Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
-
[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Wicomico (Tug)' (updated 11 February 2022) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Opening specifications and first, third, and fifth narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Neafie & Levy completed the iron-hulled, single-screw tug C. G. Coyle at Philadelphia in 1892. The Navy acquired it, renamed it Choctaw, and commissioned it on 19 April 1898. It was renamed Wicomico on 20 February 1918 and designated harbor tug YT-26 on 17 July 1920.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- The Navy history establishes identity, builder, dates, and a single screw; it does not specify engine type, fuel, crew complement, or any asbestos material. Those cannot be inferred from the tug's age or propulsion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-01
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Wicomico (Tug)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Final two narrative paragraphs
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Wicomico collided with destroyer Goff (DD-247) in Hampton Roads on 15 February 1940 and sank shortly afterward, with no casualties. DANFS says it was placed on the disposal list on 27 February 1940, salvaged and sold for scrap, and stricken from the Navy list on 1 August 1940.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- DANFS gives no collision investigation, salvage inventory, scrap transaction date, or materials survey. The event does not establish an asbestos condition or exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-03
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Navy Filing Manual (1941), vessel list and subject index [other_primary]
- Locator
- YT harbor-tug list, 'YT26 Wicomico (stricken)'; subject index, asbestos entries
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy's 1941 Filing Manual lists YT26 Wicomico as stricken and contains separate Navy-wide index entries for asbestos clothing and gloves. The index entries do not connect asbestos to Wicomico.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- This is a 1941 filing taxonomy published after Wicomico's loss, not a vessel material list. The asbestos entries are unrelated to the Wicomico entry and provide no basis to infer that asbestos was aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-04
-
[4]This record's search ledger; NHHC DANFS and Navy Filing Manual; NARA online log index [other_primary]
- Locator
- Search ledger rows sl-uss-wicomico-yt26-01 through -05
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos documentation was located in the consulted public DANFS entry or 1941 Navy Filing Manual. The NARA pre-1940 online log index lists neither Wicomico nor Choctaw. The CourtListener exact-name opinion search was attempted but returned no data because the authenticated fleet pacing gate issued no request token; hull and docket searches remain pending, so litigation status is unverified.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- This is a bounded negative finding, not proof of absence aboard. The log index covers digitized volumes only, and harbor-tug logs may have been kept by a parent command. CourtListener returned no case data because its limiter blocked the request before network access; no litigation conclusion is drawn.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-05
-
[5]National Archives, Guide to Federal Records: RG 181 Norfolk Navy Yard; Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961, RG 19 drawing guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 181 section 181.3.6; RG 19 guidance https://www.archives.gov/research/military/navy/guided-topics/asbestos, Cartographic Branch section
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA identifies RG 181 Norfolk Navy Yard general correspondence (1901–1943) and central subject files (1926–1959), and RG 19 ship engineering drawings (1874–1976) as record series that may warrant a hull-specific search for Wicomico's repair and material history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Only series-level finding aids were reviewed. No Wicomico file or drawing was retrieved, and existence of a hull-specific asbestos document is unknown. NARA cautions that deck logs and muster rolls are not direct asbestos evidence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-06
-
[6]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Wicomico (Tug)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service narrative, paragraphs 2–5
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Choctaw served on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico during the Spanish-American War, then as a yard tug and local ferry at Newport. After service at Washington Navy Yard, Wicomico transferred to Norfolk Navy Yard on 21 April 1921 and served in the Fifth Naval District into 1940.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Limitations
- Service locations and assignments do not establish specific repair tasks or materials. The Norfolk transfer is a location and service fact, not evidence of asbestos work there.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-wicomico-yt26-02