Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 993-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-charleston-pg51-pkt-993-packet-md
-
[2]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Charleston IV (PG-51)' (official NHHC page accessed as an archived 2024-02-21 Wayback capture; live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-04). Verbatim cross-check: HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription. [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Archived DANFS entry, heading/specification block and full service narrative; Wayback capture timestamp 2024-02-21
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies this hull as the fourth Charleston (PG-51), class Erie; spec block reads dp. 2,000; l. 328'6"; b. 41'3"; dr. 14'10"; s. 20 k.; cpl. 236; a. 4 6". She was launched 25 February 1936 by Charleston Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. C. L. B. Rivers, commissioned 8 July 1936 with Captain R. K. Awtrey in command, and reported to the Atlantic Fleet. Service per DANFS: sailed Norfolk 24 February 1937 for Squadron 40-T, the special Mediterranean force created during the Spanish Civil War (Dubrovnik, Trieste, Naples, Algiers), returning to Charleston, S.C., for overhaul 24 April 1937; from 9 July 1937 flagship of the Special Service Squadron at Balboa, C.Z., until 1 March 1938; Caribbean cruises 21 April-3 October 1938 and 4 January 1939-27 June 1940 (flagship on the second); cleared Norfolk 8 September 1940 for Seattle as flagship, Commander, Alaskan Sector, 13th Naval District, making five Aleutian/Alaskan cruises 6 November 1940-27 November 1941. Through WWII she operated from Dutch Harbor or Kodiak on patrol and convoy escort, with four maintenance voyages to west coast ports; at Attu she arrived two days after the 11 May 1943 assault, bombarded Chichagof Harbor, screened transports, evaded aerial torpedoes during the 22 May Japanese bomber attack while splashing one enemy plane, and later ran Attu-Adak convoys. Postwar she reached Hong Kong 25 November 1945, visited Shanghai, returned to San Francisco 4 March 1946, decommissioned 10 May 1946, and was transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy 25 March 1948. One battle star for WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1934-1948
- Population
- Charleston crew 1936-1946; Charleston Navy Yard builder trades 1934-36
- Limitations
- Ship-history evidence only; DANFS does not document asbestos or identify materials aboard. Accessed through a dated archived capture because the live NHHC URL returned 404; the captured text is attributed to NHHC DANFS. The older HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the same entry carries minor transcription defects ('8 September 1490' for 1940; '24 March 1948' where the current NHHC text and NavSource read 25 March 1948) - the NHHC-capture text is carried and the variant is logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Gunboat Photo Archive, 'Charleston (PG 51)' - milestone timeline, specifications, commanding-officer roster, and photograph captions (live page verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Charleston (PG 51) archive page, 'Erie Class Gunboat' milestone list, specifications block, and commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull adds dates not in DANFS: laid down 27 October 1934 by the Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, SC; ran aground and was damaged 11 January 1940 at Colon, Canal Zone; damaged 22 September 1943 when accidentally rammed by the U.S. freighter Sam Jackson in Kuluk Bay, Adak, AK; decommissioned 10 May 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission; transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy 25 March 1948; last MMA cruise 1957; sold to an Italian investor for planned conversion to a floating night club/hotel - 'Fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 2,000 t.; length 328'6"; beam 41'3"; draft 14'10"; speed 19.6 kts.; complement 236; armament four 6"/47 mounts, four quad 1.1" AA mounts, six 20mm mounts, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 3-drum express boilers, two 6,200 ihp turbines, Parsons single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Easy-Baker-Dog. Commanding officers listed: CAPT R. K. Awtrey (8 Jul 1936), CDR C. F. Bryant (27 Mar 1939), CDR M. O. Carlson (6 Jan 1941), CDR G. B. Sherwood (5 Jul 1942), CDR W. H. Pickton (7 Oct 1943), CDR W. E. Makosky (21 Mar 1945-10 May 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1934-1957
- Population
- Charleston crew 1934-1946; builder trades 1934-36
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photographic archive, not an official Navy record; its milestone and specification lines are carried where they corroborate or extend DANFS (laid-down date, grounding and collision dates, Maritime Commission step, post-1957 sale). The 1940 grounding and 1943 collision are NavSource-only here - the official incident reports were not located; NARA deck logs (ev-05, ev-06) are the lead. NavSource specifications do not document asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-02
-
[4]A. D. Baker III, 'Historic Fleets,' Naval History Magazine (U.S. Naval Institute), Vol. 11 No. 6, December 1997 (live usni.org page returned HTTP 403 on 2026-10-04; cited from archived 2024-01-12 Wayback capture) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History Magazine Dec 1997, 'Historic Fleets' column, paragraphs 1-2 (class design) and final paragraph (Charleston), archived capture 2024-01-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USNI Naval History design profile names this hull directly: Erie (PG-50) and Charleston (PG-51) were the only two gunboats laid down after WWI (discounting river gunboats PG-43 through -48 later redesignated PR), designed in response to 1932 Navy General Board discussions on the need for powerful patrol vessels for isolated Central American and Asian waters; they were the largest and most powerfully armed U.S. Navy gunboats, with four single 6-inch/47-caliber guns, a Mk 35 director, a boat/floatplane platform abaft the funnel, and provision for four quadruple 1.1-inch AA mountings (initially only four single .50-caliber machine guns). At the outset of WWII the 328.5-foot pair displaced 2,339 tons full load, made 20 knots on twin steam turbines, and ranged 8,000 nm at 12 knots; the Coast Guard reused their propulsion plant and underwater hull lines in the seven Treasury-class cutters. Charleston-specific: seen in camouflage March 1944; dispatched from Central American waters to Seattle September 1940 as flagship, Commander, Alaskan Sector, 13th Naval District; five North Pacific cruises before hostilities; wartime service entirely Alaskan from Dutch Harbor or Kodiak; bombarded Chichagof Harbor 13 May 1943 and dodged an aerial torpedo attack 22 May; brief China waters cruise from November 1945; decommissioned San Francisco 10 May 1946; became MMA training ship 1948; at war's end displaced 2,546 tons full load with eight single 20mm AA guns and two depth charge racks added while retaining the 1.1-inch mounts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1932-1948
- Population
- Charleston crew 1936-1946; Erie-class design/construction workforce
- Limitations
- Secondary naval-history journalism (named expert author), corroborating DANFS and adding design context and wartime figures - not an asbestos or materials record. The Treasury-class hull/propulsion reuse is a design fact only; it is not used to infer this hull's materials. Figures (2,339 t and 2,546 t full load, 8,000 nm) differ from DANFS's spec block (2,000 t) because they describe different load states and dates.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-03
-
[5]Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 'Schoolships of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy' (official academy page, live verified 2026-10-04) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Schoolships roster, 'Charleston, 1948-1957' entry (between SC 1321 and Bay State II sections)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Academy's official schoolship roster lists 'Charleston, 1948-1957. Ex-Navy patrol gunboat Charleston IV (PG-51). Built at Charleston Navy Yard and commissioned 8 July 1936. First cadet cruise brought it from west coast through the Panama Canal to Massachusetts. 1957 cruise its last for MMA, while it overlapped acquisition of Bay State II.' Confirms this hull's decade of training-ship service under its own name after Maritime Commission transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1948-1957
- Population
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets and staff, 1948-1957
- Limitations
- Establishes post-Navy use and dates only; the page does not document materials, refit work, or asbestos aboard. Cadet berthing aboard (per the Academy's athletics history page, which describes the ship's 13-foot draft forcing the move from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay) is context, not an exposure finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-04
-
[6]National Archives, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (live page), Charleston (PG-51) deck-log index entry [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 live page, Charleston (PG-51) row (between Charlevoix AK-168 and Charlotte entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's named-vessel deck-log index lists USS Charleston (PG-51) with a logged period 7/8/1936-6/30/1945 - her commissioning date through mid-1945. The index establishes the existence and date coverage of extant deck logs; it is a finding aid, not the logs' contents.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1936-1945
- Population
- Charleston crew activity covered by the indexed deck logs
- Limitations
- The index lists date ranges only. Log contents - which could document the January 1940 Colon grounding, the 22 September 1943 Sam Jackson collision and repair periods - were not reviewed at incident level here. No asbestos information is asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-05
-
[7]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' (live page), Charleston (PG-51) digitization listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- Navy Deck Logs Available page, Charleston (PG-51) section listing years 1941-1946 with catalog.archives.gov search links
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's digitized deck-log index lists Charleston (PG-51) logs as digitized and searchable in the National Archives Catalog (series 594258) for the years 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946 - covering her entire commissioned WWII career including the Aleutian/Attu period and the 1943 collision window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Charleston crew activity, 1941-1946
- Limitations
- Digitized availability is established; individual log pages were not reviewed for this record. The digitized range begins 1941 - pre-war logs (1936-1940, including the January 1940 grounding) are not in the digitized list though SL44 indexes them. Deck logs record events, not materials; no asbestos information is asserted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-06
-
[8]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (live page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Guide introduction ('The use of asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941-1961') and 'Bureau of Ships General, Confidential, and Secret Correspondence' / shipyard-records sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA describes asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel from 1941 through 1961 as a frequently requested research topic and directs researchers to Record Group 19 (Bureau of Ships) ship-specific correspondence filed by hull designation, ship-class correspondence, ship engineering drawings, and shipyard records. Charleston's commissioned service 1941-1946 falls inside the guide's stated window; her 1934-36 construction predates it. This establishes an asbestos-relevant Navy service era and a concrete archival path (RG 19 'PG51'-filed correspondence and Charleston Navy Yard yard records), not asbestos presence on this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1961 (guide window); Charleston Navy service 1936-1946
- Population
- Navy vessels and shipyard populations discussed as a general archival research subject
- Limitations
- Research guide only - it does not name Charleston or establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and its 1941-1961 window does not cover her 1934-36 construction. No asbestos product, quantity, location, or exposure is attributed to this hull by this row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-07
-
[9]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 - covering this hull's entire commissioned service (1936-1946) and her 1948-1957 maritime-academy period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- 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 - same standing block as Batches 01 and 98); content via product-page description. Whether the report's historical review reaches construction as early as 1934 is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (two 3-drum express boilers; two 6,200 ihp geared steam turbines, Parsons single-reduction gear, two shafts); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy program window (ev-08); NARA asbestos-era guide (ev-07); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos record for builder Charleston Naval Shipyard (Atlas dataset, tier 2 - see limitations) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block (ev-02); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-08); NARA asbestos guide (ev-07); shipyards.json 'charleston-naval-shipyard' record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 1934-36 steam-turbine gunboat carried the era-standard steam-plant applications that period practice furnished in asbestos-containing form: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, and machinery packing. Her entire commissioned career (1936-1946) and training-ship decade (1948-1957) fall inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (no substitution until the early 1970s), and her 1941-46 wartime service falls inside NARA's stated 1941-1961 asbestos-materiel window. Asbestos aboard this hull is a reasonable era-consistent inference.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1934-1957
- Population
- Charleston Navy Yard builder trades 1934-36; engineering crew (fire room, engine room) 1936-46; overhaul/maintenance workforces incl. four west-coast maintenance voyages and September 1943 post-collision repair; MMA period cadets/staff 1948-57; post-1957 Italian conversion workforce
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, spec page, or work package located for this ship at any period. The builder yard's Atlas-documented asbestos products are dated ~1971-mid-1980s and the OSHA citation 1988 - post-dating this hull's 1934-36 construction and 1937 overhaul, so the yard record is corroborating context at yard level, not hull evidence and not contemporaneous with her build. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-09
-
[11]Batch-8536 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback; HyperWar/ibiblio DANFS transcription; NavSource; USNI Naval History via Wayback; MMA schoolships page; NARA Special List 44 and digitized deck-log index; NARA asbestos research guide; GAO product page; NVR; MARAD; SECNAV FOIA reading room; official-source web sweep; CourtListener (see ledger for status) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-charleston-pg51-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no insulation survey, material list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Charleston (PG-51) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). NAME COLLISION documented: 'USS Charleston' litigation and marketing references commonly concern USS Charleston (AKA-113/LKA-113, 1968-1992) or USS Charleston (LCS-18, 2019-) - different hulls - and the city/county name 'Charleston' pervades docket text (venue, parties, counsel addresses). Law-firm listicles naming this hull - mesothelioma.net 'Patrol Boats and Asbestos Exposure' (lists 'USS Charleston (PG-51)') and mesolawcenter.com 'Navy Cruiser Asbestos' page (lists 'USS Charleston (PG 51)') - assert asbestos aboard without primary sourcing; both are excluded by source policy and logged as non-qualifying.
- 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 - a hull built 1934-36 with a steam plant and served 1941-46 sits inside era inference regardless. The AKA-113/LCS-18/city-name collisions mean affirmative litigation for THIS hull cannot be ruled out without the completed CourtListener pass; see search_ledger for the four base queries' status. The digitized 1941-46 deck logs and NARA RG 19 hull-filed correspondence are unreviewed leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-charleston-pg51-10