Evidence
9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).
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[1]DANFS, 'USS Antaeus/Rescue (AS-21/AG-67/AH-18),' Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (verbatim HyperWar transcription; live NHHC page not located) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, full entry incl. spec line (dp 8,350; l. 403'; b. 61'; dr. 21'6"; s. 20 k.; cpl. 440)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS establishes the single-hull identity chain: launched 9 January 1932 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. as passenger ship St. John (sponsor Mrs. R. G. Stone); acquired by the Navy 24 April 1941; renamed Antaeus (AS-21) and commissioned 17 May 1941 under CDR R. S. Morse; Caribbean submarine-tender duty through September 1942 incl. assisting fire-damaged USS Bass (SS-104) to Balboa 18 August 1942; troop-transport duties to the Caribbean, Canal Zone, and Argentia, Newfoundland, redesignated AG-67 on 15 September 1943; entered New York Navy Yard 28 December 1944 for hospital-ship conversion; renamed Rescue and redesignated AH-18 on 18 January 1945; off Okinawa 13 June 1945, joined 3d Fleet 5 July, Tokyo Bay POW screening; decommissioned 29 June 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Administration; stricken 15 August 1946; scrapped 1959; two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1932-1959
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history; establishes identity, dates, and service. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat information and supports no asbestos claim. DANFS's 'decommissioned 29 June 1946' conflicts with secondary compilations' 29 April 1946 (the June date matches the documented WSA custody transfer - see ev-04 and gaps); DANFS's 'refitted as a merchant ship ... 1946 into 1959' is contradicted by the MARAD custody card (see correction row ev-04). Live NHHC DANFS page not located (history.navy.mil returns 404); verbatim HyperWar transcription cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-01
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[2]U.S. Navy, Naval History Division, Ships' Histories Section, 'History of USS Rescue (AH 18) (ex USS Antaeus AS-21, AG-67)' (compiled December 1952; digitized by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine History Office collection, Internet Archive) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Full OCR text, 2 pp., archive.org identifier HISTORYOFUSSRESCUEAH18EXUSSANTAEUSAS21AG67
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official 1952 Navy monograph documents: hospital-ship conversion at the New York Navy Yard ran 28 December 1944 to 23 February 1945 with 792-bed patient capacity and a medical staff of 17 officers, 25 nurses, 8 chief pharmacists, and 156 corpsmen; commanders R. S. Morse (1941), E. P. Speight (January 1944), Capt. Robert B. Twining (October 1944), CDR Leo C. Keating USNR (8 September 1945); Okinawa action from 13 June 1945; 3d Fleet casualty reception by breeches buoy incl. 39 patients from USS Borie the night of 10 August; 6,212 Allied POWs taken aboard during occupation duty (2,558 processed at Maisaka; a further group of ~3,600 from the Sendai area picked up at Shiogama - OCR ambiguous on exact digit); arrived San Francisco 9 October 1945 with 777 patients including 498 former POWs; sold through the War Shipping Administration by a June 1946 directive; two battle stars (Okinawa Gunto 13-19 June 1945; 3d Fleet operations 10 July-15 August 1945) plus Navy Occupation Service Medal (2-22 September 1945). Statistics block: length 403 ft, beam 61 ft, displacement 5,518 tons, speed 20 knots.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1941-1946 (compiled 1952)
- Population
- Conversion yard workforce (New York Navy Yard, Dec 1944-Feb 1945); embarked medical staff; 6,212 processed Allied POWs
- Limitations
- Primary Navy publication authored by the Ships' Histories Section; establishes conversion event, medical capacity, and operational record. Contains no asbestos, insulation, or hazardous-material information and supports no asbestos claim. Its 'sold through the War Shipping Administration' wording refers to the 1946 custody transfer; MARAD records show reserve-fleet layup, not merchant sale - see ev-04. Monograph displacement (5,518 t) differs from DANFS spec line (8,350) and NHHC photo-page text (5,975) - displacement-basis difference noted, not resolved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-02
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[3]U.S. Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images - USS Antaeus (AS-21/AG-67), USS Rescue (AH-18), SS Saint John photo page with service narrative (verbatim HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Photo captions NH 98784, 19-N-24324/24325/24326, NH 84624, NH 98756; page narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC photo-library page documents: 5,975-ton submarine tender; conversion photographed by the Hughes Co., Baltimore, Md., 30 June 1941 upon completion of submarine-tender conversion (BuShips Collection, NARA photos 19-N-24324/24325/24326); original armament one 4"/50 aft and two 3"/23 forward; November 1944 configuration (photo NH 84624) shows the ship as an East Coast troop transport with numerous liferafts, armament reduced January 1944 to one 4"/50 aft and two 3"/50 forward; hospital-ship conversion begun December 1944; decommissioned and transferred to the Maritime Commission June 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1932-1946
- Population
- 1941 conversion yard workforce (yard not named in source)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC photo captions and narrative; establishes 1941 conversion completion (Baltimore photography suggests but does not name the conversion yard), armament, and service. No asbestos or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ST. JOHN, Detail 11030, with digitized Vessel Status Card (cards/67L_01.png) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 11030; status card image https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/67L_01.png
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records this hull as ST. JOHN, built 1932 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, U.S. Official No. 231530, 6,185 gross tons, fate 'Sold - Scrap'; name history ST. JOHN / ANTAEUS (AS-21) / ANTAEUS (AG-67) / RESCUE (AH-18). The digitized status card documents custody: 'Basis to W.S.A. 6-29-46 10:00PM PST @ Olympia, Wash. from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; allocated to USMC Reserve Fleet, Olympia, Wash., 6-29-46; sold to Dulien Steel Products, Inc. (Scrap), delivered Olympia 10-31-58 9:50am PST. The card shows continuous reserve-fleet custody at Olympia from June 1946 to the 1958 scrap sale with no intervening operator - contradicting DANFS's statement that the vessel was 'refitted as a merchant ship and saw service as such from 1946 into 1959.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-1958
- Population
- NDRF Olympia layup/custody personnel (1946-1958); Dulien Steel Products scrapping workforce (1958-1959)
- Limitations
- Primary federal custody record (status card read directly from image); authoritative for government custody milestones and disposition. The card's operator column lists only the reserve fleet and the scrap purchaser, so the DANFS merchant-service claim is treated as erroneous rather than partially true; if any postwar merchant charter existed it is not reflected in MARAD custody records. No asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-04
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[5]DANFS spec line for AS-21 (8,350 tons displacement, 20 knots, complement 440) corroborated by NavSource Online specifications block for the hull (four Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers 375 psi/660 deg F, two Newport News geared turbines, twin screws, 13,000 shp) - secondary compilation at navsource.net/archives/09/12/1218.htm [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry, spec block; NavSource 1218 specifications section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The hull's documented propulsion plant - four oil-era Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers feeding two geared steam turbines on twin screws (13,000 shp, 20 knots) - is a high-pressure steam installation of the 1932 build period, operated through the 1941-46 Navy service window. Steam propulsion systems of this era required insulation on boilers, drums, steam lines, valves, and flanges, and asbestos was the standard insulating/sealing material for such naval and merchant steam plants.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1932-1946
- Population
- Engine-room crew (1941-1946); construction and conversion yard trades (1932, 1941, 1944-45)
- Limitations
- Propulsion details are from NavSource's compiled specification block (volunteer-compiled secondary source reproducing official data) corroborated by DANFS's spec line; the asbestos inference is class/era-level - no source states that asbestos-containing material was installed aboard this specific hull. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-05
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[6]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 historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era covering this hull's 1941 submarine-tender conversion and 1944-45 New York Navy Yard hospital-ship conversion - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard U.S. naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard conversion workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-06
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[7]O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012), CourtListener opinion 844228 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 53 Cal. 4th 335 at 341-343 (factual background on Navy steam-propulsion specifications)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published California Supreme Court opinion documents, as recited findings, that 'Navy specifications required the use of asbestos-containing insulation on all external surfaces of the steam propulsion systems' of WWII-era warships, that asbestos insulation was used as an internal sealant within gaskets and other propulsion components, and that during the early 1940s Navy specifications required internal gaskets and packing materials in valves to contain asbestos - the specification regime applicable to this hull's 1941 naval conversion and wartime machinery.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2012 (opinion); early-1940s specifications described
- Population
- Navy steam-plant operators and maintainers, WWII era (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/specification-level judicial documentation arising from service aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34); does not name this hull and establishes only that Navy specifications of the period mandated asbestos in steam-propulsion systems. Does not establish that asbestos remains aboard, individual exposure, causation, or legal eligibility for any claimant.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-07
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[8]Batch-677 search ledger (this record): DANFS/HyperWar; NHHC Online Library; Naval History Division 1952 monograph (Internet Archive, BuMed History Office collection); MARAD ShipHistory 11030 + status card; NavSource 1218; shipbuildinghistory; CourtListener (API throttled; web-index name/hull searches) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-antaeus-ag67-01 through sl-uss-antaeus-ag67-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming this hull (under any of its designations - Saint John, Antaeus AS-21/AG-67, Rescue AH-18) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener web-index hits for 'Antaeus' are corporate name collisions (Antaeus Enterprises, Antaeus Group LLC), not this vessel; no hull-specific asbestos opinion or docket was located.
- 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 1932 steam passenger liner twice converted under early-1940s Navy contracts is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. The hull was scrapped 1958-59, before modern survey regimes existed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener API v4 was rate-limited (HTTP 429, 125/day; retry-after ~12h) at research time - docket coverage relied on web-index queries, a weaker method; residual risk of a missed docket is logged honestly.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-08
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[9]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - WWII deck logs, digitized for many auxiliaries), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships - conversion design/work records), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission - NDRF custody files) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Guide to Federal Records, RG 24/RG 19/RG 178 descriptions; NHHC photo numbers NH 98784, NH 84624, NH 98756, 19-N-24324/25/26, 80-G-439636
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA WWII deck logs for Antaeus (AS-21/AG-67) and Rescue (AH-18), 1941-1946, may document the 1941 conversion location and yard periods; (b) BuShips RG 19 records for the 28 Dec 1944-23 Feb 1945 New York Navy Yard hospital-ship conversion may hold material/work-package detail; (c) RG 178 Maritime Commission files may hold the NDRF Olympia custody record and 1958 disposal file; (d) NHHC photo holdings (NH 98784, NH 84624, NH 98756, 19-N-24324/25/26, 80-G-439636) document configuration across designations.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1941-1958 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-ag67-09