Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS, Grayback II (SSG-574) - construction, Regulus II first submarine launch, deterrent patrols, first decommissioning (printed-volume text ends 1964; verbatim hazegray transcription; NHHC canonical page grayback-ii.html verified via 2023 Wayback capture, live page 404s) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Grayback II service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched by Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., 2 July 1957; sponsored by Mrs. John A. Moore, widow of the last skipper of the first Grayback; commissioned at Mare Island 7 March 1958, Lt. Comdr. Hugh G. Nott in command. First of the Navy's guided missile submarines to carry the Regulus II sea-to-surface missile; in September 1958, operating out of Port Hueneme, she made the first successful launching of a Regulus II from a submarine. Pearl Harbor homeport from February 1959; nine deterrent missile strike missions (first 21 September-12 November 1959; terminations at Yokosuka, Adak, Pearl Harbor); over 20 months at sea and well over 130,000 miles on deterrent missions. Decommissioned at Mare Island 25 May 1964; at publication she was being converted to a submarine troop transport as Grayback (APSS-574), completion scheduled December 1968. Spec block: dp. 2,768; l. 317'7"; b. 27'2"; dr. 19'; s. 14 k.; cpl. 87; a. 8 tt., 1 Regulus launcher; cl. Grayback.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1954-1968
- Population
- Mare Island construction trades (1954-58); crew (1958-1964)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; entry ends at the 1964 decommissioning - no LPSS-era narrative. No asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404; verbatim transcription used, NHHC canonical URL confirmed via Wayback capture (2023-12-04).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-01
-
[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Archive, Grayback (SSG-574) (APSS-574) - milestone block, spec block, and dated photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 08574 milestone/spec block and photo captions (1955 mock-up series; 1969 recommissioning; 1985-86 Subic series)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 1 July 1954 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard; converted to a transport submarine and recommissioned as USS Grayback (APSS-574) in 1968 - photo documentation shows the recommissioning ceremony at Mare Island 9 May 1969 as LPSS-574; decommissioned 16 June 1984 (milestone block - conflicts with 15 January 1984 in the veterans' association history and secondary references); sunk as a target near Subic Bay, PI, 13 April 1986. Spec block: displacement 2,670 t. surfaced / 3,638 t. submerged; length 322'; beam 30'1"; draft 16'4"; speed 20.5 kts surfaced / 15 kts submerged; complement 9 officers + 75 enlisted; armament up to four Regulus I or two Regulus II (or mixed); eight 21" torpedo tubes, 1 Regulus launcher; propulsion diesel-electric, twin propellers. Photo captions place her at Subic Bay in 1970 and document USNS Catawba towing the ex-Grayback out of Subic '13 August 1986' for a sinking exercise (conflicts with the April 1986 sinking date - variant).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1954-1986
- Population
- Mare Island construction and conversion trades (1954-57; 1967-69); crew (1958-1984)
- Limitations
- Curated secondary index, not a primary record; used for laid-down and post-1964 milestones DANFS does not cover. Two internal/external conflicts logged in gaps: decommissioning 16 June vs 15 January 1984; tow-out caption 13 August vs sinking 13 April 1986. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-02
-
[3]Submarine Force Library & Museum Association, 'The Several Lives of USS GRAYBACK (SS/SSG/LPSS-574)' (2014) - construction redesign, LPSS conversion scope, Operation Thunderhead, 1986 sinking [museum_official]
- Locator
- SFLMA Submarine History article (Wayback capture 2025-01-14)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: originally intended as a fast-attack boat; already under construction when redesigned as a Regulus platform - Mare Island workers cut the hull in half and inserted a new fifty-foot section, adding a missile hangar to the foredeck; at completion the largest diesel-powered submarine in the world and the first purpose-built missile-firing submarine. LPSS conversion at Mare Island: sail lengthened, two auxiliary tanks (adding 12 feet) forward of the engine room, missile hangars converted to space for 60 troops and several SEAL Swimmer Delivery Vehicles plus a decompression chamber. In 1972 she undertook the then-classified Operation Thunderhead to rescue two airmen held in North Vietnam - unsuccessful, one SEAL lost; the last U.S. POW-rescue attempt of the war. On 13 April 1986, stripped to an empty shell and painted bright orange, she was towed out of Subic Bay and sunk in the South China Sea as a training-exercise target.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1954-1958; 1967-1986
- Population
- Mare Island conversion trades (1967-69); embarked UDT/SEAL detachments; crew (1969-1984)
- Limitations
- Museum narrative history; no asbestos or materials content. Troop capacity given as 60 here vs 67 in the veterans' association history - variant logged. Live page is Cloudflare-blocked (HTTP 403); 2025-01-14 Wayback capture used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-03
-
[4]National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, 'Operation Thunderhead' - 1972 Grayback POW-rescue mission narrative [museum_official]
- Locator
- Navy SEAL Museum Outside the Wire article 16; LOC POW/MIA document pwmaster_85768 (CINCPACFLT, May 1972) as archival lead
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: in April 1972 a UDT-SEAL detachment left Subic Bay aboard USS Grayback (LPSS-574), modified to support UDT and SEAL capabilities, to rescue two POWs planning to escape the 'Hanoi Hilton.' Shortly after midnight on 3 June 1972 the team launched from Grayback in a MK VII SDV; navigation errors and currents forced abort and scuttle. On 5 June, during a helicopter water-drop return to the submerged submarine, Lt. Melvin 'Spence' Dry was killed - the last SEAL lost in the Vietnam War. The mission was the last U.S. POW-rescue attempt of the war. A CINCPACFLT POW/MIA file on Thunderhead exists in the Library of Congress Vietnam-Era POW/MIA database (archival lead).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1972-04 to 1972-06
- Population
- Embarked SEAL Team One Alpha platoon and UDT-11 operators; Grayback crew (~90 men + 30 troops embarked per veteran association account)
- Limitations
- Museum mission history; no asbestos or materials content. Confirms the starboard-hangar/diver-lockout configuration relevant to the later 1982 accident (see ev-05, ev-06).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-04
-
[5]UPI, 'Five U.S. Navy frogmen drowned Sunday in a pressurized chamber' (Manila, 17 January 1982) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- UPI Archives, 1982-01-17 Manila dispatch
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous wire report: five U.S. Navy frogmen drowned in a pressurized chamber aboard the submerged USS Grayback off Subic Bay; the men were waiting for water to drain from the decompression ('log-in lock-out') chamber after a routine training exercise when they apparently lost consciousness for lack of oxygen and drowned; one man survived by hooking an arm over a seawater valve. The dead were an officer, three crewmen, and an enlisted man from a naval special warfare unit. Grayback returned to her home port at Subic. A Navy spokesman attributed the accident to 'equipment malfunction or human error or a combination of the two.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1982-01-16/17
- Population
- Five deceased Navy divers/special-warfare personnel; one survivor; Grayback crew
- Limitations
- Day-after wire report; the Navy's preliminary characterization was superseded by the adjudicated findings in Trevino (ev-06). Establishes the accident and the boat's diving-chamber configuration, not any material or fiber content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-05
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[6]Trevino v. General Dynamics Corp., 626 F. Supp. 1330 (E.D. Tex. 1986), Civ. A. No. B-83-573-CA (Parker, J.), aff'd in part and vacated in part, 865 F.2d 1474 (5th Cir. Feb 23, 1989), Nos. 86-2965, 87-2175 [court_record]
- Locator
- 626 F. Supp. 1330 (E.D. Tex. 1986) at 1330-1331 (accident, Navy findings, GD design role); 865 F.2d 1474 (5th Cir. Feb. 23, 1989) (affirmance/vacatur)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- NON-ASBESTOS litigation naming this hull, merits-adjudicated and affirmed: on the night of 16 January 1982 five Navy divers died in the starboard hangar diving chamber of USS GRAYBACK when a vacuum formed as the flooded chamber drained. After a bench trial the court found the deaths 'caused chiefly by the negligence of General Dynamics in the work that it performed with respect to the design of the starboard hangar diving system aboard the GRAYBACK during the conversion of the GRAYBACK from a missile-carrying submarine to a personnel-carrying submarine during the 1960's'; the Navy investigation had found four design deficiencies (no safety interlock, underwater-only valve position indicator, no remote position indicator visible from the dry side, and related defects). The Fifth Circuit affirmed the judgment for the divers' families against General Dynamics and vacated the indemnification holding for lack of jurisdiction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1967-1969 (conversion design); 1982 (accident); 1983-1989 (litigation)
- Population
- Five deceased Navy divers and their families; General Dynamics (conversion designer); U.S. Navy
- Limitations
- Included as ship-specific litigation and conversion-history evidence - NOT an asbestos case and not exposure evidence. The relevant fact is that the 1960s Mare Island conversion incorporated contractor-designed systems later adjudicated defective; the opinions address design negligence, not materials or fiber content. Reporter citations verified via vLex/Justia listings; full opinions read via aggregator text. Fifth Circuit opinion verified at https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/865/865.F2d.1474.86-2965.87-2175.html (865 F.2d 1474).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-06
-
[7]Wright et al v. A.W. Chesterton Company, Inc. et al, No. 3:07-cv-05403-MJJ (N.D. Cal.), Order denying motion to remand (Jenkins, J.), filed 2008-02-25, ECF Doc. 48; govinfo USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05403 [court_record]
- Locator
- govinfo USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-05403-0, Doc. 48 at 2-3 (vessel list at n.2) and order (remand denied)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- QUALIFYING asbestos litigation naming this hull, pleading stage only: a personal-injury asbestos action (filed San Francisco County Superior Court 13 September 2007, removed under 28 U.S.C. 1442; remand denied) alleging Albert Wright Jr. contracted lung cancer from asbestos exposure during employment as a machinist and flange turner, 'among other places, for the Navy.' The opinion recites the complaint's list of twenty-six-plus Navy vessels Wright worked aboard: USS Midway, Enterprise, Kitty Hawk, Coral Sea, Oriskany, Constellation, Mount Hood, John F. Kennedy, Hancock, Ticonderoga, Providence, Mount Baker, Mauna Kea, Pigeon, Pyro, Guitarro, Drum, Pintado, Hawkbill, Permit, Swordfish, Halibut, USS GRAYBACK, Brinkley Bass, Trigger, and Wahoo.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- alleged service-era exposure window (vessels listed span 1950s-1980s); litigation 2007-2008
- Population
- Albert Wright Jr. (Navy machinist/flange turner); Marva Wright; crews of 26+ listed vessels incl. Grayback
- Limitations
- Classified down to pleading allegation per batch discipline: the order resolves removal jurisdiction, not exposure; no court found work or exposure aboard this hull, and the underlying case merits are unadjudicated here. Hull disambiguation is era-based inference, not stated: the complaint says 'USS Grayback' with no hull number; the co-listed vessels are overwhelmingly Cold War-era (incl. CVN-65 and CV-67, in service from 1961/1968) consistent with SSG-574 (1958-1984) and inconsistent with SS-208 (sunk 1944). Not materials-survey data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-07
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and service narrative (diesel-electric boat; Mare Island build and availabilities); NavSource spec block (diesel-electric, twin propellers); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Mare Island Naval Shipyard (Unibestos, Marinite, Transite, Kaylo, Careytemp, Gold Bond, Super 66, pump/valve packing, gaskets, bonnet insulation, refractory materials) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource spec block; shipyards.json product lists for mare-island-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric submarine built 1954-57 and twice worked over at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (1954-57 construction; 1964 decommissioning; November 1967-May 1969 LPSS conversion estimated at $15.2M and completed at roughly $30M) sits inside the Navy's peak asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard diesel submarines included engine and exhaust lagging, engine gaskets, valve and pump packing, thermal/acoustic insulation, and electrical insulation (no boilers or steam plant). Mare Island's asbestos product use in this period is independently documented at the yard level. NOTE: the yard's best-known product documentation (Unibestos pipe insulation) is specific to nuclear-powered submarine work and does not extend to this diesel-electric hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1954-1984
- Population
- Mare Island construction/conversion trades (1954-57; 1967-69); yard trades at availabilities; crew (1958-1984)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for SSG/LPSS-574. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. The sunken hull's material condition is undocumented and effectively unverifiable (sunk as target 1986).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-08
-
[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 - covering essentially all of Grayback's service-era construction, conversion, and availability events (1954-57 build; 1967-69 LPSS conversion; service to 1984).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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) - content via product-page description, consistent with prior batches.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-09
-
[10]Batch-87 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (hazegray; NHHC canonical verified via Wayback); NavSource 08574; SFLMA and National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum articles; UPI archive; govinfo USCOURTS sweeps; Trevino reporter verification via vLex/Justia; ussgrayback574.com association history; CourtListener API v4 (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-grayback-ssg574-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located beyond the Wright pleading allegation: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Grayback (SSG/LPSS-574) was found. govinfo USCOURTS 'USS Grayback' returned Wright (qualifying allegation) plus the Riches v. Bush pro se name collision; 'SSG-574' and 'LPSS-574' returned zero; unquoted 'Grayback' returned geographic/surname collisions only. CourtListener API was throttled all session (HTTP 429, ~10-hour reset) - the litigation sweep is incomplete and no negative is claimed beyond the searched repositories. No pre-sinking hazmat or environmental review for the 1986 target sinking was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard. The litigation sweep could not include CourtListener (throttled); govinfo USCOURTS covers published opinions largely 2004-forward. The sunken hull's material state is undocumented and practically unverifiable. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-grayback-ssg574-10