Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
-
[1]research packet 914-packet.md (6 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-pc-609-pc609-pkt-914-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, PC-609 page (build data, milestones, specifications, disposition; page verified live 2026-10-03 - navsource.org is dead, navsource.net used) + uboat.net Allied Warships record 8586 (order date, commanding-officer list) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010609.htm header block, milestone list, specifications block; uboat.net/allies/warships/8586.html data block + commands table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 8 January 1942 by the Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, TX; launched 30 May 1942; commissioned USS PC-609, 7 September 1942 at Naval Section Base, Galveston, TX; rescued seven crew members and two gunners from the torpedoed SS Treworlas and landed them in Trinidad; transferred to the Foreign Liquidation Commission 10 May 1947; transferred to Thailand in 1947 and named HTMS Khamronsin (PC 3); decommissioned 11 December 1953; removed from the active list in 1956; fate unknown. Ordered 20 September 1941 (uboat.net). Wartime commanders (uboat.net): Ens. James N. Clayton USNR (Sep 1942-mid 1943), R G Wilson USNR (mid 1943-early 1944), L F Tahtinen USNR (early 1944-late 1944), Lt. John E. Andresen USNR (late 1944-late 1945). Specifications: displacement 280 t.(lt), 450 t.(fl); length 173'8"; beam 23'; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 kts; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose mount, one single 40mm mount, three 20mm guns, two Mk20 Mousetrap rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 2,880bhp Hooven-Owen-Rentschler R-99DA diesel engines (Serial No. 6813 and 6814), Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts; call sign Nan-Uncle-William-Yoke. Page notes 'There is no DANFS history available for PC-609.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1956
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); wartime crew (~65); FLC transfer crew (1947); Royal Thai Navy crew (1947-56)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates here are corroborated by the NARA war diaries (Trinidad/Recife/Belem service, July-October 1943) and the shipbuildinghistory.com builder table, but no DANFS entry exists for this hull to check against. Specifications are class-level figures; the engine attribution (HOR R-99DA, serials 6813/6814) conflicts with sixtant.net's GM 16-258S listing - carried in gaps. The 1953 decommissioning and 1956 removal are Royal Thai Navy events reported without RTN citation. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-01
-
[3]NARA RG 38, WWII War Diaries: USS PC-609 War Diary file units digitized - 7/1-31/43 (NAID 134308689, Roll A470, 31 images), 8/1-31/43 (NAID 78139389, Roll A498), 9/1-30/43 (NAID 78180269, Roll A570), 10/1-31/43 (NAID 135965075, Roll A616, 31 images) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAIDs 134308689 (Jul 1943; daily pages for 2, 3, 17, 27 July inspected), 78139389 (Aug 1943; 3 August inspected), 78180269 (Sep 1943; 3 September inspected), 135965075 (Oct 1943; 3-4 October inspected)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own contemporaneous operational record is digitized and pages were inspected: 2-3 July 1943 'Moored portside to USS PC 489, U.S. Naval Section Base, Trinidad, B.W.I.' (pier 3); underway 1048 on 3 July 'proceeding out harbor and covering sortie of Convoy TJ-1, Trinidad to Recife, Brazil,' assuming station C on the starboard bow; relieved of escort duties with convoy TJ-1 1237 on 17 July and at 1532 'moored alongside, starboard side to USS PC 489, alongside USS Melville, pier 6, Recife, Brazil.' At sea 3 August on convoy screening - night entries log flares dropped from aircraft and two emergency 45-degree convoy turns. 3 September position 08-04S 34-30W, 'Moored starboard side to USS PC 617, dock 6, Recife, Brazil.' 3-4 October position 01-27S 48-30W, 'Moored starboard side to USS PC 494, dock IV, Belem, Brazil.' Commanding-officer signature block shows J. N. Clayton (July) succeeded by R. G. Wilson (August-October); watch officers signing include Lt(jg) L. F. Tahtinen, Ens. M. Gottlieb, Lt(jg) R. G. Wilson, Ens. Paul C. Merz, and Ens. L. E. Morehouse. Confirms Caribbean/South Atlantic (Trinidad-Recife-Belem) convoy escort for this hull under the Fourth Fleet operating area.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- USN crew aboard PC-609, July-October 1943 (~65 complement)
- Limitations
- War diaries document operations, positions, and material-condition remarks - they contain no asbestos or insulation information and were not exhaustively reviewed page-by-page for material-condition entries. Only four monthly file units (July-October 1943) are digitized for this hull; the December 1942-January 1943 months covering the Treworlas rescue are not in the digitized series, and post-1943 months are not located. Digitization via Fold3 microfilm partnership.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-02
-
[4]NARA RG 24, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities: file unit 'PC-609, 9/7/42-1/1/46' (NAID 192392759, Roll 5831, 305 images, digitized via Ancestry partnership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov NAID 192392759, file-unit description page (305 images)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The complete muster-roll run for this hull is digitized at NARA, spanning her entire U.S. Navy commission from commissioning day 7 September 1942 through 1 January 1946 - every crewman's reporting and detachment is named. This is the highest-value lead for personnel-level exposure research (rosters of who served aboard and when) and bounds USN administrative control at about 1 January 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- All personnel who served aboard PC-609, 1942-1946
- Limitations
- Muster rolls are personnel rosters, not material records - they contain no asbestos or insulation data. Pages were not individually reviewed; the 1 January 1946 end date marks coverage but the decommissioning event and place are not stated in the catalog metadata (carried in gaps). Digitization quality and completeness per Ancestry/NARA partnership scan.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-03
-
[5]uboat.net, 'Treworlas - British Steam merchant' (ships-hit database entry; verified live 2026-10-03) + uboat.net Allied Warships PC-609 record 8586 [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/merchants/2540.html 'Notes on event' block; uboat.net/allies/warships/8586.html 'Notable events' entry 28 Dec 1942
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- This hull's documented rescue event: at 09.46 hours on 28 December 1942 the unescorted British steam merchant Treworlas (4,692 tons, Hain Steamship Co., Massowah-Capetown-Baltimore with 3,000 tons manganese ore, Master Thomas Harold Stanbury) was hit by a stern torpedo from U-124 (Kptlt. Johann Mohr) and sank within one minute about 50 miles east of Port of Spain, Trinidad in position 10-52N, 60-45W. The master, 32 crew members and five gunners were lost; seven crew members and two gunners were picked up by USS PC-609 and landed at Trinidad on 1 January 1943. NavSource independently carries the same rescue ('seven crew members and two gunners ... landed them in Trinidad').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- PC-609 crew; Treworlas survivors (7 crew, 2 gunners) and lost (38)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a specialist secondary compilation, not an official source - but the event is corroborated by NavSource and sixtant.net, and the merchant-vessel casualty record is independently compiled (47 aboard, 38 dead, 9 survivors). The December 1942/January 1943 PC-609 war diaries that would constitute the ship-side primary record are not in the digitized NARA series (archival lead). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-04
-
[6]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX' yard table (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Brown table, hull #6 row; yard header paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's production table confirms this hull as Brown yard hull no. 6: 'PC 609 | Sub Chaser | 8-Jan-42 | 30-May-42 | 7-Sep-42 | To Thailand 1947 as Khamronsin (PC 3)' - matching NavSource on laid-down/launched/delivered dates and the Thai disposition. Yard context: Brown Shipbuilding was built in 1941 by George and Herman Brown (Brown & Root) at the junction of Green's Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel with $9mm in Navy funding; wartime output was 12 PCs, 32 LCI(L)s, 61 DEs and 254 LSMs (359 vessels in four years); leased to Todd Shipyards 1949-1984, then returned to Brown & Root as an offshore fabrication yard. Sister hulls in the same yard block: PC-608 (hull 5, to Mexico 1952), PC-610 (hull 7, wrecked 1950/target), PC-611 (hull 8, sold/scrapped 1948).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1947
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); sister-hull crews PC-608/610/611
- Limitations
- shipbuildinghistory.com is a specialist secondary compilation, not a primary registry - but the build dates and disposition agree with NavSource and the table resolves the yard hull number. Yard-level output figures describe the builder's program, not this hull. Contains no asbestos information; Brown Shipbuilding Houston is an asbestos-relevant WWII emergency yard at the yard level (see gaps - not an Atlas shipyards.json entry).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-05
-
[7]navypedia.org, 'KHAMRONSIN large patrol craft (1942-1945/1947-1952)' Thailand page (verified live 2026-10-03) + wings-aviation.ch Royal Thai Navy historic ships page (PC-3 HTMS Khamronsin, ex-USS PC-609) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navypedia th_es_khamronsin.htm class table; wings-aviation.ch/45-Thai Navy/3-Ships-Historic/PC-461/ page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Thai-service disposition corroboration: navypedia lists 'KHAMRONSIN (ex-PC609) | pennant 3 | Brown, Houston, USA | laid 1.1942, launched 30.5.1942 | 9.1942 (USN) // 5.1947 (RTN) | stricken 12.1953' - a former-US PC-461 type large patrol craft. wings-aviation.ch lists 'PC-3 HTMS Khamronsin, ex-USS PC-609, commissioned RTN 10 May 1947' - matching the FLC transfer date exactly. Consistent with NavSource: transferred to Thailand 1947 as HTMS Khamronsin (PC 3), decommissioned 11 December 1953, removed from the active list 1956, fate unknown.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1947-1956
- Population
- Royal Thai Navy crew (1947-1953); Thai disposal (1953-1956+)
- Limitations
- navypedia and wings-aviation are secondary specialist compilations citing no primary RTN source; they agree with each other and NavSource on the transfer chain but vary on the Thai stricken/removed dates (12.1953 stricken vs 1956 active-list removal - carried in gaps). No asbestos content. NOT to be confused with the 1992 Thai-built Khamronsin-class corvette (FS-531), a different ship of the same name.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource PC-609 spec block (twin diesel, steel 173-ft PC-461 class) + NavSource Submarine Chaser index class summary + GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010609.htm spec block; NavSource 12/01idx.htm PC-461 class description; GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled PC-461-class patrol craft built 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were thermal insulation in machinery spaces, diesel-engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and fireproofing. As a diesel-driven craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the confined-space exposure dynamic of a 173-foot hull applies: her complement of ~65 worked and berthed in a compact steel envelope around diesel machinery, and wartime convoy-escort operating tempo kept the machinery spaces in continuous use.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1956
- Population
- Brown Shipbuilding construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); FLC/RTN crews (1947-56); disposal workers (unknown)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, builder's spec, or work package located for PC-609. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The diesel plant means asbestos relevance concentrates in machinery/exhaust insulation, gaskets/packing, and electrical systems rather than steam-side lagging.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-07
-
[9]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 USN service era (1942-47), and postdating even her Royal Thai Navy service (1947-53) and removal from the active list (1956).
- 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-pc-609-pc609-08
-
[10]Batch-7984 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page; NARA catalog (war diaries NAIDs 134308689/78139389/78180269/135965075; muster rolls NAID 192392759); NHHC DANFS URL probe (404); NVR hull-detail probe; uboat.net warship and merchant records; shipbuildinghistory.com Brown table; navypedia/wings-aviation Thai pages; sixtant.net; GAO product page; CourtListener (see ledger outcome); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-609-pc609-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material inventory, or verified litigation naming USS PC-609 or HTMS Khamronsin (PC-3) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CAVEAT: CourtListener base queries were deferred to a bounded background retry loop this session because the fleet-wide pacing budget (shared ~58/hr token bucket) was continuously saturated by concurrent batch sessions; the litigation posture is logged per the search_ledger outcome - see rows sl-uss-pc-609-pc609-06/07. A general web sweep surfaced no qualifying case or exposure claim naming this hull - only name collisions (Shurtape 'PC 609' duct tape product code - a tape marketed FOR asbestos/mold remediation work; Connecticut and Michigan probate-court form PC-609; a Miltenyi Biotec job-requisition code).
- 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 combatant of this class sat squarely in the Navy's documented asbestos era. The CourtListener repository search posture is recorded per the ledger (blocked pending retry outcome, not a negative result if unresolved at commit). Her Thai-flag disposal leaves no US-side museum, abatement, or hazmat record trail to find. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-609-pc609-09