Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]research packet 909-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-wapakoneta-pc579-pkt-909-packet-md
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[2]DANFS, Wapakoneta I (PC-579) (NHHC live page, verified 2026-10-03; specification block + full service narrative) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC DANFS 'Wapakoneta I (PC-579)' entry - specification block, headnote, and service narrative (published 2015-10-26)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS record for this hull: named for the seat of Auglaize County, Ohio (hometown of Neil Armstrong); laid down as unnamed PC-579 on 5 January 1942 at Portland, Oreg., by the Albina Engine and Machinery Works, Inc.; launched 29 April 1942; sponsored by Mrs. S. M. Rovang; commissioned 25 August 1942 (DANFS prints 'Lt. Grinnel Lewis, USNR' in command - see gaps for the commissioning-CO conflict). Fitting out at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton; reported to Commander, Western Sea Frontier 18 September 1942; local patrol/escort into autumn 1943; mid-November 1943 to March 1946 under Commander, Hawaiian Sea Frontier on escort/patrol around Oahu and Pearl Harbor. Atlantic Fleet spring 1946: Charleston Navy Yard via Panama Canal 20 April 1946, overhaul; Norfolk 9 July; Newport 15 August. Training ship under Commander, Training Command, Atlantic Fleet at Newport into spring 1947 (Salem 25-28 October 1946; New London 27 March - 7 April 1947); Fort Pierce/Mayport training, Banana River, from May 1947; repairs alongside USS Vulcan (AR-5) 4-18 August 1947; 'immobilized' 1 November 1947; limited operations from Newport into autumn 1948; 'apparently' restored to full operational status mid-1948; late 1948 to late 1955 operations from Baltimore, Key West, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Charleston, Norfolk, Port-au-Prince, Guantanamo Bay, and Havana. Placed in reserve at Norfolk 17 October 1955; decommissioned 17 December 1955; named Wapakoneta (retaining PC-579 classification) 15 February 1956 while in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet - 'never served actively under that name'; struck from the Navy list 1 July 1960; 'the exact nature of her ultimate disposal is not recorded.' Specification block: dp. 450 (f.); l. 173'8"; b. 23'0"; dr. 10'10" mean; cpl. 65; s. 20.2 k.; armament 2 3", 5 20mm, 2 dct., 2 dcp., 2 mousetrap; class PC-461.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1960
- Population
- Albina construction trades (1942); crew (1942-55); yard workers at Puget Sound NSY (fitting out 1942) and Charleston NY (1946 overhaul)
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content - the entry contains no asbestos information. Commissioning-CO attribution ('Lt. Grinnel Lewis, USNR') conflicts with NavSource/uboat.net rosters (LTJG Ralph P. Walker) - carried in gaps. 'Apparent' restoration to full status mid-1948 is DANFS's own hedge. The DANFS record ends at striking; Greek disposal is not in the official narrative.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-01
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[3]NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, 'Wapakoneta (PC 579) ex-PC-579' (construction timeline, specifications, commanding-officer table, disposal; page verified live 2026-10-03) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 12/010579.htm header timeline, specifications block, commanding-officer table, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled record for this hull: laid down 5 January 1942 at Albina Engine and Machine Works Inc., Portland, Oregon; launched 29 April 1942; commissioned USS PC-579 25 August 1942; named Wapakoneta 15 February 1956; decommissioned 17 December 1955 at Norfolk, VA and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk Group; struck from the Naval Register 1 July 1960; acquired in 1962 by the Typaldos Line of Piraeus, Greece, converted to a passenger ship and renamed Hydra; scrapped in 1971 at Piraeus. Specifications: 280 t (lt) / 450 t (fl); 173'8" x 23' x 10'10"; 20.2 kts; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 DP mount, one 40mm, three 20mm, two rocket launchers, four depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks; two 1,440-bhp Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesels (serial nos. 832353, 832356), Westinghouse single reduction gear, two shafts. CO roster: LTJG Ralph P. Walker USNR (25 Aug 1942-Dec 1942); LT Grinnell Morris USNR (Dec 1942-Jun 1943); LT Fletcher Seymour USNR (Jun 1943-Mar 1944); LT Ralph L. Biggs USNR (Mar 1944-Mar 1945); LT Henry O. Dyck Jr. USNR (Mar 1945-Jun 1945); LT Edwin S. Small USNR (Jun 1945-Dec 1945); LTJG Harold S. Conley Jr. USNR (Dec 1945-Jun 1946); LTJG Alvin H. Rampey USNR (Jun 1946-Dec 1946); LTJG Clarence Raymond Hale USN (Dec 1946-1948); LT Richard Frederick Rockwell USN (1954-1955). Call sign NUKV.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Albina construction trades (1942); crew (1942-55); Atlantic Reserve Fleet Norfolk Group custody (1955-60); Typaldos Line conversion crews and passengers (1962-71)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track NVR/DANFS-style records while the underlying Navy records (muster rolls, war diaries, deck logs) sit at NARA as archival leads (see ev-04). Contains no asbestos or material content. The Typaldos/Hydra disposal chain is corroborated by the Nauticapedia vessel registry but not by any located official U.S. record (DANFS explicitly records the disposal as unknown). CO roster corroborated independently by uboat.net for the wartime tour set.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-02
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[4]shipbuildinghistory.com (T. Colton), Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland OR construction table - hull 56 = PC-579 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Albina Engine & Machine Works table, hull-number column, row 56
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's production table corroborates this hull: Albina yard hull no. 56 = PC 579, U.S. Navy sub chaser, 284 GT, 174 ft, delivery 24 August 1942, disposition 'Named Wapakoneta 1956, struck 1960.' The same table places PC-579 in the yard's PC run alongside hulls 51-55/57-59 (PC-569 through PC-582 less PC-573-577) - establishing the yard as a serial Navy patrol-craft builder in the same wartime window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942
- Population
- Albina Engine and Machine Works construction trades, 1941-42
- Limitations
- Independent secondary compilation of yard records; delivery date (24 Aug) precedes the commissioned date (25 Aug) consistently with delivery-then-commission practice. Contains no material or asbestos content; establishes builder, hull number, and disposal headline only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-03
-
[5]NARA, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities: 'PC-579, 8/25/42-1/1/49' (NAID 192658254, Roll 5800); plus WWII War Diaries file unit 'USS PC-579 - War Diary, 2/22-28/43' (NAID 134128504, Roll A278) and the USS Greenlet April 1944 war diary units naming PC-579 in Midway ASW exercises (e.g., NAID 78411012) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA catalog NAID 192658254 (muster rolls); NAID 134128504 (war diary 2/22-28/43); NAID 78411012 (USS Greenlet war diary April 1944, names PC-579)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds this hull's muster rolls spanning 25 August 1942 - 1 January 1949 (the commissioned span through the 'immobilized'/limited-operations period) and at least one ship-authored WWII war diary unit (22-28 February 1943, Western Sea Frontier period); Greenlet's April 1944 war diary independently names PC-579 in the Midway exercises - the named-individual crew record and the ship-authored operational record are both extant as archival leads.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-08-25 to 1949-01-01 (muster rolls); 1943-02 (war diary)
- Population
- All hands, 1942-49 (muster-roll span)
- Limitations
- Archival leads only: catalog-level records; page-level contents not examined (microfilm-format records at NARA College Park). Muster rolls document who served aboard, not what materials they worked with - no asbestos content. Post-1949 muster coverage (this hull served to 1955) was not located in the top-ranked catalog results.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-04
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[6]Era inference built on: NavSource/DANFS specifications (two Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesels, diesel plant, no steam); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' PC-461-class specification block and listing row 'PC-566-589 1942-44' (which spans this hull); GAO HRD-80-2 Navy asbestos-program documentation (see ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- HyperWar ships-sc.html PC-461-class specifications block and vessel listing; NavSource specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A steel-hulled diesel patrol craft built in 1942 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a small vessel of this type and period were engine/exhaust and machinery insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and deck/accommodation materials. As a diesel craft she carried no boilers or steam turbines - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, and her asbestos-relevant systems are the smaller diesel-era set in a compact 173-ft hull.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1942-1971
- Population
- Albina construction trades (1942); crew (1942-55); yard availabilities at Puget Sound NSY (1942), Charleston NY (1946), alongside USS Vulcan AR-5 (1947); reserve-fleet and disposal/ conversion trades (1955-71)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for PC-579. 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-wapakoneta-pc579-05
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[7]K.M. (widow of J.M.) v. Lockheed Shipbuilding, Albina Engine and Machine, Willamette Iron and Steel Co., U.S. DOL Benefits Review Board No. 08-0403 (Decision and Order, 30 December 2008); affirmed in part as Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, OWCP, 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB 08-0403 (decision text, fact recital); 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010), docket 09-70592
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Adjudicated asbestos exposure at this hull's builder yard: in LHWCA death-benefits litigation, shipyard carpenter James McAllister worked for three shipyards between 1956 and 1960 - Willamette Iron & Steel (to 1956), Albina Engine and Machine (to 1957), and Puget Sound/Lockheed (1957-1960) - and died 22 September 2002 of left pleural mesothelioma; per the Ninth Circuit, all parties stipulated that the death was due to mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos during his shipyard work, and the merits issue was which employer bore liability. The Ninth Circuit ultimately assigned liability to Lockheed under the last-employer rule.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (exposure); 2004-2010 (litigation)
- Population
- Albina Engine & Machine shipyard workers (exposure window litigated: 1956-57)
- Limitations
- Yard-level record, not a hull record: documents asbestos exposure at Albina Engine & Machine in 1956-57 - fourteen-plus years after PC-579's construction - and never names this hull or any vessel. The employer-liability disposition (Lockheed liable) does not negate the stipulated fact of asbestos exposure at Albina; the case is cited for yard-level exposure context only, at the adjudicated (trial-finding) stage.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-06
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[8]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 highlights section
- 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 construction (1942) and entire Navy service era (1942-55); the 1975 policy reviewed was remove-and-replace only for damaged insulation or insulation that had to be removed for necessary repairs.
- 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. Product-page description and highlights verified live; the policy era postdates this hull's 1971 scrapping abroad.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-07
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[9]Batch-7954 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live entry); NavSource; NARA catalog (muster rolls, war diary, Greenlet cross-reference); shipbuildinghistory Albina table; NVR (pre-1987 disposal not covered); CourtListener authenticated API base queries (blocked - fleet pacing); DOL BRB + Ninth Circuit (yard level); Oregon DEQ ECSI / EPA Portland Harbor; GAO product page; secondary web corroboration and litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or litigation naming PC-579/Wapakoneta was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Secondary web sweeps surfaced no qualifying case or survey touching this hull; the only 'asbestos' content touching this hull's builder is law-firm marketing material asserting yard asbestos use without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy.
- 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 - a 1942 Navy-contracted hull is era-consistent with retained asbestos materials, and Greek conversion/scrapping records are outside U.S. disclosure regimes. CourtListener base queries were pacing-blocked all session (search_ledger sl-08 through sl-11), so the litigation picture is open, not negative. Deck logs (RG 24), Albina build records, and the 1962 sale/conversion documents are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wapakoneta-pc579-08