Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 1087-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-bitterbush-yn58-pkt-1087-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Bitterbush (Robert J. Cressman, 2006) - full construction and service narrative; companion DANFS 'Almond' cross-reference entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block; https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/almond.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 30 November 1942 at Everett, Wash., by Everett Pacific Ship Building and Dry Dock Co. as net tender Almond (YN-58); renamed Bitterbush 3 April 1943; launched 30 June 1943; sponsored by Miss Veberly Jean Miller; commissioned 15 January 1944, Lt. Harry E. Horrocks, Jr., USNR, in command. Redesignated net laying ship AN-39, 20 January 1944; completed outfitting 26 February 1944; reported to Commander, Operational Training Command, Pacific and departed Seattle for San Diego; after shakedown reported to Commandant, 12th Naval District, arriving San Francisco 20 March 1944; worked submarine nets at Tiburon and San Francisco for eight months; departed San Francisco Bay 29 November 1944; stops at Port Hueneme, Terminal Island, San Pedro; across the Pacific 5 December 1944; reported to Commander, 5th Amphibious Force at Pearl Harbor 5 January 1945; underway from Oahu 24 January 1945 via Eniwetok and Guam to Iwo Jima; after voyage repairs worked the submarine net line at Iwo Jima through end of hostilities. Departed for the US 17 September 1945 via Saipan, Eniwetok, Pearl Harbor; reached San Francisco by 20 October 1945; remained drydocked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard until decommissioned 4 January 1946; struck from the Navy list 21 January 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 6 May 1947; sold and converted for merchant service, operating 1948 until destroyed by fire off Puerto Rico 27 May 1954. One battle star for WWII service. Spec block: YN-58 dp. 1,416 (lim.); l. 194'6"; b. 37'; dr. 13'6"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 56; a. 1 3", 8 20 mm.; cl. Bitterbush.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1954
- Population
- Everett-Pacific construction trades (1942-43); commissioning crew (1944); 12th Naval District and 5th Amphibious Force service population (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page (Cressman 2006) differs in details from the older ibiblio/HyperWar transcription - sponsor 'Veberly' vs 'Beverly', CO 'Horrocks' vs 'Harrocks', MarCom transfer 6 May vs 7 May 1947; NHHC values carried, variants logged in gaps. The companion 'Almond' DANFS entry confirms the name Almond was assigned to YN-58 and exchanged for Bitterbush 3 April 1943.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Bitterbush (AN-39) - milestone timeline, specifications, armament, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18039.htm header block, specifications block, campaign table, and photo captions (19-N-91554, 19-N-91555)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 30 November 1942 as Yard Net Tender Almond (YN-58) at Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Everett, WA; renamed Bitterbush (YN-58) 3 April 1943; launched 30 June 1943; commissioned USS Bitterbush (YN-58) 15 January 1944, LT. Harry E. Horrocks, Jr., USNR; reclassified Net Laying Ship (AN-39) 20 January 1944; Iwo Jima operation campaign credit 20 February - 16 March 1945; decommissioned 4 January 1946 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; struck from the Naval Register 21 January 1946; one battle star; transferred to the Maritime Commission 6 May 1947 for disposal; sold for commercial service 1948; final disposition - destroyed by fire off Puerto Rico 27 May 1954. Specifications: displacement 1,460 t.(fl); length 194'7"; beam 37'; draft 13'6"; speed 12.1 kts; complement 4 officers, 52 enlisted; armament one single 3"/50 cal DP mount, four twin 20mm AA mounts; largest boom capacity 12 t.; fuel capacity diesel 760 Bbls; propulsion two Busch-Sulzer BS-539 diesel-electric engines, two 60Kw 120V D.C. ship's service generators, single propeller, 1,200shp. Page carries NARA photo 19-N-91554 (Bureau of Ships) showing the ship at San Francisco 12 November 1944 after alterations, searchlight platform replaced by a raised 20mm position over the stack.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1954
- Population
- Everett-Pacific construction trades (1942-43); crew (1944-46); commercial crew and any conversion trades (1948-54)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation - milestone dates track NHHC DANFS here, and its armament block (four twin 20mm = 8 barrels) matches the DANFS spec block's '8 20 mm.' late-war fit, not the original 2-3 single mounts. Contains no asbestos content. The 1954 fire loss predates modern ACM-handling regulation; no material record for the merchant-service conversion or the casualty was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-02
-
[4]NHHC photograph NH 73439, USS BITTERBUSH (AN-39), off Mare Island, California, 12 November 1944 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH 73439 catalog page (caption text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official NHHC photograph documents this hull off Mare Island, California, on 12 November 1944 - 'Note elevated 20mm position over the bridge.' The same-date Bureau of Ships photo at NavSource (19-N-91554, captioned San Francisco 'after alterations') confirms the ship underwent a late-1944 alteration fitting a raised 20mm gun platform over the bridge/stack area.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- November 1944
- Population
- Mare Island-side alteration trades (Nov 1944, inferred presence); crew
- Limitations
- Photographic record only - documents the ship's presence and a completed alteration, not the scope, workforce, or materials of the work. No asbestos content; the alteration-era work package was not located. NavSource captions the companion photo 'at San Francisco' while NHHC places NH 73439 'off Mare Island' - same date, same Bay Area complex; location label discrepancy noted, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-03
-
[5]NHHC, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 - Mine Squadron Twenty listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- US Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, Mine Squadron Twenty AN listing
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization lists 'AN 39 BITTERBUSH - Lt. P. A. Rollings (USNR)' under Mine Squadron Twenty (ComMinRon 20, Capt. R. A. Larkin), among the fleet's net tenders and minecraft - documenting her unit assignment and a later commanding officer of record during the final war months (post-Horrocks; change-of-command date not located).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Lt. P. A. Rollings USNR; crew of record 1 May 1945
- Limitations
- Roster-level record: establishes assignment and CO of record on 1 May 1945 only; does not date the Horrocks-to-Rollings turnover and contains no material or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-04
-
[6]NHHC, Navy-Marine Corps Awards Manual (rev. 1953), Pt. 4 Campaign and Service Medals - Asiatic-Pacific campaign listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- Awards manual pt.4, Asiatic-Pacific P33-1 operation table and Bitterbush (AN 39) credit line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official awards manual credits 'Bitterbush (AN 39): 20 Feb 45 - 16 Mar 45' under operation code P33-1, 'Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima' (operation window 15 Feb - 16 Mar 45) - the documented basis for her single battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- February-March 1945
- Population
- Crew aboard during Iwo Jima operation (20 Feb - 16 Mar 1945 window)
- Limitations
- Campaign-credit record only; confirms presence during the Iwo Jima assault/occupation window, not the dates of individual net-line tasks or any material exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-05
-
[7]NARA, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (Navy ship logbooks inventory): 'Bitterbush | (YN-58, AN-39) | 1/15/1944 | 6/30/1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessels table, 'Bitterbush' row; digitized-status check vs https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 inventories surviving logbooks for Bitterbush (YN-58, AN-39) spanning 15 January 1944 - 30 June 1945 - commissioning through mid-1945 (the SL44 named-vessel inventory boundary). The ship is absent from NARA's digitized deck-log index (navy-online list checked in full), so these logbooks are an undigitized physical-holdings lead at College Park; the July 1945 - January 1946 window is not in the SL44 inventory for this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1945 (log span)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: surviving-log dates, not a complete service record; logbook content (locations, availabilities, material references) unread. Absence from the digitized index means access requires College Park textual reference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-06
-
[8]NARA catalog, file unit 'Bitterbush (AN-39), 1/15/44-1/4/46', NAID 125574354, RG 24 Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, Roll 732 (digitized, available online) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 125574354 (RG 24 muster rolls, Roll 732)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized muster rolls for Bitterbush (AN-39) covering 15 January 1944 - 4 January 1946 - her entire commissioned life - in the Bureau of Naval Personnel muster-roll series (RG 24, Roll No. 732). Muster rolls name the officers and crew aboard at each reporting period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Population
- All hands, 15 Jan 1944 - 4 Jan 1946 (roster coverage)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: personnel rosters, not material or work records - supports identifying the service population, establishes nothing about shipboard materials. NARA catalog is JS-rendered; NAID metadata verified via rendered catalog search.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two Busch-Sulzer BS-539 diesel-electric engines, 1,200 shp, single propeller); Ailanthus-class literature (35 wooden-hulled net laying ships built 1942-43, Everett-Pacific one of six builders - Wikipedia class article citing Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; Wikipedia Ailanthus-class article (class overview, citing usnaux/Ships' Data); GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric net layer built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel-electric auxiliary of this type and period were machinery-space and diesel-exhaust insulation, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation within the confined hull volume. As a diesel-electric, wooden-hulled vessel she carried no steam plant and reduced structural fireproofing - the boiler/turbine lagging and steel-hull insulation pathways of larger combatants do not apply, narrowing but not eliminating the era-standard exposure surface.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1954
- Population
- Everett-Pacific construction trades (1942-43); commissioning and wartime crew (1944-46); Mare Island-side decommission/alteration trades; merchant-service population (1948-54)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YN-58/AN-39. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Wooden-hull characterization rests on class literature (secondary), not a surveyed hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-08
-
[10]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 (1942-43) and service era (1944-46).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- 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, consistent with prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-09
-
[11]NavSource Yard Net Tender (YN) Photo Index - 'YN-58 Bitterbush ... Redesignated AN-38' line; corrected by NHHC DANFS, NavSource's own AN index/AN-39 page, uboat.net, NARA SL44, and the 1 May 1945 fleet organization [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 14/22idx.htm YN-58 line vs 09/18/18idx.htm AN-39 line and 09/18/18039.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's Yard Net Tender index lists 'YN-58 Bitterbush - Redesignated AN-38'; the correct redesignation is AN-39 (AN-38 was sister ship Ailanthus, YN-57 - shown on the adjacent index line). Canonical AN-39 is corroborated by NHHC DANFS, NavSource's own AN-39 photo-archive page and AN index, uboat.net's Allied Warships entry, NARA Special List 44, and the 1 May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization. The same YN index line also misspells the lead ship as 'Alianthus.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944 (designation year)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating designation typo on one NavSource index page, not a material claim. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-10
-
[12]Batch-9230 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS Bitterbush and Almond entries; NHHC NH 73439; NHHC Pacific Fleet organization 1 May 1945; NHHC awards manual pt.4; NARA Special List 44 and NAID 125574354; NavSource AN-39 page and indexes; uboat.net; MARAD vessel-history DB; CourtListener API v4 (2 of 4 base queries run); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bitterbush-yn58-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Bitterbush (YN-58/AN-39) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener coverage complete: exact-name opinion query returned 0 results; exact-name docket query returned 7 hits, all name collisions (unrelated bankruptcy/MDL dockets whose text matched query terms - none involves the vessel); hull-number base queries overflowed massively ('AN-39' is a high-collision token - 769,624 opinion and 1,623,366 docket hits, every reviewed hit a token collision on judge-initial docket suffixes, batch numbers, and reporter page cites); asbestos-qualified 'AN-39' variants returned 1 opinion (Brooks Monypeny v. Kheiv, Tenn. Ct. App. 2015 - motor-vehicle case, token collision) and 20 reviewed dockets of 35, all collisions including the W.R. Grace bankruptcy (token match inside a mass docket - no vessel involvement). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is a law-firm marketing page (asbestos-ships.com) asserting exposure without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard; CourtListener full-text token search cannot exclude the hull appearing inside an unindexed claimant work-history. Deck logs (SL44: Jan 1944-Jun 1945, undigitized), Everett-Pacific build records, the November 1944 alteration work package, and merchant-service conversion records are the open primary leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bitterbush-yn58-11