Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet 920-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-sc-654-sc654-pkt-920-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, 'SC-601 - SC-700' compilation page (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, NHHC) - SC-654 entry (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- history.navy.mil DANFS SC-601-SC-700 v1 compilation, SC-654 entry line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS entry for this hull, in full: 'Built at Westergard Boat Works, Biloxi, Miss. Keel laid 9/18/41. Launched 5/4/42. Commissioned 7/18/42. Destroyed 12/18/45.' Establishes builder, build dates, commissioning, and final disposition at the official level.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Westergard Boat Works construction trades (1941-42); crew (1942-45)
- Limitations
- Compilation-level DANFS entry - one line per hull, no service narrative, no crew figure, and no statement of how or where she was 'destroyed' (scuttling detail comes from other rows). Contains no asbestos or material content. NB: the NavSource hull page states 'no DANFS history available for SC-654' - that claim is stale; this live NHHC compilation entry exists (see ev-11).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-654 page - milestone timeline, specifications, commanding officers, call sign (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150654.htm header block, SC-497 Class specifications block, commanding-officer table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Timeline for this hull: laid down 18 September 1941 by Westergard Boat Works, Biloxi, MS; launched 4 May 1942; commissioned PC-654 on 18 July 1942; reclassified SC-654 in April 1943; at Efate Island, New Hebrides 24-30 May 1943; visited Auckland, New Zealand 11-25 September 1944; destroyed 18 December 1945; struck from the Naval Register 3 January 1946. Call sign Nan-William-Sugar-Fox. Commanding officers: LTJG Joel T. Williams USNR (Sept 1942-Mar 1943), LTJG W. L. Hopkins USNR (Jun 1943), ENS John C. Boutall USNR (Sept-Dec 1943), ENS Ralph Engelman USNR (Mar-Sept 1944), LTJG William R. Finch USNR (Dec 1944), ENS Samuel S. Schweitzer USNR (Mar-Dec 1945). 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 depth-charge projector 'Y Guns,' two depth-charge tracks; propulsion two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesels, Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear, two shafts. Page also hosts crew photographs courtesy of the family of MoMM2c Robert C. Heinze (crewmember 9 Mar 1944 - 17 Sept 1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- Westergard construction trades (1941-42); U.S. crew (1942-45), incl. MoMM2c Robert C. Heinze (1944-45)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates generally track Navy records but carry no primary citation per fact. The page's claim 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-654' is stale - a live NHHC DANFS compilation entry exists (ev-01, ev-11). Spec conflicts with the reconstruction's figures (98 t., 17'11.5" beam, 10'10" draft) carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Westergard Boat Works, Biloxi MS' - yard history and WWII build table (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-small/westergard yard narrative + SC-654 table row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder documentation for this hull: Westergard Boat Works 'was formed in 1940 by W. P. Kennedy, Jr., of the family that still operates Kennedy Engine Company, and A. M. Westergard'; the yard 'was at the foot of Lee Street, on Biloxi's Back Bay: the site has now been razed and is part of Biloxi Point Park.' The Biloxi build table records SC-654 (US Navy subchaser, 136d tons) delivered 18 July 1942, 'destroyed 1945' - alongside sisters SC-650, SC-651, SC-655 and the earlier Rockport-built SC-497/498 and Biloxi SC-530/531. Confirms Biloxi as this hull's build yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Westergard Boat Works Biloxi construction trades (1941-44 build program)
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-history compilation - delivery table consistent with DANFS/NavSource milestones but lists displacement 136d t. vs NavSource's 148 t. (variant in gaps). Establishes builder identity and delivery date; no asbestos, material, or worker-exposure content. Navypedia's generic 'Westergard, Rockport' yard column for this block is superseded by this table plus DANFS (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-03
-
[5]uswarships.jounin.jp SC-497-class tabulation - SC-654 row (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03); corroborated by Navypedia US SC table (navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_sc.htm, 'sunk as target 18.12.1945') [other_primary]
- Locator
- uswarships.jounin.jp/sc2_sc-497_1.htm SC-654 row; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_sc.htm PC654 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Independent tabulation for this hull: SC-654, Westergard Boat Works, commissioned 18 July 1942; reclassified to submarine chaser (wooden hull) SC-654 in April 1943; 11 August 1945 ran aground at Guam, refloated, docked; 12-25 August 1945 repaired in the concrete floating dry dock ARDC-3; decommissioned 11 December 1945; destroyed 18 December 1945. Navypedia's US SC table independently lists 'PC654, 9.1942- SC654 ... Westergard ... sunk as target 18.12.1945.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- U.S. crew (1942-45); Guam repair/drydock trades (Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations corroborating the milestone line; jounin's 11 December 1945 decommissioning date is not separately stated in DANFS or NavSource (carried with note). Navypedia's 'sunk as target' phrasing and September-1942 reclassification dating are generic to the block (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-04
-
[6]SS Arkansan website (crew-family research project), 'USS SC-654' - war-diary/muster-roll reconstruction of the hull's itinerary, the Cape San Juan rescue, the Guam grounding and drydock repair, and the December 1945 scuttling (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03; also archived at Wayback 2024-05-27 capture) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ssarkansan.com/american-hawaiian-in-wwii/cape-san-juan/uss-sc-654 - Pre-Cape San Juan History, Post-Cape San Juan History, and Sources sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Reconstructed movements for this hull, compiled from other vessels' and bases' war diaries plus muster records (the site states no SC-654 war diary for the rescue period exists on Fold3): Naval Section Base Burrwood LA 25 Jul 1942; Key West-Miami 1 Aug; NSB Galveston 29 Sept; convoy escort PK-111 and KG-609 (Key West-Guantanamo) 18 Oct; NOB Key West 25 Dec; Coco Solo, Canal Zone, 29 Dec. On 31 Dec 1942 USS Patuxent departed Balboa as fuel ship for a nine-SC group to the Southwest Pacific (SC-504, -505, -514, -531, -640, -654, -668, -669, -748) as far as Bora Bora. Havannah Harbor, Efate, Feb-Mar 1943; Espiritu Santo Apr-Aug 1943; Noumea Sept 1943 for ARD-2 floating-drydock tests (Boutall in command); escorts Nandi/Suva/Tonga early Nov 1943; ASW exercises with USS S-38 off Fiji 2 Dec 1943; Espiritu Santo May 1944; Las Perlas Islands (Panama) submarine exercises 28 Aug 1944; Espiritu Santo Oct 1944; Guadalcanal screening 16 Nov 1944; departed Guadalcanal for Suva via Espiritu Santo 3 Apr 1945. At Guam: grounded on Western Shoals north of Berth 24 ~1000K 11 Aug 1945 ('pulled off at high tide and will be dry-docked for repairs' - quoted record); into ARDC-3 12 Aug; released 25 Aug; possible storm damage 4 Oct (unconfirmed); decommissioned 11 Dec; 'the hulk of SC 654 was towed out to sea, approximately five miles from the mouth of the harbor, and sunk by two charges of dynamite' 18 Dec 1945.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1945
- Population
- U.S. crew (1942-45), incl. ENS J. C. Boutall's rescue-era crew of 22; Guam repair/drydock trades (Aug 1945)
- Limitations
- Private research compilation, not an official record - the author transparently reconstructs from other hulls'/bases' war diaries, muster rolls, and family photographs (sources: Fold3 military reports, Ancestry, GenealogyBank, NavSource, Heinze family). Individual dates are well-sourced but the page is not a Navy publication; the 'SC-654 at Burrwood 25 Jul 1942' entry itself flags a PC/SC designation conflict with NavSource. Spec figures on this page (98 t., 17'11.5" beam) conflict with NavSource (see gaps). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-05
-
[7]DANFS, McCalla II (DD-488) - Cape San Juan rescue passage (verified live via Firecrawl 2026-10-03); SC-654's 152-man share per the war-diary reconstruction in ev-05 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS McCalla II entry, 1943 paragraph ('rescued 868 survivors'); ev-05 reconstruction rescue paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official-level corroboration of the event this hull participated in: en route to Mare Island for repairs, USS McCalla (DD-488) 'rescued 868 survivors of the torpedoed troop transport SS Cape San Juan' in November 1943. The reconstruction (ev-05) details SC-654's specific role: directed with YMS-241 out of Tonga (~200 miles) on the morning of 11 November 1943 (12th local/Suva war-diary time), SC-654 picked up 152 survivors and by 1445 transferred all of them across to McCalla, then returned to Tonga for lack of fuel to reach Suva.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-11-11/12
- Population
- SC-654 crew of 22 under ENS J. C. Boutall (Nov 1943); 152 recovered survivors (Army passengers + Cape San Juan crew)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents the rescue via McCalla only - it does NOT name SC-654, so this row is context_only and cannot carry the ship-specific claim alone; SC-654's 152-man share rests on the ev-05 secondary reconstruction of the McCalla and Suva war diaries, not a published Navy record. The sinking itself (I-21 torpedo, ~1,348 troops embarked) is corroborated at secondary level (U.S. Army WWII history publication via UNT Digital Library). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-06
-
[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure, specifically 'the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs for asbestos-related disabilities.' The Navy's 1975 policy was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for repairs, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas - meaning asbestos remained standard insulation aboard Navy ships through this hull's entire build (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. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - neither touched this hull. Full report PDF (gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf) not retrieved this session; content via the product-page Highlights section, verified live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-07
-
[9]Era inference built on: DANFS SC-654 entry (build dates, Biloxi yard); NavSource SC-654 specifications (2 x 880bhp GM 8-268A diesels, 2 shafts, wooden hull - SC-497 class); Shipbuilding History Westergard Biloxi build table; GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era context (ev-07); SC-497 class profile (438 wooden-hulled 110-footers built at ~50 small yards 1941-44) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150654 specifications block; DANFS SC-654 entry; shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net Westergard table; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled submarine chaser built 1941-42 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel-powered combatant of this type and period were diesel-exhaust and machinery lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined machinery space. As a wooden diesel boat she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and her small size limits insulation surface area, but the confined-space exposure dynamic of engine-room work applies.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1941-1945
- Population
- Westergard construction trades (1941-42); U.S. crew (1942-45); Guam repair trades (Aug-Dec 1945)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package exists or can exist (hull scuttled 1945). Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity, no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-08
-
[10]Batch-8028 search ledger (this record): DANFS compilation entry; NavSource SC-654 page; Shipbuilding History Westergard table; jounin.jp and Navypedia tabulations; SS Arkansan reconstruction; DANFS McCalla; GAO HRD-80-2; NVR; NARA catalog; CourtListener (see sl-10/-11 for status); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-654-sc654-01 through sl-uss-sc-654-sc654-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming SC-654/PC-654 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Structurally, none can exist in the usual forms: the hull was scuttled by demolition charges off Guam in December 1945, so there is no surviving hull, no postwar overhaul or museum record, no donation disclosure, and no documented shipbreaking for this vessel. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case and no asbestos marketing content naming this specific hull.
- 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 inference remains. For this hull the negative finding is stronger than usual: wartime scuttling forecloses the documentation pathways (museum stewardship, shipbreaking contracts, modern surveys) that generate asbestos records on surviving hulls. CourtListener results recorded in the search ledger - docket/opinion base queries returned only name collisions (Kentucky 'SC-654' docket prefixes, reporter page cites such as '373 S.C. 654'). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-09
-
[11]Designation cross-check: NavSource SC-654 page ('ex-PC-654'; 'Commissioned PC-654, 18 July 1942; Reclassified SC-654 in April 1943'); jounin.jp tabulation (reclassified 1943/4); Navypedia class table ('PC654, 9.1942- SC654') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150654.htm designation line; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_sc_sc.htm PC654 row; uswarships.jounin.jp/sc2_sc-497_1.htm SC-654 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: 'PC-654' did not exist as a PC-461-class patrol craft. The PC-461-class numbering skips the 628-669 block - those numbers were assigned to 110-foot SC-497-class wooden hulls that were commissioned under PC designations and later reclassified to SC numbers. This hull commissioned as USS PC-654 on 18 July 1942 and was reclassified SC-654 (April 1943 per NavSource and jounin.jp; September 1942 per the Navypedia class table - conflict in gaps). Any record or citation to a 'PC-654' patrol craft should resolve to this SC-497-class hull, not to a PC-461-class vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a designation-system ambiguity, not a material claim. The reclassification date itself is in conflict across secondary sources (April 1943 vs September 1942); the April 1943 date is carried with the variant logged. The reconstruction notes a Burrwood war-diary reference to 'SC-654' as early as 25 July 1942 - predating either reclassification date and unexplained. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-10
-
[12]Correction cross-check: NavSource SC-654 page claim 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-654' vs live NHHC DANFS compilation entry (this URL, verified live 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150654.htm 'DANFS' line; NHHC danfs/s/sc-601-sc-700v1.html SC-654 entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: NavSource's hull page states 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-654.' That is stale: NHHC hosts a live DANFS compilation page ('SC-601 - SC-700') carrying a one-line entry for this hull - 'Built at Westergard Boat Works, Biloxi, Miss. Keel laid 9/18/41. Launched 5/4/42. Commissioned 7/18/42. Destroyed 12/18/45.' The compilation predates NavSource's page convention (NavSource apparently keys 'DANFS available' to standalone narrative entries, which indeed do not exist for SC hulls).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 2026-10-03
- Limitations
- Corrects a source-availability claim, not a material fact. The DANFS compilation entry is minimal (one line) and adds no narrative beyond the milestones. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-654-sc654-11