Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
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[1]research packet 918-packet.md (1 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-sc-636-sc636-pkt-918-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-636 (ex-PC-636) - designation timeline, specifications, loss, commanding officer, NARA-photo captions [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150636.htm header block, SC-497-class specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 29 August 1941 by the Vinyard Shipbuilding Co., Milford, DE; launched 14 May 1942; commissioned USS PC-636 11 July 1942; reclassified SC-636 in April 1943; 'Sunk off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands 9 October 1945'; struck from the Naval Register 24 October 1945. Call sign Nan-William-Oboe-Yoke. Specifications: displacement 83 t.; length 110' 10"; beam 17'; draft 6' 6"; speed 15.6 kts.; complement 28; armament one 40mm mount, two .50 cal. machine guns, two depth-charge projector Y-guns, two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 880-bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Commanding officer listed: LTJG W. H. Jackson, USNR (1945). Three NARA launch-day photographs credited (19-N-30299, 19-N-30300, 19-N-30301, Vinyard yard, 14 May 1942). Page states explicitly: 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-636.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Vinyard construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-45), complement 28
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track official records but the 9 October loss date conflicts with the primary-source CNO King appendix date of 16 September 1945 (see ev-03 and gaps). Contains no asbestos content. Specifications carry conflicts across sources (displacement 83 vs 136 vs 148 vs 98 tons) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-01
-
[3]ShipbuildingHistory.com (Tim Colton), Vinyard Shipbuilding yard construction table, Milford DE - build row for SC 636 and fourteen WWII subchasers [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/yachtsmall/vinyard.htm - 'Built by Vinyard Shipbuilding' table rows SC 636 and WWII-era entries
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The yard's build table records this hull: 'SC 636 - US Navy - Sub Chaser - 136 (tons) - 110 (ft) - delivered 11-Jul-42 - Destroyed by typhoon Louise 9-Oct-45'. Vinyard built fourteen 110-foot WWII subchasers (SC 519, 520, 636, 637, 981, 982, 983, 984, 1351, 1352, 1353, 1354, 1496, 1497) plus twelve Navy patrol boats, and had earlier built three WWI-era 110-foot subchasers (SC 144, 145, 146, delivered March 1918). Yard founded by Wilson Vinyard in 1896, noted for wooden cruisers; located on S.E. Front Street between Franklin and Columbia on the Mispillion River, Milford.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Vinyard Shipbuilding construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary yard table (Tim Colton's standard reference for U.S. small yards), not a primary registry - delivery date and loss attribution corroborate NavSource. Table's 136-ton displacement conflicts with NavSource's 83 t (see gaps). Contains no asbestos content; no worker-exposure or material documentation for the yard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-02
-
[4]U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945 - Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy by Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Appendix C (vessel-loss tabulation), verbatim HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- USN-King-C.html, Appendix C loss list, SUBMARINE CHASERS section (page --291--)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- PRIMARY-SOURCE CONFLICT on the loss date: the CNO's official loss tabulation lists under SUBMARINE CHASERS 'SC 636 - Off Okinawa, Ryukyus - 16 September 1945' - inside the Typhoon Ida window (16-17 September 1945 at Okinawa), three weeks before the NavSource loss date of 9 October (Typhoon Louise). The same table lists 'SC 632 - Off Okinawa, Ryukyus - 16 September 1945,' which agrees with NavSource's date for that hull (sunk off Okinawa 16 September 1945, struck 3 January 1946, hulk destroyed 9 March 1946) - the table's dates are reliable for a sibling lost in the same storm window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1945 (report compiled late 1945)
- Population
- Crew aboard at loss (complement 28 design); casualties undocumented
- Limitations
- A primary official source, but a high-level appendix tabulation that can contain transcription errors - it may have grouped SC-636's entry with SC-632's September loss, or 16 September may be the true loss date (Typhoon Ida) with the NavSource 9 October date wrong. Unresolved - carried in gaps. The table gives location and date only: no cause, no casualties, no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-03
-
[5]Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953), ship-by-ship engagement-star credit (commercial transcription at officialmilitaryribbons.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- officialmilitaryribbons.com SC 497-SC 691 page, 'SC 636' entry; code P34-1 definition cross-checked at ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/danfs/BattleStars.html (pages 59-63 extract)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- SC-636 is credited with engagement star P34-1, 'Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto,' for the period 1 April - 30 June 1945 - the only located service assignment for this hull, documenting her participation in the Okinawa campaign and consistent with her presence in the Ryukyus in the fall of 1945. The operation code itself is official (confirmed against the DANFS Area Campaign Medals & Battle Stars extract, HyperWar).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1 April - 30 June 1945
- Population
- Crew (1945 Okinawa campaign)
- Limitations
- The carrying source is a commercial vendor's transcription of NAVPERS 15,790 - the underlying manual is authoritative but the transcription itself is unverified against the manual's printed page; marked partial. The credit establishes presence in the Okinawa Gunto operating area April-June 1945, not day-by-day employment. No asbestos content. Nothing was located for her service between commissioning (Jul 1942) and April 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-04
-
[6]NHHC, 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' (Navy Department Library reading room; CinCPac/CinCPOA surrender-and-occupation report, Annex A extract + Appendix III vessel tabulation) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC page narrative (Annex A extract) + Appendix III vessel-damage table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official documentation of Typhoon Louise's 9 October 1945 strike on Okinawa: the storm was tracked from 4 October in the Caroline Islands, veered unexpectedly toward Okinawa, and passed over the island with winds of 80 knots (92 mph) and 30-35 foot waves battering ships in Buckner Bay (Nakagusuku Wan). Totals: 12 ships and craft sunk, 222 grounded, 32 severely damaged; personnel casualties 36 killed, 47 missing, 100 seriously injured; approximately 80% of housing and buildings destroyed; ComServDiv 104 (Commodore T. J. Keliher) conducted salvage - by 19 November, 79 ships refloated and 132 under repair; ComServPac (Vice Admiral W. W. Smith) judged only 10 of ~90 damaged vessels worth complete salvage. Appendix III tabulates all affected vessels - including twenty SC hulls (SC 275, 454, 606, 686, 716, 727, 995, 996, 999, 1012, 1306, 1311, 1314, 1326, 1328, 1338, 1368, 1418, 1461, 1474) and all twelve sunk vessels - but does NOT list SC-636.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 4-14 October 1945 (event); salvage reporting to 19 November 1945
- Population
- Fleet and shore population, Okinawa anchorages, 9-10 October 1945
- Limitations
- Storm-level documentation only - SC-636 does not appear in the Appendix III casualty tabulation at all. Her absence is consistent with either interpretation of the loss-date conflict (lost earlier in Typhoon Ida, or sunk during Louise outside the tabulated Buckner Bay population) and cannot by itself resolve it. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-05
-
[7]Excerpt from the diary of David Dashiell, crew of PCS-1455, dated 19 September 1945, Okinawa Shima (Buckner Bay) - NavSource-hosted contemporaneous account of Typhoon Ida [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/071455o.htm, 'PCS-1455 Typhoon Ida' diary excerpt (19 September 1945)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A contemporaneous first-person diary documents the earlier typhoon (Ida) that struck the Okinawa anchorages 16-17 September 1945 - the window matching the CNO King loss-list date for SC-636: small craft ordered to remain in harbor under Typhoon Plan X-Ray, anchor chains snapping in mountainous seas, and on return 'fifty ships had been lost. Ships of all descriptions are on the beaches... SC's, LST's, Liberty ships and other cargo ships are visible from here, high and dry.' The writer adds: 'Some of the crew of one SC were reputed to have tried to abandon ship in a life raft and were drowned' - an unidentified SC hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 16-19 September 1945
- Population
- Okinawa anchorage crews during Typhoon Ida, 16-19 September 1945
- Limitations
- Context only: the diary names no hull; whether the reported SC abandon-ship deaths concern SC-636, SC-632, or another boat is unknown. A NavSource transcription of a personal diary, not an official record. Confirms only that Typhoon Ida devastated the same anchorage on the date the King report assigns to SC-636's loss. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-06
-
[8]Delaware Public Archives, Historical Marker SC-255 - Vinyard Shipbuilding, 10 Columbia Street, Milford, DE [other_primary]
- Locator
- Delaware Public Archives historical-markers page, marker SC-255 text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- State-official documentation of this hull's builder: 'Founded in 1896 by Wilson M. Vinyard, the Vinyard Shipbuilding Company was the first Milford shipyard to build motorized vessels. The shipyard built numerous ships for the government including Navy subchasers and Coast Guard patrol boats. In 1927, the company began manufacturing world class yachts. Construction of new vessels ceased in 1951 and the yard closed following the death of Vinyard's son, Wilson (Sonny) Vinyard in 1973. During its existence, the company built more than 150 vessels.' Marker installed 2016.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1896-1973 (marker scope); marker installed 2016
- Population
- Vinyard Shipbuilding workforce (general, 1896-1973)
- Limitations
- Yard-level background only - the marker does not name SC-636 and contains no asbestos, material, or worker-exposure information. A Delaware state historical marker (installed 2016), not a period record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-07
-
[9]NARA photographs, Bureau of Ships series (RG 19 'Photographs of U.S. and Foreign Naval Vessels'), local IDs 19-N-30299, 19-N-30300, 19-N-30301 - launch of SC-636 at Vinyard, 14 May 1942 (identifiers transcribed from NavSource captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150636.htm photo captions crediting NARA 19-N-30299/30300/30301
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA-held Bureau of Ships photographs document this hull's construction: three images credited to 'National Archives photo 19-N-30299 / 19-N-30300 / 19-N-30301' show her ready for christening, launching, and launched awaiting tow to the fitting-out berth at the Vinyard yard, Milford, Delaware, 14 May 1942. These are archival leads for construction-era documentation - the physical hull as built, not work or material records.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-05-14
- Population
- Vinyard construction trades (1941-42)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs document the hull at launch, not materials aboard. NARA catalog is JS-rendered and could not be independently fetched this session - photo identifiers transcribed from NavSource captions, direct NAID verification open. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-08
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource specifications (wooden-hulled 110' SC-497-class diesel craft, two GM 8-268A diesels, two shafts); PCSA class specification (110'10" x 17'11.5", 98 tons, diesel propulsion); shipbuildinghistory yard table (wood construction specialist yard); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-10) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource specifications block; PCSA class specification; shipbuildinghistory Vinyard table; GAO HRD-80-2
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel submarine chaser built 1941-42 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard asbestos-relevant applications aboard a small diesel craft of this type and period were diesel exhaust lagging, machinery and exhaust-system gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation. As a wooden, diesel-electric-free vessel with a compact machinery space she carried no steam plant - the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and the insulation scope is far smaller than aboard steel steam vessels.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Vinyard construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material list, insulation survey, or work package located for SC-636. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Whatever material was aboard was lost with the hull in 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-09
-
[11]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 documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1941-42) and service era (1942-45).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed in prior batches) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-10
-
[12]Designation cross-check: NavSource designation line ('ex-PC-636'; commissioned USS PC-636, reclassified SC-636 April 1943); sibling pages NavSource 12/150628.htm (SC-628) and 12/150631.htm (SC-631) show the identical commissioned-as-PC/reclassified-to-SC pattern [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150636.htm 'ex-PC-636' designation line; NavSource 12/150628.htm and 12/150631.htm commission/reclassification lines
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: 'PC-636' never existed as a PC-461-class steel patrol craft. This hull commissioned 11 July 1942 under the designation USS PC-636 but was always a wooden 110-foot SC-497-class submarine chaser; the 628-669 hull-number block was assigned to wooden SC-type hulls which commissioned under PC designations and were reclassified into the SC series in April 1943 (siblings SC-628 and SC-631 document the identical pattern). PC-636 was a paper designation on a wooden SC hull, not a member of the PC-461 class.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating designation ambiguity (the hull is sometimes described as 'a PC-461-class vessel' by the number alone), not a material claim. The block structure is documented by NavSource's own per-hull timelines; the April 1943 reclassification is consistent across siblings. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-11
-
[13]Batch-8011 search ledger (this record): NavSource hull page and sibling pages; shipbuildinghistory yard table; NHHC Typhoon Louise page incl. Appendix III; CNO King U.S. Navy at War Appendix C (HyperWar); PCS-1455 diary excerpt; NAVPERS 15,790 campaign-credit transcription; Delaware Public Archives marker; NARA photo identifiers; NVR detail check; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-636-sc636-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming SC-636 was found in the public sources searched, and no DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource states it explicitly; small combatants of this class lack DANFS coverage). CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper returned its fleet-pacing stand-down on every attempt across the session; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; the only 'asbestos aboard' material is law-firm marketing content asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (throttled, not run). Deck logs, war diary, and muster rolls at NARA are undigitized leads; any crew-era exposure documentation would live there. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-636-sc636-12