Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Catclaw' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (verbatim text via Wayback capture of the live NHHC page, which now returns 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS Catclaw page (live URL 404 on 2026-09-24 - standing NHHC link-rot issue per Batch-01); Wayback capture 2024-05-25, full entry text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: Catclaw (YN-81) launched 22 May 1943 by Snow Shipyards, Inc., Rockland, Me.; sponsored by Mrs. F. R. Draper; commissioned 14 January 1944, Lieutenant T. A. Wall, USNR, in command; reclassified AN-60 20 January 1944. Reported at New London, Conn., 10 Apr 1944 to lay experimental underwater detection and sonar gear until 10 June; at Brooklyn Navy Yard supplied with welding and diving equipment and fitted with radar; sailed 23 June for a month and a half at Clyde, Scotland; Cherbourg 20 Aug - 14 Sep, laying moorings at Morlaix Roads for cargo ships bypassing Brest; through November cleared the harbor of Le Havre; a month at Plymouth; sailed for Charleston, S.C., 9 Jan 1945, escorting disabled ships including LCT-421 which she took in tow. After overhaul sailed Charleston 15 Feb 1945 for San Diego to load nets for Pearl Harbor; duty there 27 Mar - 25 May; delivered nets at Eniwetok and Guam; new propeller at Guam; salvage operations at Saipan and Okinawa 13 Jul - 8 Sep; harbor buoys and dry stores at Sasebo 10 Sep - 14 Oct; loaded acoustic minesweeping equipment at Okinawa for Japanese waters; supported minesweepers off northern Kyushu through January 1946; operated at Kobe until 14 Mar; decommissioned at Shanghai 19 Apr 1946 and transferred to the Department of State the next day for sale to China. Spec line: dp. 1,100; l. 194'6"; b. 37'; dr. 13'6"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 56; a. 1 3"; cl. Ailanthus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Crew of ~56 (1944-46); personnel engaged in net, mooring, harbor-clearance, and salvage evolutions
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, service, and disposition narrative. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials statement. No laid-down or struck date is printed (keel 24 Sep 1942 and strike 1 May 1946 come from the Shipscribe BuShips/MC-derived tables, ev-02). The hazegray DANFS transcription prints '16 February 1945' for the Charleston departure where the official page prints '15 February 1945' - official text carried; variant noted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-01
-
[2]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Ailanthus (AN-38) Class' - construction/disposition tables and ship notes compiled from BuShips, Navy, and Maritime Commission records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table (AN-60 row), Disposition table (AN-60 row), Ship Notes (AN-60 note), class header data and class notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe AN-38 class data (compiled from Navy and Maritime Commission records): AN-60 CATCLAW - ordered 30 Jul 42; built by Snow Shipyards, Rockland, Me.; keel 24 Sep 42; launch 22 May 43; commissioned 14 Jan 44. Disposition table: decommissioned 19 Apr 46; struck 1 May 46; Navy disposal 20 Apr 46; fate code 'FLC' (Foreign Liquidation Commission). Ship note: 'Ex YN-81 20 Jan 44. Decomm. at Shanghai 19 Apr 46 and turned over to Chinese Maritime Customs via FLC 20 Apr 46.' Sister Shellbark (AN-67) carries an identical Shanghai/FLC/Chinese Maritime Customs note dated the same day. Class header: design Navy YN-57/AN-38; 1,175 light / 1,460 lim tons; 194.5' oa x 37.0' x 13.5'; diesel electric, 1 screw, 1,200 HP; complement 43 (1944); wood hulls substituted for steel ca. 10 Apr 42.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of primary Navy/MC/FLC records - not itself the primary document. Resolves the disposal pathway beyond DANFS: transfer was to the Chinese Maritime Customs via the Foreign Liquidation Commission, not a MARAD/NDRF sale. Whether the hull received a Chinese name or later served Taiwan's customs service is not stated for AN-60 (sister Torchwood/AN-55 followed that path to scrapping in 1973 - not transferable to this hull). No asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Catclaw (AN-60) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship page: milestones, awards/ribbons table, commanding-officer table, photo index (incl. NH 73442)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive page for USS Catclaw (AN-60): milestones matching DANFS (laid down as YN-81 at Snow Shipyards Inc., Rockland, ME; launched 22 May 1943; commissioned 14 Jan 1944, LT Tudor A. Wall USNR; reclassified AN-60 20 Jan 1944; decommissioned 19 Apr 1946 at Shanghai; struck from the Naval Register and transferred to the State Department for sale to the Republic of China; 'Final disposition, fate unknown'). Awards tabulation: Navy Occupation Service Medal for 2 Sep 1945 - 15 Mar 1946 and China Service Medal (extended) for 17 Mar - 19 Apr 1946. Commanding officers: LT Tudor A. Wall USNR (14 Jan 1944 - 10 Nov 1945); LT J. E. Jordan USNR (10 Nov 1945 - 10 Jan 1946); ENS A. C. Callen USNR (10 Jan - 19 Apr 1946). Photo index includes builders-trials photo off Rockland 28 Dec 1943 and NHHC photo NH 73442 (underway off Charleston, S.C., 13 Feb 1945, camouflage measure 31 design 20L).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained archive reproducing official figures and DANFS text - corroborative, not an original primary source; direct page fetch failed and content was obtained via search-index excerpts, so the spec block was not re-read for this record. CO roster and medal-period dates are NavSource-only, not independently verified. No asbestos or materials statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-03
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[4]U.S. National Archives, still picture 80-G-350051 (U.S. Navy photo, caption as transcribed in the NavSource AN-60 photo index) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AN-60 page, photo index entry for NARA 80-G-350051; Baretta (AN-41) DANFS-derived history corroborates the same joint salvage at Uten Ko/Untan Ro
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U.S. National Archives photo 80-G-350051, official U.S. Navy caption (transcribed by NavSource): 'A Japanese Type A or Type C Midget Submarine under salvage by USS Catclaw (AN-60) and USS Baretta (AN-41) at Untan Ro (Okinawa), in July-September 1945. The submarine had been sunk there by U.S. planes during the Okinawa campaign.' Photograph released for publication 21 Jan 1946. Corroborates the DANFS 'salvage operations at Saipan and Okinawa, 13 Jul - 8 Sep 1945' passage with a named operation and partner vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Catclaw and Baretta salvage divers and deck crews, Jul-Sep 1945
- Limitations
- Caption-level record of a documented salvage operation involving this hull; establishes activity, not materials - the photo caption contains no asbestos or insulation statement and nothing about work methods aboard the ship. NARA catalog lookup for 80-G-350051 returned no digitized item on 2026-09-24 - original print exists at NARA II College Park.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-04
-
[5]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine, 'Historic Fleets' (Dec 1996, Vol. 10 No. 6); corroborated by Shipscribe AN-38 class header data (BuShips-derived) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- USNI Naval History Dec 1996 'Historic Fleets' Ailanthus-class paragraphs; Shipscribe AN-38 class header
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class record: the 1942-program Ailanthus (AN-38-77) net tenders were wooden-hulled ships - 'Wood hulls (substituted for steel ca. 10 Apr 42)' per the Shipscribe/BuShips-derived compilation, and 'the 30 wooden-construction net tenders of the 1942 program Ailanthus (AN-38-77) class' per USNI Naval History (Dec 1996). Propulsion was diesel-electric, single screw, ~1,200 HP (Shipscribe class header) - no boilers, no steam distribution plant. Asbestos-relevant applications consistent with a 1943-44 diesel-electric auxiliary of this size would be limited to exhaust and engine-space lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, joiner/accommodation materials, and friction linings - none documented aboard this hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers (Snow Shipyards, Rockland, 1942-43) and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Class-level design record, not a hull record. Establishes construction type and propulsion plant for the class (AN-60 included in the FY1942 wood-hull group) but does not establish that any specific asbestos product was installed aboard this hull, nor any quantity. Wooden hull plus diesel-electric plant limits - but does not eliminate - era-typical asbestos uses; no ship-specific materials list exists for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-05
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this vessel was mass-produced (wartime small-auxiliary construction program, ordered 30 Jul 1942) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. This hull's wood construction and diesel-electric plant (no boilers, no steam distribution) remove the dominant steam-lagging pathway documented for era steamships - era inference is correspondingly weaker here than for steam auxiliaries and is asserted only as context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-06
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page and report metadata
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program, including 1975 and 1979 insulation-removal policies applied across the fleet - establishing at program level that asbestos insulation was widespread aboard WWII-built Navy ships and that the Navy managed it as an occupational hazard through the 1970s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1940s-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level report; fieldwork centered on naval shipyards (Long Beach, Norfolk), not aboard net tenders. Does not name AN-60 or any auxiliary of this class, and a wooden-hulled diesel-electric tender carried far less insulation than the steam-plant fleet the report principally addresses. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch; description relies on the product-page metadata, consistent with Batch-01 handling of the same source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-07
-
[8]Batch-1809 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture 2024-05-25); hazegray DANFS transcription; NavSource AN-60 page; Shipscribe AN-38 class page; USNI Historic Fleets; NVR ship-detail lookup; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener authenticated name and hull-number searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-catclaw-an60-01 through sl-uss-catclaw-an60-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials list, or docketed case naming Catclaw/AN-60/YN-81 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search on 'Catclaw' returned 8 hits, all name collisions (Texas/Colorado land, probate, and tax cases referencing catclaw brush/acacia on rangeland - none names a vessel or involves asbestos); 'AN-60' returned 74 opinion hits, all docket-number/citation-fragment collisions (e.g., Fla. DCA case 'No. AN-60'); 'YN-81' returned zero hits. A 'Catclaw' RECAP docket search returned 56 hits - reviewed dockets are all entity/property-name collisions (consumer bankruptcies, land-dispute, contract, and civil-rights dockets referencing 'Catclaw' entities or rangeland property descriptions); a keyword-narrowed docket query (asbestos OR vessel OR ship OR navy OR maritime OR mesothelioma) returned 37 document-level matches in unrelated dockets, none naming the vessel or presenting an asbestos claim.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - WWII-era construction is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials even in a wood-hull diesel-electric hull. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Docket-level classification is sampled (page 1 of 56 hits fully reviewed; remainder classified by case-name inspection) - a collision hiding in unreviewed pages cannot be excluded, though no hit surfaced in any asbestos/vessel posture.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - ship/station logs and muster rolls), RG 38 (Office of the CNO - WWII war diaries), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - contracts/specifications), RG 59 (State Dept/FLC disposal) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides 024, 038, 019; NARA deck-log holdings description ('Logs of U.S. naval ships and stations, 1801-1946, 72,500 vols.')
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA WWII deck logs (RG 24, 'Logs of U.S. naval ships and stations, 1801-1946' series at College Park) covering this hull Jan 1944 - Apr 1946, plus muster rolls on microfilm (1939-71 series); (b) WWII war diaries filed with the Office of the CNO (RG 38) - a Catclaw war diary for 1944-46 service should exist in the war-diary series (sister Cliffrose's diary is digitized via DPLA; Catclaw-specific availability unverified; Fold3 hosts the NARA war-diary microfilm but returned 403); (c) BuShips construction/contract correspondence for the Snow Shipyards net-tender group (RG 19) - per the Shipscribe construction table, AN-60 through AN-63 were all built at Snow under the 30 Jul 1942 order group (keels 24 Sep - 24 Oct 42); (d) Department of State / Foreign Liquidation Commission disposal records (RG 59) for the 20 Apr 1946 turnover to the Chinese Maritime Customs at Shanghai. These records may contain outfitting/materials data but none has been examined.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1946 (record coverage)
- Limitations
- Record groups located and relevance assessed, but no hull-specific file retrieved or read; contents unknown. An archival lead is not evidence of asbestos aboard - it marks where ship-specific materials records might exist.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-catclaw-an60-09