Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
-
[1]NavSource Submarine Photo Archive, USS Besugo (SS-321) data block (navsource.net/archives/08/08321.htm via search text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/08/08321.htm data block (search-text capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource data block (search-text capture) records: laid down 27 May 1943 at Electric Boat; launched 27 February 1944; commissioned 19 June 1944; recommissioned 15 June 1965; converted to Fleet Snorkel submarine in 1966; loaned to Italy 31 March 1966 as Francesco Morosini; Italian service ended 1973; returned to U.S. custody and struck 15 November 1975; sold for scrapping in 1976 (some sources give 1977); four WWII battle stars.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1977
- Population
- EB construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-1973); Fleet Snorkel conversion yard personnel (1966); Italian dockyard personnel (1966-1973)
- Limitations
- Structured volunteer-compiled historical data, not a federal primary source - used for the chronology chain and labeled accordingly. No verbatim DANFS entry was located for Besugo. Italian-service and scrapping dates conflict across secondary sources (1976 vs 1977) - carried in gaps. Direct navsource.net fetch is Mod_Security-blocked; content captured via search-result text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besugo-ss321-01
-
[2]Balao-class profile (ships-worktrees class-f/balao-class.class.json) - class-level propulsion and asbestos-relevant pathway context [other_primary]
- Locator
- class-f/balao-class.class.json (house class profile)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Balao-class context: diesel-electric fleet submarines with no boilers or steam plant; era-consistent asbestos pathways for the class include diesel-exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic/thermal hull insulation, galley and refrigeration materials, and battery/electrical materials. Construction (1943-44, Electric Boat), the 1965 reactivation, and the 1966 Fleet Snorkel conversion fall inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era; Italian refits through 1973 are era-analogous.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1973 (era)
- Population
- Balao-class construction and conversion-yard trades; Italian dockyard trades (era context)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - does not name this hull and does not establish that any particular asbestos-containing material was installed aboard SS-321 or retained through the Italian transfer. Hull scrapped 1976-77; no survey possible.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besugo-ss321-02
-
[3]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 Besugo's construction (1943-44), 1965 reactivation, and 1966 Fleet Snorkel conversion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation for the U.S. Navy only; Italian dockyard practice is era-analogous but outside GAO's scope. 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-besugo-ss321-03
-
[4]CourtListener API v4 (2026-09-18): sweeps for "USS Besugo" / "Besugo" and "SS-321" could not be executed - anonymous quota exhausted (HTTP 429) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-besugo-ss321-04 through sl-uss-besugo-ss321-06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CourtListener litigation sweep NOT COMPLETED for this hull: the shared anonymous API quota (125 requests/day) was exhausted before this vessel's queries ran; every request returned HTTP 429 ('Expected available in ~69,771 seconds' at last check). No qualifying asbestos litigation was located in the other sources searched, but CourtListener coverage is absent rather than negative for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- CourtListener gap is an absence of coverage, not a negative finding - no docket data of any kind was retrieved for this hull. State-court and non-digitized records are also uncovered. Sweep should be re-run under an authenticated API token in a future pass.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besugo-ss321-04
-
[5]Batch-23 search ledger (this record): NavSource data block; GAO; CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-besugo-ss321-01 through sl-uss-besugo-ss321-07
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record (survey, abatement contract, industrial-hygiene report, or docketed case) naming this hull was found in the public sources searched; CourtListener coverage was unavailable due to quota exhaustion (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Does not establish absence of asbestos aboard - only absence of located public documentation. Italian-service-era material records (1966-1973) were not located in public sources. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besugo-ss321-05