USS Alhena (AK-26)

Evidence

10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Alhena' (Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, NHHC; live page returned 404 on 2026-09-21 - text captured from the 9 Dec 2025 Wayback snapshot of the official page) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Alhena' entry, spec block and full narrative, plus appended AKL-38 paragraph

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Alhena (AK-26/AKA-9): 'A star in the constellation Gemini.' Spec block: '(AK-26- dp.-- 15,080: 1.- 479'8"; b.- 66'; dr. 27'1"; s.- 16.6 k.; cpl. 446; a. 1 5"; T. C2-S)'. 'Robin Ketiering [sic - Kettering] was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 74) on 19 June 1940 at Sparrows Point, Md., by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.; launched on 18 January 1941; sponsored by Mrs. William Sanford Lewis; purchased by the Navy on 31 May 1941 from the Robin Line of the Seas Shipping Co., Inc., of New York City; commissioned as Alhena (AK-26) at Hoboken, N.J., on 15 June 1941, Comdr. Charles B. Hunt in command.' Service narrative: east-coast cargo runs (Boston, Argentia, Brooklyn, Norfolk); sailed 5 February 1942 for Europe (Belfast 27 February, Clydebank 14 March, New York 25 March); Panama Canal transit 19 April; Tongatabu 9 May; San Diego 5 June; TG 62.1 Guadalcanal landings 7-9 August 1942; Espiritu Santo-Tulagi-Efate supply runs. Torpedoed 29 September 1942 at 2354 'from the Japanese submarine 1-16' [sic - see ev-07]; four crewmen killed, 20 wounded, one missing; towed by Monssen then Navajo to Espiritu Santo (arrived 7 October); Noumea 20 October; Sydney 20 November 1942 - June 1943 for 'final repairs and conversion to an attack cargo ship'; 'redesig-nated AKA-9 on 26 November 1942' [sic]. Returned to duty 10 June 1943; Bougainville operations late October-November 1943; departed Guadalcanal '24 March 1945' [sic - contextually 1944]; Hawaii 9 April; Saipan 15-23 June; San Francisco overhaul July-October 1944; Manus 29 October; damaged by Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion 10 November 1944 (3 killed, 70 wounded, 25 seriously; ~6 weeks repair); Lingayen Gulf January 1945; Iwo Jima March 1945; Noumea reserve for Okinawa; Manila-New Guinea logistics; Tokyo Bay 13 October; occupation support to 19 November; Tsingtao China cargo January-March 1946; Norfolk 1 May 1946; decommissioned 22 May 1946; struck 15 August 1946; transferred to the Maritime Administration 12 September 1946; 'sold and refitted for service as a merchant vessel.' 'Alhena earned five battle stars for her World War II service.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940-1946

   Population

   Ship's company 1941-1946; embarked troops and passengers (Marines of the 2d and 3d Marine Divisions, Army and Navy personnel, evacuated casualties and prisoners of war)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction, and WWII service narrative. Live NHHC URL returned 404 (standing NHHC link-rot note, BATCH-01-REPORT); the 9 Dec 2025 Wayback capture of the official page was used - an archived official source, not a transcription mirror. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information - supports no asbestos claim. Internal data defects flagged, not silently corrected: credits submarine '1-16' [I-16] with the torpedo (attribution contested - ev-07); records 'five battle stars' vs NavSource's six and a six-campaign table; 'departing Guadalcanal on 24 March 1945' is contextually 1944 (Saipan followed in June 1944); typos 'Ketiering', 'approximatey', 'desig-nated', '1-16' retained as printed. Ends at the September 1946 transfer; the merchant/disposal chain is covered by the MARAD status cards (ev-03).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-01

2. [2]Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, War Damage Report No. 27, NAVSHIPS 27(374), 24 May 1943 - USS Capella (AK-13) / USS Alhena (AKA-9) torpedo damage (verbatim transcription via HyperWar/ibiblio) [other_primary]

   Locator

   War Damage Report No. 27, Section III (Alhena damage), paragraphs 23-29 et seq.; based on C.O. Alhena letters AK26/A9/P2-4 Serial 09 of 7 Oct 1942 and AK26/L11-1(011) of 13 Oct 1942, and C.O. Navajo AT64/S94 of 5 Nov 1942

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Bureau of Ships War Damage Report No. 27 (NAVSHIPS 27(374), 24 May 1943) - the Navy's engineering analysis of this hull's torpedo damage: 'U.S.S. ALHENA was struck on the starboard side by a single submarine torpedo at 2359, September 29, 1942. The ship was 20 miles south of San Cristobal Island and was zigzagging at 15 knots on a base course of 125 deg true... None of the ten lookouts saw the torpedo.' The torpedo struck the shaft alley recess about frame 169. 'Fire immediately broke out on the second deck, port side, in the crew's quarters, G.S.K. storeroom and small stores compartment. Clothing, bedding, linoleum, cork slab and bulkhead paint burned in these spaces producing a great deal of smoke' - extinguished in 3-1/2 hours. Shock damage was minor: 'The porcelain insulation in back of the steering engine pump motor starting panels was shattered,' arc shields and a gyroscope bearing dislodged. Monssen could not tow against wind and sea; by daylight she towed until the tug Navajo arrived 1630 on 2 October, which towed Alhena to Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo. The report pairs Alhena with USS Capella (AK-13) 'because of the similarity of damage' and notes these were 'the first cases to be studied by the Bureau of torpedo damage to cargo vessels.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1943

   Population

   Ship's company at the time of attack (4 KIA, 20 WIA, 1 MIA per DANFS/NavSource; a specialist compilation reports 6 sailors and 24 Marines killed or missing); repair parties at Espiritu Santo, Noumea, and Sydney

   Limitations

   Genuine BuShips primary engineering document about this specific hull - the deepest primary source located. Materials data point: it itemizes what burned in the crew's quarters (linoleum, cork slab, bulkhead paint) and the shattered porcelain electrical insulation - 'cork slab' is a documented insulation material aboard this hull but is NOT asbestos, and no asbestos product is named anywhere in the report. Written May 1943, before the Sydney conversion was complete; names no attacking submarine; covers damage and repair, not construction insulation schedules. Does not establish presence or absence of asbestos.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-02

3. [3]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ALHENA (AK-26/AKA-9) Detail 155 and ROBIN KETTERING Detail 10591, including five scanned NDRF vessel status cards read verbatim from the card images [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 155 data block + milestones (Disposition 5/12/1947; Withdrawl 10/17/1947) + 4 status-card images; Detail 10591 data block + status card 63E_01.png (custody ledger)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records - Detail 155 'ALHENA (AK-26/AKA-9)' and Detail 10591 'ROBIN KETTERING' - plus five NDRF vessel status cards read directly (155_292AF, 155_292BF, 155_292BB, 155_292AB, 63E_01). Data blocks: built 1941, Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, type C2 (cards read 'C2-S Cargo'), official no. 240362 (the ROBIN KETTERING card reads 'Off. #240632'), DWT 10048, displacement 15,080 summer / 7,101 lightweight, 479-480 ft x 66 ft; fates 'Sold - No Further Info' and 'Sold - U.S. Operation.' Custody chain per the cards: 'Basis to W.S.A. 9-12-46 12Noon EDT @ Jones Pt., New York from Navy - Surplus'; Reserve Fleet (Hudson River) New York 9-12-46; Seas Shipping Co. under GAA, Jones Pt. NY, 3-24-47 4AM EST - card reverse notes 'Withdrawn from Fleet 3-24-47 to be surveyed for bottom damage'; Reserve Fleet (Hudson River) 4-1-47 2PM EST; status 'RECON' with 'Sold 5/12/47' and 'FINAL ALLOC. 289A 5/9/47'; 'SEAS SHIPPING Co.' purchase delivery 10-16-47 2:40PM EST (the Hudson fleet card records 'DATE WITHDRAWN FROM FLEET 10-17-47 2200 hours - DELIVERED TO Moran tugs for purchaser'); 'Sold to Flying Hawk, Inc. 6-57 / Renamed "FLYING HAWK" 6-57'; 'Sold to American Export Lines, Inc. 7-62 / Now American Export Isbrandtsen Lines, Inc. 6-8-64'; and a handwritten 'Sold Foreign (Scrap)' entry dated 1971 (partially legible, reads as 3/71).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1946-1971

   Population

   NDRF Hudson River (Jones Point) preservation and reconditioning workforce (1946-47); Seas Shipping Co. and survey workforce (1947); merchant crews 1947-1971; foreign scrapping workforce (1971)

   Limitations

   Primary government custody record and the strongest source in this file - the cards document the complete custody chain 1946-1971. Data conflicts flagged, not resolved: official number 240362 (web data block, both ALHENA fleet cards) vs 240632 (ROBIN KETTERING card, and secondary sources incl. Wikipedia); purchase delivery 10-16-47 2:40PM EST (custody card) vs fleet withdrawal 10-17-47 2200 hrs (fleet card) vs milestone 'Withdrawl 10/17/1947'; MARAD type 'C2' vs cards' 'C2-S'; the 'Sold Foreign (Scrap)' handwritten date is partially legible (reads as 3/71) vs '1971' in NavSource/shipscribe. Contains no asbestos, materials, insulation, or condition-survey information - the cards track custody, surveys, fuel, and reconditioning status only. The 1947 'bottom damage' survey and 'RECON' reconditioning are documented events on the hull whose materials scope is unknown.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-03

4. [4]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Alhena (AKA-9)' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips records, and MC design files; compiled 17 Mar 2006) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKA-9 class page: characteristics block, construction and disposition tables, class notes, ship notes

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation (shipscribe.com, compiled from Navy registers, BuShips records, and Maritime Commission files): class ALHENA (AKA-9), design MC C2-S; characteristics 7,151 t light / 15,080 t lim.; 479.7' oa, 450.0' pp x 66.0' x 27.1' lim.; complement 353 (1944); 16.6 kts; 6,300 hp; machinery 'Bethlehem turbine, 1 screw'; armament 1-4"/50, 4-3"/50, 8-20mm (1942) evolving to 1-5"/38, 4-40mmT, 18-20mm (1944). Construction row: acq. 30 May 41, keel 19 Jun 40, launch 18 Jan 41, commiss. 15 Jun 41. Disposition row: decomm. 22 May 46, strike 15 Aug 46, disposal 12 Sep 46 (MC/D), MA sale 16 Oct 47. Ship note: 'Ex merc. ROBIN KETTERING. Ex AK-26 1 Feb 43. Converted by Tietjen & Lang DD (Todd), Hoboken, N.J. Torpedoed in the Solomons 29 Sep 42, repairs completed in Australia Jun 43. Merc. ROBIN KETTERING 1946, scrapped 1971 as FLYING HAWK.' Class notes: C2-S was the MC designator for six Robin Line ships between C2 and C3 in size with unusually long forecastles; only AK-26 served as a Navy ship; AK-26 'was completed as a merchant ship the day before the Navy took her over'; the Sydney repair included 'a complete attack transport conversion including two of the new quadrupod masts that had been developed for the AKA-15 class.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940-1971

   Population

   Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction workforce (1940-41); Tietjen & Lang (Todd) Hoboken conversion workforce (1941); ship's company 1941-1946

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy/MC records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with DANFS and the MARAD cards. Conflicts flagged: complement 353 (1944) vs DANFS 446; acquisition 30 May 1941 vs DANFS 31 May; 'Ex AK-26 1 Feb 43' (the AKA type's fleetwide effective date) vs DANFS 'redesignated AKA-9 on 26 November 1942' - both statements carried; 'scrapped 1971' consistent with the card's 'Sold Foreign (Scrap)'. Contains no asbestos information; the machinery line documents the propulsion type, not materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-04

5. [5]NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive, 'Attack Cargo Ship AKA-9 Alhena' page (volunteer-compiled; fetched via the navsource.net mirror - direct fetch of navsource.org failed from this machine) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AKA-9 page: data block, campaign and awards tables, spec block, commanding-officer list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Online Amphibious Photo Archive entry for USS Alhena (AKA-9) ex USS Alhena (AK-26): call sign NAWZ; Alhena-class cargo ship data block (MC type C2-S, MC hull 74, Bethlehem Steel Co. Sparrows Point); purchased 31 May 1941 from Robin Line; commissioned 15 June 1941 at Hoboken, CDR Charles B. Hunt; campaigns - Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings 7-9 August 1942; Capture and defense of Guadalcanal 29 September 1942; Treasury-Bougainville (Cape Torokina) 1 and 13 November 1943; Marianas/Saipan 15-23 June 1944; Luzon/Lingayen Gulf 9 January 1945; Iwo Jima 9 March 1945; redesignated AKA-9 26 November 1942; occupation service 12-21 Sep, 13 Oct-19 Nov 1945, 22-23 Jan 1946; China service 25 Jan-2 Feb 1946; decommissioned 22 May 1946 at Bayonne, N.J.; struck 15 August 1946; 'earned six battle stars'; delivered to the Maritime Commission 12 September 1946 for NDRF Hudson River Group, Jones Point; merchant chain (Seas Shipping 16 October 1947; Flying Hawk Inc. June 1957 renamed Flying Hawk; American Export/Isbrandtsen June 1962; scrapped 1971). Spec block: 7,101 lt / 15,080 fl; 479'8" x 66' x 20'9" max; 16.6 kts; complement 75 officers + 371 enlisted; propulsion - one Bethlehem Shipbuilding steam turbine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 450 psi 750 deg, double GE main reduction gears, single propeller 6,300 shp; refrigerated cargo capacity 7,930 cu ft; Purple Hearts 29 September 1942 - 4 KIA, 20 WIA, 1 MIA; CO list (Hunt; Bradbury; Sylvester; Erickson).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940-1971

   Population

   Ship's company 1941-1946

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record - used as cross-check and for details the official record omits (propulsion spec block, refrigerated cargo capacity, call sign, CO list). Every NavSource date checked against primary records agreed. Conflicts flagged: 'six battle stars' vs DANFS 'five' (its own campaign table lists six campaigns - the conflict is carried, not resolved); 'decommissioned at Bayonne, N.J.' vs DANFS 'decommissioned there [New York City]' - Bayonne is across the harbor, plausibly the same event; purchased by Seas Shipping '16 October 1947' consistent with the MARAD custody card's 10-16-47 delivery (the fleet card's withdrawal reads 10-17-47). Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-05

6. [6]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 + shipscribe AKA-9 machinery/construction data (ev-04), NavSource spec block (ev-05), MARAD status-card custody/survey entries (ev-03), DANFS service narrative (ev-01) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, 1930-1959 analysis block

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   As built (1940-41), Alhena's plant was a Maritime Commission C2-S steam installation - two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (450 psi, 750 deg F) driving a Bethlehem steam turbine on one screw - machinery of a type and era for which the U.S. Navy and Maritime Commission specified asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gaskets, and packing. Peer-reviewed scholarship documents that the Navy required and used asbestos-containing materials aboard ships throughout the period spanning this hull's construction (1940-41) and entire naval service (1941-1946) - the analysis blocks covering 1930-1959 - and that naval vessels carried amosite and chrysotile insulating materials extensively through this era. The hull additionally underwent documented maintenance disturbances whose materials scope is unknown: the 1941 Tietjen & Lang (Todd) Hoboken conversion; the November 1942-June 1943 Sydney repair and attack-cargo conversion; the July-October 1944 San Francisco overhaul; the ~six-week post-Mount Hood repair (1944-45); the 1947 NDRF reconditioning ('RECON' status, bottom-damage survey) at Jones Point; 24 years of merchant service; and foreign scrapping in 1971.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940-1971

   Population

   Bethlehem Sparrows Point construction workforce (1940-41); Tietjen & Lang conversion workforce (1941); Sydney repair/conversion workforce (1942-43); San Francisco overhaul workforce (1944); post-Mount Hood repair workforce (1944-45); ship's company (1941-46); NDRF reconditioning workforce (1946-47); merchant crews (1947-1971); scrapping workforce (1971)

   Limitations

   Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented steam plant - establishes that asbestos-containing insulation was Navy/MC-standard practice in Alhena's construction and service era, NOT that any survey or record confirms asbestos aboard this specific hull. No hull-specific insulation specification, survey, abatement, or removal record was located. Each documented disturbance event (conversion, battle-damage repair, overhaul, reconditioning, scrapping) is a real event on this hull whose asbestos scope is inference, not record. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-06

7. [7]combinedfleet.com, I-4 Tabular Record of Movement entry for 29-30 September 1942 (specialist research compilation transcribing Japanese naval records; secondary, not an official source) [other_primary]

   Locator

   I-4 TROM, 29-30 September 1942 attack sequence and editorial note on the DANFS I-16 credit

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Torpedo-attribution conflict, recorded as a correction candidate: DANFS prints 'a torpedo from the Japanese submarine 1-16' [I-16]. The specialist compilation combinedfleet.com, transcribing the Japanese submarine war diaries into its Tabular Record of Movement for I-4, records I-4 on 29 September 1942 patrolling surfaced 12 miles SW of Cape Sidney, San Cristobal: at 2344 LtCdr Kawasaki fired two Type 96 torpedoes at 'a 7,000-ton cargo ship... escorted by a solitary destroyer,' observed a stern hit seven minutes later (the second torpedo hit but failed to explode), and the target - Cdr Charles B. Hunt's USS Alhena (AK-26) en route Guadalcanal to Espiritu Santo escorted by USS Monssen (DD-436) - 'is hit by a torpedo in the vicinity of No. 5 hold.' The same compilation notes: 'DANFS credits I-16 with torpedoing ALHENA, but by that time that sub was being overhauled at Yokosuka.' War Damage Report No. 27, written in 1943, names no attacker ('no submarine was seen').

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942

   Population

   Ship's company and embarked passengers at the time of attack

   Limitations

   Attribution is a historical correction, not an asbestos finding: I-4 is the accepted modern attribution (Wikipedia, combinedfleet) based on Japanese records matching position, time, escort, and weapon count; DANFS's '1-16' appears to be the older erroneous credit (I-16 was in refit at Yokosuka). The I-16-vs-I-4 question does not affect the hull's documented damage - only the attacker's identity. combinedfleet.com is a respected specialist compilation of Japanese records, not an official U.S. source; marked partial for that reason. Does not establish any asbestos fact.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-07

8. [8]DANFS, 'Alhena' entry, appended AKL-38 paragraph (NHHC via Wayback capture); corroborated by NavSource T-AKL index and shipbuildinghistory.com Wheeler yard list [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Alhena' entry, second paragraph block (FS-257/AKL-38); navsource.net/archives/09/14/14idx.htm AKL-38 row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Namesake disambiguation (appended paragraph of the same DANFS entry): 'FS-257 was acquired from the Army on 12 December 1951, named Alhena, and designated AKL-38. The ship was loaned to the Republic of Korea that same day and served until early in 1960 when she was returned to the Navy. Her name was stricken from the Navy list on 1 February 1960; and she was sold to Hong Kong Rolling Mills, Ltd., in June of 1960 for scrapping.' AKL-38 was a 177-ft Design 381 Army coastal freighter built by Wheeler Shipbuilding, Whitestone, N.Y. - a different hull that saw no U.S. Navy service under the Alhena name. Law-firm marketing lists enumerate both hulls as separate entries (freeasbestostesting.com lists 'USS Alhena (AK-26)' and 'USS Alhena (AKL-38)'), making the collision live in the wild.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1951-1960

   Limitations

   Describes a DIFFERENT hull (ex-US Army FS-257, Design 381 diesel freighter) that briefly held the same name under nominal U.S. Navy ownership - included solely to prevent conflation between AK-26/AKA-9 (this record) and AKL-38. Nothing about AKL-38 is evidence for or against asbestos aboard this hull; no asbestos information exists in the source for either vessel.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-08

9. [9]Batch-912 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (live 404; Wayback capture used); BuShips War Damage Report No. 27 via HyperWar; MARAD ShipHistory Details 155 + 10591 incl. 5 status cards (read verbatim); shipscribe AKA-9 page; NavSource via navsource.net mirror; CourtListener API v4 (429 quota-exhausted) and web UI (403); Justia/vLex/web litigation search (name collisions only); VA BVA index; shipyards.json cross-check; combinedfleet I-4 TROM [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-alhena-ak26-01 through sl-uss-alhena-ak26-14

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated finding naming USS Alhena, AK-26, AKA-9, Robin Kettering, or Flying Hawk was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation surface: CourtListener could not be queried this session - the API returned HTTP 429 (the shared key's 2,800/day quota was exhausted before this batch ran; 'Expected available in 16940 seconds') and the web UI returned 403 to automated fetch; the sweep is logged as blocked, not as 'no result.' Secondary legal-index searches (Justia, vLex, general web) surfaced only name collisions - Althen v. Secretary of HHS (Fed. Cir. 2005, a vaccine case), Al-Ghena Int'l Corp. v. Radwan (D.N.J. 2013), Alvenus Shipping v. Delta Petroleum (S.D.N.Y. 1994), Welsh v. The Alvena (S.D.N.Y. 1896) - and law-firm marketing ship lists that enumerate USS Alhena (AK-26), USS Alhena (AKA-9), and even USS Alhena (AKL-38) as stock entries (simmonsfirm.com, freeasbestostesting.com, levylaw.com) - an excluded source class; levylaw.com claims 'confirmed' exposures aboard Alhena and SS Flying Hawk, an unverifiable marketing assertion not carried as evidence. The VA BVA index returned no decision naming the hull or her merchant names.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   2026-09-21

   Limitations

   Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1940-41 Maritime Commission steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, and the CourtListener sweep is genuinely incomplete (blocked, not clean): a docketed case naming the hull may exist that this session could not reach. The disposal path may have disposed of both the ship and her records: scrapped foreign in 1971, before hazmat-conditioned scrapping was documented; no scrapping-side survey is known to exist. The 1942-43 Sydney conversion, 1944 San Francisco overhaul, and 1947 reconditioning generated yard records (the events are documented; the yards' materials schedules are not surfaced). Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alhena-ak26-09

10. [10]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24, RG 19 record-group descriptions; War Damage Report No. 27 reference list (ev-02); NHHC photo-page NARA callouts (19-N-24236, 80-G-457843, RG-19-LCM) [other_primary]

    Locator

    RG 24 / RG 19 record-group guides (archives.gov); WDR-27 references block; NHHC Online Library photo captions

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds the hull's deck logs for the June 1941-May 1946 commission; the commanding-officer letters underlying War Damage Report No. 27 are specifically identified in that report's references - C.O. Alhena conf. ltr. AK26/A9/P2-4 Serial 09 of 7 Oct 1942 (action report) and AK26/L11-1(011) of 13 Oct 1942 (war damage report), plus C.O. Navajo conf. ltr. AT64/S94 of 5 Nov 1942 - and would detail damage and repair work; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and Maritime Commission records hold MC hull 74 contract design, construction, and conversion files (the Tietjen & Lang contract; the Sydney attack-cargo conversion specifications) potentially including insulation schedules; the 1944 San Francisco overhaul and 1947 Jones Point reconditioning/bottom-survey work packages are the plausible repositories for any surviving materials documentation; NARA photo records for this hull exist in RG-19-LCM (19-N-24236 conversion view; 19-N-80627/29/30 post-refit views) and RG-80-G (80-G-18020/21/22/24, 80-G-457843).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1940-1971 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and file mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alhena-ak26-10