USS Aegir (AS-23)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Aegir' (AS-23) - NHHC ship-histories page (live URL 404s this session; retrieved via Wayback Machine capture 2025-02-02; latest archive index shows captures through 2025-12-09) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Aegir (AS-23)' full entry text, stat block and narrative paragraphs 1-3

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Aegir (AS-23): namesake 'In Norse mythology, the god who presides over stormy seas.' Stat block 'dp. 16,500; l. 492'; b. 69'6"; dr. 27'; s. 18.4 k.; cpl. 1,460; a. 1 5", 4 3", 4 40mm., 20 20mm.; cl. Aegir; T. C3-S-A2.' Laid down 1943-03-31 under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 856) by Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula, Miss.; launched 1943-09-15 (sponsor Mrs. James A. Sweeney); acquired by Navy and placed in temporary commission 1943-11-20 for passage to conversion yard; turned over to Todd Shipyards Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y., and simultaneously decommissioned 1943-12-03; placed in full commission at Brooklyn 1944-09-08, Cmdr. A. L. Prosser. Shakedown New London early October 1944; departed 1944-10-23 for Pearl Harbor via Panama Canal and San Diego; reached Hawaii 1944-11-18, assigned Submarine Squadron 24; stationed at Midway until 1945-09-01 furnishing refitting and tender services to SubRon 24 submarines. Returned to U.S. west coast 1945-09-11, moored at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, serviced submarines awaiting decommissioning; out of commission in reserve at Mare Island 1946-10-18; inactive until stricken 1971-06-01; sold 1972-05-16 to National Metal & Steel Co., Terminal Island, Calif., and scrapped.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1972

   Population

   Crew (~1,460 wartime complement per stat block); SubRon 24 submarine crews serviced alongside at Midway 1944-45

   Limitations

   Authoritative Navy narrative; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat statement. Narrative ends at sale; post-1946 reserve-fleet detail absent (the 1960 San Diego PacResFlt claim circulating in secondary sources is not in DANFS - logged as discrepancy). Live NHHC URL 404 standing link-rot issue per BATCH-01 report; Wayback capture used.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-01

2. [2]U.S. DOT Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database, ShipHistory Detail 5637 - AEGIR (AS-23): characteristics, milestones, and digitized status cards (Form MA-20 PD-X-936; Form MA-199) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 5637 - Milestones table; status-card scans (cards/5637_AF.jpg MA-20 sale card; companion PNG MA-199 operating-history card)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD Vessel History Database record for AEGIR (AS-23), ShipHistory Detail 5637: year built 1943; shipyard Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; general type Naval Auxiliary, specific type 'AS Submarine Tender'; MARAD type C3-S-A2; length 492 ft; displacement light 7,730 t; fate 'Scrapped.' Milestones: Sale 1972-05-16 'Sold for scrap to National Metal and Steel Corp. for $90,000'; Acquisition 1972-05-16 'MARAD took title from US Navy'; Withdrawal 1972-06-02 'Vessel delivered to National Metal and Steel as part of scrap sale.' No historical narrative, documents, or plans posted. Digitized status cards: (a) Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales, file PD-X-936 - USS AEGIR (AS-23), type C3-S-A2, awarded to National Metal & Steel Corp. 5-16-72 for $90,000.00 under contract MA-6699, year built 1943, built by Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. Pascagoula Miss., 'Displacement Light 7,730', location of vessel 'San Diego, California', remarks 'Advertised under two condition: (1) NTU (2) Scrap Hull - U.S. Award under Condition (2) Scrap Hull - U.S.'; card prints 'Extreme Beam 19 ft 6 in' with handwritten correction to 69'6". (b) Form MA-199 Vessel Status Card - flag U.S. Navy, type 'Freighter', design C3-S-A2; operating history: U.S. Navy -> Maritime Admin. at San Diego 5-16-72; Maritime Admin. -> National Metal & Steel Corp., 'Purchased / Scrap'; physical delivery 6-2-72 11:00 am local time.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1972 (milestones/cards); vessel record 1943-1972

   Population

   National Metal & Steel Corp. dismantling workforce, Terminal Island (1972, program context)

   Limitations

   Official MARAD custody/disposal record; contains no asbestos or hazmat statement. Documents sale-conditions and delivery chain, not material condition of the hull. Card's 'San Diego, California' location conflicts with DANFS's 'remained inactive at Mare Island' framing - logged as discrepancy (Pacific Reserve Fleet San Diego Group berth at disposal is consistent with the card). Typed 'Extreme Beam 19 ft 6 in' on the card is a clerical error; handwritten 69'6" correction matches DANFS.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-02

3. [3]NavSource Naval History, USS Aegir (AS-23) photo-archive page 09/36/3623 (volunteer transcribed secondary compilation; photo credits to NHHC, US National Archives, and contributors) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AS-23 page - chronology block, specifications block, awards block, commanding-officer table, photo-caption credits; award-dates PDF 3623a.pdf

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Aegir (AS-23): chronology concurring with DANFS (laid down 1943-03-31 MC hull 856 Ingalls Pascagoula; launched 1943-09-15; acquired/temporary commission 1943-11-20; decommissioned 1943-12-03 to Todd Ship Yards Corp., Brooklyn; recommissioned 1944-09-08 CDR A. L. Prosser; Asiatic-Pacific Theater; decommissioned 1946-10-18 in reserve at Mare Island; struck 1971-06-01; transferred MARAD; sold for scrapping 1972-05-16 to National Metal & Steel Co., Terminal Island). Specifications: 16,500 t (fl); 492'6" x 69'6" x 27'; 18.4 kts; complement 82 officers + 1,378 enlisted; 30-t boom; armament one 5"/38, four 3"/50, two twin 40mm, twenty 20mm; propulsion one Westinghouse geared turbine, two Foster-Wheeler D-type boilers 465 psi 765 deg F, double Westinghouse main reduction gear, four turbo-drive 300 kW ship's-service generators, single propeller 8,500 shp; diesel oil capacity 20,300 bbls. Awards: American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1944-11-18 to 1945-09-02); WWII Victory Medal. Commanding officers: CAPT Albert Laurence Prosser 1944-09-08 to 1945-04-12; CAPT John Moore Boyd from 1945-04-12. Photo captions include NHHC photo NH 93497 (Aegir in Measure 31 Design 12F alongside USS Proteus AS-19 in Measure 32 Design 5AS at Midway, circa Nov-Dec 1944) and a circa-1946 Mare Island Reserve Fleet overhead view with USS Griffin (AS-13), USS Euryale (AS-22), Aegir, and USS Pelias (AS-14) among 52 mothballed submarines; underway photo Sept 1944 credited NARA 19-N-71738 (RG-19 LCM).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1972

   Population

   Crew (82 officers + 1,378 enlisted per spec block)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation, not an official record - chronology and stat values corroborated against DANFS where overlapping (all core dates match). Photo captions document locations/company but not work scope or materials. Contains no asbestos or hazmat statement. Campaign ribbon block gives no battle stars for this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-03

4. [4]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 World War II - the era and program under which this vessel was built (laid down March 1943 at Ingalls, Pascagoula; converted to submarine tender at Todd Shipyards Brooklyn, December 1943 - September 1944) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard Naval and merchant-type hulls. For a steam-driven auxiliary of this era operating a 465-psi/765 deg F superheated plant, era-typical asbestos applications would include boiler and steam-drum insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, electrical cable insulation, deck/bulkhead fireproofing, and winch/windlass brake linings - inference from era and type, not a hull record.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article published 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and Navy crews (class/era context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, this builder, or this ship type specifically, and does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Ingalls Shipbuilding and Todd Shipyards do not appear in the article. The listed applications are era-typical inference, not documented installations on AS-23.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-04

5. [5]National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection, via Portal to Texas History (UNT Libraries): 'Oral History Interview with James Norman, October 20, 2018' (metapth1610889); 'Oral History Interview with Wilburn Laas, November 26, 2007' [museum_official]

   Locator

   Portal to Texas History item page metapth1610889 (Norman, engineering officer aboard Feb 1945 Midway); Laas interview record in same collection (portal search is JS-challenge-blocked to automated fetch; item identified via museum collection description)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Two oral histories in the National Museum of the Pacific War collection (housed at the Portal to Texas History) name this hull: (a) James Norman, interviewed 2018-10-20 - commissioned after midshipman school at Notre Dame and diesel-engineering school in North Carolina; 'assigned to the submarine tender USS Aegir (AS-23) as an engineering officer in February 1945 at Midway Island'; postwar assigned to USS Sprig (AM-384) in Japanese waters; discharged August 1946. (b) Wilburn Laas, interviewed 2007-11-26 - joined the Navy April 1944; served aboard USS Aegir at Midway in Submarine Squadron 45, Division 292, performing refitting and tender services to SubRon 24 submarines including diving to string degaussing cables around submarines and cleaning barnacles from sonar equipment; describes a severe typhoon en route to Subic Bay; discharged May 1946.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1946 service recalled; interviews 2007, 2018

   Population

   USS Aegir crew, Midway detachment period (Laas enlisted crewman SubRon 45 Div 292; Norman engineering officer) 1944-46

   Limitations

   First-person recollections recorded 2007/2018 - primary for veteran service aboard this hull and tender duties performed (degaussing, sonar cleaning, engineering department). Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; does not establish exposure. Laas item page not directly fetched (portal anti-bot wall) - metadata via collection description, flagged rather than silently adopted.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-05

6. [6]Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc. v. Asbestos Health Claimants, 17 F.3d 130 (5th Cir. 1994), No. 93-7077, decided 1994-03-30 (opinion via vLex case-law mirror; CourtListener corroboration attempted under fleet pacing) [court_record]

   Locator

   17 F.3d 130 - facts/procedural-history section (approx. 3,100 asbestos claims, OALJ transfer dispute)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Published Fifth Circuit opinion documents asbestos claims at the builder yard: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc. v. Asbestos Health Claimants, 17 F.3d 130 (5th Cir. 1994) - Ingalls sought mandamus compelling the DOL Sixth Compensation District Director to transfer approximately 3,100 asbestos claims by former Ingalls shipyard workers to the Office of Administrative Law Judges; affirmed. Establishes that asbestos-related occupational claims by workers at Ingalls Shipbuilding (Pascagoula) were litigated at volume - the yard that built this hull (MC hull 856, 1943).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   claims predating 1994-03-30 opinion

   Population

   Ingalls Shipbuilding workforce, Pascagoula (yard-level context)

   Limitations

   Yard-level procedural ruling about LHWCA asbestos claims administration at Ingalls - does not name this hull, does not date the claims' exposure period, and makes no finding about materials aboard any vessel. Documents that the builder's workforce litigated asbestos claims at volume, not that this hull contained asbestos. vLex mirror is an aggregator; reporter citation is the authoritative cite.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-06

7. [7]Los Angeles Maritime Museum photograph catalog FA.2010.3365.08 (1974): 'aerial view of National Metal and Steel Corporation berths with several ships being scrapped, Terminal Island, Calif.' [museum_official]

   Locator

   Museum catalog record FA.2010.3365.08 (1974 print, Terminal Island); MARAD milestones (delivery 1972-06-02)

   Finding type

   environmental_record

   Finding

   Disposal-pathway documentation: the Los Angeles Maritime Museum photograph catalog includes a 1974 aerial view of National Metal & Steel Corporation berths at Terminal Island, California, with several ships being scrapped - corroborating that the facility to which this hull was delivered 1972-06-02 was an active shipbreaking yard dismantling decommissioned Navy ships in the period. The sale predates the modern MARAD disposal-documentation regime (NHPA vessel assessments, posted disposal contracts, hazmat conditions) and no environmental or hazmat record for this hull's dismantling was located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1972 (disposal); photo 1974

   Population

   National Metal & Steel shipbreaking workforce, Terminal Island (1972, context)

   Limitations

   Documents the scrapper facility's existence and activity, not conditions aboard this hull during dismantling. Shipbreaking of WWII-era hulls is era-consistent with asbestos disturbance, but no survey, manifest, or enforcement record for this vessel's scrapping was located - the 1972 disposal predates modern hazmat documentation practice.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-07

8. [8]U.S. EPA Superfund site profile MSD050648757 (INGALLS WEST BANK SHIPBLDG., Pascagoula, MS); EPA Facility Registry Service detail for Ingalls Shipbuilding Pascagoula Operations (registry 110000590888) [other_primary]

   Locator

   EPA CERCLA site-information block (NFRAP status); FRS affiliation list (asbestos-contractor entries)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Builder-yard environmental tracking located: EPA Superfund (CERCLA) profile 'INGALLS WEST BANK SHIPBLDG.' (EPA ID MSD050648757, West River Road, Pascagoula, MS) carries non-NPL status 'NFRAP - Site does not qualify for the NPL based on existing information.' The EPA FRS facility record for 'INGALLS SHIPBUILDING, PASCAGOULA OPERATIONS' lists MS-ENSITE affiliations including named asbestos-abatement contractors (ESA South Inc.; Abatement Contractors of Mississippi Inc.) - documenting that asbestos remediation contractors have operated at the modern Ingalls site. The West Bank facility is the post-1968 expansion site; this hull was built on the original east-bank yard in 1943.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   site records through profile date

   Population

   Ingalls Pascagoula workforce (site-level context)

   Limitations

   Site-level environmental records for the modern Ingalls complex - not a hull record and not evidence about materials installed aboard this vessel in 1943-44. The NFRAP profile covers the West Bank expansion area, not the 1943 east-bank construction yard. No finding about this hull follows.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-08

9. [9]CourtListener API v4 search (authenticated, fleet-paced via cl-auth-search.py): opinion queries '"USS Aegir"' (0), '"Aegir" asbestos' (0), '"AS-23" asbestos' (26 collisions); docket query '"USS Aegir"' (0); '"Aegir" asbestos' dockets blocked by fleet pacing 2026-09-26 [court_record]

   Locator

   CourtListener search result sets - all hits screened to case/docket level for collision; helper stderr pacing advisories on blocked attempts

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweep via required fleet helper cl-auth-search.py (2026-09-26): Opinions - '"USS Aegir"' 0 hits; '"Aegir" asbestos' 0 hits; '"AS-23" asbestos' 26 hits, all token collisions screened to case level (Alaska Supreme Court workers-compensation opinions citing Alaska Statutes Title 23 - AS 23.xx; AISI v. OSHA asbestos-standard rulemaking; Georgine/Amchem MDL class action; Agent Orange; Rocky Flats Cook v. Rockwell; Hilao v. Marcos; U.S. v. Riggi; prison, securities, and insurance matters - 'AS-23' appears as statute/exhibit tokens, no vessel named). Dockets (RECAP) - '"USS Aegir"' 0 hits. One planned query remains blocked by the fleet-wide request budget (shared ~114/hr pacer spending the 2,800/day quota across sessions): '"Aegir" asbestos' dockets - logged as blocked, not as no-result.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   sweep attempted 2026-09-26

   Limitations

   Sweep near-complete: four of five planned queries ran - both ship-name arms returned zero across opinion and docket indexes, and the 26 hull-number opinion hits are all AS-23 token collisions (chiefly Alaska Statutes Title 23 cites), none naming a vessel. One docket query ('"Aegir" asbestos' type=r) remains unrun - logged as blocked, not as negative finding. Coverage also excludes unindexed MDL-875 member-case allegations and state-court filings outside the indexed corpus.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aegir-as23-09

10. [10]Batch-2710 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback); hazegray mirror probe; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 5637 + status cards; NVR detail page probe; NavSource 09/36/3623; Portal to Texas History / NMPW oral histories; NARA sl-44 + catalog; EPA cumulis/FRS; CourtListener (1 completed authenticated query; remainder blocked by fleet pacing) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-aegir-as23-01 through sl-uss-aegir-as23-13

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum material record, or completed docketed-case reference naming Aegir (AS-23) was found in the public official sources searched (DANFS via archived NHHC page; MARAD Vessel History Database and status cards; NVR (no detail page - pre-1987 disposal not in register); NavSource compilation; National Museum of the Pacific War oral-history collection; NARA SL-44 logbook index and catalog; EPA CERCLA/FRS builder-site records; CourtListener - partial sweep, see ev-09).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 steam auxiliary scrapped in 1972 before modern hazmat documentation is era-consistent with asbestos materials having existed in her service life. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present, was or was not removed, or establish/defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. CourtListener sweep incompleteness (see ev-09) bounds the litigation arm of this negative finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aegir-as23-10

11. [11]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS narrative vs MARAD MA-20/MA-199 status cards vs Wikipedia secondary compilation (1960 San Diego PacResFlt claim); DANFS 'at Brooklyn' vs secondary 'Brooklyn Navy Yard'; MARAD card typed beam vs DANFS beam [other_primary]

    Locator

    DANFS narrative paragraph 3; MARAD status cards fields 'Location of vessel' and 'Dimensions'; NavSource chronology block

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved/flagged: (a) Reserve-fleet location - DANFS has the ship 'inactive' at Mare Island from 1946-10-18 until stricken 1971-06-01; the MARAD record-of-sale card locates her at San Diego, California in May 1972; Wikipedia (uncorroborated secondary compilation) adds a 1960 service period as a maintenance ship with the Pacific Reserve Fleet, San Diego, then return to Mare Island - no official narrative located confirms or refutes the 1960 detail; the card's San Diego location is consistent with a San Diego reserve-group berth at disposal. All versions preserved. (b) Full-commissioning venue - DANFS 'at Brooklyn'; secondary compilation 'at the Brooklyn Navy Yard'; conversion yard Todd Shipyards Brooklyn and the New York Naval Shipyard were distinct facilities - unresolved, both preserved. (c) MARAD card prints 'Extreme Beam 19 ft 6 in' with handwritten correction to 69'6" - DANFS beam is 69'6"; typed figure treated as clerical error. (d) Complement reconciles (DANFS 1,460 = NavSource 82 + 1,378). (e) Displacement figures are different measures (DANFS 16,500 full vs MARAD 7,730 light), not a conflict; schema has no dimension field.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1946-1972 records

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies between official custody records and secondary compilations; none of the conflicting sources contains asbestos content. The Wikipedia-only 1960 maintenance-ship detail is carried as unverified, not adopted. All conflicting values preserved here and in gaps rather than silently discarded.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aegir-as23-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 24 (Navy deck logs / Special List #44), RG 38 (CNO records / WWII war diaries), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov record-group guides; sl-44-ship-number.pdf (no AS-23 row); NARA catalog v2 requires key - not queried

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads located but not surveyed (no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) - BuShips photo 19-N-71738 documents the ship off the U.S. East Coast September 1944 (per NavSource caption credit); BuShips correspondence and conversion-contract files are the likely repository for Todd Shipyards Brooklyn conversion specifications (December 1943 - September 1944 scope, including insulation materials). (b) NARA RG 38 (Office of the Chief of Naval Operations) WWII war diaries - commissioned-era war-diary submissions expected for October 1944 - September 1945. (c) NARA RG 24 deck logs for the commissioned period 1944-46 - NARA Special List #44 logbooks-by-ship-number contains no AS-hull entries (extraction searched); digitized coverage via the VA Blue Water Navy Deck Log Project centers on Vietnam-era hulls. (d) NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) contract records for MC hull 856 (Ingalls construction specs for the C3-S-A2 base hull). (e) SubRon 24 unit records (Midway 1944-45) would document refit work performed by this tender.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1943-1971 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-uss-aegir-as23-12