Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 1085-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-butternut-yn4-pkt-1085-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Butternut (YN-4), 1941-1971 - construction, in-service/commissioning, WWII Pacific service, Trust Territories duty, Polaris/Mk-46 test support, decommissioning, YAG-60 reinstatement, salvage-hulk and target disposition (live NHHC page, verified this session) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS spec block: YN-4: dp. 700 (full); l. 151'8"; b. 30'6"; dr. 10'6"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 40; a. 1 3-inch; cl. Aloe): 'Butternut (YN-4) was laid down on 11 March 1941 at Houghton, Wash., by the Lake Washington Shipyard; launched on 10 May 1941; and placed in service at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., on 3 September 1941.' Commissioned 13 May 1942 at Seattle after Inshore Patrol duty in the 13th Naval District. Departed Seattle 17 May 1942, arrived Noumea, New Caledonia, 27 June; 18 months tending nets in New Caledonia, New Hebrides, and Solomons; repair periods Port Chalmers NZ (Aug-Sep 1943) and Pearl Harbor (Nov 1943-Feb 1944, where reclassified net laying ship and redesignated AN-9). Leyte/Samar operations Jan 1945-Feb 1947; Guam/Trust Territories 1947-50; Sasebo and Yokosuka 1950-51; Pearl Harbor overhaul Dec 1951-Aug 1952; 11th Naval District San Diego 1952-57. NOTS China Lake assumed operational control 14 Dec 1957 - Polaris missile test support at San Clemente Island 1957-64, then Mk-46 ASW torpedo testing 1964-summer 1969. Decommissioned San Diego 18 July 1969 and stricken same day; 'almost immediately' reinstated on the List of Service Craft as YAG-60 for the Pacific Missile Range. YAG-60 stricken 1 July 1971; salvage training hulk for ServRon 5 at Maui from early 1972 until destroyed as a target June 1977. One battle star for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1977
- Population
- Lake Washington Shipyard construction trades (1941); crew (1941-69); ServRon 5 salvage trainees (1972-77)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS gives no reinstatement date (shipscribe supplies 28 Oct 69) and prints 'destroyed as a target' June 1977 without location or firing platform. Live NHHC URL verified working 2026-10-05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, Butternut (YAG-60) ex USS Butternut (ANL-9) ex USS Butternut (AN-9) ex USS Butternut (YN-4) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, awards, Asiatic-Pacific campaign table (live navsource.net, verified this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/18/18009.htm header block, specifications block, campaign table, commanding-officer table, ribbon bar
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 11 March 1941 as Yard Net Tender (YN-4) at Lake Washington Shipyards, Houghton WA; launched 10 May 1941; placed in service 3 September 1941 (LT Einmo USNR in charge); commissioned USS Butternut (YN-4) 13 May 1942 at Seattle; reclassified net laying ship (AN-9) January 1944; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign - Consolidation of northern Solomons, 13 July-23 October 1944 and 4-22 January 1945; redesignated ANL-9, 1 January 1969; 'Decommissioned, 18 June 1969, at San Diego' (conflicts with DANFS/shipscribe 18 July 1969 - see gaps); reinstated as miscellaneous auxiliary YAG-60 on the Pacific Missile Range; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1971; final disposition destroyed as a target June 1977. Hull specifications: displacement 700 t.(fl) 805 t.(lim); length 162'2"; beam 30'6"; draft 11'8" (lim); speed 12.5 kts (trial); complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted; armament one single 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, two .50 cal machine guns, one y-gun; largest boom capacity 12 t.; propulsion one Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric engine, single Westinghouse main reduction gear, two diesel-drive 60 kW 120V D.C. ship's-service generators, single propeller, 800 shp; fuel diesel 620 Bbls. Full commanding-officer table 1941-1969 (25 officers). Awards: American Defense Service Medal (fleet clasp), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1), WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal (2), Philippines Liberation Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1977
- Population
- Construction trades (1941); crew (1941-69); Pacific Missile Range personnel (1969-71)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry. Its decommissioning date (18 Jun 1969) conflicts with DANFS and shipscribe (18 Jul 1969) - carried in gaps, DANFS/shipscribe preferred. Specification set conflicts with the DANFS spec block on length, displacement, speed, and complement, and its 'one Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric engine' count differs from the class design's two-unit arrangement (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-02
-
[4]shipscribe.com, USS Aloe (AN-6) class page (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled 2009 from official ship records) - construction/disposition tables, class notes (General Board design history), per-ship notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- AN-6 class page, construction table row AN-9, disposition table row AN-9, ship note 9, class notes, class armament line for 1958-63
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- shipscribe construction table for BUTTERNUT (AN-9): ordered 27 July 1940; builder Lake Washington, Houghton; laid down 11 March 1941; launched 10 May 1941; in service 3 September 1941. Disposition table: decommissioned 18 Jul 69; struck 1 Jul 71; disposal 7 Jun 77; fate Tgt (target); no MARAD sale. Ship note verbatim: 'Ex YN-4 20 Jan 44. Comm. 13 May 42. Supported the POLARIS missile program 1957-64 and tested the Mk-46 torpedo 1964-69. To ANL-9 1 Jan 69. Decomm. and stk. 18 Jul 69. Reinstated 28 Oct 69 as YAG-60 for service on the Pacific Missile Range. Salvage training hulk 1972-77, then expended as target.' Class notes: 32 net tenders (YN 1-32) directed 3 Jul 1940 under the FY1941 program for harbor/anchorage net defenses; General Board characteristics approved 9 Mar 1940; propulsion design called for a 1,000 SHP diesel-electric installation with two electric units serving a single propeller, rated 800 SHP as fitted; all YNs reclassified AN 1 Jan 44 effective 20 Jan 44; armament note lists '4>3-20mm or none' for AN 9 among 1958-63 fits.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1977
- Population
- Construction trades (1941); crew (1941-69); salvage-training personnel (1972-77)
- Limitations
- Authoritative secondary compilation drawn from official ship-record sources (Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels, MARAD/Navy disposal records); not itself a government record. Its dates agree with DANFS on all shared points and supply the reinstatement date (28 Oct 69) and disposal date (7 Jun 77) that DANFS lacks. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-03
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[5]Era inference built on: shipscribe class notes (diesel-electric design, FY1941 32-vessel net-tender program, steel hulls); NavSource hull specifications (Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric, single propeller, 800 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-05); DANFS spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AN-6 class notes; NavSource 09/18/18009.htm specifications; DANFS spec block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric net tender built in 1941 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel-driven vessel of this period were thermal insulation, engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and brake linings on deck machinery (the net-handling winch and 12-ton boom were her principal load-bearing gear). As a diesel-electric vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1977
- Population
- Lake Washington Shipyard construction trades (1941); crew (1941-69); overhaul yard workers (Pearl Harbor 1943-44, 1950, 1951-52); salvage trainees (1972-77); target-expenditure crews (1977)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YN-4/AN-9/ANL-9/YAG-60. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Her unusually long service life (1941-77, including four documented overhauls and weapons-system test duty) means as-built 1941 materials could have been replaced or supplemented repeatedly - any BuShips machinery manifest or overhaul work package (NARA RG 19, shipyard records) is an open archival lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-04
-
[6]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 construction (1941) and entire service era (1941-71 active/service-craft use, 1972-77 salvage hulk).
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-05) - content via product-page description; same standing defect as Batches 01, 98, and 9183.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-05
-
[7]NARA Special List #44 - List of Logbooks of US Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 (by ship name), archives.gov (live, verified this session); RG 24 Entry 118 (NAID 581208); plus batch-assignment NARA deck-log inventory extract for YN-4 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named list, Butternut row (between Butte APA-68 and Buttress ACMA); NARA deck-log extract per batch assignment
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two NARA inventories cover this hull's logs. Live-verified Special List 44 shows 'Butternut (YN-4, AN-9)' logbooks covering 3/8/1942 - 12/31/1945 (RG 24 Entry 118, Archives II, College Park). The batch assignment's NARA deck-log extract separately inventories deck logs for YN-4 covering 9/3/1941 - 3/31/1942 - the in-service (pre-commissioning) period; the two windows are complementary, together spanning 3 Sep 1941 (placed-in-service day) through 31 Dec 1945. Neither series is digitized: this hull does not appear on the NARA digitized deck-logs page, and the JS-rendered catalog could not be searched directly this session. Coverage dates are inventory boundaries only - the prompt's own rule applies: log coverage is not asserted as commissioning/decommissioning evidence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (inventoried coverage)
- Population
- Crew (1941-45 coverage window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the inventories establish that logs exist and their coverage dates, not their contents - no asbestos, maintenance, or exposure content is established by these records. The 9/3/1941-3/31/1942 window comes from the fleet's NARA extract (assignment context); the catalog is JS-rendered and unfetchable, so that window could not be re-verified against the live catalog this session - SL-44's 3/8/1942 start is the live-verified figure and the two inventories differ (see gaps). Post-1945 logs (1946-69) are not covered by SL-44 and were not located in any inventory this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-06
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[8]HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, File 20514 - 'Lake Washington Shipyards (Kirkland)' (peer-reviewed regional encyclopedia; sources include McConaghy UW master's thesis, Our Foundering Fathers, On the Ways yard newspaper) [other_primary]
- Locator
- historylink.org File 20514 - 'Going to War', 'End of an Era', and 'Bells Toll' sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- This hull's builder is a documented WWII Navy contract yard: the Lake Washington Shipyards at Houghton (now Kirkland), Washington - renamed under Charles Burckhardt in 1923 from the earlier Anderson Shipbuilding site; builder of the streamlined ferry Kalakala (1935); mobilized as a WWII defense plant with a 1940 Navy contract for submarine tenders, seaplane tenders, artillery lighters, and flotation tanks for submarine nets; peak wartime workforce more than 8,000 across three shifts; by war's end had built 29 ships for the Navy and repaired nearly 500 vessels; sold 31 December 1947 and the site is now the Carillon Point complex.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1923-1976 (yard history); 1940-41 (this hull's build)
- Population
- Lake Washington Shipyards construction and repair trades (1940-1945)
- Limitations
- Yard-history documentation, not a hull record: establishes that the builder named by DANFS existed, held documented Navy contracts covering this build era, and occupied a documented site. The article does not name this vessel specifically and contains no asbestos content. Lake Washington Shipyard is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry (37 yards checked) - a documented WWII Navy-contract builder with no located asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-07
-
[9]Batch-9212 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live; NavSource; shipscribe class/disposition tables; NARA Special List 44 + fleet deck-log extract; NARA digitized-logs page; NVR; CourtListener (authenticated, 2 of 4 base queries complete); GAO product page; HistoryLink 20514; NavalCoverMuseum; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-butternut-yn4-01 through sl-uss-butternut-yn4-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Butternut (YN-4/AN-9/ANL-9/YAG-60) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener name query ('USS Butternut', opinion) returned zero results (HTTP 200 authenticated); the 'AN-9' docket query completed but returned 53,537 hits - a raw token collision (AN-9 matches docket/document numbering, not this vessel) with no vessel-related signal on the first page; the name-docket query and the 'AN-9' opinion query could not be completed - the fleet-wide pacer returned a budget-spent stand-down on each attempt, logged as blocked, not a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull and no net-tender/sister-ship litigation; asbestos content touching auxiliaries of this era is law-firm marketing material (asbestos-ships.com carries a template page for 'USS Butternut (YAG-60)') - 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. The litigation repository search is partially open (two of four base queries paced out this session; 'AN-9' is a high-collision token whose docket overflow justifies asbestos-qualified variants when the pacer releases). Deck logs (NARA RG 24 + deck-log series), any BuShips machinery manifest (RG 19), and overhaul work packages (Pearl Harbor 1943-44, 1950, 1951-52) are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-butternut-yn4-08