Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Puffer (SS-268) - Manitowoc construction; Mississippi drydock transit; nine war patrols incl. Navy Unit Commendation patrol; Mare Island overhaul; 13th Naval District Seattle reserve trainer to 1960 (hazegray transcription via Internet Archive capture; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 16 February 1942 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis. (sponsor Mrs. Ruth B. Lyons, granddaughter of the yard's oldest employee); launched 22 November 1942; commissioned 27 April 1943, Lt. Comdr. M. J. Jensen in command. Transported down the Mississippi to New Orleans on a special floating drydock, periscopes installed enroute. Nine war patrols - Makassar Strait-Celebes Sea; Sulu Sea-Manila approaches (sank destroyer Fujo and freighter Ryuyo Maru); South China Sea (sank 15,105-ton transport Teikyo Maru); lifeguard for the first Allied carrier strike on Soerabaja (sank Shinryu Maru and tankers Ashizuri and Takasaki - Navy Unit Commendation); Nansei Shoto (sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 42); bombarded Pratas Island and Bali harbor installations; final Java Sea patrol ending with the cessation of hostilities. Overhaul at Mare Island late 1944. Postwar submarine-warfare training at Hawaii; decommissioned 28 June 1946 and berthed at Mare Island, Pacific Reserve Fleet; activated end of 1946 as Naval Reserve trainer in the 13th Naval District at Seattle until relieved by USS Bowfin 10 June 1960; placed out of service; struck 1 July 1960; sold to Zidell Corp., Portland, Ore., 4 November 1960. Nine battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-01
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[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, header 'as built' spec block for this hull; corroborated by DANFS spec block (diesel-electric) and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 submarine machinery tables (via shipscribe.com, per Gato class profile) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header spec block for this hull (https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08268.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery fit for this hull per NavSource 'as built' spec block: diesel electric reduction gear with four General Motors main generator engines, 5,400HP, fuel capacity 116,000 gal., four General Electric main motors, 2,740HP, two 126-cell main storage batteries, twin screws. NO BOILERS and no steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery profile differs materially from steam classes (no boiler/furnace insulation, no steam-line lagging run-outs; exposure-relevant systems are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets/packing, hull thermal/acoustic insulation, and auxiliary equipment). DANFS documents an overhaul at Mare Island following her fifth patrol (late 1944) and inactivation at Mare Island in 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- The NavSource spec block is a class-standard spec sheet, not a per-hull machinery survey - actual installed equipment is presumed class-typical and unverified for this specific hull. No hull-specific machinery or material list was located. Establishes propulsion type only, not fiber content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-02
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[3]Gato class profile ev-gato-class-07 (era/design inference for diesel-electric fleet boats) built on navypedia member table and BuShips Ships' Data 1945; GAO HRD-80-2 for the Navy's era asbestos-use regime [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile gato-class.class.json ev-07; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for diesel-electric fleet boats of this build period: era-standard applications likely included asbestos-containing diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, hull thermal and acoustic insulation, insulation around galley/refrigeration equipment, and electrical/battery materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos product list was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. Does not establish exposure or eligibility for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-03
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[4]CourtListener API v4 (opinions type=o, RECAP dockets type=r) exact-name and hull-number searches; site:courtlistener.com index sweep as throttling fallback [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: CourtListener API queries were already throttled at the daily cap (HTTP 429, 125/day - quota exhausted by prior same-day batch work), so the sweep ran on the site:courtlistener.com index fallback for the exact ship name and hull number. The fallback sweep surfaced only general Navy asbestos litigation and unrelated name collisions - nothing naming this hull. Name-collision caveat: USS Puffer SSN-652 (Sturgeon class) served 1969-1996; postwar references are presumptively the later boat. No qualifying asbestos litigation - and no litigation of any kind verified as naming this hull - was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- A negative result is bounded by the search mechanism: CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive for state-court pleadings, and the API throttle meant docket-text and opinion queries could not complete - the site:-index fallback is corroboration, not a substitute for docket search. Does not prove no litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-04
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[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC (via transcription mirrors and Internet Archive captures), NavSource, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/disposal hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming this vessel was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull went through reserve-fleet/postwar custody and was sold for scrap; no hazmat or material-condition documentation of any kind was located for the conversion, reserve, or scrapping periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard/within the hull, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-05
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[6]DANFS closing narrative + NavSource disposition line - postwar custody, reserve, and terminal disposition for this hull [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Postwar custody and terminal disposition for this hull: reached San Francisco 15 October 1945; trained officers and men in submarine warfare at Hawaii into 1946; decommissioned 28 June 1946 and berthed at Mare Island as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet; activated at the end of 1946 and assigned to the 13th Naval District as a Naval Reserve training vessel at Seattle until relieved by USS Bowfin (SS-287) 10 June 1960; placed out of service; struck 1 July 1960; sold for scrapping to Zidell Corp., Portland, Ore., 4 November 1960 ($47,819; removed 3 December 1960). No hazmat or material-condition documentation located for the reserve, training, or scrapping periods.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Documents custody/loss/disposition only; no asbestos or material-condition content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-06
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[7]National Archives, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' - research guidance naming RG 19 submarine GIBs and RG 38 Insurv submarine material inspection reports [nps]
- Locator
- NARA guided topic page, RG 19 Entry P 13 Item S-68; RG 38 Entry P 1-F
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead for future ship-specific material research: NARA's guided topic page for asbestos aboard U.S. naval vessels through 1961 identifies the record groups that would hold hull-level material documentation - RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) Submarine General Information Books (Entry P 13, Item S-68, 1913-1961) and RG 38 Board of Inspection and Survey submarine material inspection reports, which document machinery/system condition at trials, post-conversion, and pre-decommissioning.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Research guidance only - describes where hull-specific records would reside, not their content for this vessel. No GIB or Insurv report for this hull was retrieved; the series is incomplete and a missing GIB is expected for many hulls.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-puffer-ss268-07