USS PC-1171

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]research packet 863-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-pc-1171-pc1171-pkt-863-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, PC-1171 - timeline, specifications, four-navy service narrative (detailed narrative credited to R. W. Daly/PC-1181); page states 'There is no DANFS History currently available for PC-1171' [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 12/011171.htm - header timeline, specifications block, and 'USS PC-1171' narrative section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documented for this hull: contract awarded FY 1942 (27 October 1942) to Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, WI; laid down 12 March 1943; launched 15 May 1943; sponsored by Miss Betty Lau; builders trials completed 2 September 1943; commissioned USS PC-1171 at NOB New Orleans, LA, 24 September 1943. After shakedown and SCTC training she reported as school ship at the Submarine Chaser Training Center, Miami, November 1943. On 9 June 1945, after 20 months as a SCTC school ship, she was ordered to CinCPac; in early July 1945 she entered Dade Dry Dock Shipyard for Pacific-duty modifications (K-guns removed, three additional 20mm mounts for a total of five, increased below-deck ventilation). Departed Miami 21 July 1945; Canal Zone 26 July 1945; war ended while she steamed between San Diego and Pearl Harbor. On 29 August 1945 she departed Pearl Harbor as one of a three-ship escort (with USS Kirkpatrick DE-318 and PC-1210) for LST Flotilla 37 - 16 LSTs and a command ship - bound for Japan. She went dockside at Sasebo 25 September 1945 landing a Beachmaster unit - claimed by the crew narrative as the first U.S. naval vessel dockside at that Japanese naval base - then served harbor-control duty at Sasebo. On 25 October 1945 she departed for Shanghai for harbor control and pilot-transfer duty: Yangtze River hydrographic surveys, destruction of floating mines cut loose by minesweepers, and escort of troop ships and 'Magic Carpet' vessels (USS Arcturus AK-18, USS Makin Island CVE-93); the crew narrative credits a battle star for this dangerous service. Departed Shanghai 9 January 1946 for Guam (with PC-804, PC-589, PC-594); departed Guam 20 April 1946 for Eniwetok (with PC-1170, PC-1253, PC-1569, USS Anchor ARS-13; PC-1177 joined en route); departed Eniwetok 11 May 1946 for Pearl Harbor (with PC-1146), arriving 20 May 1946; then 10 months based at Hickam Field on air/sea-rescue duty. Reported to the Pacific 19th Fleet 13 October 1946; placed out of commission in reserve 4 December 1946, PACRESFLT Columbia River Group Sub-Group 4, Tongue Point, Astoria, OR (Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists the plan to decommission and reserve as January 1947). Transferred to France 1951 as L'Inconstant (P 636) for Indochina duty; to the Khmer Republic (Cambodia) 1956, reclassified E-312; fled to the Philippines 1975 during the fall of Cambodia and turned over to the Philippine Navy as Negros Oriental (PS 26); major 1987 overhaul re-engining her with GM 16-278As and converting her to a fast attack craft; decommissioned 29 March 1990 and sold for scrap to the Trans Manila Company. Specifications: 280 t (lt) / 450 t (fl); 173'8" x 23' x 10'10"; 20.2 kts; complement 65; one 3"/50 DP, one 40mm, three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks; two 1,440 bhp GM 16-278A diesels (serials 14211, 14212), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1942-1990

   Population

   Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46 USN; 1951-56 French; 1956-75 Khmer; 1975-90 Philippine); SCTC Miami trainees (1943-45); Dade Dry Dock yard workers (1945); scrapping workers, Trans Manila Co. (1990s)

   Limitations

   NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - but for unnamed PCs (no DANFS entry exists) it is the standard ship-specific reference, and its milestone dates track official sources. The operational narrative is credited to R. W. Daly/PC-1181 (crew account): the 'first U.S. naval vessel dockside in Sasebo' and battle-star claims rest on this single account, not official award documentation. Post-1946 foreign-service detail likewise rests on this compilation. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-01

3. [3]Naval History Division, 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' - Submarine Chasers tabulation (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription); plus U.S. Navy Radio Call Sign Book (WWII), Section 18, U.S. Navy Ships by Classes (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]

   Locator

   ships-sc.html table, PC-1168 through PC-1174 rows; CallSigns-18.html, 'PC1171 NPND' entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official wartime-derived tabulation lists this hull as 'PC-1171' with commission dates '1942-44' and a blank name field - she was never formally named, unlike sisters PC-1170 (Kelso) and PC-1172 (Olney) shown named in the same table. The WWII U.S. Navy Radio Call Sign Book assigns this hull call sign NPND (Nan-Peter-Nan-Dog).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1943-1946

   Population

   Crew (1943-46)

   Limitations

   Tabulation only - confirms the hull existed in commission and was never named; no service or material detail. ibiblio/HyperWar is a transcription mirror of official Navy Department publications. Contains no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-02

4. [4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton compilation), Bay Shipbuilding / Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding yard table, Sturgeon Bay, WI - hull #297 row; yard lineage note [other_primary]

   Locator

   bay.htm yard table, hull #297 row; header lineage paragraph

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The yard table confirms this hull as builder's hull no. 297: 'PC 1171, U.S. Navy, Sub Chaser, 284 [GT], 174 [ft], delivered 24-Sep-43; To France 1951 as L'Inconstant (P 636), to Cambodia 1956 as E 312, to Phil. 1976 as PS 26, scrapped 1989.' The same source documents the builder's lineage: the yard began as Rieboldt, Wolter & Co.; the PC-1171 builder was Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., which became Christy Corp.; in 1967 Manitowoc Corporation consolidated Christy Corp. and Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Dry Dock into Bay Shipbuilding, and in 2008 the Marine Group was sold to Fincantieri (now Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1943 (build); corporate lineage through 2008

   Population

   Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943)

   Limitations

   Secondary trade compilation - the standard public yard table for this builder; Philippine transfer given as 1976 and scrapping as 1989, conflicting with NavSource's 1975 defection and 1990 decommissioning/sale (variants carried in gaps). Documents the builder and corporate succession only - no asbestos, material, or exposure content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-03

5. [5]Official U.S. Navy photo NH 84056, 'French submarine chaser L'Inconstant (P636) off Tourane (Indochina), c.1954' (copied from CVL-48-1233(L) in Naval Attache Report; NHHC catalog page returned 404 - image verified via Wikimedia Commons hosting); plus NARA photo K-109092 (Subic Bay, 31 May 1975) referenced in NavSource caption [other_primary]

   Locator

   Wikimedia Commons file page for NH 84056; NavSource 12/011171.htm photo captions (K-109092)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Official U.S. Navy photography documents this hull in foreign service: NH 84056 shows her as French L'Inconstant (P 636) standing by for helicopter transfer of two liaison officers off Tourane (Da Nang), Indochina, circa 1954, the image copied from a Naval Attache report file. NavSource captions further identify NARA photo K-109092 showing her as Cambodian E-312 tied up at buoy No. 1, Subic Bay, 31 May 1975, among former South Vietnamese and Cambodian vessels that brought in refugees during the collapse.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   c.1954; 1975

   Population

   French crew, Indochina (c.1954); Khmer crew and evacuees (1975)

   Limitations

   Archival lead only: photographs establish physical presence and configuration in French and Cambodian service - not work, refit, or material records. NHHC numerical photo-catalog page for NH 84056 returned 404 on 2026-10-03 (standing NHHC link-rot); image verified via the Wikimedia Commons-hosted copy of the official photo. NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session; K-109092 metadata transcribed via NavSource caption - direct verification open. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-04

6. [6]NIOSH, 'Walk-through survey report at Bay Shipbuilding Corporation, a subsidiary of the Manitowoc Co., Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin' (Levine, M.S.; Schott, D.; 1979 - survey 13 December 1978; Industry Wide Field Studies series; NIOSHTIC index record) [other_primary]

   Locator

   CDC Stacks record cdc/233469 - title, description, content notes

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   NIOSH conducted a walk-through survey on 13 December 1978 at Bay Shipbuilding Corporation, Sturgeon Bay, WI - the corporate successor (1967 consolidation) to this hull's builder, Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding. The index description records ~80 of the facility's employees in the painting operations surveyed; materials were chlorinated rubber primer, alkyd primer, chlorinated rubber enamel, and alkyd enamel; the yard had a safety and industrial hygiene program with a part-time physician and five nurses.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1978-1979

   Population

   Bay Shipbuilding painters (~80 surveyed, 1978)

   Limitations

   Index record only - the digital file is missing from CDC Stacks ('in NTRL, no pdf'); content limited to the NIOSHTIC abstract. Scope was occupational paint-material exposure for a proposed industry-wide study, NOT asbestos; the abstract contains no asbestos data. Successor-yard record from 1978 - 35 years after this hull's construction and under different corporate ownership; establishes that occupational-health documentation exists for this yard site, not anything about this hull or era materials.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-05

7. [7]Era inference built on: NavSource specification block (two 1,440 bhp GM 16-278A diesels - diesel plant, no steam); PC-461-class general characteristics (173-ft steel patrol craft, 1941-44 construction era); GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource specifications; PC-461-class general characteristics; GAO HRD-80-2 product page

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   A steel-hulled diesel-powered patrol craft built March-September 1943 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a craft of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation within the confined 173-ft hull volume. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but small-craft confined-space exposure dynamics apply. Her 47-year total hull life across four navies (1943-1990), including a documented 1987 overhaul and re-engining, provides multiple maintenance-disturbance windows for any era-installed materials.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-10-03

   Study period

   1943-1990

   Population

   Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943); crews of four successive navies (1943-90); yard workers at Dade Dry Dock (1945) and the 1987 Philippine overhaul; scrapping workers (1990s)

   Limitations

   Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or foreign-navy maintenance record located for PC-1171. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Foreign-service material records (France/Cambodia/Philippines) were not located in any searched source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-06

8. [8]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 (1943) and U.S. service era (1943-46), plus her reserve-fleet period (1946-51).

   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 this session) - content via product-page description.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-07

9. [9]Batch-7668 search ledger (this record): NavSource archive; NHHC DANFS (no entry exists); official wartime tabulations via HyperWar; Colton yard table; NHHC/NARA photography leads; NIOSH Stacks record; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep; uboat.net [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-01 through -14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming PC-1171 (or her later identities L'Inconstant P 636, E-312, Negros Oriental PS 26) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API reported the daily quota exhausted with a ~3.1-hour wait requested; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no ship-specific 'asbestos aboard' marketing content for this unnamed hull. No DANFS entry exists; scrapping occurred overseas (Trans Manila Company) where no US hazmat record would be expected.

   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 1943 steel patrol craft in four navies' service would carry era-consistent materials as inference. The litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs (RG 24), builder's records, and French/Cambodian/Philippine maintenance files are undigitized or non-US leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-pc-1171-pc1171-08