Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 1016-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-grampus-sp1708-pkt-1016-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Grampus IV (S. P. 1708) - live NHHC page, verified loading 2026-10-04 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Grampus IV narrative paragraph and spec line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'The fourth Grampus, originally Boothbay, was built by Neafie and Levy, Philadelphia; purchased from the Eastern Steamship Line of Boston; and commissioned 14 December 1917 at the Boston Navy Yard. Her name was changed to Grampus November 1920. Assigned to ferry service between the Washington Navy Yard and the Naval Proving Ground at Indian Head, Md., and Dahlgren, Va., Grampus made daily ferry trips carrying an average of 50 passengers each way per day. Decommissioned 11 December 1930, the ferry was struck from the Navy List on 30 December 1930 and later sold to the Buxton Line of Norfolk, Va.' Spec line: length 126 feet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1917-1930 (entry coverage)
- Population
- Commissioning crew (Boston Navy Yard, Dec 1917); ferry crew and ~50 passengers/day, Washington Navy Yard-Indian Head-Dahlgren run (1917-1930)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific service history only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS does not describe any WWI patrol duty - commissioned as Boothbay in Dec 1917 and employed as a Washington Navy Yard-area ferry for her entire first Navy career (corroborated by ev-03 and ev-04). DANFS does not cover the 1944-46 Liberty (YFB-53) reacquisition - that chain comes from ev-02/ev-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Identification Numbered Vessels Photo Archive - Liberty (YFB 53) ex-Grampus (ID 1708) ex-Boothbay (ID 1708) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/171708.htm vessel timeline and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Full timeline for this hull: built 1907 by Neafie and Levy, Philadelphia; acquired by the Navy 14 December 1917 from Eastern Steamship Corp. of Boston and commissioned USS Boothbay (ID 1708) same day; renamed Grampus 15 November 1920; decommissioned 11 December 1930; struck 30 December 1930; sold to the Buxton Line of Norfolk, Va.; renamed Deepwater 1931; registered 1933 to Virginia Navigation Co. of Norfolk as passenger vessel Deepwater (call sign KMWR); acquired by the Navy 12 April 1944 and renamed USS Liberty (YFB 53); struck from the Navy list 21 January 1946; registered 1948 to Circle Line-Statue of Liberty Ferry, Inc. of New York; registered 1965 to New Bedford Bay Lines, Inc.; renamed Provincetown 1966, St. Thomas 1967; no history after 1981, fate unknown. Specs: displacement 334 t. (413 t. 1948, 243 t. 1965); length 126'; beam 33'; draft 10'; complement 28 (eight in 1933, seven in 1948); 12 kts; one single-ended boiler, one 600 hp vertical triple-expansion steam engine, one shaft (one diesel engine by 1946).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-1981
- Population
- Navy crew (1917-30; 1944-46); merchant crews 1931-44 and 1946-1980s
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation tracking NVR/registry-style data - milestone dates verified against DANFS and Shipscribe where overlapping. Contains no asbestos content. The '1946 - one diesel engine' propulsion note marks the post-return repower. Merchant-registry details (call signs, registration years) not independently verified against MVUS.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-02
-
[4]Shipscribe, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships - Boothbay (later Grampus) (YX-11) data page, compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from primary records (2013); companion photo page shipscribe.com/usnaux/YAG/YX11-p.html [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipscribe YX-11 class notes, construction/disposition tables, and ship notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class notes for this hull: 'This steel-hulled personnel ferry and small package freighter originally served the Eastern Steamship Corp. of Boston, Mass., from which she was commandeered by the Navy in late 1917 for service as a ferry between the Washington Navy Yard and the Naval Ordnance Proving Ground at Indian Head, Md.' Ordered delivered at the Boston Navy Yard 30 Nov 17; acquired 6 Dec 17; delivered and commissioned 14 Dec 17. 'She was stationed at the Washington Navy Yard as a ferry for her entire Navy career, although she was listed as a tug in 1918 and 1919.' Name changed to Grampus by letter dated 15 Nov 20. Put in the 'District Unclassified' category without a hull number when the standard hull-classification scheme was implemented 17 Jul 20; described as a 'freight and passenger steamer' and NOT classified YFB; the 1922 Navy Filing Manual assigned file symbol YX-11 for correspondence - 'unlike IX the YX numbers never became hull numbers.' Three owners ran her as Deepwater 1931-1944; reacquired 12 Apr 44, classified YFB-53 for ferry service in the 3rd Naval District, then listed as 140.0' x 33.0' with 650 HP; stricken 21 Jan 46 and returned to her previous owner 22 Jan 46; rebuilt with a diesel engine; mercantile Liberty 1948, Island Queen II 1965, Provincetown 1966, St. Thomas 1967; last in U.S. register 1981, unlisted 1989. Data block: 334 gross tons, 126.0' oa x 33.0', no armament, complement 28 (1918), 12 kts, vertical triple expansion 1 screw, 700 HP.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-1989
- Population
- Navy crew (1917-30); 3rd Naval District ferry crew and passengers (1944-46); merchant crews/passengers (1946-1980s)
- Limitations
- Compiled-from-primary secondary source; no asbestos content. Internal date conflict: class notes give the rename letter as 15 Nov 20 while ship notes print 'to Grampus 8 Nov 20' - 15 Nov carried (matches NavSource). HP figures differ across records (700 HP Shipscribe data block, 650 HP in the 1944 listing, 600 hp NavSource) - noted, not resolved. 1944 listing dimension 140.0' vs the 126' build length is unexplained (post-rebuild remeasurement or listing error). 'Returned to her previous owner 22 Jan 46' indicates reacquisition was a wartime custody transfer, not a purchase - DANFS 'sold to Buxton Line' covers only the 1931 disposal.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-03
-
[5]NHHC photo 80-G-454990 (Washington Navy Yard aerial, 18 Dec 1918) and NHHC photo NH 89789 (S.S. Boothbay) - official catalog captions [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC catalog captions for 80-G-454990 and NH 89789 (NHHC online collection)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC catalog caption for 80-G-454990 (aerial view of the main part of the Washington Navy Yard from over the Anacostia River, 18 December 1918, photographed from a Naval Air Station Anacostia airplane): 'Ferry steamer Boothbay (ID # 1708), which was later renamed Grampus, is in the lower right center, with USS Shuttle (ID # 3572) immediately off her bow.' Official U.S. Navy Photograph in the National Archives collections - places this hull at the Washington Navy Yard five weeks after the Armistice. NHHC caption for NH 89789 (S.S. Boothbay, 'American Ferryboat, 1907'): 'Photographed prior to her Navy service. Commissioned as USS Boothbay (ID # 1708) on 14 December 1917, she was renamed Grampus in November 1920 and decommissioned on 30 December 1930.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1917-1918 (photo dates)
- Population
- Crew and passengers at Washington Navy Yard (wartime)
- Limitations
- Photograph captions establish identity, type, and physical presence at the Washington Navy Yard in Dec 1918 - they are presence documentation, not work or material records. The NH-89789 caption prints 'decommissioned on 30 December 1930,' conflating the 11 Dec 1930 decommissioning with the 30 Dec 1930 strike; DANFS controls the date pair. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-04
-
[6]GAO, Navy's Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 report body, 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section; product page verified live 2026-10-04
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships' and that the Navy's product specifications were not changed to require asbestos-free thermal insulation until 1973, with the elimination policy issued October 1975 and some ships still delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978. All ships of the era 'contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' (Navy's statement to GAO). This hull's entire Navy career (1917-1930; 1944-1946) precedes that substitution window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy period reviewed 1973-1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; ship crews (program review)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - not Washington Navy Yard or Neafie & Levy. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, quantity, or exposure. gao.gov blocks plain automated fetch of the PDF (HTTP 403 to curl); report text verified from a same-day prior-session full-text extraction plus the live product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-05
-
[7]Era inference built on: NavSource/DANFS/Shipscribe specifications (1907 steam ferry: single-ended boiler, vertical triple-expansion engine); GAO HRD-80-2 (thermal insulation as the Navy's major shipboard asbestos use until 1973 spec change); shipbuilding history for Neafie & Levy (iron/steel shipbuilder operating 1844-1907) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Synthesis across ev-01 (spec), ev-02 (specs), ev-03 (specs/construction), ev-05 (Navy-era policy); Neafie & Levy yard list (shipbuildinghistory.com)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled steam ferry built 1907 carrying a single-ended boiler and a vertical triple-expansion engine is a vessel type and era for which asbestos was the standard thermal insulation material: boiler insulation and refractory/masonry settings, steam-line lagging between boiler and engine, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and electrical insulation components. Her Navy service (1917-30 and 1944-46) falls entirely before the Navy's 1973 asbestos-free insulation specification change documented by GAO. The steam plant was removed in the post-1946 diesel repower - any era-installed boiler insulation left the hull with it.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1907-1981
- Population
- Neafie & Levy construction trades (1907); Navy crew/passengers (1917-30, 1944-46); merchant crews (1931-44, 1946-81); repower yard trades (1946)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, construction specification, or work package located for this vessel. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Whether any 1907-era insulating material survived the 1946 repower or later merchant modifications is unknown.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-06
-
[8]NAVFAC Environmental Restoration program page - Washington Navy Yard site descriptions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVFAC ER Washington Navy Yard 'Site Descriptions' overview text
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The installation where this hull was stationed for her entire first Navy career is a documented legacy-contamination site: NAVFAC reports that the Environmental Restoration program has investigated 32 sites at the Washington Navy Yard; EPA added WNY to the National Priorities List (Superfund) in 1998; a 1999 Federal Facilities Agreement among the Navy, EPA, and DOEE governs cleanup. Contamination was identified 'resulting from chemicals used during the WNY's industrial past' - the period that includes this hull's 1917-1930 homeporting.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1993-present (ER program); industrial era covered retrospectively
- Population
- WNY workforce and tenants (industrial era)
- Limitations
- Installation-level environmental record only - the page documents soil/groundwater contamination sites, contains no asbestos-specific claim, and makes no statement about this vessel, her materials, or any exposure pathway. Included to document the documented industrial-contamination record of her 13-year homeport; nothing more is inferred.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-07
-
[9]Batch-8700 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS and photo catalog; NavSource ID/YFB archive; Shipscribe compiled data; Shipbuilding History yard and YFB lists; NAVFAC ER; GAO product page + report text; CourtListener base queries; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-grampus-sp1708-01 through sl-uss-grampus-sp1708-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming Boothbay/Grampus (SP-1708/ID-1708)/Deepwater/Liberty (YFB-53) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener base queries this session: 'USS Grampus' returned 0 results in both opinion and docket indexes; 'SP-1708' returned 0 opinion results and 2 docket hits, both name collisions (Smith v. District of Columbia, D.D.C. 1:06-cv-01398, prisoner civil rights; Trader v. United States, S.D. Fla. 2:22-cv-14348, 28 U.S.C. 2255 habeas) - neither is asbestos or vessel litigation. Secondary-web 'USS Grampus asbestos' results are all law-firm marketing pages about the submarines SS-207 and SS-523 - different hulls, excluded by source policy.
- 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 1907 steam plant is era-consistent with asbestos insulation. Merchant-era documentation (MVUS files, owner's repair records) and NARA deck logs were not located in digitized form; see gaps. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-08
-
[10]Cross-check corpus: Wikipedia USS Grampus disambiguation page (error source); DANFS Grampus IV + Grampus VI (SS-523) entries; NavSource ID-1708/YFB-53 page; Shipscribe YX-11 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia 'USS Grampus' index-page entry for SP-1708; Shipscribe class notes paragraph on YX-11; NavSource spec block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS: (1) The Wikipedia USS Grampus disambiguation describes this hull as '1,708 tons' - that figure is the identification number (SP/ID-1708) misread as displacement; documented displacement is 334 gross tons (NavSource and Shipscribe, consistent with the Neafie & Levy yard list). (2) Name disambiguation: this hull is the FOURTH Grampus per DANFS; the submarines Grampus (SS-207) and Grampus (SS-523) - fifth and sixth - are different hulls and the subjects of essentially all 'USS Grampus asbestos' marketing content and any 'USS Grampus' litigation hits. (3) YX-11 is a 1922 Navy Filing Manual correspondence symbol (Shipscribe class notes), never an official hull designation - it should not be presented as a hull number parallel to SP-1708/YFB-53.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04 (error check)
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating secondary-source errors, not a material finding. The '1,708 tons' error propagates the hull number into the tonnage field; primary-displacement sources are consistent at 334 GT. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-sp1708-09