Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[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, MC 2416) 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. This hull was built to that emergency USMC specification at Bethlehem-Fairfield during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1944
- Population
- Construction trades (Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore, 1943-44); Navy engine-room crew 1944-45; merchant engine crews 1947-69
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1969), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-01
-
[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 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
- 2026-09-21
- 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 or the EC2-S-C1 type and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-02
-
[3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Allegan' (Naval Historical Center / NHHC) - live NHHC page 404 on 2026-09-21; cited via Wayback Machine capture 2012-11-07 of history.navy.mil/danfs/a6/allegan.htm [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, full entry (specs block and four narrative paragraphs)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Allegan (AK-225): Van Lear Black laid down 1943-12-21 at Baltimore by Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard under MC contract (MCE hull 2416); launched 1944-01-21 sponsored by Mrs. Van Lear Black; acquired by the Navy under bareboat charter 1944-08-07; renamed Allegan and designated AK-225 1944-08-12; converted for naval service at Baltimore by the Maryland Drydock Co.; commissioned per DANFS 1944-09-21. Service: shakedown Chesapeake Bay; pontoons loaded at Davisville, R.I.; departed 1944-10-19, Panama Canal 10-30, Eniwetok 11-27, Leyte 12-22; Philippine operations (Samar area) discharging cargo and assembling pontoons under frequent air attack through 1945-01-23; Manus 01-30, San Pedro 02-23; departed 03-09 for Okinawa; off Okinawa 05-03 to 08-05 assembling/discharging pontoons under frequent air attack, assisted in downing three enemy planes; Pearl Harbor 08-26, San Francisco 09-05 voyage repairs, departed 10-06 for Hampton Roads, Norfolk 10-27; decommissioned Portsmouth, VA 1945-11-15; returned to the War Shipping Administration a week later; struck from the Navy list 1945-11-28; one battle star.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Ship's complement (Navy, 1944-45)
- Limitations
- Official compiled ship history; no asbestos or materials content. Commissioning date given as 21 September conflicts with the ship's own war diary (24 September) - see correction row ev-05; war-diary date adopted. DANFS 'San Pedro' vs war diary 'Port Hueneme' for the Feb 1945 pontoon loading is a minor port-name variance between adjacent harbors. Specs line (cpl. 229) adopted over a secondary compilation's 198.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-03
-
[4]USS Allegan (AK-225) War Diary, September 1944 - November 1945, including History and AA Action Reports (NavSource-hosted scan of the contemporaneous ship-submitted war diary; original series held at NARA) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Full scan, 73 pp.; esp. commissioning entry (1944-09-24), op-order extract (1944-10-08), AA action reports (Okinawa period), history enclosure, final diary (1945-11-01/15)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The ship's own war diary (73-page digitized scan, submitted monthly per CominCh/Cincpac directives, covering 1944-09-24 through 1945-11-15) records: commissioned 1944-09-24 at Pier No. 1, Maryland Drydock Company, Fairfield, Md., Capt. B.N. Ward USN (Ret.) for ComFive placing her in commission; designated pontoon assembly ship by CNO (operation order of 1944-10-08); first pontoon cargo at Davisville; Leyte-Samar operations incl. pontoon-string assembly at Guiuan Harbor/Calicoan Island under air attack (SS Sommelsdijk torpedoed by suicide plane 400 yards astern, 1944-12-25); Okinawa Nakagusuku Wan 1945-05-03 to 08-05 discharging and assembling pontoons 'from other ships as well as her own cargo,' officially credited with three enemy planes; AA action reports document a kamikaze crossing the amidships deckhouse, overshooting the foremast by ~6 ft, crashing 30 yards off the port bow - four men wounded plus two hysteria cases; voyage repairs San Francisco ending 1945-09-29; decommissioned 1945-11-15 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, 'crew and officers detached. This is the last war diary.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Ship's complement 1944-45; embarked Construction Battalion pontoon crews (documented assembling pontoons aboard)
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous primary record read via OCR of typewritten carbon-copy scan - partially legible in places; quoted details cross-checked against DANFS where overlapping. Full-text keyword search across the OCR returned zero hits for asbestos/insulation/lagging/magnesia/gasket/packing - an operational record, not a materials record; its silence on asbestos is expected and establishes nothing about materials aboard. NavSource award panel additionally lists 1 MIA for Okinawa not legible in OCR'd casualty lines.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-04
-
[5]USS Allegan (AK-225) War Diary entries of 1944-09-24 and history enclosure vs. DANFS 'Allegan' entry (commissioned 21 September); NavSource CO roster (Wolfgang Hechler/Ron Reeves) [other_primary]
- Locator
- War diary p.1 commission paragraph + history enclosure; DANFS paragraph 1; NavSource CO table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commissioning-date discrepancy resolved in favor of the contemporaneous record: the ship's war diary states she was 'placed in commission' on 24 September 1944 at Maryland Drydock Co., Fairfield, Md. (Capt. B.N. Ward for ComFive, per CNO orders), and her history enclosure repeats 24 September; NavSource's commanding-officer roster independently starts LCDR Hulings's command on 24 September 1944. DANFS (compiled secondary) states 21 September. The war-diary date, 1944-09-24, is adopted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Resolves a publication-level discrepancy between a contemporaneous ship record and the later compiled official history; 3-day difference, no material effect on service timeline. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-05
-
[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - VAN LEAR BLACK Detail 4993 and ALLEGAN (AK-225) Detail 12571, incl. digitized vessel status cards (4 scans) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 4993 (specs, milestones, 4 status-card scans incl. operator/allocation table and condition notes); Detail 12571 (Navy-name record, fate)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records and digitized status cards document the custody chain: VAN LEAR BLACK (Detail 4993; O.N. 245063; MCE hull 2416; EC2-S-C1; built by Bethlehem-Fairfield, completed 1944-01-31; basis to WSA 1944-01-31 4PM EWT Baltimore; GAA to Merchants & Miners Transp. Co.) - Navy Dept. bareboat (ALLEGAN-AK225) 1944-08-07 9:10AM Baltimore - WSA Reserve Fleet delivery Lee Hall, Va. 1945-11-18 12 noon (estimated repair cost at fleet entry 'in excess of $75,000'; condition-at-redelivery list incl. leaking stern gland) - cancelled Blidberg-Rothchild allocation - custodian Hinkins S/S Agency 1947-10-14 - delivered to purchaser Fordom Trading Co. (handwritten sale note 'Oct 1946', Panamanian) 1947-11-14 - returned to U.S. flag and sold to Force Steamship Corp., renamed VALIANT FORCE 1959-04-28 - sold to Potomac Steamship Corp., renamed WANDERER 1963-10-16 - sold foreign (Liberia) 1963-12-06. Linked ALLEGAN (AK-225) record (Detail 12571) lists Naval Auxiliary/AK Cargo Ship, fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.', WWII mission. Card notes 2,500 IHP and 2 water-tube boilers; fleet berthings alongside SS Leopold Damrosch and SS Ignace Paderewski.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1969
- Population
- Reserve-fleet lay-up and reactivation crews (Lee Hall, 1945-47); merchant crews 1947-69
- Limitations
- Authoritative custody record; handwritten card annotations partially interpretive. The 'Oct 1946' handwritten sale note vs. documented delivery 1947-11-14 reads as sale-agreement vs. physical delivery; secondary compilations' 'sold November 1946' is consistent with an agreement date but imprecise on delivery. Scrapping (Osaka, 1969-06-30) rests on NavSource's compilation - single-source, not corroborated by a located registry extract. No asbestos, materials, or condition-survey content beyond the redelivery condition list; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-06
-
[7]Batch-895 search ledger (this record): DANFS (Wayback), NavSource page + war-diary PDF OCR sweep, MARAD ShipHistory 4993/12571 + status cards, NVR hull lookup, web asbestos sweep, CourtListener attempts [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-allegan-ak225-01 through sl-uss-allegan-ak225-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). A full-text keyword search of the complete 73-page war-diary OCR returned zero hits for asbestos, insulation, lagging, magnesia, gasket, or packing. Web-search hits naming the ship in asbestos ship-lists were law-firm marketing pages only and were excluded per source rules. The CourtListener litigation sweep could not be executed - the authenticated API daily quota was exhausted at research time (see ledger rows sl-07 through sl-09); hull-name/hull-number litigation status is therefore unsearched, not a negative result.
- 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 1943-44 EC2-S-C1 hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction, and the undocumented Maryland Drydock conversion scope leaves alteration materials unexamined. Litigation status is affirmatively UNKNOWN this round (CourtListener blocked), not negative. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-allegan-ak225-07
-
[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 19, RG 24, RG 38, RG 178, RG 248 record-group mapping; NARA photo reference per NavSource caption (RG-19-LCM, 19-N-72320) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides; NavSource photo caption citing RG-19-LCM 19-N-72320
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19-LCM Bureau of Ships photo series holds 19-N-72320 (this ship off her Baltimore conversion yard, 1944-09-29) and related conversion-period imagery; RG 24 holds Navy deck logs for the commissioned period; RG 38 holds the original WWII war-diary series the NavSource scan reproduces (deck-log/war-diary originals may carry conversion and repair detail the scan's OCR missed); RG 178 (US Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) hold MC hull 2416 construction, GAA, and bareboat-charter files; Maryland Drydock Co. conversion contract records would document the 1944 alteration scope.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1947 records
- Limitations
- Record-group 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-allegan-ak225-08