Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]DANFS, USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) entry covering the hull's full history including the Annapolis (AGMR-1) career (verbatim transcription; live NHHC page returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS CVE-107 entry, construction and service paragraphs (HyperWar transcription)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS documents this hull's identity chain and service: launched 20 July 1944 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Tacoma; commissioned 5 February 1945 as Gilbert Islands (CVE-107); WWII service at Okinawa and Balikpapan (three battle stars); decommissioned 21 May 1946 at Norfolk; recommissioned 7 September 1951; decommissioned at Boston 15 January 1955; reclassified AKV-39 7 May 1959; stricken June 1961; reclassified AGMR-1 (1 June 1963) and renamed Annapolis (22 June 1963); Annapolis recommissioned 7 March 1964 as the Navy's first major communications relay ship; handled communications for Operations Teamwork and Steel Pike before fleet acceptance 16 December 1964; homeport shifted to Long Beach 28 June 1965; deployed to Vietnam September 1965 for communications relay service, continuing into 1967 and beyond with periodic upkeep visits to Hong Kong, Formosa, and the Philippines.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1967+
- Population
- Crew (~1,066 as CVE; ~748 as AGMR-1)
- Limitations
- Documents construction, identity chain, service, and reclassifications; contains no insulation, material, or asbestos information. DANFS ends the narrative inside the Vietnam deployment and does not record the 1969 decommissioning, 1976 striking, or 1979 disposal - those dates rest on NavSource/shipscribe rows. NavSource's CVE-107 page prints a conflicting first-decommissioning date of 21 February 1947; DANFS's 21 May 1946 is carried (conflict logged in gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-01
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[2]shipscribe.com, ANNAPOLIS (AGMR 1, ex CVE) class page - compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from the BuShips hull design history for SCB Project No. 215 and NARA RG 19 records (special sources: RG 19 Entry P 62 boxes 74/97/100, Entry P 52 box 16) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipscribe AGMR-1 class page: SCB 215 narrative, construction/disposition tables, ship notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The BuShips SCB-215 design history (as compiled by shipscribe) documents this hull's AGMR conversion: Gilbert Islands (AKV-39, ex CVE-107) was stricken 1 June 1961 and reinstated to the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1961 under its AKV number for conversion to AGMR-1 (Vella Gulf, AKV-11, was reinstated the same day for the later-cancelled AGMR-2); in August 1962 the hull was towed from the Bayonne, NJ reserve group to New York Naval Shipyard for conversion. Conversion scope: hurricane bow added, WWII armament removed, four twin 3"/50 mounts installed, antenna array on the flight deck, aircraft hangar bay rebuilt into communications spaces with 24 radio transmitters (approximately 30 transmitters total, LF through UHF) served by five antenna towers and a multicoupler system, and three 120-ton air conditioning units installed. Recommissioned as Annapolis 7 March 1964; deployed to Vietnam September 1965 as the only communications ship in theater, supporting Market Time; from August 1967 alternated Gulf of Tonkin station with USS Arlington (AGMR-2) relaying broadcasts for gunfire support and Sea Dragon operations; completed 18 patrols before overhaul at Yokosuka August 1968; departed for home 9 April 1969 via the Mediterranean; decommissioned 20 December 1969 at Norfolk; stricken 15 October 1976; disposed 1 November 1979 (Navy sale), delivered to buyer 12 December 1979. Also documents: the ship's shipfitters installed the satellite dish antenna at sea off Vietnam in late 1966, making Annapolis the first fleet operational satellite-communications ship.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1958-1979 (program history); conversion 1962-1964; Vietnam service 1965-1969
- Population
- Conversion yard workforce (New York Naval Shipyard, 1962-64); AGMR crew (~748)
- Limitations
- Ship-specific program and service history compiled from the official BuShips design history; establishes the conversion's industrial scope (hangar-to-communications rebuild, bow enclosure, electrical/HVAC work) - a major material-disturbance event - but contains no asbestos, insulation, or abatement information and names no exposed workers. Decommissioning location given as Norfolk conflicts with NavSource's Philadelphia; logged in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-02
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[3]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Annapolis (AGMR-1) - ex USS Gilbert Islands (AKV-39 / CVE-107): building data, Vietnam campaign list, awards, commanding officers, disposition; plus companion Escort Carrier Photo Archive page USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) (navsource.net/archives/03/107.htm): building data and name history [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AGMR-1 page (09/63/6301): chronology, Vietnam campaign table, awards display, specifications; NavSource CVE-107 page (03/107): Operational and Building Data block, name-history captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource documents this hull's building data and both careers: built by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Tacoma; initially named St. Andrews Bay; keel laid 29 November 1943; renamed Gilbert Islands 26 April 1944; launched 20 July 1944; commissioned 5 February 1945; reclassified AKV-39 7 May 1959; stricken 1 June 1961; reinstated; converted to a Major Communications Relay Ship and redesignated AGMR-1 1 June 1963; renamed Annapolis 22 June 1963; recommissioned 7 March 1964 at New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn. As Annapolis she earned eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service across a published campaign-date list (Vietnam Defense; Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phases II, III, IV, V; Tet Counteroffensive; Tet 69/Counteroffensive, spanning September 1965 - March 1969) plus a Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation, and RVN Campaign Medal; decommissioned 20 December 1969 at Philadelphia; laid up in reserve at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; stricken 15 October 1976; sold for scrapping 1 November 1979 by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service. Specifications block: AGMR complement 700; propulsion retained as two Allis-Chalmers geared turbines, two shafts.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1979
- Population
- Crew (~1,066 as CVE; ~700-748 as AGMR)
- Limitations
- Compiled secondary record consistent with DANFS and shipscribe on the AGMR timeline; gives Philadelphia as the decommissioning location where shipscribe gives Norfolk (conflict logged). No insulation, material, or asbestos content. NavSource lists AGMR armament as four single 3"/50 mounts vs. shipscribe's four twin mounts from the BuShips design history - discrepancy noted in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-03
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[4]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) - specification-level document for Navy shipboard insulation materials [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuShips TM ch.39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The 1960 BuShips Technical Manual's insulation chapter enumerates the asbestos material suite standard to Navy steam plants of this hull's construction era: MIL-I-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 (80-95% chrysotile) as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; molded asbestos block for high-temperature service. This hull's four Combustion Engineering boilers and two Allis-Chalmers geared steam turbines - the plant retained through the AGMR-1 conversion - plus associated steam piping are the equipment classes these specifications cover.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1960 (manual); describes era-standard specifications
- Population
- Construction trades (Tacoma, 1943-44); conversion yard workforce (1962-64); crew both careers
- Limitations
- Specification-level documentation of materials the Navy specified, not a ship-specific installation record - establishes the era insulation suite, not what was installed on this hull in 1943-44, what was removed or added during the 1962-64 conversion, or what was present at disposal. Retrieved PDF is a scan hosted in the Garlock bankruptcy Daubert-appendix repository; the document itself is the government manual (HTTP 200 verified 2026-09-20; also verified in the class-D Commencement Bay profile 2026-09-16).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-04
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[5]Braaten v. Saberhagen Holdings, 165 Wn.2d 373, 198 P.3d 493 (Wash. 2008) (No. 80251-3, filed 2008-12-11) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion ¶¶1-3 (facts and procedural posture); WA courts opinion information sheet, docket 80251-3
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Washington Supreme Court opinion documents that the Navy applied asbestos-containing insulation to valves and pumps after installation aboard its ships, and that some manufacturer products incorporated third-party asbestos packing and gaskets; plaintiff Vernon Braaten, a pipefitter who worked on Navy ships at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, developed mesothelioma. The court affirmed summary judgment for the equipment defendants: no duty to warn of asbestos in other manufacturers' insulation applied post-sale. Documents judicially-recited Navy-era practice of asbestos insulation applied aboard ships.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- exposure era 1960s-70s; opinion 2008
- Population
- Navy shipyard pipefitter (PSNS); era context
- Limitations
- Documents Navy-wide era practice and PSNS yard exposure, not this hull - the opinion names no vessel of this class and adjudicates duty-to-warn, not exposure. Summary judgment for defendants affirmed on legal-duty grounds; the recital of Navy insulation practice is factual background, not a finding about any specific hull. Citation corrected from class profile's '198 P.3d 1010' to 198 P.3d 493.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-05
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[6]Port of Tacoma v. Todd Shipyards Corp. et al., No. 3:08-cv-05132-BHS (W.D. Wash.), Order approving TSC settlement (Doc. 139, 2010-09-09); allegations recited from Port's CERCLA contribution complaint (Doc. 58) [court_record]
- Locator
- Order Doc. 139 at 1-3; complaint summary Doc. 58 (Shipbuilding Site, 1916-1946)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- A W.D. Wash. order recites the Port of Tacoma's CERCLA/MTCA contribution allegations that Todd Shipyards Corporation owned and operated parcels near the mouth of the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma - 'the Shipbuilding Site' - from 1916 through 1946, and that Todd's shipbuilding operations disposed of contaminated material and hazardous substances into the waterway. The Shipbuilding Site is the Commencement Bay yard where this hull was built; a settlement releasing TSC (Todd) was approved.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1916-1946 site era; litigation 2005-2010
- Population
- Todd Tacoma yard workforce (allegation-level)
- Limitations
- Establishes the builder's site identity and operating era (1916-1946) at the location of construction. The litigated contaminants were listed hazardous substances (metals, PAHs, PCBs) - asbestos is not among the recited substances; the order recites allegations for settlement approval, not findings of contamination or exposure. No individual or hull-level exposure is established.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-06
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[7]Herring v. Texaco, Inc., 161 Wn.2d 189, 165 P.3d 4 (Wash. 2007) (No. 78774-3, filed 2007-08-09) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion ¶¶1-4 (facts and posture); WA courts opinion information sheet, docket 78774-3
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Washington Supreme Court opinion documents that Roger Herring, a member of Asbestos Workers Union Local 7, worked for subcontractors of Todd Shipyards at Todd's work sites in the 1960s-early 1970s, developed pleural thickening (1986), asbestosis (~1989), and fatal mesothelioma (2002), and that his suit against Todd was barred because his asbestos claims were discharged in Todd's 1987 Chapter 11 bankruptcy (publication-notice sufficiency was the litigated issue). Documents that occupational asbestos-exposure claims were litigated against this hull's builder corporate family in the postwar era.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1960s-2007
- Population
- Todd Shipyards subcontractor worker (mesothelioma)
- Limitations
- Yard/corporate-level litigation at Todd's Puget Sound operations post-dating this hull's construction era; does not name this hull, does not adjudicate exposure aboard any specific vessel, and Herring's claim was barred on bankruptcy-discharge grounds - a merits-level negative for that plaintiff, not affirmative exposure evidence. Construction-era (1943-44) conditions at the Tacoma yard are not addressed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-07
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[8]Batch-729 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NavSource/shipscribe ship records; CourtListener-domain and general web sweeps by exact names and hull numbers; builder-yard litigation verification; MARAD ShipHistory attempt [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-annapolis-agmr1-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located for this hull under any identity: no asbestos survey, insulation specification, abatement contract, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Annapolis (AGMR-1), USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107), or AKV-39 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener API v4 returned HTTP 429 (daily cap) and the HTML interface returned HTTP 403 on 2026-09-20; name/hull sweeps ran through the courtlistener.com-domain web index and general web search, returning only name collisions (e.g., Gilbert Island Property LLC matters) and law-firm marketing pages - no qualifying opinion. Consistent with the class-D profile's 2026-09-16 CourtListener sweeps of all 19 commissioned Commencement Bay member names, which located no qualifying asbestos opinion naming any member.
- 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 - a 1943-44 Tacoma-built steam plant with a 1962-64 naval shipyard conversion sits inside the Navy's asbestos-specification era, and the negative reflects record availability, not hull condition. No abatement record for the SCB-215 conversion was located. The domain-restricted index sweep is a degraded but honest substitute for direct CourtListener queries and may miss opinions not surfaced by external indexing. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-annapolis-agmr1-08