Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
-
[1]research packet 1014-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-captor-pyc40-pkt-1014-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Captor' (AM-132/PYc-40), live NHHC DANFS page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Captor' entry, spec block and full narrative text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Captor, spec block '(AM-132: dp. 520; l. 133'7"; b. 26'1"; dph. 12'8"; cpl. 47; a. 1 4")': 'Eagle (AM-132) was built in 1938 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., as Harvard (later renamed Wave); purchased by the Navy 1 January 1942; and commissioned as Eagle 5 March 1942, Lieutenant Commander L. F. Rogers, USNR, in command. The minesweeper was refitted as a Q-ship and re-classified PYC-40 on 18 April 1942 when her name was also changed to Captor. Ingeniously disguised as a fishing trawler, she sailed out of Boston throughout the war, her dangerous mission that of luring U-boats within range of her guns. While such a scheme had achieved some success when used by the British in World War I, the German Navy had become wary of just this sort of trap. Captor cruised diligently in known submarine areas but made no contacts. She was decommissioned 4 October 1944, and sold through the War Shipping Administration 21 February 1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1938-1945
- Population
- Construction and conversion trades (Quincy 1938; East Boston/Portsmouth 1942); crew of 47 (1942-44)
- Limitations
- Authoritative ship-specific history naming this hull; contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. DANFS gives no stricken date, no post-sale history, and no conversion yard; it applies 'Eagle' to the build paragraph even though the hull was the merchant Wave until the 11 January 1942 designation (NavSource detail). Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04; the older /danfs/c3/captor.htm URL 404s.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Photo Archive - 'Captor (PYc 40)', ex-Eagle (AM-132) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1440.htm header block, 'Eagle Class Minesweeper' chronology, specifications block, and commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: built 1938 as steel-hull trawler M/V Harvard by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, MA, for General Sea Foods Corp. of Boston, MA; renamed M/V Wave; acquired by the Navy 1 January 1942; conversion to a minesweeper began 8 January 1942 at the Bethlehem Steel Co., East Boston, MA; renamed and designated Eagle (AM-132) 11 January 1942; conversion completed 28 February 1942; commissioned USS Eagle (AM-132) 5 March 1942; fitted out as a 'Q' ship, reclassified Patrol Yacht (Coastal) PYc-40 and renamed Captor 18 April 1942; decommissioned 4 October 1944 at Boston, MA and transferred to the War Shipping Administration; struck from the Naval Register 10 October 1944; transferred to the War Shipping Administration 21 February 1945 for return to her owners; acquired 1959 by 40-Fathom Fisheries, Inc. of Wilmington, DE, renamed Wave; acquired 1970 by National Sea Products, Inc. of Dover, DE; acquired 1976 by Trawler Wave, Inc. of Portland, ME; acquired 2005 by R & J Shipping, Inc. of Boston, MA, renamed Harvard; out of documentation in 2009, fate unknown. Specifications: displacement 520 t.; length 133'7"; beam 26'1"; draft 12'8"; speed 12.5 kts.; complement 47; armament one 4"/50 mount, two .50 cal. machine guns, one 20mm mount; propulsion one 650 shp Cooper Bessemer diesel engine, one shaft. Commanding officers: LCDR Lester Francis Rogers, USNR (5 Mar 1942); LT Eric Albert Carlson, USNR (13 Jan 1943); LCDR Rogers again (12 Mar 1943); LT Carlson (3 Apr 1943 - 4 Oct 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1938-2009
- Population
- Bethlehem conversion trades, East Boston (Jan-Feb 1942); crew of 47 (1942-44); post-war fishing crews (1945-2009)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its dates generally track DANFS/NVR but it is the sole source for the East Boston conversion yard, the 11 January 1942 designation date, the 10 October 1944 striking date (secondary sources print 14 October - see gaps), the Cooper Bessemer diesel propulsion figure, the commanding-officer roster, and the entire post-1945 ownership chain. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-02
-
[4]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Asterion (AK-63) & Atik' class notes - U.S. Navy Q-ship program compiled from Bureau of Ships and fleet records [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/AK/AK63.html, 'Class Notes' section, FY 1943 (AK-63)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documents this hull's membership in the Navy's WWII Q-ship program: 'The Navy ultimately deployed as "Q-ships" ATIK, ASTERION, EAGLE (AM-132), IRENE FORSYTE (IX-93) and BIG HORN (AO-45) in the Atlantic and ANACAPA (AG-49) in the Pacific.' The program reportedly originated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at a 19 January 1942 meeting with Navy leadership; 'Q-ships' appeared to be innocent merchant vessels but carried heavy concealed gun batteries to engage surfacing U-boats. Atik was sunk by U-123 in March 1942; the Q-ship effort was judged unsuccessful.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Q-ship program crews across five Atlantic vessels (1942-43)
- Limitations
- ShipScribe is an independent researcher's compilation from BuShips/CNO records (Stephen S. Roberts, compiled 2010) - authoritative-adjacent but not itself a primary document. Names this hull only as program roster 'EAGLE (AM-132)'; the Captor-specific operational detail comes from other rows. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-03
-
[5]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships - 'Atik' (AK-101), live NHHC DANFS page (Q-ship program narrative) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Atik' entry (Vol. IA, pp. 446-47), program-background and loss narrative
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official Navy history of the Q-ship program Captor belonged to: in response to Operation Paukenschlag (U-boat blitz off the Atlantic seaboard from 12 January 1942), 'the American Navy could spare few ships to deal with this new threat close to our shores. As a result of the crisis, it launched a new, imaginative, and daring program... It appears that President Franklin Roosevelt, well-known for his affinity for things novel and naval, desired that the Navy establish a "Q-ship" program similar to that which had been used by the British with some success in the first World War.' Atik was converted at Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard, commissioned 5 March 1942, and was torpedoed by U-123 on 26-27 March 1942 with the loss of her entire crew; 'all connected with the program apparently harbored the view that neither ship "was expected to last longer than a month after commencement of [her] assigned duty."'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Q-ship program crews; Atik's 141-man crew (lost 27 March 1942)
- Limitations
- Program-level context; the Atik entry does not name Eagle/Captor - it documents the program this hull joined, its origins, and the fate of the lead ship. The 'expected to last a month' expectation and the all-hands loss of Atik illustrate the hazardous duty concept this crew volunteered into; not an exposure record of any kind. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-04.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-04
-
[6]Warfare History Network, 'Q-Ships vs. U-Boats in World War II' (secondary history-press article) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Warfare History Network article, 'USS Eagle/Captor' paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Captor-specific operational detail: 'The beam trawler MS Wave, commissioned as USS Eagle (AM-132)... Unlike the other four Q-ships, Eagle did not sail along convoy routes or coastal shipping areas. She spent her abortive Q-ship career in the waters near Boston, from Rhode Island Sound on the south to Casco Bay in the north. After her commissioning, Eagle remained in the Portsmouth Navy Yard to receive additional armament and sonar gear for her Q-ship role. When completed, she was redesignated as patrol craft USS Captor (PYC-40). Captor sailed on her first cruise during May 1942, and continued to operate in her assigned area for the next year, without reporting a single U-boat contact. In May 1943, Captor was removed from secret Q-ship status and assigned as a regular armed patrol craft to the First Naval District.' Also confirms diesel power and a complement of five officers and 42 men.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Crew of 47; Portsmouth Navy Yard fitting-out trades (spring 1942)
- Limitations
- Secondary history-press account; details it alone supplies - Portsmouth Navy Yard Q-ship fit, May 1942 first cruise, May 1943 removal from Q-ship status, exact operating bounds - are single-source. Consistent with DANFS/NavSource where they overlap. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (one 650 shp Cooper Bessemer diesel, one shaft - diesel plant, no boilers); NavSource timeline (1938 commercial steel trawler; conversion at Bethlehem Steel Co., East Boston, Jan-Feb 1942); Warfare History Network (post-commissioning Q-ship fit at Portsmouth Navy Yard, spring 1942); shipyard-exposure-map asbestos product lists for bethlehem-shipbuilding, fore-river-shipyard, portsmouth-naval-shipyard (yard-level documented asbestos products) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource spec block and timeline; WHN article; shipyards.json product lists (bethlehem-shipbuilding, fore-river-shipyard, portsmouth-naval-shipyard)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel trawler built in 1938 and worked over at two documented asbestos-era yards in early 1942 sits inside the period when U.S. shipyards used asbestos products routinely. As a diesel vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but era-standard applications aboard a small diesel naval vessel of this period were engine and exhaust-system lagging, machinery thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing compounds. Her conversion periods (minesweeper fit at Bethlehem, East Boston, January-February 1942; Q-ship armament and sonar fit at Portsmouth Navy Yard through May 1942) are the likeliest windows for new insulation work aboard.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1938-1945 (naval-relevant window)
- Population
- Bethlehem Quincy construction trades (1938); Bethlehem East Boston conversion trades (Jan-Feb 1942); Portsmouth Navy Yard fitting-out trades (Mar-May 1942); crew of 47 (1942-44); post-war fishing crews and any 2009-era disposition handlers
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, conversion work package, or deck-log evidence located for AM-132/PYc-40. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. The East Boston conversion yard is NavSource-only and the Portsmouth Q-ship fit is secondary-sourced; the 1938 commercial build at Fore River predates the wartime asbestos-demand surge but is still within the era of routine marine asbestos use.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-06
-
[8]NARA photograph 80-G-245463, captioned in NavSource as 'c. August 1944, seen here fitted out as a "Q" ship' (RG 80-G, General Records of the Department of the Navy still-picture series); plus RG 24 deck logs for Captor (PYc-40), 1942-44 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1440.htm photo caption crediting 'National Archives photo 80-G-245463' (Tracy White); RG 24 deck-log series, NARA
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A NARA still photograph (80-G-245463, c. August 1944) documents this hull in her Q-ship configuration - physical-presence documentation of the disguised fit. RG 24 deck logs for Captor (1942-44) are the standard repository for a commissioned Navy vessel of this period and would itemize her operating areas, yard availabilities, and any aboard-work entries - the likeliest primary paper trail for materials handling or insulation work.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Crew and any trades during 1942-44 availabilities
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the photograph establishes configuration, not materials; deck logs' contents are unexamined - a deck log is a positional/operational record and rarely itemizes insulation work. NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov) is a JS-rendered application that could not be independently fetched this session; the photo identifier is transcribed via the NavSource caption. No asbestos content verified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-07
-
[9]Batch-8684 search ledger (this record): live NHHC DANFS (Captor, Atik); NavSource PYc-40 page and AM index; ShipScribe AK-63 class notes; Warfare History Network Q-ships article; NVR (absent - pre-1987 disposal); NARA catalog (JS-blocked); secondary web litigation/asbestos sweep; CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-captor-pyc40-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/museum-condition report, or verified litigation naming USS Captor (PYc-40) or USS Eagle (AM-132) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only 'asbestos' content surfaced is law-firm marketing material - mesothelioma.com lists 'USS Eagle AM-132' on a generic 'Asbestos Exposure on Minesweepers' page asserting that WWII-era minesweepers contained asbestos, without hull-specific or primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide request pacing budget was exhausted (helper-enforced ~58/hr shared across sessions); logged as blocked, not as a negative litigation result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - conversion-era yard work at two documented asbestos-era yards makes era materials plausible, and the hull's survival as a documented fishing vessel to 2009 means wartime-era fabric may have persisted longer than on scrapped contemporaries. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced out, not run). Deck logs and any 1942 conversion work packages are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-captor-pyc40-08