Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet do-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Arapaho
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-arapaho-at68-pkt-do-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Arapaho II (AT-68) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Final service-history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records postwar disposition: Arapaho departed for the United States 9 November 1945, reached San Pedro 27 December, and lay with the inactive fleet pending inactivation overhaul for over a year. She was towed to San Diego 8-9 January 1947 and decommissioned there 15 January 1947, remaining with the Pacific Reserve Fleet until July 1961. Her name was struck from the Navy list 1 July 1961; on 10 July 1961 she was transferred to the Argentine Navy, which commissioned her the same day as Comandante General Zapiola. DANFS states the tug remained active with the Argentine Navy until November 1971, when she ran aground and was declared a total loss.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-1961
- Limitations
- Authoritative for U.S. Navy disposition milestones. The Argentine-service end date conflicts with Argentine-derived secondary accounts placing the grounding in January 1976 (see discrepancy row); neither is treated here as resolved. No asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-03
-
[3]Carter, Worrall Reed (RADM, USN), 'Beans, Bullets and Black Oil: The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II' (Department of the Navy), chapter 19 (HyperWar transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter 19, account of the October 1944 Eniwetok-to-Ulithi convoy
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy logistics history records that the auxiliary repair dock ARD-15 (Lt. Comdr. W. E. Kellar), itself towing the 1,500-ton covered lighter YF-786, was towed by the tug Arapaho under Lt. A. H. Gunn; the convoy arrived at Ulithi on 21 October 1944 at an approximate speed of 6 knots. This independently corroborates DANFS's account of Arapaho towing ARD-15 and YF-786 to Service Squadron 10's new advanced base at Ulithi in October 1944.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-10
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical publication naming the vessel, her commanding officer, and the Ulithi tow. Contains no asbestos, materials, or exposure information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-04
-
[4]Shipscribe.com, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships: ATF-64 Navajo class data sheet (reproduces Naval Vessel Register entries and class characteristics) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class data header; construction table row 68; disposition table row 68
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe's reproduction of Naval Vessel Register and class data for the Navajo (AT-64) class records for hull 68: ordered 1 April 1941; Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock; keel 8 November 1941; launch 22 June 1942; commission 20 January 1943; decommissioned 15 January 1947; struck 1 July 1961; transferred 1961 to Argentina as Comandante General Zapiola, 'wrecked 1971'; 'To ATF-68 15 May 44'; 'Ex CATAWBA 5 Aug 41'; 'In USN reserve 1946-61'. Class-level machinery: single screw, G.M. or Busch-Sulzer diesel-electric with four diesel-generator sets, 3,000 HP, 16.5 knots; class complement 89 (1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1971
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained reproduction of primary NVR entries; where it overlaps DANFS (construction, decommissioning, transfer year, wreck year per DANFS) it agrees. It supplies the ATF-68 reclassification date (15 May 1944) that DANFS omits and the ex-Catawba renaming; both are consistent with the class-wide reclassification and with the DANFS-derived Catawba II entry (separate row). Its class complement figure 89 (1944) differs from DANFS's 85 and is carried only in gaps, not the record complement. Machinery listing is a class figure, not a hull survey, and is not a materials inventory.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-05
-
[5]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Catawba II (YT-32) entry (transcription mirror at losthistory.net/hazegray) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Catawba II (YT-32) entry, name-history note
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The DANFS entry for the yard tug Catawba II (YT-32) records: 'Catawba (AT-68) was renamed Arapaho (q.v.) 5 August 1941, prior to her launching' - establishing that hull AT-68 was assigned the name Catawba and renamed Arapaho three months before her keel was laid.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941
- Limitations
- DANFS text reached through a transcription mirror; statement corroborated independently by the NVR-derived class data ('Ex CATAWBA 5 Aug 41'). Name history only - no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-06
-
[6]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (deck log index); NARA asbestos research guide for the logs' utility and limits [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 entry 'Arapaho (AT-68, ATF-68)', begin 1/20/1943, end 12/31/1945
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA Special List 44 (named-vessels deck-log index) lists deck logs for Arapaho (AT-68, ATF-68) covering 20 January 1943 through 31 December 1945. NARA guidance states that deck logs do not identify asbestos in a vessel but can narrow the dates of significant ship work, assisting targeted review of Bureau of Ships correspondence.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945 records
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation that logs exist for the hull; the logs themselves were not retrieved or reviewed. Coverage ends 31 December 1945 - the 1946-1947 inactivation period is not in this index listing. Deck logs do not identify asbestos per NARA's own guidance.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-07
-
[7]National Archives and Records Administration, Ship Plan Index (Cartographic Research Room) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index rows ARAPAHO AT-68 (NAID 153714175) and ARAPAHO ATF-68 (NAID 175668174)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA's Ship Plan Index lists two RG 19 series entries for this hull: 'ARAPAHO / AT-68' in the Hull Series of Ship Engineering Drawings (catalog identifier 153714175) and 'ARAPAHO / ATF-68' in the Microfilm of Ship Engineering Drawings series (catalog identifier 175668174). NARA's asbestos research guide directs researchers to S39 (Insulation and Lagging) and S48 (Piping) material-group drawings when present, noting these drawings are relatively rare in the paper series.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1947 records
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation that engineering drawing series exist for this hull; the drawings were not retrieved. Whether S39/S48 insulation or piping drawings exist within these entries is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-08
-
[8]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' (guided research topic) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Beginning Research; Bureau of Ships Correspondence; Cartographic Branch; Other Records sections
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NARA's research guide 'Researching Asbestos aboard US Naval Vessel up through 1961' describes asbestos in U.S. Navy materiel 1941-1961 as a topic requiring vessel-level research: it directs researchers to Bureau of Ships general/confidential correspondence (RG 19), ship and class correspondence by hull filing code (for this vessel, AT68 and the Navajo-class file under the class namesake AT64), private-shipyard correspondence under QM/ yard codes, general information books, specifications, and engineering drawings to determine whether a particular ship had asbestos. It states that deck logs and muster rolls provide no direct evidence of asbestos.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1961 scope
- Limitations
- Research-methodology guidance only. It documents that asbestos content is a vessel-specific question resolvable through named record series; it does not state that this or any Navajo-class tug carried asbestos. No hull finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-09
-
[9]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
- A peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during World War II - the era and program under which this 1941-ordered, 1942-launched fleet tug was built at a private yard - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard 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 workers and ship crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or its class 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-arapaho-at68-10
-
[10]Batch-2810 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS; NARA SL44 and Ship Plan Index; NARA asbestos guide; authenticated CourtListener API v4 sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-arapaho-at68-01 through sl-uss-arapaho-at68-14
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No ship-specific asbestos survey, material specification, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or asbestos litigation naming Arapaho AT-68/ATF-68 was located in the official histories, NARA public indexes, or authenticated CourtListener searches documented in this record's search ledger. Asbestos content aboard this hull is therefore unknown - a negative finding in the bounded sources searched, not proof of absence.
- 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 1941-43 diesel-electric fleet tug is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing, but no hull-specific source establishes it. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-11
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 /search endpoint, type=o (opinions) and type=r (RECAP dockets), queries as listed; all requests via the authenticated fleet helper [court_record]
- Locator
- Query log mirrored in search_ledger rows sl-uss-arapaho-at68-07 through sl-uss-arapaho-at68-13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Authenticated CourtListener API v4 searches on 2026-09-26: 'USS Arapaho' returned zero opinion results and zero RECAP docket results; 'Arapaho (AT-68)' returned zero opinion and zero RECAP docket results; 'ATF-68' returned zero opinion results. A broad 'Arapaho asbestos' opinion search returned 68 results, all sampled hits being name collisions (e.g., Adams-Arapahoe School District No. 28-J and Arapahoe County, Colorado building-products cases); no sampled result named or involved the vessel. A broad 'AT-68' opinion search returned ~30,031 generic token matches (docket numbers and numeric strings), not a meaningful hull-specific set.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Zero-hit sweeps and sampled collision screening show no qualifying asbestos litigation, other vessel litigation, or exposure finding naming this hull in the opinion or RECAP docket indexes. Coverage is limited to CourtListener's indexed corpus; state trial filings, unreported dispositions, and Argentine proceedings are outside its scope. 'Arapaho' is a high-collision token (Arapahoe County CO entities, Northern Arapaho Tribe); all sampled hits were screened and classified as collisions.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-12
-
[12]NHHC DANFS Arapaho II (AT-68) and Catawba II entries; conflicting secondary accounts identified at NavSource USS Arapaho (ATF-68) archive page, uboat.net ship/8283, and es.wikipedia 'ARA Comandante General Zapiola (A-2)' (secondary sources named for audit trail, not carried as evidence) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS final paragraph vs. named secondary compilations
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Published sources conflict on final-disposition dates: (a) struck/transferred - DANFS states struck 1 July 1961 and transferred 10 July 1961; the NVR-derived Shipscribe table shows both milestones on 1 July 1961; NavSource-derived compilations give 10 July 1961 for both. (b) Argentine loss - DANFS and the NVR-derived table give a November 1971 (DANFS) / 1971 (Shipscribe) grounding and total loss; Argentine-derived secondary accounts describe grounding in the Morton Strait, Antarctica, during the 1975/1976 Antarctic summer campaign, crew abandonment and rescue by the Chilean patrol boat Piloto Pardo in January 1976 (uboat.net gives 10 January 1976; the Argentine-side compilation gives a formal decommission date of 15 January 1976).
- Verification
- disputed
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1961-1976
- Limitations
- Unresolved source conflict on struck/transfer dates (1 vs 10 July 1961) and the Argentine wreck date (November 1971 vs January 1976). DANFS values are carried in the record fields as the controlling official U.S. source; the Argentine-period detail in secondary accounts is more granular but unverified against an official Argentine source. No asbestos information is implicated by either version.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-13
-
[13]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Arapaho II (AT-68) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Characteristics data line and opening paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS identifies the second Arapaho (AT-68) as a Navajo-class fleet tug: displacement 1,589 tons (trial), 205'0" length, 38'6" beam, 15'4" draft, 16.5 knots (trial), complement 85, armament one 3-inch gun and four .50-caliber machine guns. She was laid down 8 November 1941 at Charleston, S.C., by Charleston Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; launched 22 June 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Alice Posey Hatcher; and commissioned 20 January 1943, Lt. E. H. Wootan in command.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1941-1943
- Limitations
- Official ship history supports identity, construction dates, class, dimensions, and Navy complement. It contains no asbestos, insulation, or individual-exposure finding. NHHC served a 404 to automated fetch on 2026-09-26; content verified through a search-rendered copy of the same live NHHC page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-01
-
[14]Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Arapaho II (AT-68) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Service-history paragraphs, 1943-1945
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS records: 1943 shakedown at Key West; March-May tow of torpedo-damaged Almaack (AKA-10) from Casablanca to Norfolk; June search of the Florida Strait for the sunken submarine R-12 (SS-89); transit to San Diego via Panama (arrived 15 July); towing and salvage on the west coast and then out of Pearl Harbor; October 1943 tow of two supply lighters to the Ellice Islands; heavy towing between Ellice and Gilbert Islands and antisubmarine guard duty at Tarawa; 4 December embarkation of 12 civilians liberated from a Japanese internment camp on Makin and return to Pearl Harbor in company with the damaged carrier Independence (CVL-22), arriving 18 December. In 1944 she was based successively at Tarawa, Majuro, and Eniwetok, with a month of repairs at Pearl Harbor beginning 9 July; she was reclassified ATF-68 in 1944. At Ulithi she performed harbor and salvage duties, assisted Zuni (ATF-95) in towing the torpedoed cruiser Reno (CL-96) into port 4-10 November, towed Houston (CL-81) to Manus in December, towed YO-186 to Kossol Passage and LST-278 to Guam, and from 23 January to 18 March 1945 underwent a major overhaul of her main propulsion plant at Ulithi. She then towed ARD-26 to Okinawa (Kerama Retto, arrived 15 July), remained through the end of hostilities, and resumed local towing after returning with ARD-21 on 7 September. DANFS credits Arapaho (ATF-68) with four World War II battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew (DANFS complement 85); embarked rescued civilians December 1943
- Limitations
- Documents wartime operations and repair periods (Pearl Harbor December 1943-January 1944 and July-August 1944; main-propulsion-plant overhaul at Ulithi January-March 1945). DANFS gives no work package, contractor, insulation scope, or asbestos information for any repair or overhaul; no exposure can be inferred from them. DANFS text does not state the ATF-68 reclassification date; the 15 May 1944 date comes from the NVR-derived source in a separate row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-arapaho-at68-02