Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
-
[1]DANFS, Trigger (SS-237) - Mare Island construction; twelve war patrols; Presidential Unit Citation; lost to air/surface attack in the Nansei Shoto area, 28 March 1945 (verbatim transcription via Wayback capture of hazegray; live NHHC page returned 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 1 February 1941 at Mare Island by the Mare Island Navy Yard; launched 22 October 1941 (sponsor Mrs. Walter N. Vernou); commissioned 30 January 1942, Lt. Comdr. Jack H. Lewis in command. Twelve war patrols - Aleutians, Japanese home waters (sank Holland Maru and the destroyer Okikaze; mined Inubo Saki), Palaus (damaged the carrier Hiyo), East China Sea (21 September 1943: sank tankers Shiriya and Shoyo Maru and freighter Argun Maru, 20,660 tons in one action), Truk-Guam lanes (sank submarine tender Yasukuni Maru), and Formosa lifeguard duty. Her ninth patrol brought a 17-hour depth charging that flooded her forward torpedo room; she repaired at sea with 'spares, baling wire, and considerable ingenuity' and sank the 11,739-ton Miike Maru on 26 April 1944. On her 12th patrol she sank the repair ship Odate on 27 March 1945; on 28 March Japanese planes and ships conducted a two-hour attack on a submarine at 32-16'N, 132-05'E - heard by Silversides, Sea Dog, Hackleback, and Threadfin in adjacent areas. Her last transmission had been a weather report on 26 March; reported presumed lost 1 May; struck 11 July 1945. Presidential Unit Citation for the fifth, sixth, and seventh patrols; 11 battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Yard-period asbestos disturbance is era inference, not a per-hull record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-01
-
[2]NavSource Online Submarine Photo Archive, header 'as built' spec block and disposition line for this hull; corroborated by DANFS spec block (diesel-electric) and BuShips Ships' Data 1945 submarine machinery tables (via shipscribe.com, per Gato class profile) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page header spec block for this hull (https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08237.htm)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Machinery fit for this hull per NavSource 'as built' spec block: six Fairbanks-Morse diesel generator sets: four 9-cylinder model 38D8-1/8x10 O.P. main propulsion sets (1,600 BHP @ 720 RPM each), one 7-cylinder auxiliary set (440 BHP @ 1200 RPM), one 3-cylinder emergency set (150 BHP); two 126-cell main storage batteries, twin screws. NO BOILERS and no steam plant - the asbestos-relevant machinery profile differs materially from steam classes (no boiler/furnace insulation, no steam-line lagging run-outs; exposure-relevant systems are diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets/packing, hull thermal/acoustic insulation, and auxiliary equipment).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- The NavSource spec block is a class-standard spec sheet, not a per-hull machinery survey - actual installed equipment is presumed class-typical and unverified for this specific hull. No hull-specific machinery or material list was located. Establishes propulsion type only, not fiber content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-02
-
[3]Gato class profile ev-gato-class-07 (era/design inference for diesel-electric fleet boats) built on navypedia member table and BuShips Ships' Data 1945; GAO HRD-80-2 for the Navy's era asbestos-use regime [other_primary]
- Locator
- class profile gato-class.class.json ev-07; GAO HRD-80-2 product page
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Class/era inference for diesel-electric fleet boats of this build period: era-standard applications likely included asbestos-containing diesel exhaust lagging, engine gaskets and packing, hull thermal and acoustic insulation, insulation around galley/refrigeration equipment, and electrical/battery materials.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- CLASS/ERA INFERENCE ONLY - no ship-specific material schedule, insulation survey, or asbestos product list was located for this hull. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials; no quantity. Does not establish exposure or eligibility for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-03
-
[4]CourtListener API v4 (opinions type=o, RECAP dockets type=r) exact-name and hull-number searches; site:courtlistener.com index sweep as throttling fallback [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Litigation sweep for this hull: CourtListener API queries were already throttled at the daily cap (HTTP 429, 125/day - quota exhausted by prior same-day batch work, expected available in ~3.7 hours), so the sweep ran on the site:courtlistener.com index fallback for "USS Trigger" and "SS-237". The fallback sweep surfaced only general Navy asbestos litigation - nothing naming this hull. Name-collision caveat: USS Trigger SS-564 (Tang class) served 1952-1973; postwar references are presumptively the later boat. No qualifying asbestos litigation - and no litigation of any kind verified as naming this hull - was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- A negative result is bounded by the search mechanism: CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive for state-court pleadings, and the API throttle meant docket-text and opinion queries could not complete - the site:-index fallback is corroboration, not a substitute for docket search. Does not prove no litigation exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-04
-
[5]Negative finding: no qualifying non-litigation ship-specific asbestos record located across DANFS/NHHC (via hazegray/losthistory transcription and Wayback captures), NavSource, and ACM-survey/abatement/disposal sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows for this vessel
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No hull ACM survey, abatement contract, scrapping/disposal hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding naming this vessel was located anywhere in the research sweep. The hull was lost to enemy action during WWII - no postwar material record is possible and none exists in located sources.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located record is not proof no record exists. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present aboard/within the hull, and does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-05
-
[6]DANFS Trigger closing narrative + NavSource disposition line - 28 March 1945 attack, presumed lost, stricken 11 July 1945 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- War-loss terminal event for this hull: last transmission a weather report on 26 March 1945; post-war records credit her with sinking the repair ship Odate on 27 March; on 28 March a Japanese aircraft detected and bombed a submarine, then surface ships (incl. subchasers) delivered a two-hour depth-charge attack at approx. 32-16'N, 132-05'E after which a large oil pool appeared - heard by four other U.S. submarines. Presumed lost 1 May 1945; struck 11 July 1945; lost with her entire crew (89 per NavSource). A combat loss ends any material-condition inquiry at 1945 - no postwar abatement, scrapping, or disposal record exists for this hull; the wreck has never been located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Documents the terminal event only; wreck-site material condition is undocumented - the hull has never been found. Commissioned date conflict: DANFS 30 January 1942 vs NavSource 31 January 1942 - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-trigger-ss237-06