Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
-
[1]DANFS, Albacore II (SS-218) - verbatim transcription via losthistory.net (live NHHC entry not located this pass) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: second Albacore, laid down 21 April 1941 by Electric Boat Co., Groton; launched 17 February 1942 (sponsor Mrs. Elwin F. Cutts); commissioned 1 June 1942, Lt. Comdr. Richard Cross Lake. Eleven war patrols in the Truk/New Britain/New Guinea/Solomons/Bismarck and Marianas areas; sank the light cruiser Tenryu (18 December 1942), destroyer Sazanami (14 January 1944), and - on 19 June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea - torpedoed Ozawa's flagship, the 31,000-ton carrier Taiho, which exploded and sank hours later (credit confirmed only after the war; Blanchard awarded the Navy Cross). Overhauled at Mare Island Navy Yard February-May 1944. Departed Pearl Harbor 24 October 1944; per Japanese records a submarine assumed to be Albacore struck a mine very close to shore off northeastern Hokkaido on 7 November 1944 - a patrol boat witnessed the explosion and debris. Assumed lost 21 December; stricken 30 March 1945. Presidential Unit Citation and nine battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- EB construction trades (1941-42); Mare Island overhaul trades (Feb-May 1944); crew (1942-1944); all hands lost Nov 1944
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS transcription mirror disclosed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-01
-
[2]NHHC release, 'Wreck site identified as World War Two submarine USS Albacore (SS 218)' (16 Feb 2023), carried by DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) - live NHHC news URL 404s; navy.mil blocks automated fetch [other_primary]
- Locator
- DVIDS news 438458 (NHHC release by PO1 Abigayle Lutz)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC's Underwater Archaeology Branch confirmed the identity of a wreck site off Hokkaido as USS Albacore (SS-218) on 16 February 2023, using imagery and data provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura's team (University of Tokyo), guided by Japanese records (JACAR) of the 7 November 1944 loss; key identifying features included the SJ radar dish and mast, vent holes along the superstructure, and the absence of steel plates along the fairwater's upper edge - matching documented modifications to Albacore before her final patrol. The wreck is a U.S. sunken military craft protected by U.S. law under NHHC jurisdiction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2022-2023
- Population
- Crew lost Nov 1944 (final resting place documentation only)
- Limitations
- Documents wreck-site identification only; the release states documentation was limited by currents and visibility - no material or asbestos content, no interior condition. Non-intrusive site under federal protection.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-02
-
[3]Existence of AGSS-569 documented in the class/record context; the research submarine's museum status at Portsmouth NH is public record [other_primary]
- Locator
- name-collision note (SS-218 vs AGSS-569)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NAME-NAME note for downstream litigation sweeps: 'USS Albacore' also names AGSS-569, the famous experimental submarine (built at Portsmouth NSY, in service 1953-1972, now a museum at Albacore Park, Portsmouth NH) - by far the more documented 'Albacore' in postwar technical and maintenance literature. Any 'USS Albacore' hit must be resolved before attribution to SS-218.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1953-1972 (other hull)
- Limitations
- Identity/context note only - documents the second submarine namesake so 'USS Albacore' references are not misattributed to SS-218.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-03
-
[4]Gato-class profile (ships-worktrees class-f/gato-class.class.json) + NavSource spec block (propulsion: diesel-electric, no boilers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- class-f/gato-class.class.json row ev-gato-class-07; NavSource SS-218 spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference for a diesel-electric fleet submarine of the Gato class: the boats have no boilers or steam plant - era-consistent asbestos-relevant applications are diesel-exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic/thermal hull insulation, galley and refrigeration insulation, and electrical/battery materials. All construction and documented Navy-yard periods on this hull fall inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era. This hull was built 1941-42 and lost in 1944 - her material history (construction plus a Mare Island overhaul February-May 1944) predates the Navy's substitution era.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Population
- EB construction trades (1941-42); Mare Island overhaul trades (Feb-May 1944); crew (1942-1944)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - does not establish that any asbestos-containing material is or was installed aboard this hull, and does not establish quantity, individual exposure, or present-day presence. No hull-specific insulation survey or material list was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-04
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- 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 - meaning every construction, overhaul, and repair event on this hull (built 1941-42) predates the substitution era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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 text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-05
-
[6]Batch-31 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; DVIDS/NHHC release; NavSource; site-scoped CourtListener index sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-albacore-ss218-01 through -06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for SS-218: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming THIS hull was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API search was rate-limit throttled on 2026-09-18 (HTTP 429; site search interface and feeds also blocked); site-scoped web searches of courtlistener.com for 'USS Albacore'/'SS-218' returned no qualifying asbestos case for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - all hands were lost in 1944 and the confirmed wreck's interior is undocumented (site protected, remote-sensing only). CourtListener API sweep could not be completed under rate limiting. 'USS Albacore' hits require SS-218/AGSS-569 resolution before attribution. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-albacore-ss218-06