Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
-
[1]DANFS, Cochino (SS-345) - 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 20 April 1945 by Electric Boat Co., Groton (sponsor Mrs. M. E. Serat); commissioned 25 August 1945, Cmdr. W. A. Stevenson. Atlantic Fleet service from Key West; sailed 18 July 1949 for a cruise to Britain and Arctic operations. In a violent polar gale off Norway, 'the joltings received by Cochino played their part in causing an electrical fire and battery explosion, followed by the generation of deadly hydrogen [chlorine] on 25 August.' Cochino and Tusk (SS-426) fought to save the submarine for 14 hours; a second battery explosion on 26 August forced 'Abandon Ship,' and Cochino sank at 71°35'N, 23°35'E. All of Cochino's men were rescued by Tusk, which lost seven of her own men in the attempt.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- EB construction trades (1944); crew (1945-1949)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The 'hydrogen [chlorine]' bracket is in the mirror transcription - the 1966 casualty booklet says 'smoke and gas' without naming the gas. 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-cochino-ss345-01
-
[2]Submarine Force Library & Museum (ussnautilus.org) - 'USS COCHINO (SS-345) and USS TUSK (SS-426)' page reproducing the U.S. Naval Submarine School's 1966 'Submarine Casualties Booklet' [museum_official]
- Locator
- Casualty booklet reproduction, sequence paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The museum page reproduces the Naval Submarine School's 1966 casualty account verbatim: on the morning of 25 August 1949 in the Barents Sea, Cochino - snorkeling in heavy seas - took water through the snorkel induction; at 1048 a series of explosions began in the after battery compartment near the series-parallel switch; battery No. 4 discharged into No. 3 at 3,500 amperes; smoke and gas forced compartment abandonment; further explosions at ~1130, 1215, and 2306 spread fire and gas through the boat; the crew was sheltered in the sail; Tusk came alongside after midnight and 76 men were transferred before Cochino sank in 170 fathoms at ~0046 on 26 August. Six Tusk crewmen and civilian technician Robert Philo were lost in the rescue effort; Cmdr. Rafael Benitez was the last to leave.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1949
- Population
- Crew aboard (1945-1949); Tusk rescue crews (1949)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific casualty record; documents fire, smoke, gas, and battery explosions - contains no asbestos or material-content information. Fatality count differs slightly from DANFS (seven Tusk men) - the account records six Tusk crewmen plus a civilian technician; carried as a documented nuance. Page fetched via Wayback; live ussnautilus.org returned 403 to automated fetch.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochino-ss345-02
-
[3]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, Cochino (SS-345) data block (keel, decommission/stricken dates, reclassifications, final disposition) - secondary compilation, not an official Navy source [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource Cochino (SS-345) data block (Wayback capture; navsource.net unreachable by direct fetch)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource data block: laid down 13 April 1944 at Electric Boat Co., Groton; lost by sinking 26 August 1949 at 71°35'N, 23°35'E.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1944-1949
- Population
- Crew (1945-1949)
- 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-cochino-ss345-03
-
[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-345. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; establishes no quantities and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-cochino-ss345-04
-
[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 (1945-1949).
- 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-cochino-ss345-05
-
[6]CourtListener searches for "USS Cochino" / "SS-345" (API v4 throttled; completed via search-engine index sweep of courtlistener.com) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-cochino-ss345-03 and sl-uss-cochino-ss345-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming USS Cochino / SS-345 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-cochino-ss345-06
-
[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-cochino-ss345-01 through end
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for COCHINO (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-cochino-ss345-07