Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet lc-packet.md (1 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-wyffels-de6-pkt-lc-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Wyffels (DE-6) (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page not located - no variant of the history.navy.mil URL resolves and no Wayback capture found; hazegray-family mirror cited; Tin Can Sailors republishes the identical DANFS text dated February 2024) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Wyffels' (DE-6), specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC record for this hull: namesake Carpenter Lawrence Edward Wyffels (born 20 January 1915, Marshall, Minn.; Enterprise CV-6; killed 26 October 1942 fighting fires and rescuing wounded during the Battle of Santa Cruz Island; posthumous Silver Star). Intended for transfer to Great Britain, laid down as BDE-6 on 17 October 1942 at Charlestown, Mass., by the Boston Navy Yard; launched 7 December 1942; retained by the United States and redesignated DE-6 on 25 January 1943; renamed Wyffels on 19 February 1943; commissioned 15 April 1943, Lt. Robert Messigner Hinckley, Jr., in command. Bermuda exercises May 1943; Norfolk operations alternating with drydock periods June 1943; first of 11 wartime Atlantic-to-Mediterranean convoy escort voyages departed Hampton Roads 27 June 1943 (including escorting straggler tanker SS British Pride 29 July); 10 further circuit voyages August 1943-April 1945. On 11 May 1944, escorting convoy UGS-40 (56 merchant ships bound for Bizerte), fought off a coordinated dusk air attack - engaged a Junkers bomber at 2124 which missed the bow and crashed in flames; no hits scored on convoy or escort. Repairs at Charleston late April 1945; arrived Miami 11 May 1945; school ship (gunnery and antisubmarine instruction) off Florida and the Bahamas. Decommissioned and leased to the Republic of China 28 August 1945, serving as T'ai Kang; permanently transferred February 1948; struck from the Navy list 12 March 1948. One battle star for World War II service. Specifications: 1,140 tons; 289'5"; 35'1"; 8'3" mean draft; 19.5 kt; complement 198; 3x3", 4x1.1", 2x40mm, 9x20mm, depth-charge tracks/projectors, hedgehog; class Evarts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; wartime crew (design complement 198)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history, namesake, dates, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. The mirror transcription carries an OCR error ('Wvffels received one battle star'). Commissioning date conflicts with the contemporaneous BuShips Ships' Data 1945 roster entry (21 April 1943) - carried in gaps. Live NHHC page not located under any URL variant; verbatim mirror transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-01
-
[3]NPS / Boston National Historical Park, Stephen P. Carlson, 'Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard' (2005) - appendix ship-list entry for Wyffels (DE-6) and cross-reference 'No Name (BDE-6), see Wyffels' [nps]
- Locator
- Appendix 'Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard' table, Wyffels row (DE-6), and index cross-reference 'No Name (BDE-6), see Wyffels'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NPS Boston NHP appendix listing independently corroborates this hull's build record: 'Wyffels - Escort Vessel - DE-6 - laid down 1942 Oct 17 - launched 1942 Dec 7 - commissioned 1943 Apr 15' at the Charlestown Navy Yard, annotated 'Ex-BDE-6 (1943); transferred to China 1945' - matching the DANFS build and commission dates (15 April 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43
- Limitations
- Appendix table entry confirms builder, build dates, BDE-6 origin, and China transfer only; carries no materials or asbestos information. Its 15 April 1943 commission date agrees with DANFS and conflicts with the BuShips Ships' Data 1945 'date of first commission' of 21 April 1943 - conflict carried in gaps. PDF served via GPO PURL (the original nps.gov parkhistory URL now redirects).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-02
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[4]Bureau of Ships, 'Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945,' Vol. I (NAVSHIPS 250-010, issued 15 April 1945; downgraded Restricted 5 Jan 1946, declassified 28 Sept 1967) - Destroyer-Escort Vessels (DE) roster, row 373, pp. 264-265 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 250-010 Vol. I, 'Destroyer-Escort Vessels (DE)' roster, internal pp. 264-265, row 373 (WYFFELS)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official BuShips roster entry for this hull (DE section alphabetical roster, row 373): 'WYFFELS | DE6 | GMT | Navy Yard, Boston | 1,824,300 | Nov. 1, 1941 | Oct. 17, 1942 | Dec. 7, 1942 | -- | -- | Apr. 21, 1943' - i.e., DE-6, propulsion group GMT (General Motors Tandem diesel-electric drive designation), built by Navy Yard Boston, contract price $1,824,300 signed 1 November 1941, keel laid 17 October 1942, launched 7 December 1942, no contract-completion or preliminary-acceptance date entered, and 'Date of first commission' recorded as 21 April 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (publication); contract data 1941-43
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43
- Limitations
- Official contemporaneous record documents propulsion GROUP (GMT = diesel-electric), builder, contract data, and build/commission dates - no materials or asbestos information. Its 21 April 1943 'date of first commission' conflicts with DANFS's and NPS's 15 April 1943 - carried in gaps unreconciled. The volume is an image-only scan (OCR'd locally for this read); the GMT group designation is official, but the specific engine model (4xGM 16-278A, ~6,000 shp) still rests on secondary compilations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-03
-
[5]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, Picture Data 80-G-280022 (verbatim transcription; live NHHC photo pages generally serve 404) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library Picture Data sheet, photo 80-G-280022 (ibiblio mirror)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photograph of this hull: 'USS Wyffels (DE-6) underway east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts (41 47'N, 69 10'W) on 6 September 1944. She is wearing Camouflage Measure 31, Design 3D. Photographed from a ZP-11 blimp. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.' Documents the hull in active Atlantic-convoy-era service; a second official photograph (80-G-382818, Boston Harbor 30 August 1944) is indexed on the NavSource compilation page (not retrievable - NavSource blocks automated access).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Wartime crew, September 1944
- Limitations
- Photo caption documents identity and activity - no materials, machinery, or asbestos information. Mirror transcription cited; the second cited photograph's caption is per NavSource's index (secondary compilation), not directly verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-04
-
[6]DANFS specifications block (Evarts class; 19.5 kt; complement 198) + NAVSHIPS 250-010 roster row 373 (GMT group official) + Atlas shipyard dataset records (boston-naval-shipyard tier-3; charleston-naval-shipyard tier-2) + NavSource Evarts-class design article (secondary compilation, machinery detail) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block + service narrative; NAVSHIPS 250-010 DE roster row 373; shipyards.json records 'boston-naval-shipyard', 'charleston-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: an Evarts-class destroyer escort completed 1942-43 in a U.S. Navy yard would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel-electric ship - exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, brake linings, and deck/bulkhead coverings - but no boilers or steam lagging, the largest asbestos categories of steam ships. The hull's GMT (diesel-electric) propulsion group is officially documented in BuShips Ships' Data 1945; the engine detail (4xGM 16-278A, ~6,000 shp) is per secondary compilations. Documented yard touchpoints for this hull: Boston Navy Yard construction (Oct 1942-Apr 1943), Norfolk drydock periods June 1943 (facility not named in DANFS), and repairs at Charleston April 1945 (the Navy's Charleston yard presumed - inference). Builder Boston Naval Shipyard is documented as a tier-3 asbestos-era yard in the Atlas dataset (yard-level John Crane gasket/sealing litigation record).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard construction trades 1942-43; Navy-yard availability workforces 1943-45; wartime crew
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - NOT a hull-specific finding. No primary source names asbestos materials aboard this hull. The diesel-electric (GMT) designation is official per NAVSHIPS 250-010; engine model detail remains secondary. Documented yard events are repair/maintenance periods at asbestos-era yards whose asbestos scope is undocumented. Does not quantify material or establish any individual's exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-05
-
[7]Batch-4413 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription with mirror verification; NPS yard-history appendix; BuShips NAVSHIPS 250-010 roster (locally OCR'd); NHHC Online Library photo caption; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries; NARA catalog; NavSource compilation review [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-wyffels-de6-01 through sl-uss-wyffels-de6-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DE-6: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, disposal hazmat disclosure, museum document, or docketed case adjudicating exposure aboard this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was decommissioned and leased to the Republic of China on 28 August 1945 - decades before the Navy's asbestos-control programs and before modern hazmat documentation existed - so this negative finding is expected rather than probative.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-43 Navy-yard build is era-consistent with asbestos use, but no primary source names materials on this hull. The ship's 27-year ROC career and disposal are outside U.S. documentation. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-06
-
[8]NARA holdings leads: RG 24 Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations 1941-1978 (series NAID 594258 - wartime deck logs exist per ship; DE-6 item-level NAIDs not identified); RG 19 Bureau of Ships General Information Books / ship plan records (per-vessel material specifications lead); RG 181 First Naval District records at NARA Boston (Boston Navy Yard administrative/photo records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 series description (NAID 594258); NARA RG 19 series descriptions; NARA Boston RG 181 holdings
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads for hull-level records not yet retrieved: DE-6's 1943-45 wartime deck logs should exist in NARA RG 24 (the 1941-78 logbook series); per-hull material and machinery specifications may exist in RG 19 General Information Books or BuShips plan files; NARA Boston holds First Naval District yard records relevant to the ship's 1942-43 construction. The official machinery/characteristics listing was retrieved for this batch (NAVSHIPS 250-010, ev-03) - the remaining leads are for materials data specifically.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Leads only - holdings are identified at series level; deck-log and GIB contents not examined for materials data, and the presence of DE-6-specific asbestos content within them is not established. NARA catalog API/browser path is JS-rendered and key-gated - item-level verification was not performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-07
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 search, 2026-09-28, via fleet-authenticated helper cl-auth-search.py: "USS Wyffels" type=o (0); "USS Wyffels" type=r (0); "Wyffels" type=o (19 - all surname collisions); "Wyffels" type=r (90 dockets / 392 docs; returned set all surname collisions); "DE-6" type=o (2,281 - identifier/document-number noise); "DE-6" type=r (11,213 dockets / 14,562 docs - docket-entry numbering noise) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-wyffels-de6-05 through sl-uss-wyffels-de6-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep for this hull completed 2026-09-28: zero published opinions and zero dockets for the exact quoted ship name "USS Wyffels". Bare-surname queries return only person-name collisions - the 19 opinion hits are individuals named Wyffels (Minnesota land-contract/estate and criminal cases incl. Wyffels v. State Fla. 2010, James Wyffels v. Kokoszka Ga. 2014, Schwartz v. Wyffels D. Or. 1971, Des Moines Joint Stock Land Bank v. Wyffels Minn. 1932; a deputy 'A. Wyffels' in Field v. County of Orange 9th Cir. 2009); the 90-count docket set's returned hits are all personal bankruptcies, Social Security, and vaccine-injury matters for individuals surnamed Wyffels. Hull-number queries return pure identifier noise: the 2,281 "DE-6" opinion hits are document/docket-code collisions (heavily Puerto Rico docketing codes), and the 11,213 "DE-6" docket count is PACER docket-entry numbering noise (e.g., 'Letter regarding DE-6' as an exhibit reference in an FLSA case, Mendoza v. A Pride of Steel Corp., E.D.N.Y. 1:23-cv-02304). NO asbestos case and no vessel reference of any kind names this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-28
- Study period
- 2026-09-28
- Limitations
- Sweep establishes only what CourtListener indexes on 2026-09-28 - state-court pleadings and unadjudicated matters are incompletely indexed; MDL-875 member-docket text is not hull-searchable in all cases; the multi-thousand-count 'DE-6' sets are pattern-verified as numbering noise, not individually audited end-to-end. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Fleet-wide pacing budget delayed queries ~50 minutes; all six queries eventually landed via the authenticated helper.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wyffels-de6-08