USS AKL-36

Evidence

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

1. [1]shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'AKL 34 (T-AKL 34, FS Design 381 part 3) Class' - construction table, disposition table, class notes, and per-vessel ship note for T-AKL 36; namesake corroboration: Congressional Medal of Honor Society recipient database, John J. Pinder Jr. (cmohs.org/recipients/john-j-pinder) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKL37.html construction table row 36, disposition table row 36, ship-note paragraph for T-AKL 36; class notes paragraph 1; class header data block

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Register compilation names this hull across all tables: T-AKL 36 ex-FS 398 (ex-Army name CPL JOHN J PINDER JR - the vessel was named for Technician Fifth Grade John J. Pinder Jr., 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, posthumous Medal of Honor for Omaha Beach 6 June 1944, WD GO No. 1 of 4 Jan 1945 per the CMOHS recipient database), built by Ingalls SB at Decatur under contract dated 23 September 1943, completed ca February 1945, acquired and placed in MSTS service 1 November 1950 (T designation). Ship note: 'In Army service in Alaska Aug 1949 for intra-theater distribution of supplies. In USN reserve 1954-59. On disposal list Nov 1959. Offered for sale 9 Dec 1960, bid opening date 6 Jan 1961. Merc. BERTHA ANN 1963, finally LIBERTY I 2010. Derelict at Cristobal, Panama by Oct 2016.' Disposition row: inactivated Sep 1954, struck 1 Nov 1959, disposal 16 Jan 1961, Navy sale. Class note: 'AKL 33-36 were among Army vessels and service craft in Alaska that MSTS and the Army's Chief of Transportation mutually agreed would be transferred on 1 Nov 1950 for which classification and hull numbers were approved on 31 Oct 1950.' Class data: Design 381 (176', steel); 520 light/940 full tons; 177' oa x 33' e x 10' max nav draft; geared diesel, 2 screws, 1,000 hp, 12 kts; accommodations 7-10 officers, 13-16 unlicensed.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945-2016

   Population

   USCG-manned Army crew (WWII); Army Transportation Corps crew (Alaska, 1949-50); MSTS civilian mariners (1950-54); merchant crews (1961-2016)

   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. Completion 'ca Feb 1945' vs yard-table delivery '31 Jan 1945' - consistent within weeks, noted in gaps. Merchant end-state 'derelict at Cristobal by Oct 2016' conflicts with shipbuildinghistory 'wrecked 2013, scrapped 2016' - logged in gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-01

2. [2]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS T-AKL-36 ex USAV FS-398 page (compiled service record), citing NHHC photo NH 85690 [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/09/14/1436.htm - vessel header, service timeline, awards line, specifications block, 'no history available' notice, photo caption NH 85690

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource corroborates: laid down in 1944 as the (design 381) US Army cargo ship FS-398 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Decatur, AL; delivered to the US Army between July 1944 and February 1945; 'USAV FS-398 was manned by the US Coast Guard during World War II'; 'assigned and operated in the Central Pacific area during WWII'; 'Struck from the Naval Register in 1959.' The page carries awards consistent with WWII-era service (American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal), states 'There is no history available for T-AKL-36 at NavSource,' and cites NHHC photo NH 85690 showing the ex-T-AKL-36 laid up in reserve (courtesy William H. Davis, 1977).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1944-1961

   Limitations

   Compiled reference, not a primary source; corroborates shipscribe and the USCG compilation. Two internal errors flagged: 'Acquired by the US Navy Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1 July 1950' is NavSource boilerplate contradicted by the usmm.org November 1, 1950 transfer list and shipscribe's class note (Alaska group; hull numbers approved 31 Oct 1950) - 1 Nov 1950 adopted; 'Final Disposition, fate unknown' is superseded by the documented merchant trail (ev-01, ev-04). Spec block (550 t., 177', 33' beam, 10' draft, 12 kts, complement 42, two 500-hp GM Cleveland 6-278A diesels) is generic class-level data - complement conflicts with shipscribe accommodations (gaps). No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-02

3. [3]U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, 'World War II Coast Guard-Manned U.S. Army Freight and Supply Ship Histories' (44-page compilation; live media.defense.gov URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch - identical PDF retrieved via Wayback capture 20250225064151) [other_primary]

   Locator

   FS Vessels PDF, FS-398 entry (one line); document introduction (JCS agreement 14 Mar 1944; 288 vessels; Design 330/381 breakdown); FS-394 through FS-397 entries for Decatur commissioning context

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official USCG historian compilation lists FS-398 among the Coast Guard-manned Army vessels; its full entry reads: 'The Coast Guard-manned Army vessel FS-398 was assigned to and operated in the Central Pacific area.' The document's introduction records the Joint Chiefs of Staff agreement of 14 March 1944 under which the Coast Guard manned 288 Army vessels (AMRS, TY, LT, FS, and F types), and states FS-140 through FS-234 were 'Design 330' hulls while the rest were 'Design 381' - placing FS-398 inside the Coast Guard-manned Design 381 block. Sister hulls FS-394 through FS-397 carry Decatur, AL commissioning entries (Dec 1944-Feb 1945), consistent with the Ingalls Decatur build sequence.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   USCG-manned Army crew (unnamed in source)

   Limitations

   Official USCG historian compilation naming the hull, but the FS-398 entry is a single line - no commissioning date, commanding officers, ports, or decommissioning date for the Coast Guard-manned period (unlike its FS-394/395/396/397 sisters, whose Decatur commissioning dates are recorded). Confirms manning arrangement and Central Pacific theater only. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-03

4. [4]Shipbuilding History (shipbuildinghistory.com), Ingalls Iron Works Decatur AL yard construction table; corroborating row in 'US Army Coastal Freighters F FS' table [other_primary]

   Locator

   ingallsdecatur.htm yard table, hull 608 row (O.N. 284906); shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/armyfreighters.htm, FS-398 row (design '381')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Yard-table entry names this hull: Ingalls Iron Works Decatur hull 608, U.S. Official No. 284906, FS 398, U.S. Army Transportation Corps coastal cargo, 550 tons, delivered 31 January 1945, disposition 'To USN as AKL 36, later Bertha Ann, Viceroy, Coastal Voyage, Western Queen, Liberty I (Panama), wrecked 2013, scrapped 2016.' The companion Army coastal freighters table lists the same hull explicitly as design '381,' steel, 560 t, 176 ft, delivery window 7/44-2/45, 'USCG-manned, to USN 1950 as AKL 36, struck 1959.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1943-1945 (construction); 1950-2016 (disposition summary)

   Population

   Ingalls Iron Works Decatur construction trades (1943-45)

   Limitations

   Compiled construction-reference tables, not primary documents; corroborates builder, delivery date, official number, yard hull number, Design 381 label, and USCG manning flag. Merchant end-state 'wrecked 2013, scrapped 2016' conflicts with shipscribe's 'derelict at Cristobal, Panama by Oct 2016' - reconcilable (a 2013 casualty followed by in-place disposal) but unresolved, logged in gaps. Yard entity named 'Ingalls Iron Works' (Decatur, AL) - a distinct facility from the Pascagoula, MS Ingalls Shipbuilding covered in shipyards.json. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-04

5. [5]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 36); shipscribe disposition table (T designation); NavSource header (USNS T-AKL-36) [other_primary]

   Locator

   usmm.org/msts/transfer.html - 'November 1, 1950; 10 ships' Cargo Ships section, USNS T-AKL 36 line; shipscribe AKL37.html construction/disposition tables; NavSource 1436.htm page header

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Prefix and date correction: this vessel was never a commissioned U.S. Navy ship. It served the Army as USAV FS-398 (1945-1950) and entered Navy custody as a civilian-crewed Military Sea Transportation Service vessel, USNS T-AKL-36, on 1 November 1950 - appearing verbatim on the MSTS transfer list of 10 Army Transportation Service ships that day (Cargo Ships section: USNS T-AKL 33, 34, 35, 36). Commercial asbestos-ship listicles label it 'USS AKL-36'; the correct style is USNS T-AKL-36. NavSource's '1 July 1950' acquisition date is boilerplate from the earlier July transfer group and is wrong for this hull - the Alaska group (AKL 33-36) transferred 1 November 1950 per the usmm.org list and shipscribe's class note (approvals 31 Oct 1950).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1950

   Limitations

   Corrects naming and transfer date only; carries no asbestos information. usmm.org is a secondary compiled reference (list provided by MSTS historian S.R. Mercogliano); the transfer is corroborated by shipscribe's register compilation (construction table 'Acq 1 Nov 1950', 'Svc 1 Nov 1950') and the NavSource page header.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-05

6. [6]shipscribe.com AKL 1 (Camano, FS Design 381 part 1) class notes - Design 381 specification ('Vessel, Supply, Diesel, Steel, 176-foot' per specs dated 1 June 1943) and machinery line (geared diesel, 2 screws; 'All of these ships had Cleveland diesels'); shipbuildinghistory Army freighters table design column ('381'); USCG FS compilation design-type breakdown [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKL01.html class notes - Design 381 specification paragraph ('176 foot steel twin screw diesel supply vessel,' specs dated 1 Jun 1943, eight addenda to 16 Aug 1944) and 'All of these ships had Cleveland diesels'; armyfreighters.htm FS-398 '381' design column; USCG FS PDF introduction

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design-level framing for asbestos inference: this hull is a standard Design 381 vessel - a small geared-diesel twin-screw steel 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. Unlike the three refrigerated-variant sisters built to Design 381A (FS 368-370, which became AKL 26-28), this standard 381 hull adds no refrigeration-space insulation category. The residual era-plausible 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

   Ingalls Decatur construction trades (1944-45); 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. The Design 381 assignment is documented for the type (shipscribe class notes; shipbuildinghistory '381' design column; USCG compilation design breakdown) - no document describes the actual insulation materials installed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-06

7. [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

   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 1945 steel Army cargo vessel was produced at Ingalls Iron Works' Decatur yard.

   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 381 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-36-akl36-07

8. [8]Batch-1102 search ledger (this record): shipscribe AKL class compilation; NavSource T-AKL-36 page; usmm.org MSTS transfer list; shipbuildinghistory yard/freighter tables; USCG Historian's Office FS-vessel PDF; 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-36-akl36-01 through sl-uss-akl-36-akl36-12

   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-398, CPL JOHN J PINDER JR, AKL-36, or T-AKL-36 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion searches returned zero hits for 'AKL-36' and 'T-AKL-36'; the two 'FS-398' opinion hits are name collisions (D.C. docket number 10-FS-398 in In re T.J., 28 A.3d 609; a metadata match in Stoytcheff, BIA 1965 with no literal string in the opinion text); four RECAP hits for 'FS-398' were likewise document/exhibit-number collisions in unrelated cases. 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 1945-built vessel of this era is consistent with era-typical asbestos-containing materials in the residual applications listed in ev-06. 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-36-akl36-08

9. [9]NARA Guide to Federal Records record-group mappings: RG 26 (Records of the U.S. Coast Guard) - manning/operational records for the USCG-manned FS-398 period; RG 336 (Records of the Office of the Chief of Transportation, 1917-66) - Army Transportation Corps vessel records incl. construction under the Ingalls contract and Alaska operation; MSTS-era operational records; Navy ship-disposal records; NHHC photo archive (NH 85690 for T-AKL-36) [other_primary]

   Locator

   https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/026.html (RG 26, Coast Guard); https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/336.html (RG 336, Office of the Chief of Transportation); NavSource 1436.htm photo caption (NH 85690)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 26 holds Coast Guard records relevant to the USCG-manned FS-398 period (the historian's one-line entry implies log/record series exist); RG 336 holds Office of the Chief of Transportation records 1917-66 including Transportation Corps field activities and vessel-related files for the Army FS fleet (Ingalls contract of 23 Sep 1943; Alaska intra-theater operation Aug 1949); MSTS-era operational records for the undocumented 1950-54 service period are a further unsearched repository; the Navy sale file (offered 9 Dec 1960, bid opening 6 Jan 1961, disposal 16 Jan 1961) would document the disposal chain; NHHC holds one cataloged photograph of this hull (NH 85690 per NavSource).

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-22

   Study period

   1945-1961 records

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for FS-398/AKL-36 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-akl-36-akl36-09