Evidence
6 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-6).
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[1]DANFS, Aquarius (AKA-16) stat block (T. C2-S-B1; cl. Andromeda; s. 16.5 k.) - verbatim HyperWar transcription; NavSource AKA-16 spec block (2 Combustion Engineering D-type boilers 465psi/765degF, 1 De Laval steam turbine, double reduction gears, single screw 6,000 shp) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS AKA-16 entry, specifications block; https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/02/02016.htm specifications block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The hull was built in 1943 as a Maritime Commission C2-S-B1 steam-powered attack cargo ship with a documented high-pressure superheated steam plant (two boilers at 465 psi / 765 degF feeding a geared steam turbine, single screw). Navy and Maritime Commission specifications of the era required thermal insulation of boilers, steam piping, turbines, and auxiliaries, and insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber. Typical applications for the type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; main and auxiliary steam-line lagging; turbine casing lagging; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation and galley insulation; brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny, 1943); engine-room crew (USCG)
- Limitations
- Design/era inference, not a hull record - no insulation schedule, material list, or survey for this hull was located. The propulsion details derive from NavSource (a volunteer-compiled secondary archive), not a primary document; the DANFS stat block confirms only type, class, and speed. Does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-01
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[2]Owens-Illinois, Inc., Industrial Health Survey of Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, NJ (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 1944); introduced as Owens-Illinois interrogatory exhibit #20 in Heathman v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Brazoria County TX (1990); also carried in Atlas yard record federal-shipbuilding-kearny [other_primary]
- Locator
- toxicdocs.org scan (HTTP 200 verified 2026-09-21); Atlas shipyards.json yard_id federal-shipbuilding-kearny
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- An industrial health survey conducted at the yard that built this hull documented insulator work with asbestos pipe covering (Johns-Manville Superex) and boiler insulation in confined shipyard spaces during wartime peak production, with dust counts measured during cutting and fitting operations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Shipyard insulators and pipefitters at Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny NJ (wartime peak)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record - the survey does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was installed aboard AKA-16 specifically. The survey (Aug-Sep 1944) postdates this hull's construction (Apr-Aug 1943) by about a year, though within the same wartime peak-production period. Conducted by Owens-Illinois, a manufacturer with commercial interest in the findings; dust counts in mppcf (pre-fiber-count era). Does not establish individual exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-02
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[3]DANFS, Aquarius (AKA-16) - verbatim HyperWar transcription (live NHHC DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-21) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS AKA-16 entry, full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Aquarius (AKA-16) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 205) on 28 April 1943 at Kearny, N.J., by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; launched 23 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Edmund E. Brady, Jr.; acquired by the Navy 20 August 1943; commissioned 21 August 1943, Capt. R.V. Marron, USCG, in command - a Coast Guard-manned attack cargo ship. She earned eight battle stars: Kwajalein (Jan-Feb 1944), Emirau/Bismarck operations, Saipan/Guam (Jun-Jul 1944), Peleliu (Sep 1944), Leyte (Oct-Nov 1944), Lingayen Gulf (Jan 1945), Zambales-Subic Bay (Jan 1945), and Okinawa (Apr 1945). Overhauled at Seattle 4 May-12 July 1945. Occupation and China service through December 1945; decommissioned in New York May 1946; turned over to the War Shipping Administration 12 September 1946; struck from the Navy list 13 November 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- USCG crew (complement 404); embarked troops and casualties (Peleliu)
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, Coast Guard manning, combat service, one stateside overhaul, and disposal from naval custody. Contains no asbestos information whatsoever - supports no asbestos claim. Decommission date discrepancy: this transcription reads '2 May' while NavSource and derivative transcriptions read '23 May' at Brooklyn Navy Yard (see gaps).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-03
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[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - AQUARIUS (AKA-16), Ship History Detail 289 (incl. digitized status cards) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail 289 milestones table and status-card scans; NavSource merchant-service block for interim events
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for the hull: U.S. Official No. 252678; type C2-S-B1 AKA attack cargo ship; built 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock; milestones - entry into Hudson River Reserve Fleet 1946-09-12; renamed Pioneer Lake 1947-12-22; renamed American Trapper 1956-10-01; MARAD acquisition 1961-01-11; sold as scrap to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp. 1967-05-08. Digitized status cards exist for this hull. NavSource adds interim detail: custody transfer to United States Lines under GAA 1947-02-24; merchant reconversion at US Shipbuilding Corp., Yonkers NY, March 1947; James River layup 1965-07-24; MSTS lease 1965-08-28; Hudson River layup 1967-03-16.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 1946-1967
- Population
- Merchant marine crew (United States Lines, 1947-1965); MSTS-era crew; reserve-fleet caretakers; scrapyard workers (1967)
- Limitations
- Establishes post-naval custody and merchant/disposition chain to scrapping. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material information - supports no asbestos claim. The 1947 merchant reconversion at Yonkers is a documented yard event whose asbestos scope is unrecorded.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-04
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[5]Air & Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries, 586 U.S. 175, 139 S. Ct. 986 (2019) (No. 17-1104, decided 2019-03-19) [court_record]
- Locator
- SCOTUS slip opinion syllabus and opinion of the Court (Kavanaugh, J.)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Supreme Court maritime-tort ruling arising from WWII-era Navy ships: manufacturers of equipment 'such as pumps, blowers, and turbines for three Navy ships' that 'required asbestos insulation or asbestos parts to function as intended' have a duty to warn when the integrated product is likely dangerous and users would not realize the danger. Establishes the doctrinal posture under which asbestos claims for WWII naval auxiliaries like this hull would be litigated.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-21
- Study period
- 2019 (opinion); WWII-era exposure period
- Population
- Navy veterans exposed to asbestos aboard ships (doctrinal context)
- Limitations
- Doctrinal context only - the opinion does not name Aquarius or any AKA; the three underlying ships were different hulls. Establishes a legal rule, not any fact about asbestos aboard this vessel. CourtListener-hosted PDF mirror verified (storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2019/03/19/air__liquid_systems_corp._v._devries.pdf).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-05
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[6]Batch-942 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (404; HyperWar transcription used); MARAD ShipHistory 289; NavSource Online; Atlas shipyards.json; toxicdocs.org; CourtListener (API throttled; index-level fallback check only); web index ship-name + asbestos queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-aquarius-ak65-01 through sl-uss-aquarius-ak65-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull insulation schedule, asbestos survey, abatement contract, donation/scrap hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming AK-65/AKA-16 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The authenticated CourtListener opinion search could not be completed - the shared API key was over its 2,800/day quota (HTTP 429); an index-level fallback check returned only name collisions (M/V Ville d'Aquarius marine insurance; Aquarius Aqua USA yacht arrest; DeVries context case on other hulls) and no qualifying case naming this hull.
- 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 - the hull's documented high-pressure steam plant and builder-yard survey are consistent with era-typical insulation. The CourtListener API pass is an open verification step, not a completed negative. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-aquarius-ak65-06