Evidence
20 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-20).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Aludra' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Aludra' returned 1 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-aludra-af55-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Aludra' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Aludra' returned 2 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-aludra-af55-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AF-55' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AF-55' returned 4891 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-aludra-af55-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AF-55' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AF-55' returned 82401 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-aludra-af55-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]DANFS, Aludra II (AF-55) - verbatim transcription via Wikipedia (article incorporates DANFS text) AND direct scan of the printed DANFS page (p. 230, entry 'II') photocopied onto the MARAD reserve-fleet status card at vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/177_335AB.jpg; the NHHC DANFS URL cited by the article (history.navy.mil/.../danfs/a/aludra-ii.html) returned 404 on 2026-09-20, consistent with documented NHHC link rot [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry 'Aludra' (II) full entry; MARAD card scan /cards/177_335AB.jpg; Wikipedia article text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official ship history: refrigerated cargo ship Matchless laid down for the War Shipping Administration under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1202) 1944-08-23 at Oakland, CA, by the Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.; launched 1944-10-14, sponsored by Mrs. Harry E. Kennedy; delivered to United States Lines under bareboat charter 1945-03-23; operated in the Pacific the final months of WWII and the first four postwar years; returned to the Maritime Commission at Mobile, AL, 1949-08-11 and laid up NDRF Bay Minette. November 1950 the Navy selected Matchless for reactivation for Korean War expansion; towed to Camden, NJ, overhauled and converted to a store ship by New York Shipbuilding Corp.; renamed Aludra 1951-01-16; commissioned 1952-06-19, Comdr. Ralph H. Moureau. Assigned Service Squadron 3, Service Force Pacific Fleet; Sasebo arrival 1952-10-28, supported TF 77 strikes off Korea's east coast and TF 72 East China Sea/Formosa patrols; returned San Francisco 1953-05-04. Sixteen-plus years alternating West Coast and Far East tours; Operation Passage to Freedom (1954 refugee evacuation from northern Vietnam); pioneer in underway-replenishment method development with many alterations and experimental logistical equipment; Vietnam waters from March 1965 for over three and a half years; departed for the last time 1969-04-19 via Sasebo; arrived Oakland 1969-05-11; decommissioned 1969-09-12; returned to MARAD, berthed NDRF Suisun Bay; withdrawn 1977-01-19 for Navy stripping prior to sale; sold November 1977. Card header data: dp. 7,050; l. 459'2"; b. 63'; dr. 28'; s. 16 k.; cpl. 292; a. 12 3"; cl. Alstede; T. R2-S-BV1. Awards: one battle star Korean service, eight engagement stars Vietnam.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1977
- Population
- Crew (~292 complement per DANFS), 1952-1969; shipyard workers at documented conversions/repairs
- Limitations
- Service history only - DANFS contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials content. Accessed via Wikipedia's verbatim DANFS transcription and the identical printed page scanned onto the MARAD status card; the live NHHC DANFS URL 404s (2026-09-20). The Wikipedia infobox's 'Decommissioned 2 September 1969' conflicts with the DANFS body text's '12 September 1969' - carried in gaps. Battle/engagement-star counts are DANFS-derived, not re-verified against an official awards issuance (NavSource tabulation states five Vietnam campaign stars - see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-01
-
[6]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Aludra (AF-55), 1952-1977' photo page (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror of the NHC page): photos NH 104028-NH 104033 et seq. [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Online Library page af55.htm; photo captions NH 104028-104033
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official NHHC photo-page history: 'a 7050-ton (light displacement) Alstede class store ship, built at Oakland, California, to U.S. Maritime Commission design R2-S-BV1. Completed in March 1945 as the civilian refrigerated cargo ship Matchless'; laid up near Mobile August 1949; reactivated for the Korean crisis; renamed Aludra January 1951, converted at Camden, NJ, commissioned June 1952; one Korean War deployment October 1952-May 1953; underway-replenishment development work and Seventh Fleet service; 1954 northern-Vietnam refugee evacuation; Vietnam War support 1965-1969; decommissioned September 1969, laid up Suisun Bay; NDRF until 1977, sold for scrapping November 1977. Photo captions place the ship underway 1954-09-17 (photographed from USS Yorktown CVA-10, including an underway-replenishment transfer) and 'Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, California, 20 February 1956' (series NH 104030-33 et seq.) - documenting presence at the naval shipyard (Hunter's Point) in February 1956.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1952-1977
- Population
- Crew (1952-1969); San Francisco Naval Shipyard workers if an availability occurred (not established)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC summary and photo captions; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials content. 'Off the San Francisco Naval Shipyard' documents proximity to the yard (Hunter's Point) on 1956-02-20; the photos alone do not establish that an overhaul or repair availability occurred there. Live NHHC page not re-located; mirror cited consistent with Batch-01 practice.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-02
-
[7]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ALUDRA (AF-55), Ship History Detail 177, incl. digitized reserve-fleet status card (Form MA-383, /cards/177_335AF.jpg) and companion record MATCHLESS Detail 3275 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 177 milestones; status card image /cards/177_335AF.jpg; MATCHLESS Detail 3275
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD custody record: ALUDRA, AF-55, type R2-S-BV1, category 'All-Reefer,' ex name MATCHLESS, builder Moore Dry Dock, date built 1945, hull no. MC-1202; card notation 'Identical in design as the C2-S-B1'; 'Builders Hull #289; MCc-7694'; 'Service prior to lay-up: Navy.' NDRF Suisun Bay: entered 1969-10-01 1040 PDT; withdrawn 1977-01-19 1030 PST 'Withdrawn by Navy-Stripping'; reentered 1977-03-02 1240 PST 'Reentered from Stripping'; withdrawn 1978-02-16 0850 PST 'Sold for NT use under PD-X-1022, 11-8-77 to Sea World Processors, Inc. for $162,126.00.' ShipHistory fields: year built 1945, gross 6,177 / net 3,483 tons, length 459 ft, beam 63 ft, lightweight displacement 7,050 tons, fate 'Sold -NTU'; milestones Entry 8/18/1949, Entry 10/1/1969 'Entered Reserve Fleet,' Disposition and Withdrawal 2/16/1978. Companion MATCHLESS record (Detail 3275): net 3,448/gross 6,177 tons; milestone 'Acquisition 1/16/1951 - Navy renamed.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1981
- Population
- NDRF Suisun Bay caretakers (1969-1978); Navy stripping crews (Jan-Mar 1977); Sea World Processors fish-processing workers (1978-1981)
- Limitations
- Custody/status record only - contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials data (the card's damages/specification fields are blank apart from the C2-S-B1 design-equivalence note). Handwriting partially legible; transcription best-effort. Establishes custody chain, stripping withdrawal/re-entry, and sale events (ship-specific); does not document what materials stripping crews or buyers encountered. 'Net tons' differs between the two MARAD records (3,483 vs 3,448) - minor discrepancy noted, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-03
-
[8]ShipScribe 'U.S. Navy Ships' class page, ALSTEDE (AF 48, C2-S-B1(R) and R2-S-BV1) - S. S. Roberts compilation from official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board reports; BuShips correspondence, NARA RG 19), compiled 2021-07-22 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class data block; Construction and Disposition tables; Class Notes (SCB 57 paragraph); Ship Notes AF 55
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Compiled official-record data for AF 55: design 'MC R2-S-BV1; SCB 57 for AF 55 only'; displacement 7,050 light / 14,150 full (55: 12,900 full); 459' oa x 63' x 27' max nav draft; 16 kts; geared steam turbines, 2 boilers (48, 49, 55: 465 psi/750 deg F), 6,000 hp, 1 screw; accommodations 17 officers + 277 enlisted; armament none as acquired, authorized 6-3"/50 twin mounts April 1952, installed by April 1955 including two aft of the amidships superstructure, amidships pair soon removed (rigging/kingposts/booms interfered with arcs of fire), February 1956 photos show four twin mounts (8 barrels), 2-3"/50T by 1967. Acquisition: CNO informed BUSHIPS 1950-12-06 that SS MATCHLESS (R2-S-BV1) was designated the AF hull in the First Supplemental FY 1951 Shipbuilding and Conversion Program; New York Shipbuilding Corp. awarded the conversion contract 1950-12-22; Navy approved the name ALUDRA and designation AF 55 on 1951-01-16. Construction/disposition: acquired 1950-11-30; keel 1944-08-23, launch 1944-10-14; 'Comm/Svc 7 Jul 1952'; decommissioned 1969-09-12; stricken 1976-06-01; ship note 'Title to USN 31 May 1956' and 'To MA custody 1 Oct 1969'; disposal-table title/disposal transfer to MA 1977-11-16 concurrent with 'MA sale 1977-11-16'; 'to buyer 16 Feb 1978.' Ship note: 'As mercantile fish (crab) processing ship ALEUTIAN MONARCH she burned 12 Nov 1981 at Udamat Bay (Unalaska Is.), Alaska, and was scuttled 19 Nov 1981 in nearby deep water.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1981
- Population
- Crew accommodations 17 officers / 277 enlisted
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary reference drawing on official records (Auxiliary Vessels Board, BuShips, MARAD) - not itself an official publication; treated here as an authoritative compilation, consistent with house practice for transcribed primary material. Contains no asbestos or materials statement. 'Comm/Svc 7 Jul 1952' conflicts with DANFS's 1952-06-19 commissioning; 'Title to USN 31 May 1956' vs the 1950-11-30 acquisition implies a custody-vs-title distinction - both carried in gaps. Aleutian Monarch fate detail rests on this compiled note alone.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-04
-
[9]ShipScribe ALSTEDE class notes (compiled from BuShips/CNO correspondence, NARA RG 19): SCB Project No. 57 characteristics for the AF conversion, October 1950 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class Notes, SCB Project No. 57 paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Documented insulation event aboard this hull: the class notes record that SCB Project No. 57 (first proposed 1949-04-22; final characteristics forwarded to CNO 1950-10-16 and approved 1950-10-27 under the First Supplemental FY 1951 Shipbuilding and Conversion Program) listed as major alterations for the AF 'the replacement of the existing open hold centrifugal blower type compressors with Navy Standard reciprocating reefer machinery suitable for "fleet issue" and the installation of insulated hatch trunks and brine coil cooling in isolated boxes.' The conversion was executed at New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, NJ (contract 1950-12-22), the yard at which the ship was overhauled and converted to a store ship per DANFS.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1949-1952
- Population
- New York Shipbuilding Corp. conversion-yard workers (1951-52); ship's force during conversion
- Limitations
- The source documents an insulation-installation specification for this hull's 1951-52 conversion but does NOT state the insulation material - no fiber content, product name, or manufacturer is given. 'Insulated hatch trunks' and 'brine coil cooling' cannot be read as 'asbestos' without an additional source; refrigerated-ship insulation of the period used various materials including cork and mineral fibers. Does not establish quantity, location beyond hatch trunks/isolated boxes, present-day status (hull scuttled 1981), individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-05
-
[10]Documented plant and service basis: ShipScribe class data (geared steam turbines, 2 boilers 465 psi/750 deg F, 6,000 hp; R2-S-BV1 refrigerated design) + DANFS-documented conversion and service history + 512 F.2d 23-documented 1966 repair contract + NHHC-documented San Francisco Naval Shipyard presence [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe AF 48 class data block and class notes; DANFS narrative; 512 F.2d 23 para. 2; NHHC photo captions
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Inference from documented plant and era practice: a 1944-45 steam refrigerated stores ship carried era-typical insulation - boiler and steam-line lagging, valve/flange gaskets, machinery packing, refrigeration-line insulation, accommodation insulation, brake linings on winches and windlass - products of the period commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber. Documented events that plausibly disturbed or installed insulation include the 1944-45 Moore Dry Dock construction, the 1951-52 New York Shipbuilding SCB-57 conversion (with its documented insulated hatch trunks/brine coil work), the 1966 Todd Shipyards master repair contract at NAS Alameda (during the yard's documented 1965-71 exclusive insulation-contractor period), San Francisco Naval Shipyard presence in 1954/1956, the 1977 Navy stripping withdrawal, and the 1981 fire - all within or adjacent to the era of routine asbestos shipboard use.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1981
- Population
- Construction trades (Moore Dry Dock, Oakland 1944-45); United States Lines merchant crew (1945-49); conversion/repair yard workers (New York Shipbuilding 1951-52, Todd Alameda 1966, SFNSY); Navy crew (~292); stripping crews (1977); fish-processing crew (1978-81)
- Limitations
- Era/design-level inference, not a hull record - no insulation schedule, survey, or materials list for this vessel was located; the cited data documents machinery, conversions, and repair events, not materials. The SCB-57 insulation installation is documented but its composition is not. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-06
-
[11]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
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed documentation that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program under which this hull was built (1944-45 at Moore Dry Dock, Oakland, under Maritime Commission contract MC-1202 for the War Shipping Administration) and in which wartime asbestos supply was reserved for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s program documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel. Covers WWII-era construction and practice; the ship's Navy career (1952-69) is postwar, and postwar naval shipboard asbestos practice is documented elsewhere - this source does not address it. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, quantity, present-day status, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-07
-
[12]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A Health Survey of Pipe Covering Operations in Constructing Naval Vessels,' Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 28:9-16 (January 1946), PMID 21016030; see also the 2026 critique/retraction call, 'When errors become etched in stone' (DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696) [other_primary]
- Locator
- J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28:9-16 (1946); survey scope and materials sections
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- USMC-commissioned industrial health survey documenting that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' (a South African asbestos mineral), examining pipe-covering operations at two Government navy yards and two Navy contract yards (anonymized A-D), with dust counts during cutting/fitting operations and chest X-rays of 1,074 pipe coverers (3 asbestosis cases, all 20+ year pipe coverers). The ship was converted for naval service at a Navy contract-type yard (New York Shipbuilding) in 1951-52, in the same documented practice era the survey covers.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- Survey fieldwork ca. 1944-45; published 1946; critique 2026
- Population
- Pipe coverers/insulators at Navy and Navy-contract yards (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/practice-level documentation only - the surveyed yards are anonymized and do not include this vessel; the survey addresses naval vessel construction, and this hull's build (WSA merchant reefer) and conversion (Navy contract yard) bracket that context. The paper's 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion was criticized as deeply flawed in a 2026 peer-reviewed retraction call - the survey is cited for what it documents about materials and operations, not for its risk conclusion. Does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-08
-
[13]United States v. San Francisco Elevator Co., 512 F.2d 23 (9th Cir. 1975), No. 72-2524 (reversed and remanded) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 512 F.2d 23, paragraphs 1-9 (facts) and 17-18 (disposition)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published federal appellate opinion naming this hull: in 1966 the United States and Todd Shipyard Corporation entered a master ship repair contract for repair of 'a navy refrigerator ship, the USS ALUDRA,' moored at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Alameda, California; repair of a vertical cargo elevator aboard was subcontracted to San Francisco Elevator. Elevator mechanic Steven R. Bigham was killed working on the cargo elevator on the ship; his heirs sued in admiralty. The trial court found the death was caused by the unseaworthiness of the ALUDRA and the negligence of the United States and San Francisco Elevator, assessing $370,000 against the United States; the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's limitation of the United States' third-party indemnity recovery to $300,000, holding the United States entitled to full indemnity plus attorneys' fees. Classification per batch rules: OTHER litigation (maritime wrongful death and contractual indemnity) - NOT qualifying asbestos litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1966-1975
- Population
- Ship repair contractor/subcontractor employees aboard during the 1966 availability (Todd Shipyards; San Francisco Elevator Co.)
- Limitations
- Documents a 1966 repair period aboard this hull under a Todd master repair contract and the litigation that followed - the opinion contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials content and makes no exposure finding; its asbestos relevance is confined to establishing that contractor repair work occurred aboard this hull at a documented asbestos yard during that yard's documented insulation-contractor period (see ev-uss-aludra-af55-10). The printed opinion dates the death 'April 25, 1960,' impossible on its own timeline (contract 1966; injuries predate the 1972 LHWCA amendments per the opinion's footnote 5) - a reporter-level typographical error carried as printed, not resolved (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-09
-
[14]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (Cal. App. 1st Dist. 1995) (nonsuit affirmed for appellants King and Ward; reversed for appellant Lineaweaver) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 31 Cal. App. 4th at *1414 (King statement of facts); disposition at *1422
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published California appellate opinion documenting asbestos-insulation practice at the repair yard where this hull underwent its documented 1966 Todd master repair contract (ev-uss-aludra-af55-09): appellant Floyd King worked as a laborer at Todd Naval Shipyard, Alameda and San Francisco, 1965-1986, 'swe[eping] and remov[ing] insulation debris from the shipyards and aboard ships during repairs' and occasionally removing old insulation; the court found that 'in the critical years of 1965 to 1971, a different insulation contractor, Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation (OCF), had an exclusive arrangement with Todd,' with Pabco or other products used as fill-in. Disposition described exactly: nonsuit on liability affirmed for King and Ward (insufficient evidence of exposure to respondent's product - a merits-level negative for those plaintiffs), reversed for Lineaweaver on circumstantial-exposure grounds at the Standard Oil refinery.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1965-1995
- Population
- Todd Alameda/San Francisco insulators and laborers, 1965-1986 (yard-level context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level context only - the opinion does not name the Aludra or any specific vessel, makes no exposure finding tied to this hull, and the King work period (1965-86) brackets but does not pin work to the 1966 Aludra contract. Establishes that asbestos-insulation work occurred aboard ships at this yard during the period covering this hull's documented repair there; does not establish that asbestos work was performed on this hull, nor quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-10
-
[15]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 1537993, Docket No. 14-19 435 (decided 2015-09-04; appeal REMANDED to the AOJ) [other_primary]
- Locator
- BVA decision text, Introduction and Remand directive para. 1; docket 14-19 435
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- VA administrative adjudication naming this hull - classified OTHER litigation (herbicide claim, not asbestos): a veteran claimed service connection for ischemic heart disease as due to herbicide exposure; service personnel records show he served aboard USS ALUDRA between January 1968 and February 1969 (transferred to USS HASSAYAMPA AO-145 ~1969-02-11, then USS KAWISHIWI AO-146 on 1969-03-28); a PIES response confirmed his service 'in the official waters of the Republic of Vietnam' aboard USS ALUDRA, AF-55 (1968). Critically for ship history: 'VA records confirm that the USS ALUDRA conducted in-port docking replenishments at Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, An Thoi, and Da Nang harbors during March and April 1969.' The appeal was REMANDED for further development including whether the ship 'was actually, or likely to have been, exposed to herbicide spraying' - the least-final disposition stage, no merits finding on the exposure theory.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1968-1969 service; 2015 decision
- Population
- Crew aboard 1968-1969 Vietnam deployments (veteran claimant population)
- Limitations
- Administrative adjudication, not an Article III court record and not an asbestos claim; the decision contains no asbestos or insulation content. It documents crew service aboard this hull and the ship's 1969 in-port replenishment operations (ship-specific history) and illustrates the veteran-claim exposure pathway for this hull - for herbicide, not asbestos. Remand status means even the herbicide theory was unadjudicated at this decision.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-11
-
[16]Department of Veterans Affairs, 'Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents' (VA Compensation Service ship list, alphabetized entries as maintained for VA regional offices) [other_primary]
- Locator
- VA ship list, 'Aludra (AF-55)' entry; referenced from benefits.va.gov Agent Orange page
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Standing VA administrative compilation names this hull: 'Aludra (AF-55) - Conducted in-port replenishments at Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau and An Thoi during March 1969 and docked to pier at Da Nang April 17-18, 1969' (2012-version wording; later versions phrase the same events as in-port docking replenishments at Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, An Thoi, and Da Nang during March-April 1969). Placement on the list makes service aboard this hull in the stated windows qualifying service for the herbicide-exposure presumption under 38 C.F.R. sections 3.307/3.309.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1969 operations; list maintained to present
- Population
- Crew aboard during March-April 1969 in-port replenishments (Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, An Thoi, Da Nang)
- Limitations
- Regulatory/administrative record about herbicide (Agent Orange) presumption - contains no asbestos content whatsoever and confers no asbestos-related finding or eligibility. Version wording differs slightly between list editions (list has been periodically updated; mirrors used - centrecountypa.gov 2012 copy and tf116.org PDF of the VA list). Documents crew presence aboard during the March-April 1969 in-port operations (ship-specific history); does not establish asbestos exposure, presence, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-12
-
[17]Batch-550 search ledger (this record): DANFS (via Wikipedia transcription + MARAD card scan), NHHC Online Library photo page (ibiblio mirror), ShipScribe AF class data, MARAD ShipHistory Detail 177 + status cards + MATCHLESS Detail 3275, published reporter text (512 F.2d 23), vLex/calculators.law opinion text (Lineaweaver), VA BVA decision file, VA ship list, NVR scope check, NARA record-group index, class-profile worktree check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-aludra-af55-01 through sl-uss-aludra-af55-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, materials schedule, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming Aludra / AF-55 / Matchless / Aleutian Monarch was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener coverage is partial this pass - the documented 125/day rate limit blocked the 'Aludra' opinion query, the 'AF-55' opinion query, and docket-level queries; litigation records located instead via the published reporter (512 F.2d 23, other litigation) and va.gov (BVA 1537993, other litigation). A marketing-site asbestos page list (freeasbestostesting.com) names USS Aludra (AF-55) among auxiliary ships - excluded per source rules (non-authoritative promotional content); no primary source located supports an asbestos claim for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - era-consistent inference plus one documented insulation-installation event are recorded separately, and the hull burned/scuttled in 1981 before any modern survey practice. CourtListener coverage is partial this pass (rate-limited): the 'Aludra' and 'AF-55' opinion queries and 'Aludra'/'Matchless' docket queries were not completed - logged, not counted as negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-13
-
[18]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Aludra (AK-72), 1942-1943' (ibiblio/HyperWar mirror) + DANFS-derived AK-72 entry (HistoryCentral transcription) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NHHC Online Library ak72.htm; HistoryCentral DANFS transcription for AK-72
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Same-name disambiguation: the earlier USS Aludra (AK-72) was a different hull - a Crater-class EC2-S-C1 cargo ship laid down as the Liberty ship Robert T. Lincoln (MCE hull 437) by Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, CA, commissioned 1942-12-26, torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine RO-103 off the Solomons 1943-06-23 with two killed. This record's hull (AF-55) is the former Matchless (MC hull 1202, type R2-S-BV1, Moore Dry Dock, Oakland), built 1944-45, in Navy service 1952-1969, scuttled 1981. The two share only the name (for the star Aludra in Canis Major); builder, design, service period, and fate differ entirely and their records must not be merged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1943 (AK-72) vs 1944-1981 (AF-55)
- Limitations
- Identity correction only - no asbestos content. Sources are NHHC photo-page history and DANFS-derived transcription for AK-72 (live NHHC DANFS also 404s; mirrors used). The AF-55 VERIFY note flags the same-name collision risk; this row documents the resolution.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-14
-
[19]U.S. Maritime Commission, Report to Congress for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1944 (fmc.gov-hosted scan) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Report to Congress FY1944, Safety and Health section (OCR'd text lines ~939-977)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- The FY 1944 USMC Report to Congress - covering the period in which this hull was being built under Maritime Commission contract MC-1202 at Moore Dry Dock - documents a Safety and Health Section 'charged with a comprehensive program to guard the health and lower accident frequency among' shipyard workers, including public-health doctors and Commission health consultants conducting field surveys of workers 'exposed to fumes dust and smoke in shipbuilding,' reporting that 'a full report will' follow. This is the program context that produced the Fleischer-Drinker pipe-covering survey (ev-uss-aludra-af55-08).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- FY1944
- Population
- Shipyard workers under Maritime Commission wartime contracts (program context)
- Limitations
- The scan is image-based; extractable text contains no explicit 'asbestos' mention - the row documents the Commission's wartime occupational-health program only and does NOT support the stronger claim (made in a related yard dataset) that the report addresses 'known asbestos risks.' Does not name this vessel; no hull-specific content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-15
-
[20]NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Aludra (AF-55) page 09/06/0655 (via search-index text; direct fetch blocked by Mod_Security 406 this pass) + NARA record groups cited in the ShipScribe source line [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/06/0655 timeline, CO roster, awards; ShipScribe AF48 page 'Special sources' line; BVA decision text
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NavSource's compiled page contributes index-level detail consistent with DANFS: timeline entries incl. delivered to WSA/United States Lines 1945-03-23, returned to Maritime Commission 1949-08-01, transferred to Waterman SS Corp. 1949-08-11, returned to Maritime Commission 1949-08-18 (refining the 1949 Mobile lay-up sequence), decommissioned 1969-09-12 at Oakland, radio call sign NJPV, a commanding-officer roster (CDR Ralph H. Moureau 1952-06-19 through later officers incl. CDR Reuland to 1956-04-06, CDR Witting to 1957-10-25, CDR Muse to 1958-07-25, LCDR Hague), and award display (one Korean battle star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with five campaign stars). Archival leads not retrieved: BuShips/CNO correspondence underlying the SCB-57 class notes (NARA RG 19 Entry P 62 Box 7; Entry UD 1024-A Box 1; BuShips Confidential Correspondence 1946-61 File QB/Aux Vess Bd); deck logs RG 24 (1952-1969) - the basis of the VA's 'VA records confirm' in-port replenishment findings; NHHC photo series NH 104028 et seq.; MARAD disposition file PD-X-1022 and the Sea World Processors sale contract; New York Shipbuilding Corp. conversion contract records (1950-12-22 award); Todd Shipyards master repair contract file (1966).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1981
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archive used as an index/lead, not a finding source - the Waterman-transfer sequence and CO roster are compiled data not re-verified against official records; the 'five campaign stars' Vietnam count differs from DANFS's 'eight engagement stars' (see gaps). NARA record groups are leads, not hull evidence; contents unverified and not digitized (no retrieval authorized).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aludra-af55-16