Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, SC-699 (ex-PC-699) page - build timeline, reclassification, transfer note, per-hull specification table, NHHC-credited Biak photo caption, and commanding-officer listing [other_primary]
- Locator
- SC-699 per-hull page, timeline block, Specifications table, photo captions, and Commanding Officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Laid down 8 March 1942 by Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Co., Leesburg, NJ; launched 7 September 1942; commissioned PC-699, 19 October 1942; reclassified SC-699 in April 1943; transferred to the Philippines 2 July 1947; fate unknown. Call sign Nan-Xray-Able-Jig. Per-hull specifications: 95 t displacement, 110'10" length, 17' beam, 6'6" draft, 21 kt speed, complement 28, one 40mm mount plus two twin .50-caliber machine guns, two/three K-gun depth charge projectors, 14 depth charges with six single release chocks, and two sets of Mk 20 Mousetrap rails with four 7.2-inch projectiles; two 800 bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines with Snow and Knobstedt single-reduction gear on two shafts. Photo caption (NHHC photo from Treadwell's 'Splinter Fleet') describes the 27 May 1944 Biak action: struck amidships after a fourth raider - attempting to crash USS Sampson (DD-394) - hit the water on its wingtip and catapulted into SC-699, which was 'engulfed in flames, but soon had the fires under control.' CO listing: LT James W. Foristel, USN, awarded the Silver Star (1943), dated December 1943. Page states 'There is no DANFS history available for SC-699.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1947/48
- Population
- Construction trades (Delaware Bay Shipbuilding, 1942); wartime crew (complement 28)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained photographic and records archive, not an official Navy publication; its per-hull tables are compiled from official lists and veteran submissions and are the standard reference for numbered small craft that lack DANFS entries. Its 1947 transfer year conflicts with DANFS and three other compilations which give 1948 (see gaps). The photo caption calls the attacking aircraft a G4M2 'Betty'; every other located source identifies Ki-45 Nicks (see gaps). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-01
-
[2]DANFS consolidated entry 'SC-601 through SC-700' (NHHC ship-histories page; ARCHIVED COPY - live URL returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-03) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS consolidated SC-601-SC-700 page, SC-699 block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Navy record block for this hull: 'SC-699 Built at Delaware Bay SB Co., Leesburg, N.J. Keel laid 3/8/42. Launched 9/7/42. Commissioned 10/19/42. Transferred to the Philippines 7/2/48.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Crew (1942-1948 U.S. service)
- Limitations
- Official build-and-transfer line only - no narrative; NavSource states no per-hull DANFS history exists beyond this consolidated block. The 7/2/48 transfer year conflicts with NavSource and PacificWrecks (1947) - carried here as the official-source value, conflict logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information. Live NHHC URL 404s; Wayback capture of 2025-12-09 cited and labeled archived.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-02
-
[3]uboat.net Allied Warships of WWII, USS SC-699 (SC-699) warship record - milestones, commanding officer, and 'notable events' wartime narrative [other_primary]
- Locator
- Allied Warships > USS SC-699 (SC-699), ship 8916 - header block and notable-events section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ordered 16 February 1942; built by Delaware Bay Shipbuilding Co., Leesburg, NJ; laid down 8 March 1942; launched 7 September 1942; commissioned 19 October 1942; transferred to the Philippines on 2 July 1948. Commander listed: Lt.Cdr. Phillip Christian Holt, USNR (from before May 1944). Notable events documented: 15 December 1943 Operation Director (Arawe landings, New Britain - SC-699 escorting LCT echelons under Lt.(jg) J.W. Foristel, USNR); 26 December 1943 Operation Dexterity (Cape Gloucester - Small Craft Unit TU 76.3.2 escort); 17 May 1944 Operation Straightline (control unit with SC-703, SC-734, SC-736 in the Hollandia-area landing echelons).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Population
- Wartime crew and embarked control personnel (1943-1944 Southwest Pacific)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary database, not an official source; event narratives are compiled from action reports. Names Foristel as ship's officer in December 1943-May 1944 events and Holt as a listed commander - WHN clarifies Holt was an embarked Boat Control Officer, not the ship's CO (see ev-05). Transfer year (1948) agrees with DANFS. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-03
-
[4]Pacific Wrecks, USS SC-699 (PC-699) ship-history page - build data, Biak action narrative, casualties, and source bibliography citing NARA SC-688 war diary and NHHC Holt photo collection [other_primary]
- Locator
- PacificWrecks SC-699 page, Ship History / Wartime History / Fate / References sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Detailed hull record: laid down 8 March 1942; launched 7 September 1942 as USS PC-699; commissioned 19 October 1942; reclassified SC-699 April 1943 and sent to the South West Pacific Area, Seventh Fleet; nicknamed 'Shootin' 699.' Biak action 27 May 1944: off Bosnik (Bosnek), southern Biak; at 5:15 p.m. Japanese planes attacked; SC-699 expended 146 x 40mm, 660 rounds of 20mm, and 280 rounds of .50-caliber. Ki-45 Nick piloted by Maj. Takada, damaged, attempted to crash into SC-699, hit the sea 30 feet away and wreckage tumbled into her amidships, an engine embedding in the wooden hull at roughly 1 deg 12'S, 136 deg 13'E. Sixteen crew thrown or jumped overboard; two killed or missing - RM2c William Henry Harrison found burned to death at his gun position (buried Manila American Cemetery Sec H Row 3 Grave 94), MoMM1c Allen E. Hagmann MIA (declared dead 28 May 1945; tablets of the missing, Manila American Cemetery; memorial marker Rose Hill Cemetery, Palmer, NE). Eight crew earned the Purple Heart (Koch, Bass, Heintz, Woodruff, Gill, Mark, Bowman, Lt(jg) Reents) and were transferred to USS LST-464. 28 May 1944 towed by USS LST-22 to Hollandia; crew sent to Cairns; SC-699 returned to duty about three months later and participated in the Leyte invasion. Transferred to the Philippines 2 July 1947; ultimate fate unknown, 'likely scrapped.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Population
- Wartime crew (~25-28) and embarked Boat Control Officer; casualties Harrison and Hagmann; eight Purple Heart recipients
- Limitations
- PacificWrecks is a specialist volunteer unit-history site that cites its sources per page (here: NARA USS SC-688 War Diary May 1944 pp. 2-4 and map p. 11; NHHC S-119-B Holt collection; Treadwell 'Splinter Fleet'; Squadron/Signal; ABMC). It is a secondary compilation, not an official record. Its 1947 transfer year conflicts with DANFS/uboat.net/Naval Marine Archive (1948); its casualty-LST number (LST-464) conflicts with WHN (LST-459); its 'G4M2' NavSource-caption conflict is resolved the other way here - Ki-45 Nick. Ammunition totals differ slightly from WHN (which gives 1,086 rounds all guns). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-04
-
[5]Warfare History Network, 'Submarine Chaser 699 (SC-699)' by Brad Hall, January 2014 issue (ARCHIVED COPY - live page returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- WHN article body (Wayback capture; live URL 403)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Monograph article on this hull: SC-699 was nicknamed 'The Shooting 699' by Admiral Daniel E. Barbey during the December 1943 Arawe attack, where she rescued 71 wounded men; skipper Lt.(jg) James W. Foristel received the Silver Star for the rescue; the ship is credited with eleven major operations in eleven Pacific months. Biak detail: departed Humboldt Bay, Hollandia, 25 May 1944 with the Seventh Amphibious Force carrying Boat Control Officer Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Christian Holt; stationed 2,000 yards off the landing area as control ship 27 May; attacked by four Ki-45 Nicks led by Maj. Katsushige Takada (5th Hiko Sentai); Takada's damaged aircraft struck the water ~30 yards off the port side and flipped into the midsection; 16 of 25 crew went overboard; Holt took command of seven remaining enlisted men and, with USS Sonoma alongside within five minutes, extinguished the fire, freeing two gunners strapped in their positions; Harrison died aboard LST-459 one hour later; survivors were rescued by SC-734; SC-699 moored overnight to LCI-31 for emergency repairs, was towed to Hollandia the next day, crew sent to Cairns, and the ship returned to service about three months later.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-12 to 1944-10 (events covered)
- Population
- Wartime crew; embarked Boat Control Officer Holt; casualties
- Limitations
- Reputable specialist press drawing on Foristel's action report, Takada-side Japanese records, and veteran recollection - a detailed secondary narrative, not a primary document. Internally notes discrepancies: Foristel's report described five planes including two 'single-engine' attackers he called Vals (probably P-47 misidentification), and Motomiya's Japanese report claims two destroyers sunk that the Allied record does not support. Casualty-count details differ from PacificWrecks on the receiving LST (459 vs 464). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-05
-
[6]Military Times Hall of Valor, Phillip Christian Holt - Navy Cross citation text, Commander Seventh Fleet Serial 2158 (7 August 1944) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Hall of Valor recipient page 19250, Navy Cross award block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official award citation naming this hull: Navy Cross to Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Christian Holt, USNR, Control Officer of Landing Craft, SEVENTH Amphibious Force, Biak landing 27 May 1944 - 'As the only officer on board the Submarine Chaser U.S.S. SC-699 after an enemy plane crashed and exploded on her deck, Commander Holt immediately assumed command of the seven enlisted men remaining on the vessel and, while flames enveloped the ship to masthead height, proceeded to fight the fire, aided by equipment from the tug SONOMA, which had put alongside approximately three minutes after the fire commenced. While the conflagration was at its height, he braved the flames to release two gunners who were strapped to their gun positions and unable to free themselves because of severe burns.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-05-27 / 1944-08-07
- Population
- Holt and seven enlisted men aboard during the fire; casualties treated/evacuated under his direction
- Limitations
- Hall of Valor transcribes official award citations; the underlying citation is the primary document (C7F Serial 2158, 7 Aug 1944). The 'only officer on board' phrasing conflicts slightly with WHN's account placing XO Lt.(jg) Wahrenbrock aboard - the citation's wording is the award record and is quoted verbatim. Establishes the crash and fire-fighting on this hull and nothing about materials or asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-06
-
[7]combinedfleet.com, TROM of IJN submarine I-178 (Hackett & Kingsepp), Authors' Note on the discounted SC-699 sinking claim [other_primary]
- Locator
- combinedfleet.com I-178 TROM, Authors' Note
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION of a circulating kill credit: 'According to some sources I-178 was depth-charged and sunk 30 miles W of Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides by subchaser USS SC-699 on 29 May 1943; however, since I-178 was in contact with the Sixth Fleet almost three weeks later, such claims must be discounted.' I-178 was in fact lost off eastern Australia after her last radio contact of 17 June 1943. Wikipedia's I-178 article repeats the SC-669/SC-699 attribution as discounted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Documents that a sinking credit exists in secondary sources AND that specialist research discounts it - carried to prevent the claim being imported as fact. The engagement of 29 May 1943 itself is not confirmed or denied by this source; only the I-178 kill attribution is discounted. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-07
-
[8]HyperWar / Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - USS SC-497 (SC-497 class Submarine Chaser, 'Wooden Hull') class page [other_primary]
- Locator
- SC-497 class record (Displacement 98 t, 110'10", diesel engines twin screws 1,200 shaft hp)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The SC-497 class is documented as a wooden-hulled 110-foot diesel submarine chaser type - no boilers and no steam plant aboard. On a wooden diesel craft of 1942 the era-consistent asbestos applications were limited to non-steam machinery items: diesel exhaust lagging, machinery gaskets and packing, and electrical insulation, if present at all.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Construction trades at Delaware Bay Shipbuilding (1942); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Class/design context, not a hull record - the source documents the type as wooden-hulled and diesel-powered but names no asbestos product; the listed applications are era inference for a diesel craft, not ship-proven items. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not present aboard SC-699, nor in what quantity or condition.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-08
-
[9]GAO HRD-80-2, review of Navy efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards (published 1979-10-18, released 1979-10-22) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO reviewed the Navy's use of asbestos insulation in ships, the cost of removal, and compensation programs; the product page documents that asbestos insulation was in service across the fleet and that the Navy's 1975 policy was remove-and-replace only when damaged, modified in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1979 (report); WWII-1970s usage window
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program level)
- Limitations
- Program-level context only - the review centered on steam-era insulation and post-war shipyard abatement at two named yards; it does not address wooden diesel subchasers, this hull, or any vessel of this class by name. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch (confirmed 2026-10-03, with and without browser UA); product-page description used. Does not establish asbestos aboard SC-699.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-09
-
[10]National Archives, 'Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog' portal - digitized deck-log list; plus NHHC S-119-B Capt. Phillip Holt Photo Collection (per PacificWrecks citation) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-logs portal (digitized SC list ends at SC-290); PacificWrecks SC-699 references block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two archival leads for hull records: (1) NARA holds commissioned-vessel deck logs as permanent records; the digitized SC range currently covers WWI-era hulls only (SC-15 through SC-290) - SC-699's WWII deck logs (Oct 1942 - 1947/48), her war diary if any, and the 27 May 1944 action report quoted by WHN are the primary ship-specific record set, undigitized in the public catalog list. (2) NHHC holds the Capt. Phillip Holt Photo Collection (S-119-B), described by PacificWrecks' source list as 'materials related to the crash of a Japanese bomber into USS SC-699, 27 May 1944, during Biak operation'; PacificWrecks also cites NARA USS SC-688 War Diary May 1944 pp. 2-4 and its map (p. 11) documenting the crash.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-10 to 1948-07 (records window); 2026-10-03 (search)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - no SC-699 deck log, war diary, or action report was retrieved or reviewed; existence of digitized logs for this hull is unconfirmed. The NHHC Holt collection is documented only through PacificWrecks' reference list; a public NHHC catalog page for S-119-B was not located this session. Deck logs document operations, not asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-10
-
[11]Batch-8073 search ledger (this record): NavSource SC-699 page and SC index; DANFS consolidated SC-601-SC-700 (Wayback); uboat.net warship record; PacificWrecks hull page; Warfare History Network (Wayback); Hall of Valor Navy Cross citation; combinedfleet I-178 TROM; HyperWar SC-497 class page; NARA deck-logs portal; NVR ship detail; GAO HRD-80-2; CourtListener base queries; shipyards.json yard dataset [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-sc-699-sc699-13 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, insulation schedule, or docketed case naming SC-699 or PC-699 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener: 'USS SC-699' opinion search returned zero results; 'SC-699' docket search returned 15 hits, all classified as name collisions (criminal, bankruptcy, patent, and civil dockets matching 'SC-699' in internal document/docket numbering - none vessel- or asbestos-related); the 'USS SC-699' docket and 'SC-699' opinion queries were blocked by fleet-wide pacing after 10 spaced retries each. The hull's documentation is instead a combat-history record (Biak crash, decorations, Philippine transfer); no asbestos content appears in any located source.
- 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 - 1942 construction-era materials on a diesel craft were simply never documented for this hull. Two of four CourtListener base queries remain unsearched behind fleet pacing - logged as blocked, not as a negative result. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-11
-
[12]NavSource Online 110' Submarine Chaser (SC) Photo Index plus SC-699 per-hull page header ('ex-PC-699') - PC designation block carried by SC-497-class wooden boats [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource SC-699 page header and timeline; NavSource SC index ex-PC markings
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- SC-699 was commissioned under the designation PC-699 (19 October 1942) and reclassified SC-699 in April 1943; the same ex-PC pattern appears across the SC index (PC-498, PC-503, PC-504, PC-639, PC-642, PC-643, PC-667, PC-691, PC-694, and others). The hull was never a PC-461-class steel-hulled patrol craft - that class's enumeration closed at 341 completed plus 60 cancelled and does not include PC-699; the PC designation block was carried administratively by 110-foot wooden SC-497-class boats pending reclassification.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-10 to 1943-04
- Limitations
- Corrects an identity confusion documented in the batch scope (Trill fact-QA 2026-09-29): 'PC-699' in records denotes this wooden subchaser, not a PC-461-class patrol vessel. NavSource documents the commissioning designation; the precise April 1943 reclassification order date is not stated in located sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-sc-699-sc699-12