Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
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[1]research packet mo-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Armadillo — lead ship of the Armadillo-class tanker, only Navy ship of the name [spottingworld, WP]
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-armadillo-ix111-pkt-mo-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History and Heritage Command, DANFS, 'Armadillo' (IX-111) - live history.navy.mil URLs 404 (same NHHC link-rot pattern as Batch 01); verbatim text verified via 2012-11-03 Wayback capture of history.navy.mil/danfs/a12/armadillo.htm [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Armadillo' entry, full text + ship-data line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS (NHHC, 'Armadillo'): tanker Sidney Howard laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 1900) 24 September 1943 at Wilmington, Calif., by California Shipbuilding Co.; launched 26 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. S. Howard; renamed Armadillo and designated IX-111; acquired by the Navy on a bareboat basis and simultaneously placed in commission at San Pedro 18 November 1943, Lt. Michael R. Meyer in command. Service: Service Force Pacific Fleet from January 1944; Pearl Harbor-Tarawa personnel/petroleum runs Feb-early Apr 1944; station tanker at Majuro from 22 Apr-late Aug 1944, then Ulithi with trips to Guam, Saipan, Peleliu; departed Ulithi 10 Apr 1945 for Okinawa, arrived 18 Apr, provided services to Pacific Fleet ships; departed Buckner Bay 1 Feb 1946, Panama Canal 13 Mar, Norfolk 23 Mar 1946; decommissioned 29 May 1946 and delivered same day to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration at Lee Hall, Va.; struck from the Navy list 19 June 1946; 'sold later that same year and was converted for merchant service.' One battle star for WWII service. Ship-data line: dp. 14,500; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11"; dr. 28'4"; s. 11.0 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm.; cl. Armadillo; T. Z-ET1-S-C3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Crew (complement 79) aboard, 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, Navy service chronology, and decommission/strike dates. The closing sentence 'sold later that same year' (1946) is contradicted by MARAD custody/sale records (sale completed 1948-04-14) - flagged in ev-04 limitations and gaps. DANFS gives no asbestos, insulation, or materials data.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-01
-
[3]Patrick Clancey (comp.), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945: IX-111 USS Armadillo,' HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of official ship lists [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX-111 stats card, full page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- HyperWar transcription 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - IX-111 USS Armadillo': Unclassified Vessel; displacement 14,500 tons; length 442'; beam 57'; draft 28'; speed 11 knots; armament 1 5"/38 DP, 1 3"/50 DP, 8 20mm; complement 79; used for: Tanker; built at California Shipbuilding, Wilmington, Cal., and commissioned 18 November 1943 - corroborating wartime-era listing of the hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1940-1945 listing era
- Limitations
- Transcription site of official-era listings, not a primary scan; rounded dimensions differ trivially from DANFS (442' vs 441'6") - no substantive conflict. No asbestos, materials, or crew content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-02
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - SIDNEY HOWARD, Detail 4563; CHRIS H., Detail 957 (incl. status-card scans 4563_8409AF/AB, 957_1738AF, and CHRIS H.pdf document) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 4563 and Detail 957, milestone tables and card-image lists; card PDF /documents/acc7e38b-de7b-4544-a21a-9192ef3f96b1.pdf (JP2 image stream, not OCR'd)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database holds two records for this hull under U.S. Official No. 244656: 'SIDNEY HOWARD' (Detail 4563) shows government custody Entry and Acquisition both 5/29/1946 (matching the DANFS delivery to WSA at Lee Hall on decommission day) and fate 'Sold - Scrap'; 'CHRIS H.' (Detail 957) shows MARAD custody Entry/Acquisition 2/7/1963 and Disposition/Withdrawl both 3/10/1972, mission 'World War II', shipyard California Shipbuilding Corporation, MARAD type Z-ET1-S-C3, length 441.50 ft, gross 7,161 tons. Vessel name history links SIDNEY HOWARD > CHRIS H.; status-card images exist for both records (image-only, not text-retrieved).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1946-1972
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government-custody milestones. Internal inconsistency: the SIDNEY HOWARD record mis-types the hull as MARAD type EC2-S-C1 / 422.8 ft, while the CHRIS H. record correctly carries Z-ET1-S-C3 / 441.5 ft - the latter matches DANFS and is adopted. Status cards are JPEG2000 images; card-level ownership annotations (e.g., the 1948 sale entry) not text-verified this session. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-03
-
[5]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Armadillo (IX-111) Class,' Shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary ships database (compiled from BuShips/Navy Department and MARAD records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX111.html Construction table row 111; Disposition table row 111; Ship Notes row 111
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe (S.S. Roberts) ARMADILLO (IX-111) class page, hull-level construction/disposition tables name IX-111: builder California SB, keel 24 Sep 43, launch 26 Oct 43, commissioned 18 Nov 43; decommissioned 29 May 46, struck 19 Jun 46, disposal 29 May 46 (MC/D - to Maritime Commission for disposal), MA sale 14 Apr 48. Ship note (MC hull 1900): 'Ex merc. SIDNEY HOWARD. Merc. SIDNEY HOWARD (MC) 1946, DEAN H 1948, CHRIS H. 1954 and converted to dry cargo ship. To NDRF 26 Dec 62, sold by MA 22 Feb 72, to buyer 10 Mar 72.' Resolves the DANFS 'sold later that same year' ambiguity: the Maritime Administration sale closed 14 April 1948, not in 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Limitations
- Scholarly compilation from official records, not a scanned primary document; dates corroborated by DANFS (construction, decommission, strike) and MARAD milestones (custody dates). The 14 Apr 48 MA-sale date corrects DANFS's 'sold later that same year' (1946) phrasing - carried as a correction, not a silent override. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-04
-
[6]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Armadillo (IX-111) Class,' Shipscribe.com - Class Notes (AVB report of 12 Oct 43; CNO instruction of 15 Oct 43; BuShips hose-fitting specification) [other_primary]
- Locator
- IX111.html Class Notes paragraph + header machinery line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class notes (program-level): FY 1944; on 12 Oct 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended acquiring 20 new Liberty tankers (identified by MCE hull number) for floating storage at advanced Pacific bases; CNO instructions of 15 Oct 43 stated no conversion was authorized or necessary - the ships were to be armed and furnished with 20 lengths of 4-inch and 6 lengths of 6-inch filling hose for transferring fuel to other ships; shakedown was to be the minimum required for safe passage to destination; some hulls were designated 'clean' tankers (gasoline/diesel) and others 'dirty' (fuel oil). Class machinery line: '1 screw, vertical triple expansion,' 2,500 HP; class complement 70 (1944).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1944 acquisition program
- Population
- Armadillo-class crews and serviced-ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation covering all 18 hulls including this one - establishes the floating-storage mission and that no conversion was undertaken, meaning the hull entered Navy service carrying as-built merchant-specification materials (relevant to, but not proof of, era-typical insulation content). Does not name this hull in the notes themselves and contains no asbestos statement.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Armadillo (IX-111), arch. 09/46/46111 (volunteer-compiled from official and merchant registers) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource IX-111 page header, campaign table, and Commercial Service section - site refuses automated fetch; content verified via search-index excerpts quoting the page verbatim
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Armadillo (IX-111) page: Armadillo Class Mobile Station Tanker listing confirms construction/commissioning dates and commanding officer (Lt. Michael R. Meyer); campaign table assigns the Asiatic-Pacific 'Okinawa Gunto operation - assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 14 April to 30 June 1945' corresponding to DANFS's one battle star; commercial-service chronology: sold 14 April 1948 to Windear Navigation Co., renamed SS Dean H.; reflagged Liberian November 1954; converted to dry cargo at Jacksonville, FL 1955; sold 2 March 1959 to Winco Tankers Inc., reflagged U.S., renamed SS Chris H.; title to MARAD 26 December 1962 (chartered to Winco); returned to MARAD/NDRF James River 7 February 1963; sold for scrapping 22 February 1972 to N.V. Intershitra, delivered 10 March 1972, scrapped at Castellon, Spain.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1972
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled secondary source, not an official record - used for campaign-name specificity and merchant-chain chronology, all of which corroborates DANFS/MARAD/shipscribe at every overlapping point. Direct fetch refused (403); content read via search-index excerpts. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-06
-
[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 and program under which this hull was built (1943, emergency Maritime Commission construction) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization, concentrated in machinery and piping insulation of steam-driven vessels.
- 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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-07
-
[9]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 Z-ET1-S-C3 'Liberty tanker' was built on the emergency Liberty program and carried the same 2,500-hp vertical triple-expansion machinery family as the EC2-S-C1. The U.S. Maritime Commission operating manual for that plant 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-type hulls were built 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
- 1943
- Population
- Construction trades (California Shipbuilding, 1943); engine-room crew
- Limitations
- Design-family documentation, not a hull record - the manual is titled for EC2-S-C1 cargo vessels and does not name this vessel or the Z-ET1-S-C3 tanker derivative; application to this hull is machinery-family inference (same 2,500-hp triple-expansion plant) and does not itself state 'asbestos' content. Does not establish quantity or present-day presence (hull scrapped 1972).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-08
-
[10]National Archives and Records Administration, 'Special List 44 - Named Vessels' (WWII deck-log index), row 'Armadillo (IX-111) 11/18/1943 - 6/30/1945' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 named-vessels table, Armadillo row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA 'Special List 44 - Named Vessels' lists ARMADILLO (IX-111) deck logs with coverage 11/18/1943 - 6/30/1945, i.e., the full commissioned wartime period. BuShips/USMC design files for the Z-ET1-S-C3 type and Service Force Pacific records may document materials and outfit specifications; postwar MARAD custody files may hold condition surveys for the NDRF lay-ups.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1945 records
- Limitations
- Index-level confirmation that deck logs exist for this hull - no box-level retrieval performed; whether any asbestos-relevant document exists is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 search (opinion type=o, docket type=r), authenticated, 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-armadillo-ix111-07 through sl-uss-armadillo-ix111-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener searches (authenticated API v4, opinion index): '"Armadillo"' bare-name query returned 304 hits, all name collisions on first page and spot-checks - corporate names (Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, Armadillo Glass, Armadillo Properties, Armadillo Bail Bonds, Armadillo Partners, Armadillo Corp., Levingston Armadillo offshore-drilling entity), business names (Armadillo Willy's bar), person surnames (Daniel Armadillo, Carlos Armadillo), and incidental mentions - none naming any vessel. Hull-number, merchant-name, and asbestos-qualified queries deferred by fleet pacing budget this session - logged pending in search_ledger. No qualifying hull-specific asbestos case located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener coverage is not exhaustive - state trial courts, settled/undocketed claims, and pre-digital-era filings are absent; a null result limits to 'no qualifying case located in this index,' not 'no litigation ever existed.' Fleet pacing limited query volume this session; pending queries are logged honestly rather than retried into a throttle.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-10
-
[12]Batch-4680 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (Wayback), HyperWar ship lists, NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory (records + status-card images), Shipscribe class file, NARA Special List 44, CourtListener opinion/docket queries [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-armadillo-ix111-01 through sl-uss-armadillo-ix111-11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court opinion, or docketed case naming IX-111, USS Armadillo, or the hull's merchant identities (Sidney Howard / Dean H. / Chris H., Official No. 244656) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in Spain in 1972, so no extant-vessel survey or museum-condition pathway exists.
- 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 1943 steam-driven Liberty-type hull built under emergency USMC contract is era-consistent with asbestos insulation, and the no-conversion acquisition directive means as-built materials were carried into Navy service. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-armadillo-ix111-11