Evidence
4 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-4).
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[1]DANFS, Chicago I, Vol. II p. 102 (1963) (builder, dates, designations, full service narrative through loss; verbatim transcription - live NHHC page serves 404) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, specifications block + full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record for this hull: the first CHICAGO, a protected cruiser, launched 5 December 1885 by John Roach and Sons, Chester, Pa.; commissioned 17 April 1889, Capt. H. B. Robeson in command; 'classified CA-14 on 17 July 1920.' Flagship of the Squadron of Evolution (1889-90) and later of the North Atlantic Squadron; International Naval Review Hampton Roads April 1893; European Station flagship; South Atlantic Station flagship; out of commission at Boston for repairs 3 December 1903 - 15 August 1904; Pacific Station flagship 1905-08; Naval Academy Practice Squadron 1908-09; commission in reserve with the Massachusetts Naval Militia (1910-16) and Pennsylvania Naval Militia (1916-17); full commission at Philadelphia 6 April 1917 as flagship, Submarine Force, Atlantic; Cruiser Division 2 flagship in the Pacific from July 1919; 'reclassified CL-14 in 1921'; Submarine Division 14 service and tender at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, December 1919 - September 1923; decommissioned at Pearl Harbor 30 September 1923; served as a barracks ship there until 1935; 'renamed ALTON 16 July 1928 and reclassified IX-5; and sold 15 May 1936. ALTON foundered in mid-Pacific in July 1936 while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1883-1936
- Population
- John Roach/Delaware River construction trades 1883-89; Boston yard trades 1903-04; Philadelphia yard trades 1917; Pearl Harbor submarine-base complement 1919-23; barracks-ship complement 1923-35
- Limitations
- DANFS documents service history and specifications, not materials or asbestos content. The hull carried the CA-14 designation only 1920-21 (then CL-14; then IX-5 as Alton) - 'heavy cruiser' is a retrospective classification label for an 1889 protected cruiser. Mirror transcription cited because the live NHHC page returns 404.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alton-ca14-01
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[2]NavSource Cruiser Photo Index, USS Chicago (Protected Cruiser)/(CA-14)/(CL-14)/Alton (IX-5) page + Navypedia 'CHICAGO protected cruiser (1889)' class table - secondary compiled references [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/04/chicago/chicago.htm building-data block; navypedia.org/ships/usa/us_cr_chicago.htm member table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary build/designation corroboration for this hull: keel laid at John Roach and Sons, Chester, PA 29 December 1883 (Navypedia member table gives the same date; Roach yard reorganized as Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works during construction - Navypedia lists both yard names); launched 5 December 1885; commissioned 17 April 1889; decommissioned 30 September 1923; renamed Alton and reclassified IX-5 16 July 1928; sold 15 May 1936; foundered mid-Pacific July 1936 under tow Honolulu-San Francisco. Machinery per NavSource: 2 compound overhead-beam engines, 5,000 ihp, twin screws, 14 kt. NavSource photos document the hull as a Pearl Harbor barracks ship in the 1930s and as a detention site during the 1932 Massie affair proceedings.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1883-1936
- Population
- n/a
- Limitations
- Secondary compiled references, not primary records - the laid-down date (29 December 1883) is not in the DANFS entry and rests on these concordant secondary sources. Machinery figures are secondary-tabulated. No asbestos data in either source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alton-ca14-02
-
[3]DANFS specifications block (4,500 t., protected cruiser, 14 k.) + NavSource machinery data (2 compound overhead-beam engines, 5,000 ihp) + era context [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS specifications block; NavSource machinery block; cf. batch-08 uss-olympia-c6 era-inference treatment
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Weak era inference: an 1889-commissioned coal-fired protected cruiser predates the standardized Navy asbestos-insulation regime by decades. Steam-plant lagging and gasket/packing materials of the ship's active era (1889-1923) could have included asbestos products by the later part of her career - marine asbestos lagging was in use by the 1900s-1910s - but nothing documents such material aboard this hull. Her final decade (1923-36) was spent decommissioned as a Pearl Harbor barracks ship.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1883-1936
- Population
- Construction trades 1883-89; repair/yard trades 1903-04, 1917; crew 1889-1923; barracks personnel 1923-35
- Limitations
- Era inference only, and weak even by class/era standards - this hull was built before the era covered by the 1960 BuShips Technical Manual insulation suite and is not comparable to WWII-era steam plants. No hull-specific material list, survey, or work order exists; does not establish that asbestos products were aboard; does not quantify material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alton-ca14-03
-
[4]Batch-75 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; CourtListener name + hull-number queries (API-throttled, web-indexed hits reviewed); secondary references; museum/archival sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-alton-ca14-01 through -06
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying asbestos case naming 'USS Alton' or CA-14 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API search was throttled (HTTP 429, 125/day shared quota) on 2026-09-18; web-indexed review located no qualifying case. 'USS Chicago' litigation hits classify as other hulls (CA-29 sunk 1943; CA-136/CG-11; SSN-721) or city litigation - not this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - it establishes only that no qualifying ship-specific documentation was found in the searched repositories. The hull is a 1936 lost wreck; no survey exists or is feasible. State-court and unindexed matters are outside coverage; the CourtListener per-ship API query remains a deferred open item. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-alton-ca14-04