Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS vol. II, Crevalle (SS-291) entry - construction, seven war patrols, 1944 flooding casualty, postwar recommissionings (verbatim transcription mirror; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. II (C-F), Crevalle entry and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS): launched 22 February 1943 by Portsmouth Navy Yard (sponsor Mrs. C. W. Fisher); commissioned 24 June 1943, Lt. Comdr. H. G. Munson (Comdr. F. D. Walker from 16 March 1944); seven war patrols credited with 51,814 tons sunk plus 8,666 shared. Special missions: mines laid off Saigon 14-15 January 1944; rescue of 40 refugees off Negros 11 May 1944 including 28 women and children and 4 survivors of the Bataan Death March. CASUALTY: on 11 September 1944 the boat dove with conning-tower hatches open; Lt. Howard J. Blind was lost after unlatching and closing the upper hatch, saving the submarine; lookout recovered; Machinist's Mate Robert T. Yeager backed full without orders to bring the boat under control after flooding to 190 feet at a 42-degree down angle - a documented machinery-space flooding casualty followed by overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. First four patrols won the Navy Unit Commendation plus four battle stars; one additional star for Okinawa operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- PNSY construction trades (1942-43); Mare Island NSY overhaul trades (1944-45); crew (1943-1962)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 - verbatim transcription mirror used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crevalle-ss291-01
-
[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Crevalle (SS-291) - laid-down, AGSS-291, strike and disposal (secondary compilation; Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/08/08291.htm via Wayback - milestone block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS disposition (NavSource): laid down 14 September 1942 at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; decommissioned 20 July 1946 at New London; recommissioned 6 September 1951; decommissioned 19 August 1955; recommissioned 11 April 1957; reclassified Auxiliary Research Submarine (AGSS-291) in 1960; decommissioned 9 March 1962; struck 15 April 1968; sold for scrapping 17 March 1971 to Eckhardt GmbH, Hamburg, West Germany, for $77,777.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Crew (1943-1962); New London reserve period
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record - used for post-DANFS disposition only. Its 14 September 1942 laid-down conflicts with the class profile's November 1942 (navypedia) - NavSource carried; flagged. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crevalle-ss291-02
-
[3]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; Balao-class diesel-electric machinery per NavSource specification block and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (class profile ev-balao-class-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1942-43 at Portsmouth Navy Yard in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, and thermal/acoustic insulation around machinery and galley/refrigeration equipment. Balao-class boats had NO boilers or steam plant - the diesel-electric plant narrows the steam-era asbestos pathway materially. Documented yard windows: Portsmouth Navy Yard construction (1942-43); Mare Island Naval Shipyard overhaul after the September 1944 flooding casualty (pump room, control room and conning tower flooded completely, all electrical equipment inoperative - a documented machinery-space flooding and refit event). The September 1944 flooding casualty and the subsequent Mare Island overhaul are a documented disturbance of machinery-space fittings and insulation-era equipment.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Construction and yard trades; crew
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos abatement record was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crevalle-ss291-03
-
[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 the construction and most service years of every Balao-class hull in this batch (built 1942-45).
- 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-crevalle-ss291-04
-
[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, loss-report, and ACM-survey/abatement sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger for this record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Crevalle (SS-291) was located anywhere in the research sweep.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Museum-hull and scrapper-side records, where they existed, were not retrievable in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crevalle-ss291-05