Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]research packet 895-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-476-pc476-pkt-895-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, PC-476 - build milestones, specifications, commanding-officer roster, crew-donated photographs (page fetched live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010476.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 2 October 1941 by the Defoe Boat and Motor Works, Bay City, Michigan; launched 1 January 1942; commissioned USS PC-476, 18 March 1942 at New Orleans, LA and assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater; decommissioned 26 September 1946; struck from the Navy Register 23 December 1947; transferred to the War Shipping Administration for disposal 1 July 1948 and sold for scrap the same day to Dulien Steel Products Inc. of Los Angeles, CA. Specifications: displacement 450 t; length 173'8"; beam 23'; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 kts; complement 65; one 3"/50 DP mount, one 40mm, three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks; two 1,440-bhp General Motors 16-258S diesels (serial nos. 6319 and 6320), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Able-Uncle-Fox. Full commanding-officer roster (13 COs, LTJG William Claire Meyer USNR first). Crew-collection photographs: refueling from USS Long Island (CVE-1) off Florida c.1942; drydocked at Miami April 1942; 'Jolly Roger' flag flown crossing the Equator 3 September 1942 en route Palmyra Island to Pago Pago, Samoa. Page states: 'There is no DANFS History currently available for PC-476.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Defoe construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-46); 13 commanding officers listed by name
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones generally track NVR/DANFS but no DANFS entry exists for this hull to cross-check (NHHC candidate page 404s this session; see search_ledger). Photo captions are donor-supplied. Contains no asbestos content. Decommissioning location not stated. Displacement figure (450 t) conflicts with the PCSA class figure (284 t) - likely full-load vs standard basis; see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-01
-
[3]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), Defoe Shipbuilding hull list, Bay City MI - PC-476 as yard hull no. 180 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Defoe hull list, line item 180 (PC 476)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Defoe yard construction list records PC-476 as yard hull no. 180, type 'Sub Chaser' (design 463d, 173 ft), delivered 18-Mar-42, disposition 'Scrapped 1948'. Sister hulls PC-473/474/475 (yard nos. 177-179) were transferred to the Free French in 1944; PC-477/478/479 (nos. 181-183) scrapped 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Defoe construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation of yard records, not an official registry - corroborates NavSource milestones independently. Contains no asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-02
-
[4]DANFS, Nautilus (SS-168) III - PC-476 escort of Nautilus's Makin-raid departure, and the 4 January 1943 evacuee transfer off Santa Isabel Island (live NHHC page) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Nautilus (SS-168) III narrative: second-war-patrol paragraph (8 August 1942); fourth-patrol Toep Harbor extraction passage (4 January 1943)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NHHC documents this hull twice in the DANFS entry for USS Nautilus (SS-168): (1) on 8 August 1942 'After being escorted out of coastal waters by the submarine chaser PC-476, Nautilus set out to land marines from the Second Raider Battalion... at Makin [Butaritari] Island' - the departure of the Makin Island raid patrol; (2) on 4 January 1943 at 0310, off Bougainville-area waters after rescuing 17 women, three children and one man from Toep Harbor (evacuees collected with the aid of Australian coastwatchers), 'Nautilus transferred her passengers to PC-476.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- PC-476 crew (Aug 1942, Jan 1943); 21 transferred evacuees
- Limitations
- Ship-specific operational facts documented by NHHC in another vessel's history - not a PC-476 DANFS entry (none exists). The evacuee count here (21 persons) conflicts with the first CO's memoir (29) - NHHC figure carried; see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-03
-
[5]U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History magazine vol. 10 no. 3 (June 1996), 'Only Her Crew Kept Her Afloat' by Commander R. H. Tibbets, USN (Ret.) - PC-476 depth-charge attacks of 7 December 1942 off Lunga Point and the 18 January 1943 Alchiba escort [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Naval History June 1996 article text, 7 December 1942 and 18 January 1943 paragraphs
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: on 7 December 1942, after Japanese midget submarine No. 38 (launched from I-24 the previous evening) torpedoed USS Alchiba (AK-23) at her Lunga Point anchorage at 0759, 'during the day, PC-476 also dropped depth charges on two contacts in the vicinity. One of these attacks apparently sank midget submarine No. 38, as the Japanese never heard from her again.' On 18 January 1943, 'with the Navaho towing and PC-476 and PC-477 escorting, the Alchiba got underway again' - arriving at Espiritu Santo four days later, where 'the crew of the repair ship USS Vestal (AR-4) conducted additional temporary repairs.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- PC-476 crew (Dec 1942-Jan 1943)
- Limitations
- The midget-submarine attribution is hedged in the source itself ('apparently sank') - Japanese records showed only that No. 38 never reported again; no formal kill credit is established by this source. Article cites War Damage Report No. 40, the Alchiba CO's report, and the Japanese Sixth Fleet war diary (footnotes 2-16). USNI Naval History is the professional association's magazine - reputable press, not a primary document. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-04
-
[6]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS PC-476 (PC-476) - wartime events compiled from ships' reports of proceedings; commanding-officer roster [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/8498 'Notable events' section (12 Sep 1943, 15 Sep 1944); commands table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented events for this hull: 12 September 1943 - PC-476 (Lt.(jg) D.P. Butler, USNR) was escorting the transport Mormacsea off Caloundra, Queensland, and was relieved by HMAS Vendetta (source cited: Report of proceedings of HMAS Vendetta for September 1943); 15 September 1944 - PC-476 (Lt. D. Knapp, USNR) listed as one of four patrol vessels of Task Group 77.3.27 in Operation Tradewind (Morotai landings), and at 1800I/15 HMAS Kanimbla and USS Manoora departed the operations area for Hollandia escorted by USS Stevens and USS PC-476. Wartime CO roster consistent with NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- PC-476 crew (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - each event cites the underlying allied ship's report of proceedings; the Morotai task-group listing is corroborated verbatim by PC-476's own action report (see ev-06). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-05
-
[7]NARA RG 38, NAID 78641582 - 'USS PC-476 - Rep of Ops in the Invasion of Morotai Island on 9/15/44' (micro serial 91012, dated 3 October 1944; 2 images, digitized; both pages read at scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 78641582, images 1025-1026 (report text + signature/endorsement page)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own signed action report for Operation Tradewind: Task Unit 77.3.27 comprised control vessels PC-1133 (flag) and PC-1122 plus 'two hydrographic PC's 476 and 1120' for the 15 September 1944 Morotai landing per Commander TF 77 Op Plan 8-44. Ordered to pass the YMS minesweepers to starboard, 'this vessel passed through Point Sweep' at 0648, planted Buoy No. 2 on the northwest shoal at 0745 after 37 minutes of sounding/survey (including a boat put over the side), and planted Buoy No. 4 marking the western shoal at the bay channel entrance at 0925 after 65 minutes of sounding - marking the approach lane to Red Beach. At 1511 she was detached, in company with USS Stevens (DD-479), to escort HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla to Humboldt Bay. 'No ordnance was used. No battle damage was suffered... No casualties were suffered.' Signed D. Knapp, Lt., USNR, Commanding; buoy-survey boat party named: Lt.(jg) H. J. Stump USNR; Bedwell J. J., Cox; Whitaker S. M., Cox; Richardson C. E., MoMM3c.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- PC-476 crew and named boat party (Sept 1944)
- Limitations
- Ship-authored primary document - establishes the hydrographic/survey role and escort tasking, not the subsequent beach operations. Transcription read from the digitized images at NARA this session. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-06
-
[8]NARA RG 38, NAID 77802815 - 'USS PC-476 - Rep of opers in support of ground forces on Luzon Island, Philippines, 5/13-21/45' (micro serial 135236; 3 images, digitized; endorsements read at scan; duplicate catalog entry NAID 101768472) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAID 77802815, images 0112-0114 (First and Second Endorsements)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- PC-476's confidential action report dated 23 May 1945 covered operations in support of ground forces on Luzon Island, 13-21 May 1945, while attached to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, Seventh Fleet. First Endorsement (Commander, MTB Squadrons Seventh Fleet, S. S. Bowling, 14 August 1945): 'The U.S.S. PC-476 did an excellent job in this assignment.' Second Endorsement (Commander Philippine Sea Frontier, J. L. Kauffman, 26 September 1945) concurs - the ship's performance 'indicates an aggressive and resourceful spirit and a highly commendable operating efficiency' - and notes 'Recommendation for award of bronze star is being made by separate correspondence.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- PC-476 crew (May-Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- The digitized file unit contains the flag endorsements; the body of the 23 May 1945 letter itself was not among the three images - operational detail of the Luzon assignment rests on the endorsements and the catalog title. Bronze Star recommendation noted but recipient/award not documented in this file. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-07
-
[9]NARA RG 38 'World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories' - digitized USS PC-476 monthly war diary/deck-log file units and the 1942 muster-roll/log file (catalog search verified live; two pages read at scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov search "PC-476"; NAIDs as listed; deck-log page image 0620 of NAID 134146563; muster-roll page image 00010 of NAID 192384599
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The ship's own records survive digitized at NARA: NAID 192384599 'PC-476, 6/9/42-9/26/42' (346 images - includes the 'Muster Roll of the Crew of the U.S.S. PC-476' for the 29 June 1942 sailing, naming each crewman with rating and date received aboard); monthly war-diary/deck-log file units for 2/1/43-3/31/43 (NAID 134146563, 62 images), 4/43 (134197691), 5/43 (134239865), 6/43 (134272045), 7/43 (78131766), 8/43 (78156933), 9/43 (78193642), 10/43 (136001591), 11/43 (136011735), 12/43 (78261387), 1/44 (78288921), 2/44 (78342476), 3/44 (78380173). Sampled February 1943 deck-log page (Sunday 21 February 1943): 'Havannah Hbr., New Hebrides; Moored starboard side to USS Rigel with standard moor. USS SC 514 moored to port side. Both main engines and auxiliaries out of commission for overhaul. Receiving electricity from USS Rigel.' signed W. C. Meyer, Lieut., USNR.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- PC-476 crew named on muster rolls and in deck-log signatures (1942-44)
- Limitations
- Existence and format verified at catalog level; full contents unreviewed beyond two sampled pages. A monthly war-diary file unit for October 1942-January 1943 - the ship's peak Guadalcanal window - was NOT located in the digitized series (coverage gap; see gaps). The deck-log overhaul entry documents a machinery-availability event, not any material content. Muster roll documents named crew aboard, not exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-08
-
[10]WikiTree profile of Capt. William Claire Meyer USN (1913-2002), transcribing his own post-war service memoir - first commanding officer of PC-476, Jan 1942-Jul 1943 [other_primary]
- Locator
- WikiTree Meyer-10866, 'Military Service' memoir transcription (1942-1943 entries)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- First-person memoir of the ship's first CO: reported January 1942 to Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Algiers Naval Station, New Orleans, as prospective CO; states PC-476 was commissioned 28 February 1942 under his command; no shakedown training, Miami screw repairs, then Norfolk ASW duty Cape Hatteras-Delaware Bay; escorted USS Long Island (CVE-1) Norfolk-San Juan-Panama Canal-San Diego (alongside PC-477 and a WWI four-stack destroyer); Hawaii patrol/escort through late August 1942, including escorting Nautilus ~200 miles out of Pearl Harbor; Guadalcanal-area assignments October 1942-February 1943 patrolling Lunga Roads and destroying floated Japanese supplies; 11 December 1942 rescue of a grounded PT boat off Cape Esperance and recovery of a floating Japanese admiral's barge containing charts of shore gun emplacements (turned over to Marine intelligence); 3-4 January 1943 midnight rendezvous with Nautilus off Santa Isabel Island receiving evacuees (memoir says 29), onward transfer to USS Hunter Liggett, then a depth-charge attack on a suspected resupply submarine; escort of the torpedoed merchantman toward Noumea (orders reversed at Noumea, PC-479 continuing); witnessed a troop transport hit a mine entering Espiritu Santo harbor; salvage of the engine of a Japanese schooner ('Santa Teretia'); detached July 1943 to SCTC Miami.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- PC-476 crew under Meyer (Mar 1942-Jul 1943)
- Limitations
- User-contributed genealogy platform hosting a family transcription of the CO's own memoir - a primary personal account but unverified against the deck logs and containing at least one factual error (names the mined transport 'SS President Hoover' - the documented 26 October 1942 Segond Channel loss is SS President Coolidge, see ev-10) and a commissioning-date variant (28 Feb vs documented 18 Mar - see gaps). Carried as an archival lead only; nothing in this row is asserted from it alone elsewhere in this record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-09
-
[11]NARA 'The Unwritten Record' blog, 'The Sinking of the SS President Coolidge' (22 October 2024) - official NARA account with 80-G photographs [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Unwritten Record post; photographs 80-G-36993, 80-G-37007, 80-G-35927/35928/35929
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- On 26 October 1942 the troop transport SS President Coolidge, carrying the 172nd Infantry Regiment (~5,000 men), attempted to enter Espiritu Santo harbor through its largest channel - the location of the U.S. defensive minefield having been omitted from her sailing orders - struck a mine near the engine room and a second near the stern, and sank at the Segond Channel entrance; the troops disembarked in about 90 minutes with only two deaths (Fireman Robert Reid; Capt. Elwood Euart, DSC). The first CO's memoir places PC-476 on harbor-entrance patrol that morning, attempting to warn the transport off by light and radio (see ev-09).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- ~5,000 embarked troops (event context)
- Limitations
- The NARA account documents the sinking event but does NOT name PC-476 - the ship's presence and warning attempt rest on the CO memoir only (ev-09, archival lead). Included as event context for the memoir claim, not as hull documentation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-10
-
[12]Bureau of Ships, 'The Bureau of Ships During World War II' administrative history, vol. 4 (Naval History Division transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio) - wartime asbestos lagging cloth and asbestos gaskets [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips admin history v.4, Research and Standards section, Chemistry Sub-Section accomplishments; rubber/hose passage
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The Bureau of Ships' own wartime administrative history documents asbestos materials in naval ship construction and supply during this hull's build era: under 'Wartime Accomplishments of the Chemistry Sub-Section (Code 336)' - 'Asbestos-Glass Insulation Lagging Cloth: A shortage of asbestos fiber and facilities for weaving cloth necessitated development of an alternate. By twisting an asbestos yarn around a glass yarn, a glass-asbestos yarn was produced which actually produced a better and more workable cloth of about 1/2 the weight and which used about 1/2 the asbestos used in the Standard asbestos cloth' - i.e., a Standard asbestos lagging cloth was in established naval use; and, in the rubber/hose development passage, 'high temperature resistant rubber asbestos gaskets.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940-1945
- Population
- Navy construction/repair trades and crews, WWII era (class context)
- Limitations
- Bureau-level materials documentation, not a hull record - establishes that asbestos lagging cloth and asbestos gaskets were standard naval materials in the WWII supply system, not that either was installed aboard this specific 173-ft diesel patrol craft. Supports era inference only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-11
-
[13]GAO, Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (18 October 1979; full text retrieved this session via the product page's PDF link) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 transmittal letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section; thermal-insulation attachment discussion
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that thermal insulation 'was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships,' that 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables,' that product specifications for thermal insulation were not changed to asbestos-free materials until 1973, and that 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' A WWII-built hull such as this one sits wholly inside the documented asbestos-use era; the substitution era began only in 1973-78.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (report); era coverage back through ship deliveries to May 1978
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The 1979 review's fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, decades after this hull's disposal - no yard connection is implied.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-12
-
[14]Era inference built on: NavSource PC-461-class specifications (two GM 16-258S diesels, diesel auxiliaries, two shafts - no steam plant); BuShips wartime materials documentation (ev-11); GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; ev-11; ev-12
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-powered submarine chaser built 1941-42 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-materials era; era-standard applications aboard a 173-ft diesel patrol craft of this period were engine and exhaust lagging, machinery and compartment insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and brake linings on deck machinery - within a confined, poorly ventilated hull volume. As a diesel craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1948
- Population
- Defoe construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-46); availabilities alongside repair ships (e.g., USS Rigel, Feb 1943); 1948 shipbreakers, Dulien Steel Products, Los Angeles
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PC-476. 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-pc-476-pc476-13
-
[15]Batch-7851 search ledger (this record): NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com Defoe list; NHHC DANFS (Nautilus; PC-476 has no DANFS entry); USNI Naval History; uboat.net; NARA catalog + digitized documents; NARA Unwritten Record; WikiTree memoir lead; BuShips admin history; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; PCSA class data; CourtListener (partial - 1 of 4 base queries); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-476-pc476-01 through -15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS PC-476 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could be only partially queried this session - the exact-name opinion query ('USS PC-476', type=o) returned zero results, but the exact-name docket, hull-number opinion, and hull-number docket queries were blocked on every attempt by the fleet-wide pacing throttle (see search_ledger) - litigation status is a partial negative, not a completed one. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content (mesothelioma.net, mesotheliomalawyercenter.org, mesotheliomahope.com, mesothelioma-veterans-center and similar listicles asserting asbestos on 'PC Submarine Chaser (173')' craft generally without primary sourcing - 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 - and three of four mandated CourtListener queries remain unrun (blocked), so the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap. NARA deck logs for this hull (Feb 1943-Mar 1944 + 1942 file) exist digitized but were not exhaustively reviewed for maintenance/material entries. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-476-pc476-14