Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]U.S. Naval Historical Center (NHHC), Online Library of Selected Images: 'USNS PFC James Anderson, Jr. (T-AK-3002)' photo page (page dated 15 December 1998; verbatim via ibiblio HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Online Library page usnsh-p/ak3002.htm, text block and photo caption NH 96771-KN
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC records this hull as a 49,453-ton Cpl. Louis J. Hague, Jr. class maritime prepositioning ship, built 1979 in Denmark as the merchant ship Emma Maersk; acquired by the Navy under a long-term charter in 1983 and placed in service under the direction of the Military Sealift Command; subsequently based at Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, carrying equipment to support a U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary brigade. Named in honor of Private First Class James Anderson, Jr., USMC (1947-1967), posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War. The NHHC page features photo NH 96771-KN (at sea, later 1980s or 1990s).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1979-1998
- Population
- Civilian charter crew plus embarked Navy/Marine support detachment (context)
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical-center page (1998); establishes identity, class, charter acquisition, MSC direction, Diego Garcia basing, and namesake - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information and supports no asbestos claim. NHHC styles the ship 'USNS'/'T-AK-3002'; the MARAD status card and the charter structure (commercial owner/trustee, civilian-crewed) support the MV prefix carried in this record - styling variance logged in the correction row. No DANFS entry exists for this hull (DANFS URL variants 404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - PFC JAMES ANDERSON, JR. (AK-3002), Detail 10286, including three posted status-card scans transcribed in-session: Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card (7-69) and Form MA-169 Ship Description (rev. 3-79) with tonnage/miscellaneous-information sheets [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 10286; status-card scans 5ND_01.png (MA-199), e24b5fc4-....jpg (MA-169 face), 5ae76f98-....jpg (MA-169 tonnage/misc. sheet)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record and cards for this hull: PFC JAMES ANDERSON JR., ex EMMA MAERSK; U.S. flag; Official No. 679,513; MARAD vessel no. 5006946; Lloyd's/IMO 'L. 7702035'; type RO/RO (MA-169: '59 RO/RO', three deck, MOTOR-AFT, boilers NONE, steel, single screw); built 1979 by Odense Staal. A/S - Lindo, Denmark, builder's hull no. 74; delivered from shipyard 6/30/79 to A/S D/S Svendborg & D/S AF 1912 A/S (the A.P. Moller-Maersk owning entities); as-built 598'06" LOA, 21,799 GT / 13,995 NT / 29,280 DWT, speed 18.5, horsepower 15,960. Operating history entries: delivered to Wilmington Trust Co. (Owner/Trustee) 3/26/85; 'Long-term Chartered to MSC' 3/26/85 under 'TAKX Contract'; 'Converted, Lengthened 157'6", Deepened 15'9" by Bethlehem Steel Corp. Balt., Md. 3/85'; U.S. flag, port of registry New York, from 3/26/85; post-conversion 755'4" LOA (705'4" BP), 38,412 GT / 31,884 NT / 57,618 DWT (est); 566 TEU; design type annotated 'T-AKX-C 697'; the post-conversion figures credited 'Per ABS Supple 3/86.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1979-1985 (card coverage); record reflects build and conversion
- Population
- Danish merchant crew (1979-85); U.S.-flag civilian charter crew under MSC contract (1985-2009); Bethlehem Steel Baltimore conversion workforce (1983-85)
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody/specification record, both cards transcribed in-session at posted resolution - the strongest primary source in this record. Documents ownership/charter chain (Wilmington Trust Co. owner/trustee - NOT a MARAD purchase, contra the 'purchased by MARAD October 1983' claim in secondary compilations) and the physical conversion scope. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim; the 'boilers: NONE' marking covers propulsion boilers and does not exclude auxiliary/hotel boilers or ACM in other systems. Minor internal variances (net tons 31,888 vs 31,884; LOA figures across card fields) noted but not material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-02
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[3]Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network, 'TAK-3000 Cpl. Louis J. Hauge Jr. Maritime Prepositioning Ship [MPS]' - compilation derived from U.S. Navy fact-file material [other_primary]
- Locator
- FAS TAK-3000 page - program narrative, specifications table, ships table (PFC J. Anderson, Jr. row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class/program documentation for the five TAK-3000 ships (this hull listed as 'PFC J. Anderson, Jr,' T-AK 3002, homeport Diego Garcia, in service 26 Mar 1985): each ship carries Marine Corps cargo to sustain a Marine Air Ground Task Force for 30 days; combined lift-on/lift-off and roll-on/roll-off capability; embarked Navy lighterage (powered and unpowered causeways and small boats); certified for CH-53E helicopter operations; prepositioned at Diego Garcia. The 13-ship Maritime Prepositioning Force was organized into three squadrons (Atlantic/Mediterranean four ships; Diego Garcia five; Guam/Saipan four), each carrying equipment and supplies for 17,000 MAGTF personnel for up to 30 days. Class data: built Odense Stalskibsvaerft, Lindo, Denmark; conversions by Bethlehem Steel; 1 diesel 16,800 bhp, 1 shaft; 755.5 ft; beam 90 ft; 46,484 tons full load; 17.5 knots.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- circa 1984-2000 (fact-file era)
- Population
- Maritime Prepositioning Force crews and supported MAGTF personnel (class context)
- Limitations
- Navy fact-file-derived secondary compilation; documents class mission, organization, and capabilities - not a hull-specific record. No asbestos or materials content. Homeport 'Diego Garcia' corroborates MPSRON-2 rather than NavSource's 'Squadron Three' - discrepancy logged in the correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-03
-
[4]U.S. National Archives photo record (public-domain finding-aid copy via nara.getarchive.net / PICRYL): 'Vehicles and equipment are staged on the pier beside the maritime pre-positioning ship PFC. James Anderson Jr. (T-AK-3002)... in support of Operation Desert Shield,' 21 September 1990, Base: Newport News, Virginia; companion frames show M-4K forklift, M-878 tractor, M-813 trucks, M-127 semi-trailer, and D8K tractor loading aboard [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA/DVIDS finding-aid records for the photo set (caption series incl. M-4K, M-878, M-813, M-127, D8K frames); base metadata Newport News, VA
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA photo finding-aid entries document this hull loading vehicles and equipment pier-side at Newport News, Virginia, 21 September 1990, for transport to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield - the documented deployment event for this ship in the 1990-91 Gulf buildup.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1990
- Population
- Civilian charter crew and pier/stevedore personnel during loading (context)
- Limitations
- Official photo captions establish the loading event and date; they document cargo operations only - no asbestos or materials information. Secondary write-ups describe the ship 'unloading' cargo for 'Desert Storm'; the captions themselves document loading at Newport News for Desert Shield - carried as captioned.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-04
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[5]Basel Action Network press release, 'US Environmental Protection Agency to let Anders sail' (28 August 2009); Robin des Bois / ship-breaking.com bulletins #17 and #21 (2009-2010); NavalCoverMuseum ship-name/designation compilation (out of service 15 July 2009; sold for scrap August 2009) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- ban.org ban_news 090828; robindesbois.org shipbreaking17.pdf and shipbreaking21.pdf; navalcovermuseum.org PFC JAMES ANDERSON JR T-AK 3002 page
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- The 2009 disposal is a documented toxic-export controversy naming this hull. After the MSC charter expired, the ship was placed out of service 15 July 2009 and sold with sister 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (ex Emilie Maersk, T-AK-3003) to Star Maritime Corp.; both were deflagged from the U.S. to Saint Kitts and Nevis and renamed Anders and Bonny. Environmental NGOs (Basel Action Network; Robin des Bois ship-breaking.com bulletins) asked EPA to prevent the ships' sailing from Norfolk, asserting they were 'suspected to contain asbestos, PCBs and other toxic materials' and were destined for beaching demolition in India in circumvention of U.S. toxics-export policy. Star Maritime asserted the ships would instead enter sugar trades between Brazil and India. EPA declined to hold them ('no reason to retain the ships,' ~28 August 2009); Anders departed Norfolk ostensibly for Santos, Brazil. NGO tracking later reported the ships arrived in India for demolition. The bulletins confirm the ships 'are not property of the American Authorities but belong to Wilmington Trust Co.' - consistent with the MARAD status card.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2009-2010
- Population
- End-of-life disposal chain: shipbreakers/demolition workforce in India (context of the NGO concern); Norfolk departure personnel
- Limitations
- Ship-specific documented event, but the asbestos element is an NGO suspicion at export, never tested on the public record - no survey, sampling, or Inventory of Hazardous Materials is cited; the Danish-state reassurance noted by the bulletin was general, not a hull test. The event documents a disposal pathway (deflag, rename, ostensible-trade departure, reported India demolition), not verified asbestos content, quantity, location, or exposure. BAN is an advocacy NGO and Robin des Bois a ship-breaking monitoring NGO - reputable for the events they covered, but neither is an asbestos-determination authority; NavalCoverMuseum is a museum compilation. Disposal-year consensus across sources; the precise demolition yard/beach in India is unverified.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-05
-
[6]International Maritime Organization, 'Asbestos on board ships' - SOLAS II-1 regulation 3-5 (adopted 6 December 2000, in force 1 July 2002) prohibiting new installation of materials containing asbestos on all ships; MSC/Circ.1045 Guidelines for Maintenance and Monitoring of On-Board Materials Containing Asbestos; MSC.1/Circ.1374 information on prohibiting asbestos use aboard ships [other_primary]
- Locator
- IMO asbestos page - SOLAS II-1/3-5 summary and MSC/Circ.1045 reference
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- IMO states that ships built before 1 July 2002 'may contain asbestos' and should manage it under MSC/Circ.1045; SOLAS II-1/3-5 prohibited new installation of asbestos-containing materials from 1 July 2002 (total prohibition from 1 January 2011). This hull was built in 1979 at a Danish yard and converted 1983-85 at a U.S. commercial yard - constructed and converted more than two decades before the international prohibition took effect, inside the era when asbestos-containing marine materials (insulation, gaskets, deck coverings, packing) were in general industry use.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- Regulation adopted 2000, in force 2002; hull built 1979, converted 1983-85
- Population
- Crews and repair/yard personnel of pre-2002-built ships generally (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/regulatory context only - the regulation establishes that pre-2002 ships may contain asbestos as a class matter; it does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this specific hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation. Danish-built 1979 and U.S.-converted 1983-85 practices both fall within the pre-prohibition era.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-06
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[7]Batch-922 search ledger (this record): NHHC Online Library page via ibiblio mirror; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 10286 + three status-card scans transcribed; NARA photo finding-aid set (Desert Shield loading, Newport News, 21 Sep 1990); FAS TAK-3000 class page; NavalCoverMuseum; BAN press release and Robin des Bois bulletins; NavSource 09/13/133002; CourtListener API v4 + site index; IMO asbestos page; shipyards.json registry [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-01 through sl-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, Inventory of Hazardous Materials, or docketed case naming MV PFC James Anderson Jr., AK-3002, T-AK-3002, Emma Maersk, or Anders was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener's API was throttled for this session (HTTP 429, 2,800/day authenticated cap; ~4.4h to reset) - the opinion and RECAP docket sweep could not be run; a site-index sweep of courtlistener.com returned only name collisions (James Anderson coal-ash and bankruptcy matters; a multi-ship asbestos pleading that does not list this hull). The only ship-specific asbestos-adjacent record located is the 2009 NGO/EPA export controversy in ev-05 - a documented suspicion, not a determination. Law-firm/marketing list pages include the hull in boilerplate ship directories (banned sources; no claims traced to dockets).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2026-09-21
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1979-built, 1983-85-converted hull predates the SOLAS prohibition era and the 2009 export suspicion was never tested on the public record. Litigation coverage is partial (CourtListener API throttle; site-index sweep only). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-07
-
[8]Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 330 still-picture file for the Desert Shield loading series at Newport News (21 Sep 1990); MSC/NAVSEA TAKX contract and conversion specification files for the 1983-85 jumboization; American Bureau of Shipping classification survey records cited on the MARAD card ('Per ABS Supple 3/86'); EPA/TSCA administrative file on the 2009 Star Maritime export decision; Danish registry and Lloyd's Register construction records for Emma Maersk (yard no. 74); IMO Hong Kong Convention IHM-era documentation for the post-2009 demolition chain [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov Guide to Federal Records; MARAD card 'ABS Supple 3/86' annotation; ban.org 090828 EPA decision reference
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Open leads most likely to yield ship-specific materials evidence: (1) the TAKX contract/conversion specification (MSC/NAVSEA or NARA contract records) - the conversion's insulation/materials line items; (2) ABS classification survey files referenced on the MARAD card; (3) the EPA administrative record for the August 2009 export decision, which may contain the agency's basis for declining to hold the ship despite NGO assertions of asbestos/PCBs; (4) Hong Kong Convention-era IHM documentation, if any was prepared for the demolition voyage.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1979-2010 records
- Limitations
- Record-group/collection mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; whether asbestos-specific documents for this hull exist is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-08
-
[9]Cross-source reconciliation: MARAD status cards (primary) vs NHHC page vs FAS compilation vs NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum vs navysite/Wikipedia vs NGO bulletins (citations as in ev-01 through ev-05) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ev-01 through ev-05 source texts, side-by-side; MARAD status-card scans
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies reconciled: (a) prefix - NHHC and NARA captions style the ship 'USNS (T-AK-3002)'; NavSource, NavalCoverMuseum, Wikipedia, and the BAN/ship-breaking records use MV. The MARAD card's structure (Wilmington Trust Co. owner/trustee; long-term charter to MSC; commercial operation by Maersk Line Ltd.) is a merchant charter, supporting MV - carried per batch brief, variance logged. (b) ownership - navysite's 'purchased by MARAD October 1983' is contradicted by the MARAD status card itself (Wilmington Trust Co. owner/trustee 3/26/85; never a MARAD hull - MARAD type 'Foreign', no custody milestones); card carried. (c) squadron - 'Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Three' (NavSource, Wikipedia) vs Diego Garcia basing (NHHC, FAS ships table) which corresponds to MPSRON-2 (navysite); both recorded, unresolved. (d) launch - Wikipedia infobox '23 March 1979' vs NavSource 'Launched in 1984' (apparent conversion-completion conflation); MARAD card gives delivery 6/30/79 only; launch carried as 1979 with day-level detail unverified. (e) tonnage - as-built 21,799 GT / 29,280 DWT vs post-conversion 38,412 GT / 57,618 DWT (MARAD card) vs NHHC '49,453-ton' vs Wikipedia '23,365 t light / 46,484 t full' displacement - different measures; carried separately by source. (f) Desert Shield vs Storm - NARA captions document loading at Newport News 21 Sep 1990 for 'Operation Desert Shield'; Wikipedia's 'unloaded military cargos ... Desert Storm' is a downstream paraphrase. (g) conversion site - Wikipedia's 'Sparrows Point, Massachusetts' is a geographic error; Sparrows Point is Baltimore, Maryland (MARAD card 'Bethlehem Steel Corp. Balt., Md.').
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1979-2010
- Limitations
- Editorial reconciliation across primary and secondary sources; none of the variances affects identity or the service/disposal timeline materially. The squadron-number conflict may reflect a real later reassignment between MPS squadrons during the 24-year charter - not resolvable without MSC squadron records (archival lead).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-mv-pfc-james-anderson-jr-ak3002-09