Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 1022-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-gould-island-yfb31-pkt-1022-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Gould Island' entry, verbatim transcription (losthistory.net/hazegray mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Yard craft section, yfb31.htm - full entry text and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: a steel diesel-powered ferry built as Hudson by General Ship & Engineering Works, East Boston, Mass., in 1941; acquired from Electric Ferries, Inc., of New York City, 4 April 1942; placed in service at Newport, R.I., 14 April 1942 and named Gould Island (for the island in Narragansett Bay); converted for Navy use at New London, Conn.; used during the Second World War as a ferry boat at Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I.; returned to her former owners 25 May 1946; stricken from the Navy List 28 January 1947. Spec block: 569 tons; 171'9" length; 54' beam; 9'6" draft; 13 knots.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Limitations
- DANFS transcription verified live on the losthistory.net/hazegray mirror; the canonical NHHC URL (history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gould-island.html) returns 404 - the same standing NHHC link-rot defect logged in BATCH-01. Establishes identity and service history only; no asbestos, materials, or crew content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, Gould Island (YFB-31) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/14/350031.htm - timeline, specifications, photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource service-ship archive timeline for this hull: steel-hulled ferry built by General Ship and Engineering Co., East Boston, MA (yard no. 401); completed as ferry Hudson (ON 240877) for Electric Ferries, Inc., New York, July 1941; acquired by U.S. Navy 4 April 1942; placed in service 14 April 1942; ferry at Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI, 1942-1946; returned to owners as Hudson 25 May 1946; struck 28 January 1947; sold to Port Authority Ferry Corp., Philadelphia, PA, renamed Chester, 1965; final disposition 'beleive scrapped, 1979' with a news report of a temporary bow fitted for a voyage to Venezuela. Specifications: 569 gross tons; 171'9"; 54' beam; 9'6" draft; diesel-electric, 950 shp; armament none; speed and complement unknown. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Photograph caption: Hudson at the 125th Street Terminal, Manhattan, late 1940s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1979
- Limitations
- Verified live on navsource.net (the .org domain is dead per citation-hygiene rule). Corroborates DANFS milestone dates and adds yard number, official number, propulsion figure, awards, and post-Navy disposition; 'beleive scrapped 1979' is hedged by NavSource itself and not independently confirmed. No asbestos, materials, or crew content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-02
-
[4]Byron Carl Hedblom builder-family site, 'New York Electric Ferries - The Hudson' page (photographic construction record and family account) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Hudson.html page text and linked construction-photo pages; companion 'Shipbuilding Career' page for the 1937 GM contract
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder-family published account with contemporaneous construction photographs: Boston General Ship & Engine Works won a 1937 contract with General Motors Corp. to build two 'electric ferries' for Electric Ferries, Inc., of New York; GM financed the vessels and supplied the engines; Boston Mayor Maurice Tobin attended the keel-laying and welded his name on the keel; Hudson was completed in 1941 and placed in service between Brooklyn's 69th Street Pier and St. George, Staten Island; she served as a New York ferry until 1964, became Chester in 1965, and was scrapped in 1979. The account also records that the yard occupied the former Donald McKay clipper-ship shipyard plot in East Boston.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1937-1979
- Limitations
- Private family history site of the builder (Hedblom family, Boston General Ship & Engine Works), carrying contemporaneous photographs - primary-adjacent but not an official archive; key facts (1941 completion, YFB-31 wartime service, 1946 return, 1947 stricken, 1965 Chester, 1979 scrapping) corroborate DANFS/NavSource. The companion career page's 'completed in 1942' for the pair conflicts with Hudson's July 1941 completion (NavSource/shipyard lists) - treated as loose phrasing covering both hulls. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-03
-
[5]Historic American Engineering Record RI-38-A, 'Naval Torpedo Station, Firing Pier (Building No. 35),' written historical and descriptive data (13 data pages), Library of Congress [haer]
- Locator
- loc.gov/item/ri0412/ (metadata via LOC JSON API) and data pages PDF cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/ri/ri0400/ri0412/data/ri0412data.pdf, HAER No. RI-38-A pp. 1-8 esp. pp. 6-7
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Government engineering documentation of the vessel's namesake and duty station: the Gould Island complex was built in 1942-43 for the Range Division of Naval Torpedo Station Newport's Military and Range Department, designed in 1941 by consulting engineer John Brackett for the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks. The complex - overhaul shop (Bldg 32), power plant (Bldg 33), acetylene building (Bldg 34), firing pier (Bldg 35) - included 'the frame approach, ferry slip, and timber-pile finger pier' among its ancillary features. NTS operated as an operational triad of storage/disbursal at Coddington Cove, manufacture at Goat Island, and range testing at Gould Island, which at its height could range-proof 100 torpedoes a day. The station produced about 17,000 torpedoes and proof-fired about 75,000 between 1941 and 1945; the Range Division ran three shifts, and 'a largely civilian work force (about 500 people on each of three shifts) was brought to the island by ferry to staff the big shop building.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (documentation compiled after 1968)
- Population
- NTS Newport Range Division workforce, ~500 civilians per shift x 3 shifts (installation level)
- Limitations
- Documents the installation the vessel served, including a purpose-built ferry slip and a ferry-borne shift workforce - consistent with this hull's documented role as the NTS Newport ferry named Gould Island, but HAER does not name YFB-31 or any specific ferry. Identification of YFB-31 as the Gould Island shuttle is inference, not a documented assignment. Says nothing about materials aboard the vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-04
-
[6]Batch-8742 research synthesis: DANFS propulsion description ('steel diesel-powered ferry'), NavSource specification ('diesel-electric, 950 shp'), and HAER RI-38-A documentation of asbestos-board use in the same 1942-43 station building program (see ev-05 counterpart for the installation record) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 (DANFS), ev-02 (NavSource), ev-06 (HAER asbestos board) - synthesis row
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric ferry built 1941 and converted for Navy use 1942 sits inside the documented era of asbestos use in American ship and shore construction, but with a materially narrower pathway than steam vessels: no boilers, no steam lines, no turbine lagging. Plausible era-consistent applications for this vessel type - machinery and exhaust gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and asbestos-board joinery or paneling as fitted during the 1942 New London conversion - remain inference; no product, manufacturer, or application aboard this hull is documented in any located source.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Ferry crew and passengers (1942-46 Navy service); conversion yard workers (New London, 1942)
- Limitations
- Era inference, not ship documentation: no source names an asbestos product aboard this hull, and the diesel-electric plant removes the boiler/steam lagging pathway typical of steam vessels. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation aboard YFB-31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-05
-
[7]Historic American Engineering Record RI-38-A, 'Naval Torpedo Station, Firing Pier (Building No. 35),' written historical and descriptive data, Library of Congress [haer]
- Locator
- ri0412data.pdf, HAER RI-38-A data pages p. 4-5 (elevator machine houses)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Government engineering documentation of asbestos aboard the installation this vessel served: HAER RI-38-A data pages record that the two elevator machine houses atop the Gould Island firing-pier towers are 'of sturdy wood frame construction now clad with asbestos board' - documented asbestos-containing material within the same 1942-43 Naval Torpedo Station building program whose ferry slip received the station's ferry traffic.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-43 construction; documented post-1968
- Population
- NTS Gould Island complex workers and ferry passengers (installation level)
- Limitations
- Installation-level finding, not a vessel finding: the asbestos board is documented on shore structures of the Gould Island torpedo complex, not aboard YFB-31. It establishes that asbestos-containing materials were in use at the vessel's wartime duty station - and that asbestos board specifically was used in the station's own wartime construction program - but says nothing about the ferry itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-06
-
[8]U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District / Credere Associates, 'Remedial Investigation Field Report, Gould Island Site (D01RI033800), Narragansett Bay, Jamestown, Rhode Island,' Final, 24 September 2018 (hosted by Rhode Island DEM, Gould Island FUDS page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- 181115fr.pdf, Section 1.1 Project and Site Description, pp. 1-1 to 1-2
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Government environmental program documentation for the vessel's wartime duty station: Gould Island is a Formerly Used Defense Site under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District (contractor Credere Associates) conducted a CERCLA Remedial Investigation of the 39.15-acre FUDS-eligible portion February-April 2018. The field report states the Site 'was the U.S. Navy's primary testing facility for torpedoes during World War II,' records 1950s outsourcing and 1975/1989 parcel transfers to the State of Rhode Island (RIDEM-managed bird sanctuary; northern 16.9 acres remain Navy-owned), and documents investigation of waste disposal, transformer, tank, and coal-storage areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2017-2019 field program; site history 1941-1989
- Population
- USACE/contractor remediation workforce (2018 field effort); installation-level
- Limitations
- Installation-level environmental record, not a vessel record: documents the FUDS remedial program on the island the ferry served. The report PDF is verified live (HTTP 200); the parent RIDEM program page returns 403 to automated fetch (content confirmed via Wayback capture and index listing). This field report itself contains no asbestos analytical results; asbestos appears in companion program documents and local reporting (see ev-08).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-07
-
[9]Jamestown Press, 'Transformed Gould Island still faces a muddy future' (Tim Riel, 1 August 2019), reporting on the USACE Gould Island FUDS remediation and quoting the RIDEM hazards letter [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body, paragraphs on demolition debris and the Gray/RIDEM correspondence
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Reputable local reporting of asbestos in the demolished structures of the vessel's wartime duty station: covering the USACE FUDS remediation on Gould Island, the Jamestown Press reported that a boiler house, smokestack, firehouse, storage warehouse and pier were demolished and that 'this trash, contaminated with asbestos, chemicals and lead, was trucked to a landfill in New Hampshire.' The article also quotes a September 2018 RIDEM letter from associate director Terrance Gray describing the island as presenting 'numerous hazards to human health' including 'asbestos' among partially collapsed structures, open manholes, leaking transformers and potential underground storage tanks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2018-2019 reporting; structures dated 1940s
- Population
- Demolition/remediation workers on Gould Island (2018-19); historical island workforce (installation level)
- Limitations
- Installation-level asbestos documentation only: demolished shore structures on Gould Island, not the ferry. The asbestos statement is the paper's characterization of the demolition debris plus a quoted RIDEM letter - press-tier evidence consistent with the USACE/RIDEM program record; the underlying abatement manifests are not public in the located record. Says nothing about materials aboard YFB-31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-08
-
[10]Batch-8742 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource 14/350031; HAER RI-38-A item + data pages; USACE/RIDEM FUDS field report and program page; Jamestown Press; Hedblom builder-family site; NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener name/hull queries (opinion query run, 7 non-qualifying hits; 3 remaining queries blocked on fleet pacing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-gould-island-yfb31-01 through sl-uss-gould-island-yfb31-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming YFB-31, Gould Island, Hudson, or Chester (ON 240877) was found in the public sources searched. The DANFS entry, NavSource page, HAER data pages, USACE/RIDEM FUDS documents, and builder-family account contain no asbestos statement for the hull itself (see search_ledger).
- 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 1941 hull converted for Navy use in 1942 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her 1979 scrapping postdates the era of routine pre-scrapping hazmat disclosure. CourtListener could not be searched this session (fleet pacing) - litigation status is open, not negative. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-09
-
[11]DANFS transcription (spec block); NavSource 14/350031 (specifications, completion date); Hedblom builder-family Hudson and Shipbuilding-Career pages; ShipbuildingHistory/navalmarinearchive General Ship yard lists (secondary corroboration) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- ev-01, ev-02, ev-03 source texts compared
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION of publication-level discrepancies: (a) Builder name appears as 'General Ship & Engineering Works' (DANFS), 'General Ship and Engineering Co.' (NavSource), and 'Boston General Ship & Engine Works'/'General Ship & Engine Works' (builder-family site and secondary yard lists) - variants of one East Boston yard; the DANFS form is carried in the builder field. (b) Speed: DANFS spec block gives 13 knots; NavSource lists speed unknown - the DANFS figure is carried, attributed. (c) Builder-family career page states the two electric ferries 'were completed in 1942' while NavSource and yard lists give Hudson's completion as July 1941 (sister St. George 1942) - July 1941 adopted for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1979 records
- Limitations
- Resolves naming/date/speed variants across cited sources; none materially affects identity or service timeline. No asbestos content in any compared source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-10
-
[12]U.S. Naval War College Archives digital object record (installation map, 1945-06-30); NARA record-group framework (RG 181, RG 24, RG 41) [other_primary]
- Locator
- usnwcarchives.org digital object 1687 (metadata verified via search index; page returns 403 to automated fetch); archives.gov record-group guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no paid reproduction or research-room work authorized): (a) U.S. Naval War College Archives holds a 'Gould Island U.S. Naval Torpedo Station installation map' dated 1945-06-30 prepared by the Acting Public Works Officer, U.S. Naval Operating Base Newport - may show the ferry slip and berthing the vessel used. (b) NARA record groups: RG 181 (First Naval District / NTS Newport shore records) and RG 24 (Navy deck logs - yard-craft logs for 1942-46 would sit with the district); merchant documentation for ON 240877 (certificate of registry/enrollment) resides in RG 41 Bureau of Marine Inspection & Navigation files at NARA. (c) Electric Ferries, Inc. / Port Authority Ferry Corp. corporate and USCG documentation files would establish the private-service timeline and any sale/scrapping instrument for 1965-1979.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1941-1979 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and catalog-level mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific or vessel-specific documents in these groups is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gould-island-yfb31-11