Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS Asterion' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS Asterion' returned 1 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-asterion-af63-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS Asterion' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS Asterion' returned 3 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-asterion-af63-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AF-63' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AF-63' returned 4302 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-asterion-af63-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AF-63' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AF-63' returned 68133 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-asterion-af63-cl-hull-docket
-
[5]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Asterion' II (AF-63), Naval Historical Center (Wayback capture 2014-10-19 of history.navy.mil/danfs/a13/asterion-ii.htm) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS 'Asterion' II (AF-63) entry, full text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The second Asterion (AF-63) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 41) on 10 June 1944 at Los Angeles by California Shipbuilding Corp. as Arcadia Victory; launched 27 July 1944, sponsored by Mrs. James T. Wishart; delivered to American President Lines 3 September 1944. Removed from NDRF Suisun Bay 7 November 1961; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission 12 November 1961; renamed Asterion and classified store ship AF-63 on 4 December 1961; converted to a refrigerated store ship at Willamette Iron and Steel Co., Portland, OR. In service with MSTS (later MSC) September 1962 as USNS Asterion (T-AF-63), Pacific Area, delivering fresh and frozen foods; collision off San Francisco with Japanese freighter Kokoku Maru in 1963 caused minor bow damage; MSTS 'Smart Ship Award' 1967; Vietnam-era ports incl. Sattahip, Saigon, Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh Bay, Danang. Arrived Yokohama 8 June 1973; struck from the Navy list 15 June 1973; transferred to MARAD for disposal and sold to N. W. Kennedy, Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., 31 August 1973. DANFS header: dp. 12,130 (f.); l. 455'2"; b. 62'; dr. 28'6"; s. 17 k.; cpl. 56; cl. Asterion; T. VC2-S-AP3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Population
- MSTS civilian crew (56 per DANFS header); construction trades at Calship (1944); conversion yard workers at Willamette (1961-62)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy history for identity, chronology, and service. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or abatement information; establishes no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL returns 404 (documented link rot); Wayback capture of the official page used.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-01
-
[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - ARCADIA VICTORY, Ship History Detail 293 (incl. digitized status card PDF) and ASTERION (T-AF-63), Ship History Detail 5679 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 293 milestone table + ARCADIA VICTORY.pdf status card; Detail 5679 milestone table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD registry records: Arcadia Victory/Asterion (T-AF-63), year built 1944, U.S. Official No. 246329, California Shipbuilding Corporation, MARAD type VC2-S-AP3, 7,612 GRT / 4,555 NRT, 455.0 ft x 62.0 ft. Milestones: NDRF entry/acquisition 19 May 1950; 'PERM TRANSER TO NAVY' 7 November 1961; final disposition/withdrawal 31 August 1973 (fate 'Sold - Scrap'). The digitized status card logs the custody chain: WSA/APL general agency from 1944; Astoria lay-up; APL recharter July 1950; Suisun Bay lay-up July 1952; Pope & Talbot MSTS charter 31 May 1955; Olympia lay-up 28 October 1955; Pacific Far East Line charter 16 April 1956; Suisun Bay lay-up 24 October 1957; transfer to Navy Dept. 7 November 1961.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1973
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, registry specs, and charter/lay-up chronology. Status-card handwriting partially legible (OCR-aided); no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Second MARAD detail page (5679) at https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/5679.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-02
-
[7]Stephen S. Roberts, 'USS Denebola (AF 56, VC2-S-AP3) Class,' shipscribe.com U.S. Navy auxiliary ship data (compiled 2021-07-22) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AF 56 class page - Class Notes, construction/disposition tables, ship note for AF 63 (MCV 41)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- FY 1962 acquisition program detail: Commander MSTS requested approval 29 September 1961 to acquire two Victory ships for conversion to MSTS reefer ships (without the armament and military features of AF 56-57); the Commerce Department authorized transfer of two Victory ships from the NDRF to the Navy on 25 October 1961; MSTS informed CNO on 2 November 1961 it had selected ARCADIA VICTORY (MCV 41) and UNION VICTORY (MCV 683); SECNAV assigned the names ASTERION (AF 63) and PERSEUS (AF 64) on 4 December 1961. Asterion was converted by Willamette Iron & Steel, Portland, OR; after MSTS service she briefly went to MSC ready-reserve/MA temporary custody between 8 June and 15 June 1973 before final inactivation; delivered to buyer 18 September 1973. Shipscribe groups AF 56, 57, 63, 64 under 'Denebola (AF 56, VC2-S-AP3) Class' - see correction row on class naming.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1961-1973
- Limitations
- Privately compiled reference work built from BuShips/SECNAV primary records - treated as a reliable secondary compilation, not itself a primary document; dates corroborated where they overlap DANFS/MARAD. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-03
-
[8]Associated Press report, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 5 June 1963 (front page, 'Collision Forces 44 Crewmen To Abandon on Ship Outside Bay'); UPI report, Eugene Register-Guard, 6 June 1963 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Santa Cruz Sentinel 1963-06-05 p.1 (AP); Eugene Register-Guard 1963-06-06 p.9 (UPI)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- On the night of Tuesday 4 June 1963, USNS Asterion collided in dense fog with the outbound Japanese freighter Kokoku Maru off the California coast near Point Reyes, roughly 30-40 miles northwest of San Francisco. Kokoku Maru was holed amidships (a gash ~30 ft wide by ~40-45 ft high; No. 2 engine room, boiler room, and holds 2 and 3 flooded) and her 44-man crew abandoned ship; one crewman was killed, others injured, and 43 survivors were rescued by Coast Guard units after hours adrift in heavy seas. Kokoku Maru was towed into San Francisco and her voyage abandoned. Asterion suffered a smashed bow but proceeded into San Francisco under her own power; contemporary reports put her complement at 84.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1963-06-04 to 1963-06-06
- Population
- 84 aboard Asterion (press figure); 44 crew of Kokoku Maru
- Limitations
- Contemporaneous press reporting; establishes the casualty event and damage scope, not fault allocation or materials. Complement figure (84) is press-reported, not Navy-verified. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim. See correction row for the date discrepancy in secondary sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-04
-
[9]Nippon Shosen Kaisha, K.K. v. United States, 238 F. Supp. 55 (N.D. Cal. 1964) (Sweigert, J.), consolidated dockets 28865, 28873, 28889; CourtListener opinion 2401495 [court_record]
- Locator
- 238 F. Supp. 55 (N.D. Cal., decided 1964-01-08); CourtListener opinion 2401495; UPI report in Eugene Register-Guard 1963-06-06 (Kawasaki Kisen suit)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- The Kokoku Maru collision produced federal admiralty litigation naming the Asterion: the Kokoku Maru's owner petitioned for exoneration from/limitation of liability on 8 July 1963 under the Shipowners' Limitation of Liability Act, with the United States (as operator of the public vessel Asterion) as respondent/cross-libelant and cargo insurers as libelants; UPI separately reported a $400,000 negligence suit by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha against the U.S. government. The single published opinion (8 January 1964) resolves only which party is entitled to cargo-sale proceeds in the court registry (Sumitomo's claim denied on abandonment grounds) - it is a merits-adjacent ruling on registry proceeds, not a fault determination, and it is an admiralty collision case, not asbestos litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1963-1964
- Limitations
- Other litigation - non-asbestos admiralty proceeding. The published opinion describes the collision location as 'approximately five miles southerly of Point Reyes' and the voyage termination 13 June 1963; no opinion allocating collision fault was located in reported sources, and the disposition of the limitation petition on the merits is not established by this record. CourtListener full-text API was rate-limited at query time; the opinion was verified via the F. Supp. vol. 238 citation index page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-05
-
[10]Batch-557 source reconciliation: NavSource photo caption (collision '5 May 1963'); Wikipedia USNS Asterion article ('5 June 1963' and 'launched 1 July 1944', 'completed 22 September 1944'); shipscribe AF-56 class notes; DANFS AF-63 entry [court_record]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/06/0663.htm caption; en.wikipedia.org USNS_Asterion_(T-AF-63); shipscribe AF56 class table; DANFS header 'cl. Asterion'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Secondary-source discrepancies resolved: (a) collision date - a NavSource photo caption states 5 May 1963 and Wikipedia states 5 June 1963, but contemporaneous AP/UPI reporting and Coast Guard historical accounts place the collision on the night of 4 June 1963 (reported 'Tuesday night'; 4 June 1963 was a Tuesday); 4 June carried. (b) Merchant dates - Wikipedia's infobox/prose give 'launched 1 July 1944' and 'completed 22 September 1944'; DANFS and shipscribe give launched 27 July 1944 and delivered/completed 3 September 1944 (MARAD status card shows Los Angeles delivery 9-3-44); DANFS dates carried. (c) Class naming - shipscribe groups AF 56/57/63/64 under 'Denebola (AF 56) Class' and NavSource labels Perseus 'Denebola Class' while labeling Asterion 'Asterion Class'; DANFS gives 'cl. Asterion' for this hull, so 'Asterion' is carried per DANFS and batch instruction.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1963 events; sources through 2021
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level conflicts among secondary sources in favor of DANFS/contemporaneous reporting; does not affect identity or the asbestos posture. No asbestos content in any source cited here.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-06
-
[11]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-shipbuilding program under which this VC2-S-AP3 Victory hull was mass-produced at California Shipbuilding in 1944 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- 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 or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-07
-
[12]NPS National Historic Landmark / National Register nominations for surviving VC2 Victory hulls (Lane Victory NRHP 90002222; American Victory NRHP 01001533; Red Oak Victory NRHP 00001674); VC2-S-AP2 class profile (internal class-c worktree) [nps]
- Locator
- NPS npgallery nominations 90002222, 01001533, 00001674 - machinery sections; class-c/vc2-s-ap2-victory.class.json propulsion_summary
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- NPS nominations for surviving VC2 Victory hulls document the class machinery anatomy shared with this VC2-S-AP3 hull: twin Babcock & Wilcox sectional-header boilers (~465 psi operating, 750 deg F) driving a geared steam turbine (~6,000-8,500 shp) on a single screw - a steam plant whose era-standard insulation applications (boiler casing, steam-line lagging, gaskets, packing) were commonly asbestos-containing in 1944-45 construction. The VC2-S-AP3 hull additionally received a 1961-62 refrigerated-stores conversion adding reefer-plant and insulated cargo-space scope. All three NPS nominations contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944 construction; 1961-62 conversion
- Population
- Construction trades (Calship, 1944); Willamette conversion yard workers (1961-62); MSTS engine crew
- Limitations
- Class/design-level anatomy only - the nominations do not name this vessel and do not state 'asbestos'; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. The internal class profile covers VC2-S-AP2; AP3 shares the same propulsion family but differs in cargo arrangement - the inference is carried at class_or_era, not ship_specific. Does not establish quantity or presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-08
-
[13]In re American President Lines, Ltd., and 102 Other Shipowner-Defendants in the Ohio Asbestos Litigation (MARDOC), 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991) [court_record]
- Locator
- 929 F.2d 226 (6th Cir. 1991); CourtListener opinion 558063
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-level asbestos litigation context: MARDOC consolidated maritime asbestos claims against 103 shipowner/operators including American President Lines - this hull's War Shipping Administration general agent and operator from 1944 through the early 1950s. Merchant-fleet asbestos litigation proceeded under owner/operator names rather than hull names, so hull-name searches structurally undercount the litigation surface for vessels of this type.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1991 (opinion); 1944-1952 operating period
- Population
- Merchant mariners on government-owned vessels (operator context)
- Limitations
- Procedural/jurisdictional ruling naming operators, not hulls; the opinion does not name Arcadia Victory or Asterion and makes no finding about conditions aboard any specific vessel. Establishes only the litigation posture for government-owned merchant-fleet claims.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-09
-
[14]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (1995), as carried in the Atlas shipyards.json record for willamette-iron-steel (yard_id ev-willamette-01) [court_record]
- Locator
- shipyards.json willamette-iron-steel ev-willamette-01; Lineaweaver, 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- Yard-level product documentation for the conversion yard: the Atlas shipyard record for Willamette Iron & Steel Corporation (Portland, OR) carries a litigation_product_id finding that Pabco (Fibreboard) asbestos insulation was used as fill-in insulation on ships at 'Willamette Shipyard' in the 1960s and 1970s (documented study period 1966-1968). Asterion underwent her refrigerated-stores conversion at this yard in 1961-62 - the same yard, a few years earlier than the documented window.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1966-1968 documented; conversion work on this hull 1961-1962
- Population
- Shipyard insulators (Willamette, Portland)
- Limitations
- Conversion-yard-level evidence, not a hull record: the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard' (corporate identity is itself an inference flagged 'disputed' in the yard record), the documented period (1966-68) postdates this hull's 1961-62 conversion, and nothing names Asterion or establishes that any product was installed aboard her. Context for the conversion yard's documented asbestos era only; does not establish presence, quantity, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-10
-
[15]Batch-557 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback); MARAD ShipHistory Details 293/5679 + status card; shipscribe AF-56 class; NavSource AF-63/AF-64; AP/UPI collision reporting; CourtListener citation index + site-level name searches; NVR; Corn & Starr AJIM 1987 [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-asterion-af63-01 through sl-uss-asterion-af63-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or asbestos case naming Arcadia Victory or Asterion (AF-63) was found in the public sources searched - DANFS is silent on materials, the MARAD registry and status card contain no materials information, and the only docketed litigation located is the non-asbestos collision admiralty proceeding (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1944 Victory hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing construction, and her 1961-62 reefer conversion predates asbestos product phase-outs. CourtListener API full-text search was rate-limited at query time (shared daily cap); name/hull classification used the citation index and site-level search as a partial substitute - residual incompleteness is logged as a gap. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-asterion-af63-11
-
[16]NARA record-group paths mapped for hull files: RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission - construction/charter records for MCV-41), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration operating files), RG 26 (USCG merchant-vessel documentation/logbooks by port - Los Angeles/San Francisco), federal court records at NARA San Francisco (N.D. Cal. admiralty dockets 28865/28873/28889 collision file), and BuShips conversion-contract records (RG 19) for the 1961-62 Willamette reefer conversion [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/178.html ; /groups/248.html ; NARA San Bruno (N.D. Cal. case files)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): RG 178/248 may hold MCV-41 construction-outfitting specifications and WSA/APL operating files; RG 26 holds merchant documentation and wartime logbooks; NARA San Francisco federal court files would hold the full collision-litigation record beyond the published opinion; RG 19/BuShips contract files would document the Willamette conversion scope including insulation work.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1973 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-asterion-af63-12