USS Andromeda (AKA-15)

Evidence

12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).

1. [1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), auxiliaries - cargo ships, attack (AKA) section, per-hull rows for ANDROMEDA AKA-15 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication) [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 AKA tables (dimensions/personnel, machinery, armament/cargo, construction rows); designation index ('AK64 ANDROMEDA (now AKA15)'); vessel index ('Andromeda (ex-M.C. Hull 199) ... AKA15'); M.C. hull cross-index ('M.C. Hull 199 (now Andromeda) AKA15')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Official BuShips Ships' Data 1945 Vol. 3 carries per-hull rows for ANDROMEDA AKA-15 (ex-AK64, ex-M.C. Hull 199): 13,910 tons; 459'3" overall / 435'0" pp; beam 63'0"; 16.5 knots; machinery 1 screw, G.E. turbine ('do.' under the G.E. turb. entry), 6,000 shp, 2 C.E. 'D' boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F; armament 1 x 5"/38 cal (D.P.) + 4 twin (40mm); cargo 393,160 cu ft non-refrigerated + 16,131 cu ft refrigerated; construction row: Kearny, N.J. yard (builder-name cell OCR-garbled), acquired 30 Mar 43, year 1942, commissioned 2 Apr 43. The volume's designation and M.C.-hull indexes independently record 'AK64 ANDROMEDA (now AKA15)', 'Andromeda (ex-M.C. Hull 199) ... AKA15', and 'M.C. Hull 199 (now Andromeda) AKA15' - official confirmation that AK-64 and AKA-15 are the same hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1945

   Limitations

   Authoritative wartime BuShips publication naming this hull - confirms identity, machinery plant, builder, and commissioning, and confirms the AK-64/AKA-15 single-hull identity in its indexes. PDF text-verified via pdftotext; OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled (builder-name cell garbled in the construction row - builder carried from DANFS/MARAD/ShipScribe instead). Values cross-verified against DANFS and NavSource. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-01

2. [2]DANFS, 'Andromeda (AKA-15)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2015-06-17; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback captures 20190602160718 and 20250220024843) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback captures 20190602160718 and 20250220024843, identical entry text)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC DANFS records: the unnamed cargo ship designated AK-64 was laid down 22 Sep 1942 at Kearny, N.J., by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. under Maritime Commission contract (MC Hull 199); named Andromeda (AK-64) 5 Oct 1942; launched 22 Dec 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Janet Roper; reclassified an attack cargo ship and redesignated AKA-15 on 1 Feb 1943; delivered to the Navy 30 Mar 1943; commissioned at the New York Navy Yard 2 Apr 1943, Comdr. William A. Fly in command. Spec block: 13,910 t (trial); 459'3"; 63'0"; 26'4"; 16.5 k (trial); complement 404; armament (23 Dec 1944) 1 5", 4 40mm, 18 20mm; class Andromeda; type C2-S-B1. WWII: shakedown Chesapeake Bay; convoy to the Mediterranean Jun 1943; Sicily with TF 85 (off the beaches 10-12 Jul); Salerno with TG 81.2 carrying Army 36th Division troops (in transport area to 10 Sep, supply run 22-23 Sep); Bizerte/Belfast/Scottish ports; Norfolk 2 Jan 1944 and a yard overhaul from 3 Jan; Newport, Wales, Mar 1944; amphibious training off Algeria; Naples/Pozzuoli Jul 1944; Operation Dragoon - departed Bay of Castellamare 12 Aug, off invasion beaches 15 Aug, then Oran-Naples shuttle over two months; Boston 8 Nov for a month of repairs; Davisville, R.I., cargo; Panama Canal transit 31 Dec; Pearl Harbor 15 Jan 1945; Guadalcanal 10 Feb; Solomons exercises; Ulithi; Okinawa transport area on L-day 1 Apr (nine days, helped splash an intruder during massed air attacks); Okinawa again 7-14 Jun; Pearl Harbor 29 Jun; Saipan 28 Jul; at sea when hostilities ended; Guam 30 Aug; two missions to the Japanese home islands plus a Manila voyage; embarked servicemen at Sasebo; Seattle 22 Nov 1945; San Francisco 22 Dec 1945. Postwar: west-coast cargo runs to Pearl Harbor, Midway, Wake, Kwajalein, Guam, Saipan; east-coast round trip Sep-Oct 1949; Pribilof Islands Aug 1950; Far East Mar 1951 for Korea logistics support, returned San Diego end of 1951; second Far East tour after 10 months; west coast spring 1953 with a Yokosuka round trip Aug-Sep; final Far East deployment Feb-Nov 1954; eastern Pacific until deactivated. Decommissioned San Diego 1 May 1956; transferred to MARAD for lay-up with the NDRF at Olympia, Wash.; stricken 1 Jul 1960; sold to Marine Power & Equipment Co., Seattle, 12 Mar 1971. Five battle stars WWII + five for the Korean conflict. DANFS also records the name predecessor: a Dutch freighter Andromeda seized at New Orleans 6 Apr 1917 and renamed Bath 9 Jun 1917 before ever commissioning - a distinct hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1971

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, designation changes (AK-64 to AKA-15), custody chain, and disposal. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text. The current DANFS text does NOT include the 1954 Passage-to-Freedom or 1955 DEW-Line/ice-damage narrative carried by Wikipedia - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive - USS Andromeda (AKA-15), file 10/02/02015 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 02015.htm - construction/timeline block, campaign tables, occupation/China service table, Korean campaign table, spec block, commanding-officer table, disposal entries, photo captions

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline corroborates and adds detail: laid down as AK-64, 22 Sep 1942, MC type C2-S-B1, MC hull 199, Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.; redesignated AKA-15 1 Feb 1943; acquired on Maritime Commission loan-charter 30 Mar 1943. Campaign credit - EAME: Sicilian occupation 9-15 Jul 1943; Convoy KMF-25A 6 Nov 1943; Salerno landings 9-21 Sep 1943; Invasion of Southern France '15 to 25 September 1944' (month conflicts with DANFS - see correction row). Pacific: Okinawa Gunto assault and occupation 1 Apr-14 Jun 1945; TransRon Eighteen (COMO J. G. Moyer USN) / TransDiv Fifty-Two. Navy Occupation Service Medal 15-26 Sep 1945 and 26 Oct-6 Nov 1945; China Service Medal (extended) 26 Feb-5 Mar 1946, 10-13 Aug 1951, 8-14 Sep 1951, 13-15 Mar 1953. Korean campaigns: First UN Counteroffensive 16-17 Apr 1951; Communist China Spring Offensive 26 Apr-10 May 1951; UN Summer-Fall Offensive 31 Aug-2 Sep, 18 Oct, 6 Nov 1951; Second Korean Winter 2 Dec 1951; Third Korean Winter 15 Dec 1952, 3-16 Jan 1953, 13-15 Feb 1953. Decommissioned 1 May 1956 San Diego; to MARAD for NDRF Olympia, WA; struck 1 Jul 1960; five battle stars each war. Final disposition: sold for scrapping by MARAD 6 Apr 1971 to Marine Power and Equipment Co., Seattle (PD-X-899 dated 12 Mar 1971), under MARAD contract MA-6229 for $65,000.00; towed to Taiwan for scrapping. Photo caption: ex-Andromeda at Seattle Feb 1974 fitted with fake guns, used as a movie prop, about to be towed to Taiwan by Japanese tug Iris (NHHC photo NH 89302). Spec block: 6,556 t light / 14,200 t (lim); 459'3" x 63' x 26'4" (lim); 16.5 kt trial; complement 44 officers + 360 enlisted; boom 30 t; cargo 4,895 DWT (393,160 cu ft non-refrig + 16,131 refrig); armament 1 x 5"/38 DP + 4 twin 40mm + 18 x 20mm; boats 8 LCM + 1 LCP(L) + 15 LCVP; NSFO 11,010 bbl; propulsion 1 G.E. steam turbine, 2 Combustion Engineering D-type boilers (465 psi, 765 deg F), double G.E. main reduction gears, 3 turbo-drive 300 kW 120/240V D.C. generators, single screw 6,000 shp.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1974

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - detailed but non-official; consistent with NHHC/MARAD on identity and disposal. Three defects logged in the correction row and gaps: (a) commissioning given as 30 Mar 1943, conflating delivery (DANFS/ShipScribe/SDB: 2 Apr 1943); (b) Southern France campaign dated September vs DANFS 15 Aug; (c) CO-table typos (Fly '2 April 1942'; Anderson 'September 1957 - 2 October 1954' - start after end, after decommissioning). Displacement block (6,556 lt) differs from ShipScribe 7,132 lt - variance logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ANDROMEDA (AKA-15), Ship History Detail 261, incl. scanned vessel status card [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 261 registry block, milestone table, Status Cards and Documents tabs (ANDROMEDA.pdf, image-scan)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory registry record for this hull: ANDROMEDA (AKA-15), Year Built 1943; U.S. Official Number 148207; Shipyard 'Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock'; General Type Naval Auxiliary; Specific Type 'AKA Attack Cargo Ship'; MARAD Type C2-S-B1; length 459.25 ft; beam 63.00 ft; gross 8,425 tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Milestones: Entry and Acquisition 4/8/1960 ('TITLE MARAD 4-8-60'); Sold 3/12/1971 'Sold as scrap to Marine Power & Equipment Co. for $65,000'. Missions listed: World War II, Korean War. Registry includes 14 photographs taken at Mare Island Naval Yard 1952-03-20 (bow/midship antennas, midship-to-stern views) and a scanned status card (ANDROMEDA.pdf + card image, image-scan not text-extractable).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1943-1971

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry - confirms official number, build yard, MARAD type, custody entry (title 4-8-60), and the 3-12-1971 scrap sale terms. The attached status-card scan is image-only (binary PDF/JP2; not text-extractable) and was not read this session - card-level custody detail unverified. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-04

5. [5]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Andromeda (AKA-15) Class' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, BuShips/SCB design records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AKA-15 class page: characteristics block, construction table (AKA-15 row), disposition table (AKA-15 row), class notes (MC hull selection; quadrupod mast design history), ship notes (AKA-15 row)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation naming this hull: Class ANDROMEDA (AKA-15), MC design C2-S-B1, 7,132 t light / 14,200 t limiting; 459.25' oa / 435.0' pp x 63.0' x 26.3' lim; 16.5 kts; 6,000 hp G.E. turbine, 1 screw; complement 249 (1944); original armament 1-5"/38 + 4-3"/50 + 12-20mm (1943: AKA-15, 19). Construction row for ANDROMEDA: Federal SB & DD Kearny, keel 22 Sep 42, launch 22 Dec 42, acquired 30 Mar 43, commissioned 2 Apr 43. Disposition row: decommissioned 1 May 56, struck 1 Jul 60, disposal 30 Jun 60 MA/T, MA sale 12 Mar 71. Ship note: 'Ex AK-64 1 Feb 43. Served in MSTS as a commissioned naval vessel from 1 Oct 49 to 30 Sep 50. In USN reserve 1955-60. To NDRF 8 Apr 60, to buyer 6 Apr 71.' Class notes: MC hulls 199-204 at Federal were initially selected to become AKA 15-20; hulls 200-202 were reallocated to AGC 1-3 and hulls 205-207 substituted for AKA 16-18; the class's design innovation was the quadrupod mast - BuShips had New York Navy Yard lighten the kingpost design, and New York built the first twelve fabricated masts 'for installation by Federal on AKA 15-20'; all but AKA 54, 56-57, 109-111 were completed under the MC Military Program.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1971

   Population

   Federal Shipbuilding Kearny construction workforce (1942-43); New York Navy Yard fabrication/commissioning workforce (1943); wartime crew and embarked troops; MSTS-era crew (1949-50)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, design, and MARAD records, not the registers themselves; figures used where consistent with NHHC/SDB/MARAD. Its class-level complement (249, 1944) conflicts with DANFS spec block and NavSource (404 / 44+360) - discrepancy logged in gaps. Under ShipScribe taxonomy the C2-S-B1 hulls are 'Andromeda (AKA-15) class' while the Walsh-Kaiser S4-SE2-BE1 hulls (AKA 21-43) are a separate 'Artemis (AKA-21) class'; Wikipedia's 'Andromeda-class' umbrella covers both designs - taxonomy noted here for cross-reference. Contains no asbestos information; the mast-fabrication note documents a New York Navy Yard role in class outfitting, not materials content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-05

6. [6]DANFS entry (commissioning narrative, Dragoon dates); ShipScribe AKA-15 class construction row; BuShips SDB 1945 construction row; NavSource 02015 (conflicting dates); GlobalSecurity aka-15.htm ('first purpose-built' characterization) [other_primary]

   Locator

   DANFS body text (commissioning; 'arrived off the invasion beaches on the 15th' of August); NavSource timeline/campaign/CO tables; ShipScribe construction table; SDB1945v3 construction row

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Secondary-source discrepancies identified and resolved against primary sources: (a) Commissioning date - NavSource gives 'Commissioned ... 30 March 1943 at New York Navy Yard'; DANFS, ShipScribe, and BuShips SDB 1945 construction row all give 2 Apr 1943 (30 Mar is the Navy delivery/loan-charter acquisition date); the DANFS/SDB 2 Apr 1943 date is adopted. (b) Southern France campaign - NavSource campaign table dates the 'Invasion of Southern France' 15-25 September 1944; DANFS places Andromeda off the invasion beaches 15 Aug 1944 (Operation Dragoon was 15 Aug), making NavSource's September a probable month error; DANFS carried. (c) NavSource CO-table typos - 'CDR. Fly ... 2 April 1942' (before keel-laying; the 1943 commissioning year is documented) and 'CDR. Anderson ... September 1957 - 2 October 1954' (start after end, and after decommissioning) - not carried. (d) GlobalSecurity's hull page calls Andromeda 'the first attack cargo ship built from the keel up rather than converted' - she was completed to the MC C2-S-B1 attack-cargo design under the MC Military Program rather than converted post-completion, but the class's AKA conversion work was designed into the build at Federal/New York Navy Yard; the 'first purpose-built' framing is secondary characterization, not carried as fact.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1945

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary compilations; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-06

7. [7]Consolidated era/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 v3 machinery row for this hull + ShipScribe AKA-15 class data + DANFS overhaul/repair events [other_primary]

   Locator

   SDB1945v3 machinery table, AKA section (ANDROMEDA row); https://shipscribe.com/usnaux/AKA/AKA15.html class data; DANFS body (Jan 1944 Norfolk overhaul; Nov 1944 Boston repairs)

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull carried a single-screw geared-turbine steam plant - two Combustion Engineering D-type boilers at 465 psi / 765 deg F feeding one G.E. turbine (BuShips SDB 1945 machinery row) - built 1942-43 at the peak of WWII asbestos usage at a Maritime Commission contract yard (Federal Kearny) and outfitted under the MC Military Program with New York Navy Yard-fabricated fittings - the machinery configuration for which boiler and fireroom insulation, main and auxiliary steam-line lagging, turbine and reduction-gear lagging, valve and flange gaskets, machinery packing, and accommodation joiner insulation of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Troop/landing-craft outfitting added interior insulation scope. Documented disturbance-phase events for this hull: a January 1944 Norfolk yard overhaul (yard unnamed in DANFS), a November 1944 month of repairs at Boston (yard unnamed), ~4 years in USN reserve/NDRF Olympia lay-up (1956-60), the 1971-74 post-sale period at Seattle (including movie-prop fitting), and breaking at a Taiwan yard - disturbance events whose asbestos scope is inference, not record.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1974

   Population

   Construction trades at Federal Shipbuilding Kearny (1942-43); New York Navy Yard outfitting workforce (1943); wartime crew and embarked troops; unnamed Norfolk and Boston overhaul workforces (1944); Korea-era crew (1951-53); NDRF Olympia caretakers (1960-71); Seattle pre-tow/movie-prop workers and Taiwan breaking-yard workers (1971-74)

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant, construction era, and builder - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, or material schedule naming AKA-15 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-07

8. [8]Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s Supplemental Answers to Second Interrogatories, Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., No. 87-C-1934 (Dist. Ct. Brazoria County, Tex., 23d Jud. Dist., 1990), exhibit list incl. Dube-case admitted documents (Toxic Docs archive scan) [court_record]

   Locator

   Interrogatory answer Q.9, document list item 20 ('Industrial Health Survey of the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey, at 14 (August 30-31, September 1-2, 1944)')

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Builder-yard documentation: Owens-Illinois, Inc.'s supplemental answers to interrogatories in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (Brazoria County, Tex., 23d Judicial District, No. 87-C-1934, served 1990) list, among documents admitted in Rene A. Dube v. Eagle-Picher Industries (D. Me. 83-0224-P), item 20: 'Industrial Health Survey of the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey, at 14 (August 30-31, September 1-2, 1944).' The survey documents industrial-hygiene conditions at the same builder yard during the same wartime construction program as this hull - but was conducted about 17 months after Andromeda was delivered (30 Mar 1943), so it postdates her build period rather than overlapping it.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1944 (survey); hull build 1942-43

   Population

   Federal Shipbuilding Kearny workforce (1944 survey window; this hull's build period 1942-43 by analogy only)

   Limitations

   Builder-yard documentation located via a litigation exhibit list - the survey itself is summarized in a sibling batch record as documenting insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation at the Kearny yard; that product-level characterization was not re-verified page-by-page this session. Postdates this hull's construction by ~17 months - documents the yard's material environment in the same wartime program but cannot establish what went aboard this hull. Does not establish asbestos content, quantity, location, exposure, or causation for AKA-15.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-08

9. [9]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; bibliographic record verified via Crossref

   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 Maritime Commission emergency construction program under which this C2-S-B1 hull was built - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   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 or class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-09

10. [10]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

    Locator

    PubMed record PMID 21016030 (verified via NCBI eutils esummary: J Ind Hyg Toxicol 1946 Jan; 28:9-16); article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

    Finding type

    gov_survey

    Finding

    The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of exactly this hull's era and type.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    survey ~1944-45; published 1946

    Population

    WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

    Limitations

    Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; does not name this vessel, class, or builder yard (whether Federal Kearny was among the surveyed contract yards is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized - see the 2026 critique at DOI 10.1177/10482911261446696.)

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-10

11. [11]Batch-991 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 02015 + hosted document scans; MARAD ShipHistory Detail 261 + status card; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; ShipScribe AKA-15 class page; CourtListener API v4 (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-andromeda-aka15-01 through sl-uss-andromeda-aka15-12

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Andromeda / AKA-15 / AK-64 / MC hull 199 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 was fully rate-limit blocked this session (HTTP 429, 'Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day', retry-after ~7,819 s - shared daily quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine); residual litigation surface was assessed via indexed-web checking, which surfaced only name collisions - The Andromeda, 69 U.S. (2 Wall.) 481 (1874) (Civil War prize case, a schooner); Internaves de Mexico v. Andromeda Steamship Corp. (S.D. Fla./11th Cir. 2017-18, admiralty arbitration - a company name); Electronic Scripting Products v. Andromeda Entertainment Ltd. (W.D. Tex., patent, claim-construction order 2024); Prevent Group 'Andromeda' assignee references in the Prevent Group/VWAG litigation filings (E.D. Tex. RECAP filings); a deponent named Elizabeth Andromeda (S.D. Ohio deposition notice); and the Andromeda Nightclub (4th Cir. liquor-license case). None name the hull. Law-firm marketing pages asserting era-typical asbestos content for this hull (mesotheliomasymptoms.com dedicated hull page; simmonsfirm.com navy ship list; belluckfox.com Federal-Kearny yard page listing 'USS Andromeda AK-64, AKA-15') are excluded as a source class per the no-law-firm-sources rule and logged in the batch report. The VA BVA index surfaced no decision naming the ship.

    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 1942-43 steam auxiliary built at a documented asbestos-era contract yard is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her 1944 overhauls, 1956-60 reserve lay-up, and 1971-74 disposal chain are undocumented disturbance phases. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. Litigation negative coverage is weaker than a clean API sweep: the CourtListener API was quota-blocked for the whole session and only indexed-web checking was run - dockets indexed only in RECAP and unindexed opinions could have been missed.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-11

12. [12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (Records of the U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 357 (Records of the Maritime Administration); NavSource-hosted document scans; MARAD ShipHistory documents section for this hull [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/357.html ; https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf ; .../03090a.pdf ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/261

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) Navy deck logs for USS Andromeda 1943-1956 (RG 24, NARA College Park); (b) BuShips records incl. C2-S-B1 contract plans and the Booklet of General Plans for this design (RG 19); (c) USMC construction-contract records for MC hull 199 at Federal Kearny (RG 178); (d) MARAD/NDRF custody files covering the 1960-1971 Olympia lay-up and the 1971 Marine Power & Equipment sale file under contract MA-6229 (RG 357) - the sale file is the most promising disposal-era hazmat lead; (e) ship-hosted document scans linked from NavSource 02015 that were located but are image-only and were not extracted: 'Action Report - Landing of Occupation Forces, Nagasaki Japan, September 1945' (navsource.net 10/03/pdf/03138a.pdf - a period action report for this hull) and 'USS James O'Hara General Instructions - Exercise 4AP, 17 May 1943, Includes USS Andromeda (AKA-15)' (03090a.pdf); (f) the MARAD status-card scans on Detail 261 (ANDROMEDA.pdf and card image, image-only) may carry additional custody entries.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-21

    Study period

    1942-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and link mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed and the located PDFs are image-scans not text-extracted this session; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-andromeda-aka15-12