Evidence
5 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-5).
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[1]DANFS vol. IV, Lancetfish (SS-296) entry - Cramp construction, Boston Navy Yard completion, sinking at Pier 8 (Internet Archive scan of the official DANFS volume; live NHHC page returned 404; losthistory mirror returned an error page for this hull) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS vol. IV (L-M), Lancetfish entry and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull (printed DANFS vol. IV): laid down 15 December 1942 by Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia; launched 15 August 1943 (sponsor Miss Beatrice P. Barker); towed to Boston Navy Yard 19 May 1944 for completion; commissioned 12 February 1945, Comdr. Ellis B. Orr. While tied up alongside Pier 8 she flooded through her after torpedo tube and sank 15 March 1945; raised 8 days later and decommissioned 24 March. Assigned to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in uncompleted condition; transferred to the 1st Naval District 27 February 1947; assigned to the New London Group 9 December 1952; struck from the Naval Register 9 June 1958. NOTE: the printed spec block for this entry misprints the hull number as 'SS-290' - the text and title confirm SS-296.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1958
- Population
- Cramp construction trades (1942-43); Boston Navy Yard completion/salvage trades (1944-45); skeleton crew (Feb-Mar 1945)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Live NHHC page returned 404 - Internet Archive scan of the official printed volume used (verbatim DANFS text). Printed spec-block hull-number misprint (SS-290 for SS-296) documented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lancetfish-ss296-01
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[2]NavSource Submarine Photo Index, USS Lancetfish (SS-296) - laid-down variant, Pier 8 sinking, salvage, strike and disposal (secondary compilation; Wayback capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/08/08296.htm via Wayback - milestone block and salvage photos
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-DANFS disposition (NavSource): laid down 30 September 1942 at Cramp Shipbuilding Co. (conflicts with DANFS 15 December 1942 - DANFS carried; flagged); commissioned 12 February 1945 at Boston Navy Yard; sank alongside Pier 8 East 15 March 1945; raised 23 March (salvage operation photographed) and decommissioned 24 March; Atlantic Reserve Fleet, New London Group; struck 9 June 1958; sold for scrapping 20 August 1959 to Yale Waste Co., Boston, MA, for $57,189.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1959
- Population
- Boston Navy Yard completion and salvage trades (1944-45)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record - used for post-DANFS disposition and the laid-down conflict flag. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lancetfish-ss296-02
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[3]Era inference anchored to DANFS-documented construction and yard periods for this hull; Balao-class diesel-electric machinery per NavSource specification block and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 (class profile ev-balao-class-02) [other_primary]
- Locator
- construction-era inference from DANFS dates, NavSource spec block, documented yard periods
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference: a diesel-electric fleet submarine built 1942-43 at Cramp Shipbuilding with completion at Boston Navy Yard (1944-45) in the peak asbestos era would era-typically have carried asbestos-containing exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, and thermal/acoustic insulation around machinery and galley/refrigeration equipment. Balao-class boats had NO boilers or steam plant - the diesel-electric plant narrows the steam-era asbestos pathway materially. Documented yard windows: Cramp Shipbuilding construction (1942-43); Boston Navy Yard completion (towed 19 May 1944, worked through her February 1945 commissioning) - a documented fitting-out period at a Navy yard; Pier 8 sinking and salvage (March 1945). The boat sank at the pier in uncompleted condition and was never repaired - the yard-completion work and the March 1945 salvage are documented disturbance windows; no material record located.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Construction and yard trades; crew
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos abatement record was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. Establishes no quantity and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lancetfish-ss296-03
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[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 that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - covering the construction and most service years of every Balao-class hull in this batch (built 1942-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lancetfish-ss296-04
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[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC, NavSource, loss-report, and ACM-survey/abatement sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- see search_ledger for this record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming USS Lancetfish (SS-296) was located anywhere in the research sweep.
- 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. Museum-hull and scrapper-side records, where they existed, were not retrievable in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-lancetfish-ss296-05