Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 932-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-pc-738-pc738-pkt-932-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS consolidated entry 'SC-701 - SC-800' (NHHC, live page verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'SC-701 - SC-800' consolidated page, SC-738 paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull in DANFS: 'Built at Julius Petersen, Nyack, N.Y. Keel laid 3/7/42. Launched 6/27/42. Commissioned 10/21/42. Transferred to Foreign Liquidation Commission 12/19/47.' The consolidated DANFS entry carries no narrative beyond these milestones and no spec block for individual SC hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Petersen construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific milestones only; no asbestos or material content. DANFS does not mention the interim PC-738 designation, the April 1943 reclassification, the 1946 striking, or any post-FLC disposition (NavSource supplies those). DANFS's 12/19/47 FLC date conflicts with NavSource's 'May 1948' - carried in gaps. No complement figure in the consolidated entry.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-738 (ex-PC-738) - designation timeline, specifications, service narrative, striking and transfer, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150738.htm header timeline, specifications block, photo captions, and reproduced 'SC-738 in Australian Waters' section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 7 March 1942 by Julius Petersen, Nyack, NY; launched 27 June 1942; commissioned USS PC-738, 21 October 1942; reclassified SC-738 in April 1943; struck from the Naval Register 26 February 1946; transferred to the State Department Foreign Liquidation Commission in May 1948 'and transferred to the Philippines'; fate unknown. Spec block: displacement 148 t.; length 110 ft 10 in; beam 17 ft; draft 6 ft 6 in; speed 15.6 kts; complement 28; armament one 40mm mount, two .50-cal machine guns, two depth-charge 'Y guns,' two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 880 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels with Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign Nan-Xray-King-Queen. Photo record: off Buna, New Guinea 15 June 1943; Milne Bay c. 1943 (NHHC photos NH 108699-NH 108702, credited to ENS Robert B. Woodcock, Executive Officer); c. 1946 nested at Subic Bay with SC-742, SC-743, SC-745. Reproduces the ozatwar.com Australian-waters narrative (Lt. Carroll F. Sweet USN commanding; 25 April 1943 convoy incident).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Petersen construction trades (1942); crew of ~28 (1942-46)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation; milestone dates track DANFS and uboat.net where cross-checked (all consistent except the FLC date - NavSource 'May 1948' vs DANFS '12/19/47'). The Philippine transfer and the Philippine flag on the page rest on NavSource alone - she appears in no documented Philippine Naval Patrol roster (see ev-12). 'Fate unknown' closes its coverage. Page's standing 'no DANFS history' note is superseded by the consolidated DANFS entry (ev-01). No asbestos content. Spec block conflicts with class-level figures (98 t. standard; see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-02
-
[4]NHHC photographic catalog record NH 108699, 'USS SC-738' (live page verified 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC NH-108699 catalog page (caption, catalog #, original date, creator fields); NavSource 12/150738.htm photo table for NH 108700-108702
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NHHC photo catalog holds an official image record for this hull: NH 108699, titled 'USS SC-738', captioned 'Off Buna, New Guinea', original date 15 June 1943, credited 'Courtesy of R. B Woodcock' with original creator 'ENS Robert B. Woodcock, Exec. Officer.' NavSource displays the same photograph plus the sister records NH 108700, NH 108701, and NH 108702 (Milne Bay, c. 1943), all credited to Woodcock. This is official documentation that SC-738 was operating off Buna, New Guinea, in June 1943, and that Woodcock - later her commanding officer per uboat.net - was then her Executive Officer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- SC-738 crew (~28), off Buna, June 1943
- Limitations
- A photographic catalog record: establishes place, date, and the photographer's rank/role; no material, maintenance, or personnel data beyond the caption. NH 108700-108702 referenced via the NavSource photo record rather than individually verified catalog pages. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-03
-
[5]Oz at War (Peter Dunn), 'Subchaser SC 738, 7th Fleet, U.S. Navy in Australia during WW2' - the source narrative NavSource reproduces [other_primary]
- Locator
- ozatwar.com/usnavy/sc-738.htm full narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Oz at War documents SC-738 attached to the Seventh Fleet in Australian waters, performing escort and patrol work along the Queensland coast and operating out of Brisbane; commanding officer Lt. Carroll F. Sweet, USN. On 25 April 1943 SC-738 was screen commander of a convoy departing Moreton Bay for Townsville inside the Great Barrier Reef: HMAS Kurumba (lead), a second subchaser, two ammunition lighters, the Dutch transport Van Vlissenberg carrying Australian troops, and the Norwegian tanker Nord (bound for Rockhampton). The second SC recovered 11 survivors of the Australasian Steam Navigation Co. vessel Kowarra (2,125 tons, built Sunderland 1916), torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 on 24 April 1943 off Fraser Island with 21 dead including her master Capt. D. McPherson, while SC-738 continued the escort at general quarters. Page acknowledges Ted Treadwell ('Splinter Fleet') assistance.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Lt. Carroll F. Sweet USN and the SC-738 crew (~28), Queensland convoy service, April 1943
- Limitations
- Specialist amateur-history site (Peter Dunn), drawing on Treadwell's 'Splinter Fleet'; the most detailed located account of the Australian period but not an official record. The second subchaser is never identified by hull number. The Kowarra sinking by I-26 on 24 April 1943 is independently documented in wreck/submarine records. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-04
-
[6]ShipbuildingHistory.com, Julius Petersen Inc. (Upper Nyack NY) yard table - builder's output list compiled from official records [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Petersen yard table, SC-738 row; yard history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Julius Petersen (Upper Nyack, NY) production table lists 'SC 738 - US Navy - Sub Chaser - 136d tons - 110 - 21-Oct-42 - Transferred overseas 1947,' corroborating the builder, the October 1942 completion/commissioning date, and the 1947 foreign disposal. Petersen sisters on the same table: SC-652, SC-653, SC-739 (to the Philippines 1948 as Ilocos Sur P-16), SC-740 (wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef 17-Jun-43), SC-741, SC-742, SC-743, and the SC-1315+ block. Yard history: site founded 1798 by John Van Houten; acquired by Danish-born boatbuilder Julius Petersen in 1913; built about ten sub chasers and forty-plus 85-foot air-sea-rescue boats during WWII.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Petersen construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of builder/owner/disposition data; its 'Built' date equals the commissioning date rather than launch. 'Transferred overseas 1947' corroborates foreign disposal without naming the Philippines. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-05
-
[7]uboat.net Allied Warships, USS SC-738 (SC-738), SC-497 class - data table and three transcribed operation entries [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/8955.html data table and 'Notable events' sections dated 15 Dec 1943, 26 Dec 1943, 22 Apr 1944
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net entry for this hull: built by Julius Petersen, Nyack; ordered 16 February 1942; laid down 7 March 1942; launched 27 June 1942; commissioned 21 October 1942. Three notable events transcribed from operation reports: (1) Operation Director, the Arawe landings of 15 December 1943 - SC-738 (Lt.(jg) R.B. Woodcock, USNR) with SC-743 and APc-2 escorted Echelon Eight (LCT-85, -171, -172, -176, -374, -381) departing Cape Cretin 1700L/20, arriving Arawe 0715L/21; attacked while unloading by 30 Vals and 15 Zeros (APc-2 near-missed, LCT-171 holed) and again at 1700L by 45 Vals and 15 Zeros; returned to Cape Cretin 1200L/22. (2) Operation Dexterity, the Cape Gloucester landings of 26 December 1943 - SC-738 a patrol vessel of Task Unit 76.2.3 (Fourth Supply Section) with SC-703 and SC-734; seventh echelon (LST-474, -467, -468, -470, -475) departed Cape Sudest 0455L/26 for Yellow Beach. (3) Operations Reckless and Persecution, the Hollandia/Aitape landings of 22 April 1944 - SC-738 a unit of Echelon R-1 Group B (sixteen LCI(L)s, LCI(G)-31, SC-736, SC-738) departing Goodenough Island 1000K/16 for the operations area via Seeadler Harbor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Population
- Lt.(jg) R.B. Woodcock USNR and the SC-738 crew (~28), New Guinea/New Britain operations, 1943-44
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary database transcribing published action reports; the milestone dates corroborate DANFS and NavSource, and the operations match the NHHC photographic record (Buna/Milne Bay 1943) and the Philippine-area photo (Subic Bay c. 1946). 'Ordered 16 Feb 1942' is the only source carrying the order date - unverified against a contract record. Woodcock listed as escort commander Dec 1943 after appearing as Executive Officer in June 1943 (NH 108699) - a promotion/assignment transition, not an error. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-06
-
[8]NARA records for USS SC-738: Special List 44 finding aid 'Ship Logs, by Ship Number' (archives.gov PDF, live verified 2026-10-03) lists SC-738 logbook coverage 10/20/1942-6/30/1945; NAID 192214056 'SC-738, 10/20/42-1/31/46' (RG 24 Muster Rolls, 181 images, digitized via Ancestry); NAID 55162807 '111-SC-738 - Signal Corps radio outfit' (RG 111, Photographs of American Military Activities) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/files/research/military/logbooks/sl-44-ship-number.pdf (SC-738 row: 10/20/1942-6/30/1945); catalog.archives.gov/id/192214056 (RG 24, NAID 594996 series); /id/55162807 (RG 111); search-within/594258 within-series checks
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA documents deck-log holdings for this hull: the Special List 44 finding aid ('Ship Logs, by Ship Number') lists SC-738 with logbook coverage 20 October 1942 - 30 June 1945 - the source of the batch packet's claimed coverage; these are archive-coverage dates, not commissioning or decommissioning dates. The logs themselves are not digitized in the catalog (within-series searches of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, NAID 594258, for 'SC-738' and 'PC-738' returned only other vessels' logs mentioning her - Gato, Bache, Salamonie, etc.). Digitized records verified: (a) the muster-roll file unit spanning 20 October 1942 - 31 January 1946 (catalog.archives.gov/id/192214056, 181 images) documenting crew rosters; (b) a Signal Corps item '111-SC-738 - Signal Corps radio outfit'. A 'SC-738' catalog search (331 hits) additionally surfaces the hull by name in other units' WWII war diaries - USS OTUS (Oct 1943), COMTRANS 7th PHIBFOR (Apr 1944), COM 7th PHIBFOR (May-Jul 1944), a COMTASKFOR 77 report on the Biak operation, and USS LEYTE (May 1945) - corroborating continued Southwest Pacific/Philippine employment through 1945.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- SC-738 crew of ~28 (1942-46), named in muster rolls
- Limitations
- Archival lead: cataloged existence and scope verified live; Special List 44 row read directly from the verified PDF. The deck logs exist as paper holdings (finding-aid level) but are not digitized - page contents unexamined. Muster rolls are personnel records - not expected to contain material or insulation data; the war-diary mentions are in other units' narratives and were not read in full.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (two GM 8-268A diesels, wooden hull, no steam plant); SC-497-class construction era 1941-44 (438 hulls, 'splinter fleet' wooden subchasers); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (ev-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150738.htm spec block; SC-497 class references; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-09)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel submarine chaser built in 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but its exposure profile differs sharply from steam combatants: no boilers, no turbines, no steam piping - so no boiler/turbine lagging pathway. Era-typical asbestos applications aboard small diesel combatants were limited to gaskets and valve packing in fuel/cooling systems, electrical insulation and arc-resistant board, and localized engine/exhaust lagging. Any asbestos aboard this hull would have been confined to those fittings within a very small hull volume.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1948 (U.S. era under review)
- Population
- Petersen construction trades (1942); crew (1942-46); any later Philippine crew (undocumented)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation schedule, material list, or work package located for SC-738. Names era-typical applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. The wooden hull itself was not an asbestos product; any ACM aboard was in mechanical fittings only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-08
-
[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 reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards, covering the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos, and compensation programs. Per the product description, 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, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard in Navy construction well before this hull's 1942 build and remained policy-managed decades later.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (review); era coverage includes 1942
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. A 110-foot wooden diesel craft carried far less asbestos-relevant plant than the steam vessels that dominate the GAO record, and this hull left U.S. service in 1946-47 - the 1975/1979 policy window postdates her entirely. Product page retrieved via Firecrawl; gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to plain curl (standing defect).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-09
-
[11]Batch-8112 search ledger (this record): DANFS consolidated page; NavSource; NHHC photo catalog; ozatwar.com; shipbuildinghistory Petersen; uboat.net; NARA catalog (RG 24 muster rolls, RG 111 Signal Corps item, RG 38 war-diary mentions); NavalCoverMuseum; Wikipedia Philippine roster (cross-check only); CourtListener via authenticated helper [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-pc-738-pc738-01 through -18
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, material list, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS SC-738 (PC-738) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener base queries completed: 'SC-738' opinion returned 9 hits - all docket-number collisions (Kentucky 'SC-XXXXXX' appellate dockets; two Georgia appeals matching the string in text); 'SC-738' docket returned 18 hits - all document-text collisions on state 'SC' case numbers or incidental matches in unrelated filings; 'PC-738' docket returned 11 hits - all document-text collisions in unrelated civil/MDL/bankruptcy filings. None names the vessel; none is asbestos litigation. The hull string is high-collision; the 'PC-738' opinion base query remained fleet-pacing blocked at session end (search_ledger sl-11).
- 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. The digitized muster rolls (ev-07) are unexamined page-by-page; an undigitized deck log may exist in paper holdings (prompt-claimed coverage 10/20/1942-6/30/1945 unmatched to any digitized file unit). Philippine-side records are the open lead for post-1947 fate. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-10
-
[12]Designation cross-check: NavSource SC index (SC-727 through SC-752 all listed 'ex-PC-7xx'); NavSource SC-738 page (commissioned USS PC-738, reclassified SC-738 April 1943); DANFS consolidated entry; shipbuildinghistory Petersen table [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/01idx.htm index rows; NavSource 12/150738.htm timeline; NavalCoverMuseum wiki SC_738 name/designation table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: this hull is not and never was a PC-461-class steel patrol craft - the 'USS PC-738' name that appears in NavSource and in any packet keyed to 'PC-738' is an interim hull-designation artifact, not a separate vessel. SC-497-class wooden hulls in this numbering block were initially given PC designations: NavSource's SC index lists every hull SC-727 through SC-752 as 'ex-PC-7xx' (the identical artifact documented for the SC-650-659 block), and SC-738 commissioned as USS PC-738 on 21 October 1942 before being reclassified SC-738 in April 1943. One hull only: DANFS, uboat.net, shipbuildinghistory, and the NHHC photo record all describe a single 110-foot wooden submarine chaser built at Julius Petersen, and no second 'PC-738' steel patrol craft exists in any located source. Any source describing a 'USS PC-738' patrol craft of the PC-461 class is conflating two designation families.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Corrects a designation-level confusion, not a material claim. The interim-PC commissioning detail rests on NavSource (secondary compilation) - DANFS lists only 'Commissioned 10/21/42' without a hull-type designation, and no BuShips reclassification directive was located this session. The April 1943 reclassification month is NavSource's figure; the exact date within April is undocumented. NavalCoverMuseum's designation chain ('USS PC-738 commissioned October 21 1942; USS SC-738 redesignated April 1943') corroborates. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-11
-
[13]Cross-check: Wikipedia 'List of decommissioned ships of the Philippine Navy' (NavSource-sourced rows) - documented ex-SC acquisitions vs NavSource's Philippine claim for SC-738 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia decommissioned-ships table, P-14 through P-20 rows and unnamed ex-SC rows (NavSource-sourced); NavSource 12/150738.htm timeline and flag header
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource alone asserts SC-738 was 'transferred to the Philippines' (via FLC, May 1948) and displays the Philippine flag ('served the Navies of the United States and the Philippines'). The documented roster of ex-SC-497 hulls in Philippine Naval Patrol service - commissioned 2 July 1948 - names SC-731 (RPS Cagayan, P-14), SC-736 (RPS Mountain Province, P-15), SC-739 (RPS Ilocos Sur, P-16), SC-747 (RPS Surigao, P-17), SC-750 (RPS Isabella, P-18), SC-982 (RPS Cavite, P-19), and SC-1274 (RPS Ilocos Norte/Malampay Sound, P-20), plus transferred units never documented under Philippine names (SC-732, SC-699, SC-742, SC-743, SC-769). SC-738 appears in none of these entries. Her fate after the FLC transfer is unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1947-1956
- Limitations
- The conflict is real: either she reached the Philippines but was never commissioned under a documented RPS name (the cannibalization pattern of the unnamed units), or NavSource's Philippine flag is a conflation with the sister boats she is photographed alongside at Subic Bay c. 1946 (SC-742, SC-743, SC-745 - of which 742 and 743 did go to the Philippines). Wikipedia is a cross-check source only, not a record source; the authoritative leads are Philippine naval records and Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships - not accessed this session. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-pc-738-pc738-12