USS Alton (IX-5)

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet 373-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: Queue: USS Alton IX-5 → VERIFIED — real identity: USS Alton (IX-5), ex-USS Chicago. Type: former protected cruiser, receiving/berthing ship at Pearl Harbor.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-alton-ix5-pkt-373-packet-md

2. [2]DANFS, Chicago I (protected cruiser), Vol. 2 p.102 (1963), covering the hull renamed Alton (IX-5) - verbatim transcription [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS Chicago entry, full text (spec block + service narrative + disposition); hazegray IX index resolves 'IX 5 ALTON' to this entry

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Chicago (first of the name), covering the hull's complete life including the Alton/IX-5 period: spec block 'Displacement: 4,500 t.; Length: 342'2"; Beam: 48'3"; Draft: 19'; Speed: 14 k.; Complement: 409; Armament: 4 8"; 8 6"; 2 5"; Class: CHICAGO.' 'The first CHICAGO, a protected cruiser, was launched 5 December 1885 by John Roach and Sons, Chester, Pa.; sponsored by Miss E. Cleborne and commissioned 17 April 1889, Captain H. B. Robeson in command; classified CA-14 on 17 July 1920.' Service narrative: Squadron of Evolution flagship European/Mediterranean 1889-90; North Atlantic Squadron flagship to 1893; International Naval Review Hampton Roads April 1893; European Station flagship to March 1895; out of commission New York 1 May 1895; recommissioned 1 December 1898; South Atlantic and European Station flagship to 1903; Presidential Review Oyster Bay August 1903; out of commission Boston repairs 3 December 1903-15 August 1904; relieved NEW YORK (ACR-2) as Pacific Station flagship Valparaiso 1 January 1905, three years Pacific duty incl. Hawaii; Naval Academy Practice Squadron 1908-1909; reserve and naval-militia duty 1910-1917; full commission Philadelphia 6 April 1917, flagship Submarine Force Atlantic; Pacific flagship Cruiser Division 2 from July 1919; reclassified CL-14 in 1921; Submarine Division 14 and tender at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor December 1919-September 1923. 'CHICAGO was 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

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1883-1936

   Population

   Ship's company (409 complement, cruiser era); submarine-base berthing population (1923-1935, undocumented)

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, service narrative, rename/reclassification, and disposition - the single DANFS entry covers the whole hull under the Chicago name. Canonical NHHC live page returned 404 this session (standing NHHC link-rot noted in BATCH-01-REPORT); verbatim hazegray mirror carried. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-01

3. [3]NHHC Online Library of Selected Images: 'USS Chicago (1889-1936, later CA-14 & IX-5), renamed Alton 1928' - overview caption and photo catalog [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC Online Library usnsh-c/chicago.htm overview caption; photo numbers NH 61549, NH 48058; NHHC C-index confirms a single page covers the whole hull including the Alton rename

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Chicago (1889-1936, later CA-14 & IX-5). Renamed Alton, 1928': 'USS Chicago, a 4500-ton protected cruiser, was built at Chester, Pennsylvania. Commissioned in April 1889, she served in the North and South Atlantic and in European waters until 1904, when she was sent to the Pacific. Returning to the east coast in 1908, Chicago was used mainly as a training ship for the next nine years. In 1917, she became flagship of the Atlantic Submarine Force, remaining in that role through World War I. She went to the Pacific in 1919 and soon was assigned to support submarines at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Chicago was classified as CA-14 in 1920, decommissioned in September 1923, but remained at Pearl Harbor as a barracks ship under the classification IX-5. Renamed Alton in 1928, she was sold in May 1936. The following July, the old cruiser foundered while under tow from Hawaii to California.' Cataloged photos: NH 61549 (underway, early 1890s) and NH 48058 (Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan, who commanded Chicago 1893-1895).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1889-1936

   Population

   Ship's company (cruiser era); berthed submarine-base personnel (1923-1935)

   Limitations

   Official Navy historical catalog - independently confirms the post-decommissioning barracks role 'under the classification IX-5', the 1928 rename, May 1936 sale, and July 1936 foundering. Contains no materials or asbestos information. Canonical history.navy.mil page returned 404 this session (standing link-rot); verbatim ibiblio mirror carried.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-02

4. [4]NARA Prologue 36(1), Spring 2006, 'When an American City Is Destroyed' (archives.gov) - federal-archives history of military operations in the 1906 earthquake [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov Prologue Spring 2006 article, Navy response section

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   National Archives Prologue magazine (Spring 2006), 'When an American City Is Destroyed' (NARA textual military records of the 1906 earthquake): 'Navy ships in the vicinity included USS Perry, USS Preble, receiving ship USS Independence, and USS Chicago (one day away in San Diego)' and 'The entire telephone system in the city had been destroyed, and every telegraph office and station was gone. At first all messages were routed via the wireless system on USS Chicago and then to the outside.' Secondary timeline compilations consistent with the official record add: Chicago arrived San Francisco Bay 6 p.m. 19 April 1906 after steaming full speed from San Diego on the first wireless disaster alert; two officers and sixteen enlisted men supervised the waterborne evacuation of ~20,000 refugees to Tiburon.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1906-04

   Population

   Ship's company; evacuated civilians supervised by 2 officers + 16 enlisted

   Limitations

   Official NARA publication documenting this hull's wireless role in the April 1906 earthquake response - establishes that the ship carried an operational wireless installation by 1906 and the scale of her relief role. The 20,000-refugee evacuation figure and 6 p.m. arrival detail come from secondary timeline compilations consistent with the NARA account but are not themselves primary - flagged as secondary in the value text. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-03

5. [5]Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet - 'About USS Chicago' official command page (csp.navy.mil), via Wayback capture 2026-05-10 [other_primary]

   Locator

   csp.navy.mil/chicago/About/ paragraph on 'The Navy's first USS Chicago (CA-14)' - live page returns 403 (Akamai) to automated fetch; verbatim text verified via Wayback snapshot

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   COMSUBPAC official command-history page (About USS Chicago SSN 721, csp.navy.mil): 'The Navy's first USS Chicago (CA-14), a protected cruiser, was launched December 5, 1885. Chicago had a distinguished career in the Atlantic, including a stint as flagship for Commander Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet during World War I. As a young naval officer, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz served aboard Chicago as aide, and later, chief of staff, to the commander of the Atlantic Fleet Submarine Force during the war. In December 1919, USS Chicago reported to the fledgeling submarine base at Pearl Harbor to serve as a submarine tender and flagship for Commander, Submarine Flotilla 14 until 1923. During part of that time, Chicago was commanded by a more seasoned Chester Nimitz, who also served as Commander, Submarine Flotilla One as he built the submarine base at Pearl Harbor. In September, 1923, Chicago was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor, but continued to serve as a barracks ship here until 1935. Having been renamed the Alton in 1928, the proud ship was sold in 1936. Alton was lost at sea while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco in July 1936.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1885-1936

   Population

   Ship's company and submarine flotilla staff (1919-1923); berthed submarine personnel (1923-1935)

   Limitations

   Official Navy submarine-force source - documents the 1919-23 tender role, Nimitz's simultaneous command of the ship and the base build-out, continued barracks-ship service 'until 1935' after the September 1923 decommissioning, and the July 1936 loss under tow. Live URL is bot-blocked; content taken verbatim from the Internet Archive capture dated 2026-05-10 - URL flagged accordingly. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-04

6. [6]U.S. Navy, 'History of the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base: 1918-1945' - official base history, HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [other_primary]

   Locator

   USN-PH-Submarines.html, early-base-development paragraphs (1923 and post-1928)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   U.S. Navy 'History of the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base: 1918-1945' (HyperWar mirror of the official base history): 'Living quarters for submarine personnel were improvised by utilizing the cruiser Chicago, later renamed the Alton, which was brought in and moored where the present day base's largest pier, S1, now stands. A causeway was built out to her, and the cruiser's topside was housed over to provide bunk rooms for submarine officers, while the lower deck was given to the officers and men attached to the base.' The same history records the 1928 completion of the main 'U'-shaped barracks and, after the Administration Building and officer's quarters were finished: 'Since there was now housing and messing facilities for both officers and enlisted men, the Alton was no longer needed' - consistent with DANFS's barracks-service end date of 1935.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1919-1935

   Population

   Submarine officers (topside bunk rooms); officers and enlisted attached to the base (lower deck), 1923-1935

   Limitations

   Official Navy installation history - documents the physical conversion of THIS hull for berthing (topside housed over into bunk rooms; causeway) and her release only after shore barracks were completed. Establishes population aboard (submarine officers topside; base officers and men below) without quantifying it. Contains no materials or asbestos information; conversion materials scope not described.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-05

7. [7]HAER No. HI-53, U.S. Naval Base Pearl Harbor Waterfront Facilities (LoC survey hi0645, data pages + photograph hi0645.photos.219564p) [haer]

   Locator

   LoC item hi0645 data pages (HISTORICAL INFORMATION, 1920s waterfront section) + cataloged photograph caption

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Historic American Engineering Record documentation, HAER No. HI-53, 'U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Waterfront Facilities' (National Park Service / Library of Congress, prepared by Ann Yoklavich, Mason Architects, final report April 2005): 'Two piers are visible at the end of the peninsula in 1923 photos, as well as a small pier and an L-shaped pier or causeway out to the USS Chicago on the Quarry Loch side of the submarine base peninsula. The Chicago (renamed the Alton in 1928), a submarine tender ship from 1919 to 1923, was converted in 1923 to a barracks ship (de Yarmin 1984: 10-11) and moored along the then irregular Quarry Loch shoreline of Quarry Point. In addition to the L-shape that provided access to the ship, another structure, triangular in section with cross bracing, connects the ship to the shore, perhaps carrying pipes and electrical conduits.' Companion LoC HAER photograph hi0645 (photographer David Franzen): 'View of the U.S. Navy submarine base at Pearl Harbor's Southeast Loch in the early 1930s. Note the barracks ship USS Alton (IX-5) in the foreground. Alton was the former protected cruiser USS Chicago (CA-14). It was sold for scrapping in 1936 but foundered on the way to the U.S. West Coast.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1923-1935

   Population

   Berthing occupants and submarine-base personnel transiting the causeway (1923-1935)

   Limitations

   Federal engineering-record documentation - establishes from period photographs the hull's 1923 conversion and her physical integration with the shore (access causeway plus a utility structure 'perhaps carrying pipes and electrical conduits'). HAER documents the fixed waterfront plant; the vessel itself is described as a facility component, and the report offers no materials or asbestos content for the hull. 'Perhaps carrying' is the report's own hedge on the conduit structure's function.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-06

8. [8]NavSource Online Cruiser Photo Archive, USS Chicago/Alton (IX-5) page - operational/building data block, spec block, photo captions, CO list [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 04/chicago/chicago.htm 'Operational and Building Data' + spec block + Alton photo captions + CO table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource cruiser photo archive, 'USS CHICAGO (Protected Cruiser)/(CA 14)/(CL 14) / ALTON (IX 5)' operational and building data block: 'Keel laid at John Roach and Sons, Chester, PA; Launched as 05 DEC 1885; Commissioned 17 APR 1889; Decommissioned 01 MAY 1895; Commissioned 01 DEC 1898; Decommissioned 03 DEC 1903; Commissioned 15 AUG 1904; Decommissioned 27 AUG 1908; Commissioned 14 MAY 1909; Decommissioned 28 AUG 1909; Assigned to the Massachusetts Naval Militia 23 JAN 1910; Assigned to the Pennsylvania Naval Militia 26 APR 1916; Commissioned 06 APR 1917; Reclassified CL 14 in 1921; Decommissioned 30 SEP 1923; Renamed ALTON and reclassified IX 5 16 JUL 1928; Fate: Sold 15 MAY 1936. Foundered in mid-Pacific in July 1936 while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco.' Spec block: 4,500 tons; 342'2" oa x 48'2" x 22'7" max; armament 4 x 8"/30, 8 x 6"/30, 2 x 5"/30, 2 x 6pdr, 2 x 1pdr; armor 4" shields, 1.5" deck, 3" conning tower; machinery 5,000 IHP, 2 compound overhead beam engines, 2 screws; 14 knots; crew 409. Photo catalog includes: Alton 'as a barracks ship at Pearl Harbor, circa 1930s'; Alton 'used as a berthing ship during the construction of the submarine base at Pearl Harbor' (three views); aerial view 'moored at Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in the 1930's'; a final view 'at her moorings at Pearl Harbor just days before she sank while being towed to the West Coast for scrapping'; and Library of Congress photographs documenting that in January 1932 the accused in the Massie murder trial (Thalia Massie, Grace Fortescue, Lt. Thomas Massie and others) were held aboard USS Alton 'since they could not house the females in the brig.' Commanding-officer list: Mahan 1893-95; Thomas C. Hart 1917-18; Chester W. Nimitz 1920-1922; final CO CDR Leo F. Welch to 30 September 1923.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1883-1936

   Population

   Berthing occupants during submarine-base construction (1920s-1935); detainees held aboard January 1932

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record - used for detail not in DANFS (militia assignment dates; 22'7" max draft vs DANFS 19'; CO table; Alton-period photo captions sourced to private contributors and Library of Congress images). The Massie-detention and 'days before she sank' captions are secondary compilations keyed to LoC photos - carried as context, not official findings. Where NavSource diverges from DANFS the divergence is logged in correction row ev-08. Contains no asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-07

9. [9]Cross-source comparison: DANFS Chicago I vs NavSource operational data vs NHHC Online Library vs COMSUBPAC vs Wikipedia (1885) article/infobox [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS narrative sentences vs NavSource 'Operational and Building Data' block vs Wikipedia infobox

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved in favor of primary records or logged: (a) rename/reclassification date - DANFS and NavSource both read 'renamed ALTON and reclassified IX-5, 16 July 1928'; the Wikipedia infobox reads 'IX-5, 16 June 1928' (uncited secondary variance); DANFS date carried. (b) CA-14 to CL-14 reclassification - DANFS reads 'reclassified CL-14 in 1921'; secondary compilation gives 8 August 1921; DANFS carried with the secondary date disclosed as unverified. (c) foundering date - DANFS, NHHC Online Library, COMSUBPAC, and NavSource all read only 'July 1936'; Wikipedia and the LoC/Commons caption give 8 July 1936; 'July 1936' carried, precise date logged as a gap. (d) function terminology - DANFS reads 'barracks ship'; Wikipedia reads 'receiving ship'; NavSource photo captions read 'berthing ship' and 'barracks ship'; the Navy's base history describes the function without a formal type label - all describe the same stationary berthing role at the Submarine Base; DANFS terminology carried. (e) sponsor name - DANFS 'Miss E. Cleborne'; secondary sources 'Edith Cleborne', daughter of Navy Medical Director Cuthbert J. Cleborne. (f) draft - DANFS 19' design vs NavSource 22'7" max; both disclosed in spec fields. (g) complement breakout - DANFS 409 total vs secondary 45 officers + 356 enlisted; DANFS carried.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-29

   Study period

   1920-1936

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies without concealment: the 16 June-vs-16 July 1928 rename variance, the year-only-vs-8 August 1921 CL-14 variance, the month-only-vs-8 July 1936 foundering variance, and the barracks/receiving/berthing terminology variance are all disclosed; primary-record readings carried in every case. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-alton-ix5-08

10. [10]Franke, K., and Paustenbach, D., 'Government and Navy knowledge regarding health hazards of asbestos: A state of the science evaluation (1900 to 1970),' Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20 (2011), PMID 22200078 + documented yard/station events (ev-01, ev-04, ev-05, ev-06, ev-07) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Inhalation Toxicology 23(sup3):1-20, 1900-1970 analysis window; refit/conversion events per ev-01/ev-04/ev-05/ev-06/ev-07

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    This hull's documented material exposures divide at the asbestos-era boundary. Original construction (keel 1883, launched 1885, commissioned 1889) predates the period during which asbestos became the dominant marine insulation material - 1880s steam-ship lagging practice was transitional (hair felt and magnesia compounds in use; commercial asbestos lagging products only then emerging), and no record establishes the as-built insulation content of this hull. Several documented later yard and station events fall inside the era when the Navy used asbestos-containing thermal insulation, gaskets, packing, and building materials as standard practice (Franke & Paustenbach 2011, analysis window 1900-1970): the 1895-99 New York Navy Yard refit (boilers and engines replaced - the event spans the era boundary); the 1902 partial reconstruction; the 1915 rearmament to twelve 4-inch guns; the 1918 COMSUBLANT flagship outfitting; the 1919-20 submarine-tender conversion and disarmament at Pearl Harbor; and the 1923 conversion into a stationary berthing ship - topside housed over for bunk rooms, causeway and utility connections run to shore (documented in the Navy's submarine-base history, ev-05, and HAER HI-53, ev-06) - followed by twelve years of continuous berthing occupancy through 1935, functionally a floating barracks building in the era of asbestos-containing construction materials.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1883-1936

    Population

    Construction trades, Chester PA (1883-1889); refit workforces New York NY (1895-99), Boston (1903-04), Philadelphia (1917), Pearl Harbor (1919-20 tender conversion; 1923 berthing conversion); ship's company, militia trainees, submarine flotilla personnel, berthed base population (1889-1935)

    Limitations

    Era/program-level scholarship combined with this hull's documented event chronology - establishes that asbestos-containing materials were Navy-standard practice during multiple documented work periods of this hull, NOT that any survey or record confirms asbestos aboard her. Two-sided inference: original 1880s construction predates dominant asbestos marine use AND no record establishes as-built insulation content, so presence is unproven in both directions. No hull-specific insulation specification, survey, abatement, or removal record was located; none can exist post-1936 (hull lost at sea). Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alton-ix5-09

11. [11]Batch-4815 litigation sweep (this record): CourtListener API v4 '"USS Alton"' type=o = 0 hits (complete); three further queries blocked by fleet pacing; general web index name/hull-number sweep; VA BVA index; collision classification vs CA-29/CA-136 litigation surfaces [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-alton-ix5-05 through sl-uss-alton-ix5-07

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation sweep for this hull, partially complete: the CourtListener API (type=o opinions) search for the literal name '"USS Alton"' completed and returned 0 hits (authenticated via the batch helper, 2026-09-29). Follow-on queries ('"Alton" asbestos', '"IX-5" ship', '"USS Chicago" asbestos') could not be executed - authenticated attempts returned the fleet-pacing notice (shared ~114/hr budget spent by concurrent batch workers) - logged as an OPEN ITEM, not a completed negative. Coverage by other indexes: general web index searches of 'USS Alton'/'IX-5'/'USS Chicago CA-14' + asbestos returned only law-firm marketing pages (excluded source class - freeasbestostesting.com lists 'USS Chicago (CA-14)' among cruisers; mesotheliomasymptoms.com/navyshipexposure.com/asbestos-ships.com pages cover only CA-29/CA-136) and reported-litigation name matches that concern other hulls - e.g., the Siegfried C.D. Cal. complaint names 'USS Chicago (CA-136)', a different ship; classified name collision, not carried as exposure evidence. VA Board of Veterans' Appeals index returned no decision naming Alton or IX-5. The vessel was sold May 1936 and lost at sea that July - predating the asbestos-litigation era entirely.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    2026-09-29

    Limitations

    Incomplete sweep - the completed literal-name opinion search is clean, but CourtListener queries for 'Alton asbestos', 'IX-5', and 'USS Chicago asbestos' remain an open gap pending fleet pacing, not a negative result. Names are high-collision: 'Alton' collides with the Illinois city, Alton Lynching/railroad jurisprudence, and personal names; 'USS Chicago' collides with CA-29 and CA-136 hulls and the city. What was checked is clean; what could not be checked is logged honestly. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alton-ix5-10

12. [12]Batch-4815 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS + Online Library; COMSUBPAC; U.S. Navy submarine-base history; HAER HI-53 + LoC photos; NavSource; NARA Prologue; VA BVA index; general web index; CourtListener (partial); NARA record-group guides; shipyards.json cross-check [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-alton-ix5-01 through sl-uss-alton-ix5-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, insulation specification, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or adjudicated finding naming USS Chicago (protected cruiser/CA-14/CL-14), USS Alton, or IX-5 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Structural reason for thinness: the hull was sold for scrap May 1936 and foundered at sea July 1936 - decades before asbestos documentation regimes, hazmat-conditioned disposal, and the asbestos-litigation era; no post-disposal survey is possible on a lost hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    2026-09-29

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - multiple documented refit/conversion events fall inside the Navy's asbestos era (ev-09) and era-consistent materials plausibly went aboard, undocumented. Equally, no record proves presence. Does not establish individual exposure, causation, or legal eligibility. CourtListener portion of the sweep remains partially open (ev-10).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alton-ix5-11

13. [13]NARA Guide to Federal Records RG 24 / RG 181 / RG 19 + NARA Navy logbooks page (Entry 118, Special List #44); LoC hi0645 survey + 1932 photo items; NHHC photo-catalog references; HAER HI-53 bibliography [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov Navy logbooks page (RG 24 Entry 118 / Special List #44); LoC items hi0645, 2004669892, 2004669876; HAER HI-53 source list

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room or reproduction order required; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), Entry 118 logbooks / Special List #44 - deck logs for Chicago/Alton through the 1940 cutoff, if kept for a decommissioned station asset (NAID 581208); NARA RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) - Fourteenth Naval District / Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor files for the 1923 berthing conversion and the shore utility connections HAER HI-53 describes; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Construction and Repair) - plans and material specifications for the 1895-99 New York Navy Yard refit and 1902 reconstruction; Library of Congress HAER survey hi0645 complete photo set (early-1930s Sub Base views showing Alton) and the 1932 'Hawaii attack case' photographs taken aboard (loc.gov items 2004669892, 2004669876); NHHC photographic catalog NH 61549, NH 61550, NH 5415, NH 48058 - canonical history.navy.mil photo pages returned 404 this session; de Yarmin, Ray, 'History of the Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii' (1984 typescript, Curator of the Pacific Submarine Museum) - the source HAER HI-53 cites for the 1923 barracks-ship conversion.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-29

    Study period

    1883-1936 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and file mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Whether a decommissioned berthing ship kept deck logs at all is itself unresolved. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-alton-ix5-12