Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, 'SC-696 ex-PC-696' (verified live 2026-10-03; navsource.net is the live domain - navsource.org is dead) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150696.htm header block, chronology lines, specifications block, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 26 March 1942 by Daytona Beach Boat Works Inc., Daytona Beach, FL; launched 6 August 1942; commissioned PC-696, 25 November 1942; reclassified SC-696 in April 1943; 'Bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Palermo, Italy 23 August 1943.' Spec block: displacement 148 t.; length 110'10"; beam 17'; draft 6'6"; speed 15.6 kts.; complement 28; armament one 3"/23 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. Page carries a pre-commissioning photo captioned '23 November 1942, Daytona Beach, FL' (R. H. Lesesne Studios) and states 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-696.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Daytona Beach Boat Works construction trades (1942); crew (Nov 1942 - Aug 1943)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates track official sources but no primary document is reproduced. Spec block is class-generic (e.g., sister SC-694's block shows a 40mm mount where this page shows a 3"/23). No asbestos or material content. 'No DANFS history' statement used as absence-of-entry evidence, not proof none was ever written.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-01
-
[2]Navy Department Communique No. 464, 14 September 1943, in 'Navy Department Communiques 301 to 600' (NHHC online reading room; live page 404 on 2026-10-03 - archived Wayback capture of 2025-12-09 cited; verbatim transcription also live at ibiblio.org/pha/comms/1943-09.html) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- N. D. Communique No. 464, September 14, 1943, Mediterranean Area item 2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy Department announcement of this hull's loss: 'Mediterranean Area. 2. On August 23, the USS Submarine Chaser 694 and the USS Submarine Chaser 696 were sunk as a result of enemy bombing. The next of kin of all casualties have been notified.' Same communique announces the loss of submarine USS Grenadier.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-08-23 (event); 1943-09-14 (announcement)
- Population
- Crew of SC-694 and SC-696; casualties' next of kin
- Limitations
- Official loss announcement only - gives date and cause category ('enemy bombing') and confirms casualties occurred, but no number, location detail beyond theater, or material content. Live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-10-03; text verified word-for-word in the 2025-12-09 Wayback capture and in the live ibiblio transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-02
-
[3]Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, 'U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945: Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy' - Appendix C, 'Losses of United States Naval Vessels From all Causes, 7 December 1941 - 1 October 1945' (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the official CNO report; verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Appendix C, submarine chaser (SC) section of the losses table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official CNO losses table lists 'SC 696 | Off Palermo, Sicily | 23 August 1943' among submarine-chaser losses, alongside 'SC 694 | Off Palermo, Sicily | 23 August 1943' - official confirmation of loss date and location for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-08-23 (event); report published 1946
- Population
- Crew (at loss)
- Limitations
- Name/location/date table only - no cause of loss, casualty count, or material content. Official in origin but accessed via the HyperWar/ibiblio transcription, not a scan of the printed document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-03
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation), 'Daytona Beach Boat Works, Daytona Beach FL' yard history and build table (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com Daytona yard page - intro narrative and build table row 'SC 696'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder record: yard table lists 'SC 696 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 136 | 110 | 25-Nov-42 | Bombed and sunk off Palermo 23-Aug-43' (delivery column matching the commissioning date). Yard context: Daytona Beach Boat Works was built in 1938 by Sherburn M. Becker for close to $500,000 and described at the time as 'pretentious'; after the war it operated as a marina/yacht service contractor until closing in 1960, then was reorganized as Daytona Marina & Boat Works - still a marina today. The yard's documented Navy output was subchasers in the SC-668/669, SC-694-697, SC-1302-1308, and SC-1484+ blocks.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (build); 1938-1960 (yard history)
- Population
- Daytona Beach Boat Works construction trades (1942)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation - yard table dates are delivery/acceptance data, not contract documents; the '136' tonnage column (LDT) differs from the 148 t displacement in NavSource's spec block. No asbestos, material, or worker-health content; yard asbestos practices undocumented.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-04
-
[5]uboat.net Allied Warships entry, 'USS SC-696 (SC-696) - Submarine chaser of the SC-497 class' (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- uboat.net warships ship page 8912 - data table and 'History' line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation record for this hull: ordered 16 Feb 1942; built by Daytona Beach Boat Works Inc.; laid down 26 Mar 1942; launched 6 Aug 1942; commissioned 25 Nov 1942; lost 23 Aug 1943. 'Bombed and sunk by German Ju-88 aircraft off Palermo, Sicily, Italy in position 38 deg 08'N, 13 deg 22'E.' No commanding officers listed for this hull on the page. No casualty count is given (the roster is carried from the BuPers enumeration, ev-09).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Crew (at loss)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained specialist compilation, not an official record; it is the only located source for the 16 Feb 1942 order date and the precise loss position, and the only located source naming the aircraft type (Ju 88). The position given is offshore of Palermo proper - 'Palermo harbour' in other compilations vs 'off Palermo' here is a location-precision difference, not a conflict. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-05
-
[6]M. Jessen & A. Arthy, 'Allied Ships Lost to Axis Aircraft, 14 May - 2 September 1943' (Air War Publications research compilation, PDF verified live and full-text extracted 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PDF table, entries dated 23.08.43 (Palermo harbour raid)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Sinking detail for this hull: '23.08.43 | SC-696 | U.S. SC-497-class submarine chaser | 04.05 | Palermo harbour | Hit by 550 lb bomb, set on fire, sunk.' Same table: 'SC-694 ... 04:05 | Palermo harbour | Hit by 550 lb bomb, set on fire, sunk'; the same ~04:05 raid also slightly damaged USS Wainwright (DD-419) by two near misses outside the harbour and badly damaged fleet tug USS Narragansett (AT-88) inside it ('men killed'), and a British freighter was damaged by splinters and burning oil - i.e., a coordinated pre-dawn Luftwaffe raid on Palermo harbour, not an isolated strike on the two subchasers.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-08-23
- Population
- Crew of SC-696; other crews in Palermo harbour raid
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation (air-war historians), not an official record - the 550 lb bomb weight, 04:05 time, and 'set on fire, sunk' sequence are compiled from archival sources the table does not individually cite per row. No casualty figure for SC-696 is given in this source. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-06
-
[7]galik.com LCI 35 veteran-archive site, 'The Ocean Crossing / Algeria' - transcription of the USS LCI(L)-35 deck log, March-April 1943 (verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- galik.com/lci/lci03.htm - 'The Ocean Crossing' section, deck-log transcription paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ship-specific operational detail from a sister vessel's deck log: this hull crossed the Atlantic as part of the 88-ship convoy that departed Bermuda 27 March 1943 for North Africa ('17 AKs, 2 AOs, a French Tanker, 18 LSTs, 29 LCIs, 1 AT, 6 AMS, 3 PCS, 6 SC, 4 YMS, the USS Maumee, and the Task Force Flagship'); the task group passed Gibraltar late on 11 April 1943. Per the LCI 35 deck log as transcribed: 'On Tuesday April 8th at 1100 SC 696 came alongside LCI 35 to take and repair the water pump that was damaged when the LCI engine boiled. Two days later, on Thursday April 10th, the repaired water pump was returned to LCI 35.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-03-27 to 1943-04-11 (convoy passage)
- Population
- SC-696 crew performing alongside repair support for convoy vessels; LCI 35 crew
- Limitations
- Personal veteran-archive site transcribing a primary deck log - the underlying document is primary but the transcription is unverified against the original; the site's weekday labels are internally inconsistent (8 and 10 April 1943 were Thursdays, not Tuesday/Thursday as printed). Places the hull en route to/in the Mediterranean in April 1943 - consistent with the April 1943 PC-to-SC reclassification. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-07
-
[8]Military Times Hall of Valor - Navy and Marine Corps Medal citation, Lt. (j.g.) James J. Kolchin, USN (verified live 2026-10-03) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Hall of Valor recipient page 311430 - citation text block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A named officer's award citation documents the loss sequence aboard both chasers: 'for heroic conduct when enemy bombs set afire the U.S.S. SC 696 and SC 694 during the occupation of Palermo, Sicily in 1943. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Kolchin valiantly fought the blaze despite a severe air attack. He worked desperately until the ships were again hit by bombs, resulting in their destruction and his severe injury.' Corroborates the burning-then-sunk sequence and that Palermo was under Allied occupation at the loss date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-08-23
- Population
- Lt.(j.g.) James J. Kolchin; crews of SC-694 and SC-696
- Limitations
- Awards-database transcription of an official citation; it does not state which of the two chasers Kolchin was assigned to and is not evidence of asbestos conditions. 'Occupation of Palermo' is the citation's phrasing (Palermo had been in Allied hands since July 1943).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-08
-
[9]U.S. Navy casualty enumeration, 'Bureau of Personnel entries by Date - 1943' (naval-history.net transcription of the official Bureau of Naval Personnel WWII casualty lists, source-tagged 'bp/1'; page verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- naval-history.net WW2UScasaaDB-USNBPbyDate1943.htm - entries dated 'August 23, 1943, USS SC-696' (20 rows)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official casualty enumeration attributes 20 fatalities to this hull dated 23 August 1943, by name, rate, and service number - 'USS SC-696, Sicilian occupation': BAHE Willaard Leroy SC3 (killed in combat); CROSS James Corin SOM2 (killed in combat); DARLING Leon E ENSIGN (killed in combat); DUNBAR Joseph LTJG (killed, body not recovered); GIERYN Eugene S COX (BNR); HAGLIND Robert D RM3 (BNR); HOPKINS Ralph SEA1 (died of wounds, declared date 25 Aug 1943); KRAVITZ Alex CBMA (BNR); LEE Charles Stephen Jr CMMA (killed in combat); LEMIEUX Philip F SEA1 (BNR); LEWY David James Jr Y2 (killed in combat); MACMILLAN Henry S SOM2 (BNR); MARSHALL Walter F MOMM1 (BNR); NORMAND Robert E SM2 (BNR); ROSE Jack SEA1 (BNR); ROWE Noel F MOMM1 (BNR); ROWE William H MOMM1 (BNR); SCHLOEMER Frederick J LTJG (CasCode 6421, declared date 23 Aug); SILVERFINE Morton RM1 (BNR); WHITWER William H RDM2 (BNR). The same list carries 4 entries for SC-694 in the same action (Compton died of wounds, declared 8 Sep 1943) and 7 for fleet tug USS Narragansett (printed 'ATF-88'; she was AT-88 at the loss date).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-08-23 (event); BuPers lists published 1943-1946
- Population
- SC-696 casualties at loss: 20 fatalities (named)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-hosted transcription of official BuPers casualty lists (bp/1 = casualty list part 1) - structured fields (rates, service numbers, CasCodes, declared-death dates) match official format but are unverified against the paper original. Counts 20 SC-696 fatalities attributed to the loss date (18 marked killed on 23 Aug; Hopkins died of wounds declared 25 Aug; Schloemer CasCode 6421) - superseding the secondary '18 killed' figure, which matches only the 18 day-of KIA entries. No asbestos content; a crew fatality roster, not an exposure record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-09
-
[10]Era inference built on: NavSource spec block (wooden SC-497 class, GM diesel plant, no steam); NavSource class index ('Five hundred eighty SC-497 Class wood-hulled, 110-foot Submarine Chasers... 142 of these being used by our Allies under the Lend-Lease Program'); Daytona Beach News-Journal (Mark Lane, 13 Mar 2022) on the yard's wartime output - 'It built rescue and supply boats for the Army and subchasers, 17 of them, for the Navy' of 'no-frill, 110-foot, diesel-powered, plywood-hulled vessels with crews of about 30' (verified via Wayback capture 20220313170321; live page paywalled HTTP 402); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150696.htm spec block; NavSource SC index (12/15idx.htm) class narrative; shipyards.json check (Daytona Beach yard absent); GAO product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A wooden-hulled diesel subchaser built March-August 1942 falls inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era, but this type carried a materially thinner asbestos load than steel steam combatants: no boilers or steam lines (no lagging pathway), and a small 110-ft hull with a crew of about 30. Era-standard asbestos-relevant applications for a diesel small combatant would be exhaust lagging, gaskets and packing in the machinery and fuel systems, electrical insulation, and any galley/domestic fireproofing - named as era possibilities, not confirmed installations.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Population
- Daytona Beach Boat Works construction trades (1942); crew (Nov 1942 - Aug 1943); none post-loss
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific material list, insulation survey, or work order exists for SC-696. The hull was a total war loss at nine months' service; there is no post-service disturbance, overhaul, or abatement pathway. No quantity is asserted. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-10
-
[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 and service window (1942-43).
- 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 - and a 110-ft wooden diesel craft's asbestos-relevant scope was materially narrower than the steel steam vessels the GAO program primarily concerned. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-11
-
[12]Batch-8070 search ledger (this record): NavSource SC-696 page + SC class index; NHHC communique page via Wayback; ibiblio communique transcription; CNO losses appendix (HyperWar); uboat.net; shipbuildinghistory Daytona yard page; Air War Publications PDF; galik.com LCI-35 deck-log transcription; Hall of Valor; NARA catalog; NVR; GAO; CourtListener; secondary web sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-696-sc696-01 through -17
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, insulation or material list, abatement contract, or verified litigation naming USS SC-696 / PC-696 was found in the public sources searched. There is no DANFS entry for this hull (NavSource states none exists). NVR carries no entry (vessel disposed 1943, decades before the register's coverage window). The casualty count is resolved at 20 fatalities by the BuPers enumeration (ev-09) - Wikipedia's '18 killed' (via dead wrecksite.eu page, 404/no Wayback) counts only the day-of KIA entries. The hull itself is a war-loss wreck off Palermo - no museum, abatement, or scrapping phase exists to generate material records.
- 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 for a combat loss the only exposure-relevant population is the wartime crew and the 1942 construction trades. CourtListener status recorded in search_ledger (see gaps). RG 24 deck logs and the CNO WWII War Diaries series (NARA, partially digitized via DPLA/Fold3 for other SC hulls) are undigitized-for-this-hull leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-12
-
[13]Designation cross-check: NavSource page header 'SC-696 ex-PC-696' and chronology ('Commissioned PC-696, 25 November 1942; Reclassified SC-696 in April 1943'); NavSource SC class index marking numerous class hulls 'ex-PC-xxx' (e.g., SC-642, SC-643, SC-667, SC-449, SC-450) - the PC-designation pattern across the class; PC-461-class closed enumeration (PC-679-720 in neither the completed nor cancelled PC lists - Trill fact-QA, crew signs 924-929, 2026-09-29) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/150696.htm header and chronology; NavSource 12/15idx.htm SC index (ex-PC markings); batch scope note (Trill fact-QA)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION of a cataloging trap: 'USS PC-696' appears in sources and suggests a steel PC-461-class patrol craft, but no such vessel existed in the PC program - the PC-679-to-PC-720 number block was assigned to wooden SC-497-class subchasers. This hull commissioned as PC-696 on 25 November 1942 carrying a PC designation only, and was reclassified SC-696 in April 1943 amid the mass reclassification of SC-type hulls. The correct subject is USS SC-696, an unnamed wooden subchaser - not any patrol craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (designation window)
- Limitations
- Corrects a designation-identity risk, not a material/asbestos claim. The April 1943 month-only reclassification date is as NavSource prints it; no ALNAV or directive number located for the mass reclassification in sources searched.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-696-sc696-13