sunk in a hurricane, carried survivors to Norfolk; Boston arrival 25 October, two weeks post-shakedown availability; Norfolk school ship November; departed 30 November for 7th Fleet via Panama, Galapagos, Bora Bora; Hollandia 3 January 1945; convoy duty New Guinea-Philippines then intra-Philippine escort (Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, Manila Bay); TG 71.5 Subic Bay submarine escort/training 25 May - 31 August 1945; TG 70.3 Okinawa 4 September, occupation escort group North China/Korea; Shanghai 5-6 October; Leyte; Okinawa; Hong Kong; departed 26 November via Pearl Harbor; San Pedro 16 December. In commission in reserve 16 May 1946; decommissioned 15 January 1947; winter 1948-49 tow to Long Beach for overhaul; San Diego reserve to spring 1951; recommissioned 19 May 1951, Lt. Comdr. A. Dennett; Newport, R.I. September 1951; Puerto Rico fleet exercises; Philadelphia Naval Shipyard overhaul 18 January - 22 April 1952 (returned under tow by Atakapa (YTB-49)); Guantanamo refresher training; Hunter/Killer Group Atlantic Fleet under Rear Adm. Daniel V. Gallery from 30 June 1952; five years Atlantic-coast operations incl. submarine target ship and Fleet Sonar School school ship; International Fleet Review Norfolk June 1957; home port Key West June 1957; first Mediterranean cruise with CortRon 12 Aug-Nov 1957 (Naples, NATO exercises, Souda Bay Crete amphibious training); New Orleans Naval Reserve training from 4 December 1957; in commission to in service 16 May 1959; placed in reserve 11 August 1962 [DANFS bracketed insert: 'Recommissioned shortly thereafter and upgraded at Newport News, Woodson kept an eye on Cuba from 2 October 1961 until 30 September 1962']; inspection and survey June 1965; struck from the Navy list 1 July 1965; sold for scrapping to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md., 16 August 1966.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1908-1942 (namesake); 1944-1966 (ship)

   Population

   Consolidated Steel construction trades 1944; wartime and postwar crew (DANFS spec complement 222); reserve/in-service caretaker and Naval Reserve training cadres 1947-1965

   Limitations

   DANFS documents identity, namesake, construction, service history, and disposal - not materials or asbestos content. Yard availabilities are named (Boston, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, Newport News, Norfolk NSY survey) without any material scope. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404 for both /danfs/w/woodson.html and /danfs/w/woodson-de-359.html (NavSource links to the former). The bracketed Cuba-surveillance insert conflicts in phrasing with the surrounding 'placed in reserve 11 August 1962' text - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-01

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (1 January 1945), NAVSHIPS 250-010 - DE design-group table and per-vessel register row (shipscribe.com scan; row read directly from the page image) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v1 PDF p. 142 (book pp. 264-265): DE individual-ship table index 372 'WOODSON ... DE359' + milestone row; footnotes 1 and 3 at page foot

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips register names this hull: individual-ship table row 'WOODSON (footnote 1) - DE359 - WGT - Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Tex. - (footnote 3) 2,043,000 - [contract signed] ...do... (Aug. 7, 1942)' with milestone row 'keel laid Mar. 7, 1944; ship launched Apr. 29, 1944; contract date of completion June 10, 1944; date of preliminary acceptance Aug. 22, 1944; date of first commission Aug. 24, 1944' (book pp. 264-265, alphabetical index no. 372). Register footnote 1 reads 'Turbines built by Westinghouse' - hull-level evidence confirming Westinghouse turbine manufacture for this ship; footnote 3 marks the price as cost-plus-fixed-fee. The DE design-group table defines group 6 'WGT' (geared-turbine drive): 2 shafts, 12,000 shp, two 'D' express boilers at 435 psi / 750 deg F superheated.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1945 (register); covers 1942-44 contract/construction data

   Population

   n/a

   Limitations

   Official contemporaneous register read directly from the scanned page image. Establishes design group (WGT), builder, contract price ($2,043,000, cost-plus-fixed-fee), contract signing (7 Aug 1942 via ditto row), milestone dates, and Westinghouse turbine manufacture for this hull - no materials or asbestos content. Boiler manufacturer (Combustion Engineering for the DE-339-372 block) rests on the navypedia-derived class block map, not this register.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-02

3. [3]Ship's official war history: letters, Commanding Officer USS Woodson (DE-359) to Secretary of the Navy (Public Information Branch), file DE359/A4-3, Serial 172-45 (5 Dec 1945) and Serial 192-45 re-submission (16 Jan 1946), with 'History of the U.S.S. Woodson (DE-359)' enclosure written by L. S. Graham, M3c(T) USNR (NavSource-hosted scan of the ship-submitted document) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DE-359 page, 'War History' image (06359wh.jpg) - 6-panel letter/narrative scan, Serials 172-45 and 192-45

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war's-end history submissions for this hull (two letters hosted as a NavSource scan): cover letter CO to Secretary of the Navy (Public Information Branch), file DE359/A4-3, Serial 172-45, 5 December 1945, signed Lt. Comdr. E. H. Forrest; re-submission Serial 192-45, 16 January 1946, signed Lt.(j.g.) B. E. Casser; narrative 'History of the U.S.S. Woodson (DE-359)' written by L. S. Graham, M3c(T) USNR. Records: commissioned 24 August 1944 at Orange, Cdr. (then Lt. Comdr.) James L. Foley (62592) USN commanding; six days later to Galveston for completion; departed 11 September 1944 for Bermuda shakedown; diverted to the Warrington (DD-383) hurricane-survivor search - on the afternoon of 16 September went alongside CVE-25 and took aboard 32 survivors she had rescued, delivering them to the Naval Hospital at Norfolk; about four weeks ASW training at Bermuda (with DE-709 and Johnnie Hutchins DE-360), during which Capt. (then Cmdr.) Ralph B. Randolph USNR, Commander Escort Division 85, broke his flag in Woodson (division flagship); two weeks 'Post Shakedown Overhaul' at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston; three weeks Norfolk school ship in the DE training program incl. an Annapolis cruise; Escort Division 85's six ships (Woodson, Johnnie Hutchins, Walton, Rolf, Pratt, Rombach) departed Norfolk 30 November 1944, Panama Canal 7 December, Baltra (Galapagos), Equator crossing 9 December, Bora Bora, International Date Line 20 December, Purvis Bay (Florida Island) and Emirau (about 13 days incl. an after-40mm-mount alteration), Humboldt Bay/Hollandia; first convoy escort to Leyte 26 January 1945; sank a drifting mine by 20/40mm gunfire; held a submarine contact about 15 hours while Rolf made hedgehog and depth-charge runs; screened 17 convoys February-late May 1945 across the Philippine area (Lingayen Gulf, Manila, Palawan, Mindoro, Subic Bay, New Guinea, Palau); Foley relieved by Lt. Comdr. Alva R. Corlett USNR (25 March per narrative page / 26 March per cover-letter page and NavSource); TG 71.5 Subic Bay 25 May - 31 August 1945 - ASW patrol off the bay mouth and escorting submarines to/from war-patrol release points, worked with 27 British and American submarines; detached 31 August to TG 70.3 Okinawa (Seventh Fleet occupation escort group for North China/Korea); rendezvoused with Biscayne (AGC-18); arrived Jinsen (Inchon), Korea, 11 September; ordered to Dairen, Manchuria; escorted transport Colbert (APA-145) through mine-littered Yellow Sea to Okinawa, sinking two floating mines; rode out a typhoon edge; escorted transport Rockwell to Shanghai, entering the Hwang Poo River 6 October for five days; independently to Hong Kong for about five weeks, standing rescue watch for Kenneth Whiting (AV-14) seaplane operations in Kowloon Bay; division flag transferred to Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360); Corlett relieved by Lt. Comdr. Edgar H. Forrest USN at Hong Kong 18 November 1945; departed 21 November, EscortDiv 85 rendezvous Okinawa 24 November; via Midway and Pearl Harbor; San Pedro Bay morning of 16 December 1945 flying the homeward-bound pennant; tied up alongside USS Medusa (AR-1) for pre-inactivation overhaul under 19th Fleet; new commanding officer Lt.(j.g.) Blaine E. Casser USNR.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-08-24 to 1946-01-16

   Population

   Ship's company 1944-1945; Escort Division 85 staff (flagship Oct 1944 - Nov 1945)

   Limitations

   Primary document (ship-submitted history per wartime reporting directive ALPAC 318-45) hosted as a scan on NavSource, a secondary site - authoritative for events as the ship reported them. It makes no statement about construction materials or asbestos. Legibility: panel scan is faint in places; the Warrington-transfer count (32 survivors via CVE-25), convoy count (17), submarine count (27), and 15-hour contact are legible; one destroyer name in the typhoon passage is partially legible and is not carried. Corlett relief date is internally inconsistent (narrative 25 March vs letter/NavSource 26 March) - carried in gaps. Original archival copy is presumably at NARA/NHHC; the NavSource scan is the accessible copy.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-03

4. [4]NavSource Online Destroyer Escort Photo Archive, USS Woodson (DE-359) 'Building and Operational Data' block + commanding-officer table + awards list (compiled from NVR/ship records; volunteer archive); shipbuildinghistory.com 'Consolidated Steel, Orange' yard table row DE-359 (Colton compilation); corroborated by uboat.net [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/06/359.htm - spec block, 'Building and Operational Data' chronology, CO table; shipbuildinghistory.com consolidatedorange.htm row DE-359

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Operational-data record for this hull (NavSource 'Building and Operational Data' block, commanding-officer table, awards list; corroborated by shipbuildinghistory.com Consolidated-Orange yard table and uboat.net): keel 7 March 1944; launched/christened 29 April 1944, sponsor Mrs. Joyce M. Woodson; commissioned 24 August 1944, Lcdr. J. L. Foley; 'in commission, in reserve' 16 May 1946; decommissioned San Diego 15 January 1946 [sic - 1947; '2 years and 5 months of service' and 73,599 miles steamed]; inactivation completed 15 October 1946, assigned Submarine Group Two, San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 19 May 1951, Lcdr. A. Dennett; homeport Newport 4 September 1951; International Naval Review/Fleet Week Norfolk 8-17 June 1957; homeport Key West June 1957; assigned Naval Reserve Training, 8th Naval District, New Orleans 4 December 1957; in service 16 May 1959; recommissioned New Orleans 2 October 1961 by Rear Adm. F. B. Warder, ComEighthND, Cmdr. R. T. Cucullu USNR-R commanding, assigned CortRon 12 at Norfolk; decommissioned New Orleans 31 August 1962, placed 'in service', Lt. D. M. McNaughton officer-in-charge; out of service at Norfolk Naval Shipyard 30 June 1965, custody to CO Norfolk Group, U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet, struck from NVR 'with a total of 13 years and 8 months of service'; sold for scrap 16 August 1966 to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore. Call sign N-H-E-Y, tactical voice 'Santa Rosa'. Yard table: contract 7-Aug-42, keel 7-Mar-44, launch 29-Apr-44, delivery 24-Aug-44, 53 days on ways / 117 fitting out / 170 total, 'Scrapped 1966'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1966

   Population

   Reserve-fleet/inactive-ships custody personnel 1947-1951 and 1965-66; Naval Reserve training cadres and reservist trainees New Orleans 1957-1962; Norfolk NSY out-of-service handling 1965

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer photographic archive; its '15 January 1946' decommissioning year is a typographical error - DANFS, Wikipedia, uboat.net, and NavSource's own '2 years and 5 months of service' figure all support 15 January 1947. The 11 vs 31 August 1962 and 30 June vs 1 July 1965 discrepancies are documented in gaps rather than silently reconciled. No official disposition document located (NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals). No asbestos or material content in any of these compilations.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-04

5. [5]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' DE-359 USS Woodson page (compiled ship-data sheet) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/DE/DE-359_Woodson.html - specifications block

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   HyperWar ship page for this hull (Patrick Clancey compilation): 'John C. Butler class Destroyer Escort: Displacement: 1,650 tons; Length: 306'; Beam: 36'8"; Draft: 11'2"; Speed: 24 knots; Range: 6,000 miles at 12 knots; Armament: 2 5"/38 DP, 2x2 40mm, 10 20mm, 1 hedgehog, 2 depth charge tracks, 8 "K" gun projectors, 1x3 21" torpedo tubes; Complement: 14 officers, 201 enlisted; Geared-turbine drive, twin screws, 12,000 h.p.; Built at Consolidated Steel, Orange, Tex., and commissioned 24 August 1944.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1945 (data as designed)

   Population

   Wartime crew (215 per this sheet)

   Limitations

   Compiled ship-data sheet corroborating DANFS specifications; its complement figure (14 officers + 201 enlisted = 215) conflicts with the DANFS spec block for this hull (222), the BuShips class design (15/207), and navypedia (156) - carried in gaps. No materials or asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-05

6. [6]BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 design-group-6 row and per-hull register row (shipscribe scan) + insulation-spec suite identified via Jack v. Borg-Warner exhibit list (class-profile archival lead ev-john-c-butler-class-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v1 PDF pp. 127-138 (design group 6) and p.142 register index 372; Jack v. Borg-Warner ECF 738 att. 1 exhibit-list items Honeywell-160 through -167

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: DE-359 is a BuShips design-group-6 (WGT) destroyer escort - keel 7 Mar 1944, first commission 24 Aug 1944 - with two 'D' express boilers (435 psi / 750 deg F) and Westinghouse geared turbines (12,000 shp), inside the peak naval asbestos era, when the documented insulation suite (BuShips Manual ch.39 'Thermal Insulation' NAVSHIPS 250-000(39) 1945; Navy Dept. spec 32F3a 'Felt, Insulating, Asbestos' Oct 1945; BuEng ch.13 heat-insulation instructions 1933/39) covered thermal pipe covering, block insulation, asbestos felt, lagging cloth/tape, millboard, finishing cement, gaskets and packing aboard steam-driven hulls. Builder Consolidated Steel Corp. (Orange, Tex.) is not in the Atlas yard dataset, so no yard-level record tempers the inference; documented service yards (Boston 1944, Philadelphia NSY 1952, Newport News 1961-62 upgrade, Norfolk NSY 1965 survey) are dataset yards but no work scope is recorded for this hull.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   1944-1965

   Population

   Consolidated Steel construction trades 1944; engineering-plant crew and yard trades 1944-1965

   Limitations

   Class/era and design-group inference only - does NOT establish that any asbestos-containing material was installed aboard this hull, and establishes no quantity and no individual exposure. The controlling spec suite is identified from a sister-hull litigation exhibit list; the spec documents themselves were not retrieved this session. NARA RG 19 General Information Books per-hull material specifications are the unretrieved archival lead.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-06

7. [7]Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC, W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537 - pretrial order materials and exhibit list, ECF 738 att. 1 (verified in class-profile record john-c-butler-class, 2026-09-16) [court_record]

   Locator

   ECF 738.1 pp. 12, 26-27 + exhibit list

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Class-level litigation context: pretrial materials in Jack v. Borg-Warner Morse Tec LLC (W.D. Wash. No. 2:17-cv-00537) name USS Brannon (DE-446), a John C. Butler-class sister of this hull, and recite the plaintiff's theory that a Griscom-Russell evaporator was supplied to Navy specification 'without insulation' and that asbestos was 'a critical material' when the Navy insulated it aboard - while the same materials concede the insulation 'could have included fiberglass, mineral wool or other non-asbestos insulation.' The exhibit list identifies the era's controlling Navy insulation documents as evidence in that case.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   WWII/postwar service era; litigation 2017-2019

   Population

   Machinist's mate aboard USS Brannon (DE-446)

   Limitations

   Names sister hull DE-446, NOT this hull - included to document the class's known litigation posture and the insulation-spec theory; it is a pleading/exhibit-list-level recital, not an adjudicated finding, and transfers nothing ship-specific to DE-359.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-07

8. [8]Laurent v. City of New Orleans et al., No. 2:14-cv-02022-CJB-MBN (E.D. La.), Order and Reasons denying remand, ECF No. 32 (filed 2014-10-23), Judge Carl J. Barbier; suitNature 'P.I. : Asbestos'; CourtListener docket 5231505 [court_record]

   Locator

   E.D. La. 2:14-cv-02022, ECF No. 32 pp. 1-2 (decedent's vessel list incl. USS WOODSON boiler rooms; GE/CBS Navy-spec turbine allegation) and pp. 9-10 (removal proper, remand denied)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull, at pleading stage as recited in a removal opinion: in Laurent v. City of New Orleans et al. (E.D. La. No. 2:14-cv-02022-CJB-MBN), a wrongful-death and survival action filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court 24 July 2014, plaintiff Scott Laurent alleged his father, decedent Frederick J. Laurent - a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve - 'worked aboard a number of naval vessels, including the USS KENNETH M. WILLETT, the USS HAAS, and the USS WOODSON in the boiler rooms' (Order and Reasons, ECF No. 32, p.1, citing Rec. Doc. 28-1 p.5), and that defendants GE and CBS (formerly Westinghouse) 'manufactured and distributed to the Navy asbestos-containing turbines and equipment, to which Decedent was exposed while working aboard the aforementioned naval vessels,' plus failure to warn. The court denied the plaintiff's remand motion, holding removal proper under the federal-officer removal statute 28 U.S.C. 1442(a)(1) because GE/CBS showed they acted under federal direction and articulated a colorable government-contractor (Boyle) defense - the opinion expressly notes remand is not the mechanism to litigate the defense. A Naval Reserve member working boiler rooms aboard this hull is consistent with Woodson's documented 1957-1962 New Orleans NRT assignment. Case filed 4 Sep 2014 (federal), terminated 29 Oct 2015.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   reservist service aboard the named DEs (era consistent with Woodson's 1957-1962 New Orleans NRT assignment); litigation 2014-2015

   Population

   Frederick J. Laurent (USNR member, worked in boiler rooms aboard USS Woodson, USS Kenneth M. Willett DE-354, and USS Haas DE-424; died of mesothelioma); Naval Reserve trainees/cadre at New Orleans

   Limitations

   PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION recited in a removal/remand opinion - the lowest rung of the litigation-stage discipline. The court decided only that federal-officer removal was proper; the exposure allegation is recited, not adjudicated, and no deposition, trial finding, or merits result was located. The opinion does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, which specific products were present, exposure dose, or causation; 'in the boiler rooms' is the allegation's own framing. Post-removal docket history not reviewed; case terminated 29 Oct 2015 (disposition not characterized in the record reviewed).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-08

9. [9]Batch-4263 CourtListener sweep (this record): authenticated API v4 - '"USS Woodson"' type=o 0 hits; '"USS Woodson"' type=r 1 hit (Laurent, qualifying); '"DE-359"' type=o 11 hits all collisions; '"DE-359"' type=r blocked by fleet pacer; site:courtlistener.com sweeps - collisions only [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-woodson-de359-08 through sl-uss-woodson-de359-11

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener sweep for this hull (authenticated API v4 via fleet helper cl-auth-search.py): '"USS Woodson"' opinions (type=o) = 0 hits. '"USS Woodson"' RECAP dockets (type=r) = 1 hit - Laurent v. New Orleans City, E.D. La. 2:14-cv-02022, suitNature 'P.I. : Asbestos' - QUALIFYING (see ev-uss-woodson-de359-08). '"DE-359"' opinions (type=o) = 11 hits, all string collisions (the substring appears as docket-entry/exhibit numbers in unrelated cases: VTS Transportation v. Palm Beach County, Fogle, Garner v. Indiana, Papageorgiou, Kenney v. Head, In re Alcom, Ozaltin, Transamerica v. Bloomfield, Williams v. Zahradnick, two Puerto Rico appeals) - none references the vessel. '"DE-359"' RECAP docket query blocked by fleet pacer - pending; site-scoped index sweep returned only docket-entry-number collisions. No opinion names the vessel.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-28

   Study period

   2026-09-28

   Limitations

   Substantially complete but not exhaustive: the 'DE-359' RECAP docket-name query did not run (fleet pacer); PACER-only dockets, state-court records, and unindexed complaint text are outside coverage. Laurent was found via docket-name match on the vessel's exact name; the merits record beyond the removal opinion was not pulled.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-woodson-de359-09

10. [10]Batch-4263 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS transcription; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 register row; ship-submitted war history scan; HyperWar ship page; NavSource operational data + CO table; shipbuildinghistory yard table; NVR coverage check; NPS/NRHP check; CourtListener API sweep + site-scoped index sweeps; law-firm listicle sweep (excluded); class profile background [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-woodson-de359-01 through sl-uss-woodson-de359-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos-materials record located for DE-359: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no materials inventory, and no hazmat or pre-disposal environmental disclosure exists in the sources searched (see search_ledger). The only ship-specific asbestos-relevant record is the pleading-stage Laurent allegation (ev-08). 'USS Woodson (DE-359) asbestos' content circulates on mesothelioma law-firm/lead-gen pages (a dedicated asbestos-ships.com hull page and ship-list entries at shepardlawfirm.com and mesotheliomabook.com) - excluded per source rules; none cites underlying documentation. The hull was stricken 1 July 1965 and sold for scrap 16 August 1966 to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore - disposal predates modern survey/abatement-disclosure practice, so none is expected to exist; whatever insulation remained aboard was scrapped with the hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-28

    Study period

    2026-09-28

    Limitations

    Absence of a located materials record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 steam destroyer escort is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and the Laurent allegation (pleading-stage, unadjudicated) is the only ship-specific pointer. Does not establish that asbestos is or was present aboard, does not characterize the scrapping yard's handling of any insulation, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-woodson-de359-10