USS Aroostook (AOG-14)

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]DANFS, 'Aroostook III (AOG-14)' entry, Naval History and Heritage Command (published 2020-03-26; live NHHC URL returns 404 - verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 20251209081031) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS entry body text + spec block (Wayback capture 20251209081031)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NHHC records: the third Aroostook (AOG-14) was built at Newport News, Va., as the single-screw, steel-hulled, diesel-electric tank barge Esso Delivery No. 11 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.; launched 8 Dec 1937; delivered to Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey 8 Feb 1938 (the first all-welded-construction tanker owned by Standard Oil); homeported Baltimore, Md. Acquired by the Navy from the War Shipping Administration 1 Apr 1943; arrived Bethlehem Steel Corp. Key Highway plant, Baltimore, 3 Apr 1943; commissioned there 18 Apr 1943, Lt. Alfred O. Johansen, USNR, in command. Sailed Norfolk 28 Apr via Bermuda and Gibraltar; reached Oran about a month later; assigned to the 8th Amphibious Force ferrying high-octane gasoline around the Mediterranean basin (Bari, Santo Stefano, Civitavecchia, Taranto, Piombino, Leghorn, Naples, Cagliari, Bizerte, Augusta, Palermo, Malta). At Bari 2 Dec 1943 during the Luftwaffe raid she sustained concussion and shrapnel damage when an ammunition ship exploded nearby - no casualties. Decommissioned Bizerte 18 Jan 1945; transferred to France next day; renamed Lac Pavin; sold outright to France 21 Mar 1949; stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 28 Apr 1949. Spec block: displacement 1,707; length 260'6"; beam 43'6"; draft 15'11"; 10.5 knots; armament 1x3-inch + 4x20mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1937-1949

   Limitations

   Primary Navy historical entry - authoritative for service history, custody chain, and disposal. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page 404s (standing link rot, cf. BATCH-01); the Wayback capture is the verbatim NHHC text. DANFS prints 'Oran, Tunisia' - Oran is in Algeria; location corrected silently in this record's prose. DANFS's 'scrapped in 1953' compresses the 1953 condemnation and 1959 demolition - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-01

2. [2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - AROOSTOOK (AOG-14), Ship History Detail 5677, incl. scanned Form MA-20 vessel status cards (5677_AF.jpg front, 5677_AB.jpg back); linked merchant record ESSO DELIVERY NUMBER 11, Detail 11894 [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 5677 registry block, milestone table, status-card scans (/cards/5677_AF.jpg, /cards/5677_AB.jpg); Detail 11894 name-history link

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD registry record for this hull: Year Built 1938; U.S. Official No. 236994; Shipyard 'Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company'; Specific Type 'AOG Gasoline Tanker'; length 261 ft; beam 44 ft; gross tons 1,707; fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.'; vessel name history links AROOSTOOK (AOG-14) and ESSO DELIVERY NUMBER 11. Milestones: Disposition 8/25/1945; Withdrawal 3/27/1946. The handwritten MA-20 status card (partially legible) reads: 'AROOSTOOK / In file as -> EX-ESSO DELIVERY #11 (French flag)'; 'NAVY DEPT / Transferred to France on L.L.' (lend-lease); 'Information 8-25-45 Bu[reau] of Ships from Navy Dept.'; '(Owner given as Standard Oil N.J. by Bureau of Customs)'; 'Files: Documents surrendered March 27/46 under sales agreement and title given to Navy' - i.e., the Maritime Commission's 1943-purchase paperwork was administratively closed out in 1945-46 after the French transfer.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1938-1949

   Limitations

   Authoritative MARAD registry plus handwritten status-card scans read by visual inspection (moderate confidence on the cursive entries). The 8/25/1945 and 3/27/1946 milestones are Maritime Commission administrative file dates, not ship events. Companion record Detail 11894 carries a manifest data-entry error - Specific Type 'LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' on a 1938 gasoline tank barge (noted in batch report). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-02

3. [3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Aroostook (AOG-14), file 09/20/2014 [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 2014.htm - class header, timeline entries, specifications block, awards ribbon bar, commanding-officer table, photo captions (NH 85467, 19-N-44403/-44404/-44405)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource timeline corroborates DANFS and adds detail: 'Aroostook Class Gasoline Tanker'; acquired 1 Apr 1943; converted at the Key Highway plant of Bethlehem Steel Corp., Baltimore; commissioned 18 Apr 1943 at Baltimore; assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater; decommissioned 18 Jan 1945 at Bizerte and transferred to France under lend-lease as RFS Lac Pavin (A628); 'Struck from the Naval Register and sold outright to France, 21 March 1949'; 'Disarmed, 2 May 1953, redesignated Q118'; 'Final Disposition, scrapped in 1953.' Awards: American Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. Commanding officers: LT Johansen (18 Apr 43-16 Sep 43), LT Hays (16 Sep 43-1 Mar 44), LCDR Ringles (1 Mar 44-1 Aug 44), LT Peden (1 Aug 44-18 Jan 45). Photo documentation: NHHC photo NH 85467 (MV Esso Delivery No. 11) and NARA RG-19-LCM Bureau of Ships photos 19-N-44403/19-N-44404/19-N-44405 showing this hull in Chesapeake Bay/Hampton Roads late April 1943 just after conversion.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1937-1953

   Limitations

   Specialist secondary compilation - consistent with NHHC and carrying the authoritative CO table and campaign ribbons; non-official. Three data defects logged in the correction row and gaps: (a) 'Decommissioned ... at Bizerte, Algeria' - Bizerte is in Tunisia; (b) merges the 21 Mar 1949 sale and 28 Apr 1949 NVR strike into one 'struck and sold' line; (c) 'scrapped in 1953' compresses the 1953 condemnation and 1959 demolition. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-03

4. [4]Shipscribe U.S. Navy auxiliary ships data sheets, 'USS Aroostook (AOG-14)' page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation from Navy registers, Auxiliary Vessels Board records, and MARAD files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AOG-14 class page: characteristics block, construction table, disposition table, class notes (Auxiliary Vessels Board 10 Mar 43 / VCNO 16 Mar 43 / Bari / French transfer), ship notes (AOG-14 row)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Ship-design compilation naming this hull in its class tables: class AROOSTOOK (AOG-14); design 'Small tanker, 1938'; 1,007 t light / 3,570 t full; 259.75' oa; complement 52 (1944); 10.5 kts; 1,300 hp; 1 screw, 2 diesels, electric drive; keel 15 Sep 1937; launch 8 Dec 1937; acquired 1 Apr 43; commissioned 18 Apr 43; decommissioned 18 Jan 45; struck 28 Apr 49; disposal 18 Jan 45 'Trf.' Ship note: 'Ex merc. ESSO DELIVERY NO.11 (completed 8 Feb 38). Converted by Bethlehem Steel Co., Key Highway, Baltimore, 3-20 Apr 43. To France at Bizerte under Lend-Lease 18 Jan 45 as LAC PAVIN. Returned and sold to France by FLC 21 Mar 49. Condemned by French Navy 2 May 53, used as accommodation ship, scrapped 1959 as Q-118.' Class notes document the acquisition rationale: on 10 Mar 43 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended three coastwise tankers (ESSO DELIVERY #11, NEW YORK SOCONY, VEEDOL #2) for shallow-draft distribution of light petroleum products in the Mediterranean; VCNO directed the limited conversion 16 Mar 43 with minimal crews; AOG 14-16 'were rushed to Europe after short conversion periods and then saw hard service carrying gasoline and diesel fuel between North African ports and supporting invasion operations in Italy with little opportunity for proper maintenance'; AOG-14 was at Bari on 2 Dec 43 with a full cargo of gasoline during the surprise air strike and 'escaped without major damage.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1937-1959

   Population

   Newport News construction workforce (1937-38); Standard Oil merchant crew (1938-43); Bethlehem Key Highway conversion workforce (Apr 1943); USN crew (1943-45); French Navy crew and accommodation-ship occupants (1945-1959)

   Limitations

   Compiled secondary transcription of official Navy register, board, and MARAD records - the strongest source here for construction date, complement, machinery, and the 1959 demolition date; not the registers themselves. Displacement (1,007 lt / 3,570 full) differs from DANFS/NavSource (1,707) - basis difference logged in gaps. Contains no asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-04

5. [5]Resolved source discrepancies - NavSource 2014.htm and shipscribe AOG14.html (primary record set); HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' AOG-14 page (secondary compilation); MARAD Detail 11894 registry field [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 2014.htm class header + disposal entries; shipscribe AOG14.html class name + disposition table + ship note; https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/AOG/AOG-14_Aroostook.html ('Halawa class' header); MARAD Detail 11894 'Specific Type' field

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Class attribution - NavSource and Shipscribe both file this hull as 'Aroostook class gasoline tanker' (the three-ship group AOG 14-16 of converted coastwise tankers); the 'Halawa class' label carried by the supplied metadata and by HyperWar's secondary compilation is a broader umbrella grouping and is NOT adopted - this record carries 'Aroostook class.' (b) Strike vs sale - NavSource merges the two events as 'struck ... and sold ... 21 March 1949'; the sale was 21 Mar 1949 and the NVR strike 28 Apr 1949 (DANFS and Shipscribe agree); both dates carried separately. (c) Final disposition - DANFS/NavSource say 'scrapped in 1953'; Shipscribe and French-side records (warsailors AOG-French-service compilation, postenavalemilitaire Lac Pavin sheet) document condemnation/disarmament 2 May 1953, redesignation Q-118, accommodation-ship use, and demolition in 1959 - the fuller version is carried. (d) Geography - NavSource's 'Bizerte, Algeria' is wrong (Bizerte, Tunisia); DANFS's 'Oran, Tunisia' is wrong (Oran, Algeria); neither error propagated into this record's fields. (e) MARAD data-entry error - the linked ESSO DELIVERY NUMBER 11 record (Detail 11894) lists Specific Type 'LNG Liquefied Natural Gas,' impossible for a 1938 gasoline tank barge; treated as a cataloging defect, not vessel data. (f) Supplied metadata's 'commissioning/recommissioning' phrasing - all primary sources record a single commissioning on 18 Apr 1943; no recommissioning event exists.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1937-1959

   Limitations

   Resolves publication-level and supplied-metadata discrepancies in secondary framings; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. The class-attribution choice (Aroostook class vs Halawa umbrella) follows the primary-record compilers (NavSource, Shipscribe/Roberts); HyperWar's umbrella is a legitimate alternate taxonomy, not an error per se - logged as a difference, not a defect. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-05

6. [6]Consolidated era/design inference - shipscribe AOG-14 machinery/construction rows for this hull + DANFS conversion narrative (Bethlehem Key Highway, April 1943) [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe AOG14.html characteristics/machinery/construction rows + class notes; DANFS conversion narrative

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Era/design inference: this hull is a diesel-electric tanker (two diesels, electric drive, 1,300 hp - no boilers and no steam plant, hence no boiler or fireroom insulation scope) built 1937-38 at Newport News Shipbuilding and given a wartime Navy conversion in April 1943 at Bethlehem Steel's Key Highway yard - inside the peak WWII asbestos-usage window documented for U.S. shipbuilding generally. The April 1943 conversion added crew quarters and armament, the type of yard work in which gaskets, packing, pipe and exhaust lagging, electrical insulation, accommodation insulation, and deck covering of the period were commonly asbestos-containing. Merchant-service years (1938-43), the hard Mediterranean service with 'little opportunity for proper maintenance,' French Navy service 1945-53, accommodation-hulk years 1953-59, and the 1959 demolition are the disturbance-phase pathways for this hull.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1937-1959

   Population

   Newport News construction trades (1937-38); Standard Oil merchant engine crew (1938-43); Bethlehem Key Highway conversion trades (Apr 1943); USN crew (1943-45); French Navy crew and hulk occupants (1945-59); 1959 breaking-yard workers

   Limitations

   Inference from the documented machinery plant and construction/conversion era - NOT a hull record. No survey, specification, material schedule, or abatement record naming AOG-14 or Esso Delivery No. 11 was located; establishes no asbestos content, quantity, location, individual exposure, or causation. The absence of a steam plant materially narrows (but does not eliminate) the era-typical asbestos scope.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-06

7. [7]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 in which this hull underwent its Navy conversion at Bethlehem's Key Highway yard (April 1943) - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in shipbuilding.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   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, its builder, or its conversion yard and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Applies most directly to the 1943 conversion phase (the 1937-38 merchant build predates the documented wartime surge).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-07

8. [8]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   PubMed record PMID 21016030; article pp. 9-16 (pipe covering material section)

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction and conversion work of this hull's April 1943 yard period.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   survey ~1944-45; published 1946

   Population

   WWII pipe coverers and insulators at Navy and contract yards (era context)

   Limitations

   Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction and conversion generally; does not name this vessel, class, or conversion yard (whether Bethlehem Key Highway performed pipe-covering work of the surveyed type on this hull is unverified) and establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure. (The study's exculpatory 'not a dangerous occupation' conclusion has since been heavily criticized.)

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-08

9. [9]DANFS second-Aroostook entry (ID-1256/CM-3/AK-44, ex-Bunker Hill 1907) via hazegray mirror (losthistory.net); NARA Special List 44 named-vessels deck-log index (archives.gov); NavalCoverMuseum namesake sheet [other_primary]

   Locator

   hazegray DANFS mirror mine/cm3.htm (second-Aroostook entry text); https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named (Aroostook rows); https://www.navalcovermuseum.org/wiki/AROOSTOOK_AK_44

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Name-collision hygiene for this record: three distinct hulls carried the name Aroostook and must not be consolidated. (1) Aroostook (1861) - Civil War '90-day' gunboat. (2) Aroostook ID-1256/CM-3/AK-44 - the 1907 Cramp-built passenger steamer Bunker Hill; WWI North Sea mine planter; aircraft tender through the 1920s; decommissioned 10 Mar 1931; reclassified cargo ship AK-44 on 20 May 1941 while still in reserve but found unsuited and NEVER recommissioned; struck 5 Feb 1943; reverted to Bunker Hill under WSA/NDRF custody; sold for scrap Oct 1947. (3) THIS hull - AOG-14, ex-Esso Delivery No. 11 (1938), commissioned 18 Apr 1943. NARA Special List 44 separately indexes deck logs for 'Aroostook (AOG-14) 4/18/1943-1/18/1945' and 'Aroostook (CM-3) 12/7/1917-3/10/1931.' Practical consequence: law-firm marketing lists citing 'USS Aroostook (AK-44), 1941' as a WWII cargo ship describe the second hull's paper reclassification (it never served under that designation), and any litigation, crew, or asbestos reference to 'USS Aroostook' must be hull-resolved before attribution.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1861-1947

   Limitations

   Disambiguation of the primary-record set - prevents cross-hull consolidation, which the supplied metadata explicitly warned against. The AK-44 designation existed only on paper (1941-43 reserve); sources listing it as a serving WWII cargo ship overstate the record. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-09

10. [10]Batch-1957 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS via Wayback; NavSource 2014; MARAD ShipHistory Details 5677 + 11894 + MA-20 status-card scans; shipscribe AOG-14 class page; NARA Special List 44; CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweeps; VA BVA index; indexed-web litigation checks [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-aroostook-aog14-01 through sl-uss-aroostook-aog14-14

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, court finding, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Aroostook / AOG-14 / Esso Delivery No. 11 / Lac Pavin was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener authenticated sweeps: '"USS Aroostook"' count 0; '"AOG-14"' count 0; '"Aroostook" asbestos' count 22 with all examined hits classified as name collisions (Aroostook County entities, Bangor & Aroostook Railroad, Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians, Aroostook Medical Center) or generic asbestos dockets not naming this hull. Law-firm marketing pages name the hull (duboselawfirm.com gasoline-tanker list naming 'AOG-14 Aroostook'; freeasbestostesting.com auxiliary-ships list) without primary support - excluded source class; the same pages also list 'USS Aroostook (AK-44),' the never-reactivated second namesake, illustrating the collision risk. VA BVA index returned no decision naming the ship.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    2026-09-24

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1938-built tanker converted for Navy service at the April 1943 peak of wartime asbestos use is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and her merchant, Mediterranean, French-service, hulk, and 1959 demolition phases are undocumented disturbance windows. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener coverage was completed across multiple pacing windows (fleet-shared ~114/hr budget): name, exact-phrase, hull-number, and asbestos-term sweeps all returned zero qualifying hits; alternate-name sweeps ('Esso Delivery', 'Lac Pavin') were attempted but repeatedly blocked by the shared pacing budget - residual negative coverage for those strings rests on indexed-web checking, which returned no qualifying result.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aroostook-aog14-10

11. [11]NARA Special List 44 (named-vessels deck logs) - 'Aroostook (AOG-14) 4/18/1943 - 1/18/1945'; NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships incl. photo series 19-N-44403/44404/44405), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration); MARAD status-card scans on Detail 5677 [other_primary]

    Locator

    https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/special-list-44-named (Aroostook rows); https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/178.html ; /groups/248.html ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/5677 (status-card scans)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for USS Aroostook (AOG-14), 18 Apr 1943 - 18 Jan 1945 (RG 24, indexed in NARA Special List 44 - covers the entire U.S. commission period); Bureau of Ships records including the limited-conversion specification for AOG-14 at Bethlehem Key Highway and Booklet of General Plans-type material (RG 19 - NARA already holds the Bureau of Ships photo series 19-N-44403/44404/44405 of this hull, April 1943); WSA/MC acquisition, title, and 1946 document-surrender files for the 1943 purchase recorded on the MARAD status card (RG 178 / RG 248); Newport News Shipbuilding hull file for Esso Delivery No. 11 (yard records, possibly via the museum's corporate archive); French Navy records for Lac Pavin / A628 / Q-118, 1945-1959.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1937-1959 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-aroostook-aog14-11