Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 916-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-627-pc627-pkt-916-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, PC-627 - construction/milestone block, specifications, transfer and striking [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010627.htm header block + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: 'PC-461 Class Submarine Chaser: Laid down 5 June 1942 by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machinery Co., Jeffersonville, IN; Launched 7 September 1942; Commissioned USS PC-627, 6 November 1942; Decommissioned 28 October 1944, transferred to the Free French and named Cavalier (W 122) at Toulon, France; Reclassified W-19; Struck from the Navy Register 27 June 1951; Fate unknown.' 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 gun mount, one 40mm gun mount, three 20mm guns, two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors and two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 2,880bhp General Motors 16-258S diesel engines (Serial No. 7793 and 7798), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-William-Mike-Jig. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for PC-627' and 'PC-627 served the Navies of the United States and Free France.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1951
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1942); U.S. Navy crew 1942-44 (complement 65); Free French crew 1944-51
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/official records but are not independently verified here. Contains no asbestos or material content. 'Fate unknown' leaves post-1951 disposition undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-01
-
[3]NavSource Online, 'A "Short" History of PC-627' - uncredited veteran/crew account of the ship's U.S. service [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010627s.htm, full short-history text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Crew-account service narrative for this hull: built at Jeffersonville, IN, then down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Algiers (New Orleans yard complex) for outfitting; convoy duty Trinidad to Guantanamo, Cuba, for eight months with two Liberty ships lost to submarines on her convoys; at Norfolk she added a 40mm twin mount amidships, 20mm gyroscopic sights, and two K-guns; commanding officer Bradley (plankowner) relieved there by Lt. Al Helfer; convoyed Norfolk to the Mediterranean, detaching at Gibraltar to repair cracked cylinder liners, then Beni Saf and Oran, Algeria, and Bizerte, Tunisia; first invasion at Gela, Sicily, as a lead-in craft ('mother duck') showing a red stern light to following LCVPs - crew member Gabe Whitcomb credited by Lt. j.g. Stotzer with firing the first shot of the Sicilian invasion (3"/50 vs a shore searchlight); subsequent invasions at Palermo, Anzio, and southern France; Lt. Steve Stotzer was her last skipper when 'lend leased' to the Free French Navy 10/28/44 and renamed Cavalier at Toulon; 'stricken from the French navy on 6/27/51.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew 1942-44 (complement 65)
- Limitations
- Uncredited veteran recollection hosted on NavSource - firsthand but unverified and undated; unit-level details (armament added at Norfolk, Gibraltar repairs, port calls) are plausible but not corroborated by an official record. The 'first shot of the Sicilian invasion' is a crew claim, not an established fact. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-02
-
[4]NHHC H-Gram 035-2, 'Mediterranean Theater Catch-up' (Naval History and Heritage Command, Director's Corner) [other_primary]
- Locator
- H-Gram 035-2, 'Operation Shingle' section, paragraphs covering 18 February and 14 May 1944
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC publication names this hull in combat: 'Off Anzio, PC-627 sank an Italian torpedo boat' on 14 May 1944, during the Allied breakout from the Anzio beachhead (Operation Shingle area). The same narrative records that on 18 February 1944 'several Italian torpedo boats attempted an attack but were driven off by U.S. patrol craft, which sank two of the enemy' - the 18 February passage does not name which patrol craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew, Anzio station, 1944
- Limitations
- Combat-history fact only; no asbestos or material content. NHHC names PC-627 for the 14 May 1944 sinking only - it does not attribute the 18 February kills to any specific hull, so the separate 22 February sinking credited to PC-627 by the PCSA war-record table (see ev-04) is not confirmed by this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-03
-
[5]Patrol Craft Sailors Association, 'PC War Record' table (ww2pcsa.org) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ww2pcsa.org 'PC War Record' kills and damaged tables
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Veterans-association compilation credits this hull with three combat entries: 'PC 627 - Sank Italian Torpedo Boat, Anzio Italy - 02-22-44'; 'PC 627 - Sank Italian MAS Mosquito Boat, Anzio Italy - 05-14-44'; and 'PC 627 - Damaged In Bombing Raid, Palermo - 05-09-44.' The 14 May MAS-boat sinking corresponds to the NHHC-attested 14 May torpedo-boat kill (ev-03); the 22 February sinking and the 9 May Palermo damage are PCSA attributions not found in an official source. A USS PC-627 action report for February 1944 exists at USNA (see ev-05), consistent with a February engagement.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew, Anzio station and Palermo, 1944
- Limitations
- Association compilation, not an official record; dates and attributions are unverified against the underlying action reports. The 9 May Palermo damage entry is chronologically tight against the 14 May Anzio kill and may reflect a different incident or a dating error - carried as reported, flagged in gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-04
-
[6]U.S. Naval Academy, Nimitz Library Special Collections, MS 415 'World War II Ship Action Reports, 1942-1945' finding aid [other_primary]
- Locator
- MS 415 finding aid, Box 16, Folder 55 entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The USNA finding aid lists 'U.S.S. PC-627 (Submarine Chaser), February 1944 - Operation Shingle (Allied Landings for the Battle of Anzio)' at Box 16, Folder 55 - a ship-generated action report for this hull covering her February 1944 Anzio operations, the window containing the 22 February torpedo-boat sinking credited by the PCSA table. The report is held at the Naval Academy and is not digitized.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew, Anzio station, February 1944
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the finding aid proves the report exists, not its contents - the engagement(s) it covers are unverified until the document is examined. Not digitized as of 2026-10-03. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-05
-
[7]uboat.net Allied Warships entry, USS PC-627 (PC-627) - build/order data and commanding-officer table [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warship record 8604 - data table and 'Commands listed' table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation for this hull: ordered 20 September 1941; built by Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co. (Jeffersonville, Indiana); laid down 5 June 1942; launched 7 September 1942; commissioned 6 November 1942; end of U.S. service 28 October 1944; 'Transferred to France on 28 October 1944 being renamed Cavalier.' Commanding officers listed: Lt. Addison Bayard Bradley, Jr., USNR (6 Nov 1942 - early 1943); G. A. Helfer, USNR (early 1943 - mid/late 1943); F. B. Lawson, USNR (mid/late 1943 - March 1944); S. S. Stotzer, USNR (March 1944 - 28 Oct 1944).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew 1942-44
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation; the CO table corroborates the crew account's Bradley-Helfer-Stotzer sequence and adds Lawson, but rests on secondary sourcing (site notes the section is incomplete). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-06
-
[8]Liste des anciens navires de la Marine nationale depuis 1945 - patrouilleurs 'Loues ou cedes par les Etats-Unis' table (fr.wikipedia) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Patrouilleurs 'D'avant 1945' table, Cavalier row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- French-Navy vessel list records 'Cavalier' (ex-USS PC-627), type P (patrouilleur), in service 28 October 1944 - 27 June 1951 - corroborating the NavSource transfer and the 27 June 1951 striking date; the list's destiny column is blank for this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1951
- Population
- Free French / French Navy crew 1944-51
- Limitations
- Wikipedia list compilation citing fleet references; corroborates but does not extend the official record - post-1951 disposition remains undocumented. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications block for this hull (twin GM 16-258S diesels, steel patrol craft, no steam plant); PC-461-class design profile (secondary compilations); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-program documentation (see ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled diesel patrol craft built in 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era. As a diesel-powered vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - but era-standard applications aboard a small steel combatant of this type were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and deck covering in a confined hull volume.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1951
- Population
- Jeffboat construction trades (1942); crew 1942-44 (US), 1944-51 (French); Algiers and Norfolk refit trades (1942-43); post-1951 disposal workers (unlocated)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PC-627. 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-627-pc627-08
-
[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 (1942) and U.S./French service era (1942-51).
- 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 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-09
-
[11]Batch-8002 search ledger (this record): NavSource main + short-history pages; NHHC H-Gram 035-2; USNA MS 415 finding aid; uboat.net; French Wikipedia fleet list; PCSA war record; NHHC DANFS (no entry exists); NVR (pre-1987 exclusion); GAO product page; CourtListener API v4 (4 prescribed base queries); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-627-pc627-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS PC-627 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener coverage complete: all four prescribed base queries ran - the exact-name opinion and docket queries returned zero results each, and the hull-number opinion and docket queries returned only name collisions (Indiana post-conviction 'PC' docket prefixes; token-fuzz matches in unrelated civil dockets). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located.
- 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. CourtListener index coverage is complete at the base-query level but indexes opinions and RECAP dockets only - PACER-complete and state-court coverage is not implied. The USNA action report, deck logs, and any French-era maintenance records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-627-pc627-10