Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Alcona' (AK-157) entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Canonical NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-20; text verified against Wayback Machine capture 2023-09-23 (web.archive.org/web/20230923140054/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/alcona.html)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records that Alcona (AK-157) was laid down as unnamed Maritime Commission hull MC 2102 on 27 November 1943 at Richmond, Calif., by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co.; named Alcona and designated AK-157 on 25 February 1944; launched 9 May 1944 (sponsor Mrs. Morris Chamberlain of Oakland); transferred by the Maritime Commission to the Navy and commissioned 15 September 1944, Lt. Lester J. Lavine, USNR, in command; fitted out at Mare Island Navy Yard. She served Service Squadron 7 supplying advanced bases in New Guinea and the Philippines (Manus, Hollandia, Mios Woendi, Milne Bay, Finschhafen, Torokina, Leyte, Manila Bay, Cavite, Subic Bay, Guiuan) and lay at anchor off Samar on 15 August 1945. In April 1946, in lieu of planned decommissioning for return to the War Shipping Administration, she was assigned to Capt. Richard H. Cruzen's Arctic exercise 'Nanook' (TF 68), carried cargo and Weather Bureau personnel to North Star Bay, Thule, Greenland (27 July - 10 September 1946) supporting construction of the airstrip and weather station, and was the last Nanook ship to return (Boston, 20 September 1946). She then served nine years of Atlantic Fleet cargo operations (Thule to Trinidad, Argentia to Eleuthera; over 40 round trips; transatlantic voyages to Malta, Naples, and Casablanca in 1948 and 1950). Inactivation ordered 14 January 1955; placed in reserve (in commission) 4 February 1955; decommissioned 6 May 1955 at Charleston Naval Shipyard; laid up Charleston Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet; struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 April 1960 and turned over to the Maritime Administration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1960
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, operational history, and inactivation only. DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material statement for this hull; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ALCONA (AK-157), Detail 5650, including digitized vessel status card and redelivery document (ALCONA.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 5650; status card scan /cards/5650_AF.jpg (front) and /cards/5650_BF.jpg (back); redelivery document /documents/069676c4-30ad-4b15-85f9-c5e43fae8f77.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for ALCONA (AK-157), Detail 5650: type C1-M-AV1 AK cargo ship, built 1944, Kaiser Company; fate 'Sold - Scrap.' The digitized MARAD vessel status card records: 'USS ALCONA (AK-157) - Cargo Vessel, Basic Design C1-M-AV1'; 'Built: Completed - September 5, 1944 (Kaiser Cargo, Inc. Rich. #4), Richmond, Calif.'; length 339 ft, beam 50 ft, gross 3805 / net 2123 / DWT 4963; owner Navy Department; location Charleston Grp., Atlantic Reserve Fleet, US NavBase Charleston, S.C. Remarks: '7/7/60 - Advertised Under PD-X-582, Opened 7/28/60, Scrap Hull-USA'; '8/1/60 - Awarded to Hugo Neu Steel Products, Inc. (PD-X-582), Purchase Price $51,439.89 - Contract MA-2289.' The digitized redelivery document records physical delivery on 8-25-60 at 10:55 AM EST, Charleston Naval Base, first from Navy Department to Maritime Administration (transfer), then Maritime Administration to Hugo Neu Steel Products (MA purchase, scrap).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1960
- Limitations
- Primary custody/disposition record. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material statement; 'Scrap Hull-USA' indicates domestic dismantling but the card does not document pre-scrapping material surveys or abatement. MARAD web-display milestones (delivered/sold 8/25/1960) reflect the physical redelivery date; the card records award 8/1/60. The MARAD web text's 'Higo Nou Steel Products' is an OCR-style error for Hugo Neu Steel Products, Inc. (per the status card). NavSource's 'PD-X-583' conflicts with the card's 'PD-X-582' (twice) - card is controlling. Dismantling completion 1961-10-31 appears only in NavSource and is unverified against a primary record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-02
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[3]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS 'Alcona' (AK-157) entry [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Canonical NHHC URL 404 as of 2026-09-20; verified via Wayback capture 2023-09-23 (web.archive.org/web/20230923140054/...)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents repeated shipyard availabilities for this hull: fitting out at Mare Island Navy Yard (September-October 1944); repairs in advanced-base sectional floating drydock ABSD-5 (western Pacific, autumn 1945); Boston Navy Yard preparation for Arctic service (May-June 1946); tender availability alongside Vulcan (AR-5) at Newport (3-20 June 1947); post-collision repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard including drydocking 5-26 November 1947; further repairs at the Charleston navy yard December 1947 - March 1948; and inactivation/decommissioning at Charleston Naval Shipyard February-May 1955.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1955
- Population
- Shipyard workers and crew at listed availabilities (1944-1955)
- Limitations
- Documents that this hull underwent repeated Navy-yard work and drydockings - the kind of events at which era insulation would have been installed or disturbed - but no source located describes asbestos scope, materials, or abatement for any of these availabilities. Asbestos relevance is inference from era practice, not documentation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-03
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[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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulation in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the program and era under which this Maritime Commission C1-M-AV1 hull was mass-produced - with wartime demand driving unprecedented asbestos utilization in both naval and merchant-type construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- 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)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel, does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-04
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[5]Rogers v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 922 F.2d 1426 (9th Cir. 1991), CourtListener opinion 553891 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion text, statement of facts (Kaiser Shipyard No. 1, Richmond, 1942-1945, Liberty cargo ships)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Rogers v. Raymark Industries, Inc., 922 F.2d 1426 (9th Cir. 1991): published appellate opinion describing asbestos exposure of a welder employed 1942-1945 at Kaiser Shipyard No. 1, Richmond, California - the same Kaiser Richmond yard complex where this hull was built (Kaiser Cargo, Inc., Yard No. 4). The opinion recites evidence that the worker used asbestos cloth to shield welding, worked alongside insulators who stirred up asbestos dust covering pipes throughout the ships under construction, and demonstrated applying and removing asbestos from pipes. Disposition: jury returned a special verdict finding the defendants' products contained a design defect but that the defect did not cause the decedent's lung cancer; the Ninth Circuit affirmed the defense judgment on evidentiary grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1991 (opinion); 1942-1945 exposure period
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond shipyard workers, 1942-1945 (class context)
- Limitations
- Builder-yard-level litigation record, not a hull record: it names Kaiser Shipyard No. 1 (Liberty-ship construction), whereas this hull was built at Kaiser Cargo Inc. Yard No. 4 (C1-M-AV1). It does not name Alcona or any C1-M-AV1, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and resolved for the defendants on causation - it documents exposure conditions at the builder complex during the construction period, nothing more.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-05
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[6]ShipScribe, 'USS Alamosa (AK-156) Class' register page; U.S. Maritime Commission design-drawing index (C1-M-AV1, Kaiser Cargo Inc. Richmond Yard No. 4); NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Alcona (AK-157) page [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe class table row AK-157; drawings.usmaritimecommission.de/drawings_c1.htm C1-M-AV1 index; navsource.net/archives/09/13/130157.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Class and type documentation: the Alamosa class comprises Maritime Commission type C1-M-AV1 diesel cargo ships; the class register (ShipScribe, compiled from official Navy ship registers) lists AK-157 Alcona acquired/commissioned 15 September 1944, built by Kaiser Cargo, Richmond, keel 27 November 1943, launched 9 May 1944, class machinery Nordberg diesel TSM-6 at 1,750 HP with single screw, class complement 69 (1944). The Maritime Commission design index (drawings.usmaritimecommission.de) lists C1-M-AV1 MC hulls 2101-2112 among 24 built by Kaiser Cargo Inc. (Richmond Yard No. 4), all diesel - MC 2102 corresponds to Alcona. NavSource's compiled specifications for this hull add two diesel-driven 250 kW ship's-service generators and ~6,300 bbls diesel fuel capacity.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1960 (register data)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilations reproducing official register and MC design data - consistent with DANFS and the MARAD status card on dates, builder, and diesel plant. None of these sources states materials or asbestos content. Class complement 69 (1944) conflicts with DANFS's 85 for this hull - logged in gaps; register figures are class-level, not hull rosters.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-06
-
[7]Historic American Engineering Record, 'Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park, Kaiser Shipyards,' HAER No. CA-326-L, written historical and descriptive data (Library of Congress) [haer]
- Locator
- LOC HAER CA-326-L data pages (tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca3300/ca3393/data/ca3393data.pdf); full text searched - no 'asbestos' or 'insulation' statement present
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NPS Historic American Engineering Record documentation of the Kaiser shipyards at Richmond (HAER CA-326-L and related CA-326 surveys) records the wartime construction operations of the four-yard complex - including Yard No. 4, where this hull was built - covering steel fabrication, prefabrication, ship erection, outfitting, and delivery during 1940-1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940-1946
- Population
- Kaiser Richmond shipyard workforce (context)
- Limitations
- Authoritative NPS documentation of the builder yard's wartime operations, not a hull record; the document is silent on asbestos and insulation materials, so it supports no materials claim for this hull - it establishes the construction environment only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-07
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[8]Batch-834 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (canonical + Wayback), MARAD ShipHistory incl. status card and redelivery document, NavSource, ShipScribe, MC design index, NPS/HAER CA-326 series, Internet Archive collections, general web search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alcona-ak157-01 through sl-uss-alcona-ak157-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming USS Alcona / AK-157 / MC hull 2102 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The only web hits tying 'AK-157' to asbestos are law-firm marketing list pages, which are excluded per source policy. The dedicated CourtListener docket search leg could not be completed - the API returned a 125/day rate-limit throttle and the HTML interface returned 403 - so the litigation leg is logged as blocked, not 'no result.'
- 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 - the ship was scrapped in 1960-61 without any located materials survey, and the CourtListener leg was blocked rather than completed, so the docket negative is partial. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present, and neither establishes nor defeats any exposure or eligibility claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-08
-
[9]Internet Archive item ak170bogp1949 (Navy Yard Long Beach, Booklet of General Plans, USS Chicot AK-170, 1949); NARA record-group guides (RG 19, RG 24, RG 178, RG 181) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archive.org/details/ak170bogp1949 (image-container PDF, unreviewed at materials level); archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not retrieved: (1) an official Navy Booklet of General Plans for a sister ship of identical design - USS Chicot (AK-170), Alamosa class / C1-M-AV1, dated 14 January 1949 - is digitized at the Internet Archive (identifier ak170bogp1949, ~110 MB image scan, no OCR text layer) and could document class-level insulation arrangements if reviewed sheet-by-sheet; (2) NARA record groups for this hull - RG 24 deck logs (1944-1955), RG 19 Bureau of Ships plans/specifications for C1-M-AV1, RG 178 Maritime Commission construction file for MC hull 2102, and RG 181 yard records for the documented Mare Island, Boston, Norfolk, and Charleston availabilities - were identified via NARA record-group guides but are not digitized at hull level.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Leads only - the Chicot BoGP is a sister ship's document, not this hull's, and its materials content is unreviewed; NARA holdings are undigitized and were not surveyed. No spend authorized.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alcona-ak157-09