Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet 1008-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hercules-phm2-pkt-1008-packet-md
-
[2]Naval Vessel Register ship detail page, HERCULES (PHM 2), UIC 20920 - archived Wayback capture of nvr.navy.mil detail page (2001-07-19 capture); live NVR detail URL no longer serves this hull (redirects to NVR front page, verified 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR PHM2 detail page field block (archived 2001-07-19 capture)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Authoritative milestone and characteristics record for this hull: Class PHM 1 (Pegasus class); Status 'Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping', date status changed 08/02/1996; Builder BOEING CO/SEATTLE; Award Date 10/20/1977; Keel Date 09/12/1980; Launch Date 04/13/1982; Delivery Date 09/17/1982; Commission Date 12/18/1982; Decommission Date 07/30/1993; Stricken Date 07/30/1993; Overall length 133 ft / waterline 118 ft; extreme beam 29 ft / waterline beam 25 ft; max navigational draft 7 ft / draft limit 3 ft; light displacement 180 tons / full 254 tons / deadweight 74 tons; 'Hull Material: All aluminum hull'; accommodations 5 officers, 19 enlisted. 'No changes to this information were reported since 03/15/1999.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1977-1996
- Population
- Crew accommodations noted: 5 officers, 19 enlisted
- Limitations
- Ship-specific registry record, consulted via Wayback capture - the live NVR no longer serves a detail page for this disposed hull. Registry reflects status as of its last update (1999); it does not record post-sale fate of the hull. No asbestos or material content. Sale date wording differs from NavSource (see gaps) - NVR records the status-change date, not necessarily the contract sale date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Patrol Combatant-Missile (Hydrofoil) Photo Archive, Hercules (PHM 2) - timeline, specifications, commanding officers, captioned photographic record (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1602.htm header block, specifications block, photo caption table, commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Timeline for this hull: 'The sixth Hercules was laid down 12 September 1980 by Boeing Marine Systems, Seattle, Washington; Launched 13 April 1982; Commissioned 18 December 1982; Decommissioned 30 July 1993 and struck from the Naval Register; Sold for scrap 19 August 1996 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service.' Spec block: displacement 178 t (lt) / 248 t (fl); length 133'; beam 29'; speed 51 kts; complement 24; armament one 76mm mount and eight Harpoon; propulsion two 1,600 bhp Mercedes-Benz marine diesels (hullborne) and one 18,000 shp GE LM2500 gas turbine (foilborne), two water jets. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for Hercules (PHM-2).' Captioned photo record documents: launching ceremony on Lake Washington at Boeing's Renton facility, 13 Apr 1982 (NARA DN-SN-82-07121); Acapulco port call with Racine (LST-1191) and Gemini (PHM-6), 1983 (All Hands, Oct 1983); UNITAS XXV 15-16 Jun and 23 Sep 1984; underway replenishment alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) off Key West, 21 Jun 1987 (DN-SC-87-08236); PHM Squadron 2 Key West operations and Joint Task Force 4 drug interdiction use, 1989-1990; all six PHMs in formation en route to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, VA, for decommissioning, 13 Jun 1993 (DN-ST-93-05725 / DN-SC-93-05728/30). Commanding officers table lists six COs from LCDR Thomas C. Corcoran (15 Jan 1983 - 12 Jan 1985) through LCDR Patrick E. Allen (10 Mar - 30 Jul 1993), plus an anomalous 'PCU' entry dated September 1974 - March 1975 (LCDR William John Erickson) - consistent with the pre-commissioning unit of the original suspended 1970s hull (see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1980-1996
- Population
- Boeing construction trades (1980-82); crew (1982-93); DRMS/contractor personnel at disposal (1996)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates here corroborate the authoritative NVR record (ev-01) except the scrap-sale date (19 Aug 1996 vs NVR status change 2 Aug 1996 - see gaps). Contains no asbestos content. The 1974-75 PCU entry is unexplained on the page; the offered interpretation (original-hull precommissioning unit) is inference, not stated by the source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-02
-
[4]NHHC image catalog, DN-SC-90-09340 USS Hercules (PHM-2), photo by PH2(AC) Mark Kettenhofen (verified live 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DN-SC-90-09340 catalog caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC catalog caption: 'Patrol combatant missile hydrofoil USS Hercules (PHM-2) underway in the Gulf of Mexico, November 1989. Hercules is assigned to PHM Squadron 2, based in Key West, Florida.' Documents this hull's squadron (PHM Squadron 2) and homeport (Key West) at a dated point in service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1989-11
- Population
- Crew, 1989
- Limitations
- Ship-specific presence/assignment documentation only - no asbestos or material content; an image-catalog entry, not a narrative history.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-03
-
[5]DANFS, Aries III (PHM-5) - sister-ship service narrative; contains photo caption naming Hercules at UNITAS XXV; class spec block (verified live 2026-10-04) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Aries III (PHM-5) entry: spec block, 1984 UNITAS XXV photo caption, decommissioning/sale paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DANFS entry for sister ship Aries (PHM-5) carries a captioned U.S. Navy photograph naming this hull: 'The patrol combatant missile hydrofoils Hercules (PHM-2), front and Aries lie tied up on 15 June 1984 during the first phase of UNITAS XXV, the silver anniversary hemispheric naval exercise involving Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the United States. (Senior Chief Journalist Kirby Harrison, U.S. Navy Photograph DN-ST-90-01292).' The entry's class spec block reads: displacement 214 (full load); length 133'0"; beam 18'0"; draft 6'0", 23'3" (foils extended); speed 51 knots; complement 24; armament 1 76 millimeter, 8 Harpoon; class Pegasus. The Aries narrative documents the class operating pattern from Key West: Coast Guard-assisted counterdrug operations, UNITAS cycles, fleet exercises; Aries was decommissioned and struck 30 July 1993 and 'sold for scrap on 19 August 1996 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1984-06 (captioned event); 1982-1993 (class pattern)
- Population
- PHM-2 crew at UNITAS XXV, June 1984
- Limitations
- The DANFS entry documents Aries (PHM-5); its ship-specific content for Hercules is limited to the photo caption placing this hull at UNITAS XXV on 15 June 1984. Class spec block figures are class-level, not hull-surveyed values for PHM-2 (beam 18 ft in the spec block vs NVR 29 ft extreme beam reflects foil stowage conventions - see gaps). The class operating pattern describes shared squadron employment, not a per-hull log of Hercules.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-04
-
[6]George Jenkins, 'Patrol Combatant Missile (Hydrofoil) PHM History 1973-1993' (International Hydrofoil Society paper, presented 14 June 1995; epilogue dated 1 Nov 2000) - participant-authored program history; Jenkins was the OPNAV PHM program coordinator (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Jenkins PHM history PDF, pp. 1-3 (stop work, rebuild), p. 8 (contract award/delivery sequence), operations section (ISAR), pp. 12-16 (decommissioning/epilogue)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific program history for this hull: (1) the Navy issued a 'stop work' order on HERCULES (PHM 2) after Boeing manufacturing problems (aluminum welding, foil and propulsor cracking, gearbox design, outfit sequencing) drove program cost growth, and applied the saved funding to completing PEGASUS (PHM-1); (2) 'completion' of PHM-2 was funded by a FY1976 appropriation and 'was to be essentially a rebuild. Most of the material on hand from the prototype effort wound up as spares for PHM 1'; (3) the contract to complete PHM-2 and build PHM 3-6 was awarded to Boeing 20 October 1977, with delivery sequence PHM 3, 4, 5, 6, and 2 - Hercules delivered last; (4) 'An Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) installed in USS HERCULES proved to be a major factor in successful counter drug operations'; (5) decommissioning context - CINCLANTFLT retirement proposals (June 1992, January 1993), February 1993 FMS intent reversed in May 1993, six-ship transit to Little Creek and joint decommissioning ceremony 30 July 1993 with ADM H.H. Mauz keynote before ~400 guests; epilogue: hulls stripped of salvageable systems including electronics, turbines and diesel engines, sold as scrap to a Charleston, SC commercial enterprise.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1972-1993 (epilogue to 2000)
- Population
- Boeing construction trades (original hull 1970s; rebuild 1980-82); crew (1982-93)
- Limitations
- Participant-authored retrospective (OPNAV program coordinator), published by the International Hydrofoil Society - detailed and self-described as partisan to the program, but not an official record. Ship-specific statements corroborate NVR award/milestone dates where they overlap. No asbestos content; the 1980-82 rebuild note implies essentially complete re-construction under the post-1975 materials regime but does not state it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-05
-
[7]GAO, Opportunity to Reduce Cost of the Navy's Contract for Patrol Hydrofoil Missile Ships, PSAD-80-3 (Oct 18, 1979) - full text retrieved via gao.gov/assets PDF [gao]
- Locator
- PSAD-80-3 product page and full report PDF (6 pp.), contract-summary and computation sections
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed Navy contract N00024-77-C-2051, the fixed-price incentive contract awarded to Boeing Company of Seattle for 'production of five patrol combatant hydrofoil missile ships' - the contract under which this hull was completed (PHM-2 through PHM-6). Based on Boeing's February 1977 $161,261,584 cost proposal, the negotiated figures were target cost $158,558,000, target profit $19,442,000, target price $178,000,000, ceiling price $219,224,000. GAO found the contract price overstated by about $336,000 (subcontract ceiling vs target price used for Western Gear gearboxes) and about $624,000 in excess cost for spare items no longer required - total potential adjustment about $960,815; recommendations closed-implemented (price adjustment) and closed-not-implemented (guidance).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1977-1979
- Population
- Boeing production workforce under N00024-77-C-2051 (1977-82)
- Limitations
- Contract-level procurement audit, not a hull or materials record - it documents the production contract covering this hull's completion, not ship-specific construction content. Date wrinkle: GAO text says the contract 'was awarded in February 1977' while NVR and Jenkins give award date 20 October 1977 (the GAO sentence may reference proposal timing; discrepancy carried in gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979), Attachment 1: 'List of U.S. Navy Ships Delivered Since 1973 or Under Construction' (enclosure 1 to CNO letter Ser 4542/318054 of 5 Jan 1979) - full text retrieved via gao.gov/assets PDF (product page at gao.gov/products/hrd-80-2) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 full text, Attachment 1 table (PHM class row, Pegasus hull 1) and Note 1
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Navy's own January 1979 ship-by-ship insulation list records the PHM class - the row under class header 'PATROL, COMBATANT MISSILE (HYDROFOIL) - PHM' reads: 'PEGASUS | 1 | 2/73 | 6/77 | Asbestos-free thermal insulation. However, non-structural bulkheads constructed [of] Marinite which contains asbestos.' This is official Navy documentation (via GAO) that the PHM design carried asbestos-free thermal insulation but asbestos-containing Marinite non-structural bulkheads. Note 1 to the same list adds that 'in addition to the exceptions noted for specific ships, asbestos is also used in shipboard applications for which no suitable (asbestos-free) substitutes have as yet been designated, i.e., gaskets and pipe hanger liners.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979 (list date; class design as of that date)
- Population
- Boeing construction trades installing/handling bulkhead materials (class); crew living/working adjacent to non-structural bulkheads (class)
- Limitations
- Class-design documentation, not a hull survey: the table row names PEGASUS (PHM-1) - the only PHM delivered at list date (January 1979) - under the PHM class header. PHM-2's keel was not laid until September 1980; that her as-built materials matched the documented class design is inference, not a ship-specific finding. 'Thermal insulation' is defined (Note 1) as machinery/equipment/piping insulation and excludes the residual applications named (gaskets, pipe hanger liners). Establishes class materials; does not establish quantity, condition, crew exposure, or present-day presence on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-07
-
[9]GAO HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) narrative sections: Navy asbestos policy timeline and fleet-wide residual applications - full text retrieved via gao.gov/assets PDF [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 full text, 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' narrative
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Era documentation spanning this hull's design and construction: the Navy's policy to eliminate asbestos where suitable alternates were designated issued October 1975; thermal-insulation product specifications were changed in 1973 to specify asbestos-free materials, but already-purchased asbestos materials continued to be installed, so 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978'; per the Navy, 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' while 'most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation.' This hull (keel September 1980, delivered September 1982) sits after the May 1978 insulation-substitution window and inside the residual-applications era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1973-1979 (policy window described)
- Population
- Navy shipbuilding/repair workforce, era-wide
- Limitations
- Program-level narrative; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The 'little or no asbestos as thermal insulation' statement is the Navy's characterization to GAO for new construction generally - consistent with, but not proof of, this hull's materials (the PHM class row in ev-07 is the design-level record).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-08
-
[10]GAO, Survey of the Navy's Proposed Patrol Hydrofoil Missile Ship Procurement Program, B-160877 (Apr 12, 1972) - product page verified live; full PDF (b-160877.pdf) available [gao]
- Locator
- GAO B-160877 product page and full report PDF (5 pp.)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's April 1972 survey of the proposed PHM procurement program documents the program environment in which this hull's original (1972) lead-ship contract was placed: the PHM program was carried in the Navy's annual budget requests and DOD Five-Year Defense Plan, with Naval Ship Systems Command (NAVSHIPS) proceeding on design/development toward a planned class far larger than the six ultimately built.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1972
- Limitations
- Program-level survey predating this hull's production contract and construction; documents the acquisition program, not ship-specific content. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-09
-
[11]United States v. Bush, 794 F. Supp. 40 (D.P.R. Apr 28, 1992) - CourtListener opinion 1477215 [court_record]
- Locator
- 794 F. Supp. 40, background and Fourth Amendment/international-law sections
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal district-court opinion naming this hull: defendants charged with marijuana importation alleged 'that the U.S. Navy warship, the USS HERCULES, intentionally and without prior warning rammed the Venezuelan vessel, ARPON' during a high-seas interdiction; the government asserted ARPON rammed HERCULES, with footage recorded by U.S. Customs. The court found it unnecessary to decide whether HERCULES rammed ARPON and denied suppression of the seized marijuana. The record documents PHM-2 performing the counterdrug interdiction mission described in the program sources (PHM Squadron 2, Caribbean operating area, Coast Guard/Customs cooperation). This is NOT asbestos litigation - it is a criminal-procedure ruling on a Fourth Amendment suppression motion in which the vessel appears as the interdicting ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1991-1992
- Population
- PHM-2 crew and embarked law-enforcement personnel, interdiction of ARPON (1991)
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage note: a district-court ruling on a suppression motion; the ramming allegation was expressly left undecided ('we can resolve the ultimate legal issues here without... deciding whether HERCULES in fact attacked ARPON'). Documents vessel operations only - no asbestos, exposure, or materials content. Ship attribution is solid: USS HERCULES was the only commissioned U.S. Navy ship of that name in 1991-92, and the described mission matches PHM-2's documented counterdrug role.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-10
-
[12]Batch-8646 search ledger (this record): NVR (archived detail page); NavSource; NHHC image catalog and DANFS Aries entry; Jenkins PHM history (foils.org/IHS); GAO HRD-80-2 and PSAD-80-3 and B-160877 full text; CourtListener base queries (authenticated API v4); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hercules-phm2-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, material list, hazmat disclosure, or asbestos litigation naming USS Hercules (PHM-2) was found in the public sources searched. All four CourtListener base queries ran and were classified: 'USS Hercules' opinion returned 14 hits - one qualifying vessel-appearance (United States v. Bush, counterdrug interdiction, not asbestos) and 13 name collisions/unrelated matters; 'USS Hercules' docket returned 317 hits (20-hit page: 5 asbestos suits matching a 'Hercules' corporate defendant only, 15 name collisions, 0 qualifying); 'PHM-2' opinion returned 115 hits and 'PHM-2' docket 2,211 hits - returned pages all acronym collisions, 0 vessel-related. Asbestos-qualified variants closed each overflowing base: 'USS Hercules' asbestos docket count 0; 'PHM-2' asbestos opinion count 0; 'PHM-2' asbestos docket count 1 (Austin v. Lamb, N.D. Fla. 2025 - education civil-rights docket, exhibit-string match, name collision). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull exists in CourtListener. The only 'asbestos aboard' style material surfaced is law-firm marketing content listing this hull by name among Navy ships (e.g., freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships page) - excluded by source policy. The 1979 CNO/GAO insulation list (ev-07) is the only asbestos-relevant official documentation and it is class-level.
- 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 class-design documentation (Marinite bulkheads) points the other way. Deck logs (1982-93), Boeing construction work packages, and the DRMS 1996 scrapping-sale contract file are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-11
-
[13]NARA still-photography holdings for this hull, identifiers transcribed in NavSource captions (DN-SN-82-07121 launch photo; National Archives photo identifiers 6467183, 6418132, 6418303, 6397308, 6455541); NARA catalog not machine-fetchable this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/1602.htm photo caption table (NARA identifiers); catalog.archives.gov unfetchable
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads: NARA holds the Defense Visual Information / still-photo series covering this hull - including launch ceremony photography at Boeing's Renton facility (DN-SN-82-07121, 13 Apr 1982) and Gulf of Mexico / Key West operations photography (identifiers 6467183 dated 14 Dec 1990; 6418132 dated 1 Mar 1986 Key West; 6418303 dated 21 Jun 1987; 6397308 dated 23 Sep 1984 near Vieques; 6455541 dated 1 Nov 1989 drug-interdiction operations). Ship deck logs for the 1982-1993 commissioned period are held at NARA/Navy custody per RG 24 practice; not digitized publicly.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1982-1991
- Population
- Crew photographed, 1982-1991
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photo identifiers and dates are transcribed from NavSource captions, not verified in the NARA catalog (catalog.archives.gov is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session). Photographs document presence and operations; they are not materials or work records. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-12
-
[14]navysite.de USS Hercules (PHM-2) page - secondary compilation drawing on the ship's decommissioning program (verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navysite.de/pboats/phm2.htm history section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary-source claims about this hull awaiting primary verification: construction suspended 'roughly 40 percent complete' (consistent with the Jenkins stop-work/rebuild account); 'entered commissioned service on January 15, 1983' (vs NVR commission date 18 Dec 1982 - see gaps); described at decommissioning as the last PHM built by Boeing, incorporating 'additional modifications and improvements'; credited as first of class to conduct a live Harpoon firing and first to conduct foilborne naval gunfire support (UNITAS XXV); Operation Ocean Venture 84 plane-guard duty for USS America (CV-66); 12 drug seizures (more than any other U.S. surface ship per the page); Battle 'E' awards 1988 and 1992; 56 Cuban refugees rescued July 1992 - March 1993; post-decommissioning lay-up on the James River, VA; sold for scrapping 2 August 1996 (matches NVR status-change date).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1980-1996
- Population
- crew (claimed events 1983-1993)
- Limitations
- Unverified secondary compilation - the page's history section appears derived from the ship's decommissioning ceremony program, which is itself not digitized. Claims are carried as leads only; each needs a primary source before use. The 'commissioned service January 15, 1983' date coincides with the first commanding officer's documented tour start (15 Jan 1983, NavSource CO table) and conflicts with NVR/NavSource commission date.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hercules-phm2-13