Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Altair II (AK-257)', Naval History and Heritage Command (updated 2020-06-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full DANFS entry text; live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-21 (standing NHHC link-rot issue per BATCH-01) - read via Wayback capture 2025-12-09 09:45:09 UTC; OCR'd transcription also at historycentral.com/navy/Transport/Altair.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC DANFS entry 'Altair II (AK-257)' (updated by Mark L. Evans, 2020-06-01) documents: laid down as Aberdeen Victory under Maritime Commission contract MC hull 110 on 1944-04-20 at Portland, OR by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.; launched 1944-05-30, sponsor Mrs. A. L. M. Wiggins; completed 1944-06-22; merchant service under Waterman Steamship Co. supporting operations against Japan including the Okinawa conquest May 1945; transferred to the Navy 1951-07-07, renamed Altair 1951-07-26, classified AK-257, commissioned at Baltimore 1952-01-31 (CDR George J. Largess); Atlantic Fleet Service Force service with Mediterranean deployments; redesignated AKS-32 1952-08-12; decommissioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard 1953-01-05 and converted at Maryland Drydock Co.; recommissioned 1953-12-15; homeport Barcelona 1955, Naples 1962; helicopter platform added 1959; Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine replenishment 1962; Boston overhaul into spring 1963; homeport Norfolk 1965; reported to Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility Portsmouth 1968-12-31; decommissioned 1969-05-02; stricken 1973-06-01; sold for scrapping to Luria Brothers & Co. 1975-01-31. DANFS statistics: displacement 4,960; length 455'3" (printed 255'3"); beam 62'; draft 28'6"; speed 16.5 kts; complement 250; armament 4x40mm; class Greenville Victory; type VC2-S-AP3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Merchant crew + Navy Armed Guard (1944-46); commissioned crew ~250 (1952-69)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for identity, chronology, and service narrative. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Two DANFS statements conflict with the primary MARAD status card (see ev-03): 'Suisun Bay' layup location and 'transferred to the Maritime Administration on 1 May 1973'.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ABERDEEN VICTORY (Ship History Detail 11) and ALTAIR (AKS-32) (Ship History Detail 174), including digitized status cards O.N. 245847 and form MA-383 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 11 milestones + status card scans (4G_01.png front / 4G_02.png back; 11_21AF.jpg; 11_22AB.jpg); Detail 174 milestones + MA-383 card scan (a7a42c2e and 972781ff scans)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database records and digitized status cards (Vessel Status Card O.N. 245847 front/back; Reserve Fleet-Ship Particulars MA-383) document the full custody chronology: type VC2-S-AP3, hull 110, built by Oregon SB Corp. at Portland, completed 1944-06-22; basis to WSA 1944-06-22 6:30PM PWT at Portland; allocations - Waterman SS Corp. (GAA, Portland 1944-06-22), American President Lines (Los Angeles 1946-05-20; New York 1946-12-02), South Atlantic SS Line (Jacksonville, FL 1948-02-15); entered Wilmington, NC Reserve Fleet (unit E-56-N) 1948-06-18; withdrawn 1950-09-18 for Repair Program FY 1951 and delivered to South Atlantic SS Line (GAA, Wilmington, NC); entered James River Reserve Fleet 1950-11-24; delivered to Navy Department custody 'as is, where is' 1951-07-07 (renamed Altair 7/51); Navy title transfer 1956-05-31; MARAD custody James River 1969-05-21 8:25AM; permanent transfer 1971-09-01; sold to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. (scrap) under contract PD-X-985 1974-11-14 for $280,688.00; physically delivered 1975-01-31 11:45AM EST.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Population
- Merchant operators' crews (1944-51); Navy crew (1951-69); MARAD fleet personnel (1948-51, 1969-75)
- Limitations
- Primary custody/allocation record - stronger than secondary sources for dates and locations. Handwritten annotations partially legible. MARAD web milestone table transcribes the buyer as 'Luna Brothers & Company' but the scanned card reads 'Luria Brothers & Co., Inc.' - card text adopted. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-02
-
[3]MARAD ShipHistory status card O.N. 245847 + MA-383 card (primary), checked against DANFS, NavSource, shipscribe, and secondary lists [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Status card front 'Reserve Fleet - Wilmington 6-18-48 3:10 PM' and 'JAMES RIVER 11-24-50'; MA-383 'JAMES RIVER entered 5-21-69 / withdrawn 1-31-75 / sold scrap under PD-X-985 11-14-74 to Luria Brothers & Co., Inc. for $280,688.00'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Corrections resolved against the primary MARAD status card: (1) DANFS/NavSource state the freighter was 'laid up in the Suisun Bay (Calif.) berthing area' - the status card documents Wilmington, NC reserve fleet entry 1948-06-18 and James River 1950-11-24 with no Suisun Bay period in the recorded custody chain; a secondary Wikipedia list states 'James River in 1948', also inconsistent with the card. (2) DANFS/NavSource state MARAD transfer on '1 May 1973' - the card documents MARAD custody at James River 1969-05-21 and permanent transfer 1971-09-01, consistent with shipscribe's NARA-derived record. (3) Launch date 1944-05-30 (DANFS/NavSource/Wikipedia infobox) vs '20 May 1944' in the Wikipedia body text and 'Launched on 20 Apr 1944' on a Jane's-type MARAD reference card - 30 May adopted. (4) 'Sold for scrapping 31 January 1975' conflates dates: card shows purchase 1974-11-14 and physical delivery 1975-01-31.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1948-1975
- Limitations
- Corrects secondary-source chronology using the scanned primary card; does not itself contain asbestos information. Residual uncertainty: the Wilmington card's 'Repair program FY 1951 / M.S. Jack Repair Yd.' annotation is reproduced verbatim; repair yard identity not fully resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-03
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[4]Shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Altair (AKS-32), VC2-S-AP3' class page, compiled 2021-08-14 from NARA RG 19 Entry UD 1024-A Box 1 (SCB 49), RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 9, RG 19 BUSHIPS General Correspondence 1953-57 (SBG PGM file), RG 428 file FS/A1-1 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class notes and ship notes (AKS-32 row); special-sources NARA citations at page foot
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe design-history record (compiled from NARA RG 19 BUSHIPS/SCB files) documents the AKS conversion as a documented disturbance event: CNO designated ALTAIR (AK-257) for conversion under SCB Project No. 49 (modified) 1952-03-04; contract signed with Maryland Drydock Co., Baltimore as design agent 1952-04-17; design data for limited conversion to General Stores Issue Ship issued 1952-04-18; reclassified AKS-32 1952-08-12; approved characteristics promulgated 1952-10-29 (single change 1954-07-26); out of commission at Maryland Drydock for conversion 1953-01-05 to 1953-12-15 under FY 1953 program; in 1959 received helicopter landing platform and complete material handling system (new elevators, forklifts, trucks, conveyor belts, first electronic material accounting system aboard a ship); class data - 4,960 light/10,440 full displacement, 455'oa x 62' x 23' max, geared steam turbines 2 boilers 440psi/740F 8,500 HP 1 screw, accommodations 22 officers/228 enlisted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1951-1959 (program record); 1953 conversion event
- Population
- Maryland Drydock Co. yard workers (1953 conversion); ship's force during 1959 modifications and 1962-63 Boston overhaul
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of primary NARA records; establishes conversion-program events and dates, not materials content. No asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material scope is stated for the conversion, platform, or overhaul work - asbestos involvement at these events is inference, not record.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-04
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[5]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 program under which this VC2-S-AP3 Victory ship was built (1944, Oregon Shipbuilding, Portland), 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 and does not establish that asbestos was aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Hull scrapped 1975.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-05
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[6]Koch v. United States, 857 F.3d 267 (5th Cir. 2017), No. 15-30811 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion part I (facts): 'On February 2, 2012, Koch boarded the S.S. Altair, a public vessel in reserve status owned by the United States Maritime Administration'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Name-collision litigation record: Koch v. United States, 857 F.3d 267 (5th Cir. 2017) - LHWCA 905(b) negligence action over a 2012-02-02 stairwell fall aboard 'the S.S. Altair, a public vessel in reserve status owned by the United States Maritime Administration.' That vessel is the later SS Altair (T-AKR-291), an Algol-class vehicle cargo ship then in MARAD Ready Reserve custody - not this hull, which was scrapped in 1975. The case is non-asbestos (inadequate stairwell lighting) and is recorded to document the search-surface collision between the two Altairs.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2012 accident; opinion 2017
- Population
- Ship repair contractor personnel (unrelated vessel)
- Limitations
- Different hull than the subject vessel (AK-257/AKS-32 scrapped 1975; the Koch vessel is the 1973-built T-AKR-291) and a non-asbestos slip-and-fall case - no asbestos, materials, or exposure finding. Included so the name collision is not mistaken for a hit on this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-06
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[7]In re Waterman Steamship Corp., 157 B.R. 220 (S.D.N.Y. 1993); In re Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Aguiar, 200 B.R. 770 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1996); Johnstone/Hannon v. Waterman Steamship et al., No. 92-3063 (5th Cir. 1993) [court_record]
- Locator
- 157 B.R. 220 opinion (seamen asbestos claimants in Waterman's 1983 bankruptcy); 200 B.R. 770 adversary proceeding over asbestos claims by former Waterman seamen; ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/92/92-3063.CV0.wpd.pdf caption 'John HANNON, et al., Plaintiffs, v. WATERMAN STEAMSHIP CORPORATION, et al.'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-level asbestos litigation context: Waterman Steamship Corp., this ship's WSA general agent (1944-46), appears as a defendant/debtor in maritime asbestos litigation - e.g., In re Waterman Steamship Corp., 157 B.R. 220 (S.D.N.Y. 1993) and Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Aguiar, 200 B.R. 770 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 1996), addressing asbestos-related claims by seamen formerly employed on Waterman merchant vessels; Swogger v. Waterman Steamship Corp., 151 A.D.2d 100 (N.Y. App. Div. 1989), a Jones Act seaman mesothelioma action against shipowners; and Hannon v. Waterman Steamship Corp. (consolidated in Johnstone v. American Oil/Keene, 5th Cir. 1993), a seaman asbestos case. Merchant-ship asbestos claims typically proceeded under owner/operator names, so hull-name searches undercount the true litigation surface.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- cases 1989-1996; alleged exposure era 1940s-1970s
- Population
- Waterman Steamship merchant mariners (operator-level context)
- Limitations
- Names the ship's wartime operator, not the hull; makes no finding about asbestos aboard Aberdeen Victory/Altair and no exposure finding for any individual. CourtListener API ship-name docket search was blocked at the time of writing (see search_ledger sl-05) - operator-level cases located via secondary search, not exhaustive.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-07
-
[8]Batch-909 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; MARAD ShipHistory + status cards; shipscribe; NavSource; CourtListener API (blocked - throttled); secondary litigation/web searches; NARA path mapping [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-altair-ak257-01 through sl-uss-altair-ak257-09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming AK-257/AKS-32/Aberdeen Victory was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1975, before routine asbestos surveying; the only litigation-surface hits are a name collision (Koch, different hull, non-asbestos) and operator-level cases (Waterman Steamship).
- 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 1944 steam cargo ship converted in 1953 is era-consistent with asbestos use, but that remains inference. CourtListener API coverage was not completed (authenticated requests throttled at the shared daily cap); the ship-name litigation search is therefore partial - logged honestly in the ledger. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-altair-ak257-08
-
[9]NARA record-group citations compiled in shipscribe AKS-32 page notes + NARA Guide to Federal Records (RG 19, RG 24, RG 178, RG 248) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux2/AKS/AKS32.html special-sources footnote; archives.gov RG 19/24/178/248 guides
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) files cited by shipscribe for this conversion - Entry UD 1024-A Box 1 (AKS 20 / SCB Project 49), Entry P 62 Box 9, BUSHIPS General Correspondence 1953-57 (SBG PGM file), and RG 428 (Dept. of the Navy) file FS/A1-1 - may hold conversion scope/materials detail; RG 24 deck logs for commissioned periods AK-257 (1952-53) and AKS-32 (1953-69); RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) and RG 248 (WSA) vessel files for MC hull 110; NDRF/James River and Wilmington fleet records for layup periods.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944-1975 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-altair-ak257-09