USS Corsair (SS-435)

Name
USS Corsair
Hull designation
SS-435
Vessel class
Tench class
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
7
Record ID
uss-corsair-ss435
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-corsair-ss435

Evidence

7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).

  1. [1]DANFS, Corsair (SS-435) - Vol. 2 (1963) p.192, verbatim hazegray transcription (Wayback capture of hazegray.org; live hazegray and NHHC page unreachable); bracketed Bauer & Roberts disposal addendum in same file [nhhc_danfs]
    Locator
    DANFS service narrative and spec block
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Documented for this hull: the second Corsair - launched 3 May 1946 by Electric Boat Co., Groton (sponsor Mrs. O. M. Hustvedt); commissioned 8 November 1946, Commander A. S. Fuhrman. Shakedown cruise to Havana, Panama, Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro; SubRon 8 New London; Electric Boat yard period June 1947 for new sound gear; sank the old submarine rescue vessel Chewink (ASR-3) in a torpedo experiment 31 July 1947. Submarine School services Nov 1947-Apr 1949; Submarine Development Group 2 - northern/arctic cruises 1949 (including the Cochino loss episode), 1952; reduced-complement status Mar 1954; Operation 'Inland Sea' St. Lawrence Seaway/Great Lakes summer 1959. Struck and sold for scrapping 1963.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1945-1963
    Population
    EB construction trades (1945-46); crew (1946-63); EB yard trades (1947)
    Limitations
    Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 or was not located for this hull on 2026-09-18; print-DANFS Vol II text read via Wayback capture of the hazegray transcription.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-01
  2. [2]NavSource Naval History, USS Corsair (SS-435) page - register/disposition block (Wayback capture; live navsource.org unreachable) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource register/disposition block
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    NavSource disposition detail: laid down 1 March 1945 at Electric Boat Co., Groton (the DANFS text gives launch/commission but not the laid-down date); AGSS-435 1 April 1960; decommissioned and struck 1 February 1963; sold for scrapping 21 October 1963; removed 8 November 1963.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1945-1963
    Population
    Register/disposal clerks; scrapyard trades
    Limitations
    Secondary compilation (NavSource, Bauer & Roberts Register-derived data); used for disposition/register details DANFS omits or truncates. Cross-check class source per batch convention; not an official record itself.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-02
  3. [3]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (diesel-electric drive); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 1 submarine machinery tables (DERD drive, no boilers); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Electric Boat/Groton (thermal insulation, lagging, gaskets, packing, block insulation) [other_primary]
    Locator
    DANFS spec block; BuShips SDB1945v1 submarine tables; shipyards.json product lists
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    A Tench-class diesel-electric fleet boat built at Electric Boat, Groton in 1945-46 and maintained through yard availabilities (EB sound-gear installation June 1947) sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era; era-standard applications on diesel-electric boats (no boilers/steam plant) included diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic/thermal hull insulation, and galley/refrigeration equipment insulation.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1945-1963
    Population
    EB construction trades (1945-46); EB yard trades (1947); crew (1946-63)
    Limitations
    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for this hull. Names era-standard applications on diesel-electric aux/hull systems, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity; current material condition undocumented.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-03
  4. [4]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 all of this hull's service-era insulation events (1945-46 build; EB 1947 yard period; availabilities through 1963).
    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-corsair-ss435-04
  5. [5]Kase v. Metalclad Insulation Corp., Cal. Ct. App. (4th Dist.) 2021 (CourtListener opinions 4324658, 4332654) [court_record]
    Locator
    Opinion, specification-history discussion
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Court-documented era regime: the Navy's submarine insulation procurement specifications (SUBSAFE's MIL-I-24244 post-1963; predecessor BuShips practice before) covered asbestos-containing insulation for submarine construction and overhaul - the regime applicable to this hull's 1945-46 build and service-era availabilities.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    2021 (opinion); regime 1950s-forward
    Population
    Navy submarine construction/maintenance trades
    Limitations
    This hull is not named in the opinion; documents the era spec regime only. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, exposure, causation, quantity, or eligibility.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-05
  6. [6]Robbins v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., Second Amended Complaint, ECF 37, M.D. Fla. 8:23-cv-01723 (2023) [court_record]
    Locator
    Robbins v. Air & Liquid Systems, M.D. Fla. 8:23-cv-01723, ECF 37
    Finding type
    litigation_documented
    Finding
    Fleet-boat design-family context: the Second Amended Complaint in Robbins v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp. (M.D. Fla. 8:23-cv-01723, 2023) alleges a Navy engineman aboard USS Clamagore (SS-343) in 1960-63 was exposed while removing/replacing asbestos-containing products (gasket, refractory, castable, pipe-covering, insulating-cement, packing, spray materials per the complaint's general recital). Clamagore is a Balao-class sister design; the Tench class is a near-copy Balao derivative per the NPS Torsk NHL nomination.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1960-1963 alleged; 2023 filing
    Population
    Navy engineman (alleged), fleet-boat design family
    Limitations
    An unadjudicated pleading allegation about a different hull in the same design family - not evidence about this vessel. Names era-typical product categories only; establishes nothing ship-specific.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-06
  7. [7]Batch-47 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback or verbatim transcription); NavSource-Wayback disposition data; CourtListener exact-name and hull-number searches; GAO product page [other_primary]
    Locator
    search_ledger rows this record
    Finding type
    historical_record
    Finding
    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying asbestos case naming USS Corsair (SS-435) was found in the sources searched. Litigation coverage caveat: direct CourtListener API/RECAP was unreachable (HTTP 429 daily-quota throttle; AWS WAF challenge on the public UI), so the case check ran through an engine-indexed site:courtlistener.com search for the exact name and hull number - a partial index, not a complete docket search.
    Verification
    partial
    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. Scrapped hull - no residual-material survey possible. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is partial: the CourtListener API and web UI were blocked at research time; the negative litigation finding rests on a secondary search index only and unindexed or unindexed-RECAP dockets may exist.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-corsair-ss435-07

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned