Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet 944-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH (hull prefix; name correct)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-batesburg-pce903-pkt-944-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Batesburg I (PCE-903), Robert J. Cressman, 28 February 2006 - live NHHC page (builder, designation changes, service narrative, ROK transfer) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specification block + service narrative + namesake paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull (live NHHC page): laid down as PC-903 on 18 February 1943 at Portland, Oreg., by Willamette Iron and Steel Corp.; reclassified patrol escort PCE-903 on 28 March 1943; launched 6 September 1943; ordered fitted out as a 'weather patrol and plane guard vessel' on 5 October 1944; commissioned 16 May 1945. Shakedown San Pedro; Sound School San Diego; post-shakedown availability Terminal Island; arrived Pearl Harbor 16 August 1945; operated on weather stations out of Pearl Harbor, frequenting Midway and Johnston Islands, for four years. CNO directed reassignment to Naval Reserve Training (Atlantic Fleet) 5 October 1949; last restricted availability at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard completed 9 November 1949; transited the canal, reported Charleston 19 December 1949. Decommissioned 10 January 1950 and placed 'in service' as NRT vessel at Naval Reserve Facilities, Pensacola; recommissioned 21 November 1950; five years of reserve-training cruises in the Gulf and Caribbean (Vera Cruz, Kingston, Havana, Nassau, Tampico; Gulf and Florida ports; summer 1954 Charleston/Washington/Portland, Me.). Decommissioned out of commission in reserve at Charleston 6 September 1955; named Batesburg 1 February 1956; struck from the Navy list 1 June 1961; transferred to the Republic of Korea 13 December 1961; renamed Sa Chon, classified PCE-59; served ROK Navy until 1979. Spec block: dp. 903 (f.); 184'6"; 33'1"; 9'5"; 15.7 k.; cpl. 99; 1x3", 6x40mm, 5x20mm, 2 dct., 4 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.); cl. PCE 881. Namesake: town in Lexington County, S.C.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Willamette Iron and Steel construction trades 1943-45; crew (design complement 99) 1945-55; ROK Navy crew 1961-79
- Limitations
- DANFS documents identity, designation history, service narrative, and specifications - not materials or asbestos content. Displacement figure (903 f.) conflicts with NavSource's 850 t.; diesel rating (NavSource 1,000 bhp vs USNI 900 hp) also varies - both carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive, Batesburg (PCE 903) ex-PCE-903 - designation timeline, specifications, ROK service, call sign NPHF [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 12/02903, Batesburg (PCE 903) - chronology block + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 18 February 1943 at Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, OR; launched 6 September 1943; commissioned USS PCE-903 16 May 1945; decommissioned 6 September 1955 at Charleston, SC and laid up in reserve; named Batesburg 1 February 1956; struck from the Navy Register 1 June 1961; transferred to South Korea 13 December 1961 and renamed Sa Chon (PCE 59); placed out of service 1979; fate unknown. Specifications: 850 t.; 184'6"; 33'1"; 9'5"; 15.7 kts.; complement 99; one 3"/50 DP mount, three twin 40mm mounts, five 20mm mounts, two depth charge tracks, four depth charge projectors, one hedgehog; propulsion two 1,000-bhp General Motors 12-278A diesel engines, Falk single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign November-Papa-Hotel-Foxtrot. Labelled 'PCE-881 Class' in the NavSource heading.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Crew 1945-55 (USN); ROK Navy crew 1961-79
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-compiled photo/history archive citing official sources - corroborating timeline and propulsion detail (diesel plant, no steam), but not an official record and no asbestos content. 'Fate unknown' stands - final disposition after ROK disposal is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-02
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[4]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'Historic Fleets' (A. D. Baker III), December 1994 - PCE class design history, builders, weather-ship conversion program [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History, December 1994 'Historic Fleets' - PCE class narrative + photo captions (PCE-868 configuration, PCEC-882 aerology locker note)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class-level context for the PCE type: the patrol-craft-escort design was sparked by a British requirement; the U.S. Navy took delivery of 53 hulls of the 184'6" x 33'1" design built by Pullman Standard Car Company (34, including 15 for the Royal Navy), Albina Engine and Machinery Works (20), and Willamette Iron and Steel of Portland, Oregon (14) - this hull's builder. Propulsion per the class caption: two General Motors 900-horsepower propulsion diesels. In October 1944 eleven PCEs/PCECs received an aerology balloon inflation locker amidships as part of a modification to serve as weather-reporting and aircraft-rescue ships - the documented class program behind this hull's 5 October 1944 order to fit out as a 'weather patrol and plane guard vessel' (DANFS).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1994
- Population
- PCE class - construction trades at three yards; weather-station crews
- Limitations
- Class-level history, not hull-specific documentation - it does not name PCE-903 and does not establish that this particular hull received the aerology locker, only that the class conversion program existed and her DANFS-documented order matches it. The 900-hp diesel rating differs from NavSource's 1,000-bhp figure for this hull - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-03
-
[5]NARA file unit 'PCE-903, 5/16/45-1/1/49' (NAID 192494797), series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (NAID 594996), RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - 184 images, digitized [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/192494797 - file unit detail page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds a digitized file unit for this hull: PCE-903 muster rolls covering 16 May 1945 (commissioning) through 1 January 1949, 184 images on Roll 6103, RG 24 - the personnel-level record naming every crew member aboard during the Pearl Harbor weather-station years. This is the principal archival lead for crew-level research; contents not individually reviewed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1949
- Population
- Crew of PCE-903, 1945-1949
- Limitations
- Catalog entry verified live; muster-roll contents (names, ratings) not individually reviewed - a lead, not a finding. Muster rolls document who served, not what materials were aboard. Post-1949 muster coverage (NRT years, 1950-55) not located in the catalog search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (PCE 881 class; 1943 build) + NavSource specifications (two GM 12-278A diesels, two shafts - diesel plant, no steam); Atlas shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (tier-3 asbestos-era yard; Pabco product ID per Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409 (1995)) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; shipyards.json record 'willamette-iron-steel' (ev-willamette-01)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/yard inference: a 1943-45 diesel-powered patrol escort would have carried era-standard asbestos applications appropriate to a diesel ship - exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, winch/windlass brake linings, and deck coverings - but no boilers or steam lagging. Builder Willamette Iron & Steel is a tier-3 asbestos-era yard in the Atlas dataset; its documented product identification (Pabco fill-in insulation at 'Willamette Shipyard,' 1960s-70s repair work, per the Lineaweaver opinion) postdates this hull's construction and is itself a disputed identification - it documents the yard's asbestos era, not this build.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Willamette construction trades 1943-45; USN crew 1945-55 (design complement 99); Pearl Harbor/Charleston availability trades; ROK Navy crew 1961-79
- Limitations
- Class/era and builder-yard inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PCE-903. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The yard's product record covers 1960s-70s repairs, not the 1943-45 construction window, and the 'Willamette Shipyard' identification in Lineaweaver is disputed in the yard dataset.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-05
-
[7]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 the Navy's asbestos-protection program, the service's long-standing use of asbestos insulation aboard ships, and its 1975/1979 insulation-removal policies - the program-level context for any era-consistent asbestos aboard a 1943-built Navy hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - neither built nor overhauled this hull (her availabilities were Terminal Island and Pearl Harbor). Supports era context only; establishes nothing about materials aboard PCE-903. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-06
-
[8]DANFS designation history (this record, ev-01): 'PC-903 was laid down on 18 February 1943 ... reclassified a patrol escort, PCE-903, on 28 March 1943' [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Batesburg I entry, first sentence of service narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Queue-label correction, resolved: the batch queue carried this hull as 'PC-903,' which reads as a PC-461-class submarine chaser with a missing 'E.' The DANFS record resolves it - PC-903 was this hull's own original designation on the ways; she was reclassified patrol escort PCE-903 on 28 March 1943, before her 6 September 1943 launch. There is no PC-903 in the PC-461 class because the hull spent its career as PCE-903. The batch re-scope (Trill fact-QA, crew signs 942-947, 2026-09-29) verified via the PCE-842-class table that USS Batesburg = PCE-903; DANFS and NavSource use the 'PCE-881 class' subgroup label for the Willamette/Albina-built series within that class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Identity correction only - no asbestos implication. Class naming varies by source: 'PCE-842 class' (standard class designation, batch spec, Wikipedia class table) vs 'PCE 881' subgroup (DANFS spec block, NavSource heading) - this record carries 'PCE-842-class' with the subgroup noted, per batch spec.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-07
-
[9]Batch-8198 search ledger (this record): live DANFS/NHHC page; NavSource PCE archive; NVR detail-page check; NARA catalog (muster rolls NAID 192494797); USNI class history; secondary-web sweep for asbestos claims; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger entries sl-uss-batesburg-pce903-* (this record)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for PCE-903/Batesburg: no hull ACM survey, no abatement contract, no museum or operator hazmat disclosure, and no qualifying asbestos case naming the vessel. CourtListener exact-name queries returned only South Carolina name collisions - 'Batesburg' opinion (194 hits, 20 reviewed) and docket (200 hits, 20 reviewed) results are the Town of Batesburg / Batesburg-Leesville municipality, school district, businesses, and SC counsel, never the ship; hull-number queries 'PCE-903' (opinion and docket) returned zero results; the eligible asbestos-qualified variant '"Batesburg" asbestos' returned zero opinions and 10 docket hits that are co-occurrence collisions inside mega-dockets (e.g., Motors Liquidation and W.R. Grace bankruptcies) - none naming the vessel. Secondary-web asbestos mentions are law-firm marketing listicles only - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Crew 1945-55; ROK crew 1961-79; post-service dismantling unknown
- Limitations
- Negative finding, not proof of absence: a 1943-built warship is era-consistent with asbestos use (see ev-05), but no ship-specific documentation confirms or excludes it, and final disposition after 1979 ROK disposal is undocumented - any scrapping-era handling is untraced.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-batesburg-pce903-08