Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the design of this hull, MCE 1211) describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty hulls were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Construction trades (St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville, 1943); Gibbs conversion yard workers (1943-44); Navy crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the EC2-S-C1 type, not MCE 1211, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). Asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1964-65), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-01
-
[2]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 WWII - the era and emergency MARCOM program under which this EC2-S-C1 hull was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- 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 scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remained aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-02
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. IA, p. 188, 'Alkaid' - NHHC online edition [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body; canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/alkaid.html returned live 404 on 2026-09-20 (NHHC link rot, cf. batch-01 standing defect); text verified verbatim via Wayback capture 20231215212142; hazegray transcription mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/auxil/ak114.htm (contains '1946' OCR typo - see correction row)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC): William G. Sumner (AK-114) laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1211) 13 September 1943 by St. John's River Shipbuilding Co., Inc., Jacksonville, Fla.; launched 8 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. W. R. McQuaid; renamed Alkaid (AK-114) 13 November 1943; acquired by the Navy under bareboat charter 19 November 1943; converted for naval service by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville; commissioned at Jacksonville 27 March 1944, Lt. Comdr. E. G. Gummer in command. Pacific service from 6 May 1944 via Guantanamo and the Panama Canal; Service Squadron 8 interisland transport (Noumea, Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Suva, Auckland, Wellington, Espiritu Santo, Efate, Oro Bay, Iwo Jima, Guam, Eniwetok). Sailed Ulithi 15 May 1945 in Okinawa-bound convoy; off Hagushi beach 21 May through end of month. Pearl Harbor availability at Japanese surrender; Yokosuka 4 October 1945; occupation service to 16 November 1945; San Francisco 6 January 1946; decommissioned and returned to Maritime Commission 11 March 1946, entering Suisun Bay reserve that day; stricken 28 March 1946; resumed name William G. Sumner; sold to National Metal & Steel Corp. 31 March 1964 as a scrap hull and removed by purchaser 20 April 1964. One battle star. DANFS characteristics: dp 12,350; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 24'6"; s. 12.8 k.; cpl. 198; a. 1x5", 4x40mm, 12x20mm.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, dates, service history, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, materials, or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ALKAID (AK-114) Detail 12553 and WILLIAM G. SUMNER Detail 5244 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 5244 (milestones table, vessel-name history) and Detail 12553 https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/12553
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records: ALKAID (AK-114), Detail 12553 - built 1943 by St. John's River Shipbuilding Company, MARAD type EC2-S-C1, Naval Auxiliary / AK Cargo Ship, fate 'Sold - Scrap.' Linked record WILLIAM G. SUMNER, Detail 5244 - U.S. Official No. 244647, EC2-S-C1, gross 7,240 / net 4,390 tons; milestones: Entry and Acquisition 1946-03-11 'ex-ALKAID'; Disposition and Withdrawal 1964-04-20 'ex-ALKAID.' Status-card scans exist in the MARAD record (4 images) but were not individually transcribed here.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1964
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones (1946 entry, 1964 withdrawal) and vessel identity. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; status-card images present but not transcribed. Supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-04
-
[5]Shipscribe.com, USS Crater (AK-70) class page - U.S. Navy auxiliary vessel data compiled from official records (Ships' Data / BuShips / Auxiliary Vessels Board proceedings) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table (AK-114 row), disposal table (AK-114 row: decomm 11 Mar 46, struck 28 Mar 46, to MC/reserve 11 Mar 46, sold 31 Mar 64), hull notes (AK-114), class notes (AK 114-123 troop-conversion program)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe Crater (AK-70) class compilation (Stephen S. Roberts, from official BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board records): hull note for AK-114 reads 'Ex merc. WILLIAM G. SUMNER. Converted and fitted to transport troops by Gibbs Gas Engine Co., Jacksonville. To NDRF 1946 as merc. WILLIAM G. SUMNER. To buyer 20 Apr 64, scrapped by 23 Dec 65.' Class notes document that in October 1943 the newly-selected AK 114-123 and 129 were added to the short-haul troop-transport program, 'all to be modified during conversion' for facilities carrying about 1,000 troops (AVB recommendation of 30 Oct 43, 'without towing engines but with facilities for transporting about 1,000 troops on short hauls'); the 1945 limiting figures of 12,350 tons at 24.5' applied to the troop-fitted list including AK-114.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Gibbs Gas Engine Co. conversion workforce (1943-44); embarked troops (short-haul berthing)
- Limitations
- Shipscribe is a private scholarly compilation of official Navy records, not the primary documents themselves - the underlying AVB/BuShips papers were not viewed directly; facts corroborated against DANFS, MARAD, and NavSource. Establishes the Gibbs conversion and troop-fitting scope for this hull; contains no asbestos or materials information. The ~1,000-troop berthing installation is an outfitting event, not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-05
-
[6]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Alkaid (AK-114), archive pages 09/13/130114.htm and 130114a.htm (miscellaneous documents) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Main page: campaign table, specifications, CO roster, disposal chronology; miscellaneous page 130114a.htm: Plan of the Day 1946-03-11, ALNAV 91 copy, Nimitz message
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive for AK-114: campaign table records the Okinawa Gunto operation (assault and occupation, 15-31 May 1945) under the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign; specifications list complement 16 officers + 190 enlisted, troop accommodations 46 officers + 1,018 enlisted, propulsion of one General Machinery vertical triple-expansion engine with two Combustion Engineering header-type boilers (220 psi, 450 deg F) on a single 2,500-shp screw; commanding officers LCDR Edward G. Gummer (27 Mar 1944 - 15 Apr 1945) and LCDR Alfred O. Johansen, USNR (15 Apr 1945 - 11 Mar 1946); donated primary artifacts include the ship's Plan of the Day for 11 March 1946 marked 'Decommissioning Day,' a copy of ALNAV 91 (German surrender announcement) received aboard, and ADM Nimitz's 21 June 1945 end-of-resistance message received aboard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1965
- Limitations
- NavSource is a private volunteer archive compiling official records and donated crew artifacts, not an official repository - the Plan of the Day and message copies are donated primary artifacts whose images were cataloged but not individually re-verified; specification sheet provenance is unstated (likely BuShips data). Campaign dates and CO roster corroborate DANFS. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-06
-
[7]shipbuildinghistory.com Liberty-ship production table (St. John's River section) and St. John's River yard history page; usmm.org 'Liberty Ships built by Southeastern, St. Johns River, and North Carolina Shipbuilding' (Sawyer & Mitchell-derived table) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2libertyships4.htm (hull 1211 row); shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-emer-large/stjohnsriver/ (yard history); usmm.org/l/southe.html (hull table, source: Sawyer & Mitchell, The Liberty Ships)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Independent construction-record compilations corroborate the hull's identity: shipbuildinghistory.com's Liberty-ship production table lists MCE hull 1211 'William G Sumner,' St. John's River yard hull 19, way 1, EC2-S-C1, laid 13-Sep-43, launched 8-Nov-43, delivered 19-Nov-43 (56 days on ways, 11 fitting out, 67 total), 'To USN as Alkaid (AK 114), scrapped 1964'; usmm.org's St. Johns River yard table maps MCE 1211 William G. Sumner to 'AK 114 Alkaid' and shows sisters (MCE 1212 Peter Stuyvesant = AK-115 Crux; 1213 James Screven = AK-118 Shaula; 1214 Napoleon B. Broward = AK-119 Matar). St. John's River was a fifth-wave emergency yard: 6 ways, ~$17M MARCOM investment, built by Merrill-Stevens, operated April 1942 - August 1945, 82 ships, workforce ~20,000 by 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1945 (yard); 1943 (hull)
- Population
- St. John's River Shipbuilding construction trades (~20,000 peak workforce, 1944)
- Limitations
- Private standard compilations (Colton's shipbuildinghistory; usmm.org memorial reference), not government publications - the hull-1211 row is independently corroborated by MARAD and DANFS; yard-level production counts are not separately audited. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-07
-
[8]Cross-source collation: NHHC DANFS (Wayback 2023-12-15 capture); hazegray DANFS mirror; MARAD ShipHistory 5244; NavSource 09/13/130114 + 130114a; shipscribe AK-70 class page; NavalCoverMuseum ALKAID AK-114 page [other_primary]
- Locator
- Per-source locators as in rows ev-03 through ev-06; NavalCoverMuseum at navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/ALKAID_AK_114
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Okinawa convoy date - the hazegray DANFS transcription reads '15 May 1946,' but the live NHHC text (Wayback capture 2023-12-15) reads '15 May 1945,' consistent with the Okinawa Gunto operation dates (15-31 May 1945) and the ship's March 1946 decommissioning; the mirror typo is an OCR artifact, 1945 adopted. (b) Disposal date - secondary infoboxes circulate 'sold for scrapping 4 March 1947, removed 12 March 1947'; DANFS records sale 31 March 1964 and removal 20 April 1964, MARAD records disposition/withdrawal 20 April 1964, and shipscribe records 'to buyer 20 Apr 64, scrapped by 23 Dec 65'; the 1947 claim is discarded. (c) Decommissioning date - NavalCoverMuseum lists 'Decommissioned January 6 1946,' but DANFS, NavSource, MARAD, and the ship's own decommissioning Plan of the Day all give 11 March 1946 (6 January was the San Francisco arrival); 1946-03-11 adopted. (d) Complement - DANFS 198 vs NavSource spec sheet 206 (16+190) vs shipscribe class range 133-207 (1944); DANFS figure carried, variants logged not merged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965 (dates); 2026-09-20 (collation)
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings against primary/near-primary sources; does not affect identity, service, or disposal materially. No asbestos content in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-08
-
[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel, logs incl. Entry 118 deck logs), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); NARA deck-log guidance (archives.gov/research/military/logbooks) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html, /178.html, /248.html; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-1941-1959
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 Entry 118 U.S. Navy Ship Deck Logs holds 1941-1959 deck logs at College Park (Special List 44 itemizes by ship); AK-114's 1944-46 deck logs, if extant, would record underway/availability periods and could bound maintenance-disturbance events. NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) Construction Division records and regional director files may hold the MCE hull 1211 contract and outfitting specifications for St. John's River; RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) holds hull-level ownership records for the bareboat-charter period. Navy conversion contract records for the Gibbs Gas Engine troop-fitting would follow BuShips/6th Naval District records (RG 19/RG 181 families).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1965 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for MCE 1211 / AK-114 is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-09
-
[10]Batch-803 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory 12553/5244; NavSource; shipscribe; shipbuildinghistory; usmm.org; CourtListener (blocked); general web litigation search (non-qualifying hits only) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alkaid-ak114-01 through sl-uss-alkaid-ak114-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Alkaid, AK-114, or William G. Sumner was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The CourtListener opinion/docket search was blocked by rate limiting on the research date (API HTTP 429, daily cap 125; web UI HTTP 403) and is logged as blocked - the litigation sweep is incomplete, not a verified negative. A general web search for the ship name plus asbestos/litigation terms returned only law-firm marketing pages listing AK-114 in generic Navy-ship tables (non-qualifying: no pleadings, findings, or vessel-specific facts).
- 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 - a 1943 EC2-S-C1 hull with a wartime Navy conversion is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The CourtListener rate limit means the docketed-litigation check specifically is unfinished; everything else searched returned no hull-specific asbestos record. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-10
-
[11]Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135 (1950) [court_record]
- Locator
- Supreme Court reporter citation 340 U.S. 135 (CourtListener URL not verified - repository rate-limited on access date)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Doctrinal context for the hull's litigation surface: this vessel was a commissioned U.S. Navy ship manned by a Navy crew, so any service-member injury claim arising aboard ran into Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135 (1950), barring servicemember suits against the government for injuries incident to service; WWII Navy-ship asbestos claims therefore characteristically proceeded against product manufacturers and (later) successor entities rather than naming hulls - a structural reason hull-named opinions are rare even where shipboard exposure occurred.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1950 (doctrine); 1944-1946 (service period)
- Population
- U.S. Navy crew (class context)
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the case does not name this vessel or any vessel and makes no asbestos finding; it describes why hull-specific litigation records for Navy-manned ships are structurally sparse. Does not establish or defeat any claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alkaid-ak114-11