Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Apogon (SS-308) - Portsmouth Navy Yard construction (ex-Abadejo); eight war patrols; rammed by freighter July 1944; Mare Island overhaul 1945; Operation Crossroads target sunk in Test Baker [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 9 December 1942 by the Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard; launched 10 March 1943 (sponsor Mrs. Thomas Withers); commissioned 16 July 1943, Lt. Comdr. W. P. Schoeni in command. Eight war patrols: Gilbert Islands support; Marianas; a 12 July 1944 convoy action in which a freighter rammed her, tearing off ~8 feet of periscope and shears; Pearl Harbor drydock repair incl. tail-shaft replacement and three main engines overhauled; Kuril Islands-Sea of Okhotsk patrols; Mare Island Navy Yard major overhaul January-May 1945. Placed in reserve at San Diego 1 October 1945 (NavSource: decommissioned 29 April 1946); refitted at Pearl Harbor as an atomic-test target from January 1946; arrived Bikini 31 May 1946. DANFS prints she was 'sunk at Bikini during atomic bomb test Baker, on 1 July 1946' - an internal error corrected in ev-04 (Baker was 25 July). Stricken 25 February 1947. Six battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-01
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[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, 'as built to the specifications' block for this hull; corroborated by BuShips Ships' Data 1945 submarine machinery tables (via shipscribe.com, per class profile) and DANFS spec block (diesel-electric, 20.25 kt surfaced) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header spec block for this hull; DANFS spec block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery fit for this hull per NavSource 'as built to the specifications' block and class-profile navypedia block map: diesel-electric reduction gear drive - four Fairbanks-Morse main generator diesel engines (5,400 hp), four Elliot Motor Co. main motors (2,740 hp), two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers. NO BOILERS and no steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery profile differs materially from steam classes (no boiler/furnace insulation, no steam-line lagging run-outs; exposure-relevant systems are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets/packing, hull thermal/acoustic insulation, and auxiliary equipment).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- The NavSource 'as built' block is a class-standard spec sheet, not a per-hull machinery survey - actual installed equipment is presumed class-typical and unverified for this specific hull. No hull-specific machinery or material list was located. Establishes propulsion type only, not fiber content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-02
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[3]Balao class profile ev-balao-class-05 (era/design inference for diesel-electric fleet boats) built on navypedia and BuShips Ships' Data 1945; GAO HRD-80-2 for the Navy's era asbestos-use regime [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile balao-class.class.json ev-05; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for diesel-electric fleet boats of this build period: era-standard applications likely included asbestos-containing diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, hull thermal and acoustic insulation, insulation around galley/refrigeration equipment, and battery/electrical materials. The documented Pearl Harbor repair period (mid-1944) and Mare Island major overhaul (January-May 1945) are ship-specific yard-disturbance windows of the kind in which era insulation was worked.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos product list was located for this hull, and no litigation record names her. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. Does not establish exposure or eligibility for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-03
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[4]NavSource disposition line resolving the DANFS internal error (Able=1 Jul vs Baker=25 Jul 1946) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS apogon.html closing paragraph vs. NavSource 08308.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS dates the sinking 'atomic bomb test Baker, on 1 July 1946' - internally inconsistent (Test Able detonated 1 July 1946; Test Baker - the underwater shot that sank her - detonated 25 July 1946). NavSource records 'sunk at Bikini atoll during atomic testing, 25 July 1946,' consistent with the Baker date. Carried as 25 July 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Corrects a one-word date error in the DANFS article, not a material claim. No asbestos content; Operation Crossroads target-ship radiological records (NARA RG 374) are the open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-04
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[5]CourtListener API v4 (opinions type=o, RECAP dockets type=r) exact-name and hull-number searches; site:courtlistener.com index sweep as throttling fallback [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: exact-name opinion/docket and hull-number queries were throttled (HTTP 429) before completion. The site:courtlistener.com fallback sweep found no documents naming this hull. No qualifying asbestos litigation - and no litigation of any kind verified as naming this hull - was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- A negative result is bounded by the search mechanism: CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive for state-court pleadings, and sustained API throttling (HTTP 429) during this sweep left some queries incomplete - completed and blocked queries are itemized in search_ledger. Site:-index fallback is corroboration, not a substitute for docket search. Does not prove no litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-05
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[6]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NPS/museum records where applicable, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/disposal hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming this vessel was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull was sunk as an atomic-test target in July 1946 - no postwar material record is possible.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard/within the hull, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apogon-ss308-06