Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]research packet crew-cx-packet.md (8 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-alsea-at97-pkt-crew-cx-packet-md
-
[2]DANFS, Alsea (AT-97/ATF-97) - construction, commissioning, WWII service narrative, postwar service, decommissioning, disposal summary, spec block (live NHHC page verified 2026-10-06) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Alsea' entry text, spec block, and photo caption (image 80-G-664425)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Documented for this hull: laid down 29 November 1942 at Charleston, S.C., by the Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 22 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Grace Wynn; commissioned 13 December 1943, Lt. Cecil Cuthbert in command. Service: shakedown Chesapeake Bay early January 1944; antisubmarine warfare training Casco Bay, Maine; Boston repairs February; departed New York 26 March 1944 with a convoy of tugs towing 36 vehicle-transport barges to Great Britain for the invasion of France - a U-boat attack on the convoy was driven off; reached Falmouth 19 April; visited Milford Haven and Belfast; returned to Norfolk 11 May; redesignated ATF-97 15 May. Departed Norfolk 5 June for the British West Indies; Trinidad 18 June; Caribbean Sea Frontier duty towing targets and supporting newly commissioned warships in the Gulf of Paria for almost a year; concluded May 1945; Guantanamo Bay; Tampa tow; Norfolk 21 June for overhaul; departed 4 August for Bahia, Brazil, to pick up a floating drydock - arrived three days after V-J Day - and towed YFD-27 to Trinidad instead of to the Pacific as planned. Postwar: Atlantic Fleet service for nearly a decade along the Atlantic seaboard, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean - tows, mail, target towing, general duties. 'Placed out of commission at Norfolk on 15 April 1955' and berthed with MARAD's James River (Va.) Group, National Defense Reserve Fleet; name struck from the Navy List 1 September 1962. Spec block: dp. 1,675 (f.); l. 205'0"; b. 38'6"; dr. 15'4"; s. 16.5 k. (tl.); cpl. 85; a. 1 3", 2 40mm.; cl. Abnaki.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1962
- Population
- Charleston S-B&D-D construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-55)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific history only; no asbestos or material content. The entry's disposal summary - 'remained at the James River facility until the fall of 1975, when she was sold for scrapping' - is corrected by the MARAD status card and merchant record (see ev-uss-alsea-at97-09): she was withdrawn to Navy custody 14 May 1975, sold into merchant service 1976, and scrapped 1996, not 1975.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-01
-
[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Alsea (ATF-97) ex USS Alsea (AT-97) - designation timeline, specifications, commanding-officer roster, awards, merchant history, disposal [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/39/39097.htm header block, merchant-history lines, specifications block, photo captions, commanding-officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource timeline for this hull: laid down 29 November 1942 as fleet tug AT-97 at Charleston Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Charleston, S.C.; launched 22 May 1943; commissioned USS Alsea (AT-97) 13 December 1943, LT. Cecil Cuthbert USN in command; reclassified fleet ocean tug ATF-97 15 May 1944; Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater in WWII; decommissioned 15 April 1955; struck from the Naval Register 1 September 1962; custody transferred to the Maritime Administration for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, Va. Merchant history: acquired by Amphitrite Shipping & Trading Corp. S.A., Panama, in 1976 and renamed Ikosiena; owner-name change to Maritime & Commercial Co. Argonaftis S.A., Panama, 1978; arrived in tow at Aliaga for demolition by Seltas A.S. 20 June 1996; final disposition - scrapping began 25 July 1996, completed same year. Awards: American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Commanding officers: LT Cecil Cuthbert (13 Dec 1943-1 May 1945); LT Stuart Ross Schmehl USNR (1 May 1945-Mar 1946); LT William John Bryan (Mar-Jul 1946); LCDR Daniel Avery Boone (no dates); LTjg Samuel Cresswell Gamache (Mar 1954-15 Apr 1955). Spec block: 1,205 t. (lt) / 1,646 t. (fl); l. 205'; b. 39'; dr. 17' (max); s. 16 kts.; cpl. 8 officers + 68 enlisted; a. 1 single 3"/50 DP, 2 twin 40mm AA, 2 single 20mm AA; propulsion diesel-electric - four ALCO Diesel main engines driving four General Electric generators and three Cooper-Bessemer auxiliary services engines, single propeller, 3,600 shp. Photo captions: under way circa 1954 (NARA 80-G-646416); under way amidst Arctic ice floes during Operation 'Skyhook II', 28 June 1954 (NARA 80-G-664425); ex-Alsea in merchant service as tug Ikosiena moored at Aliaga awaiting scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1996
- Population
- Construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-55); merchant crews as Ikosiena (1976-96); Seltas A.S. shipbreakers, Aliaga (1996)
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation, not a primary registry - milestone dates track DANFS/MARAD but its spec block conflicts with DANFS and the MARAD card on complement (76 vs 85), beam (39' vs 38'6"), draft, displacement, and engine maker (ALCO vs GM) - see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ALSEA (AT-97/ATF-97), Ship History Detail 170, incl. digitized vessel status cards (forms MA-199 and MA-383) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 170 - Milestones table, Characteristics, and status-card images 170_320AF.jpg / b72acfb1-5412-4010-8277-e9649f8f532b.png; custody transcript also in attached document ALSEA.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD record and digitized status cards establish this hull's custody chain: Official no. 0136487; shipyard 'Charleston SB & DD Co., Charleston, S.C.'; date built 12-43; type 'Diesel Elec. Ocean Tug, Fleet'; Navy hull no. 97; delivered from shipyard to Navy Dept. Operating history: Navy Dept. -> Reserve Fleet, James River, 2:05 pm EST 21 June 1961 (custody); MA Fleet Custody permanent transfer 12:01 am EST 1 September 1962 (same day as Navy List strike); Reserve Fleet -> Department of the Navy, James River, 11:30 am EDT 14 May 1975 (permanent transfer), remarks 'Navy-Equipment removal & Sale.' MARAD milestones match: Entry 6/21/1961; Acquisition (MARAD) 9/1/1962; Disposition and Withdrawal 5/14/1975 'Navy equipment removal and sale.' Card particulars: LOA 205 ft; breadth 38'6"; speed 16.5 knots; complement 'Off. 5 Enl. 80'; draft on arrival 6-21-61: fwd 10'00", aft 14'06". A penciled note reads 'Italy may request transfer this fiscal year 1962' - a proposed foreign transfer that did not occur. MARAD fate field: 'Transferred - U.S. Govt.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1961-1975
- Population
- James River Reserve Fleet caretakers (1961-75); Navy stripping crew (1975)
- Limitations
- Custody and disposition record only - no material, hazmat, or work-scope content. 'Navy-Equipment removal & Sale' is a custody-transfer reason; the scope of the 1975 Navy equipment removal is not documented here. Card's '39.00' beam in the MARAD characteristics field conflicts with the card image's 38'6" (card image carried). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-03
-
[5]NHHC photo caption on the DANFS Alsea page - 'Alsea (ATF-97), 28 June 1954, amidst Arctic ice floes during Operation "Skyhook II." (80-G-664425)' [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Alsea page photo caption (80-G-664425); same image captioned in NavSource 39097 photo table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy photograph in the National Archives (80-G-664425), captioned by NHHC, documents this hull underway amidst Arctic ice floes on 28 June 1954 during Operation 'Skyhook II' - placing the tug in Arctic service during her late Atlantic Fleet period, an operation not described in the DANFS narrative text.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1954
- Population
- Crew (June 1954)
- Limitations
- The caption documents presence during the operation; it does not detail the ship's role in the Skyhook II balloon program, and program-level detail is not asserted (secondary program sourcing not carried). No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-04
-
[6]Era inference built on: DANFS spec block (Abnaki class, 1943 diesel-era construction); NavSource specifications (diesel-electric plant, single screw); MARAD status card type line ('Diesel Elec. Ocean Tug, Fleet') [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS spec block; NavSource specifications; MARAD status card type field
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A diesel-electric fleet ocean tug built 1942-43 sits inside the documented WWII shipbuilding asbestos era. Era-standard applications aboard a vessel of this type and period were machinery-space thermal insulation, diesel-exhaust lagging, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, and winch brake linings. As a diesel-electric vessel she carried no steam plant - the boiler/turbine lagging pathway of steam vessels does not apply, but the confined-space exposure dynamic of a small auxiliary hull applies with full force.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-1996
- Population
- Charleston S-B&D-D construction trades (1942-43); crew (1943-55); James River caretakers (1961-75); 1975 Navy stripping crew; merchant crews (1976-96); Aliaga breakers (1996)
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, material list, or work package located for AT-97/ATF-97. Names era-standard applications, not confirmed installed materials. No quantity. No manufacturer attribution for this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-05
-
[7]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked, HTTP 403)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1942-43) and service era (1943-55) plus her reserve-fleet lay-up (1961-75).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1979
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers; asbestos program review
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Full text not retrieved - gao.gov blocks automated fetch (HTTP 403, confirmed 2026-10-06); content via product-page description.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-06
-
[8]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
- AJIM 11(3):359-373 (DOI resolves via Wiley)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this Abnaki-class tug was mass-produced at a commercial yard, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-07
-
[9]NARA Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index) - three RG 19 entries for this hull: ALSEA ATF-97 'Hull series of Ship Engineering Drawings' NAID 153714248; ALSEA AT-97 'Portfolio Plans' NAID 175661871; ALSEA ATF-97 'Microfilm' NAID 175668081 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA ship-index table rows for ALSEA; catalog.archives.gov/id/153714248 , /175661871 , /175668081
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds Bureau of Ships (RG 19) engineering drawings for this specific hull in three series - hull-series ship engineering drawings (NAID 153714248), portfolio plans (NAID 175661871), and microfilm (NAID 175668081). Original construction/engineering drawings are the closest documentary lead to hull-level material specification; none are digitized.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1942-43 (drawing dates)
- Population
- N/A - documentary lead
- Limitations
- Archival lead only: catalog index entries verified live (catalog.archives.gov/id/<NAID> returns 200 for all three) but contents are undigitized and unexamined - whether the drawings itemize insulation materials is unknown. Not an asbestos record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-08
-
[10]Batch-2836 search ledger (this record): DANFS live page; NavSource 39097; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 170 incl. digitized status cards; NARA ship-index NAIDs; NVR scope check; secondary web litigation sweep; CourtListener (see ledger status) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alsea-at97-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or verified litigation naming USS Alsea (AT-97/ATF-97) was found in the public sources searched. The only 'asbestos aboard' material surfaced is law-firm marketing content (mesobook.com lists this hull in a tug-asbestos listicle asserting asbestos without primary sourcing - excluded by source policy). No government survey naming her builder, Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., was located (the Charleston Naval Shipyard in shipyards.json is a different entity and is not linked).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 2026-10-06
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - and the litigation repository search is a genuine open gap: CourtListener could not be queried this session (fleet pace stand-down on all attempts; logged blocked in search_ledger, not a negative result). Deck logs, builder construction records, the 1975 Navy equipment-removal work scope, and Aliaga breaking-yard records are undigitized leads. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-09
-
[11]Disposition cross-check: DANFS Alsea entry ('sold for scrapping' fall 1975) vs MARAD vessel status card operating history (withdrawn to Navy 14 May 1975 'Navy-Equipment removal & Sale') vs NavSource merchant history (Ikosiena 1976-1996; Aliaga scrapping 1996) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD Detail 170 status card operating-history rows (5-14-75 withdrawal) + NavSource 39097 merchant-history lines vs DANFS disposal paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- CORRECTION: DANFS states the tug 'remained at the James River facility until the fall of 1975, when she was sold for scrapping.' The MARAD status card shows she was withdrawn from the reserve fleet to Department of the Navy custody on 14 May 1975 for 'Navy-Equipment removal & Sale,' and NavSource's merchant history documents that she was then acquired in 1976 by Amphitrite Shipping & Trading Corp. S.A., Panama, renamed Ikosiena, operated commercially under Maritime & Commercial Co. Argonaftis S.A. (1978), and only arrived at the Aliaga, Turkey breakers (Seltas A.S.) on 20 June 1996 - scrapping began 25 July 1996 and was completed that year. The DANFS 'sold for scrapping' summary compresses out 21 years of merchant service; the actual scrapping was 1996.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-10-06
- Study period
- 1975-1996
- Population
- Merchant crews as Ikosiena (1976-96); Seltas A.S. breakers (1996)
- Limitations
- Corrects a disposition-summary error in DANFS, not a material claim. The 1976 commercial-sale date (14 June 1976, to John S. Latsis of Piraeus) appears in secondary sourcing only and is not independently verified against a primary sale document; the 1976 acquisition, Ikosiena rename, and 1996 scrapping rest on NavSource's merchant-history record. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alsea-at97-10