Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
-
[1]research packet mj-packet.md (5 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERDICT: VERIFIED — real identity: USS Beaver (Id. No. 2302, later AS-5); type: submarine tender
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-beaver-id2302-pkt-mj-packet-md
-
[2]Naval History Division / Naval Historical Center, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. I (A-B), 1959 edition - 'Beaver' main entry and Appendix (AS-5) ship-data block (digitized at archive.org) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. I p. 'Beaver' entry (between 'Beaver/Beaverhead' alphabetics); Appendix p. 264 area, 'AS 5 BEAVER (ex BEAVER)' data block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Print DANFS Vol. I (1959) entry 'Beaver (AS-5)': launched 27 November 1909 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va.; purchased by the Navy (main text '1 July 1917' - see correction row); converted to a submarine tender by Mare Island Navy Yard; commissioned 1 October 1918, Lt. Cmdr. J. A. Logan in command. Specs line: dp. 4737; l. 380'; b. 47'; dr. 20'3"; s. 16.5 k.; cpl. 291; a. 4 5". Appendix AS-5 data: Acquired 7/1/18, commissioned 10/1/18; standard displacement 4,670 t, mean draft 16'; accommodations 23 officers / 274 enlisted; main armament (4) 5"/51; Newport News reciprocating engines, Foster boilers, 4,500 shp. Narrative: west coast to June 1919; convoyed a submarine division to the new Pearl Harbor submarine base; east coast; assisted S-5 salvage in 1920; flagship Submarine Flotilla 3 and tender SubDiv 18 (Portsmouth, N.H., 1921); Asiatic Station late 1921-early 1922; returned San Pedro 1922; tender SubDiv 16 at Cavite and Tsingtao 1925-1932; SubRon 4 Pearl Harbor 1932-1939; San Diego repairs/modernization 1940; SubRon 7 New London to October 1942; Roseneath, Scotland with SubRon 50 to July 1943; departed San Diego 20 September 1943 for Dutch Harbor (SubRon 45) until mid-February 1944, assisting in establishing the Attu base; San Diego submarine training school from 12 February 1944; conversion to internal combustion engine repair ship from mid-June 1945 (ARG-19, 25 June 1945); departed San Diego 28 August via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok; Far East occupation duty until 3 May 1946; decommissioned 17 July 1946; transferred to War Shipping Administration 5 August 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1909-1946
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, specs, and service chronology. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. Main-text purchase date '1 July 1917' is internally contradicted by the volume's own appendix (7/1/18) - see correction row.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-01
-
[3]Naval Historical Center, Online Library of Selected Images, 'USS Beaver (ID # 2302, later AS-5 and ARG-19), 1918-1950' and companion WWII views page (HyperWar mirror) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- usnsh-b/as5.htm main narrative + NH 99154/99166-99169 caption texts; WWII views at as5-h.htm; onboard views at as5-o.htm
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NHHC Online Library of Selected Images (Naval Historical Center production, mirrored at HyperWar/ibiblio): USS Beaver a 5,970-ton submarine tender built 1910 at Newport News as a commercial passenger steamship; purchased by the Navy July 1918, registry ID 2302; converted to a submarine tender at Mare Island Navy Yard; commissioned beginning of October 1918. Initial service Panama Canal Zone; transferred to Hawaii mid-1919; Atlantic February 1920. Designated AS-5 July 1920. Far East deployments 1921-1922 and 1925-1932; stationed in Hawaii through the remainder of the 1930s; Atlantic from 1940. From December 1941 supported submarines at Bermuda; based in the United Kingdom late 1942-July 1943; Aleutian waters September 1943-February 1944; training operations San Diego to June 1945; redesignated ARG-19 in July 1945 (sic - Navy reclassification was effective 25 June 1945 per print DANFS and register data); converted to internal combustion engine repair ship; Japan occupation duty to May 1946; decommissioned July 1946; turned over to War Shipping Administration and laid up at Olympia, Washington; sold for scrapping August 1950. Photo captions document the ship at Mare Island Navy Yard circa October 1918 (post-conversion), at Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1920 (Capt. Thomas C. Hart commanding), at Pearl Harbor 1925, and at Mare Island Navy Yard 12 and 20 September 1943.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1918-1950
- Limitations
- Official Navy historical production; summary-level chronology (the page's 'redesignated ARG-19 in July' post-dates the 25 June 1945 effective date given by DANFS/register data - day-level detail follows DANFS). Contains no asbestos or materials statement; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-02
-
[4]Shipscribe.com, U.S. Navy Auxiliary Ships register - 'USS Beaver (AS-5)' class notes, construction/disposition tables, ship notes (compiled by Stephen S. Roberts from official Navy register and records sources) [other_primary]
- Locator
- AS/AS05.html - class header block, Construction/Disposition tables, Class Notes, Ship Notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe auxiliary register (S. S. Roberts compilation of official U.S. Navy register/records data), AS-5 class notes: built for the San Francisco & Portland Steamship Co.; laid up after sister Bear wrecked 1916; ordered requisitioned 14 May 1918 (suspended); ordered taken over by purchase 18 June 1918 under the Urgency Deficiency Act of 15 June 1917; taken over 1 July 1918; Com-12 authorized to pay 25 September 1918. Ordered fitted at Mare Island Navy Yard 17 May 1918 as a submarine tender following Camden plans: machine shop, refrigerating plant, electrical plant, battery shops, torpedo/warhead/ammunition facilities. Tender capacity estimated 7 S-class submarines (1920), 11 emergency; rated 1936 for 6 with max 8. April 1942 Philadelphia Navy Yard interim availability: anti-aircraft armament upgraded at the cost of two 5-inch guns; watertight integrity found unsatisfactory; May 1942 material inspection - SubRon 7 recommended stripping equipment and striking, ComSubLant/BuShips ruled minimal alterations only. October 1942 to Britain in a convoy that lost a quarter of its ships; Rosneath, Scotland supporting Torch-reconnaissance submarines; New York July 1943; Dutch Harbor then San Diego training school from February 1944. ARG conversion decided ~May 1945 (ComServPac request 21 May): increased electrical generating capacity, diesel-engine overhaul shop replacing torpedo facilities, ARG-type spares storerooms, lighter armament; converted 19 June-28 August 1945 at Naval Repair Base, San Diego; reclassified ARG-19 25 June 1945; occupied-Japan service; returned Seattle May 1946. Register figures: 4,737 light / 6,250 full tons; 380' oa x 47' x 20.3' mean; complement 348 (1929); vertical triple-expansion, 4,500 hp, 1 screw, 16.5 kts. Disposition: decomm 17 Jul 46, strike 15 Aug 46, WSA disposal 5 Aug 46, MA sale 19 Jul 50, to buyer 28 Aug 50, scrapped by 10 Apr 51.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1909-1951
- Limitations
- Scholarly private compilation derived from official U.S. Navy registers, BuShips correspondence, and MARAD records - not itself a government publication; figures cross-check against DANFS/NHHC where overlapping. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement; supports no asbestos claim. The 1942 material-inspection and 1945 conversion-scope details here are the strongest repair-history documentation located.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-03
-
[5]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - BEAVER (ARG-19), Ship History Detail 440, incl. digitized vessel status card (BEAVER.pdf) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Detail 440 characteristics + milestone table + Documents > BEAVER.pdf (status card scan)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database record for BEAVER (ARG-19), Ship History Detail 440: year built 1910; U.S. Official Number 241292; Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company; type Naval Auxiliary / ARG internal combustion engine repair ship; length 365 ft, beam 47 ft, 4,461 gross tons; fate 'Sold - Scrap'; milestones show Disposition 28 August 1950 and Withdrawal 28 August 1950. Digitized vessel status card (BEAVER.pdf) shows custody chain Navy Department -> War Shipping Administration -> Reserve Fleet -> Boston Metals Co., with 'Olympia, Wash. Surplus -8-5-46' and port of delivery Olympia.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1910-1950
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones, official number, and scrap-sale disposition. Status card is a hand-annotated scan (partially legible; OCR-aided reading). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-04
-
[6]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS Vol. I main entry vs its appendix; NHHC Online Library captions; Shipscribe register notes; MARAD ShipHistory 440; NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum secondary figures [other_primary]
- Locator
- DANFS Vol. I 'Beaver' entry + Appendix p.264 area; ibiblio.org/hyperwar usnsh-b/as5.htm caption NH 99154; shipscribe AS/AS05.html ship notes; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov Detail 440
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Source discrepancies resolved: (a) Acquisition date - DANFS 1959 main text reads 'purchased by the Navy 1 July 1917,' but the same volume's appendix records 'Acquired 7/1/18,' the NHHC Online Library caption states 'The Navy purchased this ship on 1 July 1918,' and register data document the takeover sequence as May-June 1918 (requisition order 14 May suspended; purchase ordered 18 June; taken over 1 July). 1 July 1918 adopted as controlling; '1917' treated as a DANFS main-text error. (b) Commercial delivery - register ship-note says 'completed Feb[ruary] 19[10]' while a secondary compilation gives delivery to Union Pacific Railroad 13 November 1910; both consistent with year_built 1910 (MARAD); day-level delivery date not resolved. (c) Scrapping - register data record 'to buyer 28 Aug 50, scrapped by 10 Apr 51'; a secondary compilation states 'scrapped in 1952.' Register-based date adopted; 1952 figure carried in gaps. (d) Complement - DANFS 291; register 348 (1929); secondary compilations 373 - figures differ by era/source, not merged. (e) Sister ship Bear wreck year - NHHC caption says 1911, register notes say 1916 - noted, not adopted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1909-1952
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary and official framings; none affects the custody timeline materially. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-05
-
[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 covering this vessel's 1940 San Diego modernization, her April-May 1942 Philadelphia Navy Yard availability, her documented September 1943 Mare Island yard period, and her June-August 1945 conversion to ARG-19 at Naval Repair Base San Diego - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and 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-beaver-id2302-06
-
[8]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) - used as representative documentation of period triple-expansion marine steam-plant insulation practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- Mirrored excerpt, engine-cylinder insulation section
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- The U.S. Maritime Commission instruction manual for triple-expansion marine steam plants of the wartime merchant program describes cylinder insulation of magnesia under sheet-iron lagging, and insulation products of that era were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber; period steam-system gaskets, packing, and insulation felts commonly contained asbestos. This vessel's Newport News-built vertical triple-expansion engine and Foster-type boilers are the same marine-steam machinery family, installed in merchant construction a generation earlier (1910) and retained in Navy service through 1946.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1909-1946
- Population
- Construction/shipyard trades (Newport News 1909-10; Mare Island 1918; Philadelphia NY 1942; Naval Repair Base San Diego 1945); engine-room and repair-force crew
- Limitations
- Machinery-family and era documentation, not a hull record - the manual describes the WWII EC2 plant (2,500 ihp), not this vessel's 1910 4,500 shp plant, and does not name this vessel; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-07
-
[9]Batch-4663 search ledger (this record): print DANFS Vol. I (archive.org); NHHC Online Library usnsh-b/as5 pages; MARAD ShipHistory 440 + status card; Shipscribe AS-5 register; NavSource compilation; CourtListener opinion/docket searches; archive.org deck-log collection; web-index ship-list pages [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-beaver-id2302-01 through -12 plus -09b (13 rows)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or condition report naming the Beaver hull was found in the public sources searched - DANFS, NHHC Online Library, MARAD record and status card, and the auxiliary register contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement; CourtListener ship-name search returned no qualifying case (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped by April 1951, decades before the asbestos-litigation era, and no transfer condition report or disposal documentation mentioning asbestos was located.
- 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 1910-built steamship repeatedly overhauled and converted at Navy yards through 1945 is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 search sweep (authenticated), 2026-09-29 [court_record]
- Locator
- CL API v4: type=o 'USS Beaver' (0); type=o 'Beaver submarine tender' (0); type=o 'Beaver asbestos' (200, all collisions in top-20); type=o 'ARG-19' (116, all collisions); type=o 'ID-2302' (6, all collisions); type=r 'USS Beaver' (0)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull located. CourtListener API v4 (authenticated) queries: 'USS Beaver' opinions = 0 results; 'Beaver' + 'submarine tender' opinions = 0 results; 'Beaver' + asbestos opinions = 200 results, top-20 relevance-ranked all surname/place-name collisions (Beaver County parties, Beaver Valley Power Co., Busy Beaver Building Centers, individual litigants named Beaver, MDL asbestos dockets where 'Beaver' appears as a party surname) - none referencing the ship; 'ARG-19' opinions = 116 results, all string collisions on citation/appendix tokens (Betterman v. Montana, USPTO v. Booking.com, etc.) - none ship-related; 'ID-2302' opinions = 6 results, all document/ID-number string collisions (immigration, county, contract cases) - none ship-related; 'USS Beaver' RECAP docket search = 0 results.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 2026-09-29
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP docket text - complaints naming this hull could exist outside indexed docket text, in unindexed PACER documents, state courts, or MDL-875 vessel lists not full-text indexed; 'Beaver' is also a common surname/place name producing high collision volume. Sweep covers indexed content only; 'no qualifying result' means none found, not proof none exists.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-beaver-id2302-09
-
[11]NARA record-group mapping: RG 24 (ship logbooks), RG 181 (naval districts/shore establishments incl. Mare Island), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); NARA 80-G photograph series cross-referenced from NHHC Online Library [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov RG 24/RG 181/RG 19 guide pages; NHHC photo page NARA-holdings box listing 80-G numbers
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 (Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships) holds WWII-era deck logs for USS Beaver covering 1941-46 movements and yard periods (digitization status unverified; archive.org deck-log collection returned no Beaver items); RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) Mare Island Navy Yard industrial and shop records could document the 1918 tender conversion and the photographed September 1943 yard availability; RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) holds the 1942 material-inspection correspondence referenced in register data and the 1945 ARG conversion work package; NARA still-picture holdings include Beaver photographs under 80-G (e.g., 80-G-1010813 Guam 1922, 80-G-451188 Midway 1935).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-29
- Study period
- 1918-1946 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-beaver-id2302-10