Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS, USS Blenny (SS-324) - construction, four war patrols, postwar service, GUPPY conversion, Korean War patrol (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched 9 April 1944 by Electric Boat Co., Groton (sponsor Miss Florence King, daughter of Admiral E. J. King); commissioned 27 July 1944, Lt. Cmdr. W. H. Hazzard. Four war patrols 10 November 1944-14 August 1945 in the Java and South China Seas; sank eight Japanese vessels totaling 18,262 tons and destroyed more than 62 miscellaneous small craft by gunfire. Postwar: China cruise August-November 1946; midshipman cruise to Canada; two winter cruises in Alaskan waters (1947-48, 1948-49); fleet maneuvers off Hawaii. GUPPY conversion 1951; Far East cruise May-November 1952 including a 35-day reconnaissance patrol supporting Korean operations; west coast 1953; reported to the Atlantic Fleet 24 May 1954 and thereafter operated out of New London with Atlantic Fleet, NATO, and ASW exercises plus submarine development group equipment evaluation. Four battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1989
- Population
- EB construction trades (1943-44); GUPPY yard trades (1951); Philadelphia NSY (1969 decommission); crew (1944-1969); reef-prep workers (1980s)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404; verbatim transcription used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blenny-ss324-01
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[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, SS-324 Blenny data block (construction dates, AGSS reclassification, decommission/stricken, artificial-reef disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource SS-324 data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource data block: laid down 8 July 1943 at Electric Boat Co., Groton; reclassified Auxiliary Submarine AGSS-324 on 1 October 1969; decommissioned at Philadelphia 7 November 1969 and laid up in the Reserve Fleet; re-designated Attack Submarine SS-324 on 30 June 1971; struck from the Naval Register 15 August 1973; final disposition sunk as part of an artificial reef off Ocean City on 7 June 1989. Photo-caption research identifies her as a GUPPY IA-configured boat carrying AN/BQG-4 PUFFS sonar; moored at Norfolk from 3 July 1979 until donation to the State of Maryland for reef use.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1989
- Population
- EB construction trades (1943-44); GUPPY yard trades (1951); Philadelphia NSY (1969 decommission); crew (1944-1969); reef-prep workers (1980s)
- Limitations
- NavSource is an authoritative non-government archive; data captured via search-result text (navsource.net unreachable by direct fetch - DNS resolution failure). Artificial-reef location given as 'off Ocean City' - Maryland per donation record; some transcriptions say New Jersey - carried in gaps. AGSS reclassification date conflicts with class-profile '1964' - carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blenny-ss324-02
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[3]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), submarine machinery tables (shipscribe.com scan) + shipyard-exposure-map asbestos product list for electric-boat-groton [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 pp. 266-270 submarine tables; shipyards.json electric-boat-groton product list
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Balao-class diesel-electric boats carried NO boilers or steam plant (BuShips 1945: DERD drive, four main diesel-generator engines - diesel maker Fairbanks-Morse or General Motors varying by hull block, electric motors Elliott or General Electric, ~5,400 hp, two shafts). Era-typical asbestos-relevant applications on the type: diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic and thermal hull insulation, insulation around galley and refrigeration equipment, and battery/electrical materials. The Electric Boat/Groton yard's asbestos product use in submarine construction of this era is independently documented at the yard level.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1989
- Population
- EB construction trades (1943-44); GUPPY yard trades (1951); Philadelphia NSY (1969 decommission); crew (1944-1969); reef-prep workers (1980s)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for SS-324. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blenny-ss324-03
-
[4]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 this hull's entire active service period (1944-1969) including her 1951 GUPPY conversion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blenny-ss324-04
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[5]Batch-24 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource data block; CourtListener searches; BuShips Ships' Data 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blenny-ss324-01 through -06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated case naming USS Blenny (SS-324) was found. CourtListener sweeps pending (rate-limited in this window - see search_ledger). Her 1989 donation-to-reef disposal is a documentary lead: artificial-reef transfers of that era typically involved material/hazmat preparation, but no such record for this hull was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blenny-ss324-05