USS Dutton (AGS-8)

Evidence

6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Dutton' entry - USS Dutton (PCS-1396/AGS-8) (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships; verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio mirror; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-20 for danfs/d/dutton.html) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Dutton/PCS-1396 entry, full narrative and spec block (HyperWar transcription by Patrick Clancey)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Dutton (PCS-1396/AGS-8): namesake paragraph (Benjamin Dutton, Jr., b. 3 Apr 1883 Shippensburg Pa., USNA graduate, author of Navigation and Nautical Astronomy, d. 30 Nov 1937 in command of Portland CA-33). Spec block: (PCS-1396: dp. 340, l. 136', b. 23'4", dr. 8'7", s. 14 k.; cpl. 74; a. 1 3", cl. PCS-1376). 'PCS-1396 was launched 7 August 1943 by South Coast Co., Newport Beach, Calif., sponsored by Miss Cynthia A. Gaffney: and commissioned 29 March 1944, Lieutenant F. E. Sturmer, USNR, in command. She was reclassified AGS-8, 20 March 1945, and assigned the name Dutton 4 days later. She was redesignated AGSC-8 on 29 July 1946.' Service narrative: sailed San Pedro 4 May 1944, arrived off Saipan 17 June for screening/escort in the Marianas, rescued four Marines off Tinian 29 August, returned to Pearl Harbor 15 October for overhaul; underway 22 January (printed '1946' - context fixes 1945, flagged) to escort an LST group for the Iwo Jima landings 19 February, surveying and patrol duty; took part in the invasion of Okinawa 1 April - day surveys for landing beaches, night guard against suicide boats and swimmers; 27 May a Japanese plane crashed the ship, carrying away part of the bridge, blowing one crewman overboard, and holing her above the waterline; temporary repairs at Kerama Retto, permanent repairs at San Pedro Bay, Leyte; served in the Far East until returning to San Diego 20 January 1946; took part in Operation Crossroads at Bikini summer 1946; surveys of the waters surrounding Truk 3 February-13 September 1947; sailed for the east coast 11 July 1948, prepared at Norfolk, joined Hydrographic Survey Group I out of New York 9 September for the Persian Gulf; surveyed uncharted or poorly known waters off Kuwait and Bahrein until return to Norfolk 2 June 1949; 'decommissioned at New York 26 August 1949, and sold 21 February 1950.' Three battle stars for WWII service.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1950

   Population

   Ship's company 1944-1949 (PCS-1396 crew; Dutton survey complement incl. embarked hydrographic personnel)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, WWII service, survey career, and disposal authorization. Transcription mirror used because canonical NHHC URLs are unreachable (standing NHHC link-rot note, BATCH-01-REPORT). Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Internal inconsistency flagged: 'got underway 22 January 1946' must read 1945 (Iwo Jima landings 19 Feb 1945; reclassified AGS-8 Mar 1945 while deployed). Gives no laid-down date, no strike date, no conversion yard, and no post-sale detail.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-01

2. [2]NavSource Online, 'Dutton (AGSC 8) ex-AGS-8 ex-PCS-1396' page (volunteer-compiled; fetched via navsource.net mirror 2026-09-20) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource PCS-1396/AGSC-8 page: designation timeline, spec block, post-Navy ownership chain, commanding-officer list, photo credits (NHHC NH 92731/NH 84644, NARA 80-G-311366)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Patrol Craft Sweeper Photo Archive entry for Dutton (AGSC 8) ex-AGS-8 ex-PCS-1396, ex-PC-1396: laid down as PC-1396 by South Coast Co., Newport Beach CA; reclassified PCS-1396 April 1943; launched 7 August 1943; commissioned USS PCS-1396 29 March 1944; reclassified hydrographic survey ship AGS-8 20 March 1945; named Dutton 24 March 1945; damaged off Okinawa 27 May 1945 by a Japanese kamikaze at 26 00' N., 128 00' E.; reclassified coastal surveying ship AGSC-8 29 July 1946; decommissioned 26 August 1949 at New York; call sign Nan-Tare-Roger-William. Post-Navy chain: Ocean Fisheries, Inc. of Glen Ridge NJ 1954 (renamed Ocean Spray); Tarpon, Inc. of Reedville VA 1957; Fishing Vessel Tarpon, Inc. of Reedville 1959 (renamed Tarpon); Haynie Products, Inc. of Reedville 1968; Atlantic Towing Corp. of Norfolk VA 1975 (renamed Atlantic II); Shore Sea Products, Inc. of Atlantic VA 1976 (renamed Sea Harvester III); reacquired by Atlantic Towing Co. 1978 (renamed Hustler); Ocean Cargo and Salvage, Inc. of Norfolk 1980; out of documentation 1982; 'Fate unknown.' Specifications: 245 t (lt) / 338 t (fl); 136' x 24'6" x 8'7"; 14.1 kts; complement 57; armament one 3"/50 DP, one single 40mm, two 20mm, four depth charge projectors, one hedgehog projector, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 800-bhp GM 8-268A diesels, Snow & Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding officers: LT Frederick Eugen Sturmer USNR (29 Mar 1944-Nov 1945), LTJG Felix Theodore Grous USN (Nov 1945-1948). Photo credits document NHHC photos NH 92731 (namesake) and NH 84644 (1945) and NARA photo 80-G-311366 (PCS-1396 directing landing craft off Iwo Jima, 20 Feb 1945).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   Ship's company 1944-1949; post-Navy merchant crews 1954-1982

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record - used as cross-check and for detail absent elsewhere (laid-down-as-PC-1396 identity, kamikaze position, call sign, machinery detail, CO list, and the entire 1954-1982 post-Navy ownership chain, which is single-source here). Spec variances vs DANFS flagged (245/338 t vs 340 t; beam 24'6" vs 23'4"; complement 57 vs 74). Contains no asbestos information. 'Out of documentation 1982; fate unknown' - final disposition unverified.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-02

3. [3]Weitz, R., Thomas, C., Klemm, J., Stuart, J., Knowles, M., 'Analysis of radiation exposure for naval units of Operation Crossroads. Volume 3. (Appendix B) support ships,' DNA-TR-82-05V3 (Defense Nuclear Agency, March 1982), via DOE OSTI [other_primary]

   Locator

   OSTI biblio 6354991 (doi 10.2172/6354991); report front matter and TOC read directly from the OSTI PDF (servlets/purl/6354991) - 'USS DUTTON (AGS-8) 175' in the Appendix B ship-summary list

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   Defense Nuclear Agency technical report DNA-TR-82-05V3, 'Analysis of Radiation Exposure for Naval Units of Operation CROSSROADS, Volume III - (Appendix B) Support Ships' (Science Applications, Inc., 3 March 1982, contract DNA 001-82-C-0012; OSTI ID 6354991; report nos. AD-B-090883/0/XAB, SAI-84-1567-VOL-3): the volume's table of contents lists 'USS DUTTON (AGS-8)' with a dedicated Support Ship Information Summary at appendix page 175, among 121 non-target support ships attached to Commander Joint Task Force One at Operation Crossroads, Bikini, 1946. The report reconstructs external radiation doses for shipboard personnel - methodology: modeling the radiation environment (lagoon water, target ships, support-ship contamination), retracing ship paths, calculating doses; calculated doses for >36,000 support-ship personnel at Bikini range 0 to 1.7 rem, ~34,000 below 0.5 rem. Ship-specific confirmation of Dutton's Crossroads participation (independent of DANFS) and of a per-ship dose reconstruction in the government record.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1946 (operation); 1982 (report)

   Population

   Dutton ship's company at Operation Crossroads, Bikini, summer 1946 (one of >36,000 support-ship personnel analyzed)

   Limitations

   Ship-specific government exposure document, but it is a RADIOLOGICAL dose reconstruction for the 1946 atomic tests - contains no asbestos information and is not asbestos evidence of any kind. The OSTI scan retrieved is front matter + TOC (9 pages); Dutton's appendix-B information summary at page 175 (dose figure, path report, radiation report) was not itself read - contents beyond the TOC entry are unverified. Establishes Crossroads participation and the existence of a per-ship dose analysis; does not establish or defeat any asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-03

4. [4]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 + NavSource machinery data (ev-02), DANFS availability/deployment record (ev-01), PCSA PCS-1376 class data [other_primary]

   Locator

   Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, 1930-1959 analysis block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Class/era inference only. As completed (1943-44), PCS-1396 was a 136-ft PCS-1376-class patrol craft sweeper with a diesel plant - two GM 8-268A engines on two shafts (NavSource; PCSA class page gives 'two 900-bhp geared diesel engines'). Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that the U.S. Navy required and used asbestos-containing shipboard materials throughout the era spanning this hull's construction and entire naval service (1943-1949) - the analysis blocks covering 1930-1959. For a small diesel combatant (no boilers, no steam system) the era-typical asbestos application set is narrower than for steam auxiliaries: exhaust/muffler lagging, engine gaskets and packing, electrical insulation, joiner/fireproofing and accommodation materials, and friction products (winch/windlass brake linings). Documented events on the hull whose asbestos scope is inference, not record: Pearl Harbor overhaul (Oct 1944, per DANFS 'returned to base at Pearl Harbor 15 October for overhaul'); battle-damage repairs at Kerama Retto and San Pedro Bay, Leyte (May-Jun 1945); reclassification to survey ship AGS-8 (20 Mar 1945 - no conversion yard named); 'preparation at Norfolk' (1948); decommissioning at New York (Aug 1949).

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   South Coast Co. construction workforce (1943-44); Pearl Harbor overhaul workforce (1944); Kerama Retto/San Pedro Bay repair forces (1945); ship's company 1944-1949; New York decommissioning workforce (1949); post-Navy commercial crews and any conversion/repair workers 1950-1982

   Limitations

   Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented diesel plant - establishes that asbestos-containing materials were Navy-standard in this hull's construction and service era, NOT that any survey or record confirms asbestos aboard this specific hull. No hull-specific insulation specification, survey, abatement, or removal record was located. The documented availabilities (Pearl Harbor 1944; Kerama Retto/Leyte repairs 1945; Norfolk preparation 1948; New York decommissioning 1949) are events on the hull whose materials scope is inference, not record - the sources do not describe the work performed. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-04

5. [5]Batch-775 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; HyperWar mirror used); NavSource (navsource.net direct fetch); DOE OSTI/DNA-TR-82-05V3 (front matter + TOC read); NVR (out of coverage, pre-1987); CourtListener API v4 (429 x3 - blocked); general web-index litigation searches; VA BVA index; uboat.net/Navypedia (secondary); PCSA class page; shipbuildinghistory South Coast yard table (search-index snippet - page 500s); shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-dutton-ags8-01 through sl-uss-dutton-ags8-14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, BVA decision, or adjudicated finding naming USS Dutton, PCS-1396, PC-1396, AGS-8, AGSC-8, or the post-Navy identities (Ocean Spray, Tarpon, Atlantic II, Sea Harvester III, Hustler) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation surface: CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 on every attempt this session (three spaced tries 2026-09-20) - the documented 125/day shared-IP quota was already consumed, so the opinion/docket/RECAP surfaces are logged BLOCKED, not clean (sl-uss-dutton-ags8-07). A web-index check of CourtListener-indexed content and general litigation surfaces surfaced only name collisions and generic Navy asbestos matters (Bowles, O'Neil, Laviolette, Zimmerman, Henderson removals - none naming this hull); 'Dutton' is also a common surname collision surface, and USNS Dutton (T-AGS-22, ex-Tuskegee Victory) is a same-name different hull. The VA BVA index returned no decision naming this hull (surfaced asbestos decisions name USS Hornet, USS Oriskany, USS Sacramento - collisions). Law-firm marketing surfaces listing the ship generically (mesothelioma.net patrol-boats page listing 'USS Dutton (AGS-8)' and 'USS PCS-1396'; freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list naming USS Dutton under AGS-8 and AGSC-8) are an excluded source class and are not carried as evidence.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   2026-09-20

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-built Navy combatant retained in commission to 1949 and commercially operated to 1982 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and no record was located documenting either presence or removal. The CourtListener sweep is INCOMPLETE (API throttle all session); a clean web-index check is not a substitute for the opinion/docket/RECAP surfaces. The hull's disposal path may have disposed of both the ship and her records: sold into commercial service 1950, out of documentation 1982, fate unknown - no scrapping-side or hazmat-conditioned survey is known to exist. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-05

6. [6]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 19 record-group descriptions; NARA photo identifier and NHHC photo numbers via NavSource credits (ev-02); shipbuildinghistory yard row citing official no. 268461 (sl-10); OSTI DNA-TR-82-05V3 (ev-03) [other_primary]

   Locator

   RG 24 / RG 19 record-group guides (archives.gov); photo numbers via NavSource; official number via shipbuildinghistory snippet

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel) deck logs for USS PCS-1396 / USS Dutton, March 1944-August 1949, spanning the PCS service, the March 1945 AGS reclassification, Crossroads, and the Truk/Persian Gulf survey deployments; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) records for the PCS-1376 class and any PCS-to-AGS conversion work package - the most promising lead for any insulation or materials schedule; NARA still-photo unit holding 80-G-311366 (BuShips photo of PCS-1396 directing landing craft off Iwo Jima, 20 Feb 1945); NHHC photographic archive (NH 92731 namesake portrait, NH 84644 1945 ship photo, per NavSource credits); U.S. Coast Guard merchant-vessel documentation file under official number 268461 (post-1950 commercial chain - would document rebuilds/repairs in merchant service); Hydrographic Office records for the 1947 Truk and 1948-49 Persian Gulf survey work; Joint Task Force One / Operation Crossroads records (target and support ship files) at NARA. These are the plausible repositories for any surviving hull-specific material or insulation specification.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982 records

   Limitations

   Record-group and file mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-dutton-ags8-06