Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Bass' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Bass' returned 21 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-bass-ss551-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Bass' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Bass' returned 1311 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-bass-ss551-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'SS-551' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'SS-551' returned 1785 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-bass-ss551-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'SS-551' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'SS-551' returned 26588 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-bass-ss551-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]DANFS (NHHC revised online entry), Bass II (SSK-2) - Mary P. Walker, 27 February 2006 (Wayback capture of the live history.navy.mil page; live URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-19) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Bass II (SSK-2)' entry - full narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'laid down as K-2 on 23 February 1950 at Vallejo, Calif., by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard; launched on 2 May 1951; sponsored by Mrs. Imogene St. Clair Crane; and commissioned on 16 November 1951, Lt. Comdr. Davis E. Bunting in command.' Shakedown out of San Diego, then home port Pearl Harbor; one of a class of three antisubmarine submarines with electronics 'housed in the ship's bulging box like bow.' Entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard 12 January 1953 for restricted availability; resumed operations 19 June 1953. Returned to Mare Island January 1955 for first regular overhaul; departed 26 July for Mazatlan, Mexico, then Pearl Harbor. Named Bass 15 December 1955. Departed Pearl Harbor 11 June 1957 for San Diego; reported to Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island for inactivation 1 October 1957; decommissioned 20 December 1957 and berthed at Mare Island; redesignated SS-551 August 1959, never saw further service; struck from the Navy list 1 April 1965; sold to the National Metal and Steel Corp. 17 November 1966 for scrapping. Spec block: dp. 765 (surf.), 1,160 (subm.); l. 196'; b. 24'7"; dr. 14'5"; s. 13 k. (surf.), 8.5 k. (subm.); cpl. 37; a. 4 21" tt.; cl. K-1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1966
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades (1950-51); crew (1951-1957); PHNSY trades (Jan-Jun 1953 availability); Mare Island overhaul/inactivation trades (1955, 1957); reserve-fleet caretakers (1957-66)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-19; the official text was accessed via Wayback capture (2020-10-23).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-01
-
[6]DANFS (original print edition transcription, HazeGray/LostHistory), Bass (SSK-2) - verbatim transcription of the superseded entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- HazeGray/LostHistory DANFS transcription ssk2.htm vs NHHC revised 'Bass II (SSK-2)' entry (ev-01)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION: the original print DANFS entry contains three slips corrected by the NHHC revised entry (ev-01) and the photographic record (ev-03): (1) 'commissioned 16 November 1952' - the correct year is 1951 (the entry itself places K-2 at Pearl Harbor 23 May 1952, which a 1952 commissioning makes impossible; commissioning-ceremony photography is dated 16 November 1951); (2) 'in January 1954, SSK-2 returned to Mare Island for overhaul' - the revised entry dates the first regular overhaul January 1955 (departed the yard 26 July for Mazatlan); (3) 'going out of commission in reserve 1 October 1957' - she reported to the Pacific Reserve Fleet for inactivation on 1 October and was decommissioned 20 December 1957. The 1952 commissioning and 1 October decommissioning dates propagate through NavSource header text, NavalCoverMuseum, and Wikipedia derivatives.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1951-1957 (event window)
- Limitations
- Corrects milestone dates in the superseded print DANFS, not a material claim. No asbestos content. The batch tasking line ('commissioned ... in 1952') follows the superseded print entry; the corrected NHHC chronology is carried in this record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-02
-
[7]NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive, K-2 / Bass (SSK-2) (SS-551), page 08/08551 - designation timeline, specifications, and dated USN/Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum photography [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 08/08551.htm header block, specifications block, and photo captions (keel, launch, commissioning, inactivation, reserve-fleet series)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photographic record for this hull: keel-laying ceremony at Mare Island (photo series 5508-2-50, February 1950 - the caption's '23 May 1950' conflicts with the documented 23 February 1950 laying date and the February photo-series number); launching 2 May 1951 with Gov. Earl Warren attending and Bonita (SSK-3) on the adjacent ways; commissioning ceremony at Mare Island 16 November 1951 (USN photo 11091-11-51 series - LCDR Davis E. Bunting, CO; sponsor Mrs. John J. Crane presenting a plaque); departure from Mare Island 1 February 1952 and sea trials February 1952; Bass and Bonita at Pearl Harbor 1953; final inactivation ceremony aboard at Mare Island Reserve Fleet 20 December 1957 (Lt. Marvin F. Scoggina Jr., CO); Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island, 24 August 1965; still present in the Mare Island reserve-fleet aerial of 25 November 1966 (eight days after the documented 17 November 1966 sale). Header timeline repeats the superseded 'commissioned 16 November 1952' and 'Decommissioned 1 October 1957' readings and lists final disposition as 'Sold to Nassco, Terminal Island, S. F., CA.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1966
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades; commissioning crew (1951); inactivation detail and reserve-fleet caretakers (1957-66)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - but the underlying materials are official USN and Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum photographs with dated captions, which corroborate the NHHC revised chronology over the page's own header text. 'Nassco, Terminal Island' conflicts with NHHC's 'National Metal and Steel Corp.' (the actual Terminal Island scrapper; NASSCO is a San Diego builder) - NHHC carried. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-03
-
[8]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine, 'Historic Fleets' column (June 2003) - Project Kayo and the SSK-1 class program history [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Magazine, June 2003, 'Historic Fleets' - SSK-1 class section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class/program context for this hull: Project Kayo produced the SSK-1 class as small, easily built diesel hunter-killer boats against an estimated 360-2,000 Soviet submarines by the end of the 1950s; the design grew from a 350-ton two-tube boat to a 765-ton four-tube craft because the bulky low-frequency passive sonar suite needed space and power. K-1 (SSK-1) went to Electric Boat; K-2 and K-3 were assigned to New York Shipbuilding (Camden) and Mare Island respectively 'to prove that private and public yards inexperienced in submarine construction could build the relatively simple boats,' and K-2 was reassigned to Mare Island before construction began. K-2 and K-3 were launched 2 May and 21 June 1951; both Pacific Fleet boats were based at Pearl Harbor and used primarily on local training duties; the trio were named Barracuda, Bass, and Bonita on 15 December 1955.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1948-1959 (program window)
- Limitations
- Class- and program-level history; names this hull's construction assignment but contains no asbestos or material content. A reputable secondary source (USNI), not a primary document - carried for class context only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-04
-
[9]Era inference built on: NHHC spec block (diesel-electric Barracuda class); NavSource specifications (GM 8-268A diesels, GE motors); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractory) and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (pipe covering, insulation blankets, cement compounds, gaskets, amosite blankets, asbestos mud, asbestos cloth, wire insulation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC spec block; NavSource specifications; shipyards.json product lists for mare-island-naval-shipyard and pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric submarine built 1950-51 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard sits inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard submarine applications aboard a boat of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel-electric boat she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the submarine confined-space exposure dynamic applies with full force. Documented yard events aboard this hull: Mare Island construction (1950-51), Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard restricted availability (12 January - 19 June 1953), Mare Island overhaul (January - 26 July 1955), and Mare Island inactivation (1 October - 20 December 1957).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1966
- Population
- Mare Island construction/overhaul/inactivation trades (1950-51, 1955, 1957); PHNSY trades (1953); crew (1951-57); 1966-67 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for SSK-2/SS-551. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Yard product lists document the yards, not this boat.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-05
-
[10]Kolonel LN, Yoshizawa CN, Hirohata T, Myers BC. 'Cancer occurrence in shipyard workers exposed to asbestos in Hawaii.' Cancer Res. 1985 Aug;45(8):3924-8 (PMID 4016758); and Sinks T, Goodman MT, Kolonel L, Anderson B. 'A case-control study of mesothelioma and employment in the Hawaii sugarcane industry.' Epidemiology. 1994 Jul;5(4):466-8 (PMID 7918819; NIOSH-authored) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed abstracts, PMID 4016758 and PMID 7918819
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed occupational epidemiology documents asbestos exposure at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, where this hull was homeported (1952-1957) and underwent restricted availability (January-June 1953): Kolonel et al. followed a retrospective cohort of 7,971 male PHNSY workers and found lung-cancer risk ratio 1.4 for workers with 15+ years of asbestos exposure (1.7 at 30+ years latency) plus seven mesotheliomas among the Hawaii-resident subset 1977-82 (67.3 per million men per year vs 5.8 statewide); Sinks et al. (NIOSH) found work at PHNSY associated with a tenfold mesothelioma increase (OR 10.1; 95% CI 2.6-56.6).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1977-1985 (study windows); exposure windows to ~1970s
- Population
- Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers (cohort, employment windows centered on WWII era and after)
- Limitations
- Yard-level epidemiology, not a hull record: establishes asbestos exposure among Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers generally; K-2/Bass is not named in either study. The cohort skews to WWII-era employment; the 1953 availability window postdates peak documented exposure. Does not establish exposure for any individual or materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-06
-
[11]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 - spanning this hull's entire construction (1950-51), service era (1951-57), and reserve-fleet period (1957-66).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- 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, confirmed this session) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-07
-
[12]US EPA Superfund site profile, Mare Island Naval Shipyard (EPA ID CA7170024775) - federal facility under state-lead cleanup; not on the NPL [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA Superfund site profile CA7170024775 (site info, operable units, contaminants tabs)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The yard that built, overhauled, inactivated, and held this hull in reserve is a federally tracked environmental cleanup site: EPA's Superfund enterprise lists Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Vallejo, CA; EPA ID CA7170024775) as a federal facility under 'Other Cleanup Activity: State-Lead Cleanup' (explicitly not on the NPL), with operable units covering investigation areas, the former North Building Ways, and the DRMO scrapyard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1980s-present (cleanup tracking)
- Population
- Mare Island workforce and site-remediation workers (post-closure era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental record only - the EPA profile's contaminants-of-concern table is empty and names no asbestos finding and no vessel. Documents that the site is under tracked remediation, nothing about this hull. NOTE: secondary sources widely miscall Mare Island an 'NPL site'; EPA's own profile says Not on the NPL.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-08
-
[13]Batch-361 search ledger (this record): NHHC revised DANFS (via Wayback); print DANFS transcription; NavSource/Wayback photo record; NVR; EPA site profile; PubMed PHNSY studies; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bass-ss551-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS K-2 / Bass (SSK-2/SS-551) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - API returned HTTP 429 (125/day quota exhausted; still throttled on retry ~25 minutes later) and the HTML interface returned 403; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesothelioma.com ship list and similar listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, Mare Island work packages, and any scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-09
-
[14]NARA RG 24 deck logs (K-2/Bass, 1951-1957) - not digitized; Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum photograph collection (originals of the NavSource-captioned Mare Island series); Mare Island Naval Shipyard production/availability records [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA RG 24 P118 deck-log series (undigitized); NavSource photo credits to Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum; NARA RG 181 Mare Island records (undigitized)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Undigitized leads for any future ship-specific material record: (1) NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS K-2 (SSK-2)/Bass, 1951-1957, would document yard periods and work evolutions day by day; (2) the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum holds the original commissioning/inactivation photography (e.g., photo 37499-12-57, the 20 December 1957 ceremony) transcribed by NavSource contributor Darryl L. Baker; (3) Mare Island Naval Shipyard hull work-package records (construction 1950-51, overhaul 1955, inactivation 1957) survive in NARA RG 181 shipyard records if at all - none digitized publicly.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1957 (record window)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only - none of these records was examined; their contents are unknown and may contain no material information. Deck-log and yard-record survival for a short-service SSK is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bass-ss551-10