Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 1022-packet.md (1 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-berceau-yfb3-pkt-1022-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Talbot I (Torpedo Boat No. 15) - construction, Spanish-American War service, Uncas collision, fuel-oil evaluation, ferry conversion, renaming, disposal (verbatim transcription via losthistory.net mirror; live NHHC page and hazegray.org both unreachable, confirmed via Wayback capture 20220910063230) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 8 April 1897 at Bristol, R.I., by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.; launched 14 November 1897; commissioned 4 April 1898, Lt. (jg.) William R. Shoemaker in command. Cruised to Havana, arriving 2 August 1898; that evening, en route to Key West for coal, rammed by the tug Uncas (bow penetrated one foot into her coal bunker, bending two frames and crushing side plating below the waterline); temporary repairs at Piedras Cay; reached Key West 5 August; arrived New York Navy Yard 6 September, ready for sea early October. Assigned to Naval Academy midshipmen training (moored Annapolis 10 October 1898); moved to Norfolk 11 June 1899 for a one-year evaluation of experimental fuel oils, then resumed Naval Academy duty. Decommissioned 20 February 1904 (Reserve Torpedo Flotilla, Norfolk); recommissioned 31 August 1906 for special duty Norfolk-Annapolis; served at the Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I., early 1908 to September 1911. Reassigned 22 September 1911 to Indian Head, Md., as tender, but her annual inspection at Norfolk found her unfit for further naval use. Inactivated 1 May 1912 but retained 'in service' as a ferryboat between the Washington Navy Yard and the naval facilities at Indian Head; manned by a civilian crew averaging three trips a week. Renamed Berceau 11 April 1918 and reclassified a ferry boat; designated YFB-3 17 July 1920; ferry duty until 18 June 1940 when placed out of service and towed to Philadelphia; struck from the Navy list 18 July 1944 and sold for scrap. Spec block: t. 46.5; l. 99'6"; b. 12'6"; dr. 3'3"; s. 21.5 k.; cpl. 16; a. 1 1-pdr. R.F., 2 18" tt.; cl. Talbot.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1897-1944
- Population
- Herreshoff construction trades (1897-98); torpedo-boat crew (1898-1912, cpl. 16); civilian ferry crew and passengers (1912-1940)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS pages for both 'talbot-i' and 'berceau' returned 404 on 2026-10-04 and hazegray.org DNS fails; verbatim transcription verified via losthistory.net mirror and Wayback capture 20220910063230 (identical text). The DANFS entry ends at disposal - no 1940-44 lay-up detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-01
-
[3]NHHC / Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Talbot (Torpedo Boat # 15), 1898-1944 - renamed Berceau in 1918 and redesignated YFB-3 in 1920' (photo-catalog narrative; via ibiblio HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library page narrative + photo captions NH 63733, NH 58112, NH 63732, NH 58110, 19-N-15-15-4/5
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC narrative for this hull: first of a two-unit class of 46.5-ton torpedo boats built by Herreshoff at Bristol, commissioned early April 1898; cruised the U.S. east coast during most of the Spanish-American War, deploying to Havana shortly before the conflict's end; rammed by the tug Uncas on the evening of 2 August 1898 while steaming toward Key West; repaired and back in service two months later; several years on training service at the U.S. Naval Academy; employed in an early test of oil fuel in 1899-1900; in reserve February 1904 to August 1906, then a year and a half in the Chesapeake Bay area; assigned to the Torpedo Station at Newport 1908-1911; decommissioned at the beginning of May 1912 after being declared unfit for further service as a combat vessel, then a ferryboat career between the Washington Navy Yard and Indian Head, Maryland; renamed Berceau 1918, designated YFB-3 1920; ferry duty another two decades; placed out of service June 1940, stricken July 1944, sold for scrap. Photo captions further document that Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz twice commanded this torpedo boat for special operations on 6 and 16 July 1909 while also commanding the submarine Plunger (Submarine No. 2) (NH 58112, NH 58110).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1898-1944
- Population
- Crew (1898-1912); Lt. Chester W. Nimitz commanded twice for special operations July 1909
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos content. Nimitz command is a vessel-history fact - this record makes no exposure claim for any individual. 'Decommissioned at the beginning of May 1912' here refers to inactivation as a combat vessel; she was retained 'in service' as a ferry per DANFS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-02
-
[4]Herreshoff Manufacturing Company Construction Record, HMCo #191p Talbot (via herreshoff.info documentation project, Herreshoff Marine Museum) - builder particulars, propulsion spec, contract price, launch-date variance [museum_official]
- Locator
- HMCo Construction Record 'Particulars' block; period press clippings (Bristol Phoenix 1898-01-11; New York Times 1898-03-02)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder's construction record for this hull: HMCo #191p 'Talbot', Navy steam torpedo boat designed by NGH (Nathanael G. Herreshoff); steel construction; setup 1897-04-08; launch recorded by the builder as 1898-01-10 - conflicting with the Navy's 14 November 1897 date (see gaps); LOA 100'; beam 12'6"; draft 3'3"; displacement 46.5 short tons; propulsion 'Steam, Herreshoff, 1000 h.p. Triple exp., 3 cyl. (12 1/2" & 18" & 25" bore x 13 1/2" stroke)'; boiler 'Bent Tube; 1'; contract amount $39,000; final disposition 'Struck from Navy list on 18 July 1944 and sold for scrap.' Name chronology per the record: Talbot TB-15 (1897-1911), Talbot (1911-1918), Berceau YFB-3 (1918-1944). Period press in the record documents official speed trials in Narragansett Bay, 3 March 1898 - Talbot averaged 21.1 knots at 194 lbs steam pressure, 422 rpm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1896-1898 (construction); 1944 (disposition note)
- Population
- Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. construction trades, Bristol RI (1897-98)
- Limitations
- Primary builder record; establishes plant type and physical particulars, no asbestos or insulation-material content. The builder's launch date (1898-01-10) conflicts with the Navy date (1897-11-14) - flagged in gaps, Navy date carried. '1000 h.p.' builder figure differs from the 850 ihp in secondary spec sheets (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-03
-
[5]NavSource Online, Destroyer Archive - USS Talbot (Torpedo Boat No. 15, TB-15) / Berceau (YFB-3) page: building data, milestone timeline, photo captions, commanding-officer list [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 05/tb/050315.htm 'Operational and Building Data' block; Berceau photo caption (Ted Stone photo, George Schneider contributor); commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: built by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., Bristol, RI (YN 191); contract awarded 6 October 1896; laid down 8 April 1897; launched 14 November 1897 ('Herreshoff records state 10 January 1898'); commissioned 4 April 1898; inactivated but retained in service as ferry 1 May 1912; renamed Berceau 11 April 1918; redesignated Yard Ferryboat YFB-3 17 July 1920; placed out of service 18 June 1940; stricken from the Naval Register 18 July 1944; fate - sold for scrap. Photographic documentation includes a captioned image 'Berceau (YFB-3) moored at Washington Navy Yard, probably in the 1930s' (Ted Stone photo) - establishing ferry-era presence at the Washington Navy Yard into the 1930s; New York Navy Yard views November 1900 (NARA 19-N-15-15-4/5); Norfolk Navy Yard views autumn 1907 and circa 1907; and a partial commanding-officer list (LT(jg) William Rawle Shoemaker from 04 April 1898; LT(jg) John Sehon Doddridge from 07 July 1899; LT Andre Morton Proctor from 07 December 1901).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1896-1944
- Population
- Crew and any yard trades during New York Navy Yard (1898, 1900) and Norfolk Navy Yard (1907) availabilities; Washington Navy Yard ferry-era presence (1930s)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestones generally track DANFS/NVR but the launch-date variance is flagged on the page itself (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Photo captions documenting 1930s Washington Navy Yard presence and 1907 Norfolk Navy Yard presence establish location, not work performed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-04
-
[6]NavalCoverMuseum (U.S.N.C.S. philatelic museum catalog), BERCEAU YFB-3 page - name/designation sequence and two artifact covers (1936 Indian Head postmark; 1940 Philadelphia Navy Yard out-of-service cover) [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum BERCEAU YFB-3 page - designation history, postmark table (1936-03-18 Indian Head MD; 1940-06-20 Navy Yard Phila Pa.)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Philatelic artifact record for this hull: name/designation sequence 'USS TALBOT Torpedo Boat No. 15 -> TALBOT (Ferryboat) -> BERCEAU (Ferryboat) -> BERCEAU YFB-3'. A cover bears a USPO machine postmark dated 1936-03-18 at Indian Head, MD - contemporaneous evidence of the Washington Navy Yard-Indian Head ferry operation in the 1930s (the ship itself had no postal facilities). A second cover postmarked 'NAVY YARD / PHILA PA.' 1940-06-20 (Locy Type 3r via USS Rhind DD-404) carries an Al Cohen cachet marking her placing out of service; the museum's curator notes it is 'Incorrectly listed as Decommissioned, actually "Place[d] Out Of Service"' - corroborating that the hull was never in commission during her 1912-1940 ferry career.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1936-1940 (artifact dates)
- Population
- Ferry passengers/crew at Indian Head run (1936 artifact); Philadelphia Navy Yard (1940)
- Limitations
- Artifact-level documentation (covers/postmarks) - establishes dates, name sequence, and the 1930s Indian Head operation, nothing about materials or asbestos. Postmarks reflect shore post offices, not shipboard postal facilities.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-05
-
[7]NARA Bureau of Ships photographs via NHHC cataloging: 19-N-15-15-4 and 19-N-15-15-5 (Talbot at New York Navy Yard, November 1900); 19-N-14-29-2 (Talbot under construction at Herreshoff, Bristol, 1897, visible behind Gwin TB-16); 19-N-60-10-17 and 19-N-60-10-20 (Talbot hauled out on the marine railway, Norfolk Navy Yard, autumn 1907) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA photo IDs 19-N-15-15-4, 19-N-15-15-5, 19-N-14-29-2, 19-N-60-10-17, 19-N-60-10-20 as captioned on the NHHC Online Library page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held Bureau of Ships photographs place this hull at the New York Navy Yard in November 1900, under construction at the Herreshoff yard at Bristol in 1897, and hauled out on the marine railway at Norfolk Navy Yard in autumn 1907 - physical-presence documentation at two Navy yards and the builder's yard. These are archival leads for yard presence, not work records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1897-1907
- Population
- Crew and any yard trades at New York Navy Yard (1900), Norfolk Navy Yard (1907); Herreshoff trades (1897)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs establish presence, not what work (if any) was performed - a marine-railway photo is not an availability or overhaul record. NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session; photo numbers and captions transcribed via the NHHC Online Library page (ev-02). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and service narrative (steam torpedo boat, coal-fired, retained in steam ferry service to 1940); HMCo construction record (1 bent-tube boiler, Herreshoff 3-cyl triple-expansion engine); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Washington Navy Yard (pipe/boiler/furnace insulation, gaskets, steam systems - her 28-year ferry base), Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and New York Naval Shipyard (yards where this hull is documented present); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; HMCo #191p construction record; shipyards.json product lists for washington-navy-yard, norfolk-naval-shipyard, philadelphia-naval-shipyard, brooklyn-navy-yard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A coal-fired steam torpedo boat built 1897 with a bent-tube boiler and triple-expansion engine, kept in powered ferry service into 1940, carried the steam-plant systems whose era-standard insulation products were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber: boiler lagging, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, and machinery packing. Her ferry base, the Washington Navy Yard, and the other Navy yards where she is documented present (New York 1898/1900, Norfolk 1907, Philadelphia 1940) all carry documented-era asbestos product use in the shipyard dataset.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1897-1944
- Population
- Herreshoff trades (1897-98); torpedo-boat crew (1898-1912); civilian ferry crew and passengers (1912-1940); yard trades at documented availabilities; 1944 scrappers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution. Her 1897 construction predates the Navy's heaviest documented asbestos-use period (1930s-1970s) - the inference is weaker than for WWII-era hulls, and whether original or replacement insulation contained asbestos is undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-07
-
[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
- 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 service era (1898-1940), including her 1930s ferry operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- 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. The report's emphasis is the 20th-century insulation era - it does not establish what insulation an 1897 torpedo boat carried. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, consistent with prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-08
-
[10]Secondary-source cross-check: Wikipedia USS Talbot (TB-15) article; Dreadnought Project U.S.S. Talbot (1897) page; NavalCoverMuseum curator note (ev-05); DANFS/NavSource primary-aligned dates (ev-01, ev-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS Talbot (TB-15) infobox; dreadnoughtproject.org U.S.S._Talbot_(1897) infobox; NavSource building-data block; HMCo construction record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS circulating in secondary sources: (1) Wikipedia's infobox lists 'Decommissioned 18 June 1940' - she was placed out of service, not decommissioned, having not been in commission since 1912 (per DANFS 'retained, "in service"' and the NavalCoverMuseum artifact note 'actually "Place[d] Out Of Service"'). (2) Dreadnought Project lists 'Stricken: 1 May, 1912' - a misreading of her 1 May 1912 inactivation; she was retained in service and not stricken until 18 July 1944 (DANFS, NavSource). (3) Launch date: Navy sources give 14 November 1897 while the builder's construction record states 10 January 1898 (NavSource flags the variance on its face). (4) Secondary spec sheets carry a 'Normand boiler, 850 ihp' power figure versus the builder's own 'Bent Tube; 1 boiler ... 1000 h.p.' record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1897-1944
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating date/specification errors, not a material claim. Neither Wikipedia nor Dreadnought Project is cited as a record source - they are the errors being corrected. Primary-aligned dates (DANFS/NavSource/HMCo record) carried; variances logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-09
-
[11]Batch-8739 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (losthistory.net mirror + Wayback); NHHC Online Library via ibiblio; HMCo construction record via herreshoff.info; NavSource; NavalCoverMuseum; NARA photo leads via NHHC; MIT Museum vessel record; NVR; GAO product page; CourtListener (pace-throttled); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-berceau-yfb3-01 through sl-uss-berceau-yfb3-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Berceau (YFB-3) / USS Talbot (TB-15) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener queries could not be completed this session - the authenticated helper reported the fleet-wide pace budget spent on all four base queries ('Berceau' opinion+docket, 'YFB-3' opinion+docket); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no law-firm listicle coverage of this hull at all - a conspicuously undocumented hull for asbestos purposes.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (pace-throttled, not run to completion) - see search_ledger sl-uss-berceau-yfb3-04. RG 24 deck logs, WNY/Indian Head ferry-operation records, and any 1944 scrapping contract are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-berceau-yfb3-10