USS WREN (DD-568)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

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

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: Queue: USS WREN DD-568 → VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-wren-dd568-pkt-fk-packet-md

2. [2]Madden v. Able Supply Co., 205 F. Supp. 2d 695 (S.D. Tex. 2002), No. CIV.A. G-02-194 (Kent, D.J.), opinion of May 27, 2002 (CourtListener opinion 2332236) [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion at Part I (facts), Part III/Mesa analysis incl. Gate affidavit recital (205 F. Supp. 2d at 699-702); docket CIV.A. G-02-194 (S.D. Tex., Galveston Division)

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   Published federal opinion in asbestos litigation names this hull and identifies asbestos-containing equipment manufactured for it. Plaintiff Laura Madden sued ~40 defendants in Texas state court for the asbestos-related mesothelioma death of Thomas Madden Jr., a U.S. Navy veteran of over twenty years who, the court recites, 'worked on at least one vessel (the USS Wren) that carried turbine generators manufactured by Westinghouse.' Viacom (as Westinghouse successor) removed under 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a)(1); the opinion states 'Westinghouse candidly admits that it used asbestos-containing thermal insulation in the manufacture of the marine turbines for the USS Wren.' The unrebutted affidavit of James M. Gate (Westinghouse Marine Division design-verification manager, marine engineer since 1953) avers that for 'turbines supplied by Westinghouse to the Navy for use aboard the USS Wren,' all materials including thermal insulation were specified by NAVSEA, whose specifications incorporated military specifications that 'require use of asbestos-containing insulation for the turbines,' and that the Navy barred contractor warning labels on naval machinery without prior approval. DD-568 is the only commissioned USS Wren in the Navy record, so the named vessel is unambiguous. Disposition: removal sustained as to Westinghouse only (motion to remand DENIED for the Westinghouse failure-to-warn claim); the remaining ~40-defendant claims were SEVERED and REMANDED to the 122nd Judicial District Court, Galveston County, Texas.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   Madden naval service (dates unstated; hull in commission 1944-1946 and 1951-1963); litigation filed ~2000, opinion 2002

   Population

   Thomas Madden Jr. (USN, 20+ years; served aboard USS Wren; mesothelioma death); plaintiff Laura Madden for the estate; Westinghouse turbine-generator crews aboard this hull

   Limitations

   Removal/remand-stage ruling under Mesa/Willingham - the exposure allegation is recited, not adjudicated, and no merits finding on exposure or causation exists in this opinion. The ship-specific product record (asbestos thermal insulation in Westinghouse turbines built for this hull) rests on the manufacturer's own admission plus an unrebutted affidavit submitted to establish federal-officer removal - statements made in the defendant's jurisdictional interest, not findings after adversarial testing. The opinion does not state Madden's service dates aboard, ratings, or which turbine equipment he worked on; it does not quantify asbestos aboard, does not establish that Madden or anyone else was exposed aboard this hull, and does not address legal eligibility. Subsequent merits history of the retained Westinghouse claim was not located.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-01

3. [3]DANFS, Wren (DD-568) - NHHC page published 2016-04-05, via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 (live NHHC URL serves 404; hazegray.org unreachable; ibiblio dafs path 404) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative + awards line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS record for this hull: spec block '(DD-568: dp. 2,050; l. 376'6"; b. 39'8"; dr. 17'9"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 273; a. 5 5", 10 40mm., 7 20mm., 10 21" tt, 6 dcp., 3 dct.; cl. Fletcher).' Namesake: Sgt. Solomon Wren, USMC (Decatur's Tripoli raid, 1804). Laid down 24 April 1943 at Seattle, Wash., by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 29 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Jeanne F. Dockweiler; commissioned 20 May 1944, Comdr. Edwin A. McDonald. Shakedown San Diego; Northern Pacific Force, Aleutians, August 1944; four TF 92 bombardments of the Kurils (Matsuwa 21 Nov 1944; Paramushiro 5 Jan and 18 Feb 1945; Matsuwa 15 Mar 1945); Okinawa/Ryukyus 21 May-18 June 1945 (ASW patrol, radar picket; at least four attackers downed, no major hits); TF 38 strikes on Japan; Tokyo Bay 26 August and present at the 2 September 1945 surrender; inactivation overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (arrived 23 December 1945); to Charleston late March 1946; decommissioned 13 July 1946. Recommissioned Charleston 7 September 1951 (Comdr. George M. Hagerman); BuShips standardization/vibration tests at David Taylor Model Basin, Carderock, late 1951; DesDiv 61 Far East deployment Aug 1953-Apr 1954 (TF 77 Sea of Japan/Yellow Sea screen 10 Oct-26 Nov; HMAS Sydney; TF 95 Korean cease-fire surveillance to 1 Feb 1954); westabout circumnavigation completed at Norfolk 9 April 1954; thereafter 2d Fleet midshipman cruises, 6th Fleet Mediterranean deployments, annual Springboard exercises, 1957 Mid East Force/Operation Crescent with the Pakistani Navy; out of commission in reserve December 1963; eleven years in the reserve fleet berthed at Philadelphia; struck from the Navy list December 1974; sold 22 October 1975 to North American Smelting Co., Wilmington, Del., for scrapping. Three battle stars WWII.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1975

   Population

   Seattle-Tacoma construction trades 1943-44; wartime and postwar crews (design complement 273); Philadelphia reserve-fleet caretakers 1963-1975; scrapping workforce, North American Smelting, 1975-76

   Limitations

   DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. It reads 'December 1963' and 'December 1974' without days - NavSource's day precision (30 Dec 1963; 1 Dec 1974) is carried and flagged. It does not cover the early-1960s Galveston Naval Reserve Force duty (secondary sources only). Live NHHC URL 404; citation is the NHHC page's own Wayback capture. NHHC text contains a typo ('The destroyed rejoined TF 77') - read as 'destroyer.'

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-02

4. [4]NavSource Naval History, Destroyer Photo Index DD-568 USS Wren (navsource.net mirror - navsource.org fetch failed; contributor photo captions incl. NHHC photo NH 107257 and NARA 80-G-455391 via destroyerhistory.org) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource DD-568 page: data block, 'Operational and Building Data,' photo-caption block, CO list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource data block and photo captions for this hull: Fletcher class as built; displacement 2,924 tons full; 376'5" oa x 39'7" x 13'9" max; machinery 60,000 shp, General Electric geared turbines, 2 screws; 38 knots; crew 273; call sign NEXK (voice 'SAILOR DANCE'). Building/operational data: laid down 24 April 1943 (Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding); launched 29 January 1944; commissioned 20 May 1944; decommissioned 13 July 1946; recommissioned 7 September 1951; decommissioned 30 December 1963; stricken 1 December 1974; sold 22 October 1975 to North American Smelting, Wilmington, DE and broken up. Photo captions document: Dutch Harbor 1944 in Measure 31/23d camouflage; Dry Dock No. 2 at Sasebo mid-December 1953; drydock at Todd Shipyards, Galveston, Texas, March 1960; Dry Tortugas June 1960. Full commanding-officer list to LCDR Billy Perry (to 30 December 1963). destroyerhistory.org's Wren page is a NARA photo (80-G-455391) of the ship off Dungeness Point, Washington, 2 June 1944.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1975

   Population

   Crews 1944-1963; drydock workers at Sasebo (Dec 1953) and Todd Galveston (Mar 1960)

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled photographic archive, not an official publication - used for day precision on the final decommissioning (30 Dec 1963) and stricken date (1 Dec 1974), the Sasebo and Todd Galveston drydock events, and machinery details; all shared dates agree with DANFS. Contains no asbestos information; the Galveston/Todd 1960 drydock caption corroborates the secondary-source Naval Reserve Force period but does not itself document scope of work. Speed (38 kt) conflicts with the DANFS spec block's 35 kt - class data block variation, noted not reconciled.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-03

5. [5]DANFS spec block (Fletcher class; 35 kt) + Destroyer History Foundation 'Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding / Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, WA' yard history + Atlas shipyard dataset, 'todd-shipyards' record [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS spec block; destroyerhistory.org Seattle-Tacoma yard page; shipyards.json 'todd-shipyards'; NARA RG19 filing codes per the archives.gov asbestos research guide

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/yard inference: a WWII Fletcher-class destroyer built 1943-44 with a four-boiler/60,000-shp steam plant would have carried period-standard asbestos boiler and steam-line insulation, turbine lagging, gaskets, packing, fireproofing, and deck coverings. The builder, Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. ('Sea-Tac'), was the Todd Shipyards/Kaiser joint venture whose Harbor Island, Seattle yard - purpose-built in 1940-41 for destroyer production - built 21 square-bridge Fletchers before following with Sumner and Gearing hulls; at 17,000 employees its 40 commissioned wartime hulls ranked third among destroyer builders. The parent (Todd Shipyards) is covered by the Atlas 'todd-shipyards' yard-level record; this hull also drydocked at Todd's Galveston yard in March 1960 (NavSource photo caption). NARA RG 19 'General Information Books' and BuShips correspondence under filing codes 'DD568' (hull), 'DD445 Class' (Fletcher class), and 'QM/Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding' (private yard) are the unretrieved archival path for hull-level material specifications.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1943-1963

   Population

   Sea-Tac Harbor Island construction trades 1943-44; Todd Galveston drydock workers 1960; crew 1944-1963

   Limitations

   Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding; the ship-specific record for this hull is ev-01 (Madden). The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. yard itself has no Atlas yard entry (carried in gaps) - the Todd record covers the parent corporation, and the Galveston drydock is a photo-caption event without documented scope. NARA RG19 retrieval not performed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-04

6. [6]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - placing DD-568's construction (1943-44) and entire commissioned service (1944-1963) inside the documented asbestos-use era.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review

   Limitations

   Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full report text not retrieved this session (gao.gov blocks automated fetch) - content via product-page description, consistent with its treatment in earlier batch records.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-05

7. [7]NARA, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (archives.gov guided topic) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov guided topic, 'Beginning Research' and 'Bureau of Ships General, Confidential, and Secret Correspondence' sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA's official asbestos-research guidance maps the Bureau of Ships (RG 19) records path applicable to this hull: hull-specific correspondence under filing code 'DD568,' Fletcher-class correspondence under 'DD445 Class' (named for the class leader), destroyer type correspondence under 'DD,' and builder-yard correspondence under 'QM/Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding' (QM = private contractor). Relevant series enumerated: RG 19 Entries A1 1266-A through -P (General Correspondence 1940-45), UD 1017-A (Confidential General Correspondence 1946), and UD 1001-1013+ (Unclassified General Correspondence 1947-61). Deck logs for the hull sit in RG 24.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   Records span 1940-1961; guidance page current

   Population

   Researchers/veterans documenting shipboard asbestos; potential correspondents: BuShips-DD568 files

   Limitations

   Archival-lead documentation only: the page establishes that the correspondence series exist and how they are filed - it does not establish what was installed aboard DD-568, and no retrieval from those series was performed. NARA states it cannot perform this research; the files are not digitized.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-06

8. [8]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep (via cl-auth-search.py fleet limiter): opinion index queries "USS Wren" and "DD-568"; RECAP docket query "USS Wren" attempted [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener search API, type=o 'q="USS Wren"' (count 1: opinion 2332236) and 'q="DD-568"' (count 0); type=r 'q="USS Wren"' pending

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Opinion-index sweep complete: exact-phrase "USS Wren" returns a single opinion - Madden v. Able Supply Co., 205 F. Supp. 2d 695 (S.D. Tex. 2002) - which is qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull (see ev-01); hull-number query "DD-568" returns zero opinions. RECAP docket-index queries ("USS Wren"; "Madden" "Able Supply", type=r) could not be completed: the fleet-wide pacing budget was exhausted on each of seven spaced attempts (cl_ratelimit acquire timeouts); logged as pending rather than retried against the limiter. Name-collision risk is minimal - DD-568 is the only commissioned USS Wren in the Navy record, and no other 'Wren' vessel name variants appear in DANFS.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2026-09-27

   Limitations

   Opinion sweep verified 2026-09-27; RECAP docket sweep pending (pacing) - docket-level litigation naming the hull outside the opinion index is unexamined. A type=r result naming the hull at docket level only would not itself be qualifying exposure evidence.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-07

9. [9]Batch-3539 search ledger (this record): DANFS via archived NHHC page; NavSource data block and photo captions; destroyerhistory.org (NARA photo 80-G-455391); CourtListener opinion sweep; NARA asbestos research guide; GAO HRD-80-2; NVR (out of scope - pre-1987 disposal); law-firm ship pages (excluded per sourcing rules) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-wren-dd568-01 through sl-uss-wren-dd568-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No hull-specific asbestos survey, abatement record, materials inventory, or museum hazmat disclosure located for DD-568 in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was stricken December 1974, sold for scrap 22 October 1975 to North American Smelting Co. (Wilmington, Del.), and broken up - before modern asbestos documentation practice - and never became a museum, so the disclosure channel that produced ship-specific records for preserved hulls does not exist here. The only qualifying litigation record located (Madden, ev-01) is a removal-stage ruling: the exposure allegation is unadjudicated, and the asbestos content of the Westinghouse turbines is a manufacturer admission plus unrebutted affidavit rather than a merits finding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-27

   Study period

   2026-09-27

   Limitations

   Absence of a located survey/abatement record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - the Madden record documents asbestos-containing turbine insulation supplied for this hull, and era-standard applications are documented at class/era level. The hull no longer exists, so present-day ACM status is moot; whether original insulation remained through the 1945-46 inactivation, 1951 reactivation, 1960 Todd Galveston drydock, and 1963-75 reserve-fleet lay-up is undocumented.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-wren-dd568-08