Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet crew-manus-b-packet.md (36 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH — real identity: DSRV-2 (informally Avalon; officially an unnamed service craft)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-avalon-dsrv2-pkt-crew-manus-b-packet-md
-
[2]U.S. Naval Undersea Museum collection item NUM.2018.024.007: Mole, 'Submarine Rescue and Escape: Overview' monograph (ca. 1988); plus museum rescue-history page (navalunderseamuseum.org/rescue/) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NUM.2018.024.007 PDF (DSRV history and DSRS-composition sections); navalunderseamuseum.org/rescue/
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'DSRV-2 was launched on 1 May 1971 and commissioned on 11 July 1972 at a cost of $23,000,000. Following a six week factory test, both ships underwent extensive sea trials and were finally accepted by the Navy in 1977.' The monograph describes the Deep Submergence Rescue System as two DSRVs (DSRV-1 Mystic and DSRV-2 Avalon) homeported at the Submarine Rescue Unit, NAS North Island, San Diego, with two ASR-21-class rescue ships and 23 modified mother submarines (19 U.S., 4 U.K.). It records that DSRV-2 Avalon was being modified with a transfer-trunk equalization system (ca. 1988) and that the 1975 spec revision (SOR 46-15R2) accepted rescue capacities of 17 per trip for Avalon vs 19 for Mystic (below the 24-passenger design figure). Museum history page: DSRVs Mystic and Avalon 'launched in the early 1970s, given full operational status in 1977, and served as the Navy's submarine rescue system through 2008.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966-2000
- Population
- DSRV operating crews; Deep Submergence/Submarine Rescue Unit personnel (1972-2000)
- Limitations
- Official Navy museum publication documenting construction/acceptance dates and system composition; contains no asbestos or hazardous-material content. 'Commissioned' here denotes service-craft status, not USS-ship commissioning.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-01
-
[3]MARAD National Register Eligibility Assessments: ex-USS Pigeon (ASR-21) and USS Ortolan (ASR-22), vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov (2008-2009) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Pigeon (ASR-21) and Ortolan (ASR-22) NR eligibility assessment PDFs, 'Vessel History' and 'Statement of Significance' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD documents that the ASR-21-class catamaran rescue ships were purpose-built to carry and support the DSRVs, and that 'the DSRV-1, named Mystic, was assigned to Ortolan, and the DSRV-2, named Avalon, was assigned to Pigeon' (Pacific Fleet, homeported San Diego). The DSRV 'became operational in 1972'; twelve vehicles were originally proposed from Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, reduced to two; and 'the Navy began its deactivation of Mystic and the DSRV program October 1, 2008' after the SRDRS Rescue Capable System replaced Mystic as the deep-submergence rescue asset on September 30, 2008.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966-2008
- Population
- Pigeon (ASR-21) crew and DSU personnel working with this vehicle
- Limitations
- Government (MARAD) vessel-history assessments naming DSRV-2 by its informal name in the mother-ship pairing; program-level DSRV descriptions apply to the class, and the documents contain no asbestos or hazardous-material content for Avalon or the ASR-21 ships.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-02
-
[4]NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive, 'Avalon (DSRV-2)' page (spec block + USN/DVIC photo captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/08/08546.htm (spec block and photo-caption table); corroborating F-1 caption at /archives/08/08020.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents: laid down by Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Sunnyvale, Calif.; 'Launched, July 1972' (the NUM monograph instead gives launch 1 May 1971 and commissioning 11 July 1972, so the page header appears to conflate launch with commissioning). Spec block: displacement 82,000 lbs; length 49 ft (15 m); beam 8 ft (2.4 m); two 700-Ah silver-zinc batteries (90-140 vdc) plus 28-vdc emergency battery; complement of two pilots, two rescue personnel, capacity for 24 passengers; max depth 5,000 ft. Documented events: Avalon 'located and photographed the wreck' of F-1 (SS-20) off California in 1980 (the companion F-1 page records the wreck first located and filmed by USNS De Steiguer (T-AGOR-12) in an October 1975 caption during a routine search for a crashed aircraft, and dates DSRV wreck photography 1986 - chronology carried in gaps); a fly-away exercise 1-2 September 1981 (DVIC DN-ST-82-04880/-04875: trailer to USAF C-5A Galaxy, 60th MAW, en route Hawaii; DN-SN-82-04945/-04955: craned onto pylons aboard Cavalla (SSN-684) at Pearl Harbor 2 September 1981); 462nd dive marked 5 December 1984 aboard Cavalla; on Billfish (SSN-676) 1 September 1992 for NATO exercise Sorbet Royal '92 (DVIC DN-SC-93-00499); DSU training pool NAS North Island 10 January 1995 (DN-SC-95-01762); 960th dive 20 July 1999 (MOSUB-DISSUB exercise with French submarine SNLE Le Tonnant Bleu per the commemorative card); an undated flight to the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, for a simulated rescue off HMS Repulse. One of the two DSRV hulls received a potassium superoxide (KO2) breathing system in 1982 (480 man-hours); the page does not state which. Page notes 'There is no DANFS History currently available for Avalon (DSRV-2).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1971-2000
- Population
- DSRV crews and DSU support personnel; MOSUB deck crews (Cavalla, Billfish)
- Limitations
- Photo-archive page built largely from official USN/DVIC caption text - authoritative for documented events and photos, but it is a privately maintained archive (not a government server); the spec block's 'two hy140 steel spheres' conflicts with USNI/Navy fact file 'three interconnected spheres' (discrepancy in gaps). No asbestos or hazmat content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-03
-
[5]Morro Bay Maritime Museum, 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) Avalon' exhibit page; corroborated by San Luis Obispo Tribune (sub arrived Morro Bay June 2012) and museum-history coverage (1215 Embarcadero site since 2015) [museum_official]
- Locator
- morrobaymaritime.org/exhibits/avalon/; sanluisobispo.com Labor Day 2012 coverage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Current custodian confirms the craft is the Morro Bay Maritime Museum's DSRV Avalon exhibit: contract awarded August 1966 to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Sunnyvale; Avalon launched summer 1971; based at NAS North Island as a fly-away system deployable on C-5/C-141 aircraft. Avalon went out of service in 2000 having never been used in an actual submarine rescue ('decommissioned in 2000 without a mission' per museum-history coverage; MARAD likewise records the system waiting for 'the submarine disaster that fortunately never occurred') and arrived in Morro Bay in June 2012 on long-term loan from the U.S. Navy; it is on public display at the museum's Embarcadero site.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1966-2026
- Population
- Museum visitors and maintenance volunteers (2012-present)
- Limitations
- Custodian museum page documents provenance and display status; contains no asbestos, survey, or hazmat disclosure - interior material condition of the preserved craft is not publicly characterized. 'On loan' (not donated outright) per contemporary reporting.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 'The DSRV System' (February 2002) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Proceedings, February 2002 issue, 'The DSRV System'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Program-level account: after the 10 April 1963 loss of USS Thresher (SSN-593), SECNAV Fred Korth established the Deep Submergence Systems Review Group; the resulting DSRV program was cut back to two vehicles, completed 1971-72 and based at San Diego. The DSRV comprises three interconnected 7.5-ft HY-140 steel personnel spheres in a fiberglass-reinforced shell; forward sphere holds pilot and copilot, center and after spheres accommodate 24 survivors and a third crewman. Mystic was initially certified to 3,500 ft; both vehicles were subsequently rated to 5,000 ft. One vehicle was kept on alert at NAS North Island for rapid air/submarine deployment.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1963-2002
- Population
- DSRV crews and DSU personnel (program level)
- Limitations
- Class/program-level description naming both vehicles; contains no asbestos content. Confirms propulsion-independent design facts (spheres, mating concept) but establishes nothing about materials aboard DSRV-2 specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-05
-
[7]U.S. Navy Fact File, 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle' (text mirrored at man.fas.org, the FAS archive of the official navy.mil fact file) [other_primary]
- Locator
- man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/dsrv.htm (Navy Fact File mirror, 'Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Navy fact file describes the battery-electric propulsion relevant to asbestos assessment: 'Propulsion and control of the DSRV is provided by a conventional, battery-powered, stern propeller in a movable shroud; and four ducted thrusters.' The formed-fiberglass outer hull is approximately 15 m (50 ft) long and 2.4 m (8 ft) in diameter; the vehicle weighs approximately 36 metric tons (80,000 lb) and encloses three interconnected 7.5-ft high-tensile-steel spheres; operating depth ~5,000 ft; one DSRV was kept in rescue-ready status at all times. Identifies Mystic (DSRV 1) and Avalon (DSRV 2) as the two vehicles of the Deep Submergence Unit.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1972-2000s
- Population
- DSRV crews (design-level)
- Limitations
- Design-level description of the class; confirms absence of boilers, steam plant, and reactor - i.e., the steam-system asbestos pathway does not apply to this hull type - but the document itself makes no asbestos statement. No hull-specific material data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-06
-
[8]Naval Vessel Register listing convention: Wikipedia's DSRV-2 Avalon article states it incorporates public-domain material from the NVR entry 'No Name (DSRV-2)'; corroborating secondary sources (navysite.de) state official records treated the hull as unnamed service craft 'DSRV-2'/'No Name (DSRV-2)', with 'Avalon' informally applied and the name assigned circa 1977 (navysite.de: 'Named in 1977'; Mystic-class naming at 1977 Fleet Acceptance Ceremonies per secondary coverage) [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSRV-2_Avalon (NVR public-domain incorporation note); navysite.de/ships/avalon.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION (identity/status/class): (1) 'Avalon' was an informal name, not a conventional USS commission - the craft was an unnamed Navy service craft 'DSRV-2'/'No Name (DSRV-2)' on the Naval Vessel Register; the USS prefix never properly applied. It was 'commissioned' only in the service-craft sense (11 July 1972 per NUM). (2) The class is Mystic class (DSRV-1 class) built by Lockheed Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale - not 'Albacore class,' a mislabel seen in secondary coverage. (3) Launch dating: NUM gives 1 May 1971 launch + 11 July 1972 commissioning; NavSource's 'Launched, July 1972' caption appears to conflate the two.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1971-1978
- Limitations
- The NVR 'No Name (DSRV-2)' entry is cited through secondary reuse of its public-domain text - the NVR page itself was not retrievable (dynamic site; no Wayback capture located) and is logged as a ledger lead. The 1977 naming attribution rests on secondary sources; the batch tasking notes an NHHC-cataloged 1978 welcome-aboard brochure that would corroborate use of the name by 1978.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-07
-
[9]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
- Era context only: GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - the era during which DSRV-2 was contracted (1966) and built (1970-72).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1979 (report); 1966-1972 (relevant build era)
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level Navy-wide documentation; the GAO report concerns ships and shipyard exposure regimes and does not name DSRVs or this hull. Battery-electric craft without steam plants sit outside the report's primary insulation pathway. Establishes era context only - not materials aboard this craft. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-08
-
[10]NHHC-cataloged 1978 welcome-aboard brochure for DSRV-2 Avalon (batch tasking lead: 'NHHC catalogs a 1978 welcome-aboard brochure') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC catalog (record not independently located; tasking note 2026-09)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A 1978 welcome-aboard brochure for DSRV-2 Avalon is held in the Naval History and Heritage Command catalog per batch tasking; if located it would (a) corroborate use of the informal name 'Avalon' by 1978, and (b) be a near-contemporary operator-produced description of the craft's equipment and accommodations.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1978
- Limitations
- Not independently re-verified: the Navy Department Library/NHHC catalog is not reachable via public web search from this session (catalog.history.navy.mil unreachable; Google Books/HathiTrust no digitized copy). Brochure content is unexamined - no claim from it is carried in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-09
-
[11]Batch-4591 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS, NVR, NavSource, MARAD vessel-history assessments, Naval Undersea Museum, Morro Bay Maritime Museum, USNI, Navy fact file mirror, CourtListener name + hull-number sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-avalon-dsrv2-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for DSRV-2 Avalon: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or museum material characterization exists in the public sources searched; no DANFS entry exists (NavSource confirms); no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this craft was located on CourtListener (see ev-11 and search_ledger for query-level detail). The battery-electric propulsion design (no boilers, steam plant, or reactor) removes the steam-system insulation pathway typical of Navy asbestos records.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-standard seals, gaskets, or electrical materials could have contained asbestos, and no material survey of the preserved craft was found. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-10
-
[12]CourtListener API v4 searches (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py, fleet-paced), 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-avalon-dsrv2-09 through -12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep by exact name and hull designator: "USS Avalon" (opinions) 0 hits; "DSRV-2" (opinions) 0 hits; "Avalon"+DSRV (opinions) 0 hits; "USS Avalon" (RECAP dockets) 0 hits; "DSRV-2" (RECAP dockets) 0 hits; "Avalon"+"deep submergence" (dockets) 0 hits. The only hits anywhere were 5 opinions under "Avalon"+submarine - all name collisions or unrelated litigation (People v. Anderson, Ill. App. 2012 - Chicago's Avalon Park; US ex rel. Coughlin v. IBM, N.D.N.Y. 1998 - IBM 'Avalon' project; Santa Catalina Island Conservancy v. County of Los Angeles, Cal. App. 1981 - City of Avalon; Donahue v. Ziv Television, Cal. App. 1966 - Sea Hunt production; Barcelo v. Brown, D.P.R. 1979 - Navy Vieques operations). Classification: NO qualifying asbestos litigation, no other litigation, and no verified name match for this craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is opinion-and-RECAP-docket indexed material; state-court dockets and unindexed filings are not fully represented. A zero result proves no indexed litigation naming this craft - it does not prove no filing ever existed. 'Avalon' unqualified is a high-collision string (AvalonBay Communities REIT litigation, the WWI-era USS Avalon patrol vessel, the City of Avalon) and was not swept unqualified by design.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-avalon-dsrv2-11