Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS vol. III (G-I), Grampus (SS-207) entry - construction, six war patrols, unresolved loss (printed-volume transcription via hazegray.org/Wayback; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. III (G-I), Grampus entry and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS): fifth Grampus, built by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; launched 23 December 1940 (sponsor Mrs. Clark H. Woodward); commissioned 23 May 1941 at New London, Lt. Comdr. Edward S. Hutchinson. Caribbean modified war patrol with Grayback 8-28 September 1941; post-shakedown overhaul at Portsmouth, N.H. during the Pearl Harbor attack; reached Pearl Harbor 1 February 1942 via Panama Canal and Mare Island. First patrol sank an 8,636-ton tanker (her only kill) and reconnoitered Kwajalein and Wotje. Fourth patrol (from 2 October 1942) landed four coast watchers on Vella Lavella and Choiseul during the Guadalcanal campaign; sighted four cruisers and 79 destroyers; took 104 depth charges. Sixth patrol: departed Brisbane 11 February 1943 in company with Grayback; failed to return. Japanese seaplanes reported sinking a submarine 18 February in her patrol area, but Grayback reported seeing Grampus there 4 March; on 5 March two Japanese destroyers (themselves lost two days later) attacked in Blackett Strait, where a heavy oil slick was sighted the next day. Declared missing and presumed lost with all hands; struck from the Navy List 21 June 1943. Three battle stars; first, fourth, and fifth patrols designated successful.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1940-1943
- Population
- EB Groton construction trades (1940-41); PNSY post-shakedown availability trades; crew (1941-43)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 - printed-volume transcription via hazegray.org/Wayback used. Loss circumstances unresolved by the source itself: the 18 February aircraft claim and the 5-6 March Blackett Strait action cannot both be reconciled with the Grayback sighting; variants logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-01
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[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Grampus (SS-207) - milestones, spec block, disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource SS-207 page - milestone block and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Milestones (NavSource): laid down 14 February 1940 at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT; launched 23 December 1940; commissioned 23 May 1941; sunk by Japanese destroyers in Blackett Strait 5 March 1943; struck from the Naval Register 21 June 1943. Three battle stars. Spec block: surfaced 1,475 t., submerged 2,370 t.; length 307'2"; complement 5 officers, 54 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Population
- Crew
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - milestone/disposition detail consistent with DANFS. NavSource carries the Blackett Strait attribution as flat fact; the loss is genuinely unresolved between two candidate Japanese actions (see WDR-58/NHHC rows and gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-02
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[3]Submarine War Damage Report No. 58 (Bureau of Ships, 1945) Section XII - dedicated ship-specific damage report and spec block for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR-58 Section XII, Grampus (SS-207) gunfire-damage report and spec block; summary entry at WDR58-I (5/17/42)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Dedicated BuShips damage report (WDR-58 Section XII): on the night of 17 May 1942, second patrol, surfaced off Truk (8-02N x 151-30E), a Japanese patrol vessel's 3-inch or 4.7-inch common shell struck the starboard bulwark of the cigarette deck and detonated about two feet above the deck over the main engine air induction trunk - shrapnel damage, no military significance, boat remained on patrol; repairs by Otus (ex-AS-20) at Fremantle. The section carries an official spec block for this hull: Class SS198; builder Electric Boat Co., Groton; commissioned 23 May 1941; diesel-electric reduction drive; main engines (4) General Motors 16-248; main motors (4) and generators (4) General Electric Co. - official per-hull propulsion attribution. Sources are the CO's own patrol and damage reports.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Crew at damage event; Otus/Fremantle repair trades
- Limitations
- Official BuShips damage narrative - documents battle damage and repair-driving events; contains no asbestos or material-composition content beyond machinery identification. Spec block documents engines/motors for this hull but not insulation or gasket materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-03
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[4]War Damage Report No. 58 Appendix II (official Navy loss table) + NHHC chronological submarine-losses publication - official loss assessments for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR-58 Appendix II loss entry #12 (SS-207); NHHC 'U.S. Submarine Losses World War II' chronological PDF
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official loss assessment (WDR-58 App. II): Grampus, 6th patrol, loss dated 3/6/43 at Blackett Strait, Solomon Islands, cause gunfire - Japanese records show two attacks either of which might have accounted for her, but on other evidence she was more likely caught on the surface by destroyers passing through Blackett Strait on the night of 5-6 March and sunk by gunfire; the destroyers were themselves sunk two days later so Japanese reports do not mention the attack; departed Brisbane 12 February 1943 and never heard from again. NHHC chronological losses list: 'Feb or Mar 43, 71 killed - sunk either by Japanese naval aircraft (958th Kokutai) southeast of New Britain on 19 February or by destroyer Minegumo in Blackett Strait on the night of 5-6 March.' The wreck has never been located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Population
- Crew (final patrol)
- Limitations
- Official sources conflict: WDR-58 favors the 5-6 March Blackett Strait surface action; the NHHC chronological list keeps both candidates open and names Minegumo; DANFS reports the aircraft claim at 18 February vs NHHC's 19 February. Casualty figure ~71 (NHHC list) exceeds the 59 complement - wartime augmentees unverified. All variants logged in gaps; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-04
-
[5]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; diesel-electric plant (4x GM 16-248 + 4x GE motors) documented for this hull in the WDR-58 Section XII spec block [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, WDR-58 spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1940-41 at Electric Boat, Groton in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, and thermal/acoustic insulation around machinery and galley/refrigeration equipment. NO boilers or steam plant (diesel-electric reduction drive documented for this hull). Documented yard windows for this hull: Electric Boat construction (1940-41); Portsmouth, N.H. post-shakedown overhaul (late 1941); Mare Island transit/availability (early 1942); Otus tender repair at Fremantle (mid-1942). Lost with all hands March 1943; wreck unlocated - no material-condition record can exist.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1940-1943
- Population
- Construction and yard trades; crew
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos abatement record was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-05
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[6]Kase v. Metalclad Insulation Corp., 6 Cal.App.5th 623 (Cal. Ct. App. 2016), No. A143590 - published opinion documenting the Navy specification regime for asbestos insulation [court_record]
- Locator
- Kase v. Metalclad Insulation Corp., 6 Cal.App.5th 623 (2016), discussion of Navy insulation specifications
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate opinion (era context): the U.S. Navy's specifications called for asbestos in thermal insulation aboard Navy ships, and the Navy had studied asbestos insulation products (e.g., Unibestos) from the 1930s. Documents the specification regime under which this hull was built at a Navy-supervised commercial yard in 1940-41 - it does NOT name USS Grampus or any Tambor-class submarine.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1930s-1960s
- Population
- Navy shipboard workers (era level)
- Limitations
- Era/spec-regime documentation only; the case involves different vessels and defendants. Cannot be promoted into ship-specific evidence for this hull. Litigation-stage note: published appellate opinion describing the spec regime, not a finding about this vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-06
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[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- 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 - covering the construction era and entire service life of this hull (lost 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1930s-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- 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) - carried via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-07
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[8]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC (printed vol. III + hazegray/Wayback transcription), NavSource, War Damage Report No. 58 (Sections I, XII, and Appendix II), official USN Submarine Losses WWII volume, NHHC chronological submarine-losses publication, and shipyard dataset searches [other_primary]
- Locator
- research sweep result - see search_ledger for repositories queried
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Grampus (SS-207) was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull lies unlocated in the Blackett Strait area; no material-condition record can exist for the wreck itself.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Yard-side work records, where they existed, were not retrievable in located sources. Litigation sweep is INCOMPLETE - CourtListener queries for this hull returned HTTP 429/403 (see search_ledger); no litigation negative is claimed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grampus-ss207-08