Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]DANFS, 'SC-601 - SC-700' compilation - SC-698 entry (live NHHC page, verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS SC-601 - SC-700 page, SC-698 paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records for this hull, verbatim: 'Built at Delaware Bay SB Co., Leesburg, N.J. Keel laid 3/1/42. Launched 8/7/42. Commissioned 9/28/42. Transferred to China 6/30/49.' The entry is a one-line milestone record with no service narrative - it does not carry the PC-698 commissioning designation, the April 1943 reclassification, the Pacific campaign record, the decommissioning/striking dates, or any Chinese-service detail.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1949
- Population
- Delaware Bay yard construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific milestones only; no asbestos or material content, no spec block, no service narrative. The 6/30/49 transfer year conflicts with NavSource's 30 June 1948 - carried as an open conflict (gaps). NavSource's page note 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-698' refers to the absence of a full narrative entry - this one-line compilation entry does exist and was verified live 2026-10-03.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-698 (page verified live 2026-10-03; canonical /archives/ path confirmed HTTP 200 - a /arkiv/ mirror path also resolves in search results) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150698.htm header block, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo-caption table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 1 March 1942 by the Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Co., Leesburg, NJ; launched 7 August 1942; commissioned USS PC-698 on 28 September 1942; reclassified SC-698 in April 1943; decommissioned 14 February 1946; struck from the Naval Register 26 February 1946; transferred to China 30 June 1948; 'Fate unknown.' Banner notes 'SC-698 served the Navies of the United States and China.' Specifications: 148 t.; 110'10" x 17' x 6'6"; 15.6 kts.; complement 28; armament one 40mm mount, one 20mm mount, two .50 cal. machine guns, two depth charge projector 'Y Guns,' two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign NXAD (Nan-Xray-Able-Dog). Commanding-officer roster: LT Ralph D. Cutler, Jr., USNR (28 Sep 1942-Mar 1944); LTJG George J. Yudkin, USNR (Mar-Sep 1944); LT Hamer S. Culp, Jr., USNR (Sep 1944-Jun 1945); LT John Cutts Hedges, USNR (Jun-Sep 1945); LTJG Donald J. Schindehette, USNR (Sep 1945-14 Feb 1946). Sole photograph: 27 June 1943, Australian War Memorial photo no. 302752.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Delaware Bay yard construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track DANFS where DANFS covers them; the commissioning designation (PC-698), reclassification month, decommissioning/striking dates, call sign, spec block, and CO roster come from this source alone among those searched. Its 'Transferred to China 30 June 1948' conflicts with DANFS's 6/30/49 (carried as a gap). 'Fate unknown' stands - no Chinese-service or disposal record located. Its 'no DANFS history' note is stale - the one-line DANFS entry exists (ev-01). Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-02
-
[3]NavSource Online: 110' Submarine Chaser photo index - class introduction and SC-497-class roster (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/01idx.htm class introduction paragraph and SC-497-class roster rows (SC-698 ex-PC-698)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- CORRECTION / designation-chain support: the class index explains the PC-698 -> SC-698 reclassification as class-wide, not hull-unique - 'World War II expansion programs led to construction of two large groups of subchasers, the new 110-foot wooden-hulled craft and the 173-foot steel-hulled type. By 1943, it was felt desirable to differentiate between the two types. The type symbol PC was retained for the steel 173-footers, and the separate symbol SC was adopted for the 110-foot vessels. These now dropped the dual "S.C.-PC" identification, and were simply identified as "USS SC-."' The roster lists 'SC-698 ex-PC-698' alongside the same ex-PC pattern for every early class boat. This hull was therefore never a PC-461-class steel patrol craft: PC-698 was the shared-series number carried by a wooden 110' boat until the April 1943 re-symboling.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1943
- Limitations
- Corrects the batch-scope classification: 'PC-698' reads as a PC-461-class hull number but is a designation-history fact, not a hull-type fact. The 1943 dual-to-SC re-symboling is stated at class level; this hull's specific April 1943 reclassification month rests on the vessel page (ev-02). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-03
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), Delaware Bay Shipbuilding yard construction table, Leesburg NJ; corroborated by the site's WWII sub-chaser production table at shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/pc2.htm (both verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- delawarebay.htm yard table, SC 698 row; smallships/pc2.htm SC 698 row; yard-history header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The builder's-yard table records for this hull: 'SC 698 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 136d | 110 | 28-Sep-42 | To Taiwan 1948' - corroborating the 28 September 1942 delivery/commissioning date. The companion production table lists 'SC | 698 | Delaware Bay SB | Leesburg NJ | 148 | 110 | 28-Sep-42 | To Taiwan 1949' - the two tables give conflicting transfer years (1948 vs 1949). The yard page documents Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Co., Inc. as formed in 1920 by Dr. Malcolm Sharp for fishing vessels, split in 1929 into Delaware Bay Shipbuilding (larger boats) and Debasco Boat Works (smaller boats), yard on Main Street at Sharpstow Lane, Leesburg NJ - where Yank Marine's repair yard is today.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1949
- Population
- Delaware Bay yard construction trades (1942); Republic of China Navy crew (post-transfer)
- Limitations
- Shipbuildinghistory is a long-running secondary reference compilation (yard records and delivery tables), not an official registry - and it is internally inconsistent on this hull's transfer year (1948 yard table vs 1949 production table); carried as convergent on a Taiwan (Republic of China) transfer, year unresolved (gaps). 'To Taiwan' vs DANFS's 'to China' wording reflects the recipient - the Republic of China Navy. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS SC-698 (SC-698) vessel entry - milestones and Operation Oboe I order of battle (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/8915.html - milestone table and 'Notable events: 1 May 1945 Operation Oboe I' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net records this hull: SC-497-class submarine chaser, built by Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Co. (Leesburg, NJ); ordered 16 February 1942; laid down 1 March 1942; launched 7 August 1942; commissioned 28 September 1942. Its transcribed Operation Oboe I (Tarakan, 1 May 1945) order of battle places USS SC-698 with USS SC-746 as Task Group 78.1.42, Control Unit Green, of the Tarakan Attack Group (Rear-Admiral F.B. Royal) - and logs her action: 'At 1035I/1, USS SC-698 directed USS Titania and HMAS Westralia to head towards Green Two beach.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Crew aboard, Tarakan operating area (Apr-May 1945)
- Limitations
- uboat.net is a secondary compilation; its milestone dates track DANFS/NavSource, and the Oboe I material is transcribed from the amphibious-force action report - the control-unit assignment and the 1035I/1 beach-direction entry read as verbatim report extracts but the underlying report was not independently retrieved this session. 'Ordered 16 Feb 1942' rests on this source alone - carried in gaps, not asserted. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-05
-
[6]Australian War Memorial collection item C241321, accession 302752 - photograph of USS SC-698, 27 June 1943 (verified live 2026-10-03) [museum_official]
- Locator
- awm.gov.au collection item C241321; accession 302752
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Australian War Memorial holds an official photograph of this hull dated 27 June 1943 (accession no. 302752, Naval Historical Collection), cataloged: '1943-06-27. AERIAL PORT SIDE VIEW OF THE SUBMARINE CHASER USS SC-698. NOTE THE 40 MM BOFORS AA GUN FORWARD AND 20 MM OERLIKON AA GUNS ABAFT THE DECKHOUSE. DEPTH CHARGES ARE CARRIED AFT ON RACKS AND THROWERS. SF RADAR IS CARRIED AT THE MAST HEAD.' Tagged conflict: Second World War, 1939-1945; unit: United States Navy ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-06-27
- Population
- Crew aboard (June 1943)
- Limitations
- Official museum-archive photograph documenting this hull's configuration (40mm Bofors forward, 20mm Oerlikons, depth-charge racks and throwers, SF radar) and placing her in the Australian-collection/SWPA orbit nine months after commissioning; the record gives no location and no service narrative. Documents fit-out, not materials - no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-06
-
[7]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project - Jeff J. Hall Collection (AFC2001001.28579), service summary naming USS SC-698 (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- loc.gov/item/afc2001001.28579 - service history block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Veterans History Project holds the Jeff J. Hall Collection: Navy veteran, dates of service 1942-1962, highest rank Boatswain's Mate First Class, enlisted; service units listed as 'USS Gillespie (DD 609); USS YT-236; USS SC-698'; location of service listed as Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands). A named crew member of this hull is documented in a federal oral-history archive.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1962 (veteran's total service span)
- Population
- One documented crew member (Boatswain's Mate First Class Jeff J. Hall)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: the VHP service-summary aggregates the veteran's whole career across three ships - it documents that Hall served aboard SC-698 at some point in 1942-1962 but does not date or locate his SC-698 tour specifically; the Okinawa location-of-service field is not attributable to SC-698 alone. Collection contents (memoir/photos) not itemized online. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-07
-
[8]NARA Special List 44 (by ship number), 'List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947' - SC-698 row (PDF verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sl-44-ship-number.pdf, SC hull-number sequence, SC-698 row (begin 9/28/1942, end 6/30/1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Special List 44 ship-number index records deck logs held for SC-698 covering 9/28/1942 - 6/30/1945 (RG 24, Entry 118, NAID 581208 series) - the log series begins on her commissioning date and runs through the end of her Pacific war service, corroborating the commissioned-service window against an official archival finding aid.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-09-28 to 1945-06-30
- Population
- Crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Finding-aid level: documents that logs for this hull exist in RG 24 for 28 September 1942 - 30 June 1945; the logs themselves are undigitized at NARA College Park and were not read - contents (locations, operations, material notes) unknown. Post-June-1945 logs (through the 14 Feb 1946 decommissioning) are outside the listed coverage. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-08
-
[9]World War II U.S. Navy ship campaign-participation table (transcription of the CNO-approved campaign/engagement list), SC 698 rows - via officialmilitaryribbons.com (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- officialmilitaryribbons.com 'USS SC-692 to SC-1004' page, SC 698 row block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The campaign-participation table credits this hull with five WWII operations: P17-2 Lae occupation (4-14 September 1943); P17-3 Finschhafen occupation (22-23 September 1943); P31-1 Leyte landings (18-29 November 1944); P37-1 Tarakan Island operation (27 April-5 May 1945); P37-3 Balikpapan operation (26 June-7 July 1945) - a Southwest Pacific and Borneo service arc consistent with the June 1943 AWM photograph and the Oboe I order of battle.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-09-04 to 1945-07-07
- Population
- Crew aboard, 1943-45 campaign periods
- Limitations
- Secondary transcription on a commercial ribbon-vendor site of the official CNO campaign-participation list - the campaign codes and date ranges follow the Navy's awards annexes, but the underlying official document was not located online this session (NHHC awards-manual pages carry the campaign framework, not per-hull credits). Partially corroborated: AWM photo places the hull in the SWPA theater June 1943; uboat.net's Oboe I order of battle confirms the Tarakan credit. Carried 'partial'; the authoritative citation remains the CNO list itself.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-09
-
[10]Robert J. Cressman, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II (NHHC publication), 1945 chapter - HyperWar/ibiblio verbatim transcription (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-Chron-1945.html, May 1945 entries for 1-2 May (Tarakan, Borneo paragraphs)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official Navy chronology's 1 May 1945 entry records the operation this hull took part in per ev-05/ev-09: 'Naval attack force (Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey) lands Australian troops on Tarakan Island Borneo, supported by naval gunfire and aircraft.' Surrounding entries document the operation's cost - YMS-481 sunk by shore batteries and YMS-364/-334 damaged 2 May, YMS-363 mined - the mine/shore-battery environment the control units worked in.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-05
- Population
- Tarakan attack-force crews (May 1945)
- Limitations
- Names the operation, not the hull - Cressman does not mention SC-698; her participation rests on the Oboe I order-of-battle transcription and the campaign-credit table. ibiblio/HyperWar is the standard verbatim-transcription mirror for the NHHC-published chronology. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-10
-
[11]Era inference built on: NARA-authored Unwritten Record blog (wooden 110' SC put into production for WWII); NavSource spec block (GM 8-268A diesels, no steam plant); class-article construction data (438 boats, 1941-44); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-12) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Unwritten Record 'Spotlight: Submarine Chasers' (26 Apr 2016); NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json (no Delaware Bay Shipbuilding entry)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled, diesel-powered 110' submarine chaser built 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era but at the low end of its material intensity: no boilers, no steam lines, no turbine lagging - the dominant shipboard asbestos pathways do not exist on this hull type. Era-standard diesel-craft applications aboard a boat of this type and period were engine and exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets, valve packing, and electrical/wiring insulation in a small wooden hull volume.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-unknown
- Population
- Delaware Bay yard construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46 US; post-transfer ROC); disposal workforce (unknown date)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for SC-698/PC-698. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. The wooden-hull type plausibly carried materially less asbestos than steel steam vessels of the same era - an inference about degree, not an exemption claim. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-11
-
[12]National Archives, The Unwritten Record (NARA staff blog), 'Spotlight: Submarine Chasers' (26 April 2016) - RG 19 engineering-record context for the 110' chaser type (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov post, RG 19 drawing links (NAID 28264940, 30010079)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-authored record on the type: '440 of these wooden SC boats were constructed and placed in service during the World War I era. The design proved very effective, and an improved wooden 110' SC was put into production for World War II' - confirming the wooden-hull construction of this hull's class from a government archival source, and pointing to RG 19 Alphabetical Series of Ship Engineering Drawings holdings for the 110' chaser type (NAID 28264940 outboard profile; NAID 30010079).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1944 (WWII production statement)
- Limitations
- Confirms the class's wooden construction - a material-context fact relevant to how much asbestos the type could plausibly carry - but contains no asbestos content and documents the WWI predecessor design directly; the WWII production statement is at type level. The linked NARA catalog records are JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session (see search ledger).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-12
-
[13]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product-page highlights (firecrawl-rendered, verified 2026-10-03) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights block (plain curl 403; firecrawl-rendered; 26-page PDF not retrieved)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO's review of Navy asbestos-exposure protection documented that asbestos insulation was in use in Navy ships, and that the Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs - a policy modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. The program-level finding places asbestos insulation aboard Navy ships throughout this hull's U.S. service era (1942-46).
- 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. Content via product-page highlights - gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to plain curl but renders under firecrawl; the 26-page full-report PDF was not retrieved. Fieldwork shipyards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not this hull's builder.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-13
-
[14]Batch-8072 search ledger (this record): DANFS compilation; NavSource vessel + class index; uboat.net; AWM collection; LOC Veterans History Project; NARA Special List 44; shipbuildinghistory yard + production tables; HyperWar ships table + Cressman chronology; NARA blog; GAO product page; NVR check; PCSA class page; CourtListener (API v4); secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-698-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS SC-698 / PC-698 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener 'PC-698' opinion search returned 2,441 results - all name collisions (professional-corporation 'P.C.' strings, statute-section and page references containing 'PC 698'/'PC-698'; zero vessel or asbestos references in the result set). See search_ledger for the per-repository outcomes including any CourtListener queries left fleet-pacing-blocked this session.
- 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' wooden diesel boat simply has few asbestos-relevant systems and generated few paper records; no survey would be expected for a hull this small decommissioned in 1946. RG 24 deck logs (1942-45), any BuShips/ComPhibFor action reports on the 1943-45 campaigns, and ROCN transfer/activation files are undigitized/open leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-698-14