Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 1011-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-crystal-py25-pkt-1011-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS entry 'Crystal' (PY-25) - canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/crystal.html (live URL returned 404 on 2026-10-04; archived copy cited). Verbatim transcription mirror verified live at https://losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/patrol/py25.htm [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. II p. 213; Wayback capture 2025-12-10 of canonical NHHC page; hazegray mirror patrol/py25.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. II p. 213): Crystal (PY-25) was acquired by the Navy 15 January 1942 and commissioned 21 February 1942, Lt. Cmdr. O. B. Drotning, USNR (Ret.), in command; arrived Pearl Harbor 1 May 1942 for Hawaiian Sea Frontier patrol and escort duty (Army transports and merchant vessels to outlying islands; transported civilian workers and servicemen; exercises and drills with destroyers); based at Midway 1 December 1943 to 14 April 1944 for patrol duty and exercises/training with submarines; after Pearl Harbor overhaul returned to HSF operations adding weather-station patrols; departed for west coast 8 November 1945, arrived San Francisco 17 November 1945; decommissioned there 6 March 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 2 April 1947. DANFS stats line: 225 ft length, 34 ft beam, 13 ft draft, 18 knots, two 3-inch guns.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- DANFS states the yacht was 'built as Vida in 1929' - incorrect per contemporaneous sources (built as Cambriona; renamed Vida 1938) - see correction row ev-uss-crystal-py25-08. DANFS gives no strike date, no complement figure, and no asbestos or insulation content. Commissioning 21 February 1942 conflicts with a 24 February 1942 date in secondary sources - 21 February adopted (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Yacht Photo Archive, 'Crystal (PY-25)' (Priolo/Radigan compilation; photo credit U.S. Navy NH 83297 via NHHC) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page head chronology, specifications block, and commanding-officer table; navsource.org domain dead - .net URL verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource patrol-yacht photo archive for Crystal (PY-25): built by Pusey and Jones, Wilmington, DE (YN 1042); launched 7 October 1929; completed May 1930 for W.O. Briggs, Detroit, MI, as yacht Cambronia (ON 229626); sold to Erle P. Halliburton and renamed Vida, 1938; acquired by the Navy 15 January 1942; commissioned USS Crystal (PY-25) 21 February 1942; decommissioned at San Francisco 6 March 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal 2 April 1947; sold to Cayman Islands Co., Ltd., George Town, Cayman Islands as Crystal (British ON 171281), 1947; used as a freighter and passenger vessel in Central and South America; stripped in Jamaica 1966; broken up at Pinto Island Metals Co., Mobile, AL, September 1969. Specifications: 225 ft length, 34 ft beam, 13 ft draft, 18 knots, two 3"/50 dual-purpose mounts, two 422 bhp Winton diesel engines on two shafts; 1944 call sign Nan-Baker-Mike-Baker. Commanding officers: LCDR Ottar B. Drotning USNR Ret. (21 Feb 1942-Dec 1944); LT John A. Merriman USNR (Dec 1944-Jul 1945); LT John K. Cowperthwaite USNR (Jul-Sep 1945); LT Peter W. Leroux USNR (Sep 1945-6 Mar 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1929-1969
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record; 'Cambronia' spelling here is a variant of Cambriona (see gaps). Sole located source for the 1966 Jamaica stripping and September 1969 Mobile break-up. No asbestos or insulation-material content; no complement figure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CRYSTAL (PY-25), Ship History Detail 1146, incl. digitized vessel status card 1146_2080AF [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail page fields and milestones table; status-card thumbnail link on detail page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for CRYSTAL (PY-25), detail 1146: year built 1929; shipyard Pusey and Jones Corporation; type PY Patrol Yacht; length 225.00 ft, beam 34.00 ft; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' Milestones: Entry and Acquisition 11/8/1946 (Maritime Commission reserve-fleet custody for disposal on behalf of the Navy); Disposition 4/7/1947 recorded 'SOLDBARNETT SHIPPING'; Withdrawal 4/7/1947. A digitized vessel status card (image 1146_2080AF) exists; secondary summaries of the card record sale to Clyde Webster on 12 February 1947 and withdrawal 7 April 1947 for delivery to the Navy, the buyer, and Barnett Shipping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1946-1947
- Limitations
- Milestone table is terse: 'SOLDBARNETT SHIPPING' names the selling agent while NavSource names the purchaser (Cayman Islands Co., Ltd.) - reconciled as broker vs buyer, unresolved which entity took title. Status-card fields transcribed via secondary summary; card image itself not enlarged/read line-by-line this session. No asbestos or condition content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-03
-
[5]Pacific Marine Review (J.S. Hines, San Francisco), vol. 27 (1930), 'The Pusey and Jones Corporation' yard columns - March 1930 p. 185 and June 1930 p. 269 per the digitized volume [other_primary]
- Locator
- Digitized volume full text; Cambriona hull-1042 entries recur in the monthly yard columns (keel/launch/delivery tracking)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Pacific Marine Review (1930 volume) construction-progress columns for Pusey & Jones, Wilmington: 'Cambriona, hull 1042, yacht for owner not named ... keel Mar. 12/29; launched 10/7/29; deliver 3/1/30 est.'; subsequent monthly entries identify the owner as Walter O. Briggs and give 236 ft LOA, 34 ft beam, 19 ft depth, 12 ft 6 in draft, '2 1100 H.P. diesel engs.'; the June-issue entry records 'delivered 5/6/30.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1929-1930
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous trade-press tracking: early entries carried estimated delivery dates that were superseded (3/1/30 est., 4/24/30 est., delivered 5/6/30). Engine rating '1100 H.P.' conflicts with the 422 bhp per engine carried by NavSource and the Daily Pilot - both carried, unresolved (see gaps). Dimensions differ slightly from Navy figures (236 ft LOA vs 225 ft Navy length; 12.5 ft yacht draft vs 13 ft Navy draft) - registry vs naval-measure conventions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-04
-
[6]Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation, Merchant Vessels of the United States (Including Yachts and Government Vessels), year ended June 30, 1931 - House Doc. 40, 72d Congress [other_primary]
- Locator
- Motor Yachts register section, Cambriona row (official no. 229626 confirmed in vessel index); scanned vol., HyperWar mirror of the GPO original - verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Merchant Vessels of the United States, year ended June 30, 1931 (Bureau of Navigation, U.S. Department of Commerce), motor-yacht register: Cambriona - official no. 229626, signal letters MHSR, 954 gross tons / 427 net tons, beam 34.2 ft, depth 16.8 ft, built Wilmington, Del. (registered home port Detroit). Establishes the yacht's registry identity before Naval acquisition.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1931
- Limitations
- Registry table only - confirms identity, tonnage, signal letters, dimensions and build place; scan OCR is poor but the printed row data is legible and consistent across fields. Establishes 'Cambriona' as the build name against the DANFS 'built as Vida' error. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-05
-
[7]Blaich, John, 'Newport Harbor's biggest yacht,' Daily Pilot / Los Angeles Times, 2001-07-23 (author a Newport Harbor Nautical Museum volunteer) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body text - verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Daily Pilot (Los Angeles Times), John Blaich, 'Newport Harbor's biggest yacht,' 23 July 2001: the motor yacht Vida - 234 ft, beam 34 ft, draft 12 ft, two Winton diesels of 422 brake horsepower each, 16-knot cruise - was designed by Cox & Stevens of New York and built by Pusey and Jones, Wilmington, Del., in 1930 as 'Cambrioas' [Cambriona]; Erle [Erle P.] Halliburton renamed her for his daughter, registered her in Honduras, and kept her at Newport Harbor 1939-1942 (largest yacht in the harbor; cruises to Catalina, Alaska, Mexico, Honduras); the Navy requisitioned her in early 1942; she was commissioned USS Crystal (PY-25) on 21 February 1942, trained/shook down in the San Pedro area, and reported to the Hawaiian Sea Frontier in May 1942; decommissioned 6 March 1946; offered back to Halliburton, who declined due to reconversion cost; subsequently used as a freighter and passenger vessel in Central and South America.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1930-1969
- Limitations
- Retrospective local journalism with loose name spellings ('Cambrioas', 'Earle F. Halliburton'); corroborates the 21 February 1942 commissioning and adds the requisition/offered-back-to-owner and Honduran-registry details not in DANFS. Says she operated as a Western Pacific weather ship - DANFS frames weather-station patrols under the Hawaiian Sea Frontier; DANFS adopted for operational detail. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-06
-
[8]Colton, Tim, 'Pusey & Jones, Wilmington DE' yard-construction table, shipbuildinghistory.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wilmington yard table rows 405/1040, 406/1041, 407/1042 - verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipbuildingHistory (Tim Colton) Pusey & Jones Wilmington yard table: 405/1040 ON 229321 Nakhoda, owner Fred J. Fisher, yacht, 958 GRT, 235 ft, 1929, 'To USN 1940 as Zirkon [Zircon] (PY 16)'; 406/1041 ON 229295 Rene, owner Alfred P. Sloan, yacht, 945 GRT, 225 ft, 1929, 'To USN 1940 as Beryl (PY 23)'; 407/1042 ON 229626 'Cambrionia' [Cambriona], owner W. O. Briggs, yacht, 954 GRT, 1929, 'Later Vida 1938, Crystal 1942, scrapped 1969.' Confirms the identical-design sister yachts both became Navy patrol yachts and corroborates the 1969 scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1929-1969
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary reference table; 'Cambrionia' spelling variant noted (see gaps). Sister-hull Naval service dates ('USN 1940') are summary-level and conflict slightly with NavSource's December 1941 purchase date for Rene/Beryl - detail not material to this hull. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-07
-
[9]MVUS 1931 (ibiblio.org HyperWar mirror) + Pacific Marine Review 1930 (archive.org) vs. DANFS 'built as Vida' framing [other_primary]
- Locator
- MVUS 1931 motor-yacht register Cambriona row; PMR 1930 yard columns; DANFS entry archived copy
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Correction: DANFS states Crystal 'was built as Vida in 1929.' Contemporaneous records establish the yacht was built as Cambriona - keel laid 12 March 1929, launched 7 October 1929, delivered 6 May 1930 to Walter O. Briggs of Detroit (Pacific Marine Review 1930; MVUS 1931 register: official no. 229626, signal MHSR) - and renamed Vida only after Erle P. Halliburton's 1938 purchase (NavSource; Daily Pilot; shipbuildinghistory). The MVUS 1931 register does not carry the name Vida because the yacht was still Cambriona as of June 1931.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1929-1942
- Limitations
- Corrects name chronology only. Does not affect service dates or any asbestos assessment. Name-spelling variants across sources (Cambriona/Cambronia/Cambrionia) are logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-08
-
[10]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the period of this hull's Naval service and conversion - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. vessels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel. Direct applicability is limited: this hull is a 1929 diesel yacht acquired for war service, not wartime new construction - the article's scope is wartime shipbuilding programs. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-09
-
[11]Batch-8664 search ledger (this record): DANFS (archived) + hazegray mirror; NavSource 12/1325; MARAD detail 1146 + status card; MVUS 1931; Pacific Marine Review vol. 27 (1930); Daily Pilot 2001-07-23; shipbuildinghistory Pusey & Jones table; Hagley digital records; NARA logbook guidance; CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing budget) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-crystal-py25-01 through sl-uss-crystal-py25-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation specification, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Crystal / PY-25 hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory + status card, MVUS 1931, Pacific Marine Review 1930, Daily Pilot, and shipbuildinghistory all contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. CourtListener searches could not be completed this session - logged as blocked in the search ledger, not as a negative result.
- 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 - a 1929 motor yacht in wartime Naval service is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials (exhaust/muffler lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-10
-
[12]National Archives, 'Logbooks and Muster Rolls' research guidance - U.S. Navy deck logs RG 24 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Navy logbooks guidance page - verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires NARA research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): U.S. Navy deck logs for Crystal (PY-25), 1942-1946, are held in RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) at the National Archives; WWII-era deck logs are progressively digitized in the National Archives Catalog. Deck logs and wartime maintenance/alteration records are the likeliest primary path to any hull-specific insulation or materials documentation; muster rolls (RG 24) would establish crew size.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no item-level retrieval performed; whether PY-25's logs are digitized in the Catalog was not confirmed (Catalog API requires key; web interface JS-rendered). Existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-11
-
[13]Hagley Museum and Library, digital archives - Pusey and Jones Corporation photograph records for Cambriona (digital.hagley.org) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Records 72350_3821, 72350_3837, 72350_3974 - URLs resolve (302 to record/challenge) as of 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (museum collection, browser-accessible; anti-bot challenge prevents programmatic text pull): Hagley Museum and Library digital records hold Pusey & Jones photographs of this hull as the yacht Cambriona - christening with sponsor (record 72350_3821), the three sister yachts Nakhoda, Rene and Cambriona together (72350_3837), and the finished yacht at wharf (72350_3974). Hagley holds the Pusey & Jones corporate archive; outfitting/specification documents for hull 1042 may exist there but were not surveyed.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1929-1930 records
- Limitations
- Photographic records only; no text or specification documents pulled. Record pages sit behind a browser challenge - human browser access required to confirm item details. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-crystal-py25-12