Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet 943-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-welch-pc817-pkt-943-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Welch (PC-817), Vol. VIII p.199 (verbatim transcription via archived hazegray.org capture 2021-10-20; live NHHC page returns 404 and hazegray.org no longer resolves) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Welch' (namesake paragraph, specification block, full service narrative), Vol. VIII p.199
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: namesake Welch, a city in southern West Virginia, seat of McDowell County. Laid down 8 January 1943 at Portland, Oreg., by Albina Engine & Machinery Works; launched 4 March 1943, sponsored by Mrs. H. O. McAlpine; commissioned 13 July 1943, Lt. H. L. Martin, USNR. San Pedro shakedown; Western Sea Frontier convoy escort and antisubmarine patrols; Alaska Sea Frontier service out of Ketchikan - eleven months escorting Aleutian supply convoys, carrying passengers/mail, surveys; escorted SS Griffco Shemya-Seattle November 1944; major overhaul Puget Sound Navy Yard December 1944-April 1945; Pearl Harbor patrol/escort duty through war's end; placed out of commission 22 July 1946 at Toledo, Ohio, remaining 'in service' as 9th Naval District Naval Reserve training ship; last voyage Chicago-Philadelphia November-December 1949; inactivation overhaul Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 21 December 1949; berthed Norfolk Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, March 1950-1959; named Welch 15 February 1956; struck from the Navy list 1 April 1959; 'probably sold for scrapping soon thereafter.' Spec block: dp. 280; l. 173'8"; b. 23'0"; dr. 10'10"; s. 20.2 k.; cpl. 65; a. 1 3", 1 40mm., 2 dct., 2 dcp.; cl. PC-461.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Albina Engine & Machinery Works construction trades 1943; wartime crew (design complement 65); 9th Naval District reservists 1946-1949
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. Text prints 'Welch (PC-517)' at the 1956 naming - a typo for PC-817 confirmed against every other source; flagged as correction in ev-09. Decommission date reads 22 July 1946 here vs 11 July 1946 on NavSource - conflict carried in gaps. Cited via 2021 Wayback capture because the live NHHC page 404s and hazegray.org DNS no longer resolves.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-01
-
[3]NavSource Online Submarine Chaser Photo Archive, 'Welch (PC 817) ex-PC-817' page (timeline, specifications, photo credits) [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/12/010817.htm - timeline block and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource record for this hull: laid down 8 January 1943 at Albina Engine & Machinery Works, Portland, Oregon; launched 4 March 1943; commissioned USS PC-817 13 July 1943; 'Decommissioned, 11 July 1946 at Toledo, Ohio and placed in service as a naval reserve training vessel; Placed out of service at Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Norfolk Group, Norfolk, VA.; Named Welch 15 February 1956; Struck from the Navy Register 1 April 1959 and sold for scrap.' Specifications: displacement 450 t.; length 173'8"; beam 23'; draft 10'10"; speed 20.2 kts.; complement 65; armament one 3"/50 dual-purpose mount, one single 40mm mount, three 20mm guns, two depth-charge projectors, two depth-charge tracks, two rocket launchers; propulsion two 2,880 bhp Hooven-Owen-Rentschler R-99DA diesel engines (serial nos. 6991 and 6992), Westinghouse single-reduction gear, two shafts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Crew (complement 65)
- Limitations
- Documents configuration and propulsion (twin diesel - no steam plant), not asbestos content. Decommission date conflicts with DANFS (11 vs 22 July 1946) and displacement differs (450 t. vs 280 t., likely light vs loaded) - both carried in gaps. Volunteer-maintained archive; photo credits attest Lt(jg) Basil T. Lanphier as commanding officer in 1945.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-02
-
[4]shipbuildinghistory.com, Albina Engine & Machine Works hull list (Portland, Oregon) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Albina hull list, line item 101 (PC 817)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Builder's documented hull list: Albina yard hull no. 101, 'PC 817,' U.S. Navy Sub Chaser, 284 tons, 174 ft, delivered 13 July 1943, noted 'Named Welch 1956, scrapped 1959.' Confirms builder identity, yard hull number, delivery date, and disposal year against DANFS/NavSource.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Albina yard workforce, 1943
- Limitations
- Corroborating secondary reference for builder record; documents construction and disposition only, not materials or asbestos. Albina Engine & Machine(ry) Works is not an Atlas shipyards.json entry - carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-03
-
[5]NavSource PC-461 class index (class construction series and type description) + NavSource PC-817 specifications block (diesel propulsion) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource PC index class description; PC-817 spec block propulsion line
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/class inference: the PC-461 class was a steel-hulled, twin-diesel 173-foot type built in wartime series (403 U.S. Navy hulls ordered 1941 plus 18 Adroit-class minesweeper variants); diesel propulsion aboard this hull (two Hooven-Owen-Rentschler R-99DA engines) means no boiler/turbine insulation pathway. Period-standard small-combatant asbestos applications of the construction era comprised machinery and exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical cable insulation, deck coverings, and compartment insulation; GAO documents Navy-wide asbestos use through the era (ev-05).
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1959
- Population
- Albina construction trades 1943; crew 1943-1946; Reserve trainees 1946-1949
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no survey, plan, work package, or litigation names this hull's materials. Diesel craft carried substantially less asbestos than steam combatants; presence aboard this specific hull is unproven either way.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-04
-
[6]GAO HRD-80-2, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure' (published 1979-10-18, released 1979-10-22) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Program-level GAO review (fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards) of asbestos use in Navy ships: 'all ships contain some asbestos in such components as clutches and electric cables'; thermal insulation was the Navy's major shipboard asbestos use; 1975 Navy policy removed/replaced only damaged or repair-necessitated insulation, modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas; no one-time removal program given an estimated $2 billion cost. Era context for a 1943-built hull retained in fleet use to 1959.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1975-1979 (review); era context 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers and shipboard personnel (program-level)
- Limitations
- Program-level findings; does not name this hull or class and establishes no hull-level fact. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk - not this vessel's yards. Full PDF at gao.gov/assets/hrd-80-2.pdf linked from the product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-05
-
[7]K.M. (widow of J.M.) v. Lockheed Shipbuilding / Albina Engine and Machine / Willamette Iron & Steel / Director, OWCP, BRB No. 08-0403 (U.S. Dept. of Labor Benefits Review Board, decided 2008-12-30); appellate disposition Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, OWCP, 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010) [court_record]
- Locator
- BRB No. 08-0403, pp.1-6 (procedural history, facts, responsible-employer analysis)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Adjudicated asbestos-exposure record for this hull's builder yard: LHWCA Section 9 death-benefits claim for a shipyard carpenter who worked at three shipyards 1956-1960, including Albina Engine and Machine 1956-1957, and died of pleural mesothelioma 22 September 2002. On second remand the ALJ found Albina the last employer to expose decedent to asbestos and therefore the responsible employer; the Board's third decision reviews that holding. The Ninth Circuit ultimately held Lockheed liable (627 F.3d 1293). Documents that asbestos exposure occurred at the Albina yard and was litigated to judgment - yard-level context for the yard that built this hull in 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (exposure); 2002 (death); 2003-2010 (litigation)
- Population
- Shipyard carpenter, Albina Engine and Machine and two other yards, 1956-1960; mesothelioma decedent
- Limitations
- Yard-level context only: claimant's Albina employment was 1956-1957, thirteen-plus years after this hull's 1943 construction, and no vessel is named in the decisions. Proves asbestos exposure occurred at the builder's yard, not aboard this hull; establishes nothing about hull materials or crew exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-06
-
[8]DANFS service narrative (yard periods) + Atlas shipyard dataset records for puget-sound-naval-shipyard (tier 1) and philadelphia-naval-shipyard (tier 3) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative (overhaul paragraphs); shipyards.json entries 'puget-sound-naval-shipyard' and 'philadelphia-naval-shipyard'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented yard periods on this hull: 'a major overhaul' at Puget Sound Navy Yard beginning late November 1944 and lasting until April 1945, and inactivation overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard beginning 21 December 1949 (DANFS). Both yards carry asbestos-product documentation in the Atlas shipyards dataset (Puget Sound NSY tier 1 - thermal insulation, gaskets, electrical systems, deck tiles, fireproofing, refractory; Philadelphia NSY tier 3 - Eagle-Picher Super 60, Thermasil pipe covering, Kaylo, Garlock gaskets and packing, and others).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1944-1945; 1949-1950
- Population
- Yard workers during 1944-45 overhaul and 1949-50 inactivation; crew during availabilities
- Limitations
- The yard periods themselves are ship-specific and verified; any asbestos scope aboard this hull during those availabilities is era inference - no work package, survey, or itemized record for PC-817 was located. Overhaul of a diesel patrol craft would involve less insulation work than a steam combatant.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-07
-
[9]NARA file unit 'PC-817, 7/13/43-7/3/46,' NAID 192456862, series 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities' (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel), 275 scanned images via Ancestry partnership [other_primary]
- Locator
- catalog.archives.gov/id/192456862 (file unit metadata, RG 24 muster-roll series 594996)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds this hull's digitized muster rolls covering commissioning (13 July 1943) through 3 July 1946 - the complete commissioned period including Aleutians service, Puget Sound overhaul, and Hawaiian operations. 275 images available online; a personnel-level lead for crew reconstruction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Enlisted crew and officers appearing on wartime muster rolls, 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Muster rolls are personnel records - they contain no materials or asbestos information. Retrieval and review of individual images not performed; coverage ends 3 July 1946 (before the 22 July out-of-commission date), and no post-1946 or deck-log series was identified for this hull this session.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-08
-
[10]DANFS naming passage vs. NavSource timeline - internal conflicts documented [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS narrative (final paragraph) vs NavSource timeline block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two source-level defects corrected rather than propagated: (1) DANFS prints 'PC-817 became Welch (PC-517)' at the 15 February 1956 naming - 'PC-517' is a typo for PC-817 (PC-517 was a separate cancelled hull of the class); every other source confirms this hull as PC-817. (2) Decommissioning date conflict: DANFS records 'placed out of commission on 22 July' 1946 at Toledo, while NavSource prints 'Decommissioned, 11 July 1946 at Toledo, Ohio' - 11 July is the arrival date per DANFS, so NavSource appears to conflate arrival with out-of-commission; the DANFS 22 July date is carried.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-03
- Study period
- 1946; 1956
- Limitations
- Conflict documented, not silently reconciled; NavSource remains cited for the facts it carries correctly. The 'PC-517' misprint exists in the underlying DANFS volume text, not just the transcription.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-09
-
[11]Batch-8188 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS live page; NavSource hull and class pages; NARA catalog; shipbuildinghistory.com Albina hull list; GAO HRD-80-2; DOL BRB published decisions; NVR; secondary web sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-welch-pc817-01 through sl-uss-welch-pc817-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, museum or donation hazmat disclosure, or located court record naming PC-817 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped circa 1959, so no present-condition documentation exists to find. CourtListener queries were blocked this session by fleet pacing (logged 'blocked', not 'no result') - litigation status is open, not negative.
- 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 - era-consistent presence is the reasonable inference. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation index coverage for a numbered patrol craft is also thin (pre-disposal 1959, PACER era begins decades later).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-welch-pc817-10