Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Herring (SS-233) - Portsmouth construction; Operation Torch duty; eight war patrols; sunk by shore battery off Matsuwa Island, Kuriles, 1 June 1944 (verbatim transcription via Wayback capture of hazegray; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: launched 15 January 1942 by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (sponsor Mrs. Ray Spear, wife of Rear Admiral Ray Spear); commissioned 4 May 1942, Lt. Comdr. Raymond W. Johnson in command. One of five submarines sent to the Mediterranean for Operation Torch - sank the 5,700-ton cargo ship Ville du Havre off Casablanca on invasion morning, 8 November 1942; later sank the German submarine U-163 on 21 March 1943. Transferred to the Pacific August 1943; on her eighth and last patrol she rendezvoused with Barb off the Kuriles 31 May 1944 and was never heard from again. Japanese records show she sank Ishigaki and Hokuyo Maru on the night of 30-31 May, and that two more ships (Hiburi Maru, Iwaki Maru) were sunk at anchor in Matsuwa Island the morning of 1 June 1944; in the counter-attack enemy shore batteries scored two direct hits on her conning tower - 'bubbles covered an area about 5 meters wide, and heavy oil covered an area of approximately 15 miles.' Four ships for 13,202 tons on her last patrol; six marus totaling 19,959 tons plus an Axis cargo ship and a U-boat overall. Five battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herring-ss233-01
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[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, header 'as built' spec block and disposition line for this hull; corroborated by DANFS spec block (diesel-electric) and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 submarine machinery tables (via shipscribe.com, per Gato class profile) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header spec block for this hull (https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08233.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery fit for this hull per NavSource 'as built' spec block: diesel electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines (5,400 hp), four Elliot Motor Co. electric motors (2,740 hp), two 126-cell main storage batteries, twin screws. NO BOILERS and no steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery profile differs materially from steam classes (no boiler/furnace insulation, no steam-line lagging run-outs; exposure-relevant systems are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets/packing, hull thermal/acoustic insulation, and auxiliary equipment).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- The NavSource spec block is a class-standard spec sheet, not a per-hull machinery survey - actual installed equipment is presumed class-typical and unverified for this specific hull. No hull-specific machinery or material list was located. Establishes propulsion type only, not fiber content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herring-ss233-02
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[3]Gato class profile ev-gato-class-07 (era/design inference for diesel-electric fleet boats) built on 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: 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.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herring-ss233-03
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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: CourtListener API queries were already throttled at the daily cap (HTTP 429, 125/day - quota exhausted by prior same-day batch work, expected available in ~3.7 hours), so the sweep ran on the site:courtlistener.com index fallback for "USS Herring" and "SS-233". The fallback sweep surfaced only general Navy/submarine asbestos litigation - nothing naming this hull. 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 meant docket-text and opinion 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-herring-ss233-04
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[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC (via hazegray/losthistory transcription and Wayback captures), NavSource, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps [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 was lost to enemy action during WWII - no postwar material record is possible and none exists in located sources.
- 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-herring-ss233-05
-
[6]DANFS Herring closing narrative + NavSource disposition/wreck-confirmation note - shore-battery loss off Matsuwa Island; wreck identified 2017-2022 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- War-loss terminal event for this hull: sunk by Japanese shore-battery hits on the conning tower off Matsuwa Island, Kuriles, morning of 1 June 1944, all hands lost. NavSource reports the U.S. Navy officially confirmed identification of the wreck: the Russian Navy reported discovery off Matua Island in Russian territorial waters in 2017 (passed to the U.S. delegation at the 21st Plenum of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on POW/MIAs in 2018), and a detailed survey was conducted by the Russian Navy and Russian Geographical Society in 2022. A combat loss ends any material-condition inquiry at 1944 - no postwar abatement, scrapping, or disposal record exists for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Documents the terminal event and wreck identification only; wreck-site material condition is undocumented. Strike date not recorded in located sources (NavSource 'date unknown').
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-herring-ss233-06