Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, Growler (SSG-577) - construction, Regulus deterrent patrols, decommissioning (printed-volume text ends 1964; verbatim hazegray transcription; live NHHC pages return 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Growler service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: the fourth Growler, second of the Regulus II guided missile submarines, built by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; launched 5 April 1958, sponsored by Mrs. Robert K. Byerts, widow of Comdr. Thomas B. Oakley, Jr., last commander of the third Growler (SS-215); commissioned at Portsmouth 30 August 1958, Lt. Comdr. Charles Priest, Jr., in command. Shakedown to Roosevelt Roads, P.R. (arriving 19 February 1959) and Caribbean Regulus-launching exercises; proceeded to the Pacific, reaching Pearl Harbor 7 September 1959 as flagship of Submarine Division 12. First Regulus deterrent mission 12 March-17 May 1960 with a full store of missiles armed with nuclear warheads; DANFS records nine such deterrent patrols from May 1960 through December 1963, the fourth terminating at Yokosuka 24 April 1962. Returned to Mare Island May 1964; decommissioned 25 May and placed in reserve with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Spec block: dp. 2,768; l. 317'7"; b. 27'2"; dr. 19'; s. 14 k.; cpl. 87; a. Regulus mis.; cl. Grayback.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1955-1964
- Population
- Portsmouth NSY construction trades (1955-58); crew (1958-1964)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; entry ends at the 1964 decommissioning - no reserve-fleet or museum narrative. No asbestos or material content. DANFS styles the patrol missiles 'Regulus II' although the program was cancelled December 1958 before her first patrol - see correction row ev-05. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404; verbatim transcription used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-01
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[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Archive, Growler (SSG-577) - milestone block, spec block, dated photo captions incl. 1988 Intrepid tow [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 08577 milestone/spec block and photo captions (1958 launching series incl. AP wirephoto text; 1966 Mare Island reserve fleet aerial; 1988 Intrepid tow)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 15 February 1955 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME; launched 5 April 1958; commissioned 30 August 1958; decommissioned 25 May 1964 at Mare Island and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island Group; struck from the Naval Register 30 September 1980 (conflicts with 1 August 1980 in secondary references); on permanent display 29 September 1988 as a museum ship at Intrepid Park, New York. Spec block: displacement 2,670 t. surfaced / 3,650 t. submerged; length 317'; beam 25'; test depth 700'; complement 9 officers + 75 enlisted; armament four Regulus I or two Regulus II (or mixed), six 21" torpedo tubes, one Regulus launcher; propulsion diesel-electric, twin propellers. A 1958 AP wirephoto caption describes her as 'the second sub designed to launch both Regulus I and Regulus II missiles.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1955-1988
- Population
- Portsmouth NSY construction trades (1955-58); crew (1958-1964); reserve-fleet maintenance (1964-1988)
- Limitations
- Curated secondary index, not a primary record; used for laid-down and post-1964 milestones DANFS does not cover. Stricken date conflicts with secondary references (30 Sep vs 1 Aug 1980) - variant logged. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-02
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[3]Intrepid Museum materials: eMuseum collection record 'USS Growler'; museum exhibit page 'Submarine Growler'; museum-erected 'Saving Growler' historical marker text at Pier 86 (via HMDB transcription); museum-associated history site ussintrepid.com [museum_official]
- Locator
- intrepid.emuseum.com/groups/uss-growler; intrepidmuseum.org Submarine Growler exhibit page; 'Saving Growler' marker (hmdb.org/m.asp?m=209768); ussintrepid.com/growler.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: a guided-missile submarine 'capable of launching and guiding the Regulus I nuclear missile' (eMuseum); eight strategic deterrent patrols to the Western Pacific per the collection record (conflicts with DANFS's nine - variant); decommissioned 25 May 1964. On the Navy 'targets inventory' destined to be sunk when Richard P. Torykian and museum founder Zachary Fisher sought her transfer; the Secretary of the Navy and Congress authorized it, awarded 8 August 1988. Because the SALT agreement required dismantling of decommissioned missile submarines, a special exemption was negotiated for her permanent peaceful public display. At transfer she was moored at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard inactive-fleet section; towed roughly 6,000-6,500 miles from Bremerton through the Panama Canal to Tampa Shipyard (tow began 6 October 1988 per ussintrepid.com; 'early 1989' per the museum marker - variant), where she was drydocked: interior renovated, steep ladders converted to stairways, and access changes made between the missile hangars and hull for visitors. Moored at Pier 86 April 1989; re-christened 26 May 1989; opened to the public in 1989 (May per marker; July per Naval Submarine League account - variant). The only American missile submarine open to the public.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1964-1989
- Population
- Museum visitors and staff (1989-present); Tampa Shipyard conversion trades (1988-89)
- Limitations
- Museum sources; no asbestos or materials characterization. Internal museum-source conflicts logged in gaps: tow departure (Oct 1988 vs early 1989), public opening (May vs July 1989), patrol count (8 vs DANFS 9). eMuseum live page returned 403 - content via museum exhibit page and search snippet; marker text via HMDB transcription of the museum's own marker.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-03
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[4]Gothamist (quoting Intrepid Museum press release) and NBC New York: Growler's 2008-09 GMD Shipyard drydocking and refurbishment [reputable_press]
- Locator
- gothamist.com 'Submarine in the East River' (2008) and 'The U.S.S. Growler is on the Move Again!' (museum press release, 2008-11-06); NBC New York 'Growler Sub Cruises Around Manhattan' (2008-11)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented museum-era material-disturbance event: in September 2008 Growler was towed up the East River to GMD Shipyard Corp. at the Brooklyn Navy Yard 'for a hull scrape, some minor exterior repairs and a full, historically accurate paint job' (grey sides, black topsides); holes found rusted in the hull pushed repair costs past $1.5 million. She returned to Pier 86 on 6 November 2008 ahead of the museum's reopening, underwent interior refurbishment, and reopened to the public 21 May 2009 during Fleet Week.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2008-09 to 2009-05
- Population
- GMD Shipyard and museum refurbishment trades (2008-09); museum visitors and staff
- Limitations
- Press coverage of the museum's release; establishes the refit event and scope, not materials or fiber content. Whether insulation was disturbed, removed, or remediated in either the exterior drydock or the interior refurbishment is not publicly characterized - a materials-condition lead, not a finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-04
-
[5]Correction of DANFS missile-type wording: Intrepid eMuseum record (Regulus I platform); GlobalSecurity.org/FAS Nuclear Forces Regulus II program history (OSD withdrew support 19 November 1958; SecNav Gates cancelled the project 18 December 1958; Grayback's September 1958 launch 'the only such launching' from a submarine) [museum_official]
- Locator
- eMuseum 'USS Growler' record; globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/regulus2.htm; NavSource spec block and AP wirephoto caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS styles Growler's 1960-era deterrent-patrol load 'Regulus II sea-to-surface missiles, armed with nuclear warheads,' but the Regulus II program was cancelled 18 December 1958 - before her first deterrent patrol (12 March 1960). The museum's collection record describes her as a Regulus I platform; NavSource's armament block lists up to four Regulus I or two Regulus II; and program histories record that the only submarine Regulus II launch ever made was Grayback's September 1958 test. Operationally Growler was a Regulus I boat, though designed to launch both types.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1958-1963
- Population
- Crew (1959-1963 deterrent patrol era)
- Limitations
- Corrects a missile-type misnomer, not a material claim. No asbestos content. The 'designed to launch both' wording is consistent across the AP wirephoto caption, museum materials, and NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-05
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block and service narrative (diesel-electric boat; Portsmouth NSY build; Mare Island decommissioning); NavSource spec block (diesel-electric, twin propellers); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (thermal insulation, asbestos cement, pipe covering, millboard, gaskets, seals, packing, block insulation, asbestos cloth, friction materials, Kaylo) and Mare Island Naval Shipyard [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource spec block; shipyards.json product lists for portsmouth-naval-shipyard and mare-island-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric submarine built 1955-58 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and decommissioned at Mare Island in 1964 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). Portsmouth NSY's asbestos product use in this period is independently documented at the yard level. Her 1964-1988 reserve-fleet lay-up and the 1988-89 Tampa museum conversion and 2008-09 GMD drydock/interior refurbishment are documented events whose insulation handling is uncharacterized.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1955-1964; 1988-89; 2008-09
- Population
- Portsmouth NSY construction trades (1955-58); Mare Island decommissioning trades (1964); reserve-fleet maintenance (1964-1988); Tampa and GMD refit trades (1988-89; 2008-09); crew (1958-1964); museum visitors/staff
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey or material list located for SSG-577. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. Whether the preserved hull retains original 1958-era insulation, and how the museum-era refits handled any asbestos-containing materials, is undocumented in the public record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-06
-
[7]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 all of Growler's service-era construction and availability events (1955-58 build; 1958-64 service) and most of her reserve-fleet period.
- 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-growler-ssg577-07
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[8]Batch-87 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription (hazegray; NHHC canonical unavailable); NavSource 08577; Intrepid Museum eMuseum/exhibit/marker materials; Gothamist and NBC coverage of the 2008-09 refit; govinfo USCOURTS sweeps; NPS NHL list check; CourtListener API v4 (blocked) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-growler-ssg577-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat or materials-condition disclosure, or qualifying asbestos case naming USS Growler (SSG-577) was found. govinfo USCOURTS 'USS Growler' and 'SSG-577' returned zero hits; the 33 raw 'Growler' hits are all name collisions (EA-18G aircraft matters, party/attorney surnames, GrowlerWerks). One unresolved lead: the Hart/Jacobs MDL-875 package (E.D. Pa. 2:11-cv-31271) indexes a 'Growler' string in exhibit attachments not present in the extractable opinion text - the four opinion granules were downloaded and text-checked and contain no 'Growler'; vessel attribution unverifiable, carried as a lead only. No NPS designation located (NHL list checked). 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.
- 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 museum hull's current material condition is not publicly characterized; museum maintenance/abatement records, if any exist, are not public. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-growler-ssg577-08