Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 1006-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: MISMATCH (RE-SCOPE).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-thai-binh-pgm72-pkt-1006-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online: Motor Gunboat/Patrol Gunboat Photo Archive, PGM-72 (page verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/11072.htm header block, PGM-71 class label, specifications block, photo table (image 121107201.jpg)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: 'PGM-72 was built for South Vietnam. PGM-71 Class Motor Gunboat: Laid down as PGM-72 by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, WI; Launched 12 October 1964; Delivered 26 June 1965, transferred under the Military Assistance Program to South Vietnam and named RVN Thai Binh (HQ 612). Fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 130 t.; length 101'; beam 22'; draft 6' 8"; speed 18 kts.; armament one 40mm mount, two twin 20mm mounts, one 81mm mortar and two .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion 'Two 975bhp MB820 Mercedes Benz diesel engines/eight 250bhp General Motors 6-71 diesel engines, two shafts.' Page explicitly states 'There is no DANFS history available for PGM-72.' A NavSource-hosted photograph (12/121107201.jpg, verified live) shows the hull circa 1970, credited to the Coast Guard Combat Veterans Association website.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1964-1975
- Population
- Peterson Builders construction trades (1964-65); RVN crew (1966-75)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; milestone dates generally track official records but are unverified here against a primary document. The propulsion line lists two alternative class fits without resolving which was installed on this hull (RVN veteran sourcing assigns the 8x GM fit to HQ-612-619 - see ev-04). No laid-down date given. Contains no asbestos content. The credited c.1970 photo source page (coastguardcombatvets.org) is dead (404); a June 2021 Wayback capture exists and the NavSource-hosted image itself is live.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-01
-
[3]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'Gunboats (PGM, PG, PFMM, PGG, PCG) Built Since WWII', PGM row table (page verified live 2026-10-04; mirror at navalmarinearchive.com identical) [other_primary]
- Locator
- pg3.htm table, PGM 72 row (between PGM 71 'Thai Navy' and PGM 73 'Thi Tu')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Yard-table row for this hull: 'PGM 72 | Thai Binh | Vietnamese Navy | Peterson | Sturgeon Bay WI | LDT 118 | LOA 100 | 4-Aug-65 | HQ 612, disposition unknown.' Confirms builder (Peterson, Sturgeon Bay), original owner (Vietnamese Navy), name (Thai Binh), HQ number (612), and a build-completion date of 4 August 1965 (vs. NavSource's 26 June 1965 delivery - conflict flagged in gaps). Table context: PGM-72 sits among 75 Military Assistance Program PGMs built at U.S. yards for allied navies.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1964-1965
- Population
- Peterson Builders construction trades (1964-65)
- Limitations
- Secondary shipbuilding reference, widely used but not an official registry. Build-completion date conflicts with NavSource's delivery date by ~6 weeks; likely reflects completion vs. delivery/acceptance distinction, unresolved. 'Disposition unknown' is the compiler's entry, consistent with all other sources. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-02
-
[4]Diep My Linh, 'Hai-Quan Viet-Nam Cong-Hoa Ra Khoi, 1975' (Republic of Vietnam Navy on the High Seas, 1975), 2nd edition - an RVN veteran-authored naval history published as a Republic of Vietnam Navy publication; plus its ship-roster appendix (vnnavydallas.com/tailieu/Diep_My_Linh_appendix.pdf) [other_primary]
- Locator
- hqvnchRK_2nd_edition PDF, 1966 chronology section ('4 PGM: HQ 612...'); Diep_My_Linh_appendix.pdf PGM roster block (HQ 600-619 list)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- RVN-side documentation of service entry and identity: the history's year-1966 chronology records 'Hai luc nhan 4 PGM: HQ 612, HQ 613, HQ 614 va HQ 615' (the Navy received 4 PGMs: HQ-612, -613, -614, -615) - i.e., HQ-612 entered RVN service in 1966, alongside the 1967 receipt of HQ-616 through -619. The appendix fleet roster lists the PGM type block 'HQ 612 - Thai-Binh' among the twenty Tuần-Duyên-Hạm (patrol gunboats). Full text extracted via pdftotext this session.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1966-1975
- Population
- RVN crew (1966-75)
- Limitations
- Veteran-authored compiled history distributed via veterans' association sites (nhayduwdc.org, vnnavydallas.com) - a serious secondary source, not an archival document; it gives the year (1966) but not a date. Roster contains typos elsewhere in the PGM block (Mây-Rút duplicated; 'Nòn-Trọc' for Hòn-Trọc) - HQ-612/Thái-Bình itself is unambiguous. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-03
-
[5]Tran Ly, 'Truyen nhung con tau: Tuan duyen ham (PGM)' (Stories of the ships: the patrol gunboats), Sinh Hoat QLVNCH veterans' association site (page verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- vnchtoday.blogspot.com PGM article, 'Cac PGM vien tro cho Viet Nam' delivery-ordered list (January 1966 batch) and 'Dac tinh ky thuat chung' technical block; fate section (see ev-05)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- RVN veteran-compiled PGM account with ship-specific data: HQ-612 Thai Binh (PGM-72) handed over to the RVN in January 1966 in the three-ship batch HQ-612/-613/-614 built by 'Julius Petersen Builders' [sic - Peterson Builders], Sturgeon Bay, WI, completed August-September 1965. Technical block: RVN PGMs measured 31 m x 6.4 m x 1.8 m, 140-143 tons, average 17 knots, range ~630 nm at 16 kts, crew 15-17; armament 1 x 40mm forward, twin 20mm mounts, .50-cal machine guns, some carrying an 81mm mortar. Two engine fits by batch: HQ-600 through HQ-611 carried 2 x Mercedes-Benz diesels (~2200 hp); HQ-612 through HQ-619 carried the General Motors 'Grey' multi-engine diesel fit, ~2000 hp total (the technical block describes four GM 'quad' engines coupled in pairs; a veteran quoted in the same article calls it 'tám máy Grey ghép lại' - eight coupled GM engines - matching NavSource's eight 250bhp GM 6-71 option). Class note: all twenty RVN PGMs described as PGM-39 class built 1959-1970 at U.S. yards; MAP funding FY64/FY65. Mission: coastal patrol/interdiction of Communist seaborne infiltration, naval gunfire support for ground units, and post-1973 escort of supply convoys toward Phnom Penh. Ship names drawn from islands in Vietnamese territorial waters.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1964-1975
- Population
- Peterson Builders trades (1964-65); RVN crew ~15-17 (1966-75); any U.S. advisors embarked (undocumented for this hull)
- Limitations
- Veteran-compiled secondary source (blogspot-hosted association site) - details corroborate NavSource's alternate engine listing and the 1966 service entry, but the January 1966 handover date, 15-17 crew figure, dimensions (140-143 t vs NavSource 130 t), and mission profile are not verified against primary documents. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-04
-
[6]Tran Ly, 'Truyen nhung con tau: Tuan duyen ham (PGM)' - fate section citing 'DIA 103-75' as its most reliable source, via the Tran Do Cam compilation 'Phuong vi cac Chien ham HQ/VNCH ra khoi' (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- vnchtoday.blogspot.com PGM article, 'So phan cac Tuan duyen ham cua HQVN sau cuoc chien' section, DIA 103-75 quoted list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Best available fate accounting for this hull: the veterans' compilation quotes a Defense Intelligence Agency document ('DIA 103-75') as recording the April 1975 disposition of all twenty RVN PGMs - 'Cac PGM ra di' (departed): HQ 600, 605, 608, 610, 615, 618; 'bi danh chim khi di tan' (scuttled while evacuating): HQ 604; 'bo lai' (left behind): HQ 601, 602, 603, 606, 607, 609, 611, 612, 614, 616, 617 and 619. HQ-612 is explicitly among the twelve PGMs left behind in South Vietnam - i.e., she did not join the evacuation convoy and was not documented as scuttled; her subsequent disposition (capture presumed) is unrecorded.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- April-May 1975
- Population
- RVN crew at collapse (April 1975); captors/post-capture personnel undocumented
- Limitations
- Second-hand citation: the DIA 103-75 document is quoted inside a veterans' compilation and was not located directly (the originally cited host page camtran1.6te.net is dead; a related Tran Do Cam compilation survives at chienhuuvnch.com - see ev-06 - but contains no dedicated HQ-612 entry, consistent with left-behind status). 'Left behind' is a fleet-accounting category, not a documented physical fate; capture, seizure, or later People's Navy use is plausible but unverified. Does not establish the hull's final disposition, scrapping, or any material content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-05
-
[7]'Danh Sach Cac Chien Ham va Ham Truong HQVN Gia Tu Que Huong vao Thang Tu, 1975' - List of RVNN ships evacuated to the Philippines on April 30, 1975 (veteran-compiled, citing Jane's Fighting Ships 1976/77 editions); corroborated by the Tran Do Cam compilation at chienhuuvnch.com/haiquan/?p=41 [other_primary]
- Locator
- hoangsaparacels evacuation list (HQ-605, HQ-618 entries; no HQ-612); chienhuuvnch.com/haiquan/?p=41 (per-ship sections; HQ.612 mention only in HQ.14 CO's career note)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- HQ-612 is ABSENT from the documented evacuation record: the ship-by-ship list of RVN vessels that reached the Philippines in the April 30, 1975 convoy contains only two PGMs - HQ-605 (Kim Quy, CO LCDR Trinh Nhu Toan, reached Subic) and HQ-618 (Hon Troc, CO LCDR Tran Van Dung, later BRP Basilan PG-60 in the Philippine Navy). The Tran Do Cam per-ship disposition compilation likewise contains no HQ-612 entry (it documents departed/scuttled/returned hulls individually); its only HQ-612 mention is that LCDR Pham Thanh (Khoa 13 SQHQ/NT) had commanded her among five ships in his career. Absence from both evacuation records corroborates the DIA 'left behind' accounting (ev-05).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- April-May 1975
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Absence-of-evidence reasoning: non-inclusion in veteran-compiled evacuation lists does not by itself prove the hull stayed - but it converges with the DIA accounting and with every compiler's 'disposition unknown.' Both sources are veteran compilations; the evacuation list cites Jane's Fighting Ships editions for post-Subic dispositions. No primary convoy manifest was located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: NavSource/shipbuildinghistory specs (1964-65 U.S. diesel gunboat, 130 t, eight GM 6-71 diesels per RVN veteran sourcing); GAO HRD-80-2 era documentation (see ev-08); era-standard small-combatant material practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- Derived from ev-01 (NavSource specs), ev-02 (builder table), ev-04 (veteran technical block), ev-08 (GAO era documentation)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A 130-ton steel patrol gunboat built 1964-65 in a U.S. yard sits inside the documented naval asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this period were engine-room/machinery insulation, diesel-exhaust lagging around the eight GM engines and their exhaust runs, gaskets and valve packing in piping systems, electrical insulation, and asbestos-containing deck coverings. As a diesel-powered craft she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1964-1975
- Population
- Peterson Builders construction trades (1964-65); RVN crew (1966-75)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or construction specification located for PGM-72. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. U.S. MAP-construction standards are presumed analogous to Navy practice but a foreign-military-sales spec sheet was not located to confirm it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-07
-
[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 entire construction (1964-65) and RVN service era (1966-75).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation of U.S. Navy practice; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull or to MAP construction at a commercial yard. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-08
-
[10]NIOSH, 'Walk-through survey report, Peterson Builders, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin' (Levine & Schott; survey 15 December 1978; report November 1979; IWS 74-48; CDC Stacks cdc:233468; full PDF retrieved and text-extracted this session) [other_primary]
- Locator
- CDC Stacks cdc:233468 abstract and full-text PDF (cdc_233468_DS1.pdf); asbestos grep: zero hits
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Government documentation of this hull's builder: a NIOSH industrial-hygiene walk-through surveyed Peterson Builders on 15 December 1978 as a candidate site for a painting-trades health study. The report documents a large boat-production yard of approximately 731 employees with no industrial hygiene program, indoor and outdoor paint-spray operations, respirator use, and poor ventilation in painting areas; the authors judged Peterson 'an excellent facility to study.' The full text (8 pp.) was searched this session: it contains NO asbestos mention - the survey addressed paint materials only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1978-1979
- Population
- Peterson Builders yard workforce (~731 employees, 1978)
- Limitations
- Yard-level occupational-health record, not a hull record and not an asbestos document: PGM-72 is not named, the survey postdates her construction by 14 years, and its scope is paint hazards. It documents the builder's workforce scale and the absence of an industrial-hygiene program as of 1978. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, or present-day conditions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-09
-
[11]U.S. EPA Superfund Site Information (CERCLA), PETERSON BUILDERS INC, EPA ID WID096828975 (page verified live 2026-10-04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA CERCLA profile tab 'Site Info' for EPA ID WID096828975
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- EPA holds a CERCLA site profile for the hull's builder: PETERSON BUILDERS INC, 107 East Walnut Street, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54325, Door County, EPA Region 5 - status 'Not on the NPL', 'Deferred to RCRA (Subtitle C)' - i.e., the former shipyard site passed from Superfund tracking to RCRA hazardous-waste oversight.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- site registry current
- Population
- Peterson Builders site (post-operation environmental oversight)
- Limitations
- Site-level regulatory status only: the profile contains no contaminant list, no asbestos mention, and no vessel-specific information; it documents that the builder's Sturgeon Bay site has a federal environmental record. Does not establish materials aboard this hull or exposure of any person.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-10
-
[12]Batch-8629 search ledger (this record): NavSource PGM-72 + class index; shipbuildinghistory yard table; RVN naval history + roster appendix (full-text); Tran Ly veteran PGM account (full-text); Tran Do Cam ship-disposition compilation; April 1975 evacuation list; NIOSH walk-through full text; EPA CERCLA profile; GAO product page; NHHC DANFS (no entry); NVR (no entry); MARAD vesselhistory (server error); NARA catalog (JS-rendered); CourtListener (see sl-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-01 through -14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or construction-material list naming PGM-72 / RVNS Thai Binh (HQ-612) was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated helper returned the fleet-wide pacing stand-down on every attempt; logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. The hull's small size (130 t), foreign-navy service life, and undocumented post-1975 disposition leave almost no asbestos-relevant paper trail in U.S. repositories; RVN-side records are veteran-compiled only.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 2026-10-04
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced, not run). The strongest open leads are documentary, not public: MAP shipbuilding-contract specifications for the PGM-71 order (unlocated), any surviving RVN maintenance records (unlocated), and whatever the post-1975 captors did with the hull (undocumented). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-11
-
[13]Class-nomenclature cross-check: NavSource PGM index ('PGM-71 Class Motor Gunboat PGM-71 to PGM-83' grouping) vs. RVN veteran literature (all twenty RVN PGMs described as 'lop 39' / PGM-39 class, Tran Ly) vs. Wikipedia ship list (labels the whole RVN PGM block 'PGM-9-class' - an apparent error: PGM-9 class were WWII PC conversions, per the same NavSource index) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/11idx.htm class groupings; vnchtoday PGM article class note; en.wikipedia 'List of ships of the Republic of Vietnam Navy' PGM section header
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION on class assignment: secondary sources scatter this hull's class label three ways. NavSource places PGM-72 in the 'PGM-71 class' (the Peterson-built MAP run). RVN veteran literature groups all twenty Vietnamese PGMs as 'PGM-39 class' (the broader 1959-70 MAP gunboat family, 59 boats across yards). Wikipedia's RVN ship list calls the whole block 'PGM-9-class' - a nomenclature error (the PGM-9 class was a WWII PC-to-PGM conversion series, unrelated to the 1960s MAP design). Record carries NavSource's 'PGM-71 class' label with the PGM-39-family grouping noted; the PGM-9 attribution is not propagated.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-04
- Study period
- 1959-1970 (class build window)
- Limitations
- Class-label hygiene only - affects indexing, not asbestos findings. Underlying design variants (Marinette/Martinac vs. Peterson builds; Mercedes vs. GM engine fits) are batch-level facts noted in ev-04. Wikipedia is used for the cross-check only and is not cited as a record source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-thai-binh-pgm72-12