Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]research packet 957-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-groton-pce900-pkt-957-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Groton II (PCE-900), Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol. III p. 164 (live NHHC page, published online 2015-07-13) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry 'Groton II (PCE-900)', specification block + service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down by Willamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg., 11 January 1943; launched 11 August 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Clara Goff; commissioned at Portland 12 April 1945, Lt. Arthur Maddalena, Jr., in command. After shakedown off the West Coast she departed San Pedro 5 June 1945, arriving Pearl Harbor 13 June, and was assigned to plane-guard station out of Pearl Harbor through the Japanese surrender; remained in the Pacific three years; then East Coast, 1st Naval District, as a Naval Reserve training ship out of Boston until 1955; decommissioned 19 August 1955, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; named Groton 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy List 1 February 1960. Specification block: 640 t., 185 ft, 33 ft, 9 ft, 16 k., cpl. 96; 1 3-inch, 3 40mm, 4 20mm, 4 dcp., 1 hedgehog, 2 dct.; class listed as 'PCE-881'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Population
- Willamette construction trades 1943-45; wartime/postwar crew (design complement 96)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and design specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Its class label 'PCE-881' (hull-numbered sub-group) differs from the modern 'PCE-842-class' usage - carried in gaps. Commissioning date 12 April 1945 is corroborated by the NARA muster roll and conflicts with NavSource's 12 April 1944 - conflict carried in gaps; DANFS year adopted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-01
-
[3]NavSource Naval History, Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive: Groton (PCE-900) ex-PCE-900 (timeline, specifications, NH 79410 photo credit, commanding officers, post-Navy ownership chain) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 12/02900, timeline block + specifications block + commanding-officers table + photo index
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull adds the post-Navy disposition chain not in DANFS: decommissioned 19 August 1955 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Boston Group; named Groton 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy Register 1 February 1960; acquired in 1975 by Standard Products Co., Inc. of Kilmarnock, VA and renamed Atlantic Beach; acquired in 1989 by Ampro Fisheries, Inc. of Burgess, VA; acquired by Omega Protein, Inc. of Moss Point, MS; abandoned near Reedville, Virginia; 'Fate unknown.' Also carries the class specifications block (850 t., 184'6", 33'1", 9'5", 15.7 kts, complement 99; two 1,000 bhp GM 12-278A diesels, Falk single-reduction gear, two shafts) and the NHHC photo NH 79410 plus 1959 South Boston Naval Annex photo series.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-c.2000
- Population
- Reserve training crews, Boston 1949-55; menhaden crews 1975-c.1990s
- Limitations
- NavSource's commissioning line reads 12 April 1944, conflicting with DANFS (12 April 1945), uboat.net, skyrocket.de, and the NARA muster roll that begins 4/12/1945 - the 1944 year is treated as an error and carried in gaps. NavSource is a respected unofficial archive, not an official record; where it conflicts with DANFS the DANFS value is adopted. 'Abandoned near Reedville / fate unknown' has no corroborating official disposal or wreck record located - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (T. Colton), Willamette Iron & Steel yard list, hull 26 entry: 'PCE 900 | U.S. Navy | Patrol Escort | 795d | 176 | 12-Apr-45 | Named Groton 1956, sold for scrap 1960 but converted 1975 to f/v Atlantic Beach (ON 562679)' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Shipbuilding History Willamette page, construction table row 26
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Willamette yard's hull list records this hull as yard number 26 (design 795d), delivered/commissioned 12 April 1945, named Groton 1956, sold for scrap in 1960 but instead converted in 1975 to the fishing vessel Atlantic Beach under U.S. Coast Guard official number ON 562679 - reconciling the 1960 Navy disposal with the 1975 commercial conversion and providing the vessel's documentation number.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1975
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-list compilation (respected industry reference), not an official disposal record; the 'sold for scrap 1960' pathway does not name the scrap purchaser or the 1960-75 holding chain. The '12-Apr-45' completion date independently corroborates DANFS against NavSource's 1944. No materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-03
-
[5]NAVSEA Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation, Final Determination for USS Groton (SSN-694), lineage section [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSEA historical evaluation PDF, 'Lineage' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NAVSEA document confirms this hull's naming posture: 'An escort vessel (PCE 900) was named GROTON in 1956, but never conducted active service under that name.' She carried the Groton name only as an Atlantic Reserve Fleet unit between her 1955 decommissioning and 1960 striking.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1956-1960
- Limitations
- The evaluation is authored for SSN-694 and records only the lineage fact for PCE-900; it does not document materials, asbestos, or disposal detail for this hull. Confirms the name was administratively bestowed in reserve, relevant to alias handling and search-term design.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-04
-
[6]NARA Catalog, file unit 'PCE-900, 4/12/45-1/1/49' (NAID 192494389; Bureau of Naval Personnel muster rolls/personnel diaries, microfilm Roll 6101; 208 digitized images, Ancestry-partnered series DD01048); plus RG-181 Boston photographic volume NAID 117700188 in which PCE-900 appears [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog NAID 192494389 (file unit title + image set); NAID 117700188
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized records naming this hull: the Bureau of Naval Personnel muster-roll file unit 'PCE-900, 4/12/45-1/1/49' (NAID 192494389, 208 images) - whose date range begins on commissioning day and independently corroborates the 12 April 1945 commissioning - and an RG-181 (Naval Districts, Boston) photographic volume 'Volume 45: 01/01/1950-09/22/1950' (NAID 117700188, 546 images) in which PCE-900 appears, consistent with her Boston Naval Reserve training duty.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1945-1950
- Population
- Commissioned crew, 1945-1949 (muster-roll window)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: muster rolls document crew names and service dates, not materials or asbestos; the photo volume's PCE-900 images were indexed by catalog text match, not individually confirmed frame-by-frame this session. Deck logs for this hull were not located in the digitized logbook series - noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-05
-
[7]NavSource PCE-842-class specifications block + U.S. Naval Institute 'Historic Fleets' (A. D. Baker III, Naval History, December 1994) class history; Oregon Historical Society, Willamette Iron and Steel Company records (Mss 1600) finding aid [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; usni.org Naval History Dec 1994 'Historic Fleets'; ohs.libraryhost.com finding aid Mss 1600
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference: a 1943-45-built PCE-842-class escort - 184 ft, ~640-850 t., twin GM 12-278A diesel plant - would have carried period-standard asbestos in engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, electrical insulation, fireproofing, and deck coverings. USNI documents the class design (53 USN hulls; Willamette built 14; GM diesels) and the Oregon Historical Society holds the builder's WWII-era business records (Mss 1600) as a lead for hull-level construction specifications.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1943-1955
- Population
- Willamette construction trades 1943-45; crew 1945-55
- Limitations
- Inference only - no class specification, survey, or hull record located that names asbestos for this type or this hull. The diesel plant (no boilers, no steam system) narrows the expected asbestos profile versus steam-driven contemporaries. USNI's 900-hp per-engine rating differs from NavSource's 1,000 bhp figure - noted, not resolved. OHS collection not reviewed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-06
-
[8]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (1995) + Atlas shipyard dataset record 'willamette-iron-steel' (yard tier 3) [court_record]
- Locator
- Lineaweaver opinion (Justia mirror), product-usage recital; shipyards.json 'willamette-iron-steel' ev-willamette-01
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Builder-yard asbestos documentation: the published California appellate opinion records that 'Pabco was used only as fill-in at Willamette in the 1960s and 1970s' - a documented asbestos product (Fibreboard Pabco pipe insulation) at this hull's builder yard - and the Atlas shipyard dataset carries Willamette Iron & Steel (Portland OR) at evidence tier 3 on that record.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1966-1968 (opinion window)
- Population
- Willamette repair insulators, 1960s-70s
- Limitations
- Yard-level, not hull-level: the documented window (1960s-70s repair/fill-in work) postdates this hull's 1943-45 construction by two decades and does not evidence asbestos installed in 1943-45. The opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard'; identification with Willamette Iron & Steel of Portland is the dataset's inference, flagged 'disputed' in the yard record - adopted here only as yard context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-07
-
[9]Bay Weekly, 'Still Serving after All These Years: How World War II ships came to catch Chesapeake menhaden' (Ben Miller, Vol. 16 Issue 7, 14-20 Feb 2008) - ARCHIVED COPY (live page returns HTTP 522) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Bay Weekly archived article, paragraphs naming Atlantic Mist and the converted-fleet description
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documents the commercial pattern this hull joined: ten WWII-surplus military ships - including ex-Navy patrol escort craft such as Atlantic Mist (ex-PCE-880, a Portland-built sister escort sunk as the DelJerseyLand artificial reef 16 January 2010) - were rebuilt wheelhouse-forward and converted into refrigerated menhaden purse seiners in the Reedville, Virginia fleet that passed through the same Standard Products / Ampro Fisheries / Omega Protein ownership chain as this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1975-2010
- Population
- Reedville menhaden fleet crews, 1970s-2000s
- Limitations
- Fleet-level context: the article does not name Atlantic Beach/PCE-900 herself and establishes nothing about materials aboard this hull. Conversion-practice documentation only; cited from Wayback because the live site is down (HTTP 522 at access date).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-08
-
[10]Batch-8284 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NARA Catalog; NVR (scope-excluded); NavSource; NAVSEA evaluation; Shipbuilding History; CourtListener base queries; secondary web [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-groton-pce900-01 through sl-uss-groton-pce900-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, museum hazmat disclosure, donation condition, reef-preparation cleanup file, or docketed litigation naming PCE-900 / Groton / Atlantic Beach (ON 562679) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener results are recorded in the search ledger with their run status.
- 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 - the hull was built in the era of standard naval asbestos use and spent its last decades as an unregulated-surplus commercial conversion before abandonment; whether era materials remained aboard through conversion and abandonment is undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-groton-pce900-09