USS Diodon (SS-349)

Name
USS Diodon
Hull designation
SS-349
Vessel class
Balao class
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
5
Record ID
uss-diodon-ss349
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-diodon-ss349

Evidence

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

  1. [1]DANFS, USS Diodon (SS-349) - 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 10 September 1945 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn. (sponsor Mrs. D. Cullinane); commissioned 18 March 1946, Lt. Cmdr. J. M. Hingson. San Diego-based training operations; 'extensively modernized' at Mare Island Naval Shipyard August 1947-March 1948 (NavSource labels the conversion GUPPY). Simulated war patrol off Japan Oct-Nov 1950; west coast overhaul Feb-May 1951; Far East tours 1954, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1960.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1944-1971
    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-diodon-ss349-01
  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 1 June 1944 at Electric Boat Co., Groton; Guppy conversion 1947-48 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA; decommissioned and simultaneously struck 15 January 1971; sold for scrapping 12 May 1972 to Nicolai Joffe, Beverly Hills, CA, for $106,378; scrapped at San Pedro, CA.
    Verification
    partial
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    ship_specific
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Study period
    1944-1972
    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-diodon-ss349-02
  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 Mare Island 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 Mare Island 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
    1944-1971
    Population
    Electric Boat Co. construction trades (1944-45); yard trades at documented availabilities; crew (1946-1971)
    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-diodon-ss349-03
  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-diodon-ss349-04
  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-diodon-ss349-01 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 Diodon (SS-349) 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 Diodon" search: no published-opinion hits. Hull-number "SS-349" search: 1 hit - Ross v. W&T Offshore (E.D. La. 2018): 'Ship Shoal 349-A' oil-platform lease block, name collision.
    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-diodon-ss349-05

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