Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 1098-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-wahtah-yt140-pkt-1098-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Wahtah (YT-140), 1939-1974 - construction, service, reclassifications, disposal, and post-Navy history (updated by Robert J. Cressman, 30 March 2022; page verified live) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Wahtah (YT-140) entry, full narrative and spec block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: name is 'a Native American word meaning ship.' Spec block: displacement 300; length 100'9"; beam 27'10"; draft 9'7"; class Woban. Laid down 28 August 1939 at Portsmouth, Va., by the Norfolk Navy Yard; launched 14 December 1939; sponsored by Miss Marie Yvonne Thornton; placed in service at the Washington [D.C.] Navy Yard in December 1940. Remained attached to the Washington Navy Yard 'performing local tugging and towing operations, providing waterfront fire protection, and other related services.' Reclassified YTB-140 (harbor tug, big) 15 May 1944 and YTM-140 (harbor tug, medium) February 1962. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 15 October 1974; turned over to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for commercial operation 1 May 1975; acquired by the D & L Tugboat Co. of Dover, Del., renamed Big Boy, served through the end of the 20th century until found abandoned and derelict circa 2002; foundered alongside Pier 1, Girard Point, Philadelphia, Pa., 28 July 2008; hauled out and scrapped in situ August 2008.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1939-2008
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1939-40); tug crew and Washington Navy Yard waterfront population (1940-1974); commercial crews as Big Boy (1975-2008)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material content. DANFS spec block lists no complement, speed, armament, or propulsion 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-wahtah-yt140-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, Wahtah (YTM-140) ex YTB-140 / YT-140 - designation timeline, specifications, awards, disposal chain, photographic record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 14/08140.htm header block, timeline, specifications block, awards ribbon display, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull agrees with DANFS: built by Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; laid down 28 August 1939; launched 14 December 1939; placed in service as Wahtah (YT-140) December 1940; served at Washington Navy Yard 1940-1974; reclassified YTB-140 15 May 1944 and YTM-140 February 1962; placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register 15 October 1974; sold by DRMS for commercial operation 1 May 1975; registered to D & L Tugboat Co., Dover, DE, as Big Boy (ON 565591), 1975; out of service and derelict about 2002; foundered at Pier 1, Girard Point, Philadelphia, PA, 28 July 2008; raised onto pier and scrapped in place August 2008. Awards shown: American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Specifications given: displacement 325 tons (fl); length 100'; beam 25'; draft 11'5" (max); speed 13 kts; complement 10; armament two .50 cal. machine guns; propulsion diesel, single screw. Photographic record includes a Navy Yard Norfolk photo of Wahtah (YT-140) circa 1940-44 and two commercial-service photos of Big Boy (1982-83 Baltimore; 2008 raised at Girard Point awaiting scrapping).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1939-2008
- Population
- Crew (1940-74); Washington Navy Yard waterfront trades; commercial crews (1975-2008)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry; its specification block conflicts with the DANFS spec block on beam (25' vs 27'10"), draft (11'5" max vs 9'7"), and displacement (325 fl vs 300), and its complement (10), speed, and armament figures have no DANFS counterpart - all flagged in gaps. 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-wahtah-yt140-02
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[4]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Woban class diesel harbor tug, built 1939-40); NavSource specifications (diesel, single screw); class literature describing a ~1,000 hp diesel-electric plant with two Enterprise engines (secondary); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product list for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (pipe insulation/lagging, gaskets, packing materials, deck coverings and flooring, electrical cable insulation, bulkhead fire barriers, welding blankets); NAVFAC NNSY site descriptions (asbestos waste, see ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; shipyards.json product list for norfolk-naval-shipyard; NAVFAC NNSY Site Descriptions (ev-05)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric district harbor tug built 1939-40 at Norfolk Navy Yard sits inside that yard's documented asbestos-use era and inside the Navy's documented asbestos-insulation era (substitution did not begin until the early 1970s per GAO). Era-standard applications aboard a small diesel harbor craft of this period were machinery thermal insulation, exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, deck coverings/flooring, and brake linings on towing machinery. As a diesel 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
- 1939-2008
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard construction trades (1939-40); tug crew (1940-74); Washington Navy Yard maintenance personnel; commercial crews and shipbreakers (1975-2008)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for YT-140. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull. Her 34-year station-keeping at Washington Navy Yard means any in-service maintenance or availabilities were yard events - none are documented for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-03
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[5]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 reviewed Navy efforts to protect workers from asbestos exposure with fieldwork at the Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Norfolk Naval Shipyard is this hull's builder. Per the published abstract/excerpt, GAO obtained information on the use of asbestos in Navy ships, the cost of removing asbestos from Navy ships, and compensation programs; industrial hygienists made inspections and took air samples at both yards; the review covered OPNAVINST 6260.1 (April 1974, revised August 1978), the Navy's asbestos control program instruction, and Norfolk's own supplement (issued March 1978). 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 construction (1939-40) and entire service era (1940-74).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979 (review); asbestos-use era described through early 1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers incl. Norfolk Naval Shipyard trades; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era and builder-yard context only, not any fact specific to this hull - YT-140 is not named, and the GAO fieldwork addressed 1970s rip-out practices, not 1939-40 construction. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch for both the product page and the PDF, confirmed 2026-10-05) - content via published abstract/search excerpt.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-04
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[6]NAVFAC Environmental Restoration, Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions - Site 10 (OU 6), 1927 Disposal Area (page verified live via Firecrawl; direct curl returns 403) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions, 'Site 10 (OU 6) - 1927 Disposal Area' section
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Official Navy documentation of asbestos at this hull's builder during the construction window: NAVFAC's site descriptions state that the Site 10 (1927) Disposal Area in the southern portion of the Main Shipyard 'was utilized prior to 1927 and until 1941' and that 'wastes disposed of at the site reportedly included various solid wastes generated by NNSY, salvage waste, abrasive blast material (ABM), fly ash, and asbestos waste.' Wahtah was built at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1939-40, inside this documented disposal window. The 2008 ROD for Site 10 selected land use controls; CERCLA status per the page is implemented LUCs with industrial land use.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- disposal use to 1941; investigations 2001-2008
- Population
- Norfolk Navy Yard trades generating asbestos waste (pre-1927 to 1941 window)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental record, not a hull record: documents asbestos waste generated and disposed at Norfolk Navy Yard in the era covering this hull's construction, but does not name the tug or establish materials installed aboard her. The site description addresses waste disposal, not shipboard installation. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or present-day presence of asbestos on the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-05
-
[7]EPA Superfund Site Profile, Washington Navy Yard (DC9170024310); EPA NPL Site Listing Narrative (March 1998 proposal); EPA Region 3 NPDES permit fact sheet DC0000141 (2022 reissuance) [other_primary]
- Locator
- EPA cumulis site profile id 0300031; NPL narrative semspub.epa.gov/work/03/900232.pdf; fact sheet epa.gov .../wny_final_fact_sheet_issued_12-23-2009.pdf (full text searched - zero asbestos mentions)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- This hull's only duty station for 34 years is a documented industrial Superfund site: EPA records show the Washington Navy Yard (est. 1799; Naval Gun Factory from 1886; primary naval ordnance plant by WWII employing nearly 25,000) was added to the CERCLA National Priorities List on 28 July 1998, with a Federal Facilities Agreement signed June 1999. EPA's NPL narrative documents the yard's shipbuilding/repair and ordnance-production history and identifies typical industrial wastes (metals, solvents, cyanide and phenols, creosote, petroleum, PCB-containing oils). NOTABLY: asbestos is not listed among the CERCLA-documented wastes or contaminants at WNY in the EPA materials reviewed - the NPL narrative, the NPDES fact sheet (no asbestos mention in full text), and the NAVFAC site descriptions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1940-1974 (duty window); 1998-1999 (NPL/FFA); 2009/2022 (permit docs)
- Population
- Washington Navy Yard industrial workforce (WWII peak ~25,000); waterfront personnel
- Limitations
- Duty-station context only: documents the industrial character of the yard where this tug worked 1940-74; the absence of asbestos from CERCLA contaminant lists addresses the documented site contaminants, not building or vessel materials - asbestos in shore facilities or aboard craft is neither established nor excluded by these sources. Does not document any maintenance, availability, or asbestos event involving this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-06
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[8]Batch-9306 search ledger (this record): live DANFS page; NavSource; NavalCoverMuseum; NARA catalog search; NVR; NAVFAC Norfolk NSY and Washington Navy Yard environmental records; EPA WNY materials; GAO (blocked); CourtListener (see ledger for status); secondary web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-wahtah-yt140-01 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 Wahtah (YT-140 / YTB-140 / YTM-140 / Big Boy) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced asbestos-marketing content about Washington Navy Yard generally (law-firm pages asserting asbestos at the yard without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy) but 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 1939-40 navy-yard-built tug sits squarely inside the documented asbestos era, and the inference rows reflect that. NARA deck logs and any WNY maintenance/work-package records for this hull are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-07
-
[9]Correction cross-check: Wikipedia USS Wahtah (YT-140) article; navalmarinearchive.com Norfolk Naval Shipyard build table; tugboatinformation.com Big Boy / ON 565591 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia USS_Wahtah_(YT-140) lead/infobox; navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/shipyards/public/norfolk.html YT-140 row; tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=5810
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTIONS: (1) Wikipedia's lead styles her 'in commission from 1939 to 1946' - both ends wrong against the primary record: DANFS has her placed in service December 1940 (a district craft 'in service,' never commissioned) and stricken 15 October 1974; Wikipedia's own infobox contradicts the lead with 'stricken 15 October 1974.' (2) navalmarinearchive.com's NNSY build table lists her 'scrapped 1975' - wrong disposition; DANFS and NavSource document commercial service as Big Boy into about 2002, foundering at Girard Point 28 July 2008, and scrapping in situ August 2008. (3) tugboatinformation.com says she was acquired by Hays Tug and Launch Co. of Wallingford, PA, in 1974 - a later/commercial-chain detail that does not match the DANFS/NavSource sequence (DRMS sale 1 May 1975 to D & L Tugboat Co., Dover, DE); Hays Tug and Launch was the Girard Point facility operator and plausibly a later owner - unresolved.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1939-2008
- Limitations
- Corrects circulating secondary-source errors, not a material claim. The Hays Tug and Launch link rests on a secondary commercial-tug database; USCG vessel documentation (PSIX) could resolve the owner chain but was unreachable this session (DNS failure) - open lead. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wahtah-yt140-08