USS Crockett (PGM-88)

Evidence

17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).

1. [1]research packet 1007-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-crockett-pgm88-pkt-1007-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Motor Gunboat/Patrol Gunboat Photo Archive, Crockett (PG 88) ex-PGM-88 - designation timeline, CODOG specifications, commanding-officer roster, EPA/scrapping disposal line, and service photography (live .net /arkiv/ page verified 2026-10-04; the .org host is dead) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/11088.htm header block, specifications block, photo captions, and CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline for this hull: 'The second Crockett was laid down as PGM-88 at Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Tacoma WA'; launched 4 June 1966; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Horjes of Tacoma; reclassified PG-88, 1 April 1967; commissioned USS Crockett (PG-88) 24 June 1967; decommissioned 1 October 1976; struck from the Naval Register 15 December 1976; transferred to the Environmental Protection Agency at Norfolk, VA on 1 April 1977 and renamed Rachel Carson; declared excess to EPA needs in 1982 and transferred to the state of Illinois and then to the Combined Great Lakes Navy Association, Inc.; scrapped. Specifications: displacement 240 t. (lt), 285 t. (fl); length 164'6"; beam 23'10"; draft 5'2" (lt) / 9'5" (fl); speed 40 kts.; complement 37; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose, one 40mm, two twin .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion two 725hp VT-12 875M Cummins diesels plus one 1,370shp General Electric LM1500 gas turbine, two controllable-pitch propellers. Photo captions document: at Tacoma Boatbuilding 4 June 1966; Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam c. 1968; alongside and replenishing from Caliente (AO-53) off Vietnam c. 1968; PCF-23 alongside transferring personnel; drydock 6, Ship Repair Facility Yokosuka, Japan, January/February 1969 alongside USS New Jersey (BB-62), photographed by YN3 Clark Pickard aboard Crockett; dewatering on the Song Cau Lon, Vietnam c. 1969; arrived Chicago from Guam November 1974 to be permanently stationed at the Naval Armory (Field Enterprises photo by Jerry Tomaselli); moored at the Naval Armory, Chicago with Marathon (PG-89) and Asheville c. 1974 (caption misprints 'Asheville (PG 88)' - Asheville is PG-84); officers c. 1973 incl. CO LT Frank Tryon; R/V Rachel Carson photo credited to Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. CO roster: LT Michael Harry Freeman (24 Jun 1967 - Jan 1969), LT Paul L. Bennett (Jan 1969 - 5 Jan 1970), LT Jerry Robert Bailey (5 Jan 1970 - 30 Sep 1971), LT Glendale Devon Love (30 Sep 1971 - 24 Feb 1973), LT Frank Harold Tryon Jr. (24 Feb 1973 - 1974), LT William F. Halsey Berthiaume (1974 - 25 Apr 1975), LT George Samuel Rhodes (25 Apr 1975 - 31 Jan 1977). Page notes 'There is no DANFS history currently available for Crockett (PG 88).' U.S. Navy photographs reused from All Hands magazine editions of June 1968, May 1972, and July 1974.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1965-1986

   Population

   Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades (1965-67); crew (1967-76); SRF Yokosuka trades (Jan-Feb 1969 drydock); EPA crew and science staff (1977-82); Illinois/Combined Great Lakes Navy Association custodians; shipbreakers c. 1986

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its milestone dates track NVR/other sources here and its EPA-transfer line compresses two events (the 1977-04-01 transfer and the later Rachel Carson rename - HCGL and NMGL date the rename c.1979-80, see ev-09, ev-10, gaps). Complement (37) conflicts with the Wikipedia infobox (29) - unresolved, in gaps. One photo caption misprints Asheville's hull number. Contains no asbestos content. The final CO's tenure ending 31 Jan 1977 (vs the 1 Oct 1976 decommissioning date) is consistent with the 'last day of commission' philatelic evidence - see ev-07 and gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-01

3. [3]Naval Vessel Register ship detail page, CROCKETT (PG 88) ex-PGM 88, UIC 12601 (live page, verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR getHull.htm?shipId=459 - VESSEL STATUS block and MILESTONE DATES block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NVR record for this hull: CROCKETT (PG 88), ex-PGM 88, patrol combatant, class PG 84, UIC 12601. Status: 'disposed of by transfer to other government agencies, states. schools, sea scouts, etc.' Stricken date 12/15/1976; date status changed 04/01/1977; custodian 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'; record last updated 12/28/2001. Milestone date fields (award, commission, keel, launch, decommission) are present on the page but blank in this record.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1976-2001 (record window)

   Limitations

   Registry confirmation of striking and disposal category only; no asbestos or material content. The 04/01/1977 status-change date matches the EPA transfer per NavSource (a 14 March 1977 variant exists in NavalCoverMuseum - see gaps). Blank milestone fields mean NVR cannot be cited for commission/keel dates here. Physical characteristics are suppressed on the public page.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-02

4. [4]NHHC photographs NH 93149, NH 93150, NH 93151 - USS CROCKETT (PG-88) at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, 7 October 1968 (live catalog pages verified via Firecrawl 2026-10-04; history.navy.mil returns 404 to plain curl for these paths) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC catalog entries NH 93149, NH 93150, NH 93151 (title and caption fields)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC-held photographs document this hull docked at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, on 7 October 1968, hosting a senior-visit sequence: NH 93149 - 'Is boarded by Captain Roy F. Hoffmann, CTF-115, and Vice Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, ComNavForVN, at Cam Rahn Bay, South Viet Nam, 7 October 1968'; NH 93150 - 'SECNAV Paul Ignatius boards CROCKETT while visiting Cam Rahn Bay, South Vietnam, 7 October 1968'; NH 93151 - 'Lieutenant Michael Freeman, ship's CO briefs SECNAV Paul Ignatius on the ship's propulsion system, at the bridge controls, 7 October 1968.' The sequence documents the Secretary of the Navy, the Commander Naval Forces Vietnam, and the Task Force 115 commander aboard this hull on a single documented date at Cam Ranh Bay - consistent with Market Time coastal-surveillance operations under TF 115.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1968-10-07

   Population

   Crew during the Vietnam Market Time period (1968)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific photographic documentation of presence and visitors only; no asbestos or material content. Dates the Cam Ranh Bay presence to 7 October 1968; it does not independently bound the deployment's start or end. Caption spells the place 'Cam Rahn Bay' (sic, as cataloged).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-03

5. [5]NHHC photograph NH 65504, 'Crockett, Joseph B.' - namesake documentation for this hull (live catalog page verified via Firecrawl 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC catalog entry NH 65504 (caption field)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NHHC documents this hull's namesake: 'Judge Joseph Bryant Crockett, Supreme Court Justice of the State of California, 1868-1879. City of Crockett, California, was named in his honor and the USS CROCKETT (PG-88) was named in honor of the city. (Portrait received from ship in 1968).' This hull was named for the city of Crockett, California - NOT for the Crockett counties (Tennessee and Texas) that name the first USS Crockett (APA-148) per its DANFS entry, and NOT for Davy Crockett.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1967-1968

   Limitations

   Ship-specific namesake documentation only; no asbestos content. NHHC's statement settles a secondary-source conflict in this hull's favor: NavalCoverMuseum's PG-88 page carries the APA-148 namesake line ('counties in Tennessee and Texas'), a cross-hull carryover - noted in gaps. A separate insignia entry (NH 63625-KN) documents the ship's 1967 badge with crossed long rifles.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-04

6. [6]DANFS, Marathon II (PGM-99) - sister-hull entry documenting this hull's November 1974 Chicago arrival era and her 1-25 June 1976 Chicago-to-Little Creek transit in company with Asheville (PG-84) (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Marathon II (PGM-99) - 1974 Chicago paragraph, June 1976 transit paragraph, and class description

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS documentation naming this hull inside a sister's entry: 'In company with Asheville (PG-84) and Crockett (PG-88), Marathon got underway on 1 June 1976 for her new home port back in Little Creek, Virginia. The gunboats sailed out through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence, visiting Quebec en route, before arriving in Little Creek via Newport on 25 June.' The same entry documents the class context that explains Crockett's presence on the Great Lakes: Marathon and the other Guam-based gunboats 'arrived in Chicago, Illinois, on 12 November' (1974) 'after a long, circuitous transit via Pearl Harbor, San Diego, the Panama Canal, Norfolk, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes,' where 'the gunboats helped train reservists as part of Coastal River Division 21' and 'supported Navy recruiting efforts and made numerous port visits to small ports on Lake Michigan, including Traverse City and Milwaukee.' The entry also gives the official class-materials statement: 'Constructed almost entirely of aluminum and fiberglass, the ship's light weight and gas turbine engines made the patrol gunboat well suited for counterinsurgency and coastal blockade operations.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1974-1976

   Population

   Crew during the Chicago/NRF period (1974-76); reservist trainees of Coastal River Division 21

   Limitations

   A sister hull's DANFS entry that names this hull - ship-specific for the June 1976 transit and the CRD-21 Great Lakes assignment it corroborates (NavSource's November 1974 Chicago photo and NavalCoverMuseum's 14 Nov 1974 Chicago postmark fix Crockett's own arrival window); the '12 November' arrival date belongs to Marathon's narrative, not directly to Crockett. Class-materials statement is class-level. No asbestos content. The DANFS header block misprints Marathon's hull number as 'PGM-99' (she was PGM-89/PG-89) - an NHHC typographical defect noted for hygiene.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-05

7. [7]DANFS, Vernon County (LST-1161) - documents this hull departing Yokosuka in company with the LST for the transit to Vietnamese waters, September 1970 (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Vernon County - 1970 deployment paragraph ('departed Yokosuka in company with gunboat Crockett')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS documentation naming this hull inside a consort's entry: 'Following an availability and refresher training, Vernon County departed Yokosuka in company with gunboat Crockett (PG-88). She was diverted to Subic Bay to meet an additional two gunboats to escort to Vietnamese waters. Necessary upkeep items, however, could only be completed by Vernon County and Welch (PG-93), who then proceeded to sea as scheduled to resume the transit to Camranh Bay.' The narrative places this transit in September 1970 (Vernon County was within Vietnamese waters by 29 September 1970 and supported TF 115 Market Time through 5 November). It fixes Crockett at Yokosuka, Japan, in September 1970, escorting/departing with an LST toward the Vietnam operating area - her second documented WestPac presence window after the October 1968 Cam Ranh Bay photographs.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1970-09

   Population

   Crew during the second WestPac period (1970)

   Limitations

   A consort's DANFS entry naming this hull - documents the Yokosuka departure in company, but the entry does not record whether Crockett completed the transit to Cam Ranh Bay with the group (only Welch's continuation is stated). No asbestos content. The passage describes an escort-of-transit, not a Crockett availability or repair.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-06

8. [8]NavalCoverMuseum CROCKETT PG 88 page - designation history, NRF-transfer and EPA-transfer dates, and postmarks spanning the Vietnam, Guam, and Chicago periods (live, verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavalCoverMuseum CROCKETT_PG_88 - designation-history table and postmarks table

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Postal-history documentation for this hull: designation sequence (keel laid as PGM-88; commissioned 24 June 1967; 'Transferred to the Naval Reserve Force July 1 1975'; decommissioned 1 October 1976; struck 15 December 1976; 'Transferred to the Environmental Protection Agency March 14 1977'). Covers/postmarks: Locy Type 2# postmark of U.S. Navy Branch 17080, Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, dated 25 July 1968 (the ship had no postal facilities - postmark applied ashore); USPS machine cancel, Agana, Guam, 4 March 1974 (Guam-period usage); USPS machine cancel, Chicago, IL, 14 November 1974 (consistent with the November 1974 arrival at the Naval Armory); and two 'Last Day of Commission' covers postmarked aboard USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), dated 31 January 1977, cachet by Taze Nicholson.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1967-1977

   Population

   Crew (Cam Ranh Bay 1968; Guam 1974; Chicago 1974; decommissioning 1976-77)

   Limitations

   Philatelic corroboration only; no asbestos content. Three data points here diverge from other sources and are carried in gaps, not resolved: the EPA transfer (14 Mar 1977 here vs 1 Apr 1977 in NavSource/NVR status-change); the 'Last Day of Commission' cachet (31 Jan 1977 vs the 1 Oct 1976 decommissioning - consistent with NMGL's 'ended her Navy career in January of 1977' and the final CO's tenure ending 31 Jan 1977, suggesting a formal out-of-commission ceremony post-dating the administrative decommissioning); and the namesake line ('counties in Tennessee and Texas' - the APA-148 namesake carried over onto the wrong hull's page; NHHC NH 65504 confirms Crockett, California for this hull). Postmarks document postal usage at branch facilities, not necessarily the ship's position (collector covers can be struck ashore).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-07

9. [9]U.S. EPA publication 905R80124, 'Rachel Carson' (4 pp., 1977), NEPIS document 40001A9D - official EPA description of the ex-Crockett research vessel and her Great Lakes monitoring program (live NEPIS document verified 2026-10-04; the scanned PDF has no text layer - text read via the agency's own .TXT rendering preserved at Wayback capture 20160304091910) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NEPIS 40001A9D / pub 905R80124 'Rachel Carson' - 'THE RACHEL CARSON' and 'THE VOYAGE' sections

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   EPA documentation of this hull's second career: 'The Rachel Carson, formerly the USS Crockett, is the largest U.S. limnological vessel on the Great Lakes. It is 165 feet long and 24 feet wide. She houses laboratories as well as a staff of 8 operating crewmen and 8 to 15 scientists and technicians.' The vessel 'launched a 2-year program of intensive analysis on Lake Erie' as part of a joint U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes study (nine-year cycle, at least one year of intensive research per lake); onboard measurements included conductivity, silica, reactive phosphorous, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, total heterotrophs, and BOD. 'Between April and November of 1978, the Rachel Carson will complete 9 10-day cruises on the lake,' docking nightly at Cleveland, Fairport, Port Stanley (Ontario), Erie PA, Buffalo, and Lorain. The publication notes her shallow 9-foot draft permits near-shore work, and lists the EPA's other research vessels (incl. the Roger R. Simons, a former Coast Guard buoy tender).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-04

   Study period

   1977-1980

   Population

   EPA vessel crew (~8 operating crewmen) and 8-15 scientists/technicians; Lake Erie program staff (1977-78+)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific for the post-Navy career only; no asbestos or material content (the EPA's own 1977 description addresses laboratory fit and mission, not hull materials or conversion scope). Establishes that the ex-hull continued crewed service with a working crew plus science staff through at least the late 1970s - the relevant population for any post-naval exposure window is EPA crew (operator Mar, Inc. per HCGL) and embarked scientists. Publication is undated internally but cataloged 1977 by NEPIS.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-08

10. [10]Historical Collections of the Great Lakes (Bowling Green State University Libraries) vessel registry, item 436820 'CROCKETT (PG-88)' and linked item 445127 'CARSON, R/V RACHEL' (live, verified 2026-10-04) [museum_official]

    Locator

    HCGL greatlakes.bgsu.edu item 436820 (registry, dimensions, rebuilds, disposition, vessel-names and owners tables); item 445127 (R/V Rachel Carson name record)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Registry documentation for this hull: Name CROCKETT (PG-88), registry U.S., official number U.S. NAVY, rig propeller; length 164.42, width 23.66, depth 9.42, gross tonnage 245; hull material ALUMINUM; builder Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Tacoma WA, date built 1967. Vessel history: 'Commissioned by U.S. Navy on June 24, 1967. Stricken from Navy List on December 15, 1976.' Rebuilds: 'Refitted as research vessel at Milwaukee, WI, November, 1977.' Disposition: 'Reportedly scrapped, circa 1986.' Vessel-name sequence: CROCKETT (U.S. Navy) 1967-1977; CROCKETT (U.S.E.P.A.) 1977-1979; CARSON, R/V RACHEL (U.S.E.P.A.) 1979-1986. Owner 1977-1986: 'U.S.E.P.A. - Great Lakes Surveillance Branch (Mar, Inc., Mgr.)' - i.e., the ex-hull was EPA-owned and contractor-operated by Mar, Inc. for the Great Lakes Surveillance Branch.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1967-1986

    Population

    Milwaukee refit yard trades (Nov 1977); EPA/Mar Inc. crew and science staff (1977-86)

    Limitations

    University-maintained registry (authoritative secondary/archival compilation); no asbestos content. Two conflicts against other sources are carried in gaps: the conversion yard (Milwaukee, WI here vs Annapolis, MD in NMGL's account - possibly two stages of one conversion); and the Rachel Carson rename window (begin date 1979 here vs 'late 1980' in NMGL). 'Reportedly scrapped, circa 1986' is the registry's own hedge - disposition is reported, not documented to a yard.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-09

11. [11]Patrick N. Thompson, 'The Research Vessel Rachel Carson,' Inland Seas (journal of the Great Lakes Historical Society / National Museum of the Great Lakes), Winter 1986 (live NMGL page, verified 2026-10-04) [museum_official]

    Locator

    NMGL nmgl.org reprint of Inland Seas, Winter 1986 - construction, Vietnam, CRD-21, conversion, and EPA paragraphs

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Contemporary museum-journal account of this hull's construction, combat service, and EPA career: 'Built in Tacoma, Washington at Tocoma [sic] Boat in 1966, she was launched as the USS Crockett PG-88,' one of the PG-84 class 'designed for shallow water patrol and coastal work,' with 'a revolutionary combination power system of twin 12-cylinder diesel engines for cruising, and a 1500-horsepower gas turbine... and had a combination construction of aluminum hull and fiber glass and balsa wood superstructure'; 165'6" length, 23'10" beam, ~250 tons. Vietnam: 'The USS Crockett served in Viet Nam in 1968 and in 1969 was assigned to "Operation Market Time." She was commended for service in that theatre and given the prestigious Meritorious Unit Commendation.' Combat damage: 'while operating in support of a small boat unit on one of the rivers in Viet Nam some 20 miles from the sea, [she] took a rocket hit from a captured U.S.-built weapon fired by the V.C. Hit forward on the starboard side with the forward store room on fire, power to the forward 3" gun knocked out, and the aft 40mm mount inoperable, Crockett's crew fought their way out of the ambush.' Post-war: 'assigned to reserve duty with a river patrol squadron on the Great Lakes, home ported at Great Lakes, Illinois,' in Coastal River Division Twenty One with Asheville (PG-84), Marathon (PG-89), and PTF-17/18/19, 'until disestablishment of the division in 1976.' Decommissioning: 'She ended her Navy career in January of 1977. She was turned over to the EPA and her military sting, weapons, turbines and much of the associated military gear was removed. She underwent conversion to a research vessel in Annapolis, Maryland.' EPA: operated by the Great Lakes National Program Office (Region V, Chicago) under the U.S.-Canadian Joint Commission; 'active in lake surveys since her transfer to the lakes in 1977' - Lake Erie two years, then Superior, Michigan, Huron, Green Bay, St. Clair and the rivers; thirteen science personnel plus an operational crew of ten; 'renamed in late 1980'; by 1986 laid up at Toledo and replaced in EPA service by R/V Roger R. Simons (ex-USCG Maple).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1966-1986

    Population

    Crew (Vietnam combat period incl. the documented ambush); CRD-21 reservists; EPA crew/scientists; Annapolis or Milwaukee conversion trades (1977)

    Limitations

    Museum-journal secondary account (Winter 1986, near-contemporary) - the richest single narrative located, but some claims are single-source: the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the rocket-hit ambush account rest on this article plus corroborating photography (the NavSource 'dewatering on the Song Cau Lon' image is consistent with riverine damage but does not document the attack); the January 1977 career end matches the philatelic 'last day of commission' but conflicts with the 1 Oct 1976 decommissioning date; the Annapolis conversion conflicts with HCGL's Milwaukee refit; 'renamed in late 1980' vs HCGL's 1979 begin date. No asbestos content - but the material statement (aluminum hull, fiberglass/balsa superstructure) materially bounds the era-inference surface for this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-10

12. [12]NARA catalog.archives.gov - RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations', Crockett (PG-88) monthly deck-log file units, digitized under the Veterans Benefits Administration / Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project (267 file units returned; verified NAID 7062384 'Crockett (PG-88) - December 1969', NAID 7062356 'August 1967', NAID 7062386 'January 1970', NAID 40473620 'May 1974') [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA catalog search '"Crockett PG-88"'; file-unit pages NAID 7062384, 7062356, 7062386, 40473620 (RG 24 Logbooks)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    The hull's deck logs are digitized and publicly readable in NARA's catalog: a catalog search on 'Crockett PG-88' returns 267 file units of RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) logbooks - monthly coverage from August 1967 (commissioning window) through at least mid-1974, including the 1969-70 WestPac months spanning her SRF Yokosuka drydocking and second Vietnam transit. The series was scanned under the VA/Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project - the digitization exists precisely to support veterans' exposure and disability claims research. These logs are the primary unmined ship-specific source for underway/availability locations, the SRF Yokosuka January-February 1969 drydocking, any battle-damage repair entries, and any recorded material-removal entries.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1967-1974+ (log coverage)

    Population

    Researchers and claimants using deck logs for exposure reconstruction

    Limitations

    Archival lead, not a finding: the logs' existence and digitization are verified, but their contents were not systematically reviewed - a page-level read of the 1969 Yokosuka drydock months, the Vietnam riverine months, and the 1976-77 inactivation months is the open research path for any ship-specific material or repair record. No asbestos content examined or claimed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-11

13. [13]U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (ships list, July 1, 2019 edition; live docx downloaded and full-text verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]

    Locator

    VA benefits.va.gov shiplist.docx - Category I 'Ships operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways,' PG designation entry

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    Federal regulatory documentation naming this hull: the VA's ships list - 'intended to provide VA regional offices with a resource for determining whether a particular US Navy or Coast Guard Veteran of the Vietnam era is eligible for the presumption of Agent Orange herbicide exposure based on operations of the Veteran's ship' - places 'All vessels with hull designation PG [Patrol Gunboat]' in Category I, 'Ships operating primarily or exclusively on Vietnam's inland waterways,' and enumerates 'USS Crockett (PG-88)' among the named hulls (with Asheville PG-84, Gallup PG-85, Antelope PG-86, Ready PG-87, Marathon PG-89, Canon PG-90, Welch PG-93). Per 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(iii), veterans aboard listed ships during 9 January 1962 - 7 May 1975 are presumptively exposed to herbicide agents.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    2019 (list edition); coverage window 1962-1975

    Population

    Veterans who served aboard PG-designated gunboats in the qualifying window (1967-75 for this hull)

    Limitations

    This is an Agent Orange (herbicide) presumption, NOT an asbestos finding - it is carried because (a) it is a federal government ship-specific exposure determination for this exact hull, and (b) it independently confirms the inland-waterway riverine service that the photographic and DANFS record shows. It makes no statement about asbestos aboard this or any ship. List edition dated 1 July 2019; the VA notes the list 'is evolving and is not complete.'

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-12

14. [14]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page live; full text extracted via Firecrawl this session (the PDF asset 403s to direct curl but the report text was retrievable) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO HRD-80-2 full text: 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' narrative; attachment 1 ship-list scope

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    Program-level documentation spanning this hull's entire build and service era (1965-77): 'although product specifications for thermal insulation had been changed in 1973 to specify the use of asbestos-free materials, asbestos materials had already been purchased and in some cases installed in ships under construction. Therefore, some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; the Navy told GAO that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables'; thermal insulation for machinery, equipment and piping systems 'has been the major application of asbestos'; and the 1979 policy was to remove/replace only damaged insulation or that in high-maintenance areas - no fleet-wide removal program (estimated $2 billion).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1977-1979 (review); policy coverage of the 1965-78 construction era

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers (Long Beach and Norfolk NSY fieldwork 1977-79); fleet-wide asbestos-use policy population

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation, not a hull record: Crockett is not named in the report, and the ship-by-class insulation attachment covers only ships delivered since 1973 or under construction - post-dating this 1967 delivery. The 'all ships in service contain some asbestos' statement was made in 1979, while the ex-hull was in EPA custody. GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - yards this hull is not documented to have used. Documents the era's material regime, not materials aboard this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-13

15. [15]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (CODOG - Cummins diesels plus GE LM1500 gas turbine, controllable-pitch props); DANFS Marathon II class statement ('Constructed almost entirely of aluminum and fiberglass'); NMGL construction account (aluminum hull, fiberglass/balsa superstructure); HCGL registry ('Hull Material: Aluminum'); GAO HRD-80-2 (1973 asbestos-free insulation spec change; asbestos components universal in in-service ships per 1979 Navy statement) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource specifications; DANFS Marathon II class description; NMGL/HCGL material records; GAO HRD-80-2 policy narrative

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    A patrol gunboat launched in June 1966 and commissioned in June 1967 was designed and built before the Navy's thermal-insulation specifications went asbestos-free (late 1973 per GAO), placing her construction inside the documented asbestos-use era. Era-standard applications aboard a small combatant of this type and period were thermal insulation on machinery, equipment and piping; diesel and gas-turbine exhaust lagging; piping gaskets and valve packing; deck tile; electrical cable insulation and resistors; and brake/clutch linings - matching the non-thermal-insulation applications the Navy itself told GAO remained in all in-service ships. The class's aluminum hull and fiberglass/balsa-wood superstructure reduce the conventional structural-insulation surface relative to a steel combatant, but the Cummins diesel and LM1500 gas-turbine machinery spaces, exhaust trunks, piping systems, and electrical plant carry the standard era applications. The CODOG plant means no boiler/turbine steam lagging pathway.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1965-1986

    Population

    Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades (1965-67); crew (1967-76) incl. Vietnam riverine and forward-repair populations; SRF Yokosuka trades (1969); conversion-yard trades (Milwaukee/Annapolis 1977); EPA crew/scientists (1977-82); shipbreakers (c. 1986)

    Limitations

    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PGM-88/PG-88. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull. The documented battle damage (rocket hit forward, forward storeroom fire) and the January-February 1969 SRF Yokosuka drydocking are repair windows where insulation would have been disturbed/replaced, but no work record was located - the repair scope is inference.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-14

16. [16]Batch-8639 search ledger (this record): NavSource 12/11088; NVR shipId=459; NHHC photo catalog NH 93149/93150/93151, NH 65504; DANFS consort entries (Marathon II, Vernon County); NavalCoverMuseum; EPA NEPIS 40001A9D; HCGL items 436820/445127; NMGL Inland Seas; NARA RG 24 deck logs; VA shiplist.docx; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; WA Ecology site 3672; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-crockett-pgm88-01 through -15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Crockett (PGM-88/PG-88) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener only partially searched this session - the '"USS Crockett"' opinion base query ran once the pacing window opened (HTTP 200, count 0 - zero opinion hits, a genuine no-result); the remaining three base queries ('"USS Crockett"' docket, '"PG-88"' opinion, '"PG-88"' docket) stayed blocked under fleet pacing across twelve spaced attempts over ~100 minutes session-wide; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesotheliomaveterans.org, lungcancergroup.com, elslaw.com, mesotheliomahelp.org ship lists; asbestos-ships.com and freeasbestostesting.com list the hull under the APA-148 designation - a cross-hull conflation) asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (4 candidate URLs 404; NavSource confirms none).

    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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced out, not run). The digitized deck logs were not page-read; conversion-yard work records (Milwaukee/Annapolis 1977), the EPA-era maintenance record, and the c.1986 scrapping record are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-15

17. [17]Identity cross-check: NVR 'CROCKETT (PG 88) ex-PGM 88'; NavSource 'Crockett (PG 88) ex-PGM-88'; DANFS Beacon entry ('On 14 August 1942, the name Beacon was approved for PG-88, a modified "Flower" class corvette being built at Collingwood, Ontario, Canada... commissioned as HMS Dittany'); DANFS Crockett entry (APA-148, 'Counties in Tennessee and Texas'); NHHC NH 65504 (this hull named for the city of Crockett, California) [nhhc_danfs]

    Locator

    DANFS Beacon (PG-99) header paragraph; DANFS Crockett (APA-148); NHHC NH 65504; NVR shipId=459; NavSource header; HCGL vessel-names table

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    CORRECTION/clarification carried in the record header: (1) PGM-88 and PG-88 are the SAME hull - laid down as motor gunboat PGM-88, reclassified patrol gunboat PG-88 on 1 April 1967 before her 24 June 1967 commissioning (NavSource/NVR agree); the prompt's 'use canonical PG-88 and preserve PGM alias' is verified. (2) This is the SECOND USS Crockett - the first was APA-148, a WWII Haskell-class attack transport named for Crockett counties in Tennessee and Texas (DANFS crockett.html). This hull was named for the city of Crockett, California - itself named for California Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bryant Crockett (NHHC NH 65504). (3) The WWII-era 'PG-88' was a DIFFERENT hull assigned a different name: on 14 August 1942 the name Beacon was approved for PG-88, a modified Flower-class corvette building at Collingwood, Ontario - she was transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Dittany in May 1943, never serving as a USN-commissioned ship; the prompt's 'PRIMARY Beacon PG-88 is the separate WWII corvette' is verified. (4) Refinements carried: the EPA vessel was renamed Rachel Carson c.1979-80, not at the 1977 transfer (HCGL name sequence: CROCKETT under EPA 1977-79; NMGL 'renamed in late 1980' - NavSource's 'transferred... and renamed Rachel Carson' compresses the sequence); and the ship 'ended her Navy career in January of 1977' (NMGL) / 'Last Day of Commission' covers 31 January 1977 (NavalCoverMuseum) vs the 1 October 1976 decommissioning date - likely a formal out-of-commission ceremony post-dating the administrative action, unresolved.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-04

    Study period

    1942-1986 (designation window)

    Limitations

    Identity and sequence clarification only; no asbestos content. The January 1977 career-end and the c.1979-80 rename are carried as sourced conflicts in gaps, not asserted resolutions.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-crockett-pgm88-16