Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet 1099-packet.md (2 sources cited) [nhhc_danfs]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-toka-yt149-pkt-1099-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Toka (YT-149), 1941-1982 - construction, service, reclassifications, disposal (updated by Robert J. Cressman, 31 January 2024; page verified live) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Toka (YT-149) entry, full narrative and spec block; BuShips photo caption BS 24438
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: name is 'a word in the Sioux language meaning sea mist.' Spec block: displacement 325; length 100'0"; beam 25'0"; draft 9'7"; speed 12.0 knots; class Woban. Laid down 3 October 1940 at Bay City, Mich., by the 'Defoe Bridge & Metal Works' [sic - see correction ev-10]; launched 15 April 1941; completed and delivered to the Navy 24 May 1941; placed in service 3 June 1941. Reported for duty with the Fourth Naval District at Philadelphia, Pa., serving as a district tug throughout World War II and for almost 24 years thereafter. Designated a harbor tug (big) YTB-149 on 15 May 1944; redesignated medium harbor tug YTM-149 in February 1962, still assigned to Philadelphia. Shifted from the Fourth to the Thirteenth Naval District in 1968. Placed out of service, in reserve, at Bremerton, Wash., November 1978. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1982; transferred to the U.S. Army 1 January 1983. Photo caption documents a Bureau of Ships photograph (BS 24438) of Toka on her delivery voyage, 10 May 1941, held at NARA Still Pictures, College Park.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1983
- Population
- Defoe yard construction trades (1940-41); tug crew and Fourth Naval District waterfront population (1941-1968); Thirteenth Naval District / Bremerton reserve (1968-1982)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS spec block lists no complement or armament figures - those come from secondary sources and are flagged in gaps. Live NHHC page verified 2026-10-05 (no transcription mirror needed).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, Toka (YTM-149) ex YTB-149 / YT-149 - designation timeline, specifications, awards, Army/Kwajalein post-Navy record, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 14/08149.htm header block, timeline, specifications block, awards ribbon display, photo caption 140814903 (SS Transcolumbia lift, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 1968)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull agrees with DANFS and extends the post-Navy record: built by Defoe Boat & Motor Works, Bay City, MI (yard hull no. 168); laid down 3 October 1940; launched 15 April 1941; delivered to the US Navy 24 May 1941; placed in service as Toka (YT-149) 3 June 1941; allocated to the Fourth Naval District at Philadelphia, PA; reclassified District Harbor Tug, Large, YTB-149, 15 May 1944; reclassified District Harbor Tug, Medium, YTM-149, February 1962; re-allocated to the Thirteenth Naval District November 1968; placed out of service in reserve at Bremerton, WA, November 1978; struck from the Naval Register 1982; transferred to US Army 1 January 1983; refitted for Army service at Marco Drydock and Shipbuilding, Seattle, WA; deployed to Kwajalein Missile Range September 1983; final disposition unknown (still active at KMR 1989). Awards shown: American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal (2). Specifications: displacement 218 tons (light) / 325 tons (full); length 100'; beam 25'; draft 9'7" (lim.); speed 12 knots; complement 12; armament unknown; propulsion diesel-electric, single propeller, 1,000 shp. Photographic record documents her hoisted onto a barge for loading aboard SS Transcolumbia at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1968 for delivery to Naval Station Bremerton.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1989
- Population
- Crew (1941-78); Philadelphia Navy Yard waterfront trades; Army crews at Kwajalein Missile Range (1983-89+)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its complement (12) and armament ('unknown') figures have no DANFS counterpart - flagged in gaps. Kwajalein/Army-era detail is unique to NavSource and uncorroborated by a primary source this session. Page verified live on navsource.net 2026-10-05 (navsource.org is dead - DNS fails; .net is the live domain). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-02
-
[4]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Woban class district harbor tug, built 1940-41); NavSource specifications (diesel-electric, single propeller, 1,000 shp); GAO HRD-80-2 documented Navy asbestos-insulation era (see ev-04); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (duty-station yards, see ev-05, ev-06, ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; GAO HRD-80-2 (ev-04); shipyards.json product lists for philadelphia-naval-shipyard and puget-sound-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric district harbor tug built 1940-41 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era (substitution did not begin until the early 1970s per GAO HRD-80-2). Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel harbor craft of this period were engine and generator exhaust lagging, machinery thermal insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical and cable insulation, deck coverings/flooring, and brake linings on towing machinery. As a diesel-electric tug 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
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1989
- Population
- Defoe yard construction trades (1940-41); tug crew (1941-78); Philadelphia Navy Yard and Bremerton waterfront personnel; Army crews and shipbreakers (1983+)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YT-149. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Her 27-year station at Philadelphia and 4-year reserve berth at Bremerton mean any in-service maintenance or availabilities were yard events - none are documented for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-03
-
[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) - product page and full text PDF both retrieved live 2026-10-05 via firecrawl [gao]
- Locator
- GAO HRD-80-2 transmittal letter and 'Navy's Policy on Use of Asbestos' section (full text via gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that 'although all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables, most ships delivered in the last several years or now under construction have little or no asbestos as thermal insulation, which was the Navy's major use of asbestos aboard ships.' The Navy's policy to eliminate asbestos use where suitable alternates existed was issued October 1975; removal was limited to damaged insulation or insulation requiring removal for repairs, expanded in 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Asbestos thermal insulation and component use therefore spans this hull's construction (1940-41) and entire Navy service era (1941-1978).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979 (report); policy window 1975-79 covering prior-era construction
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. The report's fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Philadelphia NSY and Bremerton are not its subjects. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, individual exposure, quantity, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-04
-
[6]U.S. EPA, 'Philadelphia Navy Yard Site Spotlight' (Cleanups at Federal Facilities) - January 19, 2021 snapshot of the EPA website (archived official page, no longer updated) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA snapshot page, sections 4 (THREATS AND CONTAMINANTS), 5 (CLEANUP), 3 (HISTORY)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- EPA documents asbestos abatement at this hull's 27-year duty station: 'The environmental cleanup work focused on asbestos abatement in buildings, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) transformer site remediation, removal of underground storage tanks and contaminated soil.' The page records the Philadelphia Navy Yard (348 acres of former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard within a 1,455-acre complex) employing as many as 47,000 workers at WWII peak production, launching approximately 50 warships and repairing over 1,200 ships; BRAC closure of the Naval Base in 1991 and the shipyard in 1995 (closed September 27, 1996); cleanup coordinated by EPA, Pennsylvania DEP, the Navy, and PIDC for redevelopment transfer. Toka served the Fourth Naval District at Philadelphia 1941-1968 and was photographed loaded aboard SS Transcolumbia at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for her 1968 transfer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1996 (yard operations); 1991-2000 (cleanup window)
- Population
- Philadelphia Navy Yard workforce (WWII peak ~47,000); waterfront personnel 1941-1968
- Limitations
- Duty-station context only: documents asbestos abatement in the yard's buildings during the post-closure BRAC cleanup (1991+), not aboard or around this tug specifically. Does not establish materials installed aboard this hull, any asbestos event involving her, individual exposure, or causation. Page is EPA's official January 19, 2021 archive snapshot (labeled as archived per citation hygiene); verified retrievable 2026-10-05.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-05
-
[7]Taylor v. Celotex Corp., 393 Pa. Super. 566, 574 A.2d 1084 (1990) (Wieand, J.; argued Aug 16, 1989; filed May 7, 1990) - opinion text verified live via Justia [court_record]
- Locator
- 393 Pa. Super. 566 opinion text (Justia), opening statement of facts and verdict history
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A published appellate opinion documents shipyard-worker asbestos exposure at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during the period overlapping this hull's station there: plaintiff William Taylor alleged long-term occupational asbestos exposure over approximately forty years in the shipbuilding industry at the New York Shipyard (Camden, NJ) and the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; a Philadelphia jury returned an $800,000 compensatory verdict plus $100,000 consortium (verdict later molded to $500,000); the Superior Court opinion addresses post-verdict molding and issues on appeal. Sister PNSY exposure opinions exist in the same reporter series (Junge v. Garlock, Gross v. Johns-Manville per shipyards.json litigation rows for the yard).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- employment window to 1980; verdict 1986; opinion 1990
- Population
- Philadelphia Naval Shipyard shipbuilding workers (Taylor's ~40-year employment window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation context, not a hull finding: Taylor was a shore-side shipyard worker; the opinion does not name Toka or any vessel of her class. Litigation stage: jury verdict (1986) reviewed on appeal (1990) - exposure allegation was tried to verdict, appellate issues concerned verdict molding, not exposure findings. Does not establish materials aboard this hull, exposure of any crewmember, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-06
-
[8]EPA Superfund Site Profile, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex, Bremerton, WA (WA2170023418) - verified live; peer-reviewed asbestos exposure literature for the yard in shipyards.json (DTIC AD0715808; PMIDs 1065583, 19235622) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA cumulis profile WA2170023418; shipyards.json puget-sound-naval-shipyard evidence rows (DTIC AD0715808; PMID 1065583; PMID 19235622)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- This hull's final Navy berth - out of service, in reserve, at Bremerton, Wash., from November 1978 to her 1982 striking - is the documented industrial site of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex, a CERCLA National Priorities List site (WA2170023418) with a substantial peer-reviewed record of asbestos exposure during mid-century overhaul and rip-out work (DTIC AD0715808; Mangold et al.; PMID 1065583 documents amosite and chrysotile exposure during ship overhaul 1962-72; PMID 19235622 reviews asbestos conditions at the yard 1940-1965).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1978-1982 (reserve window)
- Population
- Reserve-fleet caretakers and PSNS waterfront personnel (1978-1982)
- Limitations
- Berth context only and weaker than the Philadelphia record: Toka was inactive (in reserve), not under overhaul, and DANFS says only 'at Bremerton, Wash.' - the source does not state the reserve mooring was inside the PSNS Complex itself. The EPA profile's documented contaminants of concern emphasize mercury, PCBs, and petroleum; the yard's asbestos record rests on the occupational literature cited. Does not document any work on, or materials aboard, this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-07
-
[9]NARA archival leads: COM 4 (Commandant, Fourth Naval District) War Diary 1/1-31/44, NAID 78441554, RG 38 WWII War Diaries; BuShips photo BS 24438 (DANFS caption, NARA Still Pictures College Park); additional war-diary/deck-log file units containing 'YT-149' [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/78441554; catalog search 'YT-149' (39 file-unit hits, 2026-10-05); DANFS photo caption BS 24438
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA catalog search returns the string 'YT-149' inside digitized WWII-era records: COM 4 - War Diary, 1/1-31/44 (NAID 78441554) - the war diary of the district command this tug served - plus approximately a dozen other war diaries and 1950s-60s deck logs (USS Andres, USS Monterey, USS Engstrom, USS Scott, USS Harrison, USS Sagamore, USS LST-332, USS Burke, USS Cannon, Horace A. Bass APD-124, San Pablo AGS-30, Telfair APA-210, Threadfin SS-410, Allen M. Sumner DD-692, Bassett APD-73) whose extracted text contains 'YT-149'. Mentions plausibly record this harbor tug's assistance operations at Philadelphia, the only YT-149 extant. BuShips photo BS 24438 (delivery voyage, 10 May 1941) is a documented NARA still-picture lead.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1941-1968
- Population
- Tug crew and Fourth Naval District population at documented dates
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: catalog search indexes extracted OCR text; page-level verification that 'YT-149' in each diary denotes this hull (versus a hull-number-like string or a different craft) was not performed - the COM 4 war diary is the strongest candidate since Toka was the Fourth Naval District harbor tug. Establishes presence, not materials or work performed. RG 24 deck logs for this hull are not digitized publicly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-08
-
[10]Batch-9311 search ledger (this record): live DANFS page; NavSource; NARA catalog search; NVR; EPA Philadelphia Navy Yard snapshot and PSNS profile; Justia Taylor opinion; shipbuildinghistory.com Defoe table; GAO HRD-80-2 full text; CourtListener (see ledger for status); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-toka-yt149-01 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 Toka (YT-149 / YTB-149 / YTM-149) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced only vessel-reference pages and law-firm marketing content for sister-ship classes (e.g., asbestos-ships.com's USS Nokomis YT-142 page - excluded by source policy); nothing naming this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1940-41 tug sits squarely inside the documented asbestos era, and the inference rows reflect that. NARA 'YT-149' hits and any Philadelphia NSY work-package records for this hull are undigitized or unverified leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-09
-
[11]Correction cross-check: shipbuildinghistory.com Defoe Shipbuilding yard table (Tim Colton compilation); NavSource builder line 'Defoe Boat & Motor Works' [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/defoe.htm - yard history paragraph and hull table row 168; NavSource 14/08149.htm builder line
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS names the builder 'Defoe Bridge & Metal Works.' The Bay City firm's documented name in this period was Defoe Boat & Motor Works - NavSource's builder line reads 'Defoe Boat & Motor Works, Bay City, MI (YN 168),' and shipbuildinghistory.com's Defoe yard history states the company 'was started in 1905' as Defoe Boat & Motor Works and 'the name was changed to Defoe Shipbuilding Company at the beginning of WWII.' The yard table lists hull 168 as 'Toka (YT 149),' US Navy yard tug, 218 GT, 100 ft, delivered 3-Jun-41, 'To US Army 1983.' 'Defoe Bridge & Metal Works' in the DANFS text is therefore treated as a DANFS error for Defoe Boat & Motor Works (the shipbuildinghistory delivered-date '3-Jun-41' corresponds to the in-service date, not the 24 May 1941 delivery date - minor table imprecision noted in gaps).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1941
- Limitations
- Corrects a one-word builder-name error in the primary narrative using converging secondary sources; shipbuildinghistory.com is a reputable secondary compilation (Colton), not a contract document - the corporate name on the 1940 contract itself is unverified. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-toka-yt149-10