Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]DANFS, Belmont II (AGTR-4), Naval History and Heritage Command (entry by Raymond A. Mann, 2006-02-24); live page 404 on 2026-09-20, verbatim Wayback capture 2021-07-28 used [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Belmont II (AGTR-4) entry - specifications line and full service narrative
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS Belmont II (AGTR-4): laid down 1944-01-25 at Portland, OR by Oregon Shipbuilding Co. under Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 94) as Iran Victory; launched 1944-03-25; delivered to the Maritime Commission 1944-04-23 and operated by Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Co.; laid up NDRF Astoria, OR sometime between April 1954 and April 1955; acquired by the Navy February 1963 and converted at Willamette Iron and Steel Co., Portland; renamed Belmont and designated miscellaneous auxiliary AG-167 on 1963-06-08; redesignated technical research ship AGTR-4 on 1964-04-01; commissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 1964-11-02 (CDR Jerome E. Henderson). Post-shakedown availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (March 1965) and a regular overhaul there 1968-01-26 to 1968-05-14; service in Atlantic, South American Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean (6th Fleet) waters 1965-1969; decommissioned and stricken at Norfolk 1970-01-16; sold to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, for scrapping (DANFS dates the sale 1970-06-24). DANFS specs line: dp. 11,100 (f.); l. 455'; b. 62'; dr. 23'; s. 16 k. (tl.); cpl. 358; a. none; cl. Belmont; T. VC2-S-AP3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1970
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, designations, yard periods, service history, and disposal. Contains no asbestos or insulation-material content; this row supports no asbestos claim. Live NHHC URL returned 404 on 2026-09-20 (standing NHHC link rot); the Wayback capture of the official page is cited. DANFS sale date (1970-06-24) conflicts with MARAD milestone records (1970-06-04) - see gaps.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-01
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[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - IRAN VICTORY (Detail 2307) and BELMONT AG-167/AGTR-4 (Detail 5701), incl. digitized status card [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 2307 and 5701 - identity block, milestone table, status card image
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory records: IRAN VICTORY (Detail 2307) - U.S. Official No. 245473, type VC2-S-AP3, built 1944 by Oregon Shipbuilding Company; milestones record permanent transfer to Navy 1963-02-07. BELMONT (AG-167/AGTR-4) (Detail 5701) - Official No. 245473 (same hull), Naval Auxiliary / AGTR Auxiliary General Technical Research; fate Sold-Scrap; disposition and withdrawal milestones dated 1970-06-04; digitized status card exists. Missions logged: World War II, Korean War.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1970
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and identity linkage between Iran Victory and Belmont records. Milestones give 1963-02-07 permanent transfer to Navy and 1970-06-04 disposal/withdrawal; DANFS narrative gives the sale as 1970-06-24 - conflict carried in gaps. Status card is custody/milestone data only; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition-survey information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-02
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[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 emergency shipbuilding program under which this VC2-S-AP3 hull was built at Oregon Shipbuilding in 1944 - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944 (construction); article 1987
- Population
- Oregon Shipbuilding construction trades (1944); merchant engine crew
- 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 aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. Asbestos presence aboard is era inference, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-03
-
[4]Mangold/Beckett/Bessmer PSNS industrial-hygiene study DTIC AD0715808 (1970); peer-reviewed follow-up PMID 1065583; visual historical review PMID 19235622 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DTIC AD0715808 citation; PubMed 1065583 and 19235622 abstracts
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Documented asbestos exposure conditions at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where this hull completed conversion outfitting and was commissioned in November 1964: a Navy industrial-hygiene study (DTIC AD0715808, 1970) found 40-150 fibers/cm3 during rip-out operations and pulmonary abnormalities in 21% of surveyed workers; the peer-reviewed follow-up (PMID 1065583) documents amosite and chrysotile exposure during ship overhaul, rip-out, and installation work including preformed magnesia block insulation (~15% asbestos), asbestos cements, and asbestos cloth; a peer-reviewed visual historical review (PMID 19235622) covers shipyard exposure conditions circa 1940-1965, spanning this hull's 1964 outfitting period.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940-1965 (documented window); hull on site Nov 1964
- Population
- Puget Sound NSY trades (pipe coverers, insulators, boilermakers, shipfitters, machinists, welders)
- Limitations
- Yard-level documentation, not a hull record: it establishes asbestos conditions at the yard during the era when this hull was there for outfitting/commissioning (Nov 1964), but does not establish what insulation was installed, disturbed, or removed aboard this specific hull, nor any individual exposure.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-04
-
[5]Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, OWCP [McAllister], 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010); DOL BRB decisions 04-0887 and 06-0646 (McAllister v. Lockheed Shipbuilding) [court_record]
- Locator
- 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir., decided 2010-12-10, Tashima); BRB 06-0646 caption and facts
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Published appellate litigation documents asbestos exposure at Willamette Iron & Steel Co. (WISCO) of Portland, the yard that converted this hull (1963-1964): in Albina Engine & Machine v. Director, OWCP (McAllister), 627 F.3d 1293 (9th Cir. 2010), all parties stipulated that shipyard carpenter James McAllister's death was due to mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos during employment at three Portland/Seattle shipyards including WISCO (1956-1960); DOL Benefits Review Board decisions in the same claim (BRB 04-0887; 06-0646) list Willamette Iron and Steel Company as employer/carrier respondent.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1956-1960 (exposure); 2010 (opinion)
- Population
- Willamette Iron & Steel shipyard workers (1950s era documented)
- Limitations
- Yard-level exposure finding, not hull-specific: the stipulated exposure period (1956-1960) predates this hull's 1963-64 conversion at the same yard; nothing in the litigation names Iran Victory/Belmont or finds asbestos conditions aboard it. Documents that the conversion yard was an asbestos-exposure site in the era, no more.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-05
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[6]Lineaweaver v. Plant Insulation Co., 31 Cal. App. 4th 1409, 37 Cal. Rptr. 2d 902 (1995) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion discussion of Fibreboard Pabco distribution/use sites
- Finding type
- litigation_product_id
- Finding
- A published California appellate opinion documents that 'Pabco was used only as fill-in at Willamette in the 1960s and 1970s' - Pabco (Fibreboard) asbestos pipe insulation used on ships at the Willamette yard in the 1960s-70s, a period overlapping this hull's 1963-64 conversion at Willamette Iron and Steel Co., Portland.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1960s-1970s (product use); 1995 (opinion)
- Population
- Willamette yard insulators (1960s-1970s)
- Limitations
- Identity caveat (carried from shipyards.json, which flags this row disputed): the opinion names only 'Willamette Shipyard' with no corporate name or state; identifying it as Willamette Iron & Steel of Portland - this hull's conversion yard - is an inference the source does not make. Even accepting the identification, the row is yard-level: it does not establish Pabco or any asbestos was installed aboard this hull during conversion.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-06
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[7]NAVFAC Norfolk NSY Site Descriptions (1927 Landfill; Paradise Creek) + EPA Superfund site VA1170024813 record [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVFAC Norfolk NSY site descriptions; EPA cumulis site profile VA1170024813
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- Documented asbestos handling at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where this hull underwent post-shakedown availability (March 1965) and a regular overhaul (1968-01-26 to 1968-05-14): NAVFAC official site descriptions for EPA Superfund site VA1170024813 confirm asbestos-containing materials were disposed at the yard's Paradise Creek disposal area 1945-1983 and abrasive blast material and asbestos at the 1927 Landfill; the disposal windows span this hull's 1968 overhaul.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1983 (disposal window); hull on site 1965, 1968
- Population
- Norfolk NSY workers (yard-wide)
- Limitations
- Yard-level environmental record, not a hull record: establishes that asbestos waste was generated and disposed at Norfolk NSY across the period of this hull's overhaul, but does not establish that material was removed from or installed on this hull, nor any exposure aboard it.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-07
-
[8]Board of Veterans' Appeals, Citation Nr. 21063906, Docket No. 14-41 916 (remand, 2021-10-18) [court_record]
- Locator
- BVA remand text - assignment list naming 'USS Belmont (AGTR4)'
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- A Board of Veterans' Appeals remand (Citation 21063906, docket 14-41 916, decided 2021-10-18) names this hull: a Navy communications technician who served May 1966 - January 1970 claimed service connection for diabetes and Parkinson's disease based on alleged exposure to electromagnetic radiation and 'chemicals and/or toxins,' with his assignment 'i.e., USS Belmont (AGTR4)' expressly identified for exposure verification. Remanded for development; no finding made.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2013-2021 (claim); 1966-1970 (service period)
- Population
- USS Belmont crewman (communications technician, 1966-1970)
- Limitations
- Litigation-stage classification: administrative remand only - no finding on exposure or causation was made, and the claimed agents are electromagnetic radiation plus unspecified 'chemicals and/or toxins,' NOT asbestos. Documents only that a veteran's toxic-exposure claim named this hull; it is not an asbestos allegation and establishes nothing about materials aboard.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-08
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[9]Miller v. American President Lines, Ltd., 989 F.2d 1450 (6th Cir. 1993) (MARDOC; Pacific Atlantic Steamship Co. a defendant-appellant) [court_record]
- Locator
- 989 F.2d 1450, party caption and holding
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-level asbestos litigation context: Miller v. American President Lines, Ltd., 989 F.2d 1450 (6th Cir. 1993) - a Maritime Asbestos Docket (MARDOC) bellwether trial in which Pacific Atlantic Steamship Company, this hull's documented wartime WSA operator, was among the shipowner-defendants held liable by the jury for a seaman's asbestos-related wrongful death (compensatory liability affirmed; punitive damages reversed on appeal).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1993 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- Merchant mariners (operator-level context)
- Limitations
- Names the hull's wartime operator, not the hull: the decedent's exposure is not tied to Iran Victory, and the ruling makes no finding about conditions aboard this vessel. Merchant-fleet asbestos litigation proceeded under owner/operator names, so hull-name searches structurally undercount the litigation surface. Reporter citation verified across public mirrors; CourtListener API was rate-limited at research time.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-09
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[10]Batch-653 search ledger (this record): DANFS/NHHC (Wayback), MARAD ShipHistory 2307/5701, CourtListener API (throttled) + indexed opinion search, NavSource archive, shipyards.json yard records, VA BVA index [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-belmont-ag167-01 through sl-uss-belmont-ag167-10
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or adjudicated asbestos case naming USS Belmont, AG-167, AGTR-4, or SS Iran Victory was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The hull was scrapped in 1970, before asbestos-survey regimes existed, so no present-day ACM record can exist.
- 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 steam hull with documented yard periods is era-consistent with extensive ACM, and her 1963-64 conversion and 1968 overhaul occurred inside documented asbestos conditions at those yards. That is inference, not a ship-specific finding. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. CourtListener direct search was rate-limited; indexed searches used instead - residual litigation-search gap logged.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-10
-
[11]NavSource Online AGTR-4 archive page citing NARA NAIDs 6931429/6931431/6931434 and NHHC photos NH 103875/NH 103876; NARA record-group paths RG 19 (BuShips) and RG 181 (naval district/yard records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AGTR-4 photo table - NARA/NHHC identifier captions
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - no box-level survey authorized): NARA Bureau of Ships conversion progress photographs of this specific hull exist and are identified in the NavSource archive with NARA identifiers - NAID 6931429 (BuShips photo 1685327), NAID 6931431 (168329), NAID 6931434 (168898), dated 15 April and 22 July 1964 at Willamette Iron and Steel Co., Portland - plus NHHC photos NH 103875 and NH 103876 (hull drydocked at Willamette, 1964-07-23). The underlying BuShips/SCB 192B conversion records (RG 19) and yard work packages (RG 181, Puget Sound and Norfolk NSY) would be the primary path to any hull-level materials documentation.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1963-1964 (conversion-era records)
- Limitations
- Records existence and identifiers only - the photographs document the hull at the conversion yard but contain no materials information, and the underlying NARA holdings were not surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-belmont-ag167-11