Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Bonita' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Bonita' returned 0 results (2026-10-07)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- zero-hit search; absence of hits is not proof of no litigation
- Evidence ID
- uss-bonita-ss552-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Bonita' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Bonita' returned 209 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-bonita-ss552-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'SS-552' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'SS-552' returned 1679 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-bonita-ss552-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'SS-552' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'SS-552' returned 24641 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-bonita-ss552-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]DANFS, Bonita (SSK-3) - construction contract transfer, launch, sponsor, commissioning, SubRon 7 service, 1955 renaming (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned 404 under all candidate URLs) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS SSK-3 entry, service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'The original contract for construction of Bonita (SSK-3) was let to New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J., but later transferred to Mare Island Naval Shipyard.' Launched as K-3, 21 June 1951; sponsored by Mrs. J. S. Clark, widow of Commander Clark; commissioned 11 January 1952, Lt. Cmdr. E. E. Hopley in command; reported to the Pacific Fleet. Joined Submarine Squadron 7 at Pearl Harbor 15 May 1952; operated on experimental and normal submarine duties; cruise to Alaskan waters August-September 1956; 'renamed Bonita 15 December 1955.' Spec block: dp. 765; l. 196'1"; b. 24'7"; dr. 14'5"; s. 13 k.; cpl. 37; cl. Bass.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1956 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades (1950-51); crew (1952-forward)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The DANFS entry was written in service and ends mid-career - decommissioning (1958), redesignation (1959), striking (1965), and disposal (1966) come from other rows. The spec block's 'cl. Bass' is a class-name variant - the class is elsewhere styled Barracuda or K-1 (see gaps). Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-19 under all candidate URLs; verbatim transcription used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-01
-
[6]NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive, K-3 / Bonita (SSK-3) (SS-552) - designation timeline, specifications, disposal (via Wayback capture 2025-01-14; direct fetch unreachable) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 08/08552.htm milestone block and specifications block (Wayback 20250114180853)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource milestone block for this hull: laid down 29 May 1950 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo; launched 21 June 1951; commissioned USS K-3 (SSK-3) 11 January 1952; renamed USS Bonita (SSK-3) 15 December 1955; decommissioned 7 November 1958; laid up in the Reserve Fleet; hull number changed to SS-552 15 August 1959; struck from the Naval Register 1965; sold to Nassco, Terminal Island, CA. Specifications: 765 t surfaced / 1,160 t submerged; 196'1"; beam 24'6"; 13 kts surfaced / 8.5 submerged; test depth 400 ft; complement 4 officers + 33 enlisted; four 21" torpedo tubes; diesel-electric GM diesels, GE motors, 1,050 hp, 252 battery cells, single propeller; fuel 54,000 gal. Bauer & Roberts (via Wikipedia) carry laid down 19 May 1950, stricken 1 April 1965, sold for scrap 17 November 1966.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1966
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades (1950-51); crew (1952-58); reserve-fleet/inactivation personnel (1958-66); shipbreakers (1966-67)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS/Bauer & Roberts but conflicts exist (laid down 19 vs 29 May 1950; beam 24'6" vs DANFS 24'7"; battery 252 cells and single propeller vs secondary 126 cells and two shafts - see gaps). 'Terminal Island, S.F., CA' is NavSource's text; Terminal Island is in Los Angeles harbor and Nassco operated in San Diego - buyer location carried as stated. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-02
-
[7]NavSource photo catalog for this hull - USN and Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum photographs with dated captions (USN photos 6217-50, 6218-50, 6217-5-50, 6366-6-50, 6569-7-50, 7953/7954-1-51, 9091-5-51, NY9-962x-6-51 series, 80-G-433367/433371, 11559-1-52, NY9-11940/11941/11945-2-52) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 08/08552.htm photo-caption table (construction, launch, commissioning, Pearl Harbor, Mare Island Reserve Fleet 1966 aerial)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USN-captioned photography documents this hull's physical presence: keel prepared for official keel laying 19 May 1950 at Mare Island (photo 6217-50 identifies riggers and a welder by hard-hat numbers); RADM F. E. Beatty address at the keel laying 23 May 1950; keel-laying ceremony 29 May 1950 with honorary keel layers Joe Brouss and John Nicol; stern hull section in Mare Island's Structural Shop 9 June 1950; building-ways views July 1950 and January 1951 (sister Bass (SSK-2) on adjacent ways at her 2 May 1951 launch); launch party and launching 21 June 1951 (Lt. Gov. Goodwin J. Knight speaking; sponsor Mrs. James Seerley Clark; NARA photos 80-G-433367/433371); commissioning at Mare Island 11 January 1952 (RADM C. B. Momsen, COMSUBPAC, speaking; CO LCDR Eric E. Hopley); Mare Island channel 11 February 1952; Pearl Harbor early 1950s and 1956. An aerial photograph of the Mare Island Reserve Fleet dated 25 November 1966 shows Growler (SSG-577), Bass (SSK-2), Bonita (SSK-3), Grayback (SSG-574), and tender Pelias (AS-14) - placing this hull in the Mare Island reserve group after her 1965 striking.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1966
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades incl. riggers/welders (1950-51); commissioning crew (1952); Pearl Harbor base population (1952-57); reserve-fleet caretakers (1958-66)
- Limitations
- Archival lead layer: photo captions document physical presence and ceremony, not work scope - a keel-laying or drydock photo is not a work-order or material record. Captions trace to USN photo numbers and the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum; the underlying prints are at NARA/USN repositories. A Miami Herald photo (Sep-Oct 1973 issue) captioned as showing 'Bonita (SSK-3)' with Bushnell (AS-15) and Tirante (SS-420) at Key West postdates this hull's striking and sale - likely a file photo or a misidentified sister (probably Barracuda, documented at Key West with SubRon 12); not treated as a Key West service record (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-03
-
[8]Naval Submarine League archive (The Submarine Review, October 2002), 'Operation Hardtack as a Submerged Target' - firsthand account by CAPT Ned Kellogg, USN (Ret.), Bonita officer 1956-58, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum talk 14 March 2002 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.navalsubleague.org 2002/October issue transcript (Kellogg talk, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum 2002-03-14)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific participant account documenting: an extended arctic patrol ending in a submerged collision with an iceberg (loss of radar antenna, periscope damage, loss of VLF/HF antennas), after which COMSUBPAC (RADM Joseph Grenfell) transferred Bass and Bonita from Pearl Harbor to San Diego; a three-month availability at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard (San Francisco) configuring the boat as a test article - four pad eyes welded to the pressure hull through the ballast tanks, external ballast-vent and high-pressure blow piping added, strain gauges and two 1,000-fps cameras installed - and the boat reduced to 'In Service Special' status with a pared-down crew; transit via Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok with support ship USS Hooper Island (ARG-17); shot WAHOO 16 May 1958 at 1330 taken manned at periscope depth on a 6,000-yard circle (USS Sterlet at 7,000 yards; unmanned destroyers closer) with superficial damage (broken bulbs, tripped motor-generator, escape-trunk flooding, fire-control system never regained function); shot UMBRELLA 9 June 1958 (local) taken unmanned, submerged and moored bow-on at 1,000 yards, surfaced afterward via diver-operated blow valves; post-shot radiation frisking and topside washdown alongside Hooper Island; return via Pearl Harbor and San Diego to Mare Island, where the remaining crew departed the morning of 7 November 1958. Also records sister Bass (SSK-2) decommissioned at Mare Island 20 December 1957.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1956-1958
- Population
- Hunter's Point yard trades (1957-58 availability); Bonita test crew (Wahoo manned contingent); Eniwetok TG 7.3 support personnel; decommissioning crew at Mare Island (1958)
- Limitations
- A participant memoir published 44 years after the events in the Naval Submarine League's journal - detailed and internally consistent, but recollected: Kellogg's milestone dates (keel 'March 1950,' commissioning 'February 1952') are off against DANFS/NavSource and are not relied on. The 'decommissioned... In Service Special' sequencing conflicts with the official 7 November 1958 decommissioning date - carried as an unresolved variant (see gaps). Documents test configuration and radiological monitoring only - no asbestos or material content. Welding and piping work on the pressure hull/ballast system is documented activity; any insulation or gasket disturbance is era inference, not stated by the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-04
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and milestones; NavSource specifications; shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for mare-island-naval-shipyard (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractory), pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard (pipe covering, insulation blankets, amosite blankets, asbestos mud, gaskets, wire insulation, asbestos cloth), and hunters-point-naval-shipyard (thermal insulation for piping/boilers, mechanical insulation, gaskets, fireproofing, pipe lagging) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; shipyards.json product lists for mare-island-naval-shipyard, pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard, hunters-point-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric submarine built 1950-51 at Mare Island sits inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard submarine applications aboard a boat of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel-electric boat she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the submarine confined-space exposure dynamic applies with full force. Documented yard availabilities at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (overhaul, February-September 1955) and San Francisco Naval Shipyard/Hunter's Point (October 1957-January 1958, including pressure-hull welding and ballast-system piping for Hardtack configuration) placed her inside two further documented asbestos-era yards; the 1958 Mare Island inactivation is a fourth yard event on the same basis.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1950-1967
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades (1950-51); PHNSY trades (1955); Hunter's Point trades (1957-58); Mare Island inactivation trades (1958); crew (1952-58); reserve-fleet caretakers (1958-66); Nassco shipbreakers (1966-67)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for SSK-3/SS-552. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are yard-level documented terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The 1955 PHNSY overhaul rests on secondary sourcing (Bauer & Roberts line via Wikipedia/naval-encyclopedia); the Hunter's Point availability is independently documented by the Kellogg account.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-05
-
[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 (1950-51), service era (1952-58), and reserve period (1958-65).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- 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, confirmed 2026-09-19) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-06
-
[11]Batch-362 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource/Wayback; Naval Submarine League firsthand account; NavalCoverMuseum; NVR; ibiblio NHHC mirror; DTIC official Hardtack report attempt; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-bonita-ss552-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Bonita/K-3 (SSK-3/SS-552) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - API returned HTTP 429 (125/day quota exhausted, ~13 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (asbestos-ships.com dedicated SSK-3 page, mesothelioma.com and mesolawcenter.com listicles) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- 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). Deck logs, Mare Island and Hunter's Point work packages, the JTF-7 test-configuration work orders, and the 1966 scrapping contract are undigitized leads. The hull was scrapped in 1966-67, so no extant-vessel survey can exist. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-07
-
[12]Correction anchored to a documented published misstatement: mesothelioma.com's submarine-asbestos table lists 'USS Bonita | SS-552' and 'USS Bonita | SSK-3' as two separate table rows (excluded source, cited to document the error only); mesolawcenter.com lists 'USS Bonita (SS 15), aka C-4' - a different hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- mesothelioma.com asbestos-exposure/jobsites/ships/submarines table; mesolawcenter.com submarine listicle; DANFS ssk3.htm; NavSource 08/08552.htm milestone block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: marketing sources split this hull in two - mesothelioma.com's submarine table carries separate rows for 'USS Bonita SS-552' and 'USS Bonita SSK-3' as if they were different boats. They are the same hull: K-3/SSK-3 commissioned 11 January 1952, renamed Bonita 15 December 1955, redesignated SS-552 in reserve 15 August 1959 (DANFS; NavSource; Bauer & Roberts). A separate collision: submarine C-4 (SS-15) carried the name Bonita 1909-1911, and the fleet submarine Bonita (SS-165, ex-V-3) served 1926-1945 - three further 'USS Bonita' identities that any unqualified 'Bonita' reference must be disambiguated against.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19 (sources surveyed)
- Limitations
- Corrects a documented secondary-source splitting error and maps the name-collision surface; not a material claim. The excluded marketing sources remain non-citable for any asbestos assertion - the correction row cites them only to document the error. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-08
-
[13]Open primary leads: DTIC ADA078572, 'Operation HARDTACK, Eniwetok Proving Ground, March-August 1958' (official JTF-7 report series; shot/ship participation detail); NARA RG 24 deck logs (1952-58); Mare Island and Hunter's Point yard work-order files (RG 181); 1966 Nassco scrapping contract [other_primary]
- Locator
- apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/ADA078572/index.html (HTTP 403); NARA RG 24/RG 181 (digitization status unverified)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The likeliest primary documentation for this hull: the official JTF-7 Operation Hardtack report series (ADA078572 and companion shot reports for Wahoo and Umbrella should carry the instrumented-target configuration, standoff ranges, and any material/hazard instrumentation aboard); RG 24 deck logs for K-3/Bonita (1952-58); Mare Island Naval Shipyard and San Francisco Naval Shipyard (Hunter's Point) work-order/jacket files for the 1950-51 build, the 1957-58 test-configuration availability, and the 1958 inactivation; and the 17 November 1966 Nassco sales/scrapping contract. None of these was retrieved this session.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Lead only - record existence inferred, contents unreviewed. DTIC index page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-19; whether the report's ship lists name Bonita is unverified (the Kellogg account independently establishes her participation). RG 24 deck logs and RG 181 yard files for this era are not publicly digitized. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-bonita-ss552-09