Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-cv-packet.md (4 sources cited) [museum_official]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-abnaki-at96-pkt-crew-cv-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Abnaki (ATF-96) 1943-1978 (Raymond A. Mann, 26 January 1983) - construction, commissioning, full service narrative through Mexican transfer; live NHHC page [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS service narrative and spec block; NHHC page published 25 Jul 2018
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 28 November 1942 at Charleston, S.C., by Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 22 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James Mayon Jones; commissioned at the Charleston Navy Yard 25 November 1943, Lt. Dewey Walley in command. Spec block: displacement 1,240; length 205'0"; beam 38'6"; draft 15'4"; speed 16.5 knots (trial); complement 85; armament 1 3-inch, 2 40 millimeter; class Abnaki. Service: Atlantic Fleet towing 1943-45 incl. towing captured German submarine U-505 to Bermuda (arrived 19 June 1944) for TG 22.3; Pacific Fleet from April 1945 - Kwajalein (25 Jul 1945), Eniwetok, Japan occupation (Oct 1945-mid-1946), China service Shanghai/Tsingtao (from Jul 1946), Marianas towing; Service Division 31 Korea logistics support Jul 1951-Feb 1952; 'an overhaul or two' at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard before 1955; Tachen Islands evacuation Mar 1955; Pearl Harbor homeport from Jul 1955; towed Springfield (CL-66) San Francisco-Rodman Mar 1957; Vietnam-era service 1965-72 incl. minecraft-squadron tender (Mar-Apr 1965), Yankee Station trawler surveillance (Soviet trawlers Ampermetr, Gidrofon - photo K-43379 Dec 1967), Clarke County (LST-601) salvage Nov-Dec 1967 with Bolster (ARS-38) and Ute (ATF-76), standby salvage ship Danang Oct 1972; Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard overhaul 8 Jul-25 Oct 1968; homeport San Diego Jul 1973; Fellows & Stuart Shipyard overhaul 19 Feb-19 Sep 1974; Operation Frequent Wind Apr 1975; 1976-77 western Pacific deployment reaching Fiji (Suva, 17-21 Sep 1976), Borneo (Kuching), and Hong Kong; 1978 cable-laying-ship tow to Panama with call at Esmeraldas, Ecuador, returning to San Diego 12 Feb 1978; out of commission, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, and transferred to the Mexican Navy 30 Sep 1978 as Yaqui (A-18), Lt. Guttierez in command. 'Abnaki earned three battle stars for service during the Korean conflict and 10 battle stars during the Vietnam war.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1978
- Population
- Charleston S&D construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-78); yard trades at Charleston Navy Yard (commissioning), Pearl Harbor NSY (overhauls), Terminal Island NSY (1947), Fellows & Stuart (1974)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; contains no asbestos or material-content statement. Commissioning date conflicts with NavSource header and NARA logbook start (15 vs 25 Nov 1943) - DANFS date carried, conflict logged in gaps. DANFS '10 battle stars' Vietnam vs NavSource's enumerated 7 campaigns (VSM w/ 6 stars + AFEM) - presentation difference noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Abnaki (ATF-96) ex AT-96 - designation timeline, specifications, campaign tables, commanding-officer list, Mexican disposition, photographic record (live navsource.net page verified 2026-10-06) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/39/39096.htm header block, awards display, campaign tables, specifications block, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 28 November 1942 as Fleet Tug AT-96 at Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, S.C.; launched 22 April 1943; commissioned USS Abnaki (AT-96) 15 November 1943, LT. Dewey Walley in command (header) - though NavSource's own commanding-officer list starts Walley 25 November 1943, matching DANFS; reclassified Fleet Ocean Tug ATF-96 15 May 1944. Sold under the Security Assistance Program to Mexico 1 September 1978; decommissioned, struck from the Naval Register, and transferred to Mexico 30 September 1978 - photographed alongside sister Cocopa (ATF-101) at the joint decommissioning/transfer. Mexican service: ARM Yaqui (A-18), Lt. Guttierez; renamed ARM A.H. Ehecatl (A-53) - photographed 1996-97 at Guaymas; renamed back ARM Yaqui (ARE-02); reported active in Mexican Navy. Specifications: 1,205 t. light / 1,675 t. full; 205' x 38'6" x 15'5"; 16.5 kts; complement 5 officers + 80 enlisted; armament 1x 3"/50 DP, 2 twin 40mm AA, 2 single 20mm AA. Propulsion 'As Built': four Busch-Sulzer (mod 12-278) diesel-electric engines; 'Modernized': four Alco diesels driving four General Electric generators + three General Motors 3-268A auxiliary engines, single propeller 3,000 shp. Campaign tables: Korea - Communist China Spring Offensive, UN Summer-Fall Offensive, Second Korean Winter; Vietnam - Advisory Campaign, Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase II, Phase III, Phase VII, Consolidation I, Ceasefire. Awards display incl. Navy MUC (2), China Service Medal (extended), Navy Occupation w/ Asia clasp, NDSM (2), Korean Service (3), AFEM, VSM (6), Humanitarian Service Medal, UN Service, RVN Campaign, ROK War Service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-present
- Population
- Charleston S&D construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-78); Mexican Navy crew (1978- )
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - its 15 Nov 1943 commissioning header conflicts with DANFS (25 Nov) and with its own CO list (25 Nov); NARA logbook begins 11/15/1943, so the conflict is unresolved. Contains no asbestos content. Post-1978 Mexican names/dates are undated in the source; Wikipedia's Mexican-fleet list diverges (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-02
-
[4]NavSource photo captions, USS Abnaki (ATF-96) page - yard-event and presence documentation (contributor Joseph Colombara; US Navy photos) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/39/39096.htm photo table (093909654-093909659 Terminal Island series; 093909624 Sinclair Inlet; 093909610-093909611 transfer)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Photo-documented yard events for this hull: six photographs show 'the removal of USS Abnaki (ATF-96)'s main propulsion motor and switchboard at US Naval Shipyard Terminal Island, CA. in 1947' - a major machinery-space work event consistent with the class's post-war re-engining (Busch-Sulzer to Alco per the NavSource spec block). Additional captions document the ship underway in Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, WA, 15 July 1947, credited to 'US Navy Yard Puget Sound photos'; and the decommissioning/transfer ceremony with sister Cocopa (ATF-101), 30 September 1978.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1947; 1978
- Population
- Terminal Island NSY trades (1947); crew during yard period; PSNSY vicinity (Jul 1947)
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: photographs establish the event/presence, not its scope - the Terminal Island motor/switchboard removal is documented but the work order, materials disturbed (incl. any insulation), and duration are not. Sinclair Inlet photos establish presence near Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, not an availability. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-03
-
[5]NARA digitized logbooks for this hull: Special List 44 entry 'Abnaki (AT-96), 11/15/1943 - 12/31/1945' (logbooks online through the National Archives Catalog) plus 'Abnaki (ATF-96)' deck logs for 1961-1970 searchable within NAID 594258 [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named (Abnaki row); archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online (Abnaki ATF-96, years 1961-1970 within NAID 594258)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds digitized deck logs for this hull across two periods: the wartime logbook of Abnaki (AT-96) covering 11/15/1943 - 12/31/1945 (Special List 44, available online via the National Archives Catalog), and Abnaki (ATF-96) deck logs for years 1961-1970 (NARA 'Logbooks of the U.S. Navy' online index, file units within NAID 594258). Deck logs are the most promising primary source for material-removal and shipyard-work references aboard this hull; they were located as an index this session and not read page-by-page.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1943-1945; 1961-1970
- Population
- Crew and any embarked/work-aboard personnel in the covered periods
- Limitations
- Archival lead only - index-level verification, not page-level reading. The 11/15/1943 logbook start date is itself relevant to the commissioning-date conflict (supports NavSource's 15 Nov vs DANFS's 25 Nov). Coverage gap: 1946-1960 and 1971-1978 logs not shown online; those remain paper-only at NARA. A Facebook group has published deck-log summary posts for 1961-1970 incl. a mention of 'asbestos remediation in parts of the ship' - unverifiable (Facebook not scrapable), logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-04
-
[6]Top Class Actions litigation report (9 Nov 2017): Vernon F. and spouse v. Crane Co., Viking Pump Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Co., et al., No. 1:17-cv-00517-LEK-KJM - federal docket format (D. Haw.; PlainSite attorney-docket profiles index the same docket filed 10/13/2017 as '022FAD3 v. Crane Company' with Viking Pump, Inc.) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- TCA article text (case narrative, defendants, causes of action, case number); PlainSite Carlsmith Ball LLP profile entries for 1:17-cv-00517
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Docketed asbestos action naming this hull: complaint filed 13 October 2017 (anonymized federal caption; reported plaintiff 'Vernon F.' and spouse) alleges the plaintiff's mesothelioma (diagnosed May 2017) resulted from asbestos exposure during Navy service aboard USS Tombigbee and USS Abnaki circa 1955-1959, including periods when the ships were overhauled at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Alleged asbestos products: insulation, valves, boilers, compressors, pumps, distillers, condensers - manufactured, sold, or supplied by defendants to the Navy for upgrading/retrofitting the two ships. Nine causes of action incl. failure to warn, negligence, conspiracy to commit fraud, fraudulent concealment; loss of consortium claimed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1955-1959 (alleged exposure); 2017 (filing)
- Population
- Crewmember aboard USS Abnaki circa 1955-1959 (alleged); PHNSY overhaul-period exposure alleged
- Limitations
- PLEADING-STAGE ALLEGATION - classified at the least-final stage: the complaint's vessel list is an allegation, not a finding; no adjudication, verdict, or merits disposition for this hull was located. Venue ambiguity: the TCA report labels the filing 'Circuit Court of the State of Hawaii, First Circuit' while the case number it prints (1:17-cv-00517-LEK-KJM) is a U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii format - the federal docket is corroborated by PlainSite (Carlsmith Ball LLP profile), so the D. Haw. docket is treated as operative and the state-court label as likely describing the pre-removal filing (pattern consistent with federal-officer removal in Hawaii asbestos cases, e.g. Leite v. Crane). Plaintiff surname anonymized in the federal record. Establishes no exposure fact, product content, or quantity.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-05
-
[7]Nicholson (Estate of Robert H. Nicholson) v. Dana Corp. et al., Broward County, Fla., 17th Judicial Circuit asbestos division, CACE-19-026657 - Pneumo Abex LLC's Opposition to Plaintiff's Motion in Limine to Limit the Expert Testimony of Christopher P. Herfel (filed 30 Mar 2022; DocketAlarm document, PDF retrieved) [court_record]
- Locator
- CACE-19-026657, document dated 30 Mar 2022 ('Opposition'); indexed text match 'USS Abnaki (ATF-96)'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Discovery-stage filing naming this hull: in a Florida asbestos personal-injury action, defendant Pneumo Abex opposed exclusion of expert Christopher P. Herfel - a marine engineer and naval archivist proffered 'to authenticate Navy documents that show that amosite asbestos was present on ships and submarines where Mr. Nicholson worked.' The filing's indexed document text includes 'USS Abnaki (ATF-96)' among the vessels (per DocketAlarm's indexed text of the document set); the decedent was a Navy veteran whose service included this hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 2022 (filing); exposure period per expert report (not retrieved)
- Population
- Robert H. Nicholson (decedent), Navy service incl. this hull (per litigation record)
- Limitations
- DISCOVERY-STAGE MATERIAL - a party filing describing an expert report, not an adjudicated finding. Retrieved PDF is the 3-page opposition brief; the Herfel report exhibit (with the full ship list) was not independently retrieved - the 'USS Abnaki (ATF-96)' mention is verified via DocketAlarm's indexed document text, so verification is partial. Establishes that the decedent worked aboard this hull per the litigation record and that an expert opined amosite asbestos was present on those ships; it does not establish exposure, product identity, or quantity aboard this specific hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-06
-
[8]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Abnaki-class fleet ocean tug); NavSource specifications (diesel-electric - Busch-Sulzer as built, Alco/GE modernized, single screw 3,000 shp); shipyard-exposure-map documented asbestos product lists for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (overhaul yard) and Charleston Naval Shipyard (commissioning site); GAO HRD-80-2 (see ev-08) [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications block; shipyards.json product lists for pearl-harbor-naval-shipyard and charleston-naval-shipyard
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric fleet ocean tug built 1942-43 sits inside the Navy's documented asbestos-use era; era-standard applications aboard a naval auxiliary of this type and period were thermal insulation, machinery and diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, and electrical insulation in the confined hull volume. As a diesel-electric ship she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, though the alleged exposure sources in the 2017 complaint (insulation, valves, boilers, compressors, pumps, distillers, condensers) reflect that auxiliaries still carried boilers/evaporators and steam-adjacent systems.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1978
- Population
- Charleston S&D construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-78); yard trades at PHNSY overhauls, Terminal Island NSY 1947, Fellows & Stuart 1974; Mexican Navy crew (1978- )
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for AT-96/ATF-96. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. Product names are normalized era terms; no manufacturer attribution for this hull beyond the litigation allegations.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-07
-
[9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979; publicly released Oct 22, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2, Highlights section
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and U.S. service era (1943-78). Navy policy in 1975 was to remove and replace with nonasbestos materials only insulation that was damaged or had to be removed for necessary repairs; modified 1979 to include selective replacement in high-maintenance areas. Fieldwork yards were Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Fieldwork yards were not yards where this hull was worked. Verified via live GAO product page (firecrawl, 2026-10-06); full report PDF linked but not extracted.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-08
-
[10]Kolonel LN, Yoshizawa CN, Hirohata T, Myers BC. 'Cancer occurrence in shipyard workers exposed to asbestos in Hawaii.' Cancer Res 1985;45(8):3924-8 (PMID 4016758); Sinks T, Goodman MT, Kolonel LN, Anderson B. 'A case-control study of mesothelioma and employment in the Hawaii sugarcane industry.' Epidemiology 1994;5(4):466-8 (PMID 7918819) [other_primary]
- Locator
- PMID 4016758 abstract (Cancer Res 1985); PMID 7918819 abstract (Epidemiology 1994)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed documentation of asbestos disease at this hull's principal overhaul yard: Kolonel et al. (1985) followed a retrospective cohort of 7,971 male Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers up to 29 years - lung cancer RR 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-2.0) at >=15 years asbestos exposure, RR 1.7 at >=30-year latency, and 7 mesotheliomas 1977-82 in the 7,029 Hawaii-resident subset (67.3 per million men/yr vs 5.8 statewide). Sinks et al. (1994), in a 93-case/281-control mesothelioma study, found work at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard associated with a 10-fold increase when asbestos-related cancer controls were excluded (OR 10.1, 95% CI 2.6-56.6). Abnaki underwent Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard overhauls ('an overhaul or two' pre-1955; 8 Jul-25 Oct 1968 per DANFS) and the 2017 complaint alleges overhaul-period exposure there circa 1955-59.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- cohort follow-up to 29 yr (1985 study); case-control 1994
- Population
- 7,971 male PHNSY workers (Kolonel cohort); 93 Hawaii mesothelioma cases vs 281 controls (Sinks)
- Limitations
- Yard-level epidemiology, not a hull record: documents asbestos exposure and disease among PHNSY workers generally - this hull is not named in either study. Establishes hazard at a yard where this hull was overhauled, not materials aboard or individual exposure. PubMed pages return reCAPTCHA to automated fetch; both records verified live via NCBI eutils (efetch) same date. PMID 7918819's title foregrounds sugarcane; the PHNSY finding is a reported secondary result within it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-09
-
[11]Batch-2835 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource live page; NARA logbook index; GAO product page; PubMed via efetch; Top Class Actions + PlainSite docket corroboration; DocketAlarm document; secondary web sweep; CourtListener (blocked - fleet pacing) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-abnaki-at96-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos technical record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated exposure finding for USS Abnaki (AT-96/ATF-96) was found in the public sources searched. Ship-specific records that exist are two unadjudicated litigation allegations (ev-05 pleading; ev-06 discovery-stage expert report). CAVEAT: CourtListener repository searches could not be completed - the fleet-wide authenticated budget was momentarily spent on each attempt (helper's ~58/hr pacing); logged as blocked in search_ledger, NOT as a negative result. Secondary sweeps surfaced only law-firm marketing content naming the hull (asbestos-ships.com, mesobook.com, freeasbestostesting.com, galiherlaw.com PHNSY page, goldenarrowresearch.com list) - excluded by source policy.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 2026-10-06
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public technical record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap (paced/blocked, not run). NARA deck logs (1943-45 logbook; 1961-70) are digitized and unread - a live lead. Mexican-era (1978- ) material condition is undocumented. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-abnaki-at96-10