USS Aucilla (AO-56)

Evidence

14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).

1. [1]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 World War II - the era and program under which this 1943 Maritime Commission T3-S2-A1 fleet oiler was built and operated, including wartime boiler, steam-line, and machinery insulation applications.

   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 and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-01

2. [2]U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ships Technical Manual, NAVSHIPS 250-000, Chapter 39 'Thermal Insulation' (1960, page date 15 April 1959) [other_primary]

   Locator

   BuShips TM ch.39, sections 39-11 through 39-13 (materials) - verbatim OCR text of retrieved PDF

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The 1960 Bureau of Ships Technical Manual insulation chapter (NAVSHIPS 250-000, ch. 39) enumerates the asbestos material suite standard to Navy steam plants of this hull's construction and service era: MIL-P-2781 pipe covering including 85% magnesia 'formed from a combination of 85 percent magnesium carbonate with about 15 percent asbestos fiber' and a class 'formed from a uniform mixture of amosite asbestos fibers'; roll asbestos felt MIL-I-15091; asbestos cloth/tape SS-C-466 (80-95% chrysotile) as lagging; asbestos millboard HH-M-351; asbestos finishing cement; molded asbestos block for high-temperature service. This hull's four Foster Wheeler boilers, geared turbines, and steam distribution are the equipment classes these specifications cover, and her documented 1954-1968 Navy-yard and private-yard overhauls fell within the era this spec regime governed.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1960 manual; describes era-standard specifications applicable to 1943-1970 service period

   Population

   Navy engine-room and shipyard insulation trades (era context)

   Limitations

   Specification-level documentation of the materials the Navy specified, not a ship-specific installation record - establishes what the era insulation suite contained, not what was or remains aboard this hull. The retrieved PDF is a scan hosted in the Garlock bankruptcy Daubert-appendix repository; the document itself is the government manual. Does not establish quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-02

3. [3]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (NHHC) - 'Aucilla (AO-56)' entry [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   DANFS 'Aucilla (AO-56)' entry, full text (verbatim capture in research/aucilla-danfs.txt)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   DANFS entry for Aucilla (AO-56), spec block verbatim: '(AO-56: dp. 23,235 (tl.); l. 553'0"; b. 75'0"; dr. 32'4" (lim.); s. 18.0 k.; cpl. 313; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Ashtabula; T. T3-S2-A1)' - the class is Ashtabula per DANFS and the Maritime Commission type is T3-S2-A1. Namesake: 'A river in northern Florida that flows south from southern Georgia into Apalachee Bay.' Narrative: laid down 25 May 1943 at Sparrows Point, Md., by Bethlehem Steel Co. under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 722); launched 20 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Hope Ridings Miller; commissioned 22 December 1943, Comdr. Cornelius M. Sullivan in command. WWII: Norfolk Navy Yard fitting-out (Dec 1943); Trinidad/Aruba fuel shuttles; two UK convoy runs; Panama transit Oct 1944; Ulithi ServRon 10 from 7 Nov 1944; fueled Third/Fifth Fleet units through Luzon strikes, the South China Sea sweep, Iwo Jima (15-26 Feb 1945), Okinawa (16 Mar-4 May 1945), and the final Japan raids (11 Jul-15 Aug 1945); five battle stars; Tokyo Bay 2 Oct 1945; occupation duty incl. JTF-1 logistics support for the 1946 Bikini atomic tests; China service Mar 1947. Postwar: Atlantic Fleet logistics from Norfolk; Sixth Fleet Mediterranean deployments from Jun 1952; homeported Barcelona Jun 1955-Apr 1957; Lebanon landings support summer 1958; Six-Day War response Jun 1967; Gemini 6/7 recovery support 1965. Documented yard availabilities: civilian-yard overhaul Baltimore mid-1954; Bethlehem Shipyard Hoboken N.J. three-month modification/repair Dec 1954-Mar 1955; four-month regular overhaul New York Naval Shipyard then Baltimore civilian-yard boiler repairs summer 1957; six-month regular overhaul Boston Naval Shipyard Jun-Nov 1959; regular overhauls at Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Nov 1961-Feb 1962, Mar-Jun 1964, Nov 1967-Apr 1968. Inactivation prep Sep 1970; out of commission at Norfolk 18 Dec 1970; transferred to MARAD 7 Oct 1971 for James River NDRF berthing; stricken from Navy list 1 Dec 1976; still berthed James River as of early 1987.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1943-1987 (entry coverage)

   Population

   Ship's complement (unstated) and yard workforces at documented availabilities

   Limitations

   Authoritative identity/history record naming this hull. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC page served content only with a browser User-Agent this session (empty response to default curl). Entry text ends 'as of the beginning of 1987' - post-1987 disposal detail absent (supplied by MARAD record and press). No complement or machinery figures stated.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-03

4. [4]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - AUCILLA (AO-56), Ship History Detail 363, including digitized Vessel Status Card (AUCILLA.pdf) [marad_nrc]

   Locator

   ShipHistory Detail 363 milestone table, spec block, photo caption; status card scan at https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/documents/1aa259b8-9b51-4b2d-827f-ac4cd54f2e6f.pdf (card read at 3x render; typewritten delivery entries)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   MARAD ShipHistory record (Detail 363) and digitized vessel status card document: MARAD type T3-S2-A1; year built 1943; shipyard Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Division; gross tonnage 11,316; milestones show NDRF custody entry and acquisition 7 Oct 1971 and disposition/withdrawal 6 Jul 1992 with content note 'CUST 1971 NDRF 1971'; fate field 'Scrapped.' The status card records delivery from 'Beth. Sparrows Pt. Shipyd.' to the U.S. Maritime Commission at 11:00 a.m. (EWT) 12-22-43 at Sparrows Point, Md., and transfer to the Navy Department the same day. A USN photo in the MARAD record shows the ship at the New York Naval Shipyard undergoing inclining experiment 14 June 1957, corroborating the DANFS 1957 NYNSY overhaul.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1943-1992

   Limitations

   Authoritative government custody/disposal record. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Status card covers the 1943 delivery chain only; NDRF-era events (1979/1985/1991 stripping withdrawals reported by NavSource) do not appear on the card face scanned. 'MARAD Type T3-S2-A1' controls over secondary 'T3-S2-A3' spec-block prints - see correction row.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-04

5. [5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Aucilla (AO-56), Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index (navsource.org/archives/09/19/19056.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   AO-56 page: chronology, spec block, final disposition; page content captured via search-index extraction - direct fetch unreachable (connection failure) from this network 2026-09-24

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource contributor-compiled ship page (Fleet Oiler photo index) documents: laid down 25 May 1943 as MC hull 722 at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Sparrows Point; launched 20 Nov 1943; commissioned 22 Dec 1943 (CDR Cornelius M. Sullivan); spec block - displacement 7,236 t lt / 25,440 t fl, 553' x 73' x 32'4", complement 22 officers + 291 enlisted, propulsion two Bethlehem geared turbines + four Foster Wheeler 'K'-type boilers 450 psi 750 deg F, Falk reduction gears, 13,500 shp; WWII campaign listing (Leyte/Luzon/Iwo Jima/Okinawa/3rd Fleet Japan ops) matching DANFS; postwar chronology incl. occupation, China service Mar 1947; decommissioned 18 Dec 1970 Norfolk; transferred to MARAD 7 Oct 1971 (James River Group, Lee Hall VA); title transferred to MARAD 1 Jul 1973; stricken 1 Dec 1976; Navy stripping withdrawals 12-25 Jun 1979, 27 Jul-21 Aug 1985, 17 Apr-10 Jul 1991; final disposition - sale for scrapping 5 Feb 1992 to Space International Trading Ltd. (MA-12707, $951,000) not consummated (buyer failed to pay balance), resale for scrapping 27 Apr 1992 to Trusha Investments Pte. Ltd. (MA-12727, $620,000), scrapped 25 Oct 1992.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1943-1992

   Limitations

   Volunteer-compiled secondary source - used as a lead/consistency layer, not as an authoritative record. Construction/commissioning/disposal facts agree with DANFS and MARAD where verifiable; the 1973 title-transfer date, the three stripping-withdrawal episodes, the MA-12707/MA-12727 contract numbers and dollar figures, and the 25 Oct 1992 scrapping-completion date are NavSource-only (partially corroborated: Maritime Reporter March 1992 confirms the $951,000 Space International bid; Virginian-Pilot July 1992 confirms the Trusha sale and India tow). 'T3-S2-A3' type print conflicts with MARAD's T3-S2-A1 - see correction row. Supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-05

6. [6]The Virginian-Pilot, 'Russian Tug Docks at NN Pier,' 1992-07-02; Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, March 1992 (MARAD bid roundup, p.54) [reputable_press]

   Locator

   Virginian-Pilot article text; Maritime Reporter 1992-03 issue page 54 (magazines.marinelink.com archive)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Contemporary press corroborates the disposal chain: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk), 2 July 1992, reports the Russian tug Neftegaz at Newport News 'to tow a ship from the James River reserve fleet to India. The Navy tanker Aucilla was sold in May to Singapore buyer Trusha Investments PTE Ltd., which will scrap the ship' - with the James River fleet superintendent quoted on the tow-out arrangement (McAllister Towing to move Aucilla downriver to Neftegaz). Maritime Reporter (March 1992) reports Space International Trading Inc. of Centreville, Va., 'offered a bid of $951,000 for the tanker Aucilla' in the MARAD sale round - corroborating the first (failed) sale.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1992

   Limitations

   Reputable-press corroboration of the disposal pathway (foreign sale, tow to India for scrapping) - consistent with MARAD milestones (withdrawal 6 Jul 1992) and NavSource's contract detail. Contains no asbestos or hazmat information; the 1992 export predates U.S. NESHAP-era demolition documentation expectations - supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-06

7. [7]C.E. Thurston & Sons Inc. Asbestos Related Claims and Demands Trust, Approved Site List (CRMC/claimsres.com; Trust established under confirmed Chapter 11 plan, Bankr. E.D. Va. No. 03-75932-SCS, confirmed 2006-03-30) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Approved Site List (CSV export of the trust's published site sheet), row: '949,USS Aucilla (AO-56),,,11/20/1961,12/18/1970,28812'; linked from https://www.claimsres.com/documents/c-e-thurston/

   Finding type

   litigation_product_id

   Finding

   The C.E. Thurston & Sons Inc. Asbestos Trust's published Approved Site List (claims administrator CRMC/claimsres.com) names 'USS Aucilla (AO-56)' as an approved exposure site, with an exposure window of 11/20/1961 to 12/18/1970. The window's start date coincides exactly with the day DANFS records the ship entering the Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. yard for regular overhaul (20 Nov 1961), and the end date is her decommissioning date (18 Dec 1970). The trust's site-approval procedure requires 'meaningful and credible' evidence - invoices, authenticated company documents, deposition/trial testimony, interrogatory or admission responses, affidavits - that Thurston asbestos products were used at the site, and states that ship sites are evaluated on construction/overhaul records at 'certain Virginia shipyards' (Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock and Norfolk Naval Shipyard are both on the list). No Cimarron/Ashtabula-group sister hull appears on the list.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1961-1970 (listed window); trust list current as of 2026-09-24 access

   Population

   Personnel aboard USS Aucilla and Norfolk-area yard workers during the 1961-1970 window per the trust's site record

   Limitations

   Claims-administration record at allegation level - the least-final litigation-stage category. Site approval reflects the trust's evidence review that Thurston asbestos products were used at the site; it is NOT a judicial finding, NOT a physical survey, NOT an adjudication of any individual claim, and does not establish that asbestos remains aboard, that any individual was exposed, or causation. The date window derives from the trust's site record; the coincidence with the 20 Nov 1961 NORSHIPCO overhaul start and the 18 Dec 1970 decommissioning is consistent with an overhaul-linked basis but the trust's underlying site file is not public - the specific evidence behind the listing (invoices, testimony, or documents) is unknown. The Google-sheet publication is the trust administrator's official site-list channel (linked from claimsres.com documents page); stability of the link is not guaranteed.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-07

8. [8]C.E. Thurston & Sons Asbestos Trust, 'Procedure for Adding a Site to the Approved Site List' (2007-12-04), implementing TDP section 7.7(b)(3) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Procedure document, pp. 1-2 (verbatim text captured)

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   The trust's published site-approval procedure (CRMC, 4 Dec 2007) defines what the ev-07 listing means: sites are added to the Approved Site List where 'it has been established that Thurston Asbestos products were used,' on evidence types including invoices, authenticated company documents, deposition/trial testimony, interrogatory responses, responses to requests for admission, and affidavits; for ships, 'the ship may be submitted as a site' where exposure occurred onboard a ship 'constructed or overhauled at a site where Thurston provided asbestos products,' with 'records of when and where the ship was constructed or overhauled' required - ship sites need not match on state/city.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   2007 (procedure); trust claims era

   Limitations

   Interpretive context for ev-07 only - describes the trust's evidentiary standard for site listing; does not itself establish anything about this hull, and the standard is administered by the trust, not a court. Does not disclose what specific evidence underlies the Aucilla listing.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-08

9. [9]Fay v. United States, 22 F.R.D. 28, 1962 A.M.C. 527 (E.D.N.Y. 1958) (Zavatt, J.), No. 20581 [court_record]

   Locator

   Opinion text (CourtListener opinion 8754131): libelant Fay's employment and vessel identification paragraphs

   Finding type

   litigation_documented

   Finding

   Fay v. United States, 22 F.R.D. 28 (E.D.N.Y. 1958): a Public Vessels Act suit by a pipe-fitter employed by Bethlehem Steel Company, alleged injuries 4 Jan 1955 while the employer 'was engaged in stevedoring work on the vessel U.S.N.S. Aucilla.' The opinion is a procedural ruling on notices to depose the United States and the vessel's captain/chief officer - granted in modified form. The date places the alleged injury squarely within the ship's documented Dec 1954-Mar 1955 modification/repair period at the Bethlehem Shipyard, Hoboken, N.J., and corroborates outside-contractor tradesmen (Bethlehem pipe-fitters) working aboard the hull during a yard availability.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-24

   Study period

   1955 (alleged injury); 1958 (ruling)

   Population

   Bethlehem Steel pipe-fitter (libelant Fay); ship officers

   Limitations

   Non-asbestos personal-injury litigation, resolved here only at the discovery-procedure stage (deposition-notice ruling); no merits adjudication of the injury claim was located, and no asbestos content appears in the opinion. Value to this record: ship-specific litigation history confirming contractor tradesmen aboard during a documented yard period. Opinion styles the commissioned vessel 'U.S.N.S.' - a common court-era styling, not a designation change.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-09

10. [10]Batch-1903 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC; MARAD ShipHistory 363 + status card; NavSource; CourtListener v4 authenticated sweeps (name, hull, docket); NVR; NARA SL44; law-firm ship lists (excluded source class) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-aucilla-ao56-01 through sl-uss-aucilla-ao56-15

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located beyond the Thurston trust site listing (ev-07): no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, condition report, or docketed asbestos case naming USS Aucilla or AO-56 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener authenticated API sweeps: 'Aucilla' opinions (37 hits) - all Florida Aucilla River/entity name collisions except Fay v. United States (ship-related, non-asbestos, ev-09); 'AO-56' opinions (1 hit) - name collision (Varner v. State, Fla. 1983); '"USS Aucilla" OR "USNS Aucilla" OR "U.S.N.S. Aucilla"' (1 hit) - Fay only; docket search (94 hits) - all name collisions (Aucilla, Inc. debtor; Aucilla Chase LLC real estate; unrelated party lists). Naval Vessel Register carries no AO-56 record (hull stricken 1976, disposed 1992 - pre-1987 disposals are outside current NVR coverage). Law-firm marketing lists naming the hull (gorilaw, bellucklaw/C.E. Thurston page, mesobook, simmonsfirm) are an excluded source class and are not cited.

    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 1943 high-pressure-steam auxiliary is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and materials, and the trust site listing (ev-07) is consistent with it at claims-administration level. Absence of indexed litigation is not absence of exposure or of unreported claims/settlements. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-10

11. [11]Braaten v. Saberhagen Holdings, 165 Wn.2d 373, 198 P.3d 1010 (Wash. 2008) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion factual background (Navy equipment asbestos use; PSNS exposure history)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Washington Supreme Court's factual summary states that Navy specifications called for asbestos-containing insulation, gaskets, and packing aboard its vessels: 'the use of asbestos in and on Navy valves, pumps, and turbines was not by chance, but by design.' The opinion describes pipefitters/insulators disturbing asbestos insulation during shipyard maintenance at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard - the same equipment classes (geared turbines, valves, pumps, steam piping) documented aboard this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1960s-1970s exposure era recounted in 2008 opinion

    Population

    Navy shipyard workers (PSNS), plaintiff pipefitter (era context)

    Limitations

    Documents Navy-wide era practice and PSNS yard exposure, not this vessel specifically. The opinion does not name this hull or class. Era/context support only - does not establish asbestos aboard this hull, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-11

12. [12]NARA record-group guidance (RG 24 deck logs; RG 178 U.S. Maritime Commission) and MARAD contract-file references (MA-12707, MA-12727); NARA Special List 44 named-vessel index [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov logbook guidance + SL44 index (AO-56 absent); MARAD contract numbers per NavSource final-disposition entry

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs - Special List 44 (WWII named-vessel deck-log index) does not list AO-56; post-war logs would sit in the deck-log series at Archives II. (b) MARAD disposal files behind sale contracts MA-12707 (Space International Trading, failed) and MA-12727 (Trusha Investments, consummated) plus any James River NDRF condition/withdrawal records for the 1979/1985/1991 stripping episodes reported by NavSource. (c) BuShips/NAVSEA availability and work-package records for the 1954-55 Hoboken, 1957 New York Naval Shipyard, 1959 Boston Naval Shipyard, and 1961-68 Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock overhauls - the period the trust's site window covers. (d) Maritime Commission construction/contract files for MC hull 722 (RG 178).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1943-1992 records

    Limitations

    Record-group mapping and lead identification only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-12

13. [13]Cross-source reconciliation: MARAD ShipHistory 363 vs NavSource AO-56 spec block vs HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy 1940-1945' AO-56 page vs Auke Visser MC hull table (aukevisser.nl/t2tanker, hull 722 row) vs shipscribe AO-51 class data [other_primary]

    Locator

    MC hull table row 722 (T3-S2-A1, yard 4402, 22-Dec-43, 'to NDRF 1992'); NavSource/HyperWar spec blocks; shipscribe AO-51 class page

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) MC type suffix - DANFS spec block, MARAD ShipHistory, and the Auke Visser Maritime Commission hull table (hull 722, Bethlehem yard 4402) all record T3-S2-A1; NavSource and HyperWar spec blocks print T3-S2-A3. The A3 suffix belongs to the later Sun Ship Mispillion group (MC hulls 2701-2705) per the MC hull table; T3-S2-A1 adopted. (b) Installed power - NavSource and shipscribe class data give 13,500 shp; HyperWar prints 30,400 hp. The 13,500 figure is consistent with the T3-S2-A1 design (class trial ~16,900 shp); 30,400 logged as a variance, not adopted. (c) Complement - DANFS spec block prints 313; NavSource's 22 officers + 291 enlisted agrees; HyperWar prints 314 and shipscribe's class figure gives 263 for 1944 - minor variants noted. (d) Displacement - DANFS spec block prints dp. 23,235 (tl. = full-load figure); NavSource/HyperWar print 7,236 lt / 25,440 fl - variant sets noted, not merged. (e) Class label - DANFS 'cl. Ashtabula' vs 'Cimarron class' framing in most secondary sources (the Ashtabula war-construction group is a Cimarron sub-class) - both carried. (f) Title transfer to MARAD 1 Jul 1973 is NavSource-only (DANFS/MARAD milestones record custody transfer 7 Oct 1971) - carried in gaps.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1943-1992 records

    Limitations

    Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary spec blocks; does not affect identity or custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-13

14. [14]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Federal Surplus Ships: Government Efforts to Address the Growing Backlog of Ships Awaiting Disposal,' GAO/NSIAD-99-18 (February 1999) [gao]

    Locator

    NSIAD-99-18 report text (MARAD overseas-scrapping reliance, 1983-1994; backlog tables)

    Finding type

    regulatory

    Finding

    GAO documents the disposal pathway this hull followed: 'From 1983 through 1994, MARAD sold almost all of its ships for overseas scrapping' (NSIAD-99-18, Feb 1999) - the program under which the hull was sold to a Singapore buyer and towed to India in 1992. Overseas sales proceeded through broker/buyer contracts (MA-series) without the domestic NESHAP demolition documentation that later governed U.S. scrapping.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-24

    Study period

    1983-1994 documented; report 1999

    Population

    Foreign shipbreaking workers (program context)

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation explaining why no domestic demolition/abatement record for this hull was expected - MARAD disposed of ships via overseas scrapping sales in this period. Does not name this hull; establishes the policy context of the 1992 disposal only.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-aucilla-ao56-14