Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'World War II Coast Guard-Manned U.S. Army Freight and Supply Ship Histories' (media.defense.gov PDF, 44 pp.); live fetch blocked by edge access control - text verified verbatim via Wayback Machine capture of the same document [other_primary]
- Locator
- FS-259 entry (p. ~18 of 44) + document introduction (JCS agreement of 14 March 1944; Design 381 classification of the CG-manned FS fleet above FS-234)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office compilation of WWII Coast Guard-manned U.S. Army Freight and Supply Ship histories: 'The Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-259 departed the 3rd Naval District for Los Angeles, CA on 20 August 1944, towing the QS-57. She was assigned to and operated in Hawaii.' The document's introduction records the Joint Chiefs of Staff agreement of 14 March 1944 under which the Coast Guard manned 288 Army vessels (FS-140 through FS-234 being Design 330 and the rest, including FS-259, Design 381).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- USCG-manned Army crew (size not stated for this hull)
- Limitations
- Official USCG historian compilation naming the hull; establishes Army-period identity, Coast Guard manning, the 20 August 1944 departure towing QS-57, and the Hawaii operating area. It gives no commissioning date, no commanding officer, and no decommissioning date for FS-259 (unlike sibling entries). No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-01
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[2]Shipscribe.com, 'USNS AKL 17 (T-AKL 17, FS Design 381 Part 2) Class' page - class data tables and per-ship notes compiled from Naval Vessel Register entries and official correspondence [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table row 21; disposition table row 21; class notes; ship notes block for T-AKL 21
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class data compiled from Naval Vessel Register and related official files: T-AKL 21 (ex-FS 259, completed 8 July 1944, ex-PVT ROBERT T HENRY) was built by Wheeler SB, Brooklyn, under a 24 April 1943 contract; acquired by the Navy and placed in MSTS service 1 July 1950; inactivated June 1952; in U.S. Navy reserve 1952-59, 'in service in reserve' at Orange, Texas, to 1956; stricken 1 April 1959; on the Navy sale list April 1959; disposal 18 March 1960 by Navy sale; later merchant KIRK STAR and NORTHUMBERLAND (converted to trawler); hit a gas pipeline, blew up and sank off Sabine, Texas, 3 October 1989. Class data: Design 381, 500 t. light / 935 t. full, 177' oa x 32' x 10' max nav draft, 12 kts, 1,000 hp geared diesel, 2 screws, accommodations 7-10 officers and 13-16 unlicensed, no armament.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-1989
- Population
- MSTS civil-service crew, 1950-1952 (size per class accommodation data, not a crewed strength)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference (S. S. Roberts) transcribing NVR/official data - the underlying register entries are the primary record and were not pulled directly. Establishes the Navy-custody timeline, the Army-period Panama duty (Aug 1949), the Orange, Texas reserve period, and the merchant-name/fate chain as compiled. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USNS T-AKL-21 ex USAV FS-259 page (archives/09/14/1421.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- T-AKL-21 page, vessel history bullet list and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USNS T-AKL-21 (ex-USAV FS-259): Camano-class light cargo ship laid down (date unknown) as Army Small Freighter FS-259 (design 381) at Wheeler Shipbuilding, Brooklyn, N.Y.; delivered to the U.S. Army 15 July 1944; USCG-manned during WWII; commissioned USAV FS-259 July 1944 at Brooklyn; assigned to duty at Hawaii; departed the 3rd Naval District for Los Angeles 20 August 1944 towing USAV QS-57; transferred from the Army Transportation Command to MSTS 1 July 1950 as USNS T-AKL-21; struck from the Naval Register (date unknown); sold 1961 as MV Star; later renamed MV Rio Chagres, reflagged Panama; final disposition 'fate unknown' in that entry. Specifications: 560 t., 177' x 32' x 14', 12 kts, complement 42, two 500-hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl diesels, twin screws. NavSource states no DANFS history exists for T-AKL-21.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1961
- Population
- Complement 42 (listed spec, Navy-era figure - unverified against a manning document)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive drawing on official sources; not itself an official record. Its merchant-name chain (Star, Rio Chagres) conflicts with shipscribe/armyfreighters (Kirk Star, Northumberland) and the Star 60/Rio Chagres trail is internally inconsistent in shipbuildinghistory itself - the Rio Chagres leg is weak, possibly misattributed from FS-256. 'Fate unknown' in this entry is superseded by the NTSB accident report (ev-05). No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-03
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[4]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com / njscuba.net mirror): 'Wheeler Shipbuilding, Whitestone' yard list and 'U.S. Army Coastal Freighters (FS)' list - compiled from merchant registers and yard records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wheeler yard list row 73 (FS-259); armyfreighters list row FS-259
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History yard and fleet compilations: the U.S. Army Coastal Freighters list records FS-259 (Wheeler SB, Whitestone NY, design 381, steel, 560 t., 176', build span 4/1944-3/1945), USCG-manned, ex-PVT ROBERT T HENRY, to USN 1950 as T-AKL-21, struck 1959, in Panama August 1949, in USN reserve 1952-59, sold 1961, merchant KIRK STAR, finally NORTHUMBERLAND (converted to trawler), hit a gas pipeline, blew up and sank off Sabine, Tex., 3 October 1989, scrapped 1990. The companion Wheeler yard list gives the same hull row but with a 'Star 60 / Rio Chagres (Panama)' merchant trail - a trail the same table also attributes to sister FS-256 (Camano), an internal inconsistency first logged in the batch-628 Camano record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1990
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference; corroborates the build, Army/Panama/Navy timeline, the Kirk Star / Northumberland merchant chain, and adds the 'scrapped 1990' disposition of the wreck. The Wheeler table's 'Star 60 / Rio Chagres' variant is internally inconsistent within the same compilation (attributed to FS-256 in another row) and absent from shipscribe - treated as weak, possibly misattributed; logged. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-04
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[5]National Transportation Safety Board, Pipeline Accident Report NTSB/PAR-90/02, 'Fire on board the F/V NORTHUMBERLAND and rupture of a natural gas transmission pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico near Sabine Pass, Texas, October 3, 1989'; NTSB safety-recommendation letter P-90-39 et seq. [other_primary]
- Locator
- NTSB P90_39 rec letter (synopsizes PAR-90/02 findings); report abstract at ntsb.gov; contemporary AP/UPI and LA Times coverage corroborating 11 deaths (reputable_press context)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- National Transportation Safety Board Pipeline Accident Report NTSB/PAR-90/02 (adopted 1990): on 3 October 1989 the U.S. fishing vessel NORTHUMBERLAND - this hull, converted to a menhaden trawler and owned/operated by Zapata Haynie Corp. - struck and ruptured a 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline (High Island lateral, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America) about 1/2 nautical mile offshore and about 5-1/3 nautical miles west of the Sabine Pass jetties, Texas. Gas at 835 psig ignited; the vessel was engulfed in flames within seconds, burned out, and sank; 11 of the 14 crewmembers died. NTSB found the pipeline was not maintained at its permitted burial depth and had been exposed for a prolonged period; the Safety Board cleared the vessel's operator of fault.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1989-1990
- Population
- 14 crewmembers aboard at casualty (11 fatalities) - merchant crew, not Navy
- Limitations
- Federal accident-investigation record - authoritative for the casualty, the vessel's identity/ownership at loss, and the loss location. It documents a gasoline-free diesel fishing vessel destroyed by an external gas fire; it contains no asbestos information and establishes nothing about materials remaining aboard. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos in the wreck.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-05
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[6]Zapata Haynie Corp. v. Arthur, 980 F.2d 287 (5th Cir. 1992), reh'g denied (1993) - CourtListener opinion cluster; companion state/federal opinions cited in finding_value [court_record]
- Locator
- 980 F.2d 287, No. 91-4432 (5th Cir.); CourtListener opinion id 595511 (published); unpublished parallel id 5338; Gough id 5776; Strawder id 1722901; Arthur id 1136786
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Admiralty litigation arising from the 3 October 1989 loss (non-asbestos): Zapata Haynie Corp. v. Arthur, 980 F.2d 287 (5th Cir. 1992), reh'g denied 28 Jan 1993, 1993 A.M.C. 1113 - the Fifth Circuit AFFIRMED the district court's judgment exonerating Zapata Haynie (the vessel owner) from liability for the Jones Act/wrongful-death claims arising from the pipeline strike. Companion litigation located: Gough v. Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (5th Cir. 1993); Strawder v. Zapata Haynie Corp. (La. App. 1994); Arthur v. Zapata Haynie Corp. (La. App. 1997). None of the located opinions alleges or discusses asbestos exposure aboard this or any vessel.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1989-1997
- Population
- Estates and survivors of the 11 deceased crewmembers (claimants)
- Limitations
- Classified OTHER LITIGATION, not qualifying asbestos litigation - the suits are casualty/wrongful-death and pipeline-liability claims. Exposure-allegation stage: none (no asbestos pleading exists in the located record). The affirmed judgment concerns vessel-owner fault for the 1989 casualty only; it is neither an exposure finding nor a defense merits win on asbestos.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-06
-
[7]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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373, article-level documentation of WWII shipbuilding asbestos use
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as an insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the program and era under which this 1944 steel Army Design 381 hull was built at a New York yard. For a diesel coastal supply vessel of this type, era-typical asbestos-containing applications would center on machinery and exhaust insulation/lagging, gaskets, packing, brake linings on winches and windlass, and insulation materials in accommodation and electrical spaces rather than boiler and steam-line lagging (the design carries no steam propulsion plant).
- 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 vessel crews (class context); USCG-manned crew 1944-45; MSTS crew 1950-52
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation only; the article does not name this vessel, and no ship-specific record establishes asbestos aboard this hull. The diesel-plant narrowing of typical applications is design-level inference, not a hull finding. Does not establish presence, quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-07
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[8]Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient record, Robert T. Henry (cmohs.org); 16th Infantry Regiment Association MoH roster; rename assertion itself from shipscribe/shipbuildinghistory compiled data [other_primary]
- Locator
- CMOHS recipient page (action date, place, unit, posthumous award); rename fact in ev-02/ev-04 compilations
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Army rename to PVT ROBERT T HENRY (reported in shipscribe and shipbuildinghistory compilations, date not documented) honors Pvt. Robert T. Henry, U.S. Army, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division - posthumous Medal of Honor recipient for single-handedly attacking a German machine-gun nest near Luchem, Germany, 3 December 1944; Medal awarded 12 June 1945. The rename therefore postdates June 1945 and reflects the Army practice of naming FS vessels for Medal of Honor recipients.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1945-1950
- Limitations
- The MoH recipient's identity is officially documented; the ship-rename itself is attested only in compiled secondary sources and its date/documentation are not located. Included to explain the alias; no asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-08
-
[9]Batch-1089 search ledger (this record): USCG historian FS compilation; NavSource; shipscribe AKL class page; shipbuildinghistory; NTSB PAR-90/02; CourtListener API v4 (authenticated); NVR; MARAD ShipHistory; NHHC/DANFS index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-akl-21-akl21-01 through sl-uss-akl-21-akl21-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming T-AKL-21, AKL-21, FS-259, Pvt. Robert T. Henry, or the merchant name chain (Star/Kirk Star/Rio Chagres/Northumberland) was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener API v4 returned zero opinion hits for 'AKL-21', 'T-AKL-21', 'FS-259', 'Robert T. Henry' vessel, 'Wheeler Shipbuilding' asbestos, 'USAV' asbestos, and Army 'Freight Supply' asbestos queries; the only litigation naming the hull is the non-asbestos 1989 casualty litigation (ev-06). No DANFS entry exists; the Naval Vessel Register does not cover pre-1987 dispositions; no MARAD ShipHistory record is indexed for the hull (consistent with its direct Navy sale, never entering MARAD custody).
- 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 steel hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was destroyed by fire in 1989 and reported scrapped in 1990 without any documented materials survey. 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-21-akl21-09
-
[10]USCG Historian's Office Historic Ships roster (FS vessels section, lists FS-259); NARA Guide to Federal Records record-group mappings (RG 26, RG 336, RG 24 deck logs); USCG marine casualty investigation file system [other_primary]
- Locator
- USCG Historian's Office 'Historic Ships' roster - FS vessels section (via Wayback capture 2019-04-21); NARA record-group guide pages
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): the USCG Historian's Office maintains a vessel file on FS-259 (it appears on the Historian's Office roster of CG-manned FS vessels); NARA RG 26 Coast Guard records for the USCG-manned wartime period; NARA RG 336 (Office of the Chief of Transportation) for Army FS-259/Pvt. Robert T. Henry construction, renaming, and Panama-service files; NARA Navy deck-log and reserve-fleet records for the 1950-52 MSTS period and the Orange, Texas inactive period; the USCG Marine Board of Investigation case file for the 1989 Northumberland casualty (the USCG ran the on-scene investigation alongside NTSB); NTSB PAR-90/02 public docket exhibits.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1990 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and file-system mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-10
-
[11]Cross-source discrepancy reconciliation record: NavSource T-AKL-21 page; shipscribe AKL class page; shipbuildinghistory Wheeler and Army-freighters lists; NTSB PAR-90/02; USCG historian compilation [other_primary]
- Locator
- Each cited row's locator; discrepancies carried in the record's gaps array
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) completion/delivery - shipscribe 'completed 8 Jul 1944' vs NavSource/shipbuildinghistory 'delivered 15 Jul 1944'; both retained (completed vs delivered), commissioning 'July 1944 at Brooklyn' rests on NavSource alone. (b) Builder siting - Whitestone, N.Y. (shipbuildinghistory) vs Brooklyn (NavSource, shipscribe); Wheeler's yard was at Whitestone, Queens, but the Brooklyn variant is unresolved at official-source level. (c) Stricken - 1 Apr 1959 (shipscribe) vs 'date unknown' (NavSource); shipscribe adopted as the NVR-derived value, flagged unverified against the register itself. (d) Navy disposal - 18 Mar 1960 Navy sale (shipscribe) vs 'sold 1961' (NavSource, shipbuildinghistory); likely contract vs delivery-to-buyer dates, unreconciled. (e) Merchant name chain - Kirk Star/Northumberland (shipscribe and the armyfreighters list, concurring), Star 60/Rio Chagres/Northumberland (shipbuildinghistory Wheeler table - internally inconsistent: the same trail appears under FS-256), Star/Rio Chagres (NavSource); the Rio Chagres leg may be a misattribution shared with sister FS-256. (f) Length - 176-177 ft as built vs '160-foot' vessel in NTSB/press casualty coverage; trawler conversion may have altered dimensions. (g) Complement - 42 (NavSource) vs class accommodations of 7-10 officers + 13-16 unlicensed (shipscribe); not merged.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1944-1990
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies by preferring official-derived values and flagging the rest; none of the variances is material to the asbestos-negative finding. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-akl-21-akl21-11