Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 891-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (label nuance disclosed
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-castine-pc452-pkt-891-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Castine II entry, NHHC (verified live 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Castine II entry, section II
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull's name: 'II - PC-452 (q.v.) was renamed and reclassified Castine (IX-211) on 10 March 1945.' Namesake: 'A town in Maine.' This is the complete official DANFS text for the second Castine - the '(q.v.)' points to a PC-452 entry that is not published on the live NHHC site and is absent from the hazegray DANFS patrol-craft index.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Limitations
- One-line cross-reference only: establishes the 10 March 1945 rename/reclassification and namesake, nothing else - no construction data, service narrative, or materials content. Page image caption depicts the first Castine (Gunboat No. 6), not this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Castine (IX 211) ex-PC-452 (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010452.htm header timeline block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull ('PC-452 Class Submarine Chaser'): the second Castine laid down 14 March 1940 by DeFoe Boat and Motor Works, Bay City, MI, as Hull No. 167 under the Experimental Small Craft program of 17 May 1938; the 'X-Boats' 'differed in detail and were listed as 165 footers'; launched 23 August 1941 and towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be fitted out with boilers; 'PC-452 was to be used as a steam turbine test bed hull'; commissioned USS PC-452 on 26 July 1943; reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary IX-211 and named Castine 10 March 1945; decommissioned 3 October 1945 and laid up at Philadelphia; advertised for sale by the Maritime Commission in the 21 October 1946 Miami News; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal January 1947; fate unknown. Specifications: displacement 348 t.; length 173'8''; beam 23'; propulsion - 'Two Beasler boilers with Delaval turbines, two shafts.' Page also confirms 'There is no DANFS History currently available for Castine (IX 211)' and captions NARA photo 19-N-24533 (7 July 1941, before launching).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- DeFoe construction trades (1940-41); Philadelphia Navy Yard fitting-out trades (1941-43); crew (1943-44/45)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - dates generally track DANFS/NVR-era sources but commissioning and decommissioning dates conflict with other sources (see gaps and ev-09). Contains no asbestos content. The Miami News sale advertisement and pre-launch NARA photo are noted from the page's own text/captions, not independently pulled.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-02
-
[4]John W. Hazard, 'The Flying Teakettle,' The New Yorker, 21 January 1950 (firsthand account by PC-452's executive officer, later commanding officer; verified live 2026-10-03) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- The New Yorker, issue of 21 Jan 1950, 'The Flying Teakettle' by John W. Hazard (full text)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- First-person record of this hull's experimental steam service by her executive officer and later captain, John W. Hazard, USNR: 'the Flying Teakettle, officially designated PC-452' was 'the only one of her kind' - 'the other PCs had oldfashioned Diesel engines, while the Flying Teakettle... had two ultra-modern, experimental steam boilers, which generated hotter and higher-pressure steam than a battleship.' Crew: 'seventy-six nearly helpless officers and enlisted men' - five officers, seventy-one enlisted. Put in commission at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in July 1943; boiler tubes melted five days after commissioning; closed-loop distilled-water plant repeatedly failed, requiring tows back to the Philadelphia Navy Yard; departed 22 May 1944 for shakedown at Miami via the Charleston Navy Yard (taking on distilled water); sprang five boiler leaks in Miami; broke down on a northbound convoy passage off Cape Hatteras; ran measured-mile trials in Penobscot Bay off Rockland, Maine, in July 1944 before the Navy's main trial board; Hazard took command 23 June 1944; 'On December 7, 1944, the commission pennant was hauled down.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (events); 1950 (publication)
- Population
- Crew of 76 aboard PC-452, July 1943 - December 1944 (5 officers, 71 enlisted); Philadelphia Navy Yard trades during repeated repair periods
- Limitations
- A humor-magazine memoir, not a technical document: machinery details are an officer's recollection five years on, not engineering data - but commissioning date/place, crew size, operating pattern, and the 7 Dec 1944 pennant-down are eyewitness facts. Mentions no asbestos, insulation material, or product names. The 'decommissioned Dec 1944' reading conflicts with NavSource's 3 Oct 1945 - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-03
-
[5]American Film Institute Catalog entry 50379, 'You're in the Navy Now' (Twentieth Century-Fox, 1951) (verified live 2026-10-03) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- AFI Catalog 50379, HISTORY section, second paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- AFI's production history confirms the film's source and the hull's profile: 'John W. Hazard's article was based on his experiences as executive officer and navigator, and later captain, of the PC-452, an experimental submarine chaser tested during World War II. The ship, which was put into commission in Jul 1943, was equipped with "two ultra-modern, experimental steam boilers" and staffed by inexperienced men... the ship was de-commissioned in Dec 1944.' The film (working titles 'The Flying Teakettle,' 'U.S.S. Teakettle') was directed by Henry Hathaway and starred Gary Cooper; the Navy and DoD cooperated in its production. Independent corroboration of July 1943 commissioning and December 1944 decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (subject period); 1950-51 (production)
- Population
- PC-452 crew (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Film-catalog scholarship summarizing Hazard's article - derivative of ev-03, not an independent Navy record; the December 1944 decommissioning echoes the article. Contains no asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, 'USS PC-452 (PC-452) - Patrol craft of the Prototypes class' (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warship page 9350, data table and 'Commands listed' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specialist warship database record for this hull: ordered 19 October 1939; built by Defoe Shipbuilding Co., Bay City, Michigan; laid down 14 March 1940; launched 23 August 1941; commissioned 26 July 1943; 'used as experimental ship'; reclassified unclassified miscellaneous auxiliary IX-211 and named Castine 10 March 1945; end service 3 October 1945; displacement 348 BRT, length 173 feet. Wartime commanding officers listed: Lt. Charles G. Herbermann, USNR (26 Jul 1943 - mid-1944) and John W. Hazard, USNR (mid-1944 - 7 Dec 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1939-1945
- Population
- Construction trades 1940-43; crew under Herbermann and Hazard 1943-44
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist secondary database, not a primary registry; its 'end service 3 Oct 1945' date aligns with NavSource's decommissioning date and conflicts with Hazard's eyewitness 7 Dec 1944 pennant-down (see gaps). Its command list corroborates the New Yorker account (Herbermann, Hazard). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-05
-
[7]Shipbuilding History, Defoe Shipbuilding (Bay City MI) hull list (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Defoe yard table, hull rows 166-167
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-yard production list for this hull: Defoe Hull #167, 'PC 452,' US Navy Sub Chaser, 348 tons (design), 174 ft, delivered 26 July 1943, disposition 'Prototype, reclassified 1944 as Castine (IX 211), to NDRF 1947.' Sister X-boat Hull #166 (PC 451) delivered 12 August 1940, 'Prototype, to NDRF 1947.' The yard (Defoe Boat & Motor Works, founded 1905; renamed Defoe Shipbuilding Company at the start of WWII; closed 1976) is identified as the builder. 'NDRF' = National Defense Reserve Fleet under the Maritime Commission/MARAD.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- DeFoe construction trades (1940-43)
- Limitations
- Compiled yard list, secondary sourcing; its 'reclassified 1944' year conflicts with the 10 March 1945 reclassification in DANFS/NavSource/uboat.net (the 1945 date is carried; see gaps). 'Delivered 26 Jul 1943' is treated as corroborating the commissioning date. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-06
-
[8]NHHC Online Reading Room, 'United States Atlantic Fleet Organization - 1942' (official wartime organization document; verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Submarine Chaser Division Thirty-One table; officer assignment listing (PC-452 / R. E. Seltzer)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An official NHHC-transcribed 1942 Atlantic Fleet organization document places PC-452 in Submarine Chaser Division Thirty-One alongside PC-449, PC-450, and PC-451 (flagship), with PC-452 marked with footnote flag (1); a companion officer listing assigns 'Lieut. (jg) R. E. Seltzer, D-V(G)' to PC-452. Documents the hull in the 1942 fleet organization during her fitting-out period at the Philadelphia Navy Yard (launched August 1941, commissioned July 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Assigned/prospective crew 1942
- Limitations
- Organization-table presence only: the footnote (1) gloss is not definitively resolved in the page text (footnote markers are reused for 'On Reporting,' flagship, and replacement notes throughout the document) - likely denotes fitting-out/on-reporting status. Does not document materials, work performed, or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-07
-
[9]NHHC photograph collection S-511-33, 'Mine Sweeper - Adaptation of PC 452 Type' (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC S-file catalog page S-511-33 (title, description, catalog number)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC holds a Bureau of Ships preliminary design plan dated 6 January 1941 titled 'Mine Sweeper - Adaptation of PC 452 Type,' for a 360-ton (full load) vessel of 170-foot waterline length, 'probably prepared during consideration of what became the Adroit (AM-82) class.' The original is in the 1939-1944 Spring Styles Book held by NHHC. Confirms the PC-452 design type in an official collection; the Spring Styles Book is the archival lead for the hull's design record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941 (plan date)
- Limitations
- Design-plan catalog entry only - it is an adaptation of the PC-452 type to a minesweeper role, not documentation of the as-built hull or its materials. NHHC's own description marks the Adroit-class link as 'probably.' No asbestos content; material schedules (if any) reside in the Spring Styles Book original, not this web page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-08
-
[10]Atlas shipyard dataset record 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' (evidence_tier 3): litigation product identification at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in published appellate opinions - Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566 (1990); Junge v. Garlock, Inc., 427 Pa. Super. 592 (1993); Gross v. Johns-Manville Corp., 410 Pa. Super. 486 (1991); documented products incl. Johns-Manville pipe insulation, Unibestos, Kaylo, Garlock gaskets/packing; documented window 1941-1984 [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard' record (tier 3, flagship ev-philadelphia-naval-shipyard-01); NavSource IX-211 page (fitting-out at Philadelphia Navy Yard)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Yard-level documentation intersecting this hull's construction: PC-452's steam plant - two Beasler boilers and DeLaval turbines - was installed during her fitting-out at the Philadelphia Navy Yard (NavSource; Hazard), the same yard where published appellate litigation documents named asbestos insulation products (pipe insulation, block, gaskets, packing) in use across 1941-1984. The 1941-43 boiler fit-out of this hull sits inside the yard's documented asbestos-product era; the ship was also commissioned at this yard (July 1943), repeatedly returned there for repairs during trials, and was decommissioned/laid up there (1944-45).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (hull presence at yard); 1941-1984 (documented yard window)
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard trades installing/repairing PC-452's steam plant (1941-45)
- Limitations
- Yard-level inference only: the litigation documents asbestos products at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard generally, not their installation aboard PC-452 specifically. No hull-specific work order, material list, or survey was located. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, quantities, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-09
-
[11]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 (1940-43), experimental service (1943-44), and disposal pathway (1945-47).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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 returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches, confirmed 2026-10-03; same block documented in batch-98) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-10
-
[12]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (two Beasler boilers, DeLaval turbines, two shafts); Hazard's New Yorker account ('experimental steam boilers, which generated hotter and higher-pressure steam than a battleship'); yard-level asbestos documentation for Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (ev-09); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy-wide asbestos-use documentation (ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; New Yorker article; shipyards.json 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steam-turbine vessel fitted out in 1941-43 at a documented asbestos-era naval shipyard would have carried era-standard asbestos applications: boiler lagging, steam-line and turbine insulation, flange gaskets, valve packing, and fireproofing around the machinery spaces. PC-452's plant was higher-pressure than battleship practice of the day, making high-temperature insulation integral to the experimental installation - and unlike her all-diesel PC sisters, she is a steam hull, so the boiler/turbine lagging pathway applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940-1947
- Population
- DeFoe construction trades (1940-41); Philadelphia Navy Yard fit-out/repair trades (1941-45); crew of 76 (1943-44); scrappers after 1947 disposal
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or maintenance record was located for PC-452/IX-211. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-11
-
[13]Batch-7828 search ledger (this record): DANFS stub (NHHC live + Wayback check); NavSource IX-211 page; NHHC 1942 fleet-organization document; NHHC S-511-33 design-plan catalog entry; New Yorker archive (Hazard, primary account); AFI Catalog 50379; uboat.net 9350; shipbuildinghistory Defoe list; NVR (excluded, pre-1987 disposal); GAO HRD-80-2 (blocked, HTTP 403); NARA deck logs/status card (undigitized); CourtListener base queries; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-castine-pc452-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming PC-452 or Castine (IX-211) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated base queries returned zero results for 'USS Castine' (opinion and docket); 'PC-452' opinion search returned 7 hits, all name collisions on Indiana post-conviction (PC) docket numbers (e.g., 23A-PC-00452, 71A03-1702-PC-452, 49S00-8605-PC-452) - none involving the vessel or asbestos; the 'PC-452' docket query could not be completed this session - the shared fleet pacing budget stayed saturated across ~35 minutes of spaced retries, logged blocked in search_ledger, NOT a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only generic law-firm marketing listicles asserting asbestos aboard patrol craft without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. Open leads: NARA RG 24 deck logs (undigitized), NARA photo 19-N-24533, NHHC 1939-44 Spring Styles Book (S-511-33), BuShips/Philadelphia Navy Yard work packages for the 1941-43 boiler installation, and a MARAD/NDRF vessel status card for IX-211 (not located). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-12
-
[14]Commissioning/decommissioning date cross-check: New Yorker (Hazard, firsthand) 'July 1943' / 'December 7, 1944'; NavSource 26 Jul 1943 / 3 Oct 1945; uboat.net 26 Jul 1943 / end service 3 Oct 1945; shipbuildinghistory Defoe list 'delivered 26-Jul-43'; Wikipedia infobox '1 May 1944' / 3 Oct 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia infobox vs. New Yorker article text; NavSource and uboat.net timeline/command blocks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION on commissioning date: Wikipedia's USS Castine (IX-211) article carries 'commissioned 1 May 1944,' contradicted by the eyewitness primary account (commission pennant service began at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in July 1943, with boiler tubes melting 'five days after the commissioning'), the command roster (Herbermann from 26 Jul 1943), NavSource (26 Jul 1943), uboat.net (26 Jul 1943), and the Defoe yard list (delivered 26-Jul-43). The 26 July 1943 date is carried; 1 May 1944 is treated as an unsourced variant. On decommissioning, Hazard's 'December 7, 1944 - the commission pennant was hauled down' (consistent with uboat.net ending Hazard's command that day) conflicts with NavSource/uboat.net/Wikipedia's 3 October 1945; both are reported rather than silently reconciled - the October date may reflect a formal inactivation/stricken action for the renamed IX-211 while the December date records the end of commissioned service.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating date conflict; does not resolve it definitively - the precise status transition between December 1944 and October 1945 (out of commission in reserve vs. in service as IX-211) is not documented in located sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-castine-pc452-13