Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 907-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-gilmer-pc565-pkt-907-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS Vol. III p. 99-100, Gilmer (PC-565) - construction, U-521 sinking, Normandy service, decommissioning, 1956 naming, striking, Venezuela sale (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page not located - all candidate history.navy.mil URLs return 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. III, Gilmer entry, specifications block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down as PC-565 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Tex., 14 August 1941; launched 27 February 1942, sponsored by Miss Jacqueline B. Perry; commissioned 25 April (year unstated in entry, contextually 1942), Lt. Walter T. Flynn in command; shakedown off Florida, ASW training, convoy escort and patrol in Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean; on 2 June while escorting a southbound convoy from New York to Cuba sank German submarine U-521 by depth-charge barrage and 20mm gunfire (year unstated in entry - resolved to 1943 by primary action documents, ev-03); departed New York 25 March 1944 for England; sailed 4 June, arrived off Normandy beaches 6 June 1944 for ASW patrol, antiaircraft defense, and shuttle control duties; European escort/patrol service in North Sea-English Channel through war's end; departed Bremerhaven 4 October 1945, arrived Norfolk 22 October; decommissioned 26 April 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Fla., joining Atlantic Reserve Fleet; named Gilmer 15 February 1956; stricken from Navy List 1 July 1960; sold to Venezuela. Two battle stars for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1960
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1941-42; wartime crew (complement 59)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents construction, service, and disposition - not materials or asbestos content. Two internal date gaps: the commission year is unstated ('commissioned 25 April' after a February 1942 launch) and the U-521 attack is dated '2 June' without year - the 1943 year comes from the primary action documents (ev-03), not from this entry. The '25 April' commissioning conflicts with NavSource's 25 May 1942 - carried in gaps. Transcription mirror cited because no live history.navy.mil DANFS page for this hull could be located (standing NHHC link-rot defect; candidate URLs 404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Gilmer (PC 565) ex-PC-565 - designation timeline, specifications, NARA-captioned photography (80-G-78422; 80-G-257287; Navy press photo GE-DB-28-78406 released 7 Sep 1943; All Hands Oct 1943) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010565, timeline block, specifications block, photo table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 14 August 1941 at Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 27 February 1942; commissioned USS PC-565 25 May 1942; decommissioned 26 April 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Fla., laid up Atlantic Reserve Fleet (Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as January 1947); named Gilmer 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy Register 1 July 1960, sold to Venezuela and renamed Alcatras (P 03); fate unknown. Specifications: 280 t light / 295 t full; 175 ft; beam 23 ft; draft 10 ft 10 in; 20 kts; complement 59; armament one 3"/50 DP, one 40mm, three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 1,440 bhp Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesels (serials 832229, 832230), Westinghouse reduction gear, two shafts. A bracketed NavSource editor's note adds that PC-565 was named after the city of Gilmer in Upshur County, Texas, itself named for former Secretaries of the Navy Abel Parker Upshur and Thomas Walker Gilmer - the narrower reading vs NHHC's 'named in his honor' (ev-04). NARA photo 80-G-257287 places PC-565 off Omaha Beach area 7 June 1944 with USS Ancon (AGC-4) and USS PC-564.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1960
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1941-42; wartime and reserve-era personnel
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photographic archive, not a government record; its timeline entries are consistent with DANFS except commissioning date (25 May 1942 vs DANFS '25 April') - carried in gaps. One transcribed NARA caption (80-G-78422) dates the U-521 sinking '2 June 1942' - a caption/transcription error; the boat's action report and all other sources fix 2 June 1943 (ev-03). Documents configuration and milestones, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-02
-
[4]U-Boat Archive, U-521 collection - facsimile reproductions of contemporaneous U.S. Navy documents: PC-565 ASW-1 Report of Anti-submarine Action by Surface Ship; Third Naval District DIO report DHq-11/ND3 Serial 3521-0 (23 June 1943); COMINCH Anti-submarine Assessment Committee brief; ONI Report on the Interrogation of the Survivor of U-521 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboatarchive.net/U-521A/: ASW-1 narrative (paragraphs 1-9); 3ND report Serial 3521-0, Fury narrative items 3-4; COMINCH brief narrative + surface-evidence section; ONI interrogation report
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous Navy documents name this hull: the ASW-1 narrative records PC-565, escorting Convoy NG 365, gaining sound contact at 1235Q on 2 June 1943 in DR position 37-43N, 73-16W; a five-charge pattern set for 100 feet dropped at 1239Q; the submarine surfacing, taken under 20mm fire (55 rounds, several hits); one further charge dropped at 1243Q; a sole survivor recovered - Lt. Comdr. Klaus Bargsten, commanding officer, who identified the boat as U-521; oil slicks, floating vegetable fiber, wood splinters, and human remains documented at the attack position; PC-565 rejoined convoy at 1635Q. The Third Naval District report adds the escort commander's account from USS Fury (PG-69): convoy NG 365 of 14 ships on course 186T; Fury observed PC-565's contact pennant, the 1240Q depth-charge attack, the submarine breaking surface and sinking on an even keel in 5-10 seconds, and PC-565 signaling recovery of a survivor at 1252Q; USS Brisk (PG-89) remained with PC-565 on scene.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-06-02; reports June 1943
- Population
- PC-565 crew (design complement 59); Convoy NG 365 escorts; U-521 crew (Bargsten sole survivor per the interrogation record - full complement count not stated in the cited documents)
- Limitations
- Facsimile archive of genuine Navy documents hosted by a private site (uboatarchive.net); transcription fidelity is good but the underlying originals are the record of the action, not of shipboard materials - these documents say nothing about asbestos. COMINCH brief header prints attack time '1339Q' vs 1239-1240Q in the ASW-1 and Fury narratives - minor internal variance carried in gaps. The documents confirm the sinking was 2 June 1943, resolving the undated '2 June' in DANFS and the erroneous '1942' in the NavSource-transcribed photo caption.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-03
-
[5]NHHC, Secretaries of the Navy series - Thomas W. Gilmer (1844) (live NHHC page, verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-03; raw curl returns 404 - AEM bot handling) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC SECNAV biography, Thomas W. Gilmer page, final paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Live NHHC page confirms namesake and the two-hull naming: 'USS Gilmer (DD-233) and USS Gilmer (PC-565) were named in his honor. Both ships participated in World War II.' Thomas Walker Gilmer was appointed Secretary of the Navy 15 February 1844 and killed 28 February 1844 by a bursting gun aboard USS Princeton. This hull was the second Gilmer; DD-233 (later APD-11) was the first.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1956 naming
- Limitations
- Confirms namesake and that two distinct hulls carried the name Gilmer - relevant to name-collision discipline for any 'USS Gilmer' reference (litigation or secondary text naming 'Gilmer' without hull number may mean DD-233/APD-11, not PC-565). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-04
-
[6]Eric Pearson, 'The Brown Shipbuilding Company's Rise During World War II,' Naval History (U.S. Naval Institute), June 2025, Vol. 39 No. 3 (live page verified via rendered fetch 2026-10-03; raw curl returns 403 - bot protection) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History June 2025 article, 'Building Different Types of Naval Vessels' section, note 9
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-edited USNI history names this hull: 'Brown and Root received no federal dollars in constructing their expanded shipyard, and with their "can-do" attitude, they were able to keep costs low and complete construction on the submarine chaser PC-565 in less than seven months.' The article documents the yard context: Brown Shipbuilding established 1941 by George and Herman Brown of Brown and Root after a Navy approach to build four submarine chasers; yard on narrow Greens Bayou off the Houston Ship Channel with sideways launches; peak employment above 25,000 from late 1942; 12 PC-461-class submarine chasers, 61 destroyer escorts, 32 LCI and 254 LSM built; yard leased to Todd Shipyards 1949, later an offshore fabrication yard, sold off 2004.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1946; yard history to 2004
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding workforce (peak >25,000)
- Limitations
- Shipyard history from a reputable naval press outlet (USNI), citing a Rice University dissertation and archival collections - PC-565 is named once, for construction speed. Documents the builder-yard environment and labor force, not materials aboard this hull or asbestos specifically.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block (Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesel plant, PC-461 class) + USNI yard history + Fleischer et al. 1946 Navy pipe-covering survey + GAO HRD-80-2 program record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; Fleischer J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 (PMID 21016030); GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a PC-461-class submarine chaser built 1941-42 carried no steam plant (diesel propulsion, two 1,440 bhp Fairbanks Morse engines) - the asbestos-relevant systems aboard were not boiler/turbine lagging but the era-standard small-combatant applications: thermal and exhaust insulation around diesel machinery, gaskets and valve packing on piping systems, and electrical insulation. The Navy's documented wartime use of amosite asbestos pipe covering and insulation aboard new construction (Fleischer et al. 1946; GAO HRD-80-2) places this hull inside the documented asbestos-use era for U.S. naval vessels.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1960
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades 1941-42; crew 1942-46; Venezuelan crew c. 1960+
- Limitations
- Inference only - no source names this hull's materials. The Fleischer survey documents pipe-covering practice at four Navy and contract yards generally; whether, and where, asbestos insulation was installed aboard this specific 173-ft diesel chaser is not documented. Does not establish quantity, locations, remaining material, or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-06
-
[8]W.E. Fleischer, F.J. Viles Jr., R.L. Gade, P. Drinker, 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol. 1946 Jan;28:9-16 (PMID 21016030) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record PMID 21016030; full text via Worthington Caron document mirror
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Contemporaneous U.S. Navy-era industrial health survey: investigators examined pipe coverers at two Government navy yards and two Navy contract yards (1,074 workers X-rayed) and documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' asbestos; three asbestosis cases found, all in men with more than 20 years in the trade. Documents that asbestos insulation was standard pipe-covering material in U.S. naval vessel construction during the era this hull was built (1941-42).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- Survey conducted wartime; published January 1946
- Population
- Navy-yard and contract-yard pipe coverers, 1940s
- Limitations
- Survey of four unnamed yards' pipe-covering trades - it establishes era practice, not materials aboard this hull, and its dust counts predate modern measurement standards (the later literature criticizes its reassurance as premature). Brown Shipbuilding was not among the surveyed yards. Does not establish exposure of any PC-565 builder or crewmember.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-07
-
[9]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 - spanning this hull's entire construction (1941-42) and U.S. service era (1942-46, reserve to 1960).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-08
-
[10]Batch-7940 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (losthistory.net/hazegray); NHHC live site (SECNAV Gilmer page; DANFS page hunt); NavSource; U-Boat Archive document facsimiles; USNI Naval History; Naval Vessel Register; PubMed/NLM; GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 name + hull-number searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gilmer-pc565-01 through sl-uss-gilmer-pc565-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, museum or scrapping hazmat disclosure found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: zero opinions and zero RECAP dockets name 'USS Gilmer'; all five 'PC-565' opinion hits are docket-number/address name collisions; only the 'PC-565' docket query could not be completed this session (fleet pacing, blocked - open, not negative). The hull left U.S. custody in 1960 to Venezuela, removing it from U.S. disposal/abatement documentation channels.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1941-42 U.S. naval build sits inside the documented asbestos-use era. This finding means only that no ship-specific public document was located; Venezuelan-service material condition is undocumented; one CourtListener docket query ('PC-565', type=r) remains an open lead (blocked, not negative). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gilmer-pc565-09