Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 1011-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH (commissioning identity rule; RE-SCOPE signal)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-hydrographer-py30-pkt-1011-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'Hydrographer II (PY-30)' (NHHC, published 2015) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Full naval-service chronology: operated for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey along the Atlantic coast and Caribbean; acquired by the Navy April 1942; converted by Choctaw Boat Works, Alabama; commissioned at Mobile 20 May 1942 with Comdr. W. M. Scaife, USC&GS, in command; Argentia/Newfoundland charting 1942; Norfolk Navy Yard alterations from 7 November 1942; Aleutians surveys and Attu/Massacre Bay, Shemya, and Kiska work 1943; Gilberts/Marshalls (Abemama, Makin, Kwajalein, Roi) December 1943 - May 1944; Guam/Apra Harbor surveys under sniper fire from 3 August 1944; Palaus (Kossel Passage, October 1944) surveys; 9-10 February 1945 destruction of two swimmers with an explosive raft; post-surrender surveys at Eniwetok, Wake, Kwajalein; decommissioned Norfolk 1 July 1946 and simultaneously returned to the Coast and Geodetic Survey; three battle stars for WWII service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Crew (USC&GS-officered Navy crew), 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Verified live 2026-10-04. The DANFS body text prints 'commissioned as AGS-42' - a typographical error; the correct designation is AGS-2 (see correction row ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-09). DANFS 'built in 1928' conflicts with NOAA's 1930/1931 record (see ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-04). Vessel-history facts only - contains no asbestos information; does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-01
-
[3]U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 'History of U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey During World War II' (1946), HYDROGRAPHER section - NOAA Central Library historic documents [other_primary]
- Locator
- CGS_WWII_history_1946.pdf, 'HYDROGRAPHER' narrative section and ship-transfer table (full text extracted via pdftotext)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The C&GS's own 1946 wartime history documents: 'steel vessel, 165 feet long, built for the Coast and Geodetic Survey for charting in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico'; Gulf of Mexico hydrographic surveys Sept 1939 - Nov 1940 (Pensacola); Nov 1940 - Mar 1941 naval-base-site surveys at Mayaguana, BWI, and Kingston, Jamaica (with C&GS Gilbert); Feb-Mar 1942 speed-trial course and Pensacola triangulation for the Navy; transfer to the Navy 'by Executive order of 28 March 1942' with four commissioned C&GS officers (the volume's ship table prints the EO date as 3/16/42); armed and fitted with submarine signaling devices at Mobile April 1942; commissioned into the Navy May 1942; seven months in the Aleutians (Atka, Adak, Kanaga Pass, Attu, Shemya, Kiska Harbor); ship citation and Legion of Merit for the commanding officer for the Attu surveys; assignment to Commander Service Force, Service Squadron TWO; Kwajalein-area coral-head blasting and buoy work; Apra Harbor surveys under sniper fire; October 1944 typhoon; Japanese floating-mine attempt destroyed by the ship's watch; San Francisco overhaul, San Pedro/San Diego shakedown, and Naval Dry Docks Terminal Island yard work completed August 1945; post-surrender Eniwetok/Wake/Kwajalein surveys; Norfolk arrival March 1946 and return to the C&GS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1939-1946
- Population
- USC&GS ship's complement and Navy crew, 1939-1946
- Limitations
- Agency's own wartime history - ship-specific and detailed, primary-tier. Internal date inconsistencies noted (EO 3/16/42 in table vs 28 March 1942 in narrative; 'May 1943' printed for a 1944 Kwajalein overhaul - see gaps). Contains no asbestos information; does not establish exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-02
-
[4]NOAA Central Library, Coast & Geodetic Survey Ships - HYDROGRAPHER (archived copy; live page returns HTTP 403) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wayback capture, HYDROGRAPHER entry block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NOAA's C&GS ship history states: 'The HYDROGRAPHER was the second oil burning steamer built for the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Built in 1930 at Spear Engineering and Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia. In service 1931 -1967, primarily Atlantic service. Transferred to Navy 1942-1946 and designated AGS 2' - with Massacre Bay (Attu) and Guam surveys noted; postwar career mostly Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Dimensions given as length 164.9 ft, beam 31.5 ft, draft 14.3 ft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1930-1967
- Population
- C&GS crew, 1931-1967
- Limitations
- ARCHIVED copy (Wayback capture 2010-05-27) - the live history.noaa.gov page returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-04); cited per batch citation-hygiene rule. Build year (1930) and builder name ('Spear Engineering and Navy Yard') conflict with DANFS/NavSource (1928, 'Spear Engine Works'); 'oil burning steamer' conflicts with NavSource's diesel-electric spec; draft 14.3 ft conflicts with DANFS 11'6" - all flagged in gaps. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-03
-
[5]Annual Report of the Director, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, FY1931 - NOAA Central Library historic documents [other_primary]
- Locator
- CGS_annual-report_1931.pdf, fleet paragraph naming 'the new HYDROGRAPHER' (full text extracted via pdftotext)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The FY1931 annual report states the Atlantic-coast fleet included 'the new HYDROGRAPHER, commissioned in March, 1931' - contemporaneous primary documentation that the ship entered C&GS service in March 1931, consistent with NOAA's 1930 build date, the 1931-inscribed ship's bell, and a May 1931 builder's-trials photograph; inconsistent with the 'built in 1928' carried by DANFS/NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1930-1931
- Limitations
- Correction on construction/in-service dating, not on the existence of the vessel. 'Built 1928' vs 'built 1930, commissioned March 1931' may reflect construction-start vs completion - the sources reviewed do not reconcile it; DANFS date flagged, not asserted as wrong. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-04
-
[6]NavSource Online, Patrol Yacht Photo Archive - USC&GS Hydrographer (MSS 19) ex-USS Hydrographer (AGS 2) ex-Hydrographer (PY 30) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page body (specs, CO roster, battle-star operations) + photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource consolidates the designation chain and service data: classified Patrol Yacht PY-30; operated by the C&GS as a survey ship; acquired by the Navy 4 April 1942; commissioned USS Hydrographer (AGS 2) 20 May 1942 at Mobile, AL; three battle stars named by operation (Land Crab/Attu 11-30 May 1943, Cottage/Kiska 15 August 1943, Forager/Marianas-Palau Sep-Nov 1944); decommissioned 1 July 1946 at Norfolk and returned to the C&GS; reclassified Medium Survey Ship MSS-19; decommissioned 1967; fate unknown. Specifications: 1,044 t., 164'11" x 31'6" x 11'6", 10 kts., complement 92, two 3"/50 dual-purpose mounts + two twin 20mm + one 40mm, one 650-shp diesel-electric drive engine/one shaft. Commanding officers: CDR William M. Scaife, USC&GS (20 May 1942 - 31 January 1945; Legion of Merit and Bronze Star 1943) and CDR William M. Gibson, USC&GS (31 January 1945 - 1 July 1946). Includes NARA photo 80-G-79639 (Kodiak, 8 March 1943) and NHHC NH 82199.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1928/1930-1967
- Population
- USC&GS and Navy crews, 1931-1967
- Limitations
- Verified live 2026-10-04 on navsource.net (navsource.org is dead). Volunteer-maintained archive, not an official record - specifications and dates cross-check well against DANFS but the diesel-electric spec conflicts with NOAA's 'oil burning steamer' description (see gaps). Complement 92 is NavSource-only - DANFS leaves it blank. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-05
-
[7]NOAA Heritage, 'Friday Find: The Hydrographer's bell' (Oct 20, 2023); NOAA Coast Survey, 'USS Hydrographer in World War 2' (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov) [other_primary]
- Locator
- noaa.gov heritage story; nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/uss-hydrographer-in-world-war-2/ (both live)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NOAA Heritage documents the ship's bell inscribed 'COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY, HYDROGRAPHER, 1931' and states the bell 'traveled with the Hydrographer from its launch in 1931 to its decommissioning in 1967'; a NARA-credited photograph shows the ship on builder's trials May 1931. Post-war service was mainly in the Gulf of Mexico; she survived Hurricane Florence in 1953 despite storm damage; at retirement she had covered more than a quarter-million nautical miles and surveyed more than 60,000 square nautical miles. The NOAA Coast Survey article dates the Navy transfer 15 April 1942 and records the Attu/Massacre Bay surveys, Shemya transport support, 13 August 1943 Kiska survey, Guam surveying under fire, the CO's Legion of Merit (May 1943) and Bronze Star, and postwar Atlantic/Gulf-coast survey work to 1967.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1931-1967
- Population
- C&GS crew, 1946-1967
- Limitations
- Official NOAA public-history features - verified live 2026-10-04. NOAA's own pages disagree with each other on the year (built 1930 vs bell/launch 1931) and with NavSource/DANFS on the transfer date (15 April 1942 vs 4 April 1942) - all variants in gaps. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-06
-
[8]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 under which this 1930-31 federal vessel was armed and converted for Navy service (Mobile, Choctaw Boat Works) and altered at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1942.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard conversion/alteration workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of WWII shipbuilding asbestos use 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. DOI resolves to the Wiley article record (2026-10-04); publisher full text not retrievable by automated fetch - use is at abstract level for the era claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-07
-
[9]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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's 1942-46 Navy service and her 1942 conversion/alteration work.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- 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 on both product page and PDF, confirmed 2026-10-04) - content via product-page description, same standing defect as BATCH-01/BATCH-98.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-08
-
[10]NHHC photo catalog NH 82200 (image caption) + DANFS body text [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS paragraph 3 ('AGS-42' typo); NH 82200 catalog page caption
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- DANFS body text prints 'commissioned as AGS-42 at Mobile 20 May 1942' - a typographical error. The designation was AGS-2: NHHC's own photo caption (NH 82200) reads 'USS HYDROGRAPHER (AGS-2)', NavSource specifications and timeline carry AGS 2, and the C&GS wartime history designates her AGS-2 throughout. There is no AGS-42 associated with this vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1942
- Limitations
- Correction to a printed designation in the primary source; all corroborating sources agree on AGS-2. Both NHHC pages verified live 2026-10-04. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-09
-
[11]Batch-8667 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC live pages; NOAA C&GS 1946 wartime history and FY1931 annual report (NOAA Central Library); NOAA archived ship page and heritage features; NavSource; CourtListener opinion+docket searches; secondary web litigation sweep; NARA RG 23 guide [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-hydrographer-py30-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, scrapping/abatement record, or litigation naming USS Hydrographer (AGS-2/PY-30) or USC&GS Hydrographer (MSS-19) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener 'Hydrographer' opinion and docket queries returned 35 and 18 hits respectively - all inspected results are name collisions on 'hydrographer' as an occupation in water-rights/environmental litigation or unrelated marine contract disputes; no qualifying asbestos case and no case naming the vessel. CAVEAT: the two hull-number CourtListener queries ('AGS-2' opinion and docket) could not be run - the fleet-wide pace budget refused continuously for ~1 hour; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as negative results. The only 'asbestos aboard' web material is law-firm marketing listicle content asserting generic asbestos presence without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - a 1930-31 federal vessel converted and altered at WWII-era yards is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials - and the hull-number litigation sweep is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Open leads: undigitized deck logs (RG 24), C&GS/NOAA ship records (RG 23), Mobile/Norfolk yard work orders, and any post-1967 disposal contract. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-hydrographer-py30-10