Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Runner (SS-275) - Portsmouth Navy Yard construction; three war patrols; lost June-July 1943, cause unknown; stricken 30 October 1943 (verbatim transcription; 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 8 December 1941 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H. (Seavey Island, Kittery, Me.); launched 30 May 1942 (sponsor Mrs. John H. Newton); commissioned 30 July 1942, Comdr. F. W. Fenno, Jr., in command. Shakedown out of New London; arrived Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal 10 January 1943. First war patrol 18 January - 7 March between Midway and the Palau Islands - torpedoed five Japanese cargo ships (none confirmed sunk); damaged by a near-miss bomb off Peleliu that knocked out her sound gear and periscope hoists; emergency repairs and return to Pearl Harbor. Second patrol 1 April - 6 May laid a minefield off Pedro Blanco Rock and patrolled Hainan Strait (one freighter torpedoed, kill unconfirmed); returned to Midway. Third patrol departed Midway 27 May for the Kurile Island chain and waters off northern Japan - no report was ever received from her; captured Japanese records indicate she sank cargo ship Seinan Maru 11 June in Tsugaru Strait off Hokkaido and passenger-cargo ship Shinryu Maru 26 June off the Kuriles. Declared overdue and presumed lost July 1943, all hands lost; struck from the Navy list 30 October 1943. One battle star.
- 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-runner-ss275-01
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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/08/08275.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery fit for this hull per NavSource 'as built' spec block: diesel electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks Morse main generator diesel engines, 5,400HP, fuel capacity 94,400 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).
- 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-runner-ss275-02
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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-runner-ss275-03
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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 Runner SS-476 (Tench class) served 1944-1963 - the usual referent for 'Runner' in postwar sources, including 1960s Norfolk pier photos on NavSource. 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-runner-ss275-04
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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 is a sunken war grave; no scrapping or disposal event exists to document.
- 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-runner-ss275-05
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[6]DANFS/NavSource loss record - last patrol, Court of Inquiry / Japanese records, striking, and (for Robalo) 2019 wreck identification [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Loss record for this hull: departed Midway 27 May 1943 for the Kuriles and northern Japan; no report was ever received; captured Japanese records credit her with sinking Seinan Maru 11 June in Tsugaru Strait and Shinryu Maru 26 June off the Kuriles. Declared overdue and presumed lost July 1943 with all hands; stricken 30 October 1943. NavSource describes the loss as a mine between Japan and Midway, but no primary source establishes the cause - treated as unknown. The wreck has never been located. As a war loss the hull was never scrapped - no disposal/abatement event exists.
- 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-runner-ss275-06
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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-runner-ss275-07