Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, Chopper (SS-342) - verbatim transcription at losthistory.net/hazegray mirror (live NHHC DANFS page returned HTTP 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched 4 February 1945 by Electric Boat Co., Groton (sponsor Mrs. G. S. Beebe); commissioned 25 May 1945, Lt. Cmdr. S. Filipone. Pearl Harbor September-October 1945; San Diego home port; Philippines training to May 1946; simulated war patrol to China Jul-Nov 1947; Key West home port from 4 April 1949. 'She entered the Electric Boat Co. yards for modernization' 15 September 1950, returning to Key West 23 May 1951. Mediterranean tour Jan-May 1952; NATO Atlantic operations Sep-Oct 1952; Mediterranean exercises May-Aug 1959; Florida/Caribbean operations through 1960, often as surface-ship training target.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1944-1969
- Population
- EB construction trades (1944); EB conversion-yard trades (1950-51); crew (1945-1969)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page 404s; verbatim hazegray transcription used. The DANFS spec block lists class as 'Gato' - the hull is Balao class (DANFS spec blocks genericize the class label).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-01
-
[2]'A Summary of Findings Which Caused the Deep Dive of the USS CHOPPER (SS 342) 7 October, 1969 Loss of Alternating Current' - 9-page Navy findings document (PDF reproduced at ussvicb.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Findings PDF pp. 1-9 (accident sequence, findings, lessons)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy findings document identifies CHOPPER as a GUPPY 1A diesel-powered submarine operating off Cuba with USS Hawkins (DD-873). On 11 February 1969, submerged at 150 ft and making 7-9 knots, she lost AC power; the boat took a down angle exceeding 75 degrees, the bow reaching approximately 1,011 feet and the stern approximately 720 feet. Loose material and a deck plate crashed aft through compartments as she rose at angles near 83-84 degrees, broke the surface nearly vertically, re-submerged stern-first to ~205 feet, and resurfaced at ~40 degrees, dead in the water. The document records no major internal salt-water system failure, a small leak in an AC overboard discharge line, and states 'only through chance were there no serious injuries.' Lessons addressed AC generator loading, communications, plane indicators, training, and emergency procedures.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1969
- Population
- Crew aboard during the casualty (1969)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific casualty record; documents the accident sequence and findings only - contains no asbestos, material-content, or exposure information. Event date as printed in the document header (7 October 1969) conflicts with the 11 February 1969 sequence date inside the narrative - carried in gaps. Hosted on a veterans' association site; the document itself is the Navy findings summary.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-02
-
[3]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, Chopper (SS-342) data block (keel, decommission/stricken dates, reclassifications, final disposition) - secondary compilation, not an official Navy source [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Chopper (SS-342) data block (Wayback capture; navsource.net unreachable by direct fetch)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource data block: laid down 2 March 1944 at Electric Boat Co., Groton; reclassified AGSS-342 in 1969; decommissioned 27 August 1969; reclassified IXSS-342 in 1971; struck from the Naval Register 10 October 1971; assigned as salvage and rescue hulk at ServRon 8, 1971-1976; sank off the Florida coast in 2,400 fathoms on 21 July 1976 while being rigged as an underwater target.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1944-1976
- Population
- Crew (1945-1969); hulk custodians (1971-1976)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photo archive, not an official record; post-service dates await NVR/NHHC confirmation (pre-1987 disposals are absent from the public NVR by its own notice). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-03
-
[4]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 1 (Jan 1945), submarine machinery tables (shipscribe.com scan) + Balao class profile (class-f/balao-class.class.json) + shipyard-exposure-map product list for electric-boat-groton [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v1 submarine tables; class-f/balao-class.class.json; shipyards.json electric-boat-groton
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Balao-class diesel-electric boats carried NO boilers or steam plant (BuShips 1945: DERD drive, four main diesel-generator engines, 5,400 hp, two shafts). Era-typical asbestos-relevant applications on the type: diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic and thermal hull insulation, insulation around galley and refrigeration equipment, and battery/electrical materials. The Electric Boat/Groton yard's asbestos product use in submarine construction of this era is independently documented at the yard level.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1975 (era)
- Population
- EB construction trades (1943-45); era yard and crew trades
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for SS-342. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-04
-
[5]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 service and yard periods (1945-1971).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-05
-
[6]CourtListener searches for "USS Chopper" / "SS-342" (API v4 throttled; completed via search-engine index sweep of courtlistener.com) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chopper-ss342-03 and sl-uss-chopper-ss342-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Chopper / SS-342 located: the indexed CourtListener corpus returned no pleading, opinion, or docket naming this hull; surfaced items were unrelated asbestos and maritime matters (name-string collisions only).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- CourtListener API v4 and HTML search returned HTTP 429/403 to automated fetches during this window; the sweep was completed via a search-engine index of the courtlistener.com domain, which has weaker recall than the native index - a residual unverifiable margin exists. Absence of a located public docket does not prove absence of exposure or of filings; state-court and non-digitized records are not covered.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-06
-
[7]Batch-25 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource data block; CourtListener index sweep; BuShips Ships' Data 1945; GAO HRD-80-2; NVR coverage notice; hull-specific official sources as logged [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-chopper-ss342-01 through end
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for CHOPPER (no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, HAER documentation, museum disclosure, or adjudicated case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched; see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era materials may have been installed and later removed or retained undocumented. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-chopper-ss342-07