Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]DANFS, Wahoo (SS-238) - Mare Island construction; seven war patrols under Kennedy then 'Mush' Morton; sunk in La Perouse (Soya) Strait 11 October 1943 (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 28 June 1941 by the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo; launched 14 February 1942 (sponsor Mrs. William C. Barker, Jr.); commissioned 15 May 1942, Lt. Comdr. Marvin Granville Kennedy in command. Seven war patrols - Truk, the Yellow Sea under new CO Lt. Comdr. Dudley W. 'Mush' Morton (January 1943, incl. the first penetration of the Sea of Japan via La Perouse Strait on the seventh patrol), the Palau-New Guinea routes, and the Sea of Japan. On her last patrol she sank four ships totaling about 13,000 tons (incl. the 8,000-ton Konron Maru with 544 lives lost); on 11 October 1943, the day she was due to exit through La Perouse Strait, an antisubmarine aircraft found a surfaced submarine and attacked with three depth charges - Japanese records describe a multi-hour combined sea and air attack (shore battery, aircraft bombs, subchasers 15 and 43, auxiliary minesweeper 18). She was announced overdue 2 December 1943 and struck 6 December 1943, 'Mush the Magnificent' and all hands lost. Morton was posthumously awarded a fourth Navy Cross; his claimed sinkings (17 ships/100,000 tons) were readjusted postwar to 19 ships/~55,000 tons - one of the top three skippers of the war. Six 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-wahoo-ss238-01
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[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/08/08238.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-wahoo-ss238-02
-
[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-wahoo-ss238-03
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[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 Wahoo" and "SS-238". The fallback sweep surfaced only general Navy asbestos litigation - nothing naming this hull. Name-collision caveat: USS Wahoo SS-565 (Tang class) served 1952-1980; 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-wahoo-ss238-04
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[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-wahoo-ss238-05
-
[6]Navy News Service release, 'Navy Says Wreck Found Off Japan is Legendary Sub USS Wahoo' (31 October 2006; mirrored at globalsecurity.org and oneternalpatrol.com) - Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet declares the wreck USS Wahoo (SS-238) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NNS release 2006-10-31 via globalsecurity.org mirror; corroborating Honolulu Advertiser 2006-11-06 and USNI Naval History Feb 2007
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Wreck identification documented for this hull: in July 2006 the Russian dive team 'Iskra' photographed wreckage in about 213 feet of water in the La Perouse (Soya) Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin, working with the Wahoo Project Group (coordinated by Bryan MacKinnon, a relative of Cmdr. Morton); a 2004 Sakhalin Energy Investment Corp. survey had identified the likely site 12 miles off the northeast Hokkaido coast. On 31 October 2006 Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (Adm. Gary Roughead) declared the wreck is indeed USS Wahoo (SS-238), after review of records and the Russian-provided underwater video.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2004-2006
- Limitations
- Documents wreck identification only - no material survey, condition assessment, or hazmat characterization of the wreck was published. Confirms location and identity, nothing about contents or remaining materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahoo-ss238-06
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[7]DANFS Wahoo closing narrative + NavSource disposition line - La Perouse Strait loss 11 October 1943, struck 6 December 1943 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS/NavSource disposition data
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- War-loss terminal event for this hull: sunk by combined Japanese air and surface attack in La Perouse (Soya) Strait on 11 October 1943 while exiting the Sea of Japan on her seventh patrol - all hands lost (about 80, incl. Cmdr. Dudley 'Mush' Morton). Announced overdue 2 December 1943; struck 6 December 1943. A combat loss ends any material-condition inquiry at 1943 - no postwar abatement, scrapping, or disposal record exists for this hull. The wreck was located in 2006 at ~213 ft in the strait (see ev-06).
- 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 wreck was identified by external imagery, not surveyed for materials. Casualty count: DANFS does not give a number; 'all hands' (wartime complement ~80) is the standard account.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahoo-ss238-07