Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet r4-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USNS Redstone
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- usns-redstone-pkt-r4-packet-md
-
[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Mission De Pala' (AO-114) - NHHC page, live URL returned 404 on 2026-10-05; cited via Wayback Machine capture of 2025-01-21 (archived copy labeled as such) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Mission De Pala' (AO-114), full text; spec block: dp. 21,880; l. 524'; b. 68'; d. 30'; 16.5 k.; cpl. 52; cl. Mission Buenaventura; T. T2-SE-A2
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents the hull end to end: laid down 26 Nov 1943 under Maritime Commission contract by 'Marine Ship Corp.' (sic - Marinship Corporation), Sausalito; launched 28 Feb 1944, sponsor Mrs. Francis D. Malone; delivered 22 Apr 1944; chartered to Pacific Tankers Inc.; Pacific war service carrying oil and fuel; returned to Maritime Commission 28 May 1946 and laid up at Mobile, Ala.; acquired by Navy 22 Oct 1947 as Mission De Pala (AO-114) for Naval Transportation Service; USNS Mission De Pala (T-AO-114) under MSTS from 1 Oct 1949; out of service 23 Dec 1949, reserve fleet Orange, Tex.; Korean War reacquisition 21 Jul 1950, shuttling Korea/Pearl Harbor/west coast; to Maritime Administration 15 Nov 1954, James River; struck 22 Jun 1955; reacquired 6 Jul 1956 under charter to Marine Transport Lines, Inc., to 13 Mar 1958, Orange reserve fleet, struck same date; reacquired 19 Sep 1964 for conversion to a missile-range instrumentation ship at General Dynamics Co., Quincy, Mass. - jumboized with a 72-foot section amidships, 'virtually rebuilt'; renamed Johnstown (AGM-20) 8 Apr 1965; renamed Redstone 1 Sep 1965; accepted by MSTS 30 Jun 1966 as USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20); designed as a seagoing tracking station for the Apollo test series and moon shot, in service into 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1969
- Population
- Pacific Tankers merchant crew + Armed Guard (1944-46); NTS/MSTS crews (1947-58)
- Limitations
- Entry was written during the Apollo program and stops in 1969 - post-Apollo service, deactivation, and disposal are not covered. No asbestos content anywhere in the source. DANFS prints 'Marine Ship Corp.' (Marinship is correct per the MARAD status card) and dates the 1964 reacquisition 19 September, one month before the MARAD-recorded 19 October custody transfer - conflict carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-01
-
[3]MARAD ShipHistory database, REDSTONE (T-AGM 20) detail page + four digitized vessel status cards (4082_7520AF.jpg front, 4082_7520AB.jpg remarks, 4082_7520BF.jpg reference photo card, and the original MISSION DE PALA vessel status card) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail/4082 milestones table; status card images at /cards/4082_7520AF.jpg, /cards/4082_7520AB.jpg, /cards/4082_7520BF.jpg, /cards/3708819f-5fff-4035-87d2-f0cb26eb1279.png; companion MISSION DE PALA page Detail/9813
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Official custody record: Mission De Pala, MC hull 1280, O.N. 245359, type T2-SE-A2 tanker, built Marinship Corp. Sausalito, completed 22 Apr 1944; WSA basis 4-22-44; operator Pacific Tankers Inc. (GAA); reserve fleet Mobile 28 May 1946; Navy Dept custody (title) 22 Oct 1947; reserve fleet (Navy surplus) James River 15 Nov 1954; Navy Dept James River 6 Jul 1956; reserve fleet (permanent transfer) Beaumont 13 Mar 1958; Navy Dept Beaumont 19 Oct 1964 (annotated 'Redstone (T-AGM-20)'). Name history: Mission De Pala 1944-64, Johnstown 1964, Redstone 1964-95. AGM-era remarks card: reacquired Sept 1964, renamed 8 Apr 1965, converted by General Dynamics Corp. Quincy 'for completion in Dec. 1965, June 1966 and Sept. 1966, respectively' - i.e., the three sister conversions - 'for Project Apollo use by 1968'; lengthened with new 72-ft midsection 523 to 595 ft, beam +7 to 75 ft, displacement 21,626 tons; three computers plus tracking/telemetry/ship-to-shore/ship-to-space equipment; crew 44 plus 108 scientists and technicians. Reference card (F. Jentsch, Jul 1986): 19 officers, 71 men, 108 technicians; GE turbine electric drive 8,700 hp; 2 Babcock & Wilcox 'D' boilers; operates in Atlantic. Fleet card: entered James River Reserve Fleet 8/6/93; withdrawn 6/23/94 'Going to INACTSHIP for stripping', returned 8/31/94; withdrawn 1/30/95 'SOLD for SCRAP'.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1995
- Population
- WSA/Pacific Tankers crews; NTS/MSTS crews; conversion yard workforce (GD Quincy 1964-66); MSTS/MSC instrumentation crews (1966-93); INACTSHIP stripping crews (1994); shipbreakers (1995)
- Limitations
- Primary custody/disposal record - the most authoritative source in this record. Contains no asbestos or hazmat information. The 19 October 1964 custody-transfer date conflicts with DANFS/NavSource's 19 September 1964 reacquisition date (decision vs. formal custody - carried in gaps). Scrapping buyer and yard are not stated.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-02
-
[4]Handbook for Apollo Instrumentation Ships, MG-402 (September 1968), prepared for NASA (GSFC/ISO) by Bendix Field Engineering Corp. under contracts NAS5-9870 / NAS5-10750 - ibiblio Apollo Project Online mirror, verified live and full-text extracted 2026-10-05 [other_primary]
- Locator
- MG-402 Section I: fig. 1-1 ship list; 'SHIPS' PURPOSE' 19-class paragraph; 'SHIPS' PERSONNEL'; 'SHIPS' PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS' 19-class particulars and hull-modification fig. 1-2
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NASA-program documentation naming this ship: three '19-Class' Apollo Instrumentation Ships - USNS Vanguard (T-AGM-19), USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20), USNS Mercury (T-AGM-21), NASA station designations VAN/RED/MER - providing tracking/telemetry/communications coverage for earth orbital insertion and translunar injection phases of Apollo lunar missions (two 6-class ships covered reentry). Each 19-class ship manned by 17 officers, 71 crew members, and 122 technical personnel including NASA Flight Controllers; marine crews are MSTS personnel, technical personnel are DoD contractor engineers/technicians, flight controllers NASA-assigned per mission (~5-week tours); up to 30 days on-station required. The 19-class conversion joined a T-2 tanker bow and stern to a new, larger midsection: overall 595'5", beam 75', full-load draft 25', displacement 23,310 tons, 10,000 shp, 13/15/17 kt tracking/standard/flank speeds, 20,150 nmi on-station endurance. 'Both classes of ships have been modified from noncommissioned U.S. Navy ships ... converted ... from their previous tanker configuration ... into fully instrumented, mobile, space-tracking platforms'; all manned and instrumented spaces air conditioned.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1966-1972 (document dated Sep 1968)
- Population
- MSTS marine crews; DoD contractor technicians (Bendix et al.); NASA flight controllers aboard ~5-week mission tours
- Limitations
- NASA program document describing the Apollo role and shared 19-class configuration - ship-specific as to Redstone's identity/role, class-level as to shared particulars. No asbestos content; the handbook documents spaces and equipment, not construction materials. Manning figures differ from the MARAD cards (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-03
-
[5]Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum (official USSF Space Launch Delta 45 museum), 'Support Ships on the Eastern Range' page [museum_official]
- Locator
- ccspacemuseum.org 'Support Ships on the Eastern Range', Apollo Instrumentation Ships section
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official range-museum chronology: USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20) listed among the Apollo Instrumentation Ships (with Vanguard T-AGM-19, Watertown T-AGM-6, Mercury T-AGM-21, Huntsville T-AGM-7) which 'performed tracking, telemetry and communication functions for Apollo lunar missions' and 'replaced the Timber Hitch class ships'; '20 September 1967 - USNS Redstone accepted at Western Test Range'; a ship photograph dated 24 April 1972.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1966-1972
- Population
- MSTS/MSC crews and embarked technical personnel on the Western Test Range
- Limitations
- Museum chronology confirms the range assignment and Apollo role; it does not detail day-to-day service and contains no asbestos information. 'Western Rest Range' on the page is a typo for Western Test Range.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-04
-
[6]Federation of American Scientists dod-101 mirror of the U.S. Navy ship fact file, 'T-AGM-19 / T-AG-194 Vanguard' (covers Vanguard and Redstone), page updated 1999-01-23 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- FAS t-agm-19.htm narrative + ships table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Apollo service documented: 'After the Apollo era, the antennas and associated communications gear were stripped from the ship, and equipment for testing different modes of submarine navigation installed ... The USNS Redstone was deactivated on 06 August 1993.' Ships table: Redstone T-AGM-20 decommissioned 07 Dec 1993 (i.e., stricken). Specifications block: turbo-electric, two boilers, 8 Westinghouse turbo-generators, 10,000 hp; 595 ft, 75 ft beam; crew 45 civilians, 18 scientists plus 141 spare.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1972-1993
- Population
- MSC crews and embarked test/technical personnel (post-Apollo era)
- Limitations
- FAS mirrors the official Navy fact-file text but is an NGO secondary source; deactivation/strike dates are independently confirmed by MARAD and NavSource. The post-Apollo submarine-navigation test role is asserted by this single secondary source - consistent with the 1979 NOTU photograph and Vanguard's documented T-AG-194 trajectory, but not corroborated by an official narrative for Redstone specifically. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-05
-
[7]Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), official U.S. Navy photograph VIRIN 790719-F-N1010-1001, taken 1979-07-19 by the Naval Ordnance Test Unit [other_primary]
- Locator
- DVIDS image 8990937 / VIRIN 790719-F-N1010-1001
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DoD image record: photograph of USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20) underway with multiple radome antenna enclosures aboard, taken 19 July 1979 by the Naval Ordnance Test Unit - independent official evidence that the ship remained in service in the instrumentation/test role well after Apollo. Caption confirms MSTS operation, the Quincy conversion, Apollo/Eastern Range assignment, the Johnstown-to-Redstone naming, and removal from service 6 Aug 1993.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1979
- Limitations
- A photograph and caption - corroborates continued post-Apollo service but contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-06
-
[8]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20) page (09/53/5320), last updated 29 Nov 2024 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/53/5320 timeline, awards band, and AO specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Full designation/custody timeline consistent with DANFS and MARAD: laid down 26 Nov 1943 (MC 1280), launched 28 Feb 1944, chartered to Pacific Tankers Inc. 22 Apr 1944, returned to MC 28 May 1946 (Mobile), acquired by Navy 22 Oct 1947 (AO-114, NTS), MSTS 1 Oct 1949 (T-AO-114), out of service 23 Dec 1949 (Orange), reacquired 21 Jul 1950, out of service 15 Nov 1954 (James River), struck 22 Jun 1955, reacquired 6 Jul 1956 (Marine Transport Lines charter), out of service and struck 13 Mar 1958 (Orange), reacquired 19 Sep 1964 for Vanguard-class conversion at General Dynamics Quincy, renamed Johnstown (AGM-20) 8 Apr 1965, renamed Redstone 1 Sep 1965, MSTS service 30 Jun 1966, out of service 6 Aug 1993, struck 7 Dec 1993, sold for scrapping 30 Jan 1995. AO-era specifications: GE turbo-electric, two Babcock & Wilcox D-type boilers 600 psi 825F, single screw 10,000 shp; 5,532 lt / 21,880 fl; 523'6" x 68' x 30'10"; 15.1 kt trial; complement 52 CivMar + 17 Navy Armed Guard; wartime armament listed. Awards display: Navy Battle 'E' Ribbon (3) and National Defense Service Medal; radio call signs NJAX (T-AGM-20) and NHNP (T-AO-114).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1995
- Population
- WSA merchant crews; NTS/MSTS/MSC crews
- Limitations
- Respected volunteer reference that collates official records - used here to cross-check DANFS/MARAD dates; where NavSource conflicts with the MARAD status card (19 Sep vs 19 Oct 1964) both dates are recorded. The awards display (Battle E x3 + NDSM) is not corroborated by an official awards list - flagged in gaps. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-07
-
[9]U.S. Coast Guard waiver order, NAVCG form 2633, November 1945 - digitized in the MARAD MISSION DE PALA vessel file (SYSTEM UPLOAD) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail/9813 'Historical Documents' download MissionDePala_9813_001.pdf (2 pages)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A USCG waiver application and order (Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular) dated 23-27 November 1945 names this vessel: Mission De Pala applied for a waiver of Title 46 vessel-inspection requirements for a single voyage carrying petroleum products, citing that required facilities were 'not available in San Francisco due to shipyards being closed'; the waiver was granted by a Coast Guard officer. Documents WSA-era operation of this hull in the petroleum trade out of San Francisco under wartime conditions.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1945-11
- Population
- Pacific Tankers / WSA merchant crew, San Francisco 1945
- Limitations
- A vessel-safety administrative record - corroborates the ship's WSA petroleum-service era and San Francisco operation but contains no asbestos or materials information. OCR of the scan is imperfect; the waiver's exact regulatory cite is partially legible.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-08
-
[10]MARAD ShipHistory database, MISSION DE PALA detail page - 'Specific Type' field reads 'LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail/9813 'Specific Type' field vs. vessel status card /cards/3708819f-...png ('Type TANKER T2-SE-A2') and NavSource cargo-capacity spec
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD database field error: the MISSION DE PALA detail page lists 'Specific Type: LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' for this 1944 T2-SE-A2 petroleum tanker. The vessel's own status card, DANFS, and NavSource cargo specifications (120,400 bbl oil + 575,000 gal gasoline) document a conventional petroleum products carrier; LNG carrier technology did not exist in 1944. The correct reading is petroleum products tanker.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1944-1964
- Limitations
- Metadata-field correction only - affects no identity or custody facts. Flagged so downstream users do not propagate the 'LNG' label.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-09
-
[11]Consolidated era inference - NavSource AO specifications for this hull (2x B&W D-type boilers, 600 psi/825F, GE turbo-electric) + wartime Maritime Commission construction practice for T2-SE-A2 steam tankers [other_primary]
- Locator
- Derived from the NavSource AO specifications block (this hull) and standard T2-SE-A2/MC practice - no separate document
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era/design inference: as built (Marinship, 1943-44) this hull was a wartime Maritime Commission steam tanker - two 600-psi oil-fired boilers feeding a turbo-electric plant, steam piping, machinery spaces, and accommodation built to emergency MC practice. Asbestos applications typical of that plant and era: boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line and feedwater-line lagging, turbine and machinery insulation, valve/flange gaskets and packing, and bulkhead/accommodation insulation. The 1964-66 AGM conversion (new midsection, machinery retained, extensive refit) and post-Apollo equipment changes are documented disturbance events on that era fabric; the 1995 scrapping is the end-of-life hazmat event.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1943-1995
- Population
- Marinship construction trades (1943-44); merchant/NTS/MSTS engine crews; GD Quincy conversion workforce (1964-66); instrumentation technicians; INACTSHIP/stripping and shipbreaking crews (1994-95)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record was located for this hull under any name. The propulsion plant is documented for this ship; the asbestos content of that plant is era inference, not ship-proven. Establishes no quantities, no remaining material, and no exposure for any individual.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-10
-
[12]Batch-9574 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (live 404, Wayback 2025-01-21); MARAD vesselhistory detail + status cards; NASA MG-402 via ibiblio; Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum; NavSource 09/53/5320; FAS fact-file mirror; DVIDS; NARA record-group guides; CourtListener API v4 via authenticated fleet helper [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-redstone-01 through sl-usns-redstone-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, litigation filing, or regulatory document naming this hull (under Mission De Pala, Johnstown, or Redstone) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).
- 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 - 1944 steam construction plus a 'virtually rebuilt' 1964-66 conversion is consistent with retained or disturbed era materials. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-11
-
[13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission - Construction Division records incl. West Coast Director for Construction, San Francisco, and the San Francisco field office), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration), and NARA merchant-vessel logbook guidance (RG 26, U.S. Coast Guard) [other_primary]
- Locator
- RG 178 sections 178.6, 178.8, 178.10; RG 248; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/248.html ; NARA merchant-vessel logbook guidance
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): RG 178 Construction Division records 1942-46, including the West Coast Director for Construction files in San Francisco, may hold the MC-1280 contract/outfitting records for this Marinship-built hull; RG 248 holds WSA vessel operation files for her 1944-46 Pacific Tankers GAA service; merchant vessel logbooks are in RG 26 distributed to regional NARA facilities by port of submission; RG 255 (NASA) and Navy Bureau of Ships/MSTS records would hold the 1964-66 AGM-conversion contract and specification files (Quincy), the likeliest source of any ship-specific materials documentation.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 1942-1993 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MC hull 1280 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-12
-
[14]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated fleet helper cl-auth-search.py, --limit 20): four base queries run 2026-10-05 - "Mission De Pala" type=o and type=r, "AO-114" type=o and type=r [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-redstone-11 through sl-usns-redstone-14; raw API responses preserved in session (counts: 0, 0, 3-collisions, 18-collisions)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No litigation naming this hull located on CourtListener. Exact-phrase name queries "Mission De Pala" returned count=0 in both the opinion and docket (RECAP) indexes. Hull-number queries "AO-114" returned 3 opinion hits and 18 docket hits, every one a name collision: appellate docket-number format (e.g., Fla. 1st DCA No. AO-114, Rusty Pelican Restaurant v. Garcia, 1983) and unrelated civil/bankruptcy/insurance dockets (e.g., Nortel Networks, Energy Future Holdings, Sokolow v. PLO); no hit names this vessel, any vessel, or asbestos. Classification per hit: 0 qualifying asbestos litigation, 0 other litigation involving the hull, 21 name collisions across the two AO-114 queries, and zero-result sets on both Mission De Pala queries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-05
- Study period
- 2026-10-05 index coverage
- Limitations
- CourtListener covers published opinions and PACER-linked dockets; absence of hits does not prove no filing ever existed - unreported settlements, workers' compensation claims, state-court filings outside CL coverage, and records under variant name spellings are not captured. Query pair chosen was "Mission De Pala"/"AO-114" (the asbestos-era name and hull number) rather than "Redstone"/"T-AGM-20"; "Redstone" is high-collision and no base query overflowed its 20-result page, so no asbestos-qualified variant was run per the batch rule. Alias coverage limitation carried honestly: a filing indexed only under "Johnstown" or "USNS Redstone" would not be caught by the four required base queries.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-redstone-13