Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
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[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Ash' entry (NHHC online edition, published 2015-06-18) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- Canonical NHHC URL returns 404 as of 2026-09-24 (standing NHHC link-rot issue); text verified via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2024-05-26: web.archive.org/web/20240526181855/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/ash.html
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry for Ash: launched 15 February 1941 at Houghton, Wash., by Lake Washington Shipyards, Inc.; placed in service 1 July 1941 (Lt. Charles E. Ide, USNR, in charge). Served briefly in San Francisco Bay tending nets until 20 August 1941, then to the 14th Naval District; arrived Bishop's Point section base, Oahu, 28 August 1941 and worked the Pearl Harbor nets. Present at Bishop's Point during the 7 December 1941 attack - fired sporadically at enemy planes, claimed no kills, suffered no casualties or damage. Served at Pearl Harbor through the end of the war. 'Redesignated AN-7 on 20 December 1942, she was placed in full commission that same day, Lt. J. H. Russell, USNR, in command.' Departed Pearl Harbor 11 May 1946 for San Francisco; moored at Mare Island Naval Shipyard until 1 November 1946; decommissioned Vancouver, Wash., 13 December 1946; struck from the Navy list 1 September 1962; transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Olympia, Wash.; sold 14 May 1971 to I. D. Logan for scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1971
- Population
- Wartime crew (net-tender complement); Pearl Harbor 14th Naval District personnel context
- Limitations
- Establishes identity, construction, Pearl Harbor service, designation history, and disposal chain for this hull. Contains no asbestos, insulation-materials, or condition information whatsoever - supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - ASH (AN-7), ShipHistory Detail 340, incl. digitized status card ASH.pdf [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 340, milestone table + status card scan (ASH.pdf, document id 68426584-b8e0-4da7-857b-a96c1c1691a8)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for ASH (AN-7), Detail 340: year built 1941; shipyard 'Lake Washington Shipbuilding'; specific type 'AN Net Laying Ship'; fate 'Sold - Scrap'. Milestones: Entry 5/17/1961 and Acquisition 5/17/1961 annotated 'MARAD TITLE 9-1-62'; Disposition and Withdrawal 6/14/1971. Digitized status card (ASH.pdf) documents the custody chain: Navy Dept. to Reserve Fleet, Olympia, Wash., 5-17-61, then Navy Dept. (M.A. Fleet Cust.) to Mar. Admin., effective September 1962 - corroborating that the hull sat at the Olympia NDRF site under Navy custody from May 1961 with MARAD title transferring concurrent with the 1 September 1962 strike.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1961-1971
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information and supports no asbestos claim. Date variance vs. DANFS (sale 14 May 1971) and NavSource (delivered 10 June 1971) - MARAD withdrawal 14 June 1971 - is carried in gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-02
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[3]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS Ash (AN-7) page (navsource.net/archives/09/18/18007.htm) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Vessel page: specifications block, awards block, commanding-officer table, disposition line
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for USS Ash (AN-7) ex Ash (YN-2): Aloe-class specifications (700 t. full / 805 t. limiting; 162'2" length; 30'6" beam; Enterprise DSG-6 diesel-electric, single Westinghouse reduction gear, single propeller, 800 shp; one 3"/50 DP mount, two .50 cal, one Y-gun; listed complement 4 officers + 44 enlisted); five commanding officers tabulated 1941-1946 (Ide, Russell, Budzik, Bogdan, Davern); awards listed incl. Combat Action Ribbon (Pearl Harbor) and American Defense Service Medal with Fleet clasp; one battle star for WWII service as YN-2; final disposition 'sold for scrapping 14 May 1971 to I. D. Logan, delivered 10 June 1971.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1971
- Population
- Wartime crew (approximate class complement)
- Limitations
- Volunteer-maintained secondary archive, not an official source - specifications are class-level data and the 4+44 complement figure is not verified against DANFS/NHHC; carried as class context with the complement figure also logged in gaps. Awards list consistent with DANFS narrative but battle-star count is not stated in the DANFS entry itself. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-03
-
[4]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 vessel was built (Navy-contract construction at Lake Washington Shipyards, Houghton, WA, launched February 1941), and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant hulls.
- 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 or this yard and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. The Aloe-class diesel-electric plant lacks the boiler/steam-line lagging pathway typical of steam hulls - any era-consistent asbestos aboard would be in exhaust lagging, gaskets, electrical and interior insulation, deck coverings, and friction linings, which is inference, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-04
-
[5]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 - Named Vessels (logbook coverage listing); NARA/DPLA index entry 'Ash (YN-2) - Report of Changes, October 1943' [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List 44 table, 'Ash (YN-2,AN-7)' rows; DPLA item index for the October 1943 Report of Changes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (located but not retrieved - no spend authorized): (a) NARA Special List 44 (Named Vessels logbooks) lists two logbook series for Ash (YN-2, AN-7): 7/1/1941-12/31/1941 - spanning the Pearl Harbor attack period - and 12/20/1942-6/30/1945, spanning the commissioned war years. (b) NARA Bureau of Naval Personnel muster-roll holdings include an 'Ash (YN-2) - Report of Changes, October 1943' item (indexed via DPLA to National Archives at College Park). Deck logs and muster rolls can contain repair, refit, and materials notations but neither series was examined.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1941-1945 records
- Limitations
- Record-existence finding only - the listed logbooks and muster rolls name this hull but were not retrieved or reviewed; whether they contain materials, insulation, or repair notes bearing on asbestos is unknown. NARA catalog programmatic access was unavailable (API retired), so digitization status is unconfirmed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-05
-
[6]DANFS 'Ash' entry (20 Dec 1942 redesignation) vs. NavSource/DANFS-derived records for USS Aloe (AN-6, reclassified 31 Jan 1944) and USS Boxwood (AN-8, reclassified 20 Jan 1944) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- NavSource USS Aloe (AN-6) page: 'Reclassified Net Tender (AN-6), 31 January 1944'; NavSource USS Ash (AN-7) page; DANFS Ash entry via Wayback
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancy on the AN-7 designation date, flagged not resolved: DANFS (and NavSource and the Naval Cover Museum, which derive from it) state Ash was 'redesignated AN-7 on 20 December 1942' the day she commissioned. Sister-ship records show the class-wide YN-to-AN reclassification occurring in January 1944: USS Aloe commissioned as YN-1 on 30 December 1942 and was reclassified AN-6 on 31 January 1944; USS Boxwood (YN-3) was reclassified AN-8 on 20 January 1944. If the AN symbol did not yet exist on 20 December 1942, DANFS may have conflated Ash's commissioning with the later reclassification; the record carries the DANFS date with the conflict noted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1942-1944
- Limitations
- Resolves nothing itself - documents a publication-level discrepancy between this hull's DANFS entry and the class reclassification pattern; does not affect identity or service timeline materially. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-06
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[7]U.S. EPA, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Asbestos, Beryllium and Mercury, final rule, 38 FR 8820 (April 6, 1973); OSHA Standard for Exposure to Asbestos Dust, 37 FR 11318 (June 7, 1972); OSHA ETS, 36 FR 23207 (December 7, 1971); OSHA air-contaminant adoption, 36 FR 10466 (May 29, 1971) [federal_register]
- Locator
- EPA NESHAP rule history page; 38 FR 8820 (April 6, 1973)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Disposal-era regulatory context: Ash was sold for scrapping 14 May 1971 and withdrawn from MARAD custody June 1971 - predating every asbestos-specific federal standard that followed: OSHA's emergency temporary asbestos-dust standard (36 FR 23207, 7 December 1971), OSHA's permanent asbestos standard (37 FR 11318, 7 June 1972, effective 7 July 1972), and EPA's asbestos NESHAP imposing work-practice requirements on demolition (38 FR 8820, 6 April 1973). (OSHA's generic air-contaminant TLV adoption including asbestos, 36 FR 10466, was published 29 May 1971 - after the sale.) No federally regulated abatement or hazmat documentation would be expected to exist for this hull's disposal, and none was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-24
- Study period
- 1971-1973
- Population
- Shipbreakers (1971, unregulated era - inference only)
- Limitations
- Regulatory-timeline context only - establishes that the hull's 1971 scrapping predated federal asbestos demolition work-practice rules, explaining (not excusing) the absence of an abatement paper trail. Establishes nothing about whether asbestos was aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-07
-
[8]Batch-1817 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback), NavSource, MARAD ShipHistory 340, NARA Special List 44 + muster-roll index, CourtListener API v4 name/hull/asbestos/docket searches, shipyards.json slug check [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-ash-an7-01 through sl-uss-ash-an7-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum documentation, or docketed asbestos case naming this hull was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion and docket searches by exact name ('USS Ash'), hull number ('AN-7'), and asbestos-coupled name query returned only name collisions - a Somali piracy prosecution, docket-number matches, surname cases, and a pro se habeas petition - none involving this vessel.
- 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 1941 naval auxiliary of wartime construction is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the hull was scrapped before regulated-abatement documentation existed. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-ash-an7-08