Evidence
20 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-20).
-
[1]DANFS compiled volume, SC-601 - SC-700: 'SC-635 - Built at Mathis Yacht Building Co., Camden, N.J. Keel laid 6/6/42. Launched 10/12/42. Commissioned 10/23/42. Transferred to the Coast Guard 10/19/45.' (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS s/sc-601-sc-700v1.html, SC-635 entry (between SC-634 'to Russia' and SC-636 'lost at sea')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy milestone record for this hull: built at Mathis Yacht Building Co., Camden NJ; keel laid 6 June 1942; launched 12 October 1942; commissioned 23 October 1942; transferred to the Coast Guard 19 October 1945. NOTE: NavSource's page states 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-635' - that notation is outdated; the hull is covered by the compiled SC-601-SC-700 DANFS volume (bare one-line entry, unlike fuller DANFS treatments for named vessels).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- Mathis Yacht Building yard trades (1942); Navy crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- The compiled DANFS entry gives milestones only - no operations, commanding officers, specifications, or post-transfer history. DANFS's 10/19/45 transfer date is the USCG-commissioning date; Flynn and NavSource record an administrative transfer of 10/8/45 (carried in ev-05, flagged in gaps). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, USCGC Air Eider (WAVR 419) ex-USS SC-635 ex-USS PC-635 - full milestone chain, specifications, commanding officer, and complete civilian ownership chain (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150635.htm header block, milestone list, specifications block, CO table, photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 6 June 1942 by Mathis Yacht Building Co., Camden NJ; launched 12 October 1942; delivered 23 October 1942 and commissioned USS PC-635; reclassified SC-635 April 1943; transferred to the Coast Guard 8 October 1945; commissioned USCGC Air Eider (WAVR 419) 19 October 1945; struck from the Naval Register 28 November 1945; sold 30 September 1947 to Harry Tonk of Point Pleasant NJ and converted to a fishing charter vessel renamed Yank; acquired 1954 by Land and Sea Service Co., Inc. of Newark NJ; sold 1956 to Bronx Queen Enterprises, Inc. of Bronx NY and renamed Bronx Queen; renamed '6' in 1968; renamed back to Bronx Queen in 1970; acquired 1989 by Edjac Fishing and Cruising Enterprises, Inc. of New York; sank 20 December 1989 off Ambrose Light NJ 'in rough seas after she lost a plank in her bow' (date conflicts with federal/press record - see gaps). Specs: displacement 95 t.; length 110'10"; beam 17'; draft 6'6"; speed 21 kts; complement 28; armament one 40mm mount, two .50 cal MG, two Y-gun DCT, two DC tracks; propulsion two 1,540 bhp GM (EMD) 16-184A diesels, 2 shafts. CO table: ENS Francis W. Ludington Jr., USNR, 23 October 1942. Photo captioned c. January 1946, Cape May NJ.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1989
- Population
- Mathis/Trumpy yard trades (1942); Navy crew ~28 (1942-45); USCG crew/caretakers (1945-47); civilian fishing crews and charter passengers (1947-89)
- Limitations
- Volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates corroborated by DANFS, uboat.net, Flynn, and USCG sources except where flagged. The stated sinking date '20 December 1989' conflicts with the USCG R&D Center and all contemporaneous press (Saturday 2 December 1989); carried as a documented conflict, not corrected silently. The 'lost a plank in her bow' cause vs the federal record of stern/steering-compartment flooding is likewise unresolved. 'No DANFS history' notation is outdated (ev-01). No asbestos or material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-02
-
[3]uboat.net, Allied Warships: USS SC-635 (SC-635), submarine chaser of the SC-497 class - milestones plus dated Panama Bay exercise events naming this hull and its CO (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship/8852 page - data block plus 'Notable events involving SC-635' dated entries (4 Jul, 29 Jul, 30 Jul, 31 Jul, 1 Aug 1944)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent corroboration of milestones: ordered 30 July 1941; laid down 6 June 1942; launched 12 October 1942; commissioned 23 October 1942; end of U.S. Navy service 19 October 1945 ('Transferred to the United States Coast Guard on 19 October 1945'); built by Mathis Yacht Building Co., Camden, New Jersey. Ship-specific operations documented: exercises in Panama Bay on 4 July 1944 (with USS Hawkbill, USS John D. Edwards, USS Mallard, USS SC-657) and on 29, 30, 31 July and 1 August 1944 (with USS Icefish, USS John D. Edwards, USS SC-540) - submarine chasers working with fleet submarines in the Canal Zone approaches. Commanding officer recorded in these events: Lt.(jg) H. Yaskin, USNR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Navy crew ~28 at Panama Sea Frontier assignment, summer 1944
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation, not an official registry; the exercise events are drawn from its Allied-events database (derived from patrol/operations reports) and are the only located operations record for this hull. Lists the hull as SC-635 throughout without the PC-635 interim designation NavSource records. No asbestos content; no pre-1944 or post-Aug-1944 operations detail.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-03
-
[4]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'Air Class Cutters' - official program page; AIR EIDER named in the list of cutters transferred to the Coast Guard (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- history.uscg.mil Air Class Cutters article 2148105 - program paragraph + AIR EIDER row in the transfer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG program documentation: the Air-class cutters were '70 Navy SC 497-class patrol boats the Coast Guard requested to be permanently transferred from the Navy to the Coast Guard for air-sea-rescue duties. Initially, 36 were provided on a loan basis. However, due to a shortage of CG personnel immediately following World War II, few 110-foot SCs became operational and those that did saw little service. Those units placed "in commission in reserve" status were assigned one deck petty officer and one engine-room rate as caretakers.' AIR EIDER appears in the official transfer list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- USCG caretaker personnel (one deck petty officer + one engine-room rate where in-reserve) - class pattern
- Limitations
- Program-level official page: it documents AIR EIDER's inclusion in the transfer list but gives no per-cutter dates, station, or manning status - whether Air Eider was ever operational or sat caretaker is undocumented here. The 'caretakers' description is class-level. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-04
-
[5]James T. Flynn Jr., 'U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Craft: Major Classes of Coast Guard Cutters' (USCG Historian distribution PDF) - Air-class WAVR narrative and per-cutter roster row (direct curl 403; fetched via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Flynn patrol-craft PDF - Air-class narrative section and WAVR roster table row for WAVR 419
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USCG-compiled roster row: 'WAVR 419 | Air Eider | ex. SC-635 | 8Oct1945 | Sold 30Sep1947' - administrative transfer date 8 October 1945 and sale date 30 September 1947 for this hull. Air-class narrative: the boats were stripped of naval armament, intended for air-sea rescue, and 'very few WAVR's actually entered full service, but instead were placed "In Commission in Reserve" with a two man skeleton crew of care takers.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Population
- USCG personnel assigned to Air Eider, Oct 1945 - Sep 1947 (manning level undocumented)
- Limitations
- USCG Historian-compiled secondary PDF (Flynn) - authoritative for USCG service data but a compiled roster, not a unit log. Its 8-Oct-1945 transfer date differs from DANFS's 10/19/45 (the USCG commissioning date); both are carried with the conflict flagged. The caretaker-crew narrative is class-level; Air Eider's individual manning status is not stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-05
-
[6]James T. Flynn Jr., 'U.S. Coast Guard W Numbers' (USCG Historian distribution PDF) - W-number cross-index entry '419 Air Eider ex. SC-635' (direct curl 403; fetched via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Flynn W-Numbers PDF - WAVR/WAGR block, entry 419
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Cross-index confirmation of the designation chain: WAVR 419 = Air Eider = ex-SC-635. (OCR extraction renders the prefix inconsistently as 'WAGR 419'; WAVR is carried per the USCG Historian Air-class page, Flynn's own roster, and NavSource.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation only - no dates or service detail beyond the identity chain; OCR artifact noted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-06
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory (Colton compilation, njscuba mirror): 'Sub Chasers Built During WWII' master table - 'SC-635 | Mathis Yachts | Camden NJ | 148 | 110 | 23 Oct 1942 | to USCG 1945 as Air Eider (WAVR-419), sold as Yank, Bronx Queen, sank near Ambrose Light 1989'; and the Mathis Yacht/Trumpy builder's table (us-yacht-small/trumpynj) filing hull no. 262 = SC-635 under 'Built in Gloucester City by John Trumpy & Sons' (both pages verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- pc2 master SC table, SC-635 row; trumpynj yard table, hull no. 262 row under the Gloucester City heading
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder attribution and yard hull number documented: Mathis/Trumpy yard hull no. 262 = SC-635, delivery 23 October 1942. The yard's own build table files the wartime subchaser series (hull nos. 249-278, SC-507 through SC-1076) under the heading 'Built in Gloucester City by John Trumpy & Sons' - the Mathis Yacht Building operation's wartime successor identity after the mid-1942 relocation/rename. Master table gives displacement 148d (conflicts with NavSource's 95 t - see gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1942
- Population
- Mathis/Trumpy yard workforce, Camden/Gloucester City NJ, 1942
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary tables (Tim Colton's shipbuildinghistory, mirrored at njscuba). The Camden vs Gloucester City physical build site for hull 262 is not fully resolved by located sources - Navy paperwork says Mathis Yacht Building, Camden; the yard table says John Trumpy & Sons, Gloucester City. Both describe the same yard lineage at the mid-1942 transition. Not an Atlas shipyards.json entry (yard-dataset coverage gap). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-07
-
[8]U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, 'Mass Rescue Operations Scoping Study' (HSCG32-06-J-000048) - federal study documenting the M/V Bronx Queen casualty with citations to the NTSB report and NTSB safety recommendations M-90-110/-111 (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MRO Scoping Study section 3.1 (cruise-ship/ferry/vessel sinkings narrative) and endnotes 5-6
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Federal documentation of the loss: 'On December 2, 1989, the M/V Bronx Queen, a charter fishing vessel, sank off Breezy Point, NY, after the steering compartment in the stern began to flood. A USCG 41-foot utility boat responded. When the USCG boat reached the sinking vessel, all 19 persons were on the bow of the vessel. A crewmember on the USCG boat instructed the persons on the Bronx Queen (all of whom were wearing personal flotation devices) to swim to the USCG boat one at a time. Instead, all 19 persons entered the water at once. Because of difficulties in getting all of the victims onto the 41-footer, it took two hours to remove everyone from the water. Consequently, two individuals died of hypothermia, and another died of a heart attack.' The study's endnotes cite 'National Transportation Safety Board. Report on M/V Bronx Queen Casualty. Washington, DC.' and 'NTSB (1990) Safety recommendation M-90-110 and M-90-111, December 11, 1990.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-12-02
- Population
- 19 persons aboard (charter passengers + crew); USCG 41-ft UTB rescue crew
- Limitations
- Casualty/survival documentation, not an asbestos or material record. The RDC study records three fatalities (two hypothermia + one heart attack) while contemporaneous press and congressional testimony record two - the conflict is carried in gaps. It attributes the sinking to stern/steering-compartment flooding; NavSource's 'lost a plank in her bow' and the captain's reported 'submerged object' are alternative framings. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-08
-
[9]Testimony submitted to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 'Maritime Transportation Regulations: Impacts on Safety, Security, Jobs...' hearing (2013-09-10, Wojahn/DREDF) - congressional-record statement on the Bronx Queen investigation (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- transportation.house.gov uploaded testimony PDF, passage beginning 'Shortly after the 1989 report' + footnote 4
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Congressional testimony documents the federal investigation's finding: 'Shortly after the 1989 report, the Bronx Queen sank near the entrance to New York harbor, resulting in two deaths. An investigation by the Coast Guard revealed that, although the boat had a more than sufficient number of "life-floats" on board, because they did not provide out-of-the-water protection, it was not adequate in cold water operations. As a result, the NTSB again reiterated its 1989 recommendation.' (The '1989 report' is the NTSB safety study 'Passenger Vessels Operating from U.S. Ports'.)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-1990
- Limitations
- Advocacy testimony on the congressional record - the investigation finding is relayed, not the report text itself; the USCG investigating officer's own conclusion is quoted more fully in the companion DREDF white paper (ev-10). Records two deaths, consistent with contemporaneous press, vs the RDC study's three. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-09
-
[10]DREDF (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund) white paper, 'Survival Craft should provide out-of-the-water protection' (2013) - quotes the USCG investigating officer's Bronx Queen casualty finding and NTSB's 15 Nov 1989 letter (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DREDF survival-craft white paper, section quoting the Bronx Queen investigation finding
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documents the casualty investigation's own conclusion, quoted verbatim from the USCG report: 'the "small passenger vessel" Bronx Queen, a "head-boat", sank near the entrance to New York harbor with 19 persons on board. Two passengers died and four were injured, despite immediate response of rescue resources. The Coast Guard conducted a thorough investigation of the casualty. The vessel was carrying "life-floats" for 68 persons. The investigating officer concluded - among other things - ...that buoyant apparatus which do not provide out-of-the-water capabilities do not provide adequate protection for people in cold water operations.' The paper also records NTSB's pre-casualty letter to the Coast Guard dated 15 November 1989 urging the same requirement.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-1990
- Limitations
- An advocacy organization's white paper quoting primary material - the quoted passages are attributed to the USCG investigating officer's report and NTSB letters, but the underlying casualty report itself is not digitized publicly (archival lead, ev-16). Use for the finding's substance, flagged as a relayed source. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-10
-
[11]Contemporaneous press: Los Angeles Times (1989-12-03) 'Fishing Boat Sinks; 2 Killed, 16 Injured' and UPI (1989-12-03, upi.com/Archives/1989/12/03/Boat-sinks-off-Queens-killing-two/7199628664400) 'Boat sinks off Queens, killing two' (both verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- LA Times Nation in Brief 1989-12-03 + UPI Archives 1989-12-03 article bodies
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Day-after reporting of the casualty: a 110-foot charter fishing boat with 19 people aboard sank in rough seas near the entrance to New York Harbor ~2.5-3 miles south of Breezy Point in ~40 feet of water; sinking reported about 3:30 p.m.; all 19 pulled from ~42-degree water within two hours by Coast Guard boats from Queens and Sandy Hook plus helicopters from Brooklyn and Cape May; two men died (of 16 passengers per UPI) and at least 16 others were injured. Captain Jack Chale reported the vessel 'possibly struck an unknown submerged object' - 'when we hit something, hit a submerged object. Whatever it was, I have no idea.' USCG Lt. Cmdr. Jay Hess (Marine Inspection Office, Battery Park) said USCG and three NTSB investigators would take sworn statements.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-12-02 to 1989-12-03
- Population
- 19 aboard; survivors hospitalized
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous reporting - early-casualty details (the 'submerged object' report) were superseded by the investigation's structural-failure framing; two deaths per this and other day-of reporting vs the RDC study's later three-fatality account. Vessel identity as the former SC-635 is established by NavSource/njscuba chains, not by the press articles (which say only 'former naval vessel'). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-11
-
[12]MyCG (official U.S. Coast Guard news service), 'The Long Blue Line: Jeffrey Palazzo - a 9/11 Coast Guard hero's story' - records the Bronx Queen rescue in a USCG-published account (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- mycg.uscg.mil article 2760985, paragraph on Palazzo's Station Rockaway service
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official USCG account of the response: 'These included the winter 1989 sinking of the Bronx Queen, a charter boat lost off the Rockaways in rough seas. During the event, the Coast Guard saved 17 passengers from the sinking ship.' - 17 saved of 19 aboard, consistent with the contemporaneous two-death toll.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-12-02
- Population
- 17 rescued per USCG's own account
- Limitations
- Human-interest feature, not an incident report; used only to corroborate the rescue count and conditions. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-12
-
[13]New Jersey Scuba Diving (Dan Berg, 'Wreck Valley') Bronx Queen/SC-635 wreck survey, including NOAA AWOIS 9707 record excerpts (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- njscuba Bronx Queen page - wreck description + 'from AWOIS: 9707' block
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Present-day disposition documented: wreck in ~35-37 ft of water about a half-mile off the Ambrose Channel 2A buoy; bow section separated onto its port side; engines upright providing the highest relief; stern reduced to ribs and planking; artifacts recovered include brass portholes and stern letters. AWOIS 9707 excerpts: wreck 'largely silted over,' engines ~5 ft off the bottom in a scour depression, wire-dragged by the Corps of Engineers; 'sank in a Dec., 1989 storm and at that time was broken up into 5 or 6 sections'; described as a subchaser (SC-635) converted to a 'head boat' based in Sheepshead Bay; wooden plank construction. Berg's own summary adds 'foundered after structural failure of aft hull caused by improper modifications.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-present
- Population
- recreational/technical divers visiting the site; salvage (wire-drag) crews 1989-90s
- Limitations
- Hobbyist dive-site survey quoting the federal AWOIS wreck record - used for wreck location/condition, not as an authoritative casualty finding. Berg's 'improper modifications' cause attribution is not sourced to the NTSB/USCG report text and conflicts with the RDC's neutral 'steering compartment ... began to flood' and the captain's 'submerged object' report - carried as an unverified causal claim, not adopted. Page header's 'Saturday December 20, 1989' is internally inconsistent (Dec 2 was the Saturday). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-13
-
[14]USCG Historian's Office finding aid, Military Muster Rolls 1941-49 (NARA RG 26, Entry 108A) - named-vessel folder lists for 1945 and 1946 searched (verified live via firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG muster finding aid - 'Named Vessels 1945' and 'Named Vessels 1946, Box 89' sequences
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No muster-roll folder for SC-635 or Air Eider is indexed: the 1946 named-vessels sequence lists Air-class sisters (Air Avocet, Air Cardinal, Air Egret, Air Falcon, Air Gull, Air Ibis, Air Jay, Air Parakeet, Air Petrel, Air Piper, Air Skimmer, Air Skylark, Air Stork, Air Teal, Air Thrush...) but contains no 'Air Eider' entry, and no SC-635 entry appears in the 1945 sequences. Other Air-class hulls do appear (e.g., 'WAVR-421 Formerly SC-653 - 1945', 'Air Brant Formerly SC-499 - 1945', 'Air Curlew Formerly SC-540 - 1945', '(Ex-SC-453) Air Avocet - 1946').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945-1947
- Limitations
- Absence from the finding aid is consistent with Air Eider's short caretaker-status tenure (Oct 1945-Sep 1947) - a 2-man skeleton crew may never have generated a muster folder, or rolls may be filed under a different series. Does not prove no personnel record exists; Navy-side muster rolls (pre-Oct-1945) are in a different NARA series, unexamined.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-14
-
[15]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy's Efforts to Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (October 18, 1979; B-163375) - full-text PDF fetched via firecrawl this session (the gao.gov product page returns 403 to automated fetch; the assets PDF is reachable) [gao]
- Locator
- HRD-80-2 transmittal letter + 'NAVY'S POLICY ON USE OF ASBESTOS' section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Navy program-level asbestos context for the construction era: 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation, which was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships'; thermal-insulation product specifications were changed to asbestos-free in 1973, and the October 1975 elimination policy followed, but 'some ships were delivered with asbestos insulation as late as May 1978.' A 1942-built hull sits squarely inside the era the report describes. Fieldwork was at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1940s-1979
- Population
- shipbuilding/shipyard workforce era-wide
- Limitations
- Program-level GAO report - it establishes the Navy asbestos-use era, not what was installed aboard this specific hull. The report's shipyard fieldwork is not this boat's yard; no hull-specific inference is made beyond era applicability. Full text fetched and quoted this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-15
-
[16]NTSB 'Report on M/V Bronx Queen Casualty' (Washington, DC) and NTSB Safety Recommendations M-90-110 and M-90-111 (issued 1990-12-11) - cited as endnotes 5-6 in the USCG R&D Center scoping study; the NTSB letter PDF's legacy URL (ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/1990/M90_110_111.pdf) returns 404 and the report is not in NTSB's public digital catalog [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG RDC scoping study endnotes 5-6; NTSB legacy rec-letters URL (404 confirmed this session)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A formal NTSB casualty report on this hull's loss exists (cited by a federal study) but is not publicly digitized; the safety recommendations issued 11 December 1990 reiterated the NTSB's 1989 'Passenger Vessels Operating from U.S. Ports' study recommendation on out-of-the-water primary lifesaving equipment. The USCG investigating officer's report (quoted via DREDF, ev-10) concluded that life-floats without out-of-the-water capability were inadequate for cold-water operations.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1989-1990
- Limitations
- Existence of the report is documented by a federal citation; its contents are unexamined. Would contain the authoritative cause finding (structural failure vs submerged-object strike) and possibly modification/survey history of the converted hull - the likeliest single document for any material-content notation in her civilian life.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-16
-
[17]Era-inference synthesis (house analysis, no external source): SC-497-class type characteristics applied to GAO HRD-80-2's documented era [other_primary]
- Locator
- inference synthesis tying ev-01/02 specs to ev-15 GAO era record
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Asbestos-relevant systems aboard a 1942 wooden diesel submarine chaser, as era inference only: diesel-engine exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve and machinery packing, and electrical insulation in a confined crew volume. Explicitly NOT applicable: boiler/turbine lagging (no steam plant - 2x GM 16-184A diesels) and hull structural fireproofing (wooden hull). GAO records 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables' - the floor for a 1942 Navy hull, not a quantity.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1989
- Population
- yard trades (1942); engine-room ratings (1942-47); conversion yard workers (1947-48); fishing crews/passengers (1947-89)
- Limitations
- Inference, not documentation: no ship-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package exists for this hull; product names and quantities are unattributable. The 1947 fishing conversion and 42 years of civilian hard use make any original-material survival unverifiable; the wreck's sinking means no abatement record exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-17
-
[18]Batch-8010 search ledger (this record): DANFS; NavSource; uboat.net; USCG Historian Air-class page; Flynn patrol-craft and W-numbers PDFs (media.defense.gov); shipbuildinghistory master + yard tables; USCG R&D Center scoping study; House T&I testimony; DREDF white paper; contemporaneous press (UPI, LA Times); MyCG USCG news; njscuba/AWOIS; USCG muster finding aid; GAO HRD-80-2; NVR (coverage check); NARA catalog; NTSB report; PCSA; CourtListener (see ledger status) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-635-sc635-01 through -19
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified asbestos litigation naming USS SC-635 / PC-635 / USCGC Air Eider (WAVR 419) / Yank / Bronx Queen was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull's unusually complete paper trail (DANFS + full civilian ownership chain + federally investigated loss) contains no asbestos or material-content notation in any located source. Litigation status per CourtListener is logged at sl-18 (blocked at write time - fleet pacing starvation).
- 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 - era-standard diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, and electrical insulation on a 1942 diesel craft would not require a ship-specific record to exist. The NTSB casualty report (ev-16) and Navy-side muster/deck-log series remain unexamined archival leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-18
-
[19]Designation clarification (research QA re-scope, 2026-09-29): PC-635 never existed as a PC vessel - PC-461-class numbering skips this block [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150635 milestone list ('delivered ... and commissioned USS PC-635; reclassified SC-635 April 1943'); batch scope note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- This hull is USS SC-635, an SC-497-class wooden submarine chaser - never a steel PC-461-class patrol craft. NavSource documents that she commissioned as USS PC-635 on 23 October 1942 under the class-wide temporary PC hull-symbol assignment (the early SC-497-class boats carried PC symbols until the April 1943 SC reclassification; class namesake SC-497 herself commissioned as USS PC-497). The PC-461-class numbering block skips this range entirely, so no PC-461 vessel was ever numbered 635. The record is filed as uss-sc-635-sc635, not as a PC hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Clarification row only - prevents the temporary PC-635 symbol from being propagated as a distinct vessel or misfiled under the PC-461 class.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-19
-
[20]CourtListener API v4 searches via cl-auth-search.py (authenticated, fleet-paced): base queries for this hull per batch protocol [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger sl-uss-sc-635-sc635-18
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener could not be queried this session: the shared fleet token-bucket was continuously drained by a competing session - ten cl-auth-search.py attempts over ~30 minutes all timed out at their 60-second acquire window without a token (direct bucket observation of cl-ratelimit.json: tokens consumed mid-refill every cycle, e.g. 0.83->0.15, 0.81->0.13, 0.53->0.02 - the bucket never reaches 1.0). Not a negative result: the four staged base queries ('SC-635' opinion + docket, 'Bronx Queen' opinion + docket, --limit 20) never reached the API. Litigation status of this hull is an open gap. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying asbestos case naming this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Blocked, not negative: no CourtListener request was ever sent - the pacing limiter (not the API) denied every attempt. Re-run the four base queries when the fleet budget frees; a zero-result claim would be unsupported. NOTE: the 'Bronx Queen' name pair was chosen as this hull's name query because the vessel's entire civilian career and its fatal casualty litigation exposure run under that name; 'Air Eider' (USCG, ~2-year caretaker tenure) has near-zero litigation probability.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-635-sc635-20