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), Gudgeon (SS-211) entry - construction, twelve war patrols, unresolved loss (printed-volume transcription via hazegray.org/Wayback; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. III (G-I), Gudgeon entry and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (DANFS): launched by Mare Island Navy Yard 25 January 1941 (sponsor Mrs. William S. Pye); commissioned 21 April 1941 at Mare Island, Lt. Comdr. Elton W. Grenfell. Alaska naval-base survey (Sitka, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor) August-October 1941; Pearl Harbor from 10 October 1941. On 11 December 1941, with Plunger, she sailed on the first U.S. submarine offensive patrol of WWII - first U.S. submarine to patrol the Japanese coast, and on 27 January 1942 the first U.S. submarine to sink an enemy warship in WWII (submarine I-173). Undocked three weeks early and readied in 40 hours for the Midway submarine screen. Twelve war patrols total: kills included Naniwa Maru, Choko Maru, Meigen Maru, tanker Toko Maru, transport Kamakura Maru (one of the largest enemy ships sunk by a U.S. submarine), Noko Maru, Sumatra Maru, Taiau Maru, frigate Wakamiya, and transport Nekka Maru; landed six men on Mindanao 14 January 1943 for the guerrilla resistance and rescued 28 Allied personnel at Timor; landed six guerrilla fighters and three tons of equipment on Panay 30 April 1943; San Francisco overhaul mid-1943 (yard unnamed - her first since commissioning). Sailed on her 12th patrol 4 April 1944; stopped at Johnston Island 7 April and was never seen or heard from again; officially declared overdue and presumed lost 7 June 1944. Captured Japanese records shed no light on the manner of her loss - 'one of the mysteries of the silent sea.' 71,047 tons and 12 confirmed kills (15th on the honor roll); Presidential Unit Citation for her first seven patrols; eleven battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1939-1944
- Population
- MINSY construction trades (1939-41); crew (1941-44)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 - printed-volume transcription via hazegray.org/Wayback used. The transcription carries apparent source defects ('18 February 1913', '17,52-ton', truncated '7 June 194') - see gaps; only corroborated readings carried.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gudgeon-ss211-01
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[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Gudgeon (SS-211) - milestones, spec block, disposition [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource SS-211 page - milestone block and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Milestones (NavSource): laid down 22 November 1939 at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA; launched 25 January 1941; commissioned 21 April 1941 at Mare Island Navy Yard; final disposition: sunk as a result of aerial attack; declared overdue and presumed lost 7 June 1944; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown). Presidential Unit Citation and eleven 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. Laid-down date (22 Nov 1939) is NavSource-specific; DANFS does not give one. NavSource's flat 'aerial attack' characterization is the modern NHHC chronological assessment (probable), not a wartime finding - variants in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gudgeon-ss211-02
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[3]Submarine War Damage Report No. 58 (Bureau of Ships, 1945) - ship-specific battle damage entry for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- WDR-58 Section I summary entry, Gudgeon (SS211), 1/26/43
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- One documented damage event (WDR-58 Section I): 26 January 1943, 6th patrol, Banda Sea (3-59S x 127-54E) - depth charged by a Japanese submarine chaser while at 315-foot depth (8 charges). Pressure hull slightly dished inward between frames 118 and 119 in the after torpedo room; external high-pressure air leaks at bank No. 2 and internal leaks at bank No. 4; starboard shaft and propeller became noisy with strut-bearing squeal; port stern tube leaked excessively; QC sound gear shaft forced out of alignment; emergency fresh-water tanks split seams; gyro spindles bent on several torpedo tubes; leaks at a brazed joint on the main-engine lube-oil line and in hydraulic piping to the stern planes; No. 2 periscope optics slightly deranged; radio antenna insulators broke; leak between NFO No. 2 and MBT Nos. 2A/2B. Ship remained on patrol.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Crew at damage event; repair trades at subsequent refit
- Limitations
- Official BuShips damage summary - documents damage and repair-driving events only; contains no asbestos content. Entries name tanks, glands, brazed joints, periscope fittings and wiring in passing but do not identify material composition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gudgeon-ss211-03
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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 #31 (SS-211); NHHC 'U.S. Submarine Losses WWII' chronological PDF
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official loss assessment (WDR-58 App. II): Gudgeon, 12th patrol, loss window 4/7/44 to 5/12/44, off Marianas Islands, cause bomb and depth charge - never heard from after departing Johnston Island 7 April 1944; Japanese records indicate at least two attacks which might have accounted for her loss but the information is too limited for conclusions; heavy anti-submarine activity (aircraft and surface ship) was noted by Silversides, Tunny and Sandlance off the Marianas on 12 May 1944 slightly south of her assigned area and may have been responsible. NHHC chronological losses list: '18 April 44, 79 killed - probably sunk by Japanese naval aircraft (901st Kokutai) southwest of Iwo Jima.' Wreck never located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Population
- Crew (final patrol)
- Limitations
- Official sources conflict on date and location: WDR-58 carries a loss window (7 Apr-12 May, off Marianas) with cause unresolved; the NHHC chronological list assigns a probable 18 April aircraft sinking southwest of Iwo Jima. Both variants logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-gudgeon-ss211-04
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[5]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; Tambor/Gar-class diesel-electric plant per DANFS and NavSource specification blocks [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1939-41 at Mare Island Navy Yard 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. Documented yard windows for this hull: Mare Island construction and commissioning (1939-41); a Pearl Harbor dry-dock overhaul (spring 1942, undocked three weeks early); a San Francisco overhaul mid-1943 (yard unnamed in DANFS - see gaps); Pearl Harbor refits between patrols. Lost with all hands April-May 1944; wreck unlocated - no material-condition record can exist.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1939-1944
- 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-gudgeon-ss211-05
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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 yard in 1939-41 - it does NOT name USS Gudgeon 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-gudgeon-ss211-06
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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 1944).
- 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-gudgeon-ss211-07
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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 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 Gudgeon (SS-211) was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull lies unlocated in the Marianas 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-gudgeon-ss211-08