USS Arided (AK-73)

Evidence

9 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-9).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Arided' (NHHC, published 2015-06-18) - live URL returned 404 on 2026-09-21; text verified verbatim against Wayback capture 2016-03-04 and the HyperWar transcription of the earlier DANFS edition (which carries the older spec block: dp. 4023, cpl. 198, a. 1 5" 1 3") [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   NHHC DANFS 'Arided' entry, full text (canonical slug danfs/a/arided.html confirmed via Wayback CDX, 6 captures 2016-2025); HyperWar mirror ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/danfs/AK/ak73.html

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Arided (AK-73): 'A star in the constellation Cygnus.' Spec block (NHHC 2015 publication): dp. 14,550; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 12.5 k.; cpl. 195; a. 1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm.; cl. Crater, T. EC2-S-C1. 'Noah H. Swayne was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 500) on 20 September 1942 at Richmond, Calif., by the Permanente Metals Corp.; launched on 28 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. D. W. Fernhout; renamed Arided and designated AK-73 on 30 October 1942; acquired by the Navy on 12 November 1942; converted for naval service by the Matson Maintenance Co., San Francisco, Calif.; and placed in commission at San Francisco on 23 November 1942, Lt. Comdr. John B. Elaine [sic] in command.' Service narrative: assigned to Service Squadron 8, Pacific Fleet; loaded ammunition, gasoline, and war supplies; sailed 4 December 1942 via Pago Pago for the New Hebrides, reaching Espiritu Santo Christmas Day; operated with the 3d Fleet; January-July 1943 carried ammunition and gasoline from Auckland and Noumea to the Solomon and Russell Islands; August 1943 drydocked and repaired at Port Chalmers, New Zealand; 1944 through early 1945 supplied Guadalcanal, Florida Island, Bougainville, Milne Bay, Noumea, Manus, the Russell Islands, Peleliu, and Funafuti; sailed from Espiritu Santo April 1945 with cargo for Okinawa, arrived off Hagushi beach 18 June, discharged under several enemy air raids without damage, departed 2 July; returned via Eniwetok and Ulithi to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, 18 August; completed discharge and sailed for Pearl Harbor 26 October, arriving 14 November; decommissioned 12 January 1946; towed to San Francisco; struck from the Navy list 29 September 1947; delivered to the Maritime Commission at Suisun Bay 2 October 1947 for layup; two battle stars.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1947

   Population

   Wartime crew (complement 195 per NHHC spec block); embarked personnel in cargo-transport status not enumerated

   Limitations

   Authoritative for identity, construction milestones, service chronology, and disposal outline; contains no asbestos, insulation, or materials information. The NHHC 2015 text renders the first CO 'Lt. Comdr. John B. Elaine' - a typographical error for Blaine (NavSource CO table 'Blaine, John Boyer, USNR'; see correction row). Does not state the legal form of the 1942-11-12 Navy acquisition (bareboat vs. transfer); the MARAD cards show USMC ownership only. Battle stars stated without campaign attribution; NavSource's campaign table (southern Solomons consolidation; Okinawa Gunto) is consistent with the narrative dates but is a secondary identification.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ARIDED (AK-73), Ship History Detail 307, and NOAH H. SWAYNE, Detail 9989 (digitized status cards 307_579AB.jpg reserve-fleet card and 307_AF.jpg Form MA-20 Record of Ship Sales) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 307 milestone table + card scans (cards/307_579AB.jpg, cards/307_AF.jpg); companion record Detail 9989 (card 59S_01.png not separately retrieved)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory records for this hull in both identities, including two digitized status cards read ship-specifically. ARIDED (AK-73), Detail 307: U.S. Official No. 242504; built 1942 by Permanente Metals Corporation; Naval Auxiliary / AK Cargo Ship; MARAD Type EC2-S-C1; length 421.60 ft, beam 56.80 ft; 7,176 gross / 4,380 net tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones Entry and Acquisition both 1947-10-02, Disposition and Withdrawal both 1962-08-22; name history links NOAH H. SWAYNE (Detail 9989: General Cargo/Break Bulk, EC2-S-C1, 442.0 x 57.0 ft, 7,181 gross / 4,384 net, cargo 499,573 cu ft, fate 'Sold - U.S. Operation'). Reserve-fleet card (307_579AB.jpg): 'ARIDED (AK-73)' ex-NOAH H. SWAYNE; type 'U. EC2 (U)'; Mil. Aux.; fleet Suisun Bay; DWT 10,500; ownership USMC; built 'Richmond Yard No 1, 1942'; date entered fleet 10-2-47; hull no. MCE-500; fuel oil at fleet entry 1,087 bbls Bunker C; sale block 'PDX-622 dated July 13, 1962, Award Aug. 7, 1962, National Metal & Steel Corp., Sale price $49,822.79'; red-ink dimensions L 417'8-3/4" B 56'10-3/4" D 37'4", Gross 7181 / Net 4384; 'Date Withdrawn From Fleet Aug. 22, 1962 - 1500 hrs PDST, Delivered to Purchaser - National Metal & Steel Corp.' Record of Ship Sales card (307_AF.jpg, Form MA-20): ex-name NOAH H. SWAYNE / ARIDED; ON 242,504; Type Liberty; awarded to National Metal & Steel Corp., 1251 New Dock Street, Terminal Island, California, Aug. 7-62, $49,822.79; Contract No. MA-3110; 'Year Built 11-12-42'; dimensions 417'8" x 56'10" x 37'4"; 7,176 G / 4,380 N; DWT 10,800; draft 27'8"; location Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet; 'Built for MA by Richmond Shipyard No. 1, Richmond, Calif. (Permanente Metals Corporation)'; remarks: 5-17-62 advertised under PD-X-621, opened June 8-62 'Scrap Hull-US'; 6-8-62 bid rejected; 7-13-62 readvertised under PD-X-622, opened Aug. 3-62 'Scrap Hull-US'.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1962

   Limitations

   Authoritative for government custody milestones, hull identity (ON 242504 = MCE 500 = ex-Arided AK-73 printed on the cards), builder attribution (Richmond Shipyard No. 1 / Permanente Metals), the 1947-10-02 fleet entry, and the two-stage 1962 scrap sale (PD-X-621 bid rejected; PD-X-622 award to National Metal & Steel). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim. Field conflicts across the two cards and the two web records (DWT 10,500 vs 10,800; gross/net 7181/4384 vs 7176/4380; length 421.60 vs 442.0) are logged in gaps, not reconciled. The cards show no bareboat ('BB') annotation - the legal form of the 1942 Navy acquisition is unstated. A red diagonal overprint on the reserve-fleet card is only partially legible (appears to annotate the PD-X-621 advertisement and a paid/contract-cost figure consistent with the $1,166,244 carried by secondary compilations) - not relied on for any carried value.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-02

3. [3]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Arided (AK-73) index page (volunteer-compiled index citing BuShips/DANFS figures) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource AK-73 page, specifications block, awards/campaign table, commanding-officer table, photo captions (read via 2024 Wayback capture; live navsource.org was unreachable from this machine 2026-09-21)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource service-ship archive page for Arided (AK-73): Crater-class cargo ship; laid down '20 October 1942' as SS Noah H. Swayne (MCE hull 500), Permanente Metals Corp., Richmond, CA - a typographical error contradicted by DANFS and both yard tables (see correction row); launched 1942-10-28; acquired 1942-11-12; converted by Matson Maintenance Co., San Francisco; commissioned 1942-11-23, LCDR John B. Blaine in command. Spec block: displacement 4,023 t. (lt) / 14,550 t. (fl); 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4"; 12.5 kts; complement 15 officers + 180 enlisted; cargo 7,800 DWT, 420,277 cu ft non-refrigerated; largest boom 50 t.; armament 1x 5"/38 DP, 4x single 40mm AA, 6x single 20mm AA; fuel 7,285 bbls NSFO; propulsion one Joshua-Hendy vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engine, two Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers (220 psi, 450 deg), three recip-drive 20kW and one turbo-drive 60kW 120V DC generators, single propeller, 2,500 shp. Campaign table: Consolidation of southern Solomons 11 and 23 May 1943; Okinawa Gunto assault and occupation 18-30 June 1945; Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) 13 September - 25 October 1945; two battle stars. CO list: LCDR John Boyer Blaine USNR (1942-11-23 to 1943-11-13); LCDR Aloysius Elb USNR (to 1944-08-02); LCDR Jack Joffre Hughes USNR (to decommissioning 1946-01-12). Photo caption: broadside off Mare Island 26 November 1942, Navy Yard Mare Island photo # 7286-11-42. Final disposition line: sold for scrapping 7 August 1962 National Metal and Steel Co.; removed 22 August 1962; 'Scrapping completed, 7 March 1963.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1963

   Population

   Ship's company (~195 per spec blocks); transient passengers and embarked units

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation, not an official publication - consistent with DANFS and the MARAD cards where they overlap (delivery 11-12-42, commissioning, decommissioning, strike, fleet entry, sale date and buyer). Discrepancies logged in correction row and gaps: '20 October' laid-down (typo - impossible against its own 28 October launch and contradicted by all primary sources); armament 4x 40mm + 6x 20mm and no 3-inch gun vs DANFS '1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm'; 'Scrapping completed 7 March 1963' is a NavSource-only detail not on the MARAD cards. No asbestos or materials information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-03

4. [4]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 type documented for this hull by the NHHC spec block 'T. EC2-S-C1', the MARAD records 'MARAD Type EC2-S-C1', and the reserve-fleet card 'EC2 (U)') 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 hulls 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

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942

   Population

   Construction trades (Permanente Metals Richmond Yard No. 1, 1942); Navy engine-room and maintenance crew; Matson conversion-yard workers

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation, not a hull record - the manual names the type, not this vessel, and does not itself state 'asbestos' content (magnesia lagging of the era was typically asbestos-fiber-reinforced, but the manual text is silent on fiber). The Navy AK conversion at Matson Maintenance Co. added armament and fittings whose material scope is undocumented. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence (hull scrapped 1962-63), individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-04

5. [5]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 hull was mass-produced at Permanente Metals Richmond Yard No. 1 (one of the nine original USMC emergency yards, built as Todd-California and bought out by Kaiser) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1940s era documented; article 1987

   Population

   WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)

   Limitations

   Program/era-level scholarship; does not name this vessel or the EC2-S-C1 type 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-arided-ak73-05

6. [6]O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012), CourtListener opinion 844228 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion, 53 Cal. 4th 335 (No. S177401); cluster verified in batch-01

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   O'Neil v. Crane Co., 53 Cal. 4th 335 (2012): California Supreme Court 'bare metal' decision arising from a sailor's asbestos exposure aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34) - holds that a product manufacturer is not liable for harm caused by another manufacturer's asbestos-containing product used with its equipment. Establishes the doctrinal posture under which WWII-era Navy-ship asbestos product claims are litigated; for this hull the documented structure is a USMC-owned Liberty hull acquired and operated by the Navy (MARAD card ownership 'USMC', DANFS acquisition 1942-11-12) - sailors' claims proceed against product suppliers, not the government.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   2012 (opinion); wartime exposure period

   Population

   WWII-era Navy sailors (class context)

   Limitations

   Doctrinal context only - the opinion does not name this hull, finds no asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes legal framework rather than exposure. No docketed case naming Arided, AK-73, or Noah H. Swayne was located (see negative-finding row and search ledger); CourtListener coverage was rate-limited, so that absence is partial. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-06

7. [7]Batch-948 search ledger (this record): NHHC DANFS via Wayback + HyperWar mirror; MARAD ShipHistory Details 307 and 9989 + two digitized status cards; NavSource via Wayback; CourtListener API v4 (blocked) + Google site: checks x3; shipbuildinghistory and usmm.org Permanente Richmond #1 yard tables; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-arided-ak73-01 through sl-uss-arided-ak73-10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Arided, AK-73, or Noah H. Swayne was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). Direct CourtListener API searches were blocked on 2026-09-21 - authenticated v4 search returned HTTP 429 ('Rate limit exceeded: 2800/day. Expected available in 8920 seconds'), the shared machine quota consumed by other batch work; not retried into the ban per batch rules. Google site:courtlistener.com checks (partial coverage only) returned only name collisions - 'Arided' hits ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) DUI-training documents; 'AK-73' hits AK Steel patent/securities litigation and JPML CTO-73 transfer orders; '"Noah H. Swayne"' hits the namesake Supreme Court Justice (e.g., United States v. Ambrose, 19th-century circuit opinion). The hull appears on law-firm SEO ship lists (asbestos-ships.com dedicated page; freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list) - marketing compilations excluded per source rules; list presence is not documentation.

   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 - a 1942 EC2-S-C1 hull operated to 1962-63 scrapping is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility. Litigation coverage is partial: CourtListener opinion and RECAP docket searches were not run to completion due to the shared-quota outage; the site: checks are not a substitute.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-07

8. [8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); Mare Island yard photo no. 7286-11-42 via NavSource caption; NPS Rosie the Riveter NHP + HAER CA-326 series (Library of Congress) [other_primary]

   Locator

   archives.gov record-group guides 178/248 + deck-log guidance; nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/historic-richmond-shipyards.htm; tile.loc.gov HAER CA-326 documentation

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for USS Arided (Nov 1942 - Jan 1946, incl. the two Okinawa cargo discharges under air attack); NARA RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission) construction/contract files for MCE hull 500 and RG 248 (War Shipping Administration) allocation files covering the 1942-11-12 Navy acquisition (form of agreement unstated on the digitized cards); Navy Yard Mare Island photo 7286-11-42 (broadside off Mare Island, 26 Nov 1942, indexed via NavSource); Kaiser Richmond Yard No. 1 builder records - NPS Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park archives and the HAER CA-326 Kaiser-shipyards documentation series at the Library of Congress; Matson Maintenance Co., San Francisco conversion-scope records (corporate archive path not surveyed).

   Verification

   unverified

   Role

   archival_lead

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1963 records

   Limitations

   Record-group and collection 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-arided-ak73-08

9. [9]NavSource AK-73 page vs DANFS (NHHC Wayback + HyperWar transcription) vs MARAD cards/records vs shipbuildinghistory and usmm.org yard tables vs Wikipedia infobox; HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AK-73 compilation page [other_primary]

   Locator

   navsource.org/archives/09/13/130073.htm; ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AK/AK-73_Arided.html; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Details 307/9989 card scans; shipbuildinghistory.com/merchantships/2libertyships2.htm row 500; usmm.org/l/perm.html row 500

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Cross-source reconciliation: (a) Laid-down date - NavSource reads '20 October 1942,' impossible against its own 28 October launch (8 days on the ways) and contradicted by DANFS ('20 September 1942'), shipbuildinghistory's yard table ('20-Sep-42', 38 days on ways), and Wikipedia; 20 September carried as correct. (b) Stricken date - Wikipedia's infobox reads '29 January 1947' while its own article text, DANFS, and NavSource all read 29 September 1947, consistent with MARCOM delivery 2 October 1947; September carried. (c) First CO - the NHHC 2015 page renders 'Lt. Comdr. John B. Elaine'; NavSource's CO table gives 'Blaine, John Boyer, USNR' and the HyperWar transcription also reads Blaine; Blaine carried. (d) Tertiary compilation errors - HyperWar's 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' page names the merchant hull 'SS Carolyn' (contradicted by every primary source) and rates the plant '1,950 hp' (vs 2,500 ihp standard for the type, per NavSource and the USMC manual title); neither is carried. (e) Armament - DANFS '1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm' vs NavSource '1x 5"/38, 4x 40mm, 6x 20mm' (no 3-inch); not reconciled. (f) Tonnage/dimension fields differ across MARAD's two web records and two cards - noted in gaps. (g) Complement - NHHC spec block 195 (NavSource 15+180 agrees) vs older DANFS print transcription 198; 195 carried.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-21

   Study period

   1942-1963

   Limitations

   Resolves date, name-spelling, and compilation-level errors visible across primary and secondary sources; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-arided-ak73-09