Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet 918-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED (thin sourcing, disclosed)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- qualifier: VERIFIED (thin sourcing, disclosed)
- Evidence ID
- uss-sc-639-sc639-pkt-918-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-639 (ex-PC-639) - designation timeline, specifications, US and French service (navsource.org is dead; navsource.net verified live) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150639.htm header block, specification block, and photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 16 August 1941 by the Elizabeth City Shipyards, Elizabeth City, NC; launched 31 December 1941; commissioned USS PC-639, 22 June 1942; reclassified SC-639 in April 1943; transferred to France 22 May 1944 at Oran, Algeria, reclassified CH-93 and assigned to the 9th Submarine Chaser Division at Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria; assigned in 1945 to Toulon as a gunnery and helmsman training and coastal patrol vessel; assigned March 1946 to minesweeping duties off the southern coast of France; reclassified CH-723 in 1952, P-723 in 1954, and Auxiliary A-723 in 1959; struck from the Naval Register 11 December 1963; sold for scrap in 1965. Specifications: displacement 148 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 dcp 'Y Gun,' two dct; propulsion two 800bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines, Snow and Knobstedt single reduction gear, two shafts. Photographs: off Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA, 20 June 1942; CH-93 c. 1946 (Jane's Fighting Ships); P-723 c. 1954 (Jane's Fighting Ships 1961/62).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1965
- Population
- Elizabeth City Shipyards construction trades (1941-42); US Navy crew (1942-44); French Navy crew (1944-63); scrappers (1965)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates corroborated by uboat.net where overlapping; the French-era milestones (Toulon 1945, minesweeping 1946, CH-723/P-723/A-723 reclassifications, 1963 striking, 1965 sale) rest on NavSource alone, with Jane's Fighting Ships photographs corroborating the CH-93 and P-723 identities. 'Struck from the Naval Register 11 December 1963' does not state which register (US or French) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-01
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS SC-639 (SC-639) - order, construction and transfer data [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net ship page 8856, 'Built by / Ordered / Laid down / Launched / Commissioned / End service / History' fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- uboat.net warship record for this hull: ordered 30 July 1941; built by Elizabeth City Shipyard (Elizabeth City, North Carolina, U.S.A.); laid down 16 August 1941; launched 31 December 1941; commissioned 22 June 1942; 'End service' 22 May 1944; history line 'Transferred to France on 22 May 1944 being renamed CH-93.' Type: submarine chaser; class SC-497; pennant SC-639. Corroborates NavSource dates independently and adds the contract order date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1944
- Population
- Elizabeth City Shipyards construction trades (1941-42); US Navy crew (1942-44)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. uboat.net is a curated secondary reference (Gudmundur Helgason), not a primary registry. It records the transfer as 'renamed CH-93' at 22 May 1944 without the Oran location or French division assignment - those details rest on NavSource.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-02
-
[4]NavSource Online, 'The PC-496 Lived Again' - survivor narrative researched by Chief John J. Brown, USN Ret. (PC-496 survivor), written by Carter Barber (PC-496 survivor), submitted by Bob Daly/PC-1181 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010496p.htm, paragraphs on the sinking and rescue
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Survivor account documenting SC-639 in a documented rescue: PC-496 (5 officers, 50 men) sank in under one minute after an explosion about 8 miles off Bizerte, Tunisia, early afternoon 4 June 1943; five crew perished. 'It seemed like many, many hours in the warm water to the survivors before other escort and patrolling vessels began to pick them up, including two SCs, 638 and 639. In time, all reached the French naval base at La Pecherie, at Lake Bizerte, Tunisia.' The account reports the Navy variously described the loss as 'underwater explosions' or a single blast; both survivors remembered a single explosion probably a mine; a later hearsay account attributed a torpedo to an Italian submarine whose skipper was said to have been court-martialed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 4 June 1943
- Population
- PC-496 survivors (rescuees); SC-639 and SC-638 crews (rescuers), 4 June 1943
- Limitations
- Firsthand survivor narrative published on a secondary compilation site - not an official action report. It names SC-638 and SC-639 as among the vessels that picked up survivors but does not quantify how many each vessel took aboard (the 53-survivor attribution to SC-639 specifically is a separate secondary claim - see ev-04). The loss-cause versions (mine vs Italian submarine torpedo) are reported as circulating accounts, not adjudicated. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-03
-
[5]Wikipedia, USS PC-496 (citing 'naval documents in service records' and a CO report per 'R.A.R. Pinkham, Lieut., USNR, Commanding') - archival lead for the quantified rescue claim [other_primary]
- Locator
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_PC-496, 'Aftermath' section (service-record claim)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary claim pointing at an unlocated primary record: the Wikipedia USS PC-496 article states 'Per naval documents in service records, one of the rescuing ships was U.S.S. SC-639 at Bizerte, Tunisia. The crew rescued 53 of the survivors of PC-496 per R.A.R. Pinkham, Lieut., USNR, Commanding.' This is consistent with the survivor account (ev-03) and supplies two additional details - a 53-survivor figure attributed to SC-639 and Lt. R.A.R. Pinkham, USNR, as commanding officer - but the underlying service record is not identified or linked and was not located this session.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 4 June 1943
- Population
- PC-496 survivors; SC-639 crew under Lt. R.A.R. Pinkham, USNR (attribution unverified)
- Limitations
- Tertiary-source claim used strictly as an archival lead: Wikipedia names 'naval documents in service records' and a commanding officer's report without identifying the document, archive, or file unit. The 53-survivor figure and the Pinkham attribution are NOT verified here - the lead points at SC-639's after-action/service record (likely RG 38 or vessel files at NARA College Park) as the document to pull. Row asserts nothing beyond the existence of the claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-04
-
[6]All Hands (Bureau of Naval Personnel magazine), issue no. 334, January 1945 (bound volume 'no.334-345', Internet Archive allhands3343unit) - Silver Star Medal awards list [other_primary]
- Locator
- All Hands no. 334 (Jan 1945), Silver Star Medal (cont.) awards list, Epps entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official US Navy publication documenting this hull in combat: in the Silver Star Medal awards list, 'Ens. (then CSM) Edward W. Epps, USN, Prince George, Va.: While attached to the SC 639 en route to Salerno, Italy, on 8 Sept. 1943, he manned a 50-mm. gun during a surprise attack by 10 enemy fighter-bombers and shot down one of the planes.' This places SC-639 en route to the Salerno invasion area on 8 September 1943 - the day before the 9 September landings - under enemy air attack, with a crew member decorated for downing one attacker.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 8 September 1943 (action); January 1945 (publication)
- Population
- SC-639 crew incl. then-CSM Edward W. Epps, USN, 8 September 1943
- Limitations
- Ship-specific award citation in an official Bureau of Naval Personnel magazine (primary-source quality for the fact of the citation and the stated circumstances). '50-mm. gun' is as printed - SC-497-class vessels carried 40mm/.50-cal/20mm weapons, so the figure is likely a typographical error in the magazine; reported verbatim. The citation establishes the vessel's presence en route to Salerno and the air attack; it does not describe SC-639's role in the landings themselves. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-05
-
[7]NHHC online reading room, 'U.S. Navy at War 1941-1945: Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy' - vessel loss list, 'Submarine Chasers' section [other_primary]
- Locator
- NHHC 'U.S. Navy at War' online reading room page, loss table, 'SUBMARINE CHASERS' section, PC 496 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official US Navy loss record corroborating the Bizerte event in which SC-639 participated as rescuer: under 'SUBMARINE CHASERS,' the report lists 'PC 496 | 37 23 N, 9 52 W | 4 June 1943' - the loss of USS PC-496, whose survivors SC-639 and SC-638 helped pick up per the survivor account (ev-03).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 4 June 1943
- Population
- PC-496 crew (loss); rescuing vessels incl. SC-639 (per ev-03)
- Limitations
- Does not name SC-639 - context_only corroboration of the event date and official loss position. The printed longitude '9 52 W' conflicts geographically with Bizerte (~9 deg 52 E); the 'W' appears to be a printing artifact - reported verbatim, and the Bizerte location rests on the survivor account and secondary sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource SC-639 specification block (wooden 110-ft hull, two GM 8-268A diesels); SC-497-class literature (438 wooden 'splinter fleet' chasers built 1941-44); shipyard-exposure-map era product categories for small diesel naval craft (exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, electrical insulation); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-use era (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150639.htm specification block; SC-497-class specification literature; shipyards.json era product categories
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled SC-497-class submarine chaser built 1941 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 limited relative to steam vessels: engine and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in machinery spaces. She carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine/pipe-lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply - and her wooden hull carried none of the steel hull's thermal and acoustic insulation systems, making the plausible asbestos load materially smaller than on a steam-powered steel combatant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1965
- Population
- Elizabeth City Shipyards construction trades (1941-42); US Navy crew (1942-44); French Navy crew (1944-63); scrappers (1965)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for SC-639. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. The direction of the inference (smaller diesel wooden craft -> lower plausible asbestos load) is itself an inference, not a documented ship-specific fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-07
-
[9]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 construction (1941) and entire US service era (1942-44) and French service.
- 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 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-08
-
[10]City of Elizabeth City, NC - Council memorandum and HUD Community Project Funding grant agreement for 'Elizabeth City Shipyard Acquisition' (May 23, 2025 consideration item) [other_primary]
- Locator
- City council agenda memorandum, 'BACKGROUND' section (known contaminants); HUD CPF grant text
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Municipal record documenting the builder's site as a contaminated property: the City describes the former Elizabeth City Shipyard as 'a waterfront property with great potential for redevelopment despite known contaminants on-site,' and sought federal acquisition funding contingent on a NEPA environmental review and feasible mitigation/cleanup. NC DEQ consolidated-waste reporting separately lists ELIZABETH CITY SHIPYARD among brownfield-grant applications.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2025 (record); site history 20th c.
- Population
- Current site workers/residents; historical yard workforce
- Limitations
- Does not establish asbestos: 'known contaminants' is unspecified in the memorandum and may concern fuels, metals, or other constituents typical of shipyard brownfields. Site-level (not vessel-level) documentation for the builder yard - context only; it cannot support any asbestos claim for this hull. A law-firm page asserting 'documented asbestos exposures' at Elizabeth City Shipyard was located and excluded by source policy - no qualifying government or medical source for that claim was found.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-09
-
[11]Batch-8014 search ledger (this record): NavSource vessel and survivor-account pages; uboat.net warship record; All Hands issue 334 award list (Internet Archive scan); NHHC loss list; City of Elizabeth City council record; GAO product page; NARA catalog; NVR; secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-639-sc639-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming SC-639, PC-639, CH-93, CH-723, P-723, or A-723 was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the fleet-wide authenticated request budget (paced ~58 requests/hr shared across sessions) was exhausted on every attempt; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case; no law-firm ship list or marketing page naming this hull was located - nothing excluded on that point because nothing was found.
- 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 (blocked, not run). NARA deck logs, the Pinkham service record, and French naval archives (service historique de la Defense, Vincennes) are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-10
-
[12]Designation cross-check: NavSource SC-639 timeline ('Commissioned USS PC-639, 22 June 1942; Reclassified SC-639 in April 1943'); NavSource 110-ft Submarine Chaser index (SC-497-class block; PC-461-class numbering skips the numbers used for SC-class hulls); uboat.net SC-639 record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150639.htm timeline; NavSource 12/15idx.htm SC index block (SC-628 through SC-641 entries marked as SC-class incl. ex-PC designations); PC-461-class numbering (Wikipedia navbox, PC-461-PC-627 then PC-776+)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION (designation precision): SC-639 is sometimes described as a former PC-461-class patrol craft, or 'PC-639' is treated as a steel-hulled 173-ft PC vessel - both wrong. This hull was an SC-497-class 110-ft wooden submarine chaser throughout: the PC-461-class numbering scheme skipped the number block allocated to 110-ft SC-class hulls (the PC list runs PC-461 to PC-627, then PC-776 forward; the SC index shows the intervening numbers - including 638 and 639 - as SC-class vessels). She was, however, genuinely COMMISSIONED under the designation 'USS PC-639' on 22 June 1942 and carried that designation until reclassified SC-639 in April 1943 - the designation was real, the PC-461-class vessel type was not.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1943 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a circulating vessel-type error, not a material claim. The commissioned-as-PC-639 designation sequence itself rests on NavSource (uboat.net corroborates the commissioning date without stating the designation); no primary commissioning document was located. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-639-sc639-11