Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]Shipscribe.com, USS APc-1 Class (APC-1) page - compilation of official BuShips Ships' Data and Maritime Commission custody records: construction table row 20, disposition table row 20, ship notes row 20 ('Ex AMc-171. Sold (delivered) by MC to Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle, Wash. Merc. SEA MONSTER, first registered 1957.'), and class procurement-history notes [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table (APc 20 row); Disposition table (APc-20 row: Decomm. 14 Mar 46, Strike 28 Mar 46, Disposal 24 Feb 48, Fate MC/D, MA Sale 19 Feb 48); Ship Notes (APc-20 row); Class Notes text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APc-20 (ex AMc-171): ordered 19 Feb 1942; built by Hodgdon Bros, East Boothbay, ME; keel laid 12 Mar 1942; launched 15 Aug 1942; commissioned 15 Jan 1943. Disposition: decommissioned 14 Mar 1946; struck 28 Mar 1946; MC disposal 24 Feb 1948; MA sale 19 Feb 1948 to Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle; mercantile SEA MONSTER first registered 1957. Class notes record the program history: AMc-150-199 ordered 19 Jan 1942 as coastal minesweepers, redirected to AP transports by CNO 13 Apr 1942, type APc created 22 Apr 1942, AMc numbers renumbered to APc numbers not respectively.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-1957
- Limitations
- Shipscribe is a secondary compilation transcribing official records, not a scanned primary document; its decommissioning date (14 Mar 46) conflicts with NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum (1 Mar 46) - carried as an open discrepancy, not resolved. Establishes identity, dates, builder, designation mapping, and disposal only; contains no asbestos or insulation-material information and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-01
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[2]Shipscribe.com USS APc-1 class ship notes (rows 18 and 20); NavSource APc index page; NavSource USS APc-20 page (erroneous line) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APc index rows 'APc-18 ex AMc-158' and 'APc-20 ex AMc-171'; shipscribe ship notes rows 18/20; NavSource https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/23/23020.htm (erroneous AMc-158 line)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The hull's planned coastal-minesweeper designation was AMc-171, not AMc-158: shipscribe ship notes give APc-20 as 'Ex AMc-171' and APc-18 as 'Ex AMc-158'; NavSource's own APc class index likewise lists 'APc-20 ex AMc-171' and 'APc-18 ex AMc-158'. NavSource's individual APc-20 page ('Originally planned as Coastal Minesweeper AMc-158') transposes APc-18's planned number and is erroneous. AMc-171 was a paperwork designation only - the hull was never built or commissioned as a minesweeper.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942
- Limitations
- Two secondary compilations agree against the single erroneous page line; no primary directive document was retrieved for the AMc-to-APc renumbering table itself, so the mapping rests on consistent official-records compilations. The correction concerns designation bookkeeping only - it does not imply the hull ever served as, or was outfitted as, a minesweeper.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-02
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[3]David D. Bruhn, 'Pacific Island Hoppers Hall of Valor' - research compilation of Navy battle-star awards for APc/Army small vessels (naval historian's published compilation of official award records); NavSource USS APc-20 page campaign table (corroborating) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Bruhn PDF, 'Summary of Battle Stars Earned During World War II,' Eastern New Guinea operation entries for USS APc-20 (two lines: 5 Dec 43-30 Jan 44; 15 Oct 43-4 Dec 43). Live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-22; text verified via Wayback Machine capture 2021-10-19. NavSource campaign table corroborates dates.
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- USS APc-20 earned one battle star for World War II service in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, credited for the Eastern New Guinea operation: Seventh Fleet supporting/consolidating operations 15 Oct-4 Dec 1943 and Finschhafen occupation 5 Dec 1943-30 Jan 1944, under Lt. (jg) Samuel P. Johnston, Jr., USNR (commanding officer Sep 1943-Nov 1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-10-15 to 1944-01-30
- Population
- Crew of approximately 21-25 officers and men during the credited periods
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official Navy award records, not the award document itself; no DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource confirms), so campaign credit rests on compiled award data corroborated by NavSource. Establishes service history only - contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-03
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[4]NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive, USS APc-20 page (09/23/23020) - secondary archive compiling official Navy data and USN photographs [other_primary]
- Locator
- Page chronology, campaign table, specifications block, commanding-officer list, and photo captions (USN photo # 765-43; Ash Family Trust 1944 photo)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource USS APc-20 page: commissioned 15 Jan 1943 ENS Jesse Rodriguez USNR in command; Asiatic-Pacific campaign table (Eastern New Guinea operation dates as in ev-03); decommissioned 1 Mar 1946 at San Diego; struck 28 Mar 1946; transferred to Maritime Administration 1947; commercial chain - Foss Launch & Tug Co. 1948 as M/V Mary Foss, Pacific Tow Boat Co. 1950 as M/V Sea Monster, renamed M/V Chena 1966, then fishing-boat owners 1988-2002 (King Crab; Ocean Pride Alaska; George E. Johnson; Larry C. Nielson; Alba Fisheries); 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Spec sheet: 100 t lt / 258 t fl; 103'3" x 21'3" x 9'3"; 10 kts; complement 3 officers + 22 enlisted; troop capacity 66; four 20 mm mounts; one Atlas 6HM2124 diesel, two 30 kW diesel-drive generators, 400 shp, one screw. Page hosts two official-provenance photographs: USN photo 765-43 (Dry Dock No. 2, Navy Yard Charleston SC, 9 Apr 1943, APc-20 among eight craft) and a 1944 Solomon Islands nest photo with APc-1/-3/-5/-22.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1942-2002
- Population
- Wartime crew (approx. 21-25); embarked troops up to listed capacity
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - its chronology agrees with shipscribe except decommission date (1 Mar vs 14 Mar 46) and MARAD transfer year (1947 vs MC disposal Feb 48); its spec figures differ from shipscribe class data (displacement 100 vs 161 lt; complement 25 vs 21); and the page carries the erroneous 'AMc-158' planned-designation line corrected in ev-02. No asbestos, insulation, or hazmat content anywhere on the page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-04
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[5]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44: Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1983, ship-number index entry 'APC-20 1/15/1943 6/30/1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- SL-44 ship-number list, APC section, 'APC-20 1/15/1943 6/30/1945'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1983) lists logbooks for APC-20 covering 1/15/1943-6/30/1945 in National Archives holdings - the hull's commissioned-period deck logs exist and are cataloged.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1943-01-15 to 1945-06-30
- Limitations
- Finding aid confirms physical holdings; logs were not retrieved and are not confirmed digitized online. Deck logs record operations, weather, and personnel - they are not expected to state insulation or asbestos content, so this lead supports service-history verification rather than any materials finding. Coverage for Jul 1945-Mar 1946 (through decommissioning) is not shown in the listed range.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-05
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[6]Boothbay Region Historical Society, Shipyard Collection #2: Goudy & Stevens inventory (yard-vessel list nos. 83-94) [museum_official]
- Locator
- Shipyard Collection #2 vessel list, entries 85-94 (1941-1943 block): '86 | APC 20 | 103' Coastal Transport/wood | US Navy'; merger note ('In 1941 Goudy & Stevens merged in partnership with ... Hodgdon Brothers to pursue World War II Navy construction')
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Boothbay Historical Society shipyard-records inventory (Shipyard Collection #2: Goudy & Stevens) lists yard hull no. 86 as 'APC 20 - 103' Coastal Transport/wood - US Navy' in the 1941-1943 wartime block, and records that in 1941 Goudy & Stevens merged in partnership with Charles, William and George Hodgdon of Hodgdon Brothers to pursue WWII Navy construction (HBG&S). Sister hulls APC 19/21/22 and five later APc units appear in the same list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1941-1943
- Population
- Construction trades at the East Boothbay yard, 1942
- Limitations
- Local historical-society collection inventory, not a contract document; corroborates the Hodgdon Brothers-Goudy & Stevens yard attribution in shipscribe/shipbuildinghistory. Describes hull type and material (wood) only - no machinery, insulation, or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-06
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[7]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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as insulating and fireproofing material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the program and era under which this 1942 wooden-hulled Navy transport was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in ship construction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation only - does not name this vessel, class, or vessel type, and the article's coverage centers on steel combat and merchant construction rather than small wooden diesel craft. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. This vessel had no boilers or steam plant, so the era's principal asbestos applications did not apply.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-07
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[8]Batch-1520 search ledger (this record): NavSource, shipscribe, NARA finding aids, Boothbay Historical Society, NHHC/DANFS index, MARAD vessel-history database, commercial registry aggregators, asbestos-keyword web queries, CourtListener site-scoped web check (authenticated API blocked - sl-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-amc-171-amc171-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/shipyard materials statement, or docketed case naming this hull under APc-20, APC-20, AMc-171, or its merchant names (Mary Foss, Sea Monster, Chena) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Litigation check caveat: the authenticated CourtListener API was rate-limited throughout this pass (sl-09, blocked); a supplementary site-scoped search of courtlistener.com returned only corporate 'APC' name collisions, so no qualifying asbestos litigation was located but a clean API pass remains open.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 2026-09-22
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - 1942 construction-era materials could plausibly have included asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, lagging, and wiring insulation, and the hull reportedly survives in fishing service where it could retain or have acquired such materials. The finding covers only the public sources actually searched; NARA deck logs and MC custody files were not retrieved, and the authenticated CourtListener pass is incomplete (blocked - sl-09). Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-08
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[9]MarineTraffic vessel record CHENA, IMO 5316181 (commercial registry aggregator; mirrors ShipTraffic.net, MagicPort) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MarineTraffic CHENA vessel page: 'Former names (up to year): Sea Monster (1966), Amc 171 (1950), Mary Foss (1942)'; Built 1942; IMO 5316181
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commercial maritime-registry aggregators (MarineTraffic and mirrors) carry a U.S.-flag fishing vessel CHENA, IMO 5316181, listed with former names 'Mary Foss,' 'Amc 171,' and 'Sea Monster,' built 1942 - consistent with this hull's postwar chain (SEAMONSTER first registered 1957; IMO 531xxxx numbers fit a mid-1950s first registration). The listing shows the vessel as extant; NavSource records 'fate unknown.'
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-22
- Study period
- 1948-present
- Population
- Contemporary commercial fishing crews (if extant)
- Limitations
- Commercial AIS/registry aggregation, not an official registry extract - particulars conflict across mirrors (LOA 29 m vs 22 m; differing call signs), and the former-name fields are themselves error-prone ('Amc 171' repeats the registry's designation conflation). Survival as F/V CHENA is plausible but unverified; authoritative confirmation would come from USCG National Vessel Documentation Center records. Even if extant, nothing in the listing speaks to materials or asbestos aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-amc-171-amc171-09