Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 911-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-metropolis-pc589-pkt-911-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Metropolis (PC-589) - construction, Caribbean/Pacific service narrative, Peleliu landing role, disposal, spec block (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Metropolis entry - full service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 9 March 1942 by the 'Leatham D. Smith Shipbuilding Co.' [sic], Sturgeon Bay, WI; launched 7 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Charles H. Cowan; commissioned 23 July 1942, Lt. John C. Spencer in command. After shakedown/ASW training in the Florida Keys she sailed 28 August 1942 for Trinidad, escorting tankers and other vessels on the Caribbean oil sealanes until late November; arrived Miami 21 November, then to Charleston, S.C., for 'a complete overhaul' before Pacific transfer. Departed 7 February 1943 for California, transited the Panama Canal 1 March, and underwent 'an extensive engine overhaul' at San Diego March-May. Arrived Pearl Harbor 21 June; patrol/escort duty until mid-December; reached Tarawa for Christmas 1943, then eight months of ASW patrols and escort in the New Hebrides, Solomons, and Bismarck Archipelago. Departed Guadalcanal 4 September 1944 with an LST convoy; at dawn 15 September off Peleliu she closed to 2,000 yards with the first wave as inshore control and headquarters for White Beach No. 1, then took station in the ASW screen; southern Palaus operations to 25 October; escort among the Marshalls, Marianas, and Carolines until March 1945. Stood into Pearl Harbor 17 March 1945, continued to Oakland, converted to a patrol craft (control), departed San Francisco Bay 6 June. At Subic Bay at the Japanese surrender; departed 3 September for occupation duty at Jinsen (Inchon), Korea, and Shanghai, China. Inactivated early 1946; decommissioned March 1946 and berthed in the Columbia River as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. 'While in reserve, she was redesignated PC-589, 27 October 1955, and named Metropolis (PC-589), 1 February 1956.' Struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1959; sold to A. B. Church 1 December 1959; towed away for scrapping 30 December 1959. One battle star for WWII service. Spec block: dp. 315; l. 174'; b. 23'; dr. 8'; s. 20 k.; cpl. 59; a. 1 3", 1 40mm.; cl. PC-461.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Construction trades, Sturgeon Bay (1942); crew (1942-1946); overhaul-yard trades Charleston and San Diego (1942-43)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material-content information. DANFS does not name the Charleston overhaul facility, the San Diego engine-overhaul facility, or the conversion yard. DANFS prints the builder as 'Leatham' - the company's documented spelling is 'Leathem' (see gaps). DANFS gives no official PCC-589 reclassification date (NavSource supplies August 1945). The DANFS entry's reserve-era line 'redesignated PC-589, 27 October 1955' reads back from the PCC-589 control designation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Metropolis (PC 589) ex-PC-589 ex-PCC-589 ex-PC-589 - designation timeline, specifications, commanding officers, disposal chain (live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010589.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 9 March 1942 at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI; launched 7 June 1942; commissioned USS PC-589 23 July 1942; 'Reclassified as a Control Submarine Chaser, PCC-589 in August 1945'; decommissioned March 1946 and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group ('Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as January 1947'); reclassified back to Submarine Chaser PC-589 27 October 1955; named Metropolis 1 February 1956; struck from the Naval Register 1 April 1959; sold for scrap 1 December 1959 to A. B. Church; towed from the Columbia River Group 30 December 1959 to scrap yard; one battle star for WWII. Specifications: displacement 450 t.; length 173'8"; beam 23'; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 kts.; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose mount, one 40mm, three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 1,440 bhp General Motors 16-258S diesels (Serial No. 6357 and 6358), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding officers listed: LT John C. Spencer, USNR (23 July 1942); LT A. Antonini, USNR (1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); Columbia River reserve-fleet caretakers (1946-59); scrap-yard workers (1959-60)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS but its spec block conflicts with DANFS on displacement (450 t. vs 315), draft (10'10" vs 8'), and complement (65 vs 59); see gaps. The PCC-589 reclassification date 'August 1945' is NavSource's date; DANFS gives none. Contains no asbestos content. 'A. B. Church' is named as scrap buyer but the breaking yard is not identified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-02
-
[4]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS PC-589 (PC-589), Patrol craft of the PC-461 class - build dates, commanding-officer chronology, Seahorse escort event (live page verified 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 8566 - data table, 'Commands listed' table, 'Notable events' (3 Aug 1943)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary warship database (Gudmundur Helgason's Allied Warships) corroborating and extending the record for this hull: ordered 20 September 1941; laid down 9 March 1942 (Leatham D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay); launched 7 June 1942; commissioned 23 July 1942; end of service March 1946; stricken 1 April 1959; sold for scrap 1 December 1959. Commanding-officer chronology (WWII only): John Curtis Spencer, USN (23 Jul 1942 - late 1942); Lt. Aaron Frederick Beyer, Jr., USNR (late 1942 - early 1943); John K Miller, USNR (early 1943 - 8 Jun 1944); Lt.(jg) Charles E Paganini, USNR (8 Jun 1944 - late 1944); R T Harris, USNR (late 1944 - early 1945); Lt. Angelo Antonini, USNR (early 1945 - mid/late 1945); R O Wilson, USNR (mid/late 1945 - late 1945). Documented event: 3 August 1943, USS PC-589 (Lt.(jg) J.K. Miller, USNR) escorted USS Seahorse out of Pearl Harbor at the start of Seahorse's first war patrol - sourced to the Seahorse first war patrol report.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1959
- Population
- Crew (1942-45), incl. seven documented wartime COs
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a reputable secondary compilation, not a primary registry - build data track DANFS but individual entries (ordered date, interim CO list) are not independently primary-verified here; the Seahorse escort item is itself sourced to the Seahorse war patrol report. Service-branch detail conflicts with NavSource on the first CO (USN vs USNR - see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-03
-
[5]All Hands (Bureau of Naval Personnel magazine), April 1956 issue (no. 470), 'Cities Go on Patrol' - Navy naming program assigning city names to 141 patrol vessels; list includes 'PC-589-Metropolis' (Internet Archive scan of the official publication, verified in page text 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands, April 1956, 'Cities Go on Patrol' section and naming table (PC-589-Metropolis)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official documentation of this hull's naming: 'Patrol vessels, which previously were known only by hull numbers, will now be recognized by individual names, after cities of the United States. The names assigned to 141 submarine chasers, escorts and rescue escorts are listed below. They were chosen from cities with a population between 2500 and 107000. The change, which became effective in February is in line with the Navy's policy of assigning names instead of numbers to as many ships as possible. Of the 141 patrol vessels named, 32 are in commission...' The published table lists 'PC-589-Metropolis' - matching DANFS's 1 February 1956 naming date and identifying this hull's name source (Metropolis, Illinois, per DANFS 'A town in Illinois').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1956
- Population
- None - naming was a reserve-fleet administrative action
- Limitations
- Documents the naming event and program only; no asbestos or material content. The vessel was already decommissioned and in reserve when named - the naming was an administrative reserve-fleet action, not a return to service. Cited via Internet Archive scan of the official BuPers magazine (item sim_all-hands_1956-04_470).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-04
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[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (PC-461 class, 1942 build); NavSource specifications (GM 16-258S diesels, two shafts); uboat.net PC-461 class page (351-ship wartime class, diesel, 2 shafts); GAO HRD-80-2 program-level finding (ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; uboat.net PC-461 class page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled diesel patrol craft built in 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were thermal insulation on engine exhaust and machinery spaces, gaskets, valve packing, electrical/cable insulation, and deck covering. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the small-ship confined-space exposure dynamic applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1960
- Population
- Sturgeon Bay construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); Charleston/San Diego overhaul-yard trades (1942-43); reserve-fleet and scrap workers (1946-60)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PC-589. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-05
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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 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 entire construction (1942) and service era (1942-46) plus reserve-fleet retention (1946-59).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- 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, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-06
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[8]NIOSH, Walk-through survey report at Bay Shipbuilding Corporation, a subsidiary of the Manitowoc Co., Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (M.S. Levine and D. Schott, 1979-07-12; Industry Wide Field Studies series; CDC Stacks index record only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks record cdc/233469 ('Notice of Missing Digital File' placeholder PDF served in place of the report)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- A NIOSH Industry Wide Field Studies walk-through survey exists for the shipbuilding operation at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin - this hull's build city - dated 12 July 1979, covering Bay Shipbuilding Corp. (Manitowoc Co. subsidiary). The survey's existence documents federal industrial-hygiene interest in the Sturgeon Bay yard site; its content is not retrievable (CDC Stacks serves only an index/'missing digital file' notice, confirmed 2026-10-03).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (survey); site lineage to 1942 unverified
- Population
- Bay Shipbuilding workers, Sturgeon Bay, WI (1979 survey era)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the index record exists but the report file is not digitized - its scope, findings, and whether asbestos was addressed at all are unknown. The 1979 survey covers a successor company 37 years after this hull's 1942 build; site lineage from Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding to Christy Corp. to Bay Shipbuilding is asserted in secondary sources but not primary-verified here. Not a hull record; establishes nothing about PC-589's materials or any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-07
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[9]Batch-7964 search ledger (this record): live DANFS; NavSource; uboat.net; All Hands Apr 1956 scan; NIOSH Stacks index; GAO product page; NVR scope check; CourtListener API v4 via authenticated fleet helper (all four base queries completed); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-metropolis-pc589-01 through sl-uss-metropolis-pc589-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying litigation naming USS Metropolis / PC-589 / PCC-589 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener was fully searched this session via the authenticated fleet helper: 'USS Metropolis' returned 0 opinions and 0 dockets; 'PC-589' returned 4 opinions and 10 dockets, ALL classified as name collisions (Indiana post-conviction-relief criminal cases matching PC-### docket numbers; docket hits were token co-occurrence noise with '589' inside entry IDs and 'PC' in party names) - no case naming or concerning this vessel. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos' material touching Sturgeon Bay shipbuilding is law-firm marketing content naming the yard (not this hull) - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942 steel diesel patrol craft sits squarely inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. CourtListener covers published/docketed material only; unreported state-court filings, settled claims, and records indexed under alternate hull spellings (PC 589, PCC-589, 'patrol craft 589') are not exhausted by these queries. Deck logs, builder work packages, and scrapping-contract records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-metropolis-pc589-08