USS Redfin (SS-272)

Name
USS Redfin
Hull designation
SS-272
Vessel class
Gato
Evidence tier
Tier 2
Evidence entries
8
Record ID
uss-redfin-ss272
Dataset version
2026.10.12-rc.1
Canonical URL
https://asbestosatlas.org/ships/uss-redfin-ss272

Evidence

8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).

  1. [1]DANFS, Redfin (SS-272) - Manitowoc construction; war patrols incl. Tawi Tawi scouting and Flier rescue; Philadelphia NSY radar-picket conversion and 1959 Polaris inertial-guidance laboratory role; Thresher search; AGSS-272 (verbatim 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 3 September 1942 by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis. (sponsor Mrs. B. B. Wygant); launched 4 April 1943; commissioned 31 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. R. D. King in command. Four-plus war patrols - South China Sea (damaged destroyer Amatsukaze; emergency Australia defensive patrol), second patrol (sank destroyer Akigumo, Shinyu Maru, Yamagata Maru; landed crew near Dent Haven, Borneo, for British agent evacuation), third patrol (landed Philippine guerrillas; scouted Tawi Tawi and warned U.S. forces of the Japanese sortie defeated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea; sank Asanagi Maru and Aso Maru), fourth patrol (mined west Borneo; rescued eight survivors of USS Flier at Palawan 30 August 1944; sank 15,226-ton tanker No.2 Nichinan Maru). Received special mine-detection gear at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, then mine surveys off Honshu, Hokkaido, and Kyushu mid-1945. Decommissioned at New London 1 November 1946; entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard April 1951 for radar picket conversion (SSR-272); recommissioned 9 January 1953 - six years of picket duty from U.S. coastal waters to northern Europe and the Mediterranean. April 1959 received an inertial guidance system at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and became a laboratory and training ship for Polaris submarine inertial guidance systems; flagship of Submarine Squadron 14 ahead of USS George Washington (SSBN-598); reclassified SS-272 15 August 1959. Searched for the lost USS Thresher (SSN-593) April 1963; reclassified AGSS-272 28 June 1963; supported Polaris A-3 development. Decommissioned 15 May 1967; Naval Reserve Training Ship at Baltimore; struck 1 July 1970; sold to North American Smelting Co., Wilmington, Del. (DANFS 3 March 1971; NavSource 31 March 1971). Six battle stars.
    Verification
    unverified
    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-redfin-ss272-01
  2. [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/08/08272.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 three Philadelphia Naval Shipyard periods (April 1951 SSR conversion; April 1959 inertial-guidance installation) plus the Mare Island Naval Shipyard visit for special mine-detection gear in early 1945.
    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-redfin-ss272-02
  3. [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-redfin-ss272-03
  4. [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. 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-redfin-ss272-04
  5. [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-redfin-ss272-05
  6. [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: decommissioned at New London 1 November 1946 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; towed to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard April 1951 for radar picket conversion (SSR-272); recommissioned 9 January 1953; April 1959 inertial-guidance laboratory/training ship and SubRon 14 flagship at Philadelphia; searched for USS Thresher April 1963; AGSS-272 28 June 1963; decommissioned 15 May 1967 and placed in service as a Naval Reserve Training Vessel at Baltimore, Md.; placed out of service and struck 1 July 1970; sold for scrapping to North American Smelting Co., Wilmington, Del. (DANFS 3 March 1971; NavSource 31 March 1971). The hull remained in Navy custody into the asbestos-aware scrapping era (1971), but no hazmat or material-condition documentation was located for the conversion, laboratory, reserve, 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-redfin-ss272-06
  7. [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-redfin-ss272-07
  8. [8]DTIC technical report ADA122347, 'Removal of Pre-Formed Asbestos Insulation - A Project of the Manufacturing Technology Program' (NAVSEA/Pearl Harbor NSY prototype) [other_primary]
    Locator
    DTIC ADA122347 report summary text
    Finding type
    gov_survey
    Finding
    Navy program context for this hull's postwar custody period: a NAVSEA Manufacturing Technology Program report (DTIC ADA122347) documents that 'removal of asbestos thermal insulation from Naval vessels has become one of the most critical elements in the ship repair process,' describing sealed containments, PPE requirements, and the impregnation/entrapment removal technique developed at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard circa 1978-1980.
    Verification
    verified
    Role
    context
    Documentation level
    context_only
    Accessed
    2026-09-18
    Limitations
    Program-level document describing the late-1970s/1980s repair-era removal regime - it does not document work on this hull or even this class; it establishes only that shipboard ACM removal was a recognized Navy-wide repair problem in that era.
    Atlas source
    true
    Evidence ID
    ev-uss-redfin-ss272-08

Attribution

Compiled by
Paul Danziger; Rod de Llano
Publisher
Danziger & De Llano, LLP
License
CC-BY-4.0
Citation
Danziger, P., and De Llano, R. (2026). AsbestosAtlas Navy Vessel Asbestos Exposure Dataset. Danziger & De Llano, LLP. DOI: not yet assigned
Dataset version
asbestosatlas-ships-2026.10.12-rc.1
DOI
not yet assigned