USS AKL-19

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'FS Vessels - World War II Coast Guard' (Army freight-supply vessels manned by Coast Guard crews), media.defense.gov PDF (retrieved via Wayback capture; live URL returns 403 to automated fetch) [other_primary]

   Locator

   FS-175 vessel entry (pp. ~20-21 of 44-page PDF); JCS agreement and Design 330 range statement in introductory section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official Coast Guard historian compilation names this hull verbatim: 'The Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-175 was commissioned 19 May 1944. She was assigned to and operated in the Southwest Pacific area.' The document records the 14 March 1944 JCS agreement under which the Coast Guard manned Army FS vessels, including FS 140-234 of Design 330.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   U.S. Coast Guard crew of FS-175 (1944-1945 era)

   Limitations

   Establishes wartime commissioning date, Coast Guard manning, and Southwest Pacific assignment for this hull. Contains no asbestos, materials, condition, or exposure information; supports no asbestos claim. Live defense.gov URL blocked automated retrieval; content verified via Wayback capture of the identical PDF.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-01

2. [2]History of the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade (official unit history, WWII), reproduced on 2esb.org - 'Small Ships' chapter [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chapter 'Small Ships' (Chapter_24.htm), FS-175 paragraphs

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The brigade history names this hull: FS-175 joined the brigade's small ships section on 4 October 1944, was crewed by the Coast Guard and commanded by Lt.(jg) H.W. Mueller, carried roughly 200 tons cargo capacity ('three times as much cargo as did the F-15'), and 'since joining the Brigade ... has carried cargo from New Guinea, Biak, and the Admiralty Islands to all the major islands of the Philippine Islands' supplying forward units with boat spare parts and supplies.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1945

   Population

   USCG crew; 2nd Engineer Special Brigade personnel working alongside

   Limitations

   Unit-history text reproduced on a veteran-maintained memorial site; OCR transcription contains scattered errors ('US-175' for FS-175 in one line). Documents wartime operations only - no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-02

3. [3]shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Mark (AKL 12) and USNS AKL 15 (FS Design 427/330) Class' - construction table, disposition table, and per-vessel ship note for T-AKL 19 [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKL12.html construction table row 19, disposition table row 19, ship-note paragraph for T-AKL 19; class header machinery lines

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Register compilation names this hull across all three tables: T-AKL 19 ex-FS 175, Design 330DA, built by Higgins, New Orleans under contract dated 11 January 1943, completed 19 May 1944; in Army service in Japan August 1949 for intra-theater distribution of supplies; acquired and placed in MSTS service 1 July 1950 (T designation); from MSTS to reserve at Yokosuka 12 May 1959; struck 1 May 1959; on Navy sale list May 1959; sold with LSM 296 to Philippine President Lines July 1960; merchant PRESIDENT LAUREL, became VIRGO 1967, probably discarded about 1980. Class data: geared diesel, 2 screws; the AKL 18-19 pair listed at 800 hp with Enterprise diesels (Design 330DA = Enterprise diesels per class notes); 180' oa x 33' x 10' max nav draft; 12 kts.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1980

   Population

   Army Transportation Corps/USCG crew (1944-50); MSTS civilian mariners (1950-59); Philippine civilian crew (1960-c.1980)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation of official register sources (Naval Vessel Register data, CNO records, Miramar Ship Index) - authoritative for identity and milestones but not itself a primary document. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Propulsion detail conflicts with NavSource's spec block (Enterprise vs GM Cleveland diesels) - logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-03

4. [4]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS T-AKL-19 ex USAV FS-175 page (compiled service record) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.org/archives/09/14/1419.htm - vessel header, service timeline, awards line, specifications block, 'no DANFS history' notice

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource corroborates: laid down for the U.S. Army as FS-175 (design 330) at Higgins Industries, New Orleans; delivered circa April-May 1944; USAV FS-175 operated in the Southwest Pacific; transferred to Navy MSTS 1 July 1950 as USNS T-AKL-19; struck from the Naval Register in 1959; final disposition not recorded. The page carries awards consistent with WWII-era service (American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal) and states explicitly that no DANFS history exists for this hull. The page's own header confirms USNS (not USS) status.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1959

   Limitations

   Compiled reference, not a primary source; corroborates shipscribe and the USCG document. Its generic spec block (573 t., 180', 33' beam, 14' draft, 12 kts, complement 42, two 300-hp GM Cleveland 6-278A diesels) conflicts with shipscribe's design-specific machinery data (Design 330DA = Enterprise diesels, 800 hp) - discrepancy logged in gaps, neither engine figure asserted as verified. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-04

5. [5]shipscribe.com AKL 12/AKL 15 class notes - Army Design 330DA specification ('Vessel, Supply, Twin Screw, Diesel, Steel, 180-foot') and machinery line (geared diesel, 2 screws) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKL12.html class notes - Design 330/330DA specification paragraphs and machinery header

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design-level framing for asbestos inference: this hull is a Design 330DA vessel - a small geared-diesel twin-screw supply freighter with no boilers and no steam distribution plant. The dominant WWII-era shipboard asbestos application (thermal insulation/lagging on boilers, steam drums, and steam piping) is therefore absent by design on this hull type; the era-plausible residual applications are engine and exhaust gaskets and packing, diesel-exhaust/muffler lagging, electrical insulation, interior fireproofing and joiner materials, deck covering, and winch brake linings. None of these are documented aboard this hull.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1945 design/build era

   Population

   Higgins construction trades (1944); operating crews (inference only)

   Limitations

   Design-document inference only - identifies which application categories are and are not plausible for the type; establishes neither presence nor absence of asbestos aboard this hull, nor quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-05

6. [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 World War II - the era and program under which this 1944 steel Army cargo vessel was mass-produced at Higgins Industries.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel or the FS Design 330DA type and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Notably, this hull's diesel plant removes the largest documented asbestos-application category (steam-plant lagging).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-06

7. [7]Batch-1088 search ledger (this record): USCG Historian's Office FS-vessel PDF; shipscribe AKL class compilation; NavSource T-AKL-19 page; 2nd ESB unit history; NHHC/DANFS (no entry exists); NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener opinion and RECAP searches; indexed-web check [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-akl-19-akl19-01 through sl-uss-akl-19-akl19-11

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, specification naming this hull, or docketed case naming FS-175, AKL-19, or T-AKL-19 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion search returned zero hits for 'AKL-19', 'T-AKL-19', and 'FS-175'; RECAP hits were unrelated name collisions (exhibit/part numbers), classified non-qualifying. NHHC has no DANFS entry for this hull; NVR carries no record (pre-1987 disposal); no MARAD custody record located (direct Navy sale, never MARAD).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   2026-09-22

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944-built vessel of this era is consistent with era-typical asbestos-containing materials in the residual applications listed in ev-05. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-07

8. [8]usmm.org, 'Ships transferred to Military Sea Transportation Service from Naval Transportation Service and Army Transportation Service 1949-1950' (transfer list naming USNS T-AKL 19); shipscribe disposition table (T designation); NavSource header (USNS T-AKL-19) [other_primary]

   Locator

   usmm.org/msts/transfer.html Cargo Ships section; shipscribe AKL12.html disposition table; NavSource 1419.htm page header

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Prefix correction: this vessel was never a commissioned U.S. Navy ship. It served the Army as USAV FS-175 (1944-1950, Coast Guard-manned) and entered Navy custody as a civilian-crewed Military Sea Transportation Service vessel, USNS T-AKL-19, on 1 July 1950 - appearing on the MSTS transfer list under that designation. Commercial asbestos-ship listicles label it 'USS AKL-19'; the correct style is USNS T-AKL-19.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1950

   Limitations

   Corrects naming only; carries no asbestos information. usmm.org is a secondary compiled reference; the transfer is corroborated by shipscribe's register compilation and NavSource.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-08

9. [9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 336 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Transportation, 1917-66) - Army Transportation Corps vessel records; RG 26 (U.S. Coast Guard) - records/deck logs of Coast Guard-manned Army vessels [other_primary]

   Locator

   https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/336.html (RG 336, Office of the Chief of Transportation); https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/026.html (RG 26, U.S. Coast Guard)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 336 holds Office of the Chief of Transportation records 1940-66 including Transportation Corps field activities and vessel-related files for the Army FS fleet; USCG-manned Army vessel operational records and any surviving FS-175 deck logs would fall under Coast Guard custody (RG 26) per USCG historian guidance. MSTS-era operational records for the 1950-59 Far East service period are a further unsearched repository.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1959 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for FS-175/AKL-19 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-19-akl19-09