Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Kingfish (SS-234) - Portsmouth construction; twelve war patrols incl. Borneo agent landing and mine-planting missions; Mare Island rebuild after near-fatal depth charging (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 2 March 1942 by Portsmouth Navy Yard (sponsor Mrs. Harry A. Stuart, wife of Rear Admiral Stuart); commissioned 20 May 1942, Lt. Comdr. V. L. Lawrence in command. Twelve war patrols - Japan coast, South China Sea, Babuyan Channel/Manila, and Bonins; special missions included planting mines on enemy shipping lanes and landing an Allied party with equipment on the northeast coast of Borneo (fifth patrol). On 23 March 1943 a depth-charge attack so severe that secret codes and material were burned in preparation to abandon ship; the last charges bashed in her main induction piping, and the escaping air bubble apparently led the enemy to believe she had sunk. She reached Pearl Harbor 9 April and proceeded to Mare Island Navy Yard, 'where entire sections were rebuilt and installed' - a documented major hull reconstruction event. A second Mare Island overhaul followed her eighth patrol (summer 1944). She completed her 12th and last patrol arriving at Midway two hours before the war ended. Decommissioned and placed in reserve 9 March 1946; in service in reserve as a pierside training ship at Providence, R.I. from 6 October 1947 to 1 March 1960; struck 1 March 1960; sold to Albert Heller 6 October 1960 and scrapped. Nine battle stars; 14 ships, 48,866 tons.
- 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-kingfish-ss234-01
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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/08/08234.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-kingfish-ss234-02
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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-kingfish-ss234-03
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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 Kingfish" and "SS-234". The fallback sweep surfaced only general Navy 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-kingfish-ss234-04
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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 went through reserve-fleet custody and was sold for scrap in the pre-OSHA/pre-NEPA era; no hazmat or material-condition documentation of any kind was located for the scrapping or reserve periods.
- 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-kingfish-ss234-05
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[6]DANFS Kingfish closing narrative + NavSource disposition line - Providence pierside training, scrapping sale; Mare Island rebuild documented [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Postwar custody and terminal disposition for this hull: decommissioned and placed in reserve 9 March 1946; in service in reserve as a pierside training ship at Providence, R.I. from 6 October 1947 to 1 March 1960; struck 1 March 1960; sold to Albert Heller 6 October 1960 and scrapped. Separately, DANFS documents a major mid-war material event aboard this hull: after the 23 March 1943 depth-charge damage she proceeded to Mare Island Navy Yard 'where entire sections were rebuilt and installed' - the deepest wartime construction disturbance in this batch's records, plus a second Mare Island overhaul in summer 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Documents custody/disposition and the rebuild event only; neither source characterizes materials disturbed or installed - asbestos scope of the Mare Island reconstruction is inference, not record. No hazmat documentation located for any period.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kingfish-ss234-06
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[7]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 Navy asbestos-management regime for the period covering this hull's postwar custody (pierside-training custody 1947-1960): GAO found the Navy's standing policy (1975) removed asbestos insulation only when damaged or required for repairs, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning original-era insulation typically remained in place for decades unless a yard period disturbed it.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation, not hull-specific; supports era context only. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description. Does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-kingfish-ss234-07