Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]DANFS, 'Antaeus (AS-21),' NHHC web edition (LuAnn Parsons; updated Robert J. Cressman, published 2020-04-02); live history.navy.mil URL returns 404, cited via Wayback Machine capture 2025-12-09 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, full entry incl. spec line; canonical URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/antaeus.html (404 live at access date)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Updated NHHC DANFS entry (Cressman update, published 2020-04-02) establishes the single-hull identity chain: Saint John completed 1932 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. and operated by Eastern Steamship Lines, Inc., of Boston in coastwise passenger and cargo trade; acquired by the Navy 18 April 1941 for $2,732,500 (of which $1,271,600 went to the Maritime Commission as mortgage); renamed Antaeus, designated submarine tender AS-21, placed in commission 17 May 1941 under Cmdr. Richard S. Morse; Caribbean tender duty until September 1942 then transport duties (Caribbean, Canal Zone, Argentia, Newfoundland, from New York City and Davisville, R.I.); entered New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, 28 December 1944 for hospital-ship conversion; renamed Rescue and redesignated AH-18 18 January 1945; off Okinawa 13 June 1945, joined Third Fleet 5 July, breeches-buoy casualty transfers, Tokyo Bay POW screening and Yokohama shuttle; decommissioned 29 June 1946 at San Francisco and transferred to the Maritime Commission, Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Washington; stricken 15 August 1946; Permanent Reserve 28 September 1948; advertised for sale 12 September 1958, bids opened 8 October, sold 9 October 1958 to Dulien Steel Products, Inc., of Washington as a scrap hull; withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet at 0950 on 31 October 1958 and broken up. Spec line: displacement 8,350; length 402'11"; beam 61'; draft 20'2"; speed 20 knots; complement 440; armament 1 4-inch, 2 3-inch, 8 .50-caliber machine guns; class Antaeus.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1932-1958
- Population
- Tender/transport crew (1941-1944); hospital-ship crew and embarked medical staff (1945-46); Allied POWs processed aboard (1945)
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history; establishes identity, dates, and service. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazmat information and supports no asbestos claim. Acquisition date 18 April 1941 conflicts with the older print DANFS transcription's 24 April 1941 (see ev-02). The updated narrative compresses two events - 'September 1942 ... assigned to transport duties and was redesignated as an auxiliary, AG-67' - while the print transcription dates the AG-67 reclassification 15 September 1943; both dates are carried with attribution (see ev-02 and gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-01
-
[2]DANFS, 'USS Antaeus/Rescue (AS-21/AG-67/AH-18),' Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division (verbatim HyperWar transcription by Patrick Clancey) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry text, full entry incl. spec line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Print DANFS transcription (Naval History Division) adds detail not in the updated web entry: launched 9 January 1932 as the passenger ship St. John, sponsored by Mrs. R. G. Stone; acquired by the Navy 24 April 1941; Caribbean submarine-tender duty until September 1942 including assisting fire-damaged USS Bass (SS-104) to Balboa 18 August 1942; then converted to a transport 'although not reclassified AG-67 until 15 September 1943'; shuttled troops until December 1944; two battle stars. Spec line: dp 8,350; l. 403'; b. 61'; dr. 21'6"; s. 20 k.; cpl. 440; a. 1 4", 2 3", 4 20mm. Its closing claim that the vessel was 'refitted as a merchant ship and saw service as such from 1946 into 1959, in which year she was scrapped' is contradicted by the MARAD custody card (see ev-05).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1932-1959
- Limitations
- Official Navy ship history (older print edition); establishes launch date, sponsor, Bass assist, and the explicit 15 September 1943 AG-67 reclassification. Acquisition date '24 April 1941' conflicts with the updated web entry's '18 April 1941' - both carried with attribution, unresolved. The 'refitted as a merchant ship ... 1946 into 1959' sentence is contradicted by continuous MARAD reserve-fleet custody 1946-1958 (ev-05) - treated as a source error; a postwar merchant charter not reflected in MARAD custody records cannot be fully excluded. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-02
-
[3]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 via 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 USN(Ret) (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 ~3,465 from the Sendai area picked up at Shiogama - OCR ambiguous on the 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
- 2026-09-26
- 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 service - see ev-05. 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. Conversion end date 23 Feb 1945 vs NHHC photo-page 'completed conversion in March' - reconciled as conversion complete + trials into March.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-03
-
[4]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 captions (verbatim HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Photo captions NH 98784, 19-N-24324/24325/24326, NH 84624, NH 98756, Philadelphia Navy Yard 25 June 1943 views; 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; at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 25 June 1943 including 'after overhaul' (photos 80-G-63624 series context); November 1944 configuration (photo NH 84624) shows the ship as an East Coast troop transport with numerous liferafts and armament reduced 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
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1932-1946
- Population
- 1941 conversion yard workforce (yard not named in source); Philadelphia Navy Yard workforce (June 1943 overhaul)
- Limitations
- Official NHHC photo captions and narrative; establishes 1941 conversion completion (Baltimore photography suggests but does not name the conversion yard), a documented Philadelphia Navy Yard overhaul period June 1943, armament, and service. The page narrative's 'returned to mercantile service later in 1946' is contradicted by MARAD custody records (ev-05). No asbestos or insulation information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-04
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[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ST. JOHN, Detail 11030, with digitized Vessel Status Card 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 (card: completed 4-1932) 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 (read directly from image, accessed 2026-09-26) documents custody verbatim: 'Basis to W.S.A. 6-29-46 10:00PM PST @ Olympia, Wash. from Navy Dept. - Surplus'; operator entries 'USMC Reserve Fleet - Renamed "ANTAEUS" - NOW: RESCUE' allocated Olympia, Wash. 6-29-46; then 'Dulien Steel Products, Inc. (Scrap)', port Olympia, delivered '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 print DANFS's 'refitted as a merchant ship and saw service as such from 1946 into 1959.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1946-1958
- Population
- NDRF Olympia layup/custody personnel (1946-1958); Dulien Steel Products scrapping workforce (1958)
- 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 print DANFS's 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-as21-05
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[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - RESCUE (AH-18) Detail 4098 and ANTAEUS (AS-21) Detail 12709 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 4098 milestones table and fields; Detail 12709 fields
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory RESCUE (AH-18), Detail 4098: milestones table shows Entry 6/29/1946, Acquisition 6/29/1946, Disposition 10/31/1958 'CUST 1946', Withdrawal 10/31/1958 - corroborating the June 1946 custody transfer and the 31 October 1958 withdrawal. Recorded dimensions: length 402.90 ft, beam 61.00 ft, gross tons 6,185, draft summer 20.16, immersion summer 7,800 tons. The parallel ANTAEUS (AS-21) entry, Detail 12709, records ship length 430.00 ft - an unresolved internal discrepancy (likely length-overall vs. registered length).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1946-1958
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones; corroborates the 29 June 1946 transfer date (consistent with DANFS 'decommissioned 29 June 1946', against secondary compilations' 29 April 1946 decommissioning claim - see gaps). MARAD's own two entries disagree on length (430.00 vs 402.90 ft) - flagged, not resolved. No asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-06
-
[7]DANFS spec line for AS-21 (displacement 8,350 tons, 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-fired Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (375 psi, 660 deg F) feeding two Newport News geared steam turbines on twin screws (13,000 shp, 20 knots; fuel capacities NSFO 6,760 bbls, diesel 50 bbls) - is a 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
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1932-1946
- Population
- Engine-room crew (1941-1946); construction and conversion yard trades (1932, 1941, 1943, 1944-45)
- Limitations
- Propulsion details are from NavSource's compiled specification block (volunteer-compiled secondary source reproducing official data), corroborated only on speed/displacement by the DANFS 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-as21-07
-
[8]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, June 1943 Philadelphia Navy Yard overhaul, and December 1944-February 1945 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
- 2026-09-26
- 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-as21-08
-
[9]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
- 2026-09-26
- 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-as21-09
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 authenticated search (fleet-paced helper) - ship name and hull-number queries [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-antaeus-as21-08 through sl-uss-antaeus-as21-13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweep (fleet-paced helper, 2026-09-26): '"Antaeus"' opinion search returned 43 hits - all name collisions (corporate entities incl. Antaeus Enterprises, Antaeus Realty Corp., Antaeus Technical Services, Antaeus Group; personal-name matters incl. adoption and criminal cases); '"Antaeus"' docket search returned 159 hits - likewise all collisions (bankruptcy debtors named Antaeus, the same corporate entities); '"AS-21"' returned 1,649 hits - statute/citation collisions (e.g., AS 21 Alaska Statutes), none naming the vessel; '"AG-67"' returned 4 hits, all unrelated; '"Rescue" "AH-18"' and '"USS Rescue" asbestos' each returned 0 hits; '"Saint John" asbestos ship' returned 5 hits incl. Saint John Marine Co. v. United States, 92 F.3d 39 (2d Cir. 1996) - a charter-hire lien dispute over a different vessel (M/V Saint John), classified name collision. No qualifying asbestos opinion or docket naming this hull under any designation located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Sweep covers CourtListener's indexed opinions (type=o) and RECAP docket index (type=r); a case filed under plaintiff name only, or in a state court not yet harvested, could evade name-based search - residual risk noted honestly. Bare hull designations (AS-21) are high-collision (statute reporters); all hits reviewed and classified as collisions rather than assumed irrelevant. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-10
-
[11]Batch-2708 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (updated web entry + print transcription); NHHC Online Library photo page; Naval History Division 1952 monograph (Internet Archive, BuMed History Office collection); MARAD ShipHistory 11030 + status card, 4098, 12709; NavSource 1218; CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep; NARA record-group guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-antaeus-as21-01 through sl-uss-antaeus-as21-14
- 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).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- 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, before modern survey regimes existed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. This record consolidates and supersedes the batch-677 uss-antaeus-ag67 record, whose CourtListener coverage relied on weaker web-index queries after an anonymous-quota throttle; this batch re-ran the sweep through the authenticated fleet-paced helper.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-antaeus-as21-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - WWII deck logs), 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 unnamed 1941 conversion yard 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
- 2026-09-26
- 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-as21-12