Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]research packet mp-packet.md (2 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Beagle (IX-112), ex-SS David Rittenhouse. — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Beagle_(IX-112)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-beagle-ix112-pkt-mp-packet-md
-
[2]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) - applied to the Z-ET1-S-C3 machinery family; shipscribe class data for machinery specifics [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section; shipscribe.com/usnaux/IX2/IX111.html class data block
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The vessel is a 1943 Maritime Commission Z-ET1-S-C3 emergency ('Liberty') tanker with an oil-fired boiler plant driving a 2,500-hp vertical triple-expansion engine - the same reciprocating steam machinery family documented in the USMC operating manual for the EC2-S-C1 plant, which 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. Per the Auxiliary Vessels Board record the class entered Navy service with 'no conversion of any kind,' so the Maritime Commission build material state was carried into naval service essentially unchanged. Typical applications for the machinery type: boiler and steam-drum insulation; steam-line lagging between boiler room and engine room; valve and flange gaskets; machinery packing; accommodation and galley insulation; brake linings on winches and windlass.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Construction trades (California Shipbuilding, Terminal Island, 1943); Navy IX-112 engine crew (commissioned 1943-1946)
- Limitations
- Design/era-level inference, not a hull record - the manual is for the EC2 cargo type, not the Z-ET1 tanker type; it does not name this vessel and does not itself state 'asbestos' content. Shared 2,500-hp vertical triple-expansion machinery family makes it relevant context only. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-01
-
[3]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 Z-ET1-S-C3 emergency tanker was mass-produced, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- 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 or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-02
-
[4]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Beagle (IX-112)' - text verified via hazegray transcription mirror at losthistory.net; canonical NHHC URLs returned 404 this session (standing link-rot issue noted in batch-01) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS entry body + data line, reproduced verbatim at losthistory.net/hazegray/danfs/ix/ix112.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS entry: 'The second Beagle (IX-112) was launched 29 October 1943 by California Shipbuilding Corp., Wilmington, Calif., under a Maritime Commission contract as David Rittenhouse; sponsored by Mrs. Victor Dalton; transferred to the Navy 20 November 1943; and commissioned the same day, Lieutenant R. E. Rew, Jr., USNR, in command. From California, Beagle proceeded to the Marshall Islands via Pearl Harbor. She served as a tanker, plying from Eniwetok, Kwajalein, and Majuro, to Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Yokosuka, Japan. On 10 March 1946 she was relieved and departed Eniwetok for the Atlantic. She arrived at the Canal Zone 16 April and reported to Norfolk, Va., 30 April 1946. She was decommissioned 13 June 1946 and returned to the Maritime Commission the same day.' Data line: 'IX-112: dp. 3665; l. 441'6"; b. 56'11", dr. 28'4"; s. 11 k.; cpl. 79; a. 1 5", 1 3"; cl. Armadillo.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Official Navy history establishes identity, construction, wartime role, and disposal milestones - but omits the Leyte operations campaign credit and one battle star (restored only from NavSource) and gives no merchant-service disposition. The data-line displacement (3,665) is the light figure; the class's 14,500-ton limiting displacement is documented by shipscribe/HyperWar. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-03
-
[5]shipscribe.com (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS Armadillo (IX-111) Class' - Ships' Data US Navy reconstruction for IX-111 through IX-127/129 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class page: data block, construction and disposition tables (IX-112 rows), class notes (Auxiliary Vessels Board 12 Oct 43; CNO 15 Oct 43), ship notes (IX-112/BEAGLE/MC 1901)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Ships' Data reconstruction (Stephen S. Roberts, shipscribe.com - US Navy auxiliary vessel records): ARMADILLO (IX-111) class, MC design Z-ET1-S-C3. Class data: 3,665 tons light / 14,500 limiting; 441.5' oa x 416.0' wl x 56.9' x 28.3' limiting; armament 1-5"/38, 1-3"/50, 8-20mm; complement 70 (1944); 11 kt; 2,500 hp, 1 screw, vertical triple expansion. Program origin (class notes): FY 1944; on 12 Oct 1943 the Auxiliary Vessels Board reported availability of new Liberty tankers for urgent floating-storage requirements at Pacific advanced bases and recommended acquiring 20 identified by MCE hull number 'with no conversion of any kind'; CNO instructions of 15 Oct 1943 confirmed no conversion authorized or necessary, ships to be armed, Navy to furnish 20 lengths of 4" and 6 lengths of 6" filling hose with fittings for transferring fuel to other ships; shakedown limited to minimum for safe passage; tentative plan - 6 Calship and 4 Delta hulls as 'clean' (gasoline/diesel) tankers, remainder 'dirty' fuel-oil tankers. Construction/disposition table for IX-112: acquired 20 Nov 43, California SB, keel 27 Sep 43, launched 29 Oct 43, commissioned 20 Nov 43; decommissioned 13 Jun 46, struck 3 Jul 46, disposed 13 Jun 46 (MC/D), MA sale 25 May 48. Ship note: 'Ex merc. DAVID RITTENHOUSE. Merc. DAVID RITTENHOUSE (MC) 1946, EDISON SKIPPER 1948, GEORGE S. 1955 and converted to dry cargo ship. Scrapped 1968 as MARIA G.L.' MC hull 1901.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Population
- Navy IX-112 crew (~70-79 wartime complement per conflicting sources) operating a station tanker at forward bases
- Limitations
- Research reconstruction from Navy primary records (Ships' Data Book, Auxiliary Vessels Board files) - authoritative-adjacent, not a government publication. Complement 70 (1944) conflicts with DANFS 79 and HyperWar 101 - logged in gaps. MA sale 25 May 48 conflicts with NavSource's 14 Jul 1948 Edison Tanker purchase - logged in gaps (likely award-vs-transfer split). Scrapping 1968 conflicts with NavSource's 1964 - logged. Clean-vs-dirty tanker assignment for this hull not stated. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-04
-
[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BEAGLE (IX-112) Detail 12829 and DAVID RITTENHOUSE Detail 1213, incl. digitized status-card images and custody-document PDF [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 12829 vessel block; Detail 1213 vessel block + milestone table; status card images 1213_2211AF.jpg, 1213_2211AB.jpg, 1Q8_01.png; document /documents/6846b817-4ba7-4766-9664-7d9d6c29effe.pdf
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records for the hull under both names. BEAGLE (IX-112), Ship History Detail 12829: year built 1943, U.S. Official No. 244650, shipyard California Shipbuilding Corporation, general type 'Naval Service Craft,' specific type 'IX Unclassified/Miscellaneous Vessel,' MARAD type Z-ET1-S-C3, length 441.50 ft, beam 56.80 ft, fate 'Sold - U.S. Operation.' DAVID RITTENHOUSE, Ship History Detail 1213: general type Tanker, MARAD type Z-ET1-S-C3, 7,243 gross / 4,384 net tons, summer draft 27.60, immersion 14,230 tons, milestones 'Entry 6/13/1946' and 'Acquisition 6/13/1946' (Maritime Commission custody return matching the Navy decommission/return date), fate 'Sold - Foreign Flag Op.' Digitized status cards exist for the Rittenhouse record (three card images plus a 'DAVID RITTENHOUSE.pdf' document scan); card handwriting is partially legible and corroborates the postwar custody chain including the Cosmopolitan Shipping and Edison Tanker entries.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1968
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, tonnage, and dimensions. Status-card scan handwriting partially legible (image OCR-assisted reading only). The Rittenhouse record's 'Specific Type: LNG Liquefied Natural Gas' label is a MARAD cataloging artifact - a 1943 reciprocating-steam tanker cannot be an LNG carrier. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-05
-
[7]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, 'USS Beagle (IX-112)' - DANFS-derived chronology, campaign table, specifications, merchant disposition chain [other_primary]
- Locator
- navsource.org/archives/09/46/46112.htm chronology/specifications/campaign sections (direct fetch blocked to automation; content captured via search index)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive entry for USS Beagle (IX-112): confirms MCE hull 1901, Z-ET1-S-C3, California Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington; laid down 27 September 1943 as SS David Rittenhouse; renamed Beagle (IX-112) 27 October 1943; launched 29 October 1943; commissioned 20 November 1943 at San Pedro, LT. Robert E. Rew, Jr., USNR, in command. Campaign listing: 'Leyte operations - Leyte landings, 13 October to 9 November 1944' (the only source carrying the battle-star campaign detail). Occupation service in the Far East 15 September 1945 to 10 March 1946. Decommissioned 13 June 1946 at Norfolk; transferred to the Maritime Commission same day; struck 3 July 1946; one battle star for WWII service; international radio call sign NJFL. Merchant chain: laid up NDRF James River Group, Lee Hall, VA; transferred under General Agency Agreement to Cosmopolitan Shipping Co. 25 March 1948; sold to Edison Tanker Corp. Inc., New York City, 14 July 1948, renamed Edison Skipper; sold December 1954, reflagged Liberian as George S., later Greek-flag Georgios Sideratos and Maria G. L.; scrapped 1964. Spec block: 14,500 t; 441'6" x 56'11" x 28'4"; 11 kt; complement 79; 1-5"/38 DP, 1-3"/50 DP, 8-20mm.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1964
- Limitations
- Volunteer archival compilation built on DANFS/Navy records - authoritative-adjacent. Direct page retrieval was blocked to automated fetch; text captured via search index - flagged for locator precision. Scrapping year 1964 conflicts with shipscribe's 1968 (as MARIA G.L.); departure 11 Mar 1946 (NavSource-derivative Wikipedia text) vs DANFS 10 Mar; Edison Tanker purchase 14 Jul 1948 vs shipscribe MA sale 25 May 48; intermediate name Georgios Sideratos appears only here - all logged in gaps. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-06
-
[8]usmm.org, 'Liberty Ships built by California Shipbuilding Corp., Terminal Island' - Z-ET1-S-C3 type list, hull 1901 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- usmm.org/l/calship.html, Z-ET1-S-C3 section, row '1901 David Rittenhouse - IX 112 Beagle'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The usmm.org Calship production list (American Merchant Marine at War memorial compilation), Z-ET1-S-C3 type tanker section, records MCE hull 1901 as 'David Rittenhouse' with Navy identity 'IX 112 Beagle' - confirming the merchant-to-Navy hull mapping and the design type, in sequence with the other Calship Armadillo-class hulls (1900 Sidney Howard/IX-111, 1902 William H. Carruth/IX-113, etc.).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Calship construction trades, Terminal Island, 1943
- Limitations
- Private memorial/reference compilation, not a government publication - used only for hull-number mapping and design-type confirmation, all independently verified by DANFS, MARAD, and shipscribe. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-07
-
[9]HyperWar Foundation (Patrick Clancey, compiler), 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945 - Unclassified Vessels: IX-112 USS Beagle' - compiled from Navy data [other_primary]
- Locator
- ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/IX/IX-112_Beagle.html specification block
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- HyperWar 'Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940-1945' IX listing for USS Beagle (IX-112): 'Armadillo class Unclassified Vessel: Displacement: 14,500 tons; Length: 442'; Beam: 57'; Draft: 28'; Speed: 11.5 knots; Armament: 1 5"/38 DP, 1 3"/50 DP, 8 20mm; Complement: 101; Used for: Tanker; Built at California Shipbuilding, Wilmington, Cal., and commissioned 20 November 1943.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1945 data
- Limitations
- Independently compiled public reference drawing on Navy data - authoritative-adjacent. Complement 101 conflicts with DANFS 79 and shipscribe 70 (1944) - logged in gaps; its 14,500-ton displacement is the limiting figure while DANFS prints the 3,665-ton light figure. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-08
-
[10]Batch-4681 search ledger (this record): DANFS (losthistory/hazegray mirror), MARAD ShipHistory Details 12829/1213 + status cards, shipscribe Armadillo class IX2/IX111, usmm.org Calship Z-ET1 list, HyperWar IX-112 page, NavSource 46112, NVR, CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-beagle-ix112-01 through sl-uss-beagle-ix112-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, material-condition report, or docketed case naming Beagle / David Rittenhouse / IX-112 / MC hull 1901 / Official No. 244650 was found in the public sources searched - the DANFS entry contains no materials statement; the MARAD record and status cards contain none; shipscribe, usmm.org, HyperWar, and NavSource contain none. No preservation-era documentation can exist - the hull was scrapped abroad in the 1960s and was never a museum, memorial, or long-term reserve-fleet asset. See search_ledger for query-level results.
- 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 emergency tanker's fabric is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the documented events (unconverted Navy service, 1955 dry-cargo conversion, foreign scrapping) are exactly where ACM disturbance is plausible but undocumented. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-09
-
[11]In re Joint Eastern and Southern Districts Asbestos Litigation (Robinson v. United States), 891 F.2d 31 (2d Cir. 1989) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 891 F.2d 31 (No. 1547, docket 89-6109)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Second Circuit ruling addressing mesothelioma claims by a mariner aboard War Shipping Administration vessels; the court considered jurisdiction over a personal-injury claim against the United States for asbestos exposure aboard the WWII government merchant fleet. Claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds - the characteristic litigation posture for claims tied to WWII government-controlled hulls. This hull was Navy-commissioned rather than WSA-operated during the war, but was built under Maritime Commission contract and returned to MC/merchant custody - the era's government-fleet claims framework bounds any hull-era exposure litigation context.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII merchant mariners and naval crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Fleet-level jurisdictional ruling; does not name this hull, does not find asbestos conditions aboard any specific vessel, and establishes only the litigation posture for WWII government-fleet claims. Navy-service exposure claims proceed under different doctrines than WSA-mariner claims; the row bounds litigation context only. Reporter citation confirmed in batch-01: 891 F.2d 31.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-10
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Naval Personnel/deck logs), RG 178 (US Maritime Commission), RG 248 (War Shipping Administration), RG 26 (USCG merchant logbooks) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov guide-fed-records groups 024/178/248/026; NARA catalog deck-logs series (catalog.archives.gov API was JS-gated this session)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require catalog-level or research-room work; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 U.S. Navy deck logs for IX-112 (in commission November 1943-June 1946; WWII deck logs are digitized in NARA's catalog series but this hull's logs were not individually surveyed); RG 178 West Coast Director for Construction files, San Francisco (Calship/MC hull 1901 construction and outfitting records); RG 248 War Shipping Administration records for the 1946-1948 custody/general-agency period; RG 26 merchant logbooks distributed by port of submission for the post-1948 Edison Skipper/George S. merchant career (New York register); the October 1943 Auxiliary Vessels Board recommendation file underlying the class acquisition.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1943-1968 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level or item-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents in these series is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beagle-ix112-11