Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet 368-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-araner-ix226-pkt-368-packet-md
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Commission, Instruction Manual for Operating and Maintaining 2500 H.P. Triple Expansion Marine Steam Engines, EC2-S-C1 Cargo Vessels (mirrored excerpt) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant (the design of this vessel) describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging; insulation products of this era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber, and period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. Liberty ships were built to emergency USMC specifications during the period when the federal government had reserved asbestos supply for shipbuilding.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1946
- Population
- Construction trades (Kaiser Vancouver, 1942-43); merchant engine crew and Armed Guard; Navy IX-226 crew
- Limitations
- Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-01
-
[3]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 and emergency program under which this EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship was mass-produced - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- 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 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-araner-ix226-02
-
[4]NHHC, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Araner II (IX-226)' (published 2015-05-20); live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-29 - text verified via Wayback Machine capture 2024-05-26 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Wayback capture http://web.archive.org/web/20240526184056/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/araner-ii.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Araner II (IX-226): EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship Juan de Fuca, MCE hull 1747, laid down 15 Nov 1942 at Vancouver, Wash., by Kaiser Co., Inc.; launched 27 Dec 1942; delivered to WSA 11 Jan 1943; operated under WSA contract by Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co.; taken over by the Navy on bareboat charter 23 Sep 1945, renamed Araner (IX-226), placed in service same day, Lt. Henry Morath in charge; inspected by survey board at Leyte Oct 1945; ordered towed to Subic Bay Jan 1946 and stripped of naval gear; placed out of service at Subic Bay 22 Aug 1946 and simultaneously turned over to the Maritime Commission's WSA for disposal; sold to Asia Development Corp. 3 Mar 1948 for scrapping; name struck from the Navy list 29 Oct 1948. DANFS spec line: dp. 14,269 (f.); l. 422'8"; b. 57'; dr. 27'8.5"; cpl. 110; T. EC2-S-C1.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy narrative for identity and service timeline; its 'Vancouver, Wash., Kaiser Co., Inc.' builder attribution conflicts with the MARAD status card's 'Oregon SB Corp., Portland, Ore.' - resolved as a contract-allocation-vs-construction-yard distinction in ev-uss-araner-ix226-07. DANFS states struck 29 Oct 1948; ShipScribe's auxiliary table says 29 Oct 1946 - discrepancy logged. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - JUAN DE FUCA, Ship History Detail 6045 (digitized WSA and MARAD status cards) and ARANER (IX-226), Detail 5673 (cross-reference card 'See JUAN DE FUCA') [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 6045 header data, milestones table, status card scans 6045_AF.jpg and 3TC_01.png; Detail 5673 card 5673_AF.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory record for JUAN DE FUCA / ARANER (IX-226) (Details 6045 and 5673): Official No. 242751; type EC2-S-C1; year built 1943; 7,176 gross / 4,369 net tons, DWT 10,844, displacement 14,269; dimensions 417'8" x 56'11" x 37'4", draft 27'9"; construction cost $1,728,590. Vessel status card: 'Hull No. 1747 Built by Oregon SB Corp. At Portland, Ore. Completed 1-11-43'; basis to WSA 1-11-43 9:00 AM PWT at Portland; operator Weyerhaeuser SS Co. under GAA; 'Constructive Total Loss as of 12-30-44 3:30PM ... IN Mindoro Area'; Navy Dept. (renamed ARANER (IX-226)) at Tacloban, Leyte 9-23-45 under LB/BB (bareboat); Reserve Fleet Subic Bay 8-22-46; delivered to Asia Development Corp. 3-3-48; WSA declaration LV#173 dated 10/7/46. MARAD card: 'SOLD Jan. 29, 1948 to Asia Development Corp., Shanghai, China for scrapping of hull as 1 of 15 vessels sold under PDX-402 for the lump sum of $271,000'; milestones record Disposition/Withdrawal 1/29/1948.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1948
- Limitations
- Authoritative government custody/disposition record; the status card's builder attribution ('Oregon SB Corp., Portland, Ore.') conflicts with DANFS - see ev-uss-araner-ix226-07. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-04
-
[6]U.S. Maritime Administration ShipHistory document set for JUAN DE FUCA (Detail 6045): JuandeFuca_6045_001.pdf, _002.pdf (USCG war-action casualty reports), _003.pdf (USMC Order C-6072), _004.pdf (ONI OP-16-B-5 survivor summary), _005.pdf (USCG radio inspection, NY 1943) [other_primary]
- Locator
- MARAD ShipHistory Detail 6045, Documents tab; URLs /documents/JuandeFuca_6045_001.pdf through _005.pdf
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory hosts five scanned primary documents for this hull: (1)-(2) USCG 'Report on U.S. Merchant Vessel War Action Casualty' forms for the 21 Dec 1944 kamikaze attack and the 30 Dec 1944 aerial-torpedo attack; (3) USMC Order No. C-6072, 11 Mar 1948, approving alien sale of 'the steam screw JUAN DE FUCA (ex-ARANER), Official No. 242751' to Asia Development Corporation (Republic of China) under Sections 9 and 41 of the Shipping Act of 1916, conditioned on complete scrapping; (4) ONI OP-16-B-5 'Summary of Statements by Survivors of the SS JUAN DE FUCA,' 12 Mar 1945 - documents kamikaze hit 0920 GCT 21 Dec 1944 while en route Leyte to Mindoro carrying lumber, cement, portable huts, military mail, and 27 U.S. Army personnel (2 Army killed, several injured, cargo fire; ship continued under own power), aerial-torpedo hit ~30 Dec 1944 about 2 miles off Ambulong Island (no casualties), grounding on a reef off Pabugan Point ~2200 30 Dec, abandonment by lifeboat to Ambulong Island, and refloating about 24 Feb 1945 with salvage under U.S. Navy direction; (5) USCG Third Naval District radio-apparatus inspection, New York, 15 Aug 1943 - '65 in Crew including 9 officers & 25 U.S.N. gun crew.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-08-15 to 1948-03-11 (document dates)
- Population
- Merchant crew and USN Armed Guard (Dec 1944 attacks); 27 embarked U.S. Army personnel (Dec 21 attack); salvage crews (Feb-Jun 1945)
- Limitations
- Scanned primary federal documents hosted by MARAD; OCR is imperfect and some form fields are partially legible (the Dec 30 attack report's date/time fields read variously; the ONI summary gives ~1540 GCT 30 Dec, consistent with local-time 30/31 Dec discrepancies in secondary sources). None of the five documents mentions asbestos or insulation materials; they support combat-damage, crewing, and disposition facts only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-05
-
[7]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS E. A. POE (IX-103) Class' page - IX-226 construction row, disposition row (Decomm. 22 Aug 46; Strike 29 Oct 46; Disposal 22 Aug 46; MC/D; MA Sale 2 Feb 48), and ship note 226 [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-226 rows in Construction/Disposition tables and ship note '-- IX-226'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe auxiliary-vessel compilation (E. A. POE IX-103 class page) records for IX-226: WSA nominated JUAN DE FUCA as replacement for JOHN C. FREMONT on 1 Aug 1945 after the originally designated IX-226/227/228 hulls (acquisition intended for self-propelled floating storage of lubricants and drummed petroleum at Leyte, Ulithi, and Eniwetok per ComServPac request of 29 Jun 45 and Auxiliary Vessels Board recommendation of 10 Jul 45) were found unsuitable; directed into service as IX-226 16 Aug 45; merchant crew transferred to JOHN M. CLAYTON 31 Jan 45; master authorized WSA salvage 10 Feb 45; refloated 20 Feb 45; October 1945 inspection found repairs had restored 80 percent of original hull strength but ship remained unseaworthy, missing much equipment including most electrical systems due to extensive stripping; at Shanghai 1949; 'captured by Nationalist Chinese 26 Sep 50' (table cell truncates). Class note: 'The Liberty ships that the Navy classified IX were all ships that had been damaged during the war and could no longer be used as seagoing cargo ships.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1944-1950
- Population
- IX-226 Navy crew (~110 per DANFS)
- Limitations
- Scholarly secondary compilation built from Navy Auxiliary Vessels Board/Ships' Data Book/NVR-type records - consistent with DANFS and the MARAD card on the acquisition chain; its 'Strike 29 Oct 46' conflicts with DANFS's explicit '29 October 1948' (DANFS adopted; discrepancy logged). The torpedo date is given as 31 Dec 44 vs ONI's 30 Dec GCT. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-06
-
[8]shipbuildinghistory.com (Colton), Kaiser Vancouver yard table and Oregon Shipbuilding yard table; cross-checked against DANFS and MARAD status card [other_primary]
- Locator
- kvancouver.htm row '41 / Juan de Fuca / EC2-S-C1 / 393 / Jan-43'; koregon.htm row '673 / Juan de Fuca / EC2-S-C1 / 1747 / Cancelled'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Builder-attribution discrepancy resolved: DANFS says 'Vancouver, Wash., by the Kaiser Co., Inc.'; the MARAD vessel status card says 'Hull No. 1747 Built by Oregon SB Corp. At Portland, Ore.'; NavSource repeats 'Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, WA'; Wikipedia hedges 'Oregon Shipbuilding Company' with a footnote that the firm was a Todd-Kaiser joint venture. The shipbuildinghistory.com yard tables show the same ship twice: as Oregon Shipbuilding yard hull 673 / MC 1747 marked 'Cancelled,' and as Kaiser Vancouver yard hull 41 (contract no. 393) delivered Jan-43 'To USN 1945 as Araner (IX 226), lost while under tow to breakers 1950.' The eight ships of the Kaiser Vancouver second block (Juan de Fuca, Francisco Coronado, John Cabot, Moses Cleaveland, Joseph Henry, Laura Keene, Walter Reed, Russell A. Alger) appear identically as Oregon SB hulls 673-680 / MC 1747-1754 marked cancelled - i.e., the contract allocation moved from Oregon SB to Kaiser Vancouver while retaining the MCE 1747-1754 numbers that official records (status card, DANFS) used.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1943
- Limitations
- Resolves a genuine primary-source conflict: the physical construction yard was Kaiser Co., Vancouver, WA (DANFS, NavSource, Kaiser yard table), while the MCE 1747 contract slot originated with Oregon Shipbuilding Corp., Portland - hence the federal status card's attribution. Oregon Shipbuilding was itself a Todd-Kaiser joint venture. The Kaiser table's contract no. '393' is superseded in all official records by MCE 1747. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-07
-
[9]NavSource Naval History, 'Araner (IX-226)' Service Ship Photo Archive page (archives/09/46/46226.htm), last updated 2017-03-10; corroborated in part by ShipScribe ship note 226 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-226 page, Final Disposition paragraph and specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Final loss narrative (secondary compilations): under tow by the tug Margaret Moller from Hong Kong to Shanghai on 26 Sep 1950, the ex-Juan de Fuca/Araner was intercepted by Chinese Nationalist warships in international waters about 180 miles north of Keelung; the tug was ordered to cut loose the tow and the vessel was cast adrift at approximately 28.05N 123.00E, later reported drifting off the mainland China coast north of Formosa - no further trace, presumed sunk in the Formosa Strait. ShipScribe's truncated ship note corroborates Shanghai presence in 1949 and Nationalist-Chinese capture 26 Sep 50. NavSource also records Navy-period armament (one 5"/38 dual-purpose mount, four 40mm guns) and campaign awards (American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1948-1950
- Limitations
- NavSource is a private naval-history compilation, not an official source; the 1950 interception/loss narrative appears in no official record located (MARAD record ends at 1948 delivery). Partially corroborated by ShipScribe's truncated note ('captured by Nationalist Chinese 26 Sep 50'). Presumed-loss conclusion is secondary-source reporting, not a government finding. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search sweep - queries '"Araner"', '"IX-226"', '"Juan de Fuca"', '"SS Juan de Fuca"' across type=o and type=r [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-araner-ix226-06, -07, -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener sweep (API v4, authenticated, 2026-09-29): 'Araner' opinions = 0 results; 'Araner' RECAP dockets = 15 hits, all name collisions (surname/substring matches in prisoner civil-rights suits, bankruptcies, contract and administrative cases - none maritime or asbestos); 'IX-226' opinions = 4 hits, all collisions (section/form-number matches: Fla. criminal, Tex. attorney-discipline, Del. Chancery); 'IX-226' dockets = 15 hits, all collisions (docket/section-number matches incl. Title IX matters); 'SS Juan de Fuca' opinions = 0; 'Juan de Fuca' opinions = 135 and dockets = 85, all collisions with the Strait of Juan de Fuca geographic name (Pacific Northwest treaty-fishing, tribal, environmental, and vessel-collision cases). No qualifying asbestos litigation naming the vessel was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage excludes most state trial courts and unreported matters; absence of a docketed opinion does not prove no claim was ever filed. All reviewed hits classified name collision / non-qualifying - none reached pleading stage with this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-09
-
[11]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Second Circuit ruling addressing mesothelioma claims by a mariner aboard War Shipping Administration vessels; the court considered jurisdiction over a personal-injury claim against the United States for asbestos exposure aboard the WWII government merchant fleet - the same operating agency (WSA, acting through general agents such as Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co.) that ran this ship. Claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds - the characteristic litigation posture for WSA-operated Liberty hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII merchant mariners (class context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes only the litigation posture for WWII merchant-fleet claims. Reporter citation confirmed in prior batches: 891 F.2d 31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); NARA deck-log and merchant-vessel logbook guidance (RG 24 / RG 26) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html and /248.html; archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/merchant-vessels-pl.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 holds Navy deck logs, which would include the IX-226 in-service period (Sep 1945-Aug 1946, Tacloban/Subic Bay); RG 178 (US Maritime Commission) Construction Division and regional-director files may hold the MCE 1747 contract records documenting the Oregon SB-to-Kaiser Vancouver allocation transfer; RG 248 holds WSA vessel acquisition/operation files including the Weyerhaeuser GAA and the 1945 bareboat charter to the Navy; RG 26 merchant-vessel logbooks are distributed to regional facilities by port of submission (this ship's logs would follow her operating ports - Portland, New York, and wartime theaters).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1942-1950 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-araner-ix226-11
-
[13]Batch-4780 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS (Wayback capture); MARAD ShipHistory 6045/5673 + status cards + 5 document scans; ShipScribe IX-103 class page; NavSource IX-226; usmm.org Liberty lists; shipbuildinghistory yard tables; CourtListener name/hull sweep [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-araner-ix226-01 through -09
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Juan de Fuca / Araner (IX-226) / MCE 1747 was found in the public sources searched. The MARAD-hosted primary document set (USCG war-action casualty reports, ONI survivor summary, USMC sale order, USCG radio inspection) contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; DANFS, status cards, ShipScribe, and NavSource contain none. The hull was sold for scrapping abroad in 1948 and lost under tow in 1950 - no present-day ACM inventory could exist.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-43 Liberty ship is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction and insulation materials, and her documented salvage/repair/stripping cycle would have disturbed them. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-araner-ix226-12