Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Hammerhead I (SS-364) - Manitowoc construction, seven war patrols, reserve/Korean-era recommissioning, MAP transfer to Turkey (Wayback capture of the live NHHC page, which returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block (dp. 1526; l. 311'9"; cpl. 60; c. Gato)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched 24 October 1943 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis. (sponsor Mrs. R. W. Berry); commissioned 1 March 1944, Comdr. J. C. Martin in command. After a month's training in Lake Michigan she was towed in a floating drydock down the Mississippi to New Orleans (arrived 8 April 1944), then via Balboa, C.Z., to Pearl Harbor. Seven war patrols, all designated successful: south of Formosa with Steelhead and Parche (June-August 1944); Java and South China Seas (September-November 1944 - five cargo ships sunk off Borneo in two convoy attacks, Navy Unit Commendation); South China Sea with Lapon and Paddle (November 1944-January 1945); off Cape Varella with Baya, where a four-torpedo spread sank the Japanese frigate Yaku on 23 February 1945 before the patrol was cut short by the commanding officer's illness; Indochina coast (March-April 1945 - an escort sunk with a single hit); two Gulf of Siam patrols (May and June-July 1945 - tanker Kinrei Maru, a cargo carrier, and cargo ships Sakura Maru and Nanmei Maru No. 5). Arrived Mare Island 20 August 1945, decommissioned 9 February 1946 into the Fleet Reserve there. Recommissioned 6 February 1952 for Korean-era training duty on the West Coast between San Diego and San Francisco; decommissioned 21 August 1953. Recommissioned once more 16 July 1954 under the Military Assistance Program; decommissioned and transferred to Turkey 23 October 1954, serving the Turkish Navy as Cerbe (S-341). Seven battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1954
- Population
- Manitowoc Shipbuilding construction trades (1943-44); crew (1944-1954); yard trades at Mare Island availabilities
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance (Manitowoc build, Mare Island decommission/reserve, any GUPPY work) is era inference, not a per-hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-01
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[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, header chronology, 'as built' spec block, and disposition data for this hull [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header chronology + 'as built' spec block (https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08364.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Post-DANFS chronology and machinery fit for this hull per NavSource: laid down 5 May 1943 at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co.; commissioned 1 March 1944; decommissioned 9 February 1946 into the Mare Island Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet; recommissioned 6 February 1952; decommissioned 21 August 1953 for Guppy (snorkel) configuration ahead of loan under the Military Assistance Program; recommissioned 16 July 1954 and departed for North Island, San Diego, to train Turkish naval personnel; decommissioned and transferred on loan 23 October 1954, commissioned in the Turkish Navy the same day as TCG Cerbe (D-8), renumbered S-23 in 1955 and S-341 in 1959 under the NATO pendant system. Her name was canceled 22 March 1965 to clear it for SSN-663 (ordered May 1964 at Newport News Shipbuilding). On 1 January 1972 she was officially sold to Turkey, struck from the Naval Vessel Registry, and title transferred; Cerbe decommissioned from the Turkish Navy 4 May 1972 and was scrapped. As-built spec block: diesel-electric reduction gear with four General Motors main generator diesel engines (5,400 hp), four General Electric main motors (2,740 hp), two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers; complement 6 officers, 54 enlisted. NO BOILERS and no steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery profile differs materially from steam classes (exposure-relevant systems are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets/packing, hull thermal/acoustic insulation, and auxiliary equipment).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Manitowoc construction trades (1943-44); yard trades at documented availabilities; US and Turkish crews (1944-1972)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official record (researched by a USN CTRC and a Turkish Navy CPO for NavSource); the spec block is a class-standard sheet, not a per-hull machinery survey - actual installed equipment presumed class-typical and unverified. The 'Guppy (snorkel)' label is NavSource's wording; the conversion yard is not named in DANFS or NavSource. Establishes propulsion type only, not fiber content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-02
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[3]Gato class profile ev-gato-class-07 (era/design inference for diesel-electric fleet boats) built on the navypedia member table and BuShips Ships' Data 1945; GAO HRD-80-2 for the Navy's era asbestos-use regime [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile gato-class.class.json ev-07; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for diesel-electric fleet boats of this build period (1943-44, Manitowoc): era-standard applications likely included asbestos-containing diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, hull thermal and acoustic insulation, insulation around galley/refrigeration equipment, and electrical/battery materials. The 1953-54 Guppy-era availability and six years of reserve-fleet custody at Mare Island sit inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era (GAO HRD-80-2: alternative insulation materials only substituted from the early 1970s).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Manitowoc construction trades (1943-44); yard trades at documented availabilities; US and Turkish crews; scrapping workers (1972)
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos product list was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. Does not establish exposure or eligibility for any individual. Turkish-custody material state (1954-1972) and the scrapping are undocumented in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-03
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[4]CourtListener API v4 (opinions type=o, RECAP dockets type=r) exact-name and hull-number searches; site:courtlistener.com index sweep as throttling fallback [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: the CourtListener API was throttled at the shared daily cap (HTTP 429, expected available in ~17 hours) and the public search UI was bot-challenged (HTTP 403), so the sweep ran on the site:courtlistener.com index fallback for "USS Hammerhead" and "SS-364". The fallback surfaced only general Navy asbestos litigation and name collisions - Vineyard Wind filings using 'hammerhead' for bladeless turbine state, and Halverson v. Classified Systems (a 'Hammerhead SSP-180' firewood-processor patent case) - nothing naming this hull. Collision caveat: a later USS Hammerhead (SSN-663, Sturgeon-class nuclear submarine, ordered May 1964) existed - any postwar 'USS Hammerhead' litigation reference must be resolved against that namesake before attribution. No qualifying asbestos litigation - and no litigation of any kind verified as naming this hull - was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- A negative result is bounded by the search mechanism: CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive for state-court pleadings, and the API throttle plus UI bot-challenge meant opinion and docket-text queries could not complete - the site:-index fallback is corroboration, not a substitute for docket search. Does not prove no litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-04
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[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC (via Wayback capture), NavSource, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps limited to official/authoritative sources [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/disposal hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming this vessel was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull left U.S. custody on loan in 1954 and permanently in 1972; Turkish-custody maintenance, the Guppy-era conversion scope, and the 1972 scrapping have no located material record. Law-firm and marketing pages asserting asbestos aboard this hull exist (mesothelioma.net, mesotheliomasymptoms.com, a trust-fund aggregator) but are non-authoritative and were excluded per batch rules.
- 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. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard/within the hull, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-05
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[6]uboat.net Allied Warships entry for Hammerhead (SS-364); corroborated by the DANFS spec block ('c. Gato'), the NavSource header ('Gato Class'), and the ibiblio HyperWar ship-list page ('Balao class Submarine') [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/3102 header note; DANFS spec block; NavSource header; ibiblio SS-364 page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CLASS-ATTRIBUTION RESOLUTION: references disagree on SS-361-364 because the four Manitowoc boats were ORDERED as Balao class but BUILT as Gato class - uboat.net records that the yard was not ready to start Balao construction after its previous contract, so the boats were completed to the Gato design. The DANFS spec block ('c. Gato'), NavSource ('Gato Class'), navypedia (per the class profile), and Wikipedia all classify SS-364 as Gato; the ibiblio HyperWar ship-list page labels it 'Balao class Submarine' - the ordering-origin outlier. This record carries ship_class 'Gato' on the weight of the primary-source spec block.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a reputable specialist compilation, not an official record; its 'ordered as Balao' rationale is uncorroborated by a primary source in this sweep. Resolves attribution only - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-06
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[7]Wisconsin Maritime Museum, PastPerfect online collection - Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company photograph archive (P70-7 accession series); NavSource photo captions document the same series for this hull (christening photo P70-7-350, official Manitowoc build photography) [museum_official]
- Locator
- wisconsinmaritime.pastperfectonline.com Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company search; NavSource captions for this hull
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead for construction-period material documentation: the Wisconsin Maritime Museum (Manitowoc, WI - home of USS Cobia SS-245) holds the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company photograph archive, accession series P70-7, including this hull's christening (P70-7-350) and launch photography, with 200+ Manitowoc-boat images published via NavSource. Construction-period photographs are the likeliest public lead for visible insulation/lagging detail on this builder's boats; no hull material schedule was located there or elsewhere in this sweep.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Manitowoc Shipbuilding construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Lead only - the photo archive was identified, not mined for material evidence, and photographs cannot establish fiber content. No asbestos statement exists in located collection records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hammerhead-ss364-07