Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]DANFS, Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) (verbatim transcription via hazegray.org capture on Wayback Machine; live NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture 2022-09-10 of hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/as16.htm (DANFS vol. III entry, full text)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16), originally Neptune but renamed before launching, was launched by Mare Island Navy Yard, Mare Island, Calif., 16 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. H. W. Gilmore, widow of Commander Gilmore; commissioned 24 May 1944, Captain D. N. Cone in command. DANFS documents: shakedown San Diego; Majuro Atoll from 19 September 1944 performing voyage repairs and replenishment on submarines plus crew/repairman training; Pearl Harbor 29 January 1945; Brisbane 23 February; Subic Bay from 13 March 1945 refitting 7th Fleet submarines; New York 17 October 1945 for the Navy Day review; Key West homeport from 25 January 1946 serving Submarine Squadron 4 for ~13 years; Charleston from 30 July 1959; Charleston Naval Shipyard FRAM overhaul beginning November 1961 adding facilities for servicing nuclear submarines; round-the-clock servicing of two submarine squadrons during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis; continued Charleston tender duty through 1967.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1967 narrative
- Population
- Mare Island Navy Yard construction trades (1942-44); ship's company (~1,303); submarine crews and relief crews refitted alongside; Charleston Naval Shipyard workers (1961-62 FRAM)
- Limitations
- DANFS entry narrative ends circa 1967-1968 (Volume III publication era) and does not cover 1970 Key West return, 1973-1980 La Maddalena homeporting, or 1980 decommissioning - those milestones rest on secondary/registry sources (see ev-05, ev-07). Entry contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-26; hazegray.org unresolvable (DNS failure) the same day - the 2022-09-10 Wayback capture of the verbatim transcription is cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-01
-
[2]HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' submarine-tender class table (Fulton class) + uboat.net Fulton-class technical block (class data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio HyperWar ships-as.html Fulton-class block; uboat.net/allies/warships/class/426.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Fulton-class characteristics as published: diesel-electric engines, twin screws, 12,000 hp, 18 knots; displacement 9,250 tons (HyperWar block lists 15,034 tons full load); length 529 ft 6 in; beam 73 ft 4 in; four 5-inch guns; complement 1,303. Seven ships of the class: Fulton (AS-11), Sperry (AS-12), Bushnell (AS-15), Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16), Nereus (AS-17), Orion (AS-18), Proteus (AS-19).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1945 (class data)
- Limitations
- Class-level data applied to this hull; per-ship engine fit not separately documented by a primary source. Diesel-electric plant means no boiler-turbine steam-plant lagging inference applies. No asbestos content in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-02
-
[3]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this vessel was constructed at Mare Island Navy Yard (1942-44) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-03
-
[4]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 the Navy's asbestos-protection program for shipyard insulation workers, including the Navy's 1975/1979 insulation-removal and control policies - the program under which naval shipyards handling this vessel's class (e.g., the 1961-62 Charleston Naval Shipyard FRAM overhaul) operated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard insulation workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; GAO fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, not Mare Island or Charleston in this vessel's documented yard periods. Does not establish what was removed or retained on this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description, same limitation as Batch-01 records.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-04
-
[5]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) - registry milestone compilation (corroborated on stricken/decommissioning dates by uboat.net ship page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 3616.htm milestone block + captioned Hampton Roads transit photo (30 Mar 2006); uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/8056.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled registry milestones and photo documentation: keel-laying ceremony for Neptune held at Mare Island Navy Yard 21 December 1942 (Navy photo caption, Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum collection, photo AS16 8024-42 / 8047-42); wartime refit events documented against patrol reports include USS Icefish (SS-367) at Majuro (November 1944) and USS Jallao (SS-368) refit completed 25 December 1944 (uboat.net ship page); decommissioned 30 September 1980; laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Register 1 December 1980; title transferred to MARAD 1 May 1999 and berthed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, VA; sold for scrapping 10 February 2006 to Bay Bridge Enterprises, Chesapeake, VA; scrapping completed 15 April 2007. NavSource's captioned photo documents the ex-ship under tow through Hampton Roads 30 March 2006 en route to the breakers. Secondary histories (navysite.de, hullnumber.com, NavSource timeline) describe the 1970 relief of USS Bushnell (AS-15) at Key West and the 1973-1980 homeport at Santo Stefano/La Maddalena, Sardinia.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1970-2007
- Population
- Atlantic Reserve Fleet / NDRF custody personnel (1980-2006); Bay Bridge Enterprises scrapping workers (2006-07)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of NVR/registry data, not a primary registry page - NVR online detail pages do not carry this hull (disposed ships pre-1987 coverage is incomplete; SHIPSDETAIL_AS_16 returned no vessel data on 2026-09-26). Internal inconsistency: NavSource's milestone list says 'Removed from the Reserve Fleet, 20 November 2006' while its own captioned photo and the MARAD announcement document physical departure in late March 2006 - the November date is carried as a discrepancy in gaps, not asserted. Post-1967 career narrative (Key West 1970, La Maddalena 1973-80) is secondary-sourced; the La Maddalena reassignment is independently documented at announcement stage by USNI Proceedings (ev-07).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-05
-
[6]U.S. Maritime Administration announcement (Washington, 22 March 2006), 'More Ships to Leave James River Fleet' - verbatim text preserved in SeaWaves Naval News mirror, Library and Archives Canada electronic collection [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- SeaWaves Naval News issue 06-04-25, 'More Ships to Leave James River Fleet' item (LAC e-collection mirror); AP item via marinelink.com/news/uss-howard-w-gilmore-to-be-scrapped309718
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD announced the Howard W. Gilmore was scheduled to leave the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis on Thursday 23 March 2006, making it the 50th ship to leave the river for disposal since January 1, 2001, and described it as one of the last WWII-vintage ships still in the fleet. MARAD stated it arranges 'responsible disposal' of ships no longer useful for defense or aid missions; the vessel was sold to a disposal facility (Bay Bridge Enterprises, Chesapeake, per registry data and AP coverage).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2006
- Population
- Bay Bridge Enterprises scrapping workforce (2006-07); NDRF custody staff
- Limitations
- Official announcement of the disposal event, cited via verbatim mirror (original marad.dot.gov release not located). Documents the disposal decision and timing; contains no asbestos, hazmat, or materials-survey statement about this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-06
-
[7]U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 'Naval and Maritime Events, July 1972 - December 1972' (May 1973 issue), entry for 15 September [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Proceedings May 1973, 'Naval and Maritime Events' entry 15 September
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USNI Proceedings records that on 15 September [1972] 'The Navy announced plans to use the Italian island of La Maddalena as homeport for elements of the U.S. Sixth Fleet,' with an agreement to reassign the submarine tender USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) from Key West to La Maddalena 'in the final stages of completion' between the United States and Italy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1972 announcement; service 1973-1980
- Population
- Ship's company (~1,300) and Sixth Fleet submarine crews supported
- Limitations
- Documents the announced reassignment decision (September 1972), not the completed move; actual 1973-1980 Santo Stefano/La Maddalena service is carried from secondary registry sources (ev-05). Page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch on 2026-09-26; content verified via search-index snippet of the Proceedings text. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-07
-
[8]OSHA, National Emphasis Program on Shipbreaking, CPL 02-00-136 (interagency MOA among OSHA, DOD/Navy, MARAD, and EPA for inspections of Navy and MARAD shipbreaking operations) [other_primary]
- Locator
- OSHA directive CPL 02-00-136, facility list; directive page via osha.gov mirror (osha.prod.pace.dol.gov)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- OSHA's shipbreaking National Emphasis Program documents that Navy and MARAD ship-disposal operations of the era handled vessels containing asbestos and other hazardous materials, and lists Bay Bridge Enterprises LLC, 4300 Buell Road, Chesapeake, VA - the facility that scrapped this hull in 2006-07 - among covered shipbreaking facilities subject to programmed inspections.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2005-era directive; disposal 2006-2007
- Population
- Shipbreaking workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Facility- and program-level regulatory documentation; establishes that shipbreaking of MARAD/Navy hulls was a recognized asbestos-hazard operation and that this scrapping facility was under the emphasis program. Does not document asbestos content of this specific hull, exposure of any worker, or violations on this hull's dismantling.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-08
-
[9]Batch-2704 search ledger (this record): DANFS verbatim transcription; MARAD announcement; NavSource/uboat registry data; USNI Proceedings; OSHA NEP; CourtListener name/hull searches; NARA catalog check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-01 through sl-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or government materials statement naming the Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 Navy auxiliary of this era is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and her documented submarine-refit mission placed crews alongside asbestos-era machinery. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-09
-
[10]NARA National Archives Catalog: Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) deck log, December 1970 (NAID 182044951), series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1988' (RG 24), Blue Water Navy / VA digitization batch 0010 [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/182044951; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online; RG 181 finding aids (Mare Island records, NARA San Bruno)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Deck logs for this vessel are partially digitized in the National Archives Catalog (Vietnam-era years via the VA Blue Water Navy project; e.g., December 1970 log NAID 182044951, 91 MB PDF). Other years' logs are textual records at Archives II, College Park. Construction/outfitting records for the 1942-44 build fall under RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - Mare Island Navy Yard series, NARA San Bruno); Charleston Naval Shipyard FRAM work-package records (RG 181) could document the 1961-62 overhaul's insulation scope. None of these were retrieved for this batch.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1942-1988 records
- Limitations
- Record-location mapping only - deck-log content was not reviewed page by page and no construction/outfitting specification was pulled; existence of asbestos-specific statements in these records is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-howard-w-gilmore-as16-10