Evidence
15 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-15).
-
[1]research packet 899-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-504-pc504-pkt-899-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-504 (ex-PC-504) - construction timeline, reclassification, service summary, disposal and merchant chain, specifications, partial CO list [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150504.htm header timeline, specifications block, CO table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull (SC-497 Class Submarine Chaser): laid down 30 January 1941 by the Rice Brothers Corp., East Boothbay, ME; launched 14 March 1942; commissioned USS PC-504, 4 May 1942; reclassified SC-504 in September 1942; during World War II served in the Atlantic, Caribbean and South Pacific; decommissioned December 1945 at Seattle, WA; struck from the Naval Register 21 January 1946; transferred to the Maritime Commission 30 September 1946; acquired 1947 by Western Fisheries Co. of Seattle as fishing boat Wesco No. 50; sold to Parks Canning Co. of Seattle for $10,000 and renamed Pacific Laurel; acquired 1952 by Jack Cim Yew Ngai of Victoria, BC; 1961 by Continental Explosives, Ltd. of Vancouver; 1977 by Laurel Fish Packers, Ltd. of North Burnaby, BC. On 4 August 2006 Pacific Laurel took on water ~126 nm SW of Hawaii and issued a distress call; USCG C-130 dropped dewatering pumps; USS Peleliu (LHA-5) and USS Port Royal (CG-73) rescued four people. 'Fate unknown.' Specs: 148 t.; 110'10" x 17' x 6'6"; 15.6 kts; complement 28; armament one 40mm mount, two .50 cal MG, two Y-gun depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 800 bhp GM 8-268A diesels, 'Snow and Knobstedt' single reduction gear (Snow-Nabstedt), two shafts. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-504.' CO list: LTJG John T. Peirce USNR (4 May 1942), LTJG J. G. Auperin USNR (1945). Call sign NUMA.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-2006
- Population
- Rice Brothers construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-45); merchant fish-packing crews and owners (1946-2006)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestones generally track official records and the construction builder is corroborated by the official 1941 SecNav report (ev-02) and commissioning date by uboat.net. 'Fate unknown' is outdated: Splinterfleet (ev-05) records the vessel sank 5 August 2006. Reclassification month is stated at hull level (September 1942); sister SC-503's page shows April 1943, so dates were per-hull administrative actions. No asbestos content. Spec conflicts vs official class compilation (98 t., 20 kts, complement 22) logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-01
-
[3]Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy, 1941 (NHHC online transcription), table 'Ships under construction - Private yards [As of June 30, 1941]' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- SecNav 1941 report, 'Ships under construction - Private yards - Continued [As of June 30, 1941]', SUBMARINE CHASERS block (PC453, PC497-PC504 rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy documentation of this hull under construction: in the Secretary of the Navy's FY1941 annual report, the table 'Ships under construction - Private yards [As of June 30, 1941]' lists 'PC504' under the heading SUBMARINE CHASERS as building at Rice Brothers Corporation (the row's 'Do.' refers to the PC503 entry). Confirms the hull was designated PC-504 at contract/construction stage, was officially classed a submarine chaser, and was being built by Rice Brothers as of mid-1941 - corroborating NavSource's builder and designation sequence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941
- Population
- Rice Brothers Corp. construction trades, East Boothbay ME (1941)
- Limitations
- Establishes builder and the construction-stage PC designation as of 30 June 1941; the report does not give laid-down/launch/commission dates and does not use the later SC designation. No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-02
-
[4]United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (NHHC online transcription of the official CinCPac organization listing) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- US Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945, SERVICE FORCE / SERVICE SQUADRON TWO vessel list, row 'SC 504'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official fleet-organization listing places this hull in the Pacific war: 'SC 504' appears in the Service Squadron TWO section of Service Force, Pacific Fleet, with commanding officer 'Lt. (jg) J. G. Auperin (USNR)' as of 1 May 1945. Confirms the hull's South Pacific/Pacific Fleet service in the last year of the war and corroborates NavSource's 1945 CO entry (Auperin).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Crew under Lt.(jg) J. G. Auperin, Service Squadron Two (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Establishes assignment and commanding officer as of 1 May 1945 only - not port-by-port service. The transcription's leading numeric column (SC 504 carries '94') is a location/organization code whose key is not reproduced in the transcribed portion; the squadron assignment itself is unambiguous. Conflicts with uboat.net's CO list (Ens. W. W. Abbott 3rd 'early 1945 - Dec 1945') - the official listing controls for 1 May 1945; conflict logged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-03
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships record, USS SC-504 (SC-504), SC-497 class - order/milestone dates and wartime CO sequence [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/8810.html - warship data block and 'Commands listed' table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net warship record for this hull: built by Rice Brothers Corp. (East Boothbay, Maine); ordered 14 January 1941; laid down 30 January 1941; launched 14 March 1942; commissioned 4 May 1942; SC-497 class. Commanding officers listed: J. T. Peirce USNR (4 May 1942 - mid/late 1942); D. P. Towne USNR (mid/late 1942 - late 1943); S. R. Hackett USNR (late 1943 - mid/late 1944); P. H. Roy USNR (mid/late 1944 - early 1945); Ens. William Wright Abbott 3rd USNR (early 1945 - Dec 1945).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Wartime crew and commanders (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary database - milestone dates agree with NavSource and the SecNav 1941 report, but its CO sequence conflicts with the official 1 May 1945 fleet listing (NHHC documents Lt.(jg) J. G. Auperin in command that date; uboat.net's last entry shows Abbott 'early 1945 - Dec 1945'). CO sequence carried with the conflict flagged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-04
-
[6]Splinter Fleet (Theodore R. Treadwell), 'Hulls Still Afloat' - SC 504 / Pacific Laurel entry; sources cited include U.S. Maritime Administration records, Lloyd's Register, ShipbuildingHistory.com, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Lloyd's Casualty Week 18 Aug 2006 [other_primary]
- Locator
- splinterfleet.org 'Hulls Still Afloat' page, 'SC 504 - Pacific Laurel' section and table row 504
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Dedicated wooden-subchaser reference (Treadwell, author of the standard history 'Splinter Fleet') records for this hull: built by Rice Brothers Corporation, East Boothbay ME; commissioned by the U.S. Navy 5/4/1942 as PC 504, later reclassified SC 504; served in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Pacific; sold to Parks Canning Co. of Seattle WA for $10,000 on Sept. 30, 1946; renamed Pacific Laurel and used as a fish packer registered in Vancouver, BC. On the evening of 4 August 2006 Pacific Laurel was taking on water ~126 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii; USCG C-130 dropped dewatering pumps, USS Peleliu rescued four people, the captain stayed aboard to attempt salvage then abandoned and was rescued by USCG cutter Ahi; 'The Pacific Laurel sank August 5, 2006.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-2006
- Population
- Merchant fishing crews and owners, Pacific Northwest and British Columbia (1946-2006)
- Limitations
- Secondary expert compilation, itself citing MARAD records, Lloyd's Register, Lloyd's Casualty Week p.9, and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin - the sinking date (5 Aug 2006) rests on that sourcing chain. Differs from NavSource on the merchant ownership chain (direct 30 Sep 1946 sale to Parks Canning vs NavSource's intervening 1947 Western Fisheries / Wesco No. 50 step) and from the DANFS Port Royal account ('escorted ... to a Hawaiian port' vs sank) - conflicts logged in gaps. Gulf of Mexico added to the service-area list vs NavSource. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-05
-
[7]Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 6 August 2006, 'Police, Fire, Courts' brief: '5 people saved from sinking fishing vessel' [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Star-Bulletin archives, 6 Aug 2006 news briefs column
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous press account of the merchant-hull casualty: five people aboard the 110-foot fishing vessel Pacific Laurel were rescued by the Coast Guard and Navy after she took on water ~125 miles southwest of Honolulu on Friday night (4 August 2006); a Coast Guard C-130 dropped two de-watering pumps and a VHF radio; USS Peleliu and USS Port Royal, en route to Pearl Harbor from deployment, were diverted; Peleliu helicopters lifted four of five crewmembers to Pearl Harbor arriving 5:30 p.m. Saturday; the captain stayed aboard attempting salvage with USCG Cutter Ahi assisting, then came aboard Ahi; Coast Guard attached a tracking marker to the drifting vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2006-08-04 to 2006-08-05
- Population
- Pacific Laurel crew of five; rescuers aboard USS Peleliu, USS Port Royal, USCGC Ahi (Aug 2006)
- Limitations
- News brief written before the vessel sank - reports her drifting under a tracking marker, not the sinking itself; the 5 Aug 2006 sinking date comes from Splinterfleet/Lloyd's (ev-05). Does not connect Pacific Laurel to ex-SC-504 in text - that identity link is established by NavSource/Splinterfleet. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-06
-
[8]DANFS, Port Royal II (CG-73), Mark L. Evans, NHHC - official Navy account of the Pacific Laurel rescue, 4-6 August 2006 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Port Royal II (CG-73) entry, 1994-2022 service narrative (Pacific Laurel paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official DANFS history of USS Port Royal (CG-73) documents the casualty response for this hull in her merchant identity: 'Heavy seas, with swells reaching eight feet and strong winds, damaged Pacific Laurel, a 110-foot fishing boat, and she took on water and issued a distress call while sailing about 126 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii, on 4 August 2006.' Peleliu and Port Royal diverted 105 nm to the scene; Peleliu MH-60S helicopters (HSC-21 Det. 3) lifted two crewmembers at 2347 and two more at 0835 the next morning; the master stayed aboard; the four survivors were disembarked at Naval Station Pearl Harbor on 6 August 'and Coast Guard coastal patrol boat Ahi (WPB-87364) escorted Pacific Laurel to a Hawaiian port.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2006-08
- Population
- Pacific Laurel master and crew; rescue crews (Aug 2006)
- Limitations
- Official source, but the casualty outcome conflicts with Splinterfleet/Lloyd's ('sank August 5, 2006'): DANFS says Ahi 'escorted Pacific Laurel to a Hawaiian port,' which may compress or pre-date the foundering - the conflict is logged in gaps. The DANFS text does not itself connect Pacific Laurel to ex-SC-504; that identity link is established by the NavSource and Splinterfleet chains. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource hull spec block (two GM 8-268A diesels, twin screws - no steam plant); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' SC-497 class spec block (wooden hull, diesel engines, 1,200 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use-era documentation (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150504.htm spec block; HyperWar ships-sc.html SC-497 class block; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 110-ft wooden-hulled submarine chaser built 1941-42 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were diesel exhaust and manifold lagging, gaskets and valve packing in fuel/cooling/exhaust lines, electrical insulation, and localized heat and fireproof insulation around the engine space. The twin-screw diesel plant carries no steam cycle - the boiler and steam-line lagging pathway dominant on steel steam vessels does not apply, and the wooden hull carried far less piping overall than a steam ship. Her 60-year merchant conversion career (fish packer) adds undocumented refit windows where era materials could have been added or removed.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-2006
- Population
- Rice Brothers construction trades (1941-42); Navy crew (1942-45); merchant crews and refit trades (1946-2006)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work order located for PC-504/SC-504. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The wooden-hull diesel configuration bounds the plausible applications downward relative to steel steam combatants but does not eliminate them.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-08
-
[10]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 (1941-42) and Navy service era (1942-45).
- 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 - the report's fieldwork concerned major shipyards and steam-propelled vessels, not wooden subchasers. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-09
-
[11]Batch-7879 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NHHC SecNav 1941 report; NHHC Pacific Fleet Organization 1 May 1945; uboat.net; Splinterfleet; Honolulu Star-Bulletin; DANFS Port Royal; NARA NAID 79056; ShipIndex aggregation; CourtListener; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-504-pc504-01 through -20
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming USS PC-504 / SC-504 was found in the public sources searched. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource states none; NHHC holds no hull history page). A web sweep for asbestos-claim material naming the hull surfaced no law-firm or marketing assertions at all - an unusually clean result. CourtListener partial: the "PC-504" opinion query returned 8 hits, all docket-number collisions (e.g., Indiana post-conviction '31A01-0910-PC-504') with no vessel reference; the "SC-504" docket query returned 21 hits, all statutory-citation collisions (17 U.S.C. 504 copyright remedies; S.C. reporter cites) with no vessel reference. The remaining two base queries could not acquire a fleet pacing token this session - logged open, not negative.
- 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 110-ft wooden subchaser is among the lowest-documentation Navy types. RG 24 deck logs, builder records, Maritime Commission disposal file, and Canadian merchant registry files are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-10
-
[12]Designation cross-check: NavSource Submarine Chaser Photo Index class note ('The type symbol PC was retained for the steel 173-footers, and the separate symbol SC was adopted for the 110-foot vessels'); SecNav 1941 construction table (PC504 under SUBMARINE CHASERS); NavSource hull page (commissioned PC-504, reclassified SC-504 Sept 1942); sister page SC-503 (commissioned PC-503, reclassified SC-503 April 1943) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/01idx.htm class note and 12/150504.htm header; SecNav 1941 SUBMARINE CHASERS construction table; NavSource 12/150503.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: this hull is an SC-497-class submarine chaser (110-ft wooden hull, diesel), not a PC-461-class patrol craft (173-ft steel) as prior cataloging had it. The confusion traces to the designation sequence: early SC-497-class hulls commissioned under PC numbers before the 110-ft/SC convention was standardized - PC-504 was commissioned 4 May 1942 and reclassified SC-504 in September 1942 (sister PC-503 similarly became SC-503, April 1943). The official SecNav 1941 construction table lists PC504 under SUBMARINE CHASERS - the Navy itself classed the hull as a subchaser while it still carried the PC number.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1943 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a class/designation error, not a material claim. The exact administrative date of the PC->SC reclassification is month-level ('September 1942', NavSource) and varies by sister hull (SC-503 April 1943); the day-level order was not located. Secondary aggregations also attach 'PC-504' to the Canadian-built corvette HMCS Eyebright (K150) - a different vessel; official Canadian records show only K150, so the association is unverified and excluded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-11
-
[13]Boothbay Region Historical Society, Shipyards Collections index (June 17, 2023), entry INFO-082 - PC 504, USN Subchaser [museum_official]
- Locator
- Boothbay Region Historical Society Shipyards Collections index PDF, INFO-082
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The builder's-town historical society holds a photo record for this hull: 'INFO-082 - PC 504, USN SUBCHASER - Sponsor Mrs. Arnold T. Rice, 21 March 1942. Photos as follows: ship leaving dock, ship entering water.' This names a sponsor not shown on NavSource (Mrs. Arnold T. Rice - of the Rice Brothers yard family) and documents launch-day photography held in the society's collections.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-03
- Population
- Rice Brothers yard workforce and launch attendees (March 1942)
- Limitations
- Collections-index entry, not the photographs themselves - the images were not examined. The index date (21 March 1942) differs from the launch date in NavSource/uboat.net (14 March 1942) by one week - either the photo date or the launch date is off; conflict logged in gaps. No asbestos content; value is as an archival lead to builder-side and launch documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-12
-
[14]NARA NAID 79056 / local ID 428-NPC-11047, RG 428 'Moving Images Relating to Military Activities' - wartime film reel containing SC-subchaser and DE footage (Iwo Jima-era sequence) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/79056 (NAID 79056, 428-NPC-11047) - shot list section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A NARA-held Navy film reel (shot list: bombardment of Iwo Jima; submarine activity; signalman; 'MS SC underway, bow-on view, men on deck of DE FG'; 'MS Transferring supplies at sea from DE to SC alongside'; Secretary Forrestal at Pearl Harbor) includes footage of an SC-class subchaser alongside a destroyer escort in the 1945 Pacific. A third-party video compilation identifies the SC in this reel as SC-504.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- ca. 1945
- Population
- SC and DE crews filmed underway (1945-era)
- Limitations
- The NARA shot list says only 'SC' - the identification of the filmed boat as SC-504 comes from the third-party compilation's description, not the catalog record; verification_status partial accordingly. Establishes only that an SC-497-class boat was filmed in SC-504's documented theater (Pacific, 1945); not a work, condition, or material record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-13
-
[15]ShipIndex.org vessel index, PC-504 entry - merchant registry trail aggregating published reference works [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipindex.org/ships/pc_504 - second PC-504 citation record
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- ShipIndex's citation aggregation corroborates the merchant identity chain: 'PC-504 (U.S.S.) (Sub-Chaser (USN); built 1942, in East Boothbay, ME, USA; 135 tons; naming history: PC-504 (U.S.S.) (1942); SC-504 (U.S.S.); Wesco No. 50; Pacific Laurel (1977); registration numbers: 194941 (Canada); 252487 (US); SC.504 (US Navy)).' Adds official registry numbers (Canadian 194941, U.S. 252487) and dates the Pacific Laurel name from 1977 in registry citations.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1977+
- Population
- Merchant registry trail (1946-2006)
- Limitations
- Aggregator of published reference-book citations, not a registry itself; individual volumes behind a paywall were not examined. Displacement shown as 135 t. (vs 148 NavSource, 98 HyperWar class) and the Pacific Laurel rename dated 1977 (vs NavSource attributing it to the Parks Canning sale) - conflicts logged in gaps. A second, distinct record on the same page (a 1952 Esquimalt-built chip barge 'Seaspan 112') shows the PC-504 designation colliding across different hulls in secondary indexes - that record is not this vessel. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-504-pc504-14