Evidence
7 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-7).
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[1]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 program under which this C1-A cargo hull was built (1943) and converted to a motor torpedo boat tender (1943-44), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard maritime hulls.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context); Pusey & Jones construction trades and Maryland Drydock conversion workers (era inference)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Applied to this hull strictly as era inference.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-01
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[2]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Acontius' (AGP-12) - transcription mirror (hazegray DANFS archive); canonical NHHC page not located (returns 404 as of 2026-09-20, consistent with documented NHHC link rot) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS transcription, AGP-12 entry; fuller narrative text also mirrored at globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/agp-12.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: Acontius (AGP-12) was launched 12 October 1943 for the Maritime Commission by Pusey and Jones Corp., Wilmington, Del., as Cape Carthage; sponsored by Mrs. J. H. Deinlein; transferred to the Navy 22 December 1943; commissioned 23 June 1944, Lt. Comdr. R. G. Heppard, USNR, in command. She reported to the Pacific Fleet, arriving Tulagi, Solomon Islands, 18 September 1944, and for the remainder of WWII tended motor torpedo boat squadrons at Tulagi; Blanche Harbor, Treasury Islands; Palau; Leyte; and Samar. She returned to San Francisco in January 1946, decommissioned 22 March 1946, and was transferred to the Maritime Commission the same day. DANFS statistics line: dp. 5,236; l. 413'; b. 60'; dr. 22'6"; s. 14 k.; cpl. 289; a. 1 5"; cl. Acontius. The fuller DANFS narrative adds: shakedown at Guantanamo Bay, Panama Canal transit; MTBRon 31 at Tulagi with a brief October run to the Russell Islands; Blanche Harbor from 3 November 1944; Peleliu, Palau Islands from 21 December 1944 to 28 February 1945 with MTBRons 20 and 31; San Pedro Bay, Leyte from 3 March 1945 serving MTBRons 31 and 69; August 1945 flagship for Commander, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, Pacific Fleet; Guiuan anchorage, Samar, for PT-boat inactivation; reached the U.S. west coast 19 January 1946; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 17 April 1946; resumed the name Cape Carthage in Maritime Commission hands.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction milestones, and service narrative. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim. DANFS complement figure (289) conflicts with the conversion-design accommodation figure (538) in shipscribe - carried separately, not merged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-02
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[3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - CAPE CARTHAGE, Ship History Detail 5866, including digitized Vessel Status Card, Reserve Fleet Division vessel-data card, and Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 5866; status card scans at /cards/5866_AF.jpg and linked card images; custody card PDF /documents/f35bbd48-05f1-45b5-89a3-85ac36d3ed0d.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for Cape Carthage (1943), Detail 5866: Pusey and Jones Corporation build, type C1-A, 390 ft, 60 ft beam, 5,124 gross / 2,851 net tons; vessel name history 1943 Cape Carthage, 1943-1946 Acontius (AGP-12), 1946-1965 Cape Carthage; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Digitized MARAD status cards document: hull no. 304 (Pusey & Jones yard no. 1092), completed 1943-12-22 and delivered by builders to USMC at Wilmington 10:00 AM EWT, allocated to Navy Department (renamed Acontius AGP); delivered to Laid Up Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif. 1946-03-22; lay-up reason 'large cost for restoration to commercial use'; fleet card lists type 'C1-A Turbine,' 4,400 SHP, '2 WTB' (two water-tube boilers); 1953 memos (Yocco 3-31-53, Tiedemann 4-22-53) concern a reactivation estimate and approval of transfer to Maine Maritime Academy as a training ship (not executed); Record of Ship Sales card documents PD-X-689 advertised 1965-03-17, opened 1965-04-07, awarded 1965-04-12 to Nicolai Joffe Corp. - lump-sum payment of $196,972.00 covering CAPE CARTHAGE, CAPE MENDOCINO, and CAPE PERPETUA - 'Dismantle Hull US'; withdrawn from fleet and delivered to purchaser 1965-04-29 11:30 PDST at Suisun Bay.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- NDRF caretaker crews at Suisun Bay (1946-1965); scrapping-yard workers (1965)
- Limitations
- Authoritative primary record for government custody milestones, propulsion type ('C1-A Turbine,' '2 WTB,' 4,400 SHP), layup rationale, and disposal. Status-card handwriting partially legible (read directly from scans). Contains no asbestos, insulation-materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim. Confirms steam plant, which makes era-consistent asbestos insulation plausible but does not document it aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-03
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[4]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Acontius (AGP-12) Class,' shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary ships reference (compiled from official bureau/yard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AGP-12 class page: class notes, construction/disposition tables, ship notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe (S. S. Roberts) class record for ACONTIUS (AGP-12) class: design MC C1-A, two ships (AGP-12 ex-Cape Carthage, MC 304; AGP-13 ex-Cape Farewell, MC 891); the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended on 1943-06-11 acquisition of two C1 cargo ships for AGP conversion because larger tenders than the LST conversions were needed to maintain PT boats and house their crews; both units were of the steam C1-A type; conversion plans provided accommodations for 53 officers, 45 CPOs, and 440 enlisted plus facilities for repairing and tending 24 PT boats, with a 50-ton-capacity main boom; Acontius arrived at Maryland Drydock, Baltimore 1943-12-24 and conversion began 1943-12-27; machinery Allis-Chalmers turbine, one screw, 4,000 HP, 14 knots; scrapped by 1965-10-25.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Population
- Ship's company and embarked PT-boat squadron personnel under repair (up to ~538 berths by design)
- Limitations
- Scholarly compilation drawn from official records (BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board documentation) but not itself a government publication. Documents the conversion scope (added accommodations and repair facilities) relevant to where era-typical insulation would have been installed, but contains no asbestos statement and supports no asbestos claim. Design accommodation figure (538) differs from DANFS complement (289) - discrepancy logged, not merged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-04
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[5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Acontius (AGP-12) page (volunteer transcription archive drawing on DANFS, NVR, and Navy campaign records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/0912 - milestones, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign table (Luzon operation), battle-star line, commanding-officer list
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Acontius (AGP-12) reproduces the milestone chain consistent with DANFS/MARAD (laid down 1943-06-05 as Cape Carthage, MC hull 304, C1-A, Pusey & Jones; launched 1943-10-12; acquired 1943-12-22; converted at Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore; commissioned 1944-06-23, LCDR Roland G. Heppard, USNR; decommissioned and transferred to the Maritime Commission 1946-03-22; laid up NDRF Suisun Bay as SS Cape Carthage; struck from the Naval Register 1946-04-17; sold for scrapping 1965-04-12 under PD-X-689 to Nicolai Joffe Corp., Beverly Hills, removed 1965-04-29) and additionally credits the ship with Asiatic-Pacific Campaign participation in the Luzon operation, 1945-03-03 to 1945-04-01, and one battle star for WWII service; commanding officers LCDR Roland G. Heppard (to 1945-10-31) and LT Franklin P. Liberty (to 1946-03-22).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained transcription archive, not a government publication; milestones agree with DANFS and the MARAD cards but the campaign-credit and battle-star line was not independently verified against the official awards register this pass (direct fetch to navsource.org failed - content verified via search-engine index). Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-05
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[6]Batch-735 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription; MARAD ShipHistory 5866 + status cards; shipscribe AGP-12 class page; NavSource 09/0912; CourtListener via API (throttled) and Google-indexed site search; NARA Special List 44 and Ship Plan Index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-acontius-agp12-01 through sl-uss-acontius-agp12-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed litigation naming USS Acontius / AGP-12 / Cape Carthage (MC 304) was found in the public sources searched. The hull was scrapped in 1965, before asbestos-abatement recordkeeping was common for disposal vessels; the MARAD custody and sales cards contain no materials or hazmat statements. A web-surface check returned only a generic law-firm marketing list naming the ship among all AGPs - non-qualifying, excluded as a source per batch rules (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a steam C1-A built and converted in 1943-44 is era-consistent with installed asbestos-containing materials, and a hull scrapped in 1965 predates routine abatement documentation. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Direct CourtListener API search was rate-limit blocked this session (see ledger sl-07) - a direct docket-level search remains an open check.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-06
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[7]NARA Special List 44 (named-vessel logbooks); NARA Ship Plan Index entry for ACONTIUS AGP-12 (NAID 153713516); NARA record-group guidance for RG 24 / RG 38 / RG 178 / RG 19 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 vessel row 'Acontius (AGP-12) 6/23/1944-6/30/1945'; https://www.archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index row 'ACONTIUS | AGP-12 | 19 | Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings | 153713516'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): (a) NARA Special List 44 lists USS Acontius (AGP-12) logbooks covering 1944-06-23 to 1945-06-30; later logs (July 1945 - March 1946) sit in the main WWII deck-log series (RG 24, NARA College Park). (b) NARA Ship Plan Index lists 'ACONTIUS AGP-12,' 19 items in the hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings (NAID 153713516) - plans could show insulation specifications for the conversion. (c) WWII ship war diaries (RG 38) and Pusey & Jones / Maryland Drydock conversion records (RG 178 USMC, RG 19 BuShips) are additional unsearched holdings.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965 records
- Limitations
- Record-location mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents in these holdings is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-acontius-agp12-07