Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]DANFS (NHHC), 'Rincon' (AOG-77) entry - construction, MSTS service chronology, lease to South Korea, strike, battle stars; verified via Wayback capture 2024-05-26 because live page returned 404 on 2026-09-19 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Rincon' entry (R section); live URL 404 on 2026-09-19, text verified via Wayback https://web.archive.org/web/20240526182138/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/rincon.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents: laid down as Tarland (MC hull 2640) 24 February 1945 under Maritime Commission contract; launched as Rincon 5 June 1945, sponsored by Mrs. J. L. Baker; delivered to the Maritime Commission 5 October 1945 and operated under contract until 1950; transferred to the Navy at Yokohama 1 July 1950 and assigned to MSTS Far East as T-AOG-77. Ran Sasebo-Pusan fuel shuttles from September 1950; interrupted once for Saigon/Haiphong runs March 1951; continued Japan-Korea shuttle service after the July 1953 truce until February 1959; then MSTS Pacific carrying fuel from Pearl Harbor to Midway and the Marshalls until reassigned to MSTS Far East May 1961; Sasebo-based into 1974 carrying gasoline and other fuels to U.S. and Allied forces in the western Pacific, particularly Vietnam. Leased to South Korea 21 February 1982, served as So Yang (AOG-55) until returned in the late 1990s; struck from the Navy list 23 October 1998. Earned two battle stars for Korean conflict service. Data sheet: displacement 6,047; length 325'; beam 48'; draft 19'; speed 10 knots; complement 38; class Rincon; type T1-M-BT2.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1998
- Population
- USNS civilian mariner crew (complement 38 per DANFS); USAT-era crew (1946-1950); construction trades (Todd-Houston, 1945)
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, chronology, and specifications. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim. 'Out of service' date (circa 1976) and the 1946 Army charter are not in DANFS and rest on secondary compilations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - RINCON (AOG-77), Detail 4145 (milestones; status-card scans attached) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 4145, Milestones table and Status Cards tab
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for RINCON (AOG-77): year built 1945; shipyard 'Todd Shipbuilding and Drydock'; MARAD type T1-M-BT2; milestone table shows a single event, 'Withdrawal 12/10/1946' (i.e., withdrawal from reserve-fleet custody, consistent with the 1946 bareboat charter to the War Department reported in secondary compilations). Three status-card scans are attached to the record behind a JS viewer.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody data; thin record - one milestone only, and the record's 'Specific Type: LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' field is a database misclassification (this was a gasoline tanker, type code T1-M-BT2). Status-card scans were not retrievable by plain fetch (JS viewer). Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-02
-
[3]U.S. Navy, Naval Vessel Register - 'Ships, Both Coasts, Stricken' page listing AOG-77 RINCON (Wayback capture 1998-12-06, six weeks after the 23 October 1998 strike) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR 'Ships, Both Coasts, Stricken' S_B_09.HTM, AOG section (Wayback 1998-12-06)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Contemporaneous official NVR stricken-ships listing captured 6 December 1998 shows 'AOG 77 RINCON' among ships stricken on both coasts - corroborates the DANFS strike date of 23 October 1998 while the ship was still nominally in U.S. custody records after return from South Korean service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1998
- Limitations
- Corroborates strike status only; the archived page gives no strike date detail beyond the listing, and no asbestos, condition, or disposal information. Live NVR has no page for a 1998-stricken auxiliary (live nvr.navy.mil detail URLs redirect).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-03
-
[4]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS Rincon (T-AOG-77) page (chronology, Korean War campaign table, awards) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource page 09/20/2077 - Rincon Class Gasoline Tanker chronology and campaign table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilation supplying detail not in DANFS: laid up NDRF Beaumont Texas Group 30 April 1946; bareboat charter to War Department 12 October 1946 and service as USAT Rincon until transfer to the Navy at Yokohama 1 July 1950; Korean War campaign periods listed as Second Korean Winter (19 Sep-25 Oct 1951; 2 Jan-30 Apr 1952) and Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 (1-10 May 1952); MSTS Pacific transfer February 1959; MSTS Far East May 1961; rotation with USNS Chepachet (T-AOT-78) as station tanker at Danang circa 1970-71; out of service circa 1976; MARAD NDRF layup; Security Assistance Program lease to South Korea 21 February 1982; scrapped circa 2000. Ribbons listed: National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal (2 stars), Vietnam Service Medal, UN Service Medal, ROK War Service Medal (retroactive), Vietnam Campaign Medal.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1946-2000
- Population
- USNS crew; Vietnam-era station-tanker duty at Danang (approx. 1970-71)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not an official source - used to detail and corroborate the official record (DANFS/MARAD/NVR control where they conflict). Its 'ROKS Soyang (AOE-55)' designation conflicts with DANFS 'So Yang (AOG-55)'; AOG-55 is adopted. The 12 October 1946 charter date conflicts with MARAD's 12/10/1946 withdrawal milestone. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-04
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Commission vessel design profiles (Karsten-Kunibert Krueger-Kopiske drawings archive, usmaritimecommission.de via Wayback) - T1 coastal tanker / Navy gasoline tanker design data [other_primary]
- Locator
- drawings_tanker.htm, 'The T1 Coastal Tankers and Navy Gasoline Tankers' section (Wayback 2020-02-21)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- USMC design documentation for the T1-M-BT1 coastal gasoline tanker (AOG-64 to 75 series) describes single-screw motor vessels of ~4,200 dwt propelled by a four-stroke single-acting eight-cylinder oil engine of 1,400 bhp (Enterprise Engine & Foundry, San Francisco) geared to a single shaft for 10 knots, and identifies the T1-M-BT2 - this hull's design - as a variation of the type; Rincon-class ships were built to the T1-M-BT2 design at Todd-Houston (MC hulls in the 2624-2647 block). The design is a diesel motor vessel, not a steam plant.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1945 design era
- Population
- Construction trades (Todd-Houston, 1945); engine-room crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Design-level data: the detailed engine specification is stated for the BT-1 series with BT-2 described as a 'variation'; the exact engine installation on this hull (yard no. 213) is not separately verified. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. Design-era inference only - does not establish materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-05
-
[6]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and Maritime Commission construction program under which this T1-M-BT2 gasoline tanker was built (1945, Todd-Houston), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or its design and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-06
-
[7]Hansen v. Johns-Manville Products Corp., 734 F.2d 1036 (5th Cir. 1984); cross-referenced to shipyards.json yard record 'todd-shipyards' [court_record]
- Locator
- 734 F.2d 1036, opinion text (reviewed via OpenJurist/vLex excerpts; Justia page 403 to automated fetch 2026-09-19); shipyards.json 'todd-shipyards' evidence ev-todd-02
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Affirmed liability judgment for asbestos exposure at the builder's corporate parent: Andrew Hansen worked for Todd Shipyards from 1940 as a pipefitter, tearing out old insulation in ships and installing new insulation, working primarily with Johns-Manville asbestos-containing products; he developed asbestosis and mesothelioma and died. The jury found for his widow; the Fifth Circuit affirmed liability (remanded only on damages quantum). This is a trial-level exposure finding affirmed on appeal concerning work at the builder's corporate operations, which included the Houston yard where this hull was constructed (1945).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1940-1984 (employment 1940-1976; opinion 1984)
- Population
- Todd Shipyards pipefitters/insulators, 1940-1976 (yard-level)
- Limitations
- Yard/corporate-level record, NOT hull evidence - the opinion does not name this vessel or a specific Todd facility; S.D. Tex. venue and Galveston/Houston counsel indicate Texas Gulf Coast operations, but attribution to the Houston yard specifically is inference. Shipyards.json 'todd-shipyards' is a corporate entity entry; no dedicated Todd-Houston slug exists. Litigation stage is an affirmed judgment on liability for yard work - the strongest stage - but it establishes yard conditions, not materials aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-07
-
[8]Batch-419 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory 4145; NVR stricken list (archived); NavSource; usmaritimecommission.de design archive; CourtListener API + HTML (blocked); general web litigation search; shipyards.json [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-rincon-01 through sl-usns-rincon-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming the Rincon/T-AOG-77/USAT Rincon/Tarland hull was found in the sources searched. The litigation sweep is partially incomplete: CourtListener API returned HTTP 429 (125/day exhausted, ~4.9h backoff) and its HTML search returned 403 on 2026-09-19 - queries were logged and not retried. A general-web litigation search surfaced only name collisions - e.g., 'Rincon Hills,' a different 1944 T2 tanker (Marinship-built) in 1957-58 Second Circuit admiralty litigation (Deep Sea Tankers v. The Long Branch) - classified as name collision, not qualifying; and 'Rincon Band' tribal litigation - name collision.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 2026-09-19
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1945 Maritime Commission-built motor tanker is era-consistent with asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and insulation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The CourtListener block means hull-name docket coverage is incomplete and should be re-run when quota resets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-08
-
[9]Source discrepancies resolved across MARAD ShipHistory 4145, DANFS, NavSource, and NavalCoverMuseum compilations [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 4145 fields and milestones; DANFS Rincon entry; NavSource 09/20/2077; navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/RINCON_T-AOG_77
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corrections applied: (a) MARAD's 'Specific Type: LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' field for this record is a database misclassification - the vessel was a gasoline tanker per its own MARAD type code T1-M-BT2 and DANFS (AOG = gasoline tanker); the LNG label is not carried. (b) ROKS designation: DANFS and related compilations give 'So Yang (AOG-55)'; NavSource and aukevisser give 'Soyang (AOE-55)' - DANFS adopted as controlling. (c) 1946 Army charter date: NavSource gives 12 October 1946 (bareboat charter to War Department) while MARAD's only milestone is 'Withdrawal 12/10/1946' (reads 10 December 1946) - unreconciled, both logged. (d) NavalCoverMuseum 'USAT Rincon placed in service October 5 1945' conflates the 5 October 1945 Maritime Commission delivery date - not carried as an Army-service start.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-1998
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in official and secondary sources; does not materially alter identity or custody timeline. None of the underlying sources contains asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-09
-
[10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); Army Transport Service vessel records path (Office of the Chief of Transportation, RG 336); Navy/MSTS deck-log guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html; NARA military/merchant logbook guidance; NARA military records overview
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): RG 178 Maritime Commission construction/contract records for MC hull 2640 (Todd-Houston contract, outfitting specifications); NDRF Beaumont Group custody files for the 1946 layup/withdrawal; Army Transport Service vessel records for USAT Rincon (1946-1950) under the Office of the Chief of Transportation; MSTS Far East/Pacific operating records and ship's deck logs for T-AOG-77 (1950-1976) including Sasebo, Pusan, and Danang station-tanker periods; Security Assistance Program lease file (1982) and post-return disposal file (1998-2000).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1945-2000 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-rincon-10