Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]research packet 997-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (as the Asheville-class gunboat)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-grand-rapids-pg98-pkt-997-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register, 'GRAND RAPIDS (PG 98)' ship detail page (UIC 20091); live URL now redirects to the NVR homepage - archived capture of 2024-08-22 cited [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship detail page - Vessel Status, Milestone Dates, and Comments blocks
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official register record for this hull: Launch Date 04/04/1970; Commission Date 09/05/1970; Decommission Date 10/01/1977; Stricken Date 09/14/2016; Status 'Reclassed to combatant craft or boat' with date status changed 10/01/1977; Comments field: 'PG 98 GRAND RAPIDS WAS CONVERTED TO A BOAT AND RENAMED ATHENA II (165NS762) ON 01 OCTOBER 1977.' Class field lists 'PG 92' (the Tacoma-built gunboat group).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1970-2016
- Population
- Commissioning-era crew and later Carderock Division research-vessel operators
- Limitations
- Registry milestones only - NVR publishes no dimensions, complement, materials, or asbestos content for this hull. Live detail URL redirects to the NVR homepage (ship detail no longer served); the archived 2024-08-22 capture is cited per citation-hygiene rules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Motor Gunboat/Patrol Gunboat Photo Archive, 'Grand Rapids (PG-98)' page (navsource.net - the navsource.org domain is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header timeline, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officer roster
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Photo-archive record for this hull: laid down at Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Tacoma, WA; launched 4 April 1970; commissioned USS Grand Rapids (PG-98) 5 September 1970; decommissioned 1 October 1977 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Norfolk, VA; transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command, Carderock Division, converted to a research vessel and renamed R/V Athena II; 'Scrapped in 2016.' Specifications: displacement 250 t., length 165', beam 24', complement 28; speed 13 kts. on diesel and 40 kts. on turbine; armament one 3"/50 gun mount, one 40mm mount, two twin .50-cal machine guns; propulsion two 725hp Cummins VT12-875-M diesel engines and one General Electric LM1500 gas turbine, two shafts, controllable-pitch propellers. Launch photo caption: sponsor Susan Ford, 12, daughter of Congressman Gerald Ford; 'the 11th of a series of 12' Tacoma-built gunboats. Commanding officer roster: LCDR Robert F. Grace (1970-72), LT Charles F. Votava III (1972-73), LT Gordon H. Rheinstrom (1973-74), LT Vernon E. Clark (9 Aug 1974 - 15 Sep 1976; retired as Admiral), LT Bruce E. Holdt (1976-77). Photographs place her at Naples (June 1976, with Douglas PG-100) and in a four-boat lineup at Barcelona (December 1976) alongside Antelope (PG-86), Ready (PG-87), and Douglas (PG-100), with a joint decommissioning program for all four.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1969-2016
- Population
- Commissioning-era crew (complement 24-28 by source); Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades 1969-70
- Limitations
- Secondary photo-archive compilation, not a primary Navy document. 'Scrapped in 2016' conflicts with the NVR stricken date (2016-09-14) and with post-2016 secondary reporting of the hull extant near Mobile, AL - disposition carried in gaps. Complement 28 conflicts with Wikipedia's 24 - unverified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-02
-
[4]Patrol Gunboat Reunion Association (gunboatriders.com), 'USS Grand Rapids (PG-98)' ship history entry, narrative by crew member Dave Donaldson; live site currently returns Cloudflare 522 - archived capture of 2019-10-03 cited [other_primary]
- Locator
- gunboatriders.com PG-98 page, narrative paragraphs (archived 2019-10-03)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Crew-association history of this hull's 1973 operating year: commissioned 5 September 1970 at Tacoma, WA; underwent 'an extensive overhaul and conversion' at Long Beach Naval Shipyard beginning 1 October 1972 during which 'the ARM version of the Standard Missile was installed' (late 1972 - early 1973); completed the yard availability 19 March 1973 'two weeks early and without any documented discrepancies'; proceeded to the Naval Ships Weapons Systems Engineering Station, Port Hueneme, CA, for missile systems checkout; homeport shifted San Diego to Naples, Italy effective 7 May 1973, completed 13 August 1973, transiting with USS Douglas (PG-100), escorted partway by USS Cayuga (LST-1186) and refueled by USS Pawcatuck (AO-108); decommissioned 1 October 1977 at Little Creek, VA, with custody of the hull transferred to the David Taylor Naval Research and Development Center, Annapolis, MD, renamed R/V ATHENA II, 'presently in custody of Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, US Navy at Panama City Beach FL.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1970-1977; Athena II custody noted as of ~2019
- Population
- Crew during 1972-73 yard availability, transit, and Mediterranean homeport; overhaul yard workers at LBNSY
- Limitations
- Veteran-association narrative without cited sources - secondary compilation, though consistent with official registry milestones where they overlap. Covers 1973 in detail; other years are thin. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-03
-
[5]GAO decision B-243417, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. (protest denied), 17 July 1991 [gao]
- Locator
- GAO B-243417 decision text, solicitation description paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- GAO bid-protest decision documenting the ATHENA research ship system: RFP N00016-91-R-0001, issued by the David Taylor Research Center (Department of the Navy), for operation and maintenance of 'two high-speed naval research support vessels, ATHENA and ATHENA II, originally designed and used as combat gunboats (PG-84 class) and converted to their present use in the mid-1970s.' Incumbent contractor MAR, Inc. had operated and maintained the vessels since their conversion (about 16 years as of 1991). Vessels described as highly specialized Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine (CODAG) ships supporting towed-array hydrodynamics, self-induced flow-noise reduction, and acoustic array programs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1977-1991 (decision context)
- Population
- MAR, Inc. research-vessel operating crews; Navy research-program personnel
- Limitations
- Documents the research-vessel program and names ATHENA II but does not print the ex-hull number; the ATHENA II = ex-PG-98 mapping comes from the NVR Comments field (ev-01). 'PG-84 class' is GAO's descriptor for the Asheville class. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-04
-
[6]DLA Disposition Services, Public Sales Offerings - Scrap Sales page; ship-sales solicitation IFB/RFTP 15-0288 (posted 2015-08-19) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DLA Scrap Sales page, IFB 15-0288 / RFTP 15-0288 hull list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Defense Logistics Agency disposal page lists 'Ex-Grand Rapids (PG 98)' among hulls offered under ship-sales solicitation IFB/RFTP 15-0288, grouped with Ex-Hawkes (FFG 53), Ex-Stephan W Groves (FFG 29), and Ex-Barry (DD 933) under the Scrap Sales program - documenting that the ex-PG-98/Athena II hull entered the DLA scrap-sale disposal pipeline in 2015.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2015-2016
- Population
- Disposal/dismantling workers (potential, not documented)
- Limitations
- Confirms the disposal solicitation only; award and dismantling-completion documents were not retrieved (DLA solicitation PDFs are bot-blocked this session). Whether the buyer scrapped or resold the hull is unresolved - secondary sources report her extant near Mobile, AL as late as 2024 (carried in gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-05
-
[7]Tacoma Public Library, Northwest ORCA digital archive: record D148297-2 (TPL-9122) on the 1968 Tacoma Boatbuilding fire, and companion record C158906-1 on the PG-98 launch [museum_official]
- Locator
- Northwest ORCA catalog records D148297-2 and C158906-1 (scope-and-content notes)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Municipal-archive records for the builder and this hull's launch: D148297-2 documents that the Tacoma Boat Building Co. plant on the Sitcum Waterway 'was completely destroyed by fire on August 17, 1968; at $3,905,750, it was the largest single loss fire in the Tacoma Fire Department's history.' C158906-1 (ca. 1970, customer print ordered by Tacoma Boatbuilding) records PG-98 Grand Rapids 'launched on April 4th with future president Gerald R. Ford and family in attendance,' commissioned September 5, 1970, 'the 11th of 12 patrol gunboats built for the US Navy by Tacoma Boatbuilding.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1968-1970
- Population
- Tacoma Boatbuilding construction trades 1968-70; Tacoma Fire Department response
- Limitations
- Official municipal-archive catalog records; both pages serve a Cloudflare bot challenge - content verified via the library's indexed record text on 2026-10-04, not by a direct rendered fetch. The fire record documents the yard loss but does not name the hull; the claim that the first Grand Rapids hull then under construction was destroyed in this fire rests on secondary literature (Friedman; Warship International) - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-06
-
[8]NavalCoverMuseum wiki, 'GRAND RAPIDS PG 98' - Ship Name and Designation History [museum_official]
- Locator
- NavalCoverMuseum designation-history table and postmark/cover list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Museum-maintained designation history for this hull: Tacoma Class Motor Gunboat, keel laid May 20, 1969, launched 4 April 1970; USS Grand Rapids PG-98 commissioned 5 September 1970, decommissioned 1 October 1977; ATHENA II (research vessel) - transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command 1 October 1977, converted and renamed; stricken from the Naval Register in 2016; 'docked near Mobile, AL and listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace as late as 2024.' Cover records include a 1 October 1977 decommissioning cachet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1969-2024
- Population
- Crew (commissioned era); post-disposal private owner
- Limitations
- Museum wiki compiled from collector records - secondary. The 'docked near Mobile, AL ... as late as 2024' survival note conflicts with NavSource's 'Scrapped in 2016'; the DLA scrap-sale listing (ev-05) sits between the two - disposition unresolved, carried in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-07
-
[9]Congressional Record, 20 June 2005, p. E1284 - Rep. J. Randy Forbes tribute, 'Recognizing Admiral Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations, for His Service and Dedication' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Congressional Record Extensions of Remarks, E1284
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official record that 'as a Lieutenant, he commanded the USS Grand Rapids' - Admiral Vernon E. Clark, who became the 27th Chief of Naval Operations (21 July 2000 - 22 July 2005), commanded this hull; consistent with the NavSource roster (9 August 1974 - 15 September 1976). A vessel-history footnote of note: a future CNO's first command was this gunboat.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1974-1976 (command); 2005 (tribute)
- Population
- LT Vernon E. Clark (commanding officer 1974-76)
- Limitations
- Vessel-history/leadership fact only - no exposure claim for any individual, including Admiral Clark, is made or implied. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-08
-
[10]GAO report HRD-80-2, 'Review of Navy Asbestos Program' context page (published 18 October 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 product page, Highlights block
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO product page: 'GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards,' covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities; the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace only damaged insulation or insulation that had to be removed for necessary repairs, modified in 1979 to include selective replacement of asbestos insulation in high-maintenance areas. Long Beach Naval Shipyard is where this hull underwent its October 1972 - March 1973 overhaul and Standard ARM missile conversion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (policy period); published 1979
- Population
- Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyard workforces (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level review; documents Navy asbestos use and policy at the yard where this hull was overhauled but does not name PG-98 or establish that asbestos work was performed aboard her. Full-text PDF is bot-blocked this session; cited from the live product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-09
-
[11]Marr WT. 'Asbestos Exposure During Naval Vessel Overhaul.' American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 1964 May-Jun;25:264-8 (PMID 14168424; Long Beach Naval Shipyard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PubMed record, title/journal/date
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed industrial-hygiene literature documenting asbestos exposure conditions during naval vessel overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard - the yard where this hull underwent its October 1972 - March 1973 overhaul/conversion. The companion yard record in this dataset documents 100% amosite asbestos blankets and 85% magnesia / 15% amosite pipe-section insulation in shipboard overhaul use at LBNSY through ~1962.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1964 (publication); conditions described span pre-1962 practices
- Population
- LBNSY insulation workers and overhaul trades (1964 study era)
- Limitations
- Yard-level era documentation, pre-dating this hull's availability by ~9 years; does not name PG-98 or any gunboat and establishes nothing about materials aboard her. The 1972-73 overhaul's asbestos scope is inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-10
-
[12]University of Iowa graduate thesis (Iowa Research Online repository), full-scale two-phase flow measurements aboard research vessel Athena II [other_primary]
- Locator
- Thesis abstract/introductory sections (Iowa Research Online)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Academic research record documenting Athena II in active Navy research service: 'Measurements ... were performed in the research vessel Athena II operating in Saint Andrew Bay in the gulf coast near Panama City, FL,' with experiments 20-24 April 2009 based out of the US Naval Surface Warfare Center - verifying the ex-PG-98 hull's research-vessel role more than three decades after conversion.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2009
- Population
- Research crews and experimenters aboard Athena II, 2009
- Limitations
- The thesis loosely calls Athena II 'a decommissioned PG-84 Asheville-class patrol gunboat' - a class descriptor; the Athena II hull is ex-PG-98 per the NVR comment (ev-01). Confirms operations only; no materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-11
-
[13]FedBizOpps sources-sought notice PM2-15-046 (23 July 2015), archived by FBO Daily (Loren Data Corp. mirror of the defunct FBO.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- FBO Daily archive, FBO #4990, notice PM2-15-046
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Military Sealift Command market survey for a U.S.-flag vessel 'to support the Government's requirements in Panama City, FL' for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City ATHENA Research Ship System - documents the ATHENA system still running at NSWC Panama City in mid-2015, roughly a year before Athena II's stricken date and consistent with the contemporaneous DLA disposal listing.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2015
- Population
- NSWC Panama City ATHENA system operators
- Limitations
- Third-party archive of a government notice (FBO.gov is defunct; the mirror is a preservation copy); names the ATHENA system rather than this hull individually. Market survey only - not an award or program document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-12
-
[14]NavSource Online Frigate Photo Archive, 'Grand Rapids (PF-31)' page (navsource.net) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource frigate archive page 12/08031
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Namesake record for the first USS Grand Rapids: a Tacoma-class patrol frigate, originally authorized as patrol gunboat PG-139, reclassified PF-31 on 15 April 1943, built by Walter Butler Shipbuilding Co., Superior, WI; commissioned 10 October 1944 at New Orleans; decommissioned 10 April 1946 at Boston; sold for scrap 14 April 1947. Establishes the 'second Grand Rapids' naming ordinal carried by NavSource and the reunion-association narrative for PG-98.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1947
- Limitations
- Different hull - included only to fix the naming ordinal and prevent name-collision in downstream queries. PF-31 was a steam-powered WWII frigate (a different asbestos context than the CODAG gunboat); nothing here bears on PG-98's materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-13
-
[15]Era inference - class/era construction materials (no ship-specific source) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Inference statement; see ev-09/-10 for era/yard documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this 1969-70 commercial-yard gunboat: standard marine asbestos applications of the period were thermal insulation on hot machinery and exhaust runs, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and deck coverings. This class's propulsion is diesel + gas turbine (no steam plant), so no boiler or turbine-lagging pathway applies. No ship-specific survey, plans, or materials manifest was located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1969-1977
- Limitations
- Inference only - no primary source ties any specific asbestos product to this hull. The yard that built her (Tacoma Boatbuilding) is absent from the project shipyards dataset; construction-materials records for the contract were not located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-14
-
[16]Batch-8570 search ledger (this record): NVR (archived); NavSource; Patrol Gunboat Reunion Association (archived); GAO B-243417 and HRD-80-2; DLA Scrap Sales; NavalCoverMuseum; Tacoma Public Library Northwest ORCA; Congressional Record; PubMed; FBO Daily archive; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- This record's search_ledger rows
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Grand Rapids (PG-98) / R/V Athena II was found in the public sources searched. Secondary web sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing listicles (mesothelioma.net, mesotheliomaveterans.org) asserting asbestos aboard patrol boats including 'USS Grand Rapids (PGM-98)' without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy. CourtListener this session: "USS Grand Rapids" opinion and docket queries both returned zero results; the two hull-number queries ("PG-98") were blocked by the fleet-wide pace limiter (~3.5 h of contention) - logged blocked in search_ledger, not a negative result.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1969-2024
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1969-70 naval vessel is era-consistent with asbestos use, but no ship-specific documentation ties asbestos to this hull. Litigation status is recorded exactly as the search ledger states; the two hull-number queries ("PG-98") are blocked, not negative - re-run them when fleet quota clears.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grand-rapids-pg98-15