USS Alcyone (AKA-7)

Evidence

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

1. [1]DANFS, 'Alcyone (AK-24/AKA-7)' (Naval History Division text, verbatim transcription hosted at historycentral.com). No modern NHHC DANFS entry exists for this hull; live history.navy.mil URLs 404 as of 2026-09-21, HyperWar carries no AKA-7 entry, and Wayback was offline this pass, so the transcription is cited with its OCR typos. [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   historycentral.com DANFS transcription, full entry (construction through disposal + AKL-37 namesake tail paragraph)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official entry documents: C-2 freighter laid down 1939-01-12 under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 30) by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, PA; launched 1939-08-28 as Mormacgull (sponsor Miss Barbara Ann Moore); operated by Moore-McCormack Lines; purchased by the Navy 1941-05-31; renamed Alcyone and designated AK-24 1941-06-03; converted for naval service at Boston Navy Yard; commissioned 1941-06-15, Cmdr. Daniel M. McGurl. WWII service: Train, Atlantic Fleet; Reykjavik run 1941-09; Caribbean cargo/evacuation runs through early 1942; Charleston availability from 1942-04-12 (war diary: NAVY YARD CHARLESTON through 1942-05-28); Naval Transportation Service from 1942-06-01; 1st Marine Division lift - Panama Canal 1942-06-18, Wellington 1942-07-11; Auckland/Noumea/Espiritu Santo/Sydney cargo; San Francisco 1942-09-29; Mare Island Navy Yard conversion to attack cargo ship ~1942-10-02 to 11-04 (three 30-ton booms, boat repair shop, additional berthing); redesignated AKA-7 1942-11-26, Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet; San Diego shakedown; Panama Canal 1943-03-02; Charleston Navy Yard repairs from 1943-03-09 (~1 month); Chesapeake training; TF 65 to Oran arriving 1943-06-22; Sicily - Scoglitti 1943-07-10/13; Norfolk 1943-08-03; Panama Canal 1943-08-31; San Francisco; Pearl Harbor 1943-09-30; TG 52.11 Makin 1943-11-20/24; San Diego 1943-12-19; Hawaii 1944-01-13; Kwajalein 1944-01-31 through mid-February; San Pedro 1944-02-26, overhaul at a shipyard at Terminal Island; departed west coast 1944-04-18; Guam 1944-07-22; Pearl Harbor drydock ~1944-08; Manus staging; TG 79.2 Leyte 1944-10-20/22; Hollandia; Leyte resupply 1944-11-14+; Cape Gloucester 40th Infantry Division lift; TG 79.4 Lingayen Gulf 1945-01-09/13; Zambales 1945-01-29/31; San Francisco 1945-03-12; Moore Drydock Co., Oakland overhaul through 1945-06-02 (kingposts replaced by quadruped masts, troop berths removed, cargo cages installed); Service Forces Pacific; Seattle loading; Ulithi 1945-07-09; fast-carrier logistics group, underway unloading completed 1945-08-02; Tokyo Bay 1945-08-26; occupation lifts through early 1946-03 (Yokosuka, Ominato, Aomori, Otaru, Wakayama, Sasebo, Kure); departed Yokosuka 1946-03-11; San Francisco 1946-03-29; Panama Canal 1946-06-09; Norfolk 1946-06-14. Decommissioned 1946-07-23 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VA; transferred to the War Shipping Administration 1946-07-24; name struck 1946-08-15; 'sold later that same year and was refitted for service as a merchant vessel'; eight WWII battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1939-1947

   Population

   Ship's complement plus embarked troops and landing-craft crews; Navy-yard and commercial-yard workers during documented availabilities

   Limitations

   Official Navy history via verbatim transcription; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. Transcription carries OCR typos ('eontraet', 'MeCormack', 'Aleyone'); no spec block reproduced, so header figures (complement, machinery) are unverified here. Its disposal line 'sold later that same year' conflicts with MARAD milestones (see ev-03). The narrative also omits the Saipan operation (1944-06) and the December-1943 Pearl Harbor Navy Yard availability - both recovered from the war diaries (see ev-07). Does not establish any exposure condition aboard.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - ALCYONE (AKA-7), ShipHistory Detail 123, incl. attached U.S. Maritime Commission transfer-order scan (Alcyone_123_002.pdf) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 123 - vessel particulars, milestones, documents tab (Alcyone_123_002.pdf transfer order; Alcyone_123_003.pdf image sheet)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD record: year built 1939; shipyard Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock; MARAD type C2; Official Number 239031; length 459 ft, beam 63 ft; gross 4,198 / net 3,651 tons; cargo capacity 464,947 sq ft; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' Vessel name history: MORMACGULL (1939-1941), ALCYONE (AK-24) (1941-1942), ALCYONE (AKA-7) (1942-1947), STAR ALCYONE (1947-). Milestones: Entry 1946-07-24 'Entered Reserve Fleet'; Sold 1947-05-13 'Sold to Compania de la Paloma SA'; Renamed to Star Alcyone. Attached document scan is the U.S. Maritime Commission transfer order 'Approving the Sale Alien and Transfer to Panamanian Registry and Flag' of S/S ALCYONE (ex-MORMACGULL), Official No. 239031, to Compania De La Paloma, S.A. - sale authorized 1947-04-01, order dated 1947-05-05 (OCR'd this pass). A second scan is an image sheet without usable text. No status cards for this vessel.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1939-1947

   Population

   n/a - administrative record (vessel registration, name history, milestones)

   Limitations

   Milestone/custody and dimensional data plus one OCR'd custody instrument - no materials, insulation, or asbestos fields. Milestones conflict with the DANFS disposal line (see ev-03). Second document scan is image-only; contents not verified.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-02

3. [3]Cross-source check: DANFS transcription vs MARAD ShipHistory Detail 123 milestones and attached transfer order vs secondary compilations (NavSource) on disposal mechanics [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   historycentral.com DANFS transcription final paragraph; MARAD Detail 123 milestone table + Alcyone_123_002.pdf; navsource.net/archives/10/02/02007.htm (secondary)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Disposal mechanics conflict across sources and are not merged: (a) DANFS: 'sold later that same year' (i.e., 1946); (b) MARAD: reserve-fleet entry 1946-07-24, sale authorization 1947-04-01, USMC transfer order dated 1947-05-05, 'Sold' milestone 1947-05-13 to Compania De La Paloma, S.A. (Panama); (c) NavSource compilation: 'Sold, 17 March 1947 ... to Johnson Line (Sweden), registered in Panama with Compania Naviera Puerta del Sur' - note the buyer-name difference (De La Paloma vs Puerta del Sur), and that NavSource's buyer name is identical to the one it lists for sister ship Arcturus (AKA-1), a probable cross-ship transcription. The MARAD custody instrument and milestones are treated as controlling for the government record; the sale-date spread (1946 vs 1947-03-17 vs 1947-05-13) and buyer-name conflict are unresolved at source level. Merchant fate (scrapping at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, arrival 1969-05-17) rests on secondary sources only.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1946-1969

   Population

   n/a - cross-source conflict documentation, no exposed population asserted

   Limitations

   Correction row: records the date/mechanics/buyer-name conflict so downstream readers do not merge the DANFS 1946 line, the MARAD 1947 milestones, or NavSource's 1947-03-17 and Puerta del Sur naming. Bears on custody history only - no asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-03

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

   Journal article DOI landing page

   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 WWII - the era and Maritime Commission construction program under which this C-2 hull was built (Sun Shipbuilding, 1939) and the yard system (Boston, Charleston, Mare Island, Terminal Island, Moore Drydock Oakland, Norfolk) in which she was converted and repeatedly overhauled.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940-1945 era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII-era shipyard workers and ship crews (program context)

   Limitations

   Program-level scholarship; does not name this hull, the C-2 type, or any of her yards specifically. Supports era context only - not evidence that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, and establishes nothing about quantities, locations, or present-day material.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-04

5. [5]GAO, 'Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure,' HRD-80-2 (1979-10-18) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program and insulation-removal policies with fieldwork at Long Beach and Norfolk Naval Shipyards - Norfolk is this hull's documented decommissioning yard (1946-07-23), but the report's policy window (1970s) postdates her Navy service by more than three decades.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1979 (report); covers policies 1975-1979

   Population

   Navy shipyard workers (program level)

   Limitations

   Program-level report; the fieldwork period postdates this hull's Navy service and the report does not name the vessel. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetches - product-page description used; full text not retrieved this pass. Establishes nothing about this hull.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-05

6. [6]CourtListener API v4 opinion-index and RECAP docket searches for vessel name and hull designations, run 2026-09-21 (authenticated, Authorization: Token) - full coverage this pass [court_record]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-alcyone-aka7-06 and sl-uss-alcyone-aka7-07

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   COMPLETE SWEEP - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. 'Alcyone' type=o returned 6 hits, all name collisions or incidental citations: THE ALCYONE, Petition of Putnam (E.D.N.Y. 1931, 50 F.2d 186 - limitation proceeding for the yacht Alcyone, a different vessel); In re THE TROJAN (N.D. Cal. 1958) and In re Wood/Petition of Paul F. Wood (S.D.N.Y. 1954) - both limitation proceedings citing the 1931 yacht case as precedent; Robert Johnson v. Alcyone D. Warren (Mich. 1889 - person name, land devise); Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Douglass (5th Cir. 1954 - appellee Alcyone Ross Douglass, accident insurance); Naumes Forwarding Service v. United States (Customs Ct. 1965 - incidental mention in a tariff-classification case). 'Alcyone' asbestos type=o: 0 hits. 'AKA-7' type=o: 2 indexed collisions (In re Chrysler LLC 2d Cir. 2010; Cirillo v. Sardo Conn. App. 1996 - no hull reference). 'AK-24' type=o: 2 indexed collisions (Lopez v. Florida Parole 1982; U.S. ex rel. Yannacopoulos v. General Dynamics 7th Cir. 2011 - no hull reference). 'Mormacgull': 0 hits. 'Alcyone' type=r (RECAP): 48 hits, all retrieved and classified - bankruptcy debtors and persons named Alcyone, Alcyone Therapeutics (biotech), Duferco Steel v. M/V ALCYONE (S.D. Tex. 2016 - a different modern vessel), Alcyone International Marine, and incidental document mentions; none naming USS Alcyone (AK-24/AKA-7).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   opinions retrieved span 1889-2010; dockets 1990-2026; search date 2026-09-21

   Population

   n/a - all retrieved cases are name collisions; no plaintiff/vessel population applies

   Limitations

   Search-stage classification only: a name match is not automatically a case, and absence of a ship hit is not evidence of absence everywhere (RECAP coverage of pre-2000 dockets is incomplete by nature). No located record names hull AK-24/AKA-7 or involves asbestos aboard it.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-06

7. [7]USS Alcyone (AK-24) War Diary, 1942-05-01 to 1943-01-31, and USS Alcyone (AKA-7) War Diary, 1943-03-01 to 1945-02-05 - U.S. Navy war diaries (NARA RG 38 microfilm records); digitized scans hosted by NavSource Online (02007a.pdf, 207 pp.; 02007b.pdf, 682 pp.) [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.net/archives/10/02/pdf/02007a.pdf (AK-24 diary, 1942-05-01 to 1943-01-31, 207 pp.) and 02007b.pdf (AKA-7 diary, 1943-02 to 1945-11-30, 682 pp.) - Charleston Navy Yard at a pp. 2-3; Mare Island ammo depot/Pier 22 at a pp. 135-138; Pearl Harbor NY Dec-1943 at b p. 397; NRB San Diego at b pp. 400-404; Terminal Island Naval Dry Docks at b pp. 414, 416 ff.; PH Berth X-6 Jul-1944 at b p. 447; PH Dry-Dock No. 1 Aug-1944 at b p. 457; Moore Dry Docks at b pp. 515-517; ship's-history enclosure at b pp. 568-573; muster roll at b pp. 584-589; asbestos codewords at b pp. 430, 445

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The ship's own war diaries were OCR'd in full this pass (889 image pages; 3 near-blank). Combined coverage 1942-05-01 to 1945-11-30 (the 'b' volume runs beyond its NavSource caption - the Feb 1943 canal transit and everything through Nov 1945 IS included). Yard findings beyond DANFS detail: (1) the DANFS April-1942 Charleston 'availability' was a Navy Yard period - the AK-24 volume opens with the vessel 'undergoing overhaul, general repairs and completion of conversion at NAVY YARD, CHARLESTON, S.C.' through 1942-05-28; (2) Mare Island conversion confirmed at berth level - ammunition-depot mooring 1942-10-02, shifted to Pier 22, 'vessel undergoing various repairs and conversion' through October, into November; (3) a Pearl Harbor Navy Yard availability NOT narrated in DANFS: shifted to Navy Yard Berth 23 on 1943-12-03 'for six (6) days yard availability,' extended two days, between the Makin operation and San Diego arrival; (4) Pearl Harbor Navy Yard 'urgent voyage repairs' 1944-07-03/04 (Berth X-6, between Saipan and Guam operations); (5) the DANFS August-1944 'drydock for minor repairs' confirmed at dock level - Navy Yard Pearl Harbor repairs from 1944-08-11, Dry-Dock No. 1 1944-08-23/26 for 'repairs to plating and routine underwater maintenance'; (6) DANFS's anonymous 'shipyard at Terminal Island' resolved - the diary records entry into 'U. S. Naval Dry Docks, Terminal Island, (San Pedro)' on 1944-02-28 per ComSerPac dispatch 192035, repairs running into April (the ship's own history enclosure calls it 'the Navy Yard, Terminal Island'; the shipyards.json alias 'Terminal Island Naval Dry Docks' maps to long-beach-naval-shipyard); (7) Naval Repair Base San Diego, Pier 2, December 1943; (8) Moore Dry Docks, Oakland - moored Pier #5 1945-03-13 'to begin Yard availability for ship overhaul and alterations,' crew barracked aboard converted ferry Fort Sutter, floating drydock #7, 'Main engine dismantled and in process of removal' mid-March - engine-out overhaul consistent with the DANFS configuration changes. Embedded primary enclosure: 'HISTORY OF THE U.S.S. ALCYONE (AKA-7),' CO H. C. Howe to SecNav 1945-10-21 (Ser. 110 per AlPac 202-45) - ship-documented machinery (Sun Doxford 4-cylinder diesel, 6,000 shp, single screw), 459 ft x 63 ft, 13,800 t full load, Oct-1939 delivery to Moore-McCormack, Boston Navy Yard partial conversion and commissioning 1941-06-15, a Saipan operation 1944-06-15 through ~8 days of unloading that the DANFS narrative omits (NavSource campaign table lists it), Lingayen suicide-boat action with picket-boat fatalities and a 12-hour Warhawk rescue party, 34 tons/hour Leyte unloading record with R.Adm. Royal commendation, logistics figures (96 ships in 110 hours; 2,618 tons in 12 days), and 166,493.5 miles / 568 days at sea to Oct 1945. A muster-roll enclosure (Oct 1945) survives - name-level crew list, officer count ~20 (postwar drawdown). Materials finding: the string 'asbestos' appears exactly twice in 889 pages - both are signal-code-table codewords ('NUMERALS FOLLOW = ASBESTOS') in an appended task-unit operation order, not materials references; zero hits for insulation, lagging, magnesia, fireproofing, gasket, or packing as materials statements - the diaries are operational documents.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Population

   Ship's complement and embarked troops during documented availabilities; Navy-yard and depot workers at Charleston, Mare Island, Pearl Harbor (three periods), Terminal Island Naval Dry Docks, NRB San Diego, and Moore Dry Docks 1942-1945

   Limitations

   Primary ship records (NARA RG 38 microfilm) retrieved as NavSource-hosted scans; OCR at 150 dpi is imperfect - dates and berth names verified against multiple pages but individual OCR errors possible. Diaries document presence at yards and (in the 1945 history enclosure) ship-stated machinery and events, not the work performed inside yards; they contain no asbestos or materials statements, so they neither establish nor exclude asbestos aboard - the two 'asbestos' string hits are operation-order signal codewords, documented as such. Coverage gaps: nothing before 1942-05-01 (incl. the 1941 Boston Navy Yard conversion, the Iceland run, early Caribbean service, and the April-1942 Charleston entry) and nothing after 1945-11-30 (incl. the homeward transit and 1946 decommissioning). Three vol. b pages yielded no text (p-011, p-230, p-374 - near-blank scans). Muster-roll enclosure OCR is name-fragment quality; officer count ~20 derived, not asserted.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-07

8. [8]Batch-1051 search ledger (this record): DANFS transcription via HistoryCentral (live NHHC 404, HyperWar lacks AKA-7 entry, hazegray unreachable, Wayback offline); MARAD ShipHistory Detail 123 + attached transfer-order scan; CourtListener name/hull/asbestos/RECAP queries (full coverage); NARA record-group guides; NavSource war-diary scans (OCR'd) and photo archive (lead only) [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-alcyone-aka7-01 through sl-uss-alcyone-aka7-12

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Alcyone (AK-24/AKA-7) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   2026-09-21

   Population

   n/a - negative finding across searched sources

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - WWII-era Maritime Commission construction and repeated Navy-yard and commercial-yard availabilities are consistent with era-typical materials, but nothing ship-specific was located. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-08

9. [9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 38 (Chief of Naval Operations records incl. war diaries), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 181 (naval districts and shore establishments) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov record-group guide pages (024, 038, 178, 181)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for AK-24/AKA-7 covering 1941-1946 service incl. the diary coverage gaps (pre-1942-05 service incl. the 1941 Boston conversion and Iceland run; post-1945-11-30 incl. the homeward transit and 1946 decommissioning); RG 178 Maritime Commission Construction Division files that may hold M.C. hull 30 (Mormacgull) construction and outfitting papers; RG 181 records for the documented Boston Navy Yard (conversion 1941), Charleston Navy Yard (1942 availability, 1943 repairs), Mare Island Navy Yard (1942 conversion), Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (Dec 1943 availability, Jul 1944 voyage repairs, Aug 1944 dry-dock), U.S. Naval Dry Docks Terminal Island (1944 overhaul), Moore Drydock Oakland (1945 overhaul), and Norfolk Navy Yard (1946 decommissioning) availabilities; RG 38 war-diary originals if fuller fidelity than the NavSource-hosted scans is needed.

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   n/a - lead inventory, 2026-09-21

   Population

   n/a - archival lead only, no retrieval performed

   Limitations

   Record-group mapping only - not evidence about this hull. No box-level retrieval performed; NARA Catalog not queried this pass.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alcyone-aka7-09