Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 863-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-vandalia-pc1175-pkt-863-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Vandalia (PC-1175), Vol. VII pp. 461-463 (builder, dates, spec block, full service narrative, naming, Taiwan transfer, striking and disposal; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page 404s, hazegray.org unreachable) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vandalia entry (Vol. VII pp. 461-463), spec block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: laid down 8 June 1943 at Sturgeon Bay, Wis., by the Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co.; launched 7 August 1943; sponsored by Miss Joan Burgess; commissioned 1 December 1943 at New Orleans, Lt. Peter J. Brennan, USNR, in command. Spec block: dp. 280; l. 173'8"; b. 23'0"; dr. 10'10"; s. 20.2 k. (tl.); cpl. 65; a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 1 dcp. (Mousetrap), 2 dct.; cl. PC-461. Service: operational training Miami, shakedown Key West; first convoy escort Key West-Galveston 23 January 1944; four months under Gulf Sea Frontier on Gulf coastwise convoys incl. Canal Zone runs; departed Key West 28 May 1944 escorting French submarine Le Centaure to New York, arriving 1 June; transferred to Eastern Sea Frontier - coastal convoy escort New York-Guantanamo Bay and ASW training in Long Island Sound; ordered to Pacific Fleet Service Force spring 1945; departed New York 8 June 1945, San Diego 27 June, Pearl Harbor 9-19 July, Eniwetok 29 July, Saipan 8 August, Iwo Jima 16 August (day after cessation of hostilities); patrol around Saipan and Tinian; off Hagushi beach, Okinawa, 12 September; first postwar year patrolling Central Pacific (Volcano and Bonin Islands, Marianas, Carolines); departed Guam for home 25 May 1946; engine failure 28 May, towed by Sylvania (AKA-44) to Eniwetok, repairs to 4 June; Pearl Harbor 11-16 June; arrived Astoria, Oreg., 23 June; yard work at Commercial Iron Works, Portland, completed 10 August; placed out of commission at Astoria 16 August 1946 and berthed with the Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, for 11 years; named Vandalia 15 February 1956; transferred on loan to the Taiwan Navy July 1957, served as Han Kiang (PC-124); ran aground and was severely damaged probably late 1968 or early 1969; name struck from the Navy list 15 June 1969 and her wreck sold to the Taiwan Government for scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943); commissioning and wartime crew (design complement 65); Commercial Iron Works repair trades, Portland (1946); ROC Navy crew as Han Kiang (1957-69)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. Verbatim transcription carries mirror artifacts ('Kest West' for Key West, 'Toyko' for Tokyo, 'Voleano' for Volcano). Live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-10-03 for all candidate URLs and hazegray.org is unreachable; the losthistory.net/hazegray verbatim transcription is cited and was verified live this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, Vandalia (PC 1175) ex-PC-1175 - designation timeline, specifications incl. propulsion serials, call sign, NVR 1949 note, ROC disposal dates [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/011175.htm header timeline block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 8 June 1943 at Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; launched 7 August 1943; commissioned USS PC-1175, 1 December 1943 at New Orleans, LA; decommissioned 16 August 1946 at Astoria, Oregon and laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Columbia River Group; Naval Vessel Register of 1 January 1949 lists plan for decommissioning and placing in reserve as January 1947; named Vandalia 15 February 1956; transferred on loan to Taiwan in July 1957 and renamed ROCS Han Kiang (PC 124); struck from the Naval Register 15 June 1969; ran aground in late 1968/early 1969; sold to Government of Taiwan on 15 June 1969; decommissioned 1 January 1972, struck from the Chinese list and sold for scrap. Specifications: displacement 280 t. (lt), 450 t. (fl); length 173' 8"; beam 23'; draft 10' 10"; speed 20.2 kts.; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, one 40mm gun mount, three 20mm guns, two rocket launchers, four depth charge projectors, two depth charge tracks; propulsion two 1,440 bhp General Motors 16-278A diesel engines (Serial No. 14227 and 14232), Farrel-Birmingham single reduction gear, two shafts. Call sign November-Papa-Quebec-Papa.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Crew (1943-46); reserve-fleet maintenance, Columbia River Group (1946-57); ROC Navy crew (1957-72 disposal window)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its milestone dates generally track NVR/DANFS. The armament block (three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four dcp) is fuller than the DANFS spec block (Mousetrap, two dct) - wartime fit varied; both carried as documented. The ROC-side disposal line ('decommissioned 1 January 1972, struck from the Chinese list and sold for scrap') sits alongside 'sold to Government of Taiwan 15 June 1969' - a reconcilable but unresolved dating question carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-02
-
[4]Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University Libraries, vessel record PC-1175 (registry data, Defoe contract origin, disposition) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BGSU HCGL item 439191 (PC-1175 registry record) and item 447400 (vessel-name record)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- BGSU HCGL registry record for this hull: steel patrol craft, 173.66 x 23.00 x 8.00; commissioned on December 1, 1943; 'Originally contracted to Defoe Shipbuilding Co., (hull # 260), Bay City, MI'; served on East Coast, Gulf, and Central Pacific, 1943-1946; decommissioned August 16, 1946 and assigned to Columbia River Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet; name assigned February 15, 1956; placed on loan to Taiwan in July 1957; struck from Navy List June 15, 1969; severely damaged in grounding in late 1968-early 1969; sold to Government of Taiwan June 15, 1969 for scrapping. Name records: PC 1175 (USS VANDALIA) 1956-1957 U.S.; HAN KIANG (PC 124) 1957-1969 Taiwan.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943)
- Limitations
- Archival-registry transcription (secondary), but it is the only located source stating the original contract award to Defoe Shipbuilding as their hull #260 - corroborated by the sister-hull pattern (PC-1173 was Defoe hull #258 and PC-1174 Defoe hull #259 per NavSource/BGSU, both likewise reassigned to and built at Leathem D. Smith); PC-1175's own NavSource block does not mention the Defoe award. Actual builder of record is consistently Leathem D. Smith across all sources. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-03
-
[5]ShipbuildingHistory / Naval Marine Archive yard table, 'Bay Shipbuilding, Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding, Christy Corp., Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding - Sturgeon Bay WI' (hull-by-hull delivery table) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/large/bay.html, Leathem D. Smith Shipbuilding table, hull 301 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipbuildingHistory yard table row for this hull: Leathem D. Smith yard hull number 301; 'PC 1175 | U.S. Navy | Sub Chaser | 284 | 174 | 1-Dec-43 | Named Vandalia 1956, to Taiwan 1957 as Han Klang (PC 124), scrapped 1972.' The same table places PC-1173 (hull 299), PC-1174 (hull 300), PC-1176 (hull 302), and PC-1177 (hull 303) in the adjacent Leathem D. Smith construction block - the block that BGSU records as originally awarded to Defoe Shipbuilding before reassignment. Yard history section documents that the WWII Leathem D. Smith yard later became Christy Corp. and was absorbed into Bay Shipbuilding (1967-68) - no continuity of records implied.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith yard workforce (wartime peak ~5,000 across the yard, secondary literature)
- Limitations
- Specialist secondary compilation (shipbuildinghistory.com mirror data) - not a primary registry, though its yard tables are a standard reference. 'Han Klang' is a spelling variant of Han Kiang. Delivery date '1-Dec-43' is the commissioning date, consistent with the era's delivery-then-commission sequence. No asbestos content; the table documents construction, not materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (PC-461 class, 1943 steel-hulled diesel patrol craft); NavSource specifications (2 x GM 16-278A diesels, no steam plant); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-era documentation (see ev-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; GAO HRD-80-2 program documentation
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled patrol craft built 1943 at a wartime U.S. yard sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small diesel combatant of this type and period were thermal insulation and machinery/exhaust lagging in engineering spaces, gaskets and valve packing throughout the piping plant, and electrical insulation - in the confined hull volume characteristic of a 173-foot patrol craft. As a diesel-driven vessel she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Population
- Leathem D. Smith construction trades (1943); crew (1943-46); repair trades at Commercial Iron Works, Portland (1946); ROC Navy crew (1957-69); scrappers handling the grounded wreck (1969-72)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, work package, or builder's spec located for PC-1175. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-05
-
[7]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 (1943) and U.S. service era (1943-46, reserve to 1957), and the ROC loan period to 1969.
- 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. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-03) - content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-06
-
[8]Name-collision check: four USS Vandalias on the Navy list (1828 sloop-of-war; 1876 screw sloop; IX-191 tanker 1944-45 ex-Walter Jennings; this hull, PC-1175, named Vandalia 1956); secondary asbestos-list content naming 'USS Vandalia' attaches to IX-191 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Vandalia entry naming ordinal (fourth Vandalia); secondary list sweep 2026-10-03
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- This hull was commissioned and served her entire U.S. active career as USS PC-1175; the name Vandalia was assigned 15 February 1956 while she lay in the reserve fleet, 10 years after decommissioning, and she never operated under the name before transfer to Taiwan in July 1957. 'USS Vandalia' entries on law-firm asbestos ship lists identify a different hull - the tanker IX-191 (built as Walter Jennings at Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, NJ; acquired 1944; sank in a 1945 typhoon) - not this patrol craft. Non-ship 'Vandalia' litigation hits (railroad, warehouse, correctional-center cases out of Vandalia, Illinois) are unrelated name collisions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Limitations
- Context/disambiguation only. The law-firm list attachment to IX-191 is a source-policy exclusion (marketing content), used here solely to document which hull such lists mean - it is not evidence about either vessel. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-07
-
[9]Batch-7672 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; NavSource; BGSU HCGL; shipbuildinghistory yard table; GAO product page; CourtListener (blocked); secondary web litigation/name-collision sweeps; NARA deck-log lead; Leathem D. Smith yard-level asbestos/NIOSH search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-vandalia-pc1175-01 through -10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming PC-1175 / USS Vandalia was found in the public sources searched. CAVEAT: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the authenticated API returned a daily-quota response (wait ~3.1 h to reset); logged as blocked in search_ledger, not as a negative result. Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case naming this hull; the only 'asbestos aboard a USS Vandalia' material is law-firm marketing content attaching the name to the IX-191 tanker - excluded by source policy and a name collision besides.
- 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 the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (quota-blocked, not run). NARA deck logs (RG 24), any Leathem D. Smith build-contract specifications, and Taiwan-side disposal records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-vandalia-pc1175-08