Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Watertown' entry (live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-19; entry text verified via Wayback Machine capture 2021-02-28) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS > W > Watertown; Wayback https://web.archive.org/web/20210228161612/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/watertown.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: Niantic Victory laid down 1944-02-12 at Portland, Oreg., by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. under a Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 100); launched 1944-04-25, sponsored by Mrs. Marvin Owen; delivered to the Maritime Commission 1944-05-18; operated for the Commission by contractor firms from the American-Hawaiian Steamship Line (1944) through the Isbrandtsen Co. (1957); turned over to the Navy Department and assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service on 1960-08-11 for conversion to a range instrumentation ship; renamed Watertown and designated AGM-6 on 1960-11-27; served the next 11 years in the Pacific supporting NASA and the Air Force on the Western Missile Test Range as a mobile tracking station recording test data from missiles and satellites; stricken from the Navy list 1972-02-16; returned to the Maritime Administration at its Suisun Bay berthing facility.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- DANFS itself flags her 1957-1960 whereabouts as unresolved ('a mystery' - dropped from the active list in the April 1957 Merchant Vessel Register and absent from NDRF berthing-area lists; the MARAD cards in ev-03 supply the 1958-01-24 Suisun Bay entry and Isbrandtsen last operator). DANFS gives 'probably sold for scrap' without the sale detail the MARAD record supplies, and dates the Air Force release decision Feb 1972 where shipscribe's class notes say Feb 1971. Entry header groups her under 'cl. Range Tracker.' Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports identity and timeline only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-01
-
[2]MARAD ShipHistory database, WATERTOWN (T-AGM-6), Detail 6402 (characteristics, vessel name history, milestones) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 6402 - characteristics panel, Vessel Name History (1944-1960 Niantic Victory; 1960-1974 Watertown T-AGM-6), Milestones table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory documents the hull as WATERTOWN (T-AGM-6), ex-NIANTIC VICTORY (1944-1960): MARAD type VC2-S-AP3, U.S. Official No. 245676, built 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Company, 7,608 gross / 4,551 net tons, 436.5 ft length, 62 ft beam, general type Naval Auxiliary. Milestones: name changed from NIANTIC VICTORY to WATERTOWN 1960-08-11; entered Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet as a U.S. Navy-owned vessel on a reimbursable custody agreement 1972-03-22; MARAD re-acquired title 1974-05-23; vessel sold for scrap to Dongkuk Steel Mill 1974-05-23.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960-1974
- Limitations
- Custody and characteristics record only - carries no asbestos, hazmat, materials, or condition-survey information and does not name the breaking yard. The 1960-08-11 'name change' milestone logs the custody-transfer date; the effective rename/in-service date per SECNAV action was 1960-11-27 (ev-04, ev-05).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-02
-
[3]MARAD ShipHistory Detail 6402, digitized record cards: Form MA-383 'Reserve Fleet - Ship Particulars' cards (NDRF Wilmington 1948, Suisun Bay 1958) and Form MA-20 'Record of Ship Sales' (1974) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 6402 > Status Cards (six scans incl. cards/6402_AB.jpg reverse-face annotation and cards/6402_AF.jpg Form MA-20)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Digitized MARAD record cards document custody events the narrative sources only summarize: Form MA-383 - NIANTIC VICTORY (VC2-S-AP3, MCV-100) entered the NDRF Wilmington, N.C. fleet 1948-05-30 10:00 AM with 889 bbls Bunker C and 9 bbls diesel aboard; withdrawn 1950-08-12 delivered to 'BBC - Union Sulphur' (card annotated 'Sunac - MSTS / Farr memo 7-14-52' and 'To-MSTS'); ship's papers removed 1956-12-11 to custodian 'BBC - Isbrandtsen.' Second MA-383 card - entered the Suisun Bay fleet 1958-01-24 1600 hrs PST, 'Service prior to lay-up: BBC - Isbrandtsen'; withdrawn 1960-08-11 1025 hrs PDST, reason 'Navy - Perm. Transfer' (per Navy letter 1960-07-16, MarAd reply 1960-08-01). Form MA-20 - WATERTOWN (T-AGM-6), light ship weight 4,383 tons, awarded to Dongkuk Steel Mill Co., Ltd., Rep. of Korea, 1974-05-23, purchase price $614,754.00, contract MA-7381, 'for scrapping in South Korea,' after three advertised bid rounds were rejected (PD-X-961, PD-X-964, PD-X-968) and the award made under PD-X-976; MarAd Transfer Order MA-13480, Commerce export license B40606-189-1 expiring 1974-09-02.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1948-1974
- Limitations
- Primary custody and disposal record. The sale card carries price, contract, transfer-order, and export-license terms but no hazmat, abatement, or materials-condition terms - whether the underlying sale contract addressed asbestos cannot be determined from the card itself (the contract file is the lead, ev-11). A handwritten 'Norman 9/60' damages annotation on the Suisun card is unexplained in context.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-03
-
[4]Shipscribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USNS Watertown (T-AGM 6, VC2-S-AP3) Class' - compiled from NARA RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 99 (Design Job Order File 19-60) and Pearson, 'NASA's Moonship Fleet,' PowerShips No. 314 (Summer 2020) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux2/AGM/AGM06.html - class header, class notes, ship notes row for WATERTOWN (MCV 100)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NARA-derived class record documents: BuShips Hull Design Branch (Code 440) promulgated draft design criteria 1960-06-08 for conversion of two VC2-S-AP3 hulls (NIANTIC VICTORY MCV-100, KNOX VICTORY MCV-184) to Pacific Missile Range tracking ships for 'Discoverer follow-on, MIDAS and SAMOS programs'; Port Hueneme basing, stations 800-3,000 miles down range of Point Arguello; designed for a 55-man civilian MSTS crew plus a 20-man PMR technical group, with instrumentation concentrated on the second deck of No. 3 hold and a roll-stabilization tank. SECNAVINST 5030.1B (1960-08-25) created the AGM 'Missile Range Instrumentation Ship' classification; SECNAV approved AGM-6/AGM-7 and the names WATERTOWN/HUNTSVILLE 1960-10-27 effective 1960-11-27. Both ships were converted by Triple A Machine Shop, Inc., San Francisco - Huntsville on range ~1961-01, Watertown ~1961-03 - and fitted with the Fairchild AN/SPQ-8 'Spook Eight' tracking radar on the stump of the former foremast. Both supported Mercury in 1962 and were modified in FY1966 for Apollo at Avondale Shipyards, Westwego, La., at about $20 million apiece (extra deck level between bridge and forecastle, new antennas/electronics, AN/FPS-105 replacing the SPQ-8); Watertown was blown ashore by Hurricane Betsy in September 1965 at the start of her conversion and was accepted at the Air Force Eastern Test Range, Cape Canaveral, 1967-07-19, with Apollo-mission manning of 14 officers, 56 crewmen, and 72 technical personnel including NASA flight controllers. Released by NASA in fall 1968, she then supported rocket launches from the Air Force Western Test Range, Vandenberg AFB, until the Air Force ended the requirement (Feb 1971 per class notes).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960-1972
- Population
- MSTS civilian crews, PMR/NASA technical groups (1961-1971); conversion-yard trades at Triple A Machine Shop (1960) and Avondale (1965-67)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation citing specific NARA files and the Steamship Historical Society journal - individual dates not re-verified against the original record cards this pass; custody dates corroborate against the MARAD cards (ev-03) and the service arc against DANFS (ev-01). Internal tension: class notes date the Air Force release decision Feb 1971 while the same page's disposition table and DANFS place inactivation Feb 1972. No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-04
-
[5]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS Watertown (T-AGM-6) - compiled chronology and NHHC photo NH 88079 [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/09/53/5306.htm - Watertown class chronology and specifications
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource's compiled chronology supplies the merchant-era operator chain: leased to American-Hawaiian SS Co. 1944-05-18; to Waterman SS Corp. 1946-11-06; laid up NDRF Wilmington, N.C. 1948-05-30; chartered by Union Sulphur & Oil Co. 1950-08-24; MSTS charters 1952-04-18 (Union Sulphur) and 1955-04-08 (Pope & Talbot); chartered by Isbrandtsen Co. 1956-12-11; laid up Suisun Bay 1958-01-24; permanent transfer to the Navy 1960-08-11; in service as USNS Watertown (T-AGM-6) 1960-11-27; struck from the Naval Register 1972-02-16; sold for scrapping 1974-05-23 to Dongkuk Steel Mill Co., Ltd., Seoul, South Korea, delivered to buyer 1974-07-16. Complement listed as 56; National Defense Service Medal; call sign NSSB.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - the Wilmington and Suisun lay-up dates, Union Sulphur delivery, MSTS annotations, Isbrandtsen last-operator record, Navy transfer date, strike date, and sale/delivery dates are independently corroborated by the digitized MARAD cards and milestones (ev-02, ev-03); the individual charter dates were not re-verified against charter agreements. Lists 'out of service in 1971.' No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-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 emergency shipbuilding program under which this 1944 VC2-S-AP3 hull was built at a Kaiser-managed yard - 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 hull and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard it, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-06
-
[7]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 139 S. Ct. 986 (2019), No. 17-1104 (U.S. Supreme Court, decided 2019-03-19) [court_record]
- Locator
- Syllabus and Kavanaugh, J., opinion, Part I; cert. to 3d Cir., 873 F.3d 232
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The Supreme Court's opinion records era-level Navy practice: manufacturers produced equipment for Navy ships that 'required asbestos insulation or asbestos parts to function as intended,' delivered much of it without asbestos, and 'the Navy later added the asbestos to the equipment' - documenting that mid-century Navy ship equipment was built around asbestos-containing components. The Court adopted a maritime duty-to-warn rule.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- Mid-century Navy equipment era described; opinion 2019
- Population
- Navy ship crews and shipyard workers (era context)
- Limitations
- Era-level doctrinal context only - names no hull and makes no finding about this vessel; the ships at issue were other Navy hulls. Included to anchor the era inference in ev-09 to a court-verified statement of Navy asbestos practice; does not establish exposure, causation, or legal eligibility for anyone aboard this ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-07
-
[8]In re American President Lines, Ltd., and 102 Other Shipowner-Defendants in the Ohio Asbestos Litigation (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991); Erdman v. Hudson Waterways Corp., 713 F. Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- MARDOC 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991), CourtListener opinion 558063; Erdman 713 F. Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1989)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Government-fleet merchant asbestos litigation proceeded under owner/operator names rather than hull names: MARDOC consolidated maritime asbestos claims against 103 shipowner/operators, and Erdman documents a seaman's asbestos claim aboard government-owned chartered vessels brought against the vessel's operator (Hudson Waterways). For a government-owned hull run by a succession of contract operators (American-Hawaiian, Waterman, Union Sulphur, Pope & Talbot, Isbrandtsen) and then civilian-crewed MSTS, litigation naming the operators or the United States would not surface in a hull-name docket search.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1989-1991
- Population
- Merchant mariners and MSTS civil-service mariners on government-owned vessels (class context)
- Limitations
- Procedural rulings name operators and the government-fleet context, not this hull; no opinion located making an asbestos finding aboard any VC2 hull or naming NIANTIC VICTORY/WATERTOWN. Ship-name searches undercount the true litigation surface for this vessel type - this row documents the limitation of the search method, not a litigation finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-08
-
[9]Era inference anchored to the ship's documented build record: MC type VC2-S-AP3 built 1944 at Oregon Shipbuilding (ev-01..03, ev-05), full wartime steam plant per the shipscribe class header (2 boilers 465 psi/750 deg F, geared turbines, 8,500 HP, 1 screw), in the peak period of marine asbestos use documented by Corn & Starr (ev-06) and the Navy equipment practice described in DeVries (ev-07) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Inference from ev-01..05 (build/conversion/disposal record), ev-06 (WWII shipbuilding asbestos study), ev-07 (era Navy asbestos practice)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As a 1944 emergency-program VC2-S-AP3 cargo ship with a full wartime steam plant, era-typical asbestos applications aboard this type would include boiler and steam-drum insulation, steam-line lagging between fireroom and engineroom, machinery and exhaust insulation, gaskets and packing, joiner and bulkhead fireproofing, deck underlayment, and winch/windlass brake linings. Two documented yard events disturbed era-fitted spaces: the 1960 Triple A Machine Shop conversion that gutted cargo holds for instrumentation spaces, and the 1965-67 Avondale Apollo upgrade that added a deck level between bridge and forecastle and replaced the radar/electronics suite. The hull was scrapped in South Korea in 1974; no abatement or hazmat documentation was located for any of these events.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1944-1974
- Population
- Construction trades (Oregon Shipbuilding, 1944); conversion-yard trades (Triple A Machine Shop, San Francisco, 1960; Avondale, Westwego, 1965-67); merchant crews and Armed Guard era complement (1944-58); MSTS civilian crew and PMR/NASA technical groups (1960-1971); Suisun Bay custody workers (1972-74); South Korean scrapping workers (1974)
- Limitations
- Era/design-level inference anchored to the documented build and conversion record (ev-01..05) and era documentation (ev-06..08), not a hull record - no material or insulation schedule for this hull or either conversion was located. Does not establish presence, quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-09
-
[10]Batch-423 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback, MARAD ShipHistory + milestones + six digitized record cards, shipscribe/NARA-derived class records, NavSource, archive.org ship-design-drawings collection, NVR live check, web litigation sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-usns-watertown-01 through sl-usns-watertown-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, MARAD environmental review, or pre-disposal materials assessment naming this hull was found in the public sources searched. Litigation status is UNSEARCHED, not 'no result': CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 (125/day limit, ~4.8 h backoff) and the web UI refused automated access (AWS WAF challenge), so the hull-name, T-AGM-6, and NIANTIC VICTORY docket sweep could not be executed this pass; a general web sweep returned only standard ship-history sources and no qualifying case.
- 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 1944 steam hull converted twice and scrapped abroad in 1974 is era-consistent with retained ACM at disposal, but that is inference. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. The blocked docket sweep is a real gap, logged as such.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-10
-
[11]NARA record-group mapping: RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 99 'Design Job Order File 19-60' (the BuShips AG(PMR) conversion design file cited by shipscribe); Triple A Machine Shop 1960 conversion contract and Avondale FY1966 Apollo-upgrade contract; MSTS/MSC deck logs and ship files for T-AGM-6; MARAD disposal file for contract MA-7381 / transfer order MA-13480 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 19; shipscribe 'special sources' note on AGM06 page; MARAD card references to MA-7381/MA-13480
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Record path mapped for ship-specific materials documentation: the BuShips AG(PMR) conversion design file (RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 99) is the likeliest source for conversion-era material specifications; the Triple A conversion contract and the Avondale Apollo-upgrade contract would carry demolition/installation scope; MSTS/MSC deck logs and ship files for T-AGM-6 (noncommissioned-vessel logs sit outside the RG 24 commissioned-ship series) would carry underway and repair activity; and the MARAD disposal file for contract MA-7381 / transfer order MA-13480 may carry hazmat or condition terms for the 1974 export scrapping.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960-1974 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed and no spend authorized; whether any asbestos-specific document exists in these series is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-11
-
[12]Date/type/class-conflict resolution across sources: shipscribe AGM06/AGM08 (NARA-derived), DANFS, MARAD record + cards, NavSource, Wikipedia secondary summary [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AGM06 class/disposition tables and AGM08 class page; DANFS Watertown entry; MARAD Detail 6402 cards; NavSource 5306; Wikipedia infobox (secondary)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary-source conflicts resolved: (a) Stricken date - Wikipedia's '16 February 1971' is inconsistent with DANFS, the shipscribe disposition table, and NavSource (all 1972-02-16) and with the 1972-03-22 Suisun Bay custody entry on the MARAD card; carried as 1972-02-16. (b) Out-of-service date - shipscribe class notes say Feb 1971 while its own disposition table and DANFS say Feb 1972; carried as 'out of service 1971-72' with the conflict stated rather than resolved. (c) Class membership - Wikipedia's 'lead ship of three ships in her class' conflicts with the NARA-derived class record listing exactly two '6-class' ships (Watertown, Huntsville); Wheeling (T-AGM-8) was a separate SCB Project 205A conversion of a different VC2-S-AP3 hull (ex-Seton Hall Victory, MCV-686, in service 1964) with a different design and radar fit. DANFS's header groups Watertown under 'cl. Range Tracker' - a DANFS grouping convention, not the ship-class assignment. (d) Type code - Wikipedia's infobox says VC2-S-AP2; MARAD, the MA-383 fleet card, NavSource, and shipscribe all say VC2-S-AP3 - carried as AP3. (e) 'Name change' date - MARAD logs it at the 1960-08-11 custody transfer while the SECNAV action effective 1960-11-27 produced the actual rename/designation (DANFS, shipscribe, NavSource); both dates retained with roles distinguished. (f) Suisun Bay custody entry - DANFS says '23 March,' MARAD's own milestone and shipscribe say 1972-03-22; carried as 1972-03-22 per the primary record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-19
- Study period
- 1960-1974
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies between secondary sources and the primary cards; the 1971 strike year is treated as a propagated typo in secondary sources. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-usns-watertown-12