Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 865-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bel-air-pc1191-pkt-865-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Bel Air (PC-1191), entry by Robert J. Cressman (23 February 2006; page published 27 October 2021) - construction, commissioning, service narrative, naming, striking, disposal (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 23 May 1942 at Morris Heights, N.Y., by the Consolidated Shipbuilding Co.; launched 25 July 1942; commissioned at the New York Navy Yard 2 November 1942, Lt. Theodore G. Bremer, Jr., USNR, in command. Shakedown, then Miami (arrived 16 December 1942) - school ship at the Submarine Chaser Training Center, with Key West sound-school operations January 1943. Sailed for Guantanamo Bay 12 March 1943 in the screen of convoy KG-626; convoy escort Guantanamo Bay-Trinidad with voyages to Kingston and Paramaribo through December 1943; New York Navy Yard overhaul and drydocking January 1944; New York-Guantanamo convoys into May 1944; Canal Zone-Cuba escort through August 1944; Panama Sea Frontier operations from Cristobal and Coco Solo through the end of the European war. Transferred to Service Squadrons, Pacific: cleared Coco Solo 28 June 1945, San Pedro 13 July, San Francisco 17 July - 'remained there undergoing repairs into the autumn.' Homeward: departed San Diego 26 November 1945 via Manzanillo and the Canal Zone; Key West 13 December; Green Cove Springs 8 January 1946 for inactivation; Charleston 12 April; decommissioned there 3 May 1946. Assigned to Naval Reserve Training duties July 1946 - reserve training cruises out of Charleston (1948: Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami; 1949: Charleston to New York). Placed in reserve at Norfolk March 1950. Named Bel Air 15 February 1956 while inactive. Name struck from the Navy list March 1959; 'apparently disposed of by January 1961.' Spec block: dp. 339; l. 173'8"; b. 23'0"; dr. 6'6"; s. 22 k.; cpl. 65; a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 3 20mm., 2 dct.; cl. PC 592.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1961 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Consolidated Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); wartime and NRT crew (design complement 65)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Spec-block values (displacement 339 t, draft 6'6", speed 22 kts, 3 x 20mm) conflict with NavSource's block (450 t, 10'10", 20.2 kts, 5 x 20mm + rocket launchers) - carried in gaps. The 'cl. PC 592' class label conflicts with NavSource's 'PC-461 Class' for this same hull - carried in gaps. The San Francisco repair facility (autumn 1945) is not named.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Bel Air (PC 1191) ex-PC-1191 - class label, milestone timeline, specifications, propulsion, photographs (live page, verified 2026-10-03; cited as navsource.net, not the dead .org domain) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/011191.htm header block, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull ('PC-461 Class Submarine Chaser'): laid down 23 May 1942 by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp., Morris Heights NY; launched 25 July 1942; commissioned USS PC-1191, 2 November 1942 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn NY; decommissioned 12 July 1946 at Charleston SC and placed in service as a Naval Reserve Training ship, 6th Naval District (Charleston); placed in reserve March 1950 at Norfolk VA; named Bel Air 15 February 1956; struck from the Naval Register March 1959; disposed of January 1961. Specifications: 450 t.; 173'8"; 23' beam; 10'10" draft; 20.2 kts; complement 65; one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one 40mm, five 20mm, two rocket launchers, two depth charge tracks. Propulsion: two 1,440-bhp Hooven-Owen-Rentschler R-99DA diesel engines, Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts. Photographic record includes a National Archives image of sea trials in the Hudson River between the George Washington Bridge and Yonkers on 24 October 1942 (original from Mystic Seaport, Rosenfeld Collection) and a Bureau of Ships photo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Consolidated construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); NRT crew (1946-50)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but its decommissioning date (12 July 1946) conflicts with DANFS (3 May 1946); likely conflates decommissioning with entry into NRT service - carried in gaps. Spec block conflicts with the DANFS block on displacement, draft, speed, and armament. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-02
-
[4]NAVSEA SEA21 (Inactive Ships), 'Ship History' inventory, ship_history_28june2011.pdf (compiled 28 June 2011) - hull-by-hull removal dates and final dispositions [other_primary]
- Locator
- SEA21 ship_history_28june2011.pdf, hull index, PC section, PC 1191 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NAVSEA inactive-ships disposition record for this hull: 'PC 1191 | BEL AIR | 5-Jan-60 | SCRAP SALE' - removal date 5 January 1960, final disposition scrap sale. Sister reserve PCs in the same table carry parallel dispositions (e.g., PC 1181 Wildwood 5-Jan-60 scrap sale; PC 1193 Ridgway 9-Oct-59 scrap sale).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1959-1961
- Population
- Disposal/shipbreaking chain (1960-61)
- Limitations
- Confirms removal-for-disposal date (5 Jan 1960) and disposition route (scrap sale); does not name the buyer, the scrapping location, or a contract, and does not reconcile with DANFS's 'apparently disposed of by January 1961' or shipbuildinghistory's 'sold 1961' - year/date variants carried in gaps. Predates modern ACM-handling regulation; no hazmat or material record for the breakup was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-03
-
[5]NARA catalog, NAID 192293718, 'PC-1191, 10/31/42-5/3/46' - Record Group 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel), Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, Roll 5962; 402 images digitized (Ancestry partnership scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 192293718 (RG 24 muster rolls, Roll 5962)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Digitized muster rolls exist for this hull covering the entire commissioned period, 31 October 1942 through 3 May 1946 (roll call of every officer and enlisted man aboard, quarterly plus changes) - 402 scanned images freely accessible in the NARA catalog. This is the population record: it names the crew who lived and worked aboard this hull from pre-commissioning through decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- All hands aboard PC-1191, 10/31/42-5/3/46 (rosters)
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the catalog record and image count were verified live; the 402 images were not individually examined. Muster rolls document personnel presence - they contain no material or asbestos data, and they establish population, not exposure. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-04
-
[6]NARA catalog, NAID 134142840, 'USS PC-1191 - War Diary, 2/27/43 to 3/31/43' - Record Group 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations), World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, Roll A293, Micro Serial 48366; 40 images digitized (Fold3 scan); unrestricted [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 134142840 (RG 38 war diaries, Roll A293, serial 48366)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A digitized war diary exists for this hull covering 27 February - 31 March 1943 - the month she shifted from SCTC Miami school-ship duty to Guantanamo Bay convoy escort (sailed 12 March 1943 in the screen of convoy KG-626 per DANFS). 40 scanned images, unrestricted, in the NARA catalog.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-02/1943-03
- Population
- Crew, February-March 1943
- Limitations
- Archival lead: the catalog record and image count were verified live; the 40 images were not individually examined. War diaries record operations and movements, not materials - no asbestos content expected or claimed. Only one month of the war-diary series was located for this hull; other months may exist under different indexing.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (PC-461-family diesel submarine chaser, built May-Nov 1942); NavSource specifications (2 x Hooven-Owen-Rentschler R-99DA diesels, Westinghouse reduction gear, 2 shafts); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-07); class construction data (Wikipedia PC-461 class article, background only - Consolidated built 51 of the class) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2; class-literature background
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled diesel-drive patrol craft built at a commercial yard in mid-1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation around machinery and diesel exhaust runs, gaskets, valve and pump packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing, and deck coverings, all within a compact hull volume. As a diesel-drive vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Consolidated construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); NRT crew (1946-50); yard trades at New York Navy Yard (Jan 1944 overhaul/drydock) and the unnamed San Francisco repair facility (autumn 1945); 1960-61 shipbreakers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, plan, or work package located for PC-1191. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. Absence of a steam plant removes the highest-density asbestos pathway but does not remove insulation, gasket, or packing applications.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (published 18 October 1979; publicly released 22 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights (full report linked; PDF not retrieved)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's use of asbestos in its ships and its worker-protection failures: the review covered 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities' at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selectively replace asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas - establishing that asbestos insulation remained aboard the fleet well after this hull's era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy window); Navy use era spanning this hull's 1942 build
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - PC-1191's documented yard periods (New York Navy Yard; an unnamed San Francisco facility) are outside the GAO sample. Full report PDF not retrieved this session (navsea/gao direct fetch returns bot-block HTML; firecrawl retrieved the product-page highlights).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-07
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[9]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton), 'Consolidated Shipbuilding, Morris Heights NY' yard table - hull-number list of wartime production [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Consolidated yard table, row for hull 3121 (PC 1191); adjacent rows PC 602/603/1192/1193
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table record for this hull: Consolidated yard hull no. 3121 = 'PC 1191 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 463d | 173 | 2-Nov-42 | Named Bel Air 1956, sold 1961.' The table's Consolidated PC run (yard nos. ~3119-3170+) documents the builder's serial wartime production of the type; the class literature credits Consolidated with 51 PC-461-class hulls (background). The yard closed at Morris Heights after WWII when the firm bought the Robert Jacob and B. F. Wood yards at City Island.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1961
- Population
- Consolidated Shipbuilding trades, Morris Heights (1942)
- Limitations
- Reputable secondary compilation (the standard public shipbuilding reference), not a primary contract document - the yard hull number and 'sold 1961' rest on this source alone; 'sold 1961' vs NAVSEA '5-Jan-60 scrap sale' vs DANFS 'by January 1961' is carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-08
-
[10]Batch-7687 search ledger (this record): DANFS live; NavSource live (navsource.net); NAVSEA SEA21 inactive-ships PDF; NARA catalog (2 NAIDs); shipbuildinghistory.com yard table; GAO product page; NVR checked (pre-1987 exclusion); NIOSH Consolidated check; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bel-air-pc1191-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Bel Air (PC-1191) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API returned HTTP 429 with a ~2.8-hour Retry-After (daily quota spent); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific asbestos content of any kind - the only 'Bel Air' + asbestos material is law-firm/marketing content about other subjects, and 'PC-1191' matched only unrelated P.C. docket/address strings (name collisions).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- 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). The digitized NARA muster rolls (ev-04) and war diary (ev-05), plus undigitized deck logs, Consolidated work packages, and the 1960 scrap-sale contract, are open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bel-air-pc1191-09