USS Cubera (SS-347)

Name
USS Cubera
Hull designation
SS-347
Vessel class
Balao class
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
5
Record ID
uss-cubera-ss347
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-cubera-ss347

Evidence

5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).

  1. [1]DANFS, USS Cubera (SS-347) - construction, wartime/postwar service, dispositions; verbatim transcription via losthistory.net/hazegray (live NHHC DANFS page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
    Locator
    DANFS service narrative and spec block
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    Documented for this hull: Launched 17 June 1945 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn. (sponsor Mrs. J. Taber); commissioned 19 December 1945, Lt. Cmdr. R. W. Paine, Jr. Sonar test and ASW-development services out of Key West 1946-47; 'extensive modernization' at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 4 July 1947-9 March 1948. Norfolk home port from July 1952; Task Force 'Alfa' ASW experiments 1959-60.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1944-1972
    Population
    Construction trades 1944-45 (Electric Boat Co.); crew; yard trades at documented availabilities
    Limitations
    Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. DANFS Vol. 2/3-era text ends ~1960-67 for this hull; later events rest on NavSource/NVR supplements.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-cubera-ss347-01
  2. [2]NavSource Naval History, submarine photo-archive entry (secondary archival compilation; disposition data consistent with Bauer & Roberts Register of Ships supplements) [other_primary]
    Locator
    NavSource entry header block
    Finding type
    vessel_history
    Finding
    NavSource: laid down 11 May 1944 at Electric Boat Co., Groton; decommissioned and simultaneously struck 5 January 1972; sold under the Security Assistance Program to Venezuela as ARV Tiburon (S-12); decommissioned and sold by Venezuela 2/1987.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1944-1987
    Population
    n/a
    Limitations
    Secondary compilation, not an official record; dates/items not corroborated by DANFS or NVR are flagged in this record's gaps. Used for laid-down date, final-disposition detail, and conversion labels.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-cubera-ss347-02
  3. [3]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (diesel-electric drive, no boilers); BuShips Ships' Data 1945 submarine machinery tables (shipscribe.com SDB1945v1); documented yard-period events above [other_primary]
    Locator
    DANFS spec block; BuShips SDB1945v1 pp. 266-270 submarine tables; balao-class profile ev-05
    Finding type
    asbestos_application
    Finding
    A diesel-electric fleet boat built 1944-45 and maintained through Navy-yard availabilities at Electric Boat (Groton) and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era. Diesel-electric boats carried no boilers/steam plant: era-consistent asbestos applications are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, acoustic/thermal hull insulation, galley/refrigeration insulation, and battery/electrical materials; the documented 1947-48 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard modernization yard period(s) would have disturbed interior insulation.
    Verification
    inferred
    Role
    supporting
    Documentation level
    class_or_era
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1944-1972
    Population
    Electric Boat Co. construction trades (1944-45); yard trades at documented availabilities; crew (1945-1972)
    Limitations
    Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for this hull. Names era-standard diesel-boat applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantities.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-cubera-ss347-03
  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; standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - covering this hull's service-era insulation and yard-period events.
    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-cubera-ss347-04
  5. [5]Batch-26 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcriptions; NavSource; NVR (where extant); Google Scholar case-law sweep; CourtListener attempted [other_primary]
    Locator
    search_ledger rows sl-uss-cubera-ss347-01 through -07
    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 Cubera (SS-347) was found. CourtListener sweeps attempted 2026-09-18: public search UI blocked by bot-challenge (HTTP 202/403) and v4 API throttled (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota); Google Scholar case-law sweep substituted for published opinions. Exact-name "USS Cubera" search: no published-opinion hits. Hull-number "SS-347" search: no hits.
    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. Scholar covers published opinions only - RECAP/docket-level text was not searched (CourtListener blocked); an unresolved sweep limitation, logged in the ledger.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-cubera-ss347-05

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