Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS vol. I, Balao (SS-285) entry - construction, ten war patrols, postwar recommissioning (printed-volume scan, archive.org dictionaryofamer01wash; live NHHC page returned 404). Verbatim transcription mirror (losthistory.net/hazegray) cross-checked; the mirror's two date transcription errors corrected against the printed text [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. I (A-B), Balao entry and spec block - printed scan (archive.org)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS): launched 27 October 1942 by Portsmouth Navy Yard (sponsor Mrs. Theodore C. Aylward); commissioned 4 February 1943, Lt. Comdr. R. H. Crane; ten war patrols 25 July 1943 - 27 August 1945 credited with seven Japanese ships totaling 32,108 tons plus ~1,100 tons of small craft by gunfire; nine battle stars. Arrived Staten Island 27 September 1945; out of commission in reserve at New London 20 August 1946; recommissioned 4 March 1952, Atlantic Fleet, Key West (Submarine Division 121). NOTE: the hazegray transcription misprints arrival year (1946) and decommission year (1948); the printed volume reads 1945 and 1946 respectively - corrected here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1963
- Population
- PNSY construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-1963)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 in this environment - Internet Archive scan of the official DANFS volume (archive.org/details/dictionaryofamer01wash) cited for the 1945/1946 dates; verbatim transcription mirror cross-checked. Mirror's two date transcription errors corrected against the printed text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-balao-ss285-01
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[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Balao (SS-285) - laid-down, AGSS-285 redesignation, target-sinking disposition, conning-tower preservation (secondary compilation; Wayback capture used) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/08/08285.htm via Wayback - milestone block and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS disposition (NavSource): laid down 26 June 1942 at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; redesignated Auxiliary Research Submarine (AGSS-285) in 1960; decommissioned 11 July 1963; struck 1 August 1963; sunk as a target 4 September 1963 at 30-46.5'N x 74-11'W off Charleston, SC; conning tower and shears removed before sinking for display at the Navy Memorial Museum, Willard Park, Washington Navy Yard, DC. Photo captions also document: Marion G. Ramirez de Arellano commanding war patrols 5-7 (from April 1944); rescue of three downed Navy pilots in the Palau area 5 July 1944; sinking of Daigo Maru 8 January 1945 in the Yellow Sea; torpedoing of Tatsuhara Maru and Hakozaki Maru in convoy MOTA-43 on 19 March 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1963; memorial to present
- Population
- Crew (1943-1963); memorial visitors (conning tower, 1963-present)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation (unofficial volunteer archive), not a primary record - used for post-DANFS disposition and photo-caption detail only, consistent with prior batches. Target-sinking location 'off Charleston' is NavSource's phrasing; the coordinate given is well offshore. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-balao-ss285-02
-
[3]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; Balao-class diesel-electric machinery per NavSource specification block and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (class profile ev-balao-class-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1942-43 at Portsmouth Navy Yard in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, and thermal/acoustic insulation around machinery and galley/refrigeration equipment. Balao-class boats had NO boilers or steam plant - the diesel-electric plant narrows the steam-era asbestos pathway materially. Documented yard windows: Portsmouth Navy Yard construction (1942-43); inactivation at New London (1945-46); Key West operating periods (1952-60). Her 1963 target-sinking took the hull down intact - any era materials aboard went to the bottom with her; no pre-sinking hazmat record was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Construction and yard trades; crew
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos abatement record was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-balao-ss285-03
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[4]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 - covering the construction and most service years of every Balao-class hull in this batch (built 1942-45).
- 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-balao-ss285-04
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[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, loss-report, and ACM-survey/abatement sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger for this record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Balao (SS-285) was located anywhere in the research sweep.
- 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. Museum-hull and scrapper-side records, where they existed, were not retrievable in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-balao-ss285-05