Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 'Besboro' (AG-66) entry - transcription mirror [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- hazegray DANFS mirror, AG-66 entry (full text); NHHC canonical DANFS page returned 404 on 2026-09-20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record: Besboro is an island in Norton Sound, Alaska. (AG-66: dp. 1716; l. 300'; b. 44'; dr. 21'2"; s. 9 k.; cpl. 60; a. 2 3"; cl. Camanga.) 'Besboro (AG-66) was built in 1918 by Albina Engine and Machine Works Inc., Portland, Oreg., as Caddopeak (later renamed Lurline Burns); purchased by the Navy 8 June 1943; and commissioned 22 September 1943, Lieutenant Commander R. M. Baughman, USNR, in command. From 14 October 1943 to 12 April 1946 Besboro carried cargo, and occasionally troops, between Seattle and Alaska. She was decommissioned 3 May 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission 1 July 1946.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1918-1946
- Population
- Navy crew, 1943-1946
- Limitations
- Official Navy history via transcription mirror (NHHC canonical URL currently 404 - same link rot documented in BATCH-01). Stats block conflicts with other sources: armament '2 3-inch' vs NavSource 3x3"/50 + 4x20mm; purchase date 8 June 1943 vs status card 9 June 1943 - both logged in correction row ev-12. Contains no asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-01
-
[2]U.S. Maritime Administration, ShipHistory database - BESBORO (AG-66), Detail 647; linked name records CADDOPEAK Detail 12740 and LURLINE BURNS Detail 9608 [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- ShipHistory Detail 647 - header data, name history, milestones table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD ShipHistory database record for BESBORO (AG-66), Ship History Detail 647: U.S. Official No. 217293; year built 1918; shipyard Albina Engine and Machine Works; length 300 ft, beam 44 ft; 2,865 gross / 1,769 net tons; displacement 5,500 (summer) / 1,716 (lightweight); general type Naval Auxiliary, AG(1) Miscellaneous; fate 'Sold - U.S. Operation'; mission World War II; milestones Disposition and Withdrawal both dated 6/14/1946; vessel name history links BESBORO (AG-66) - CADDOPEAK - LURLINE BURNS to the same hull record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1918-1947
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and registered particulars; milestone dates (6/14/1946 disposition/withdrawal) are administrative markers, not the physical custody events documented on the status cards (fleet entry 6/30/46, delivery 5/23/47). Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-02
-
[3]U.S. Maritime Commission / MARAD vessel status cards, O.N. 217293 - LURLINE BURNS card (4LV_01.png), allocation note card (4LV_02.png), Reserve Fleet Division vessel data card and typed card (Besboro Detail 647 status-card scans) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/4LV_01.png ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/4LV_02.png ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/7d35cf6b-ddc6-44a6-9d1f-888b64ec0f1b.jpg ; https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/cards/87a273f0-2bbd-43d5-985c-5256d039ae0a.jpg
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- WSA/U.S. Maritime Commission vessel status cards for O.N. 217293 document the complete custody chain: delivered to WSA 2/2/42 5:00 PM PST at Alameda under time-charter agreement from Burns SS Co.; allocated to Alaska SS Co. 6/11/42 and back to Burns SS Co. 3/1/43; requisitioned by WSA 5/5/43 with Burns SS Co. paid $213,110 just compensation (built for USSB at cost $883,088); purchased by Navy Dept. at Seattle 6/9/43 6:00 PM PWT and renamed Besboro AG-66; entered USMC Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay 6-30-46 12 midnight; declared for disposal by Navy 8/1/46 (M636-#4461); Commission approved sale recommendation 2/17/47; sold to Waterman SS Corp. 4/29/47 under PDX-323 for $90,100, title passed 5/1/47 at Washington, D.C.; delivered at Suisun Bay 5/23/47 2:50 PM via Pillsbury & Martignoni; sold to Wallem & Co. (PN) 7/19/47 and renamed SHAPUR.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1947
- Limitations
- Primary government custody record; handwriting partially legible (image-read, some entries uncertain - e.g., Wallem sale read as 7/19/47, consistent with Transfer Order G-5581 of 7/3/47). Navy purchase at 6/9/43 conflicts with DANFS 'purchased 8 June 1943' - logged in correction row ev-12. Documents custody and compensation, not materials; contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-03
-
[4]U.S. Maritime Commission, Transfer Order No. G-5581 (1947-07-03) - Besboro vessel file document [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- Besboro_647_001.pdf, single-page order
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- U.S. Maritime Commission Transfer Order No. G-5581, dated 3 July 1947, signed by Secretary A. J. Williams: approves 'the sale of the steam screw BESBORO (ex-LURLINE BURNS; ex-CADDOPEAKE), Official No. 217293' to Wallem & Company, a partnership of Norwegian citizens of Hong Kong, China, with transfer to Panamanian registry and flag, under Sections 9 and 37 of the Shipping Act 1916 (46 U.S.C. 808, 835), on application by Pillsbury & Martignoni of San Francisco; approval void unless effected within six months.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1947
- Limitations
- Primary federal regulatory document; fixes the foreign-flag transfer to July 1947, contradicting NavSource's 'sold in 1948' - logged in correction row ev-12. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-04
-
[5]USCG Form D-166 Radio Sealing Reports, Seattle, 1943-04-22 and 1943-06-05 - LURLINE BURNS vessel file documents [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- LurlineBurns_9608_002.pdf (22 Apr 1943); LurlineBurns_9608_001.pdf (5 Jun 1943); MARAD LURLINE BURNS Detail 9608 documents tab
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two U.S. Coast Guard Form D-166 'Radio Sealing Report' documents in the MARAD vessel file name S.S. LURLINE BURNS at Seattle, Washington - dated 22 April 1943 (owner/charterer Burns Steamship Co.) and 5 June 1943 (owner/charterer 'WAR SHIPPING', master Richardson, purpose of visit 'LOAD', arrival 5 June 1943 at 2020; Mackay transmitters sealed under serial A-27490 by Captain of the Port, Seattle, Thirteenth Naval District; DCGO endorsement 17 June 1943) - recording wartime Coast Guard radio-seal control of the vessel in port while in WSA service, the June report falling four days before the Navy purchase.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943
- Population
- Vessel in port under USCG radio-seal control, wartime
- Limitations
- Primary federal documents establishing wartime port-security status and Seattle location under WSA; handwritten forms partially legible (OCR-aided). No asbestos or materials content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-05
-
[6]Shipscribe.com, 'EFC Design 1049 (Albina type): Notes & Illustrations' - transcription of the McKellar U.S. Shipping Board vessel register with NARA RG-32/RG-19-LCM/RG-165-WW sourcing; corroborated by shipbuildinghistory.com Albina yard production list (hull 8, O.N. 217293, EFC 1217, delivered Dec-18, 'Besboro (AG 66) 1943... Shapur 1947, scrapped 1960') [other_primary]
- Locator
- Design 1049 notes (EFC order 1918-01-15, hulls 1216-1219); Caddopeak photo caption 'S.S. Lurline Burns ex Caddopeak (Design 1049, EFC Hull 1217)'; http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/albina.htm hull table row 8
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- EFC Design 1049 ('Albina type') identification: the EFC ordered four 4,000-dwt ships from Albina Engine & Machine Works on 15 January 1918 under Design 1049 (EFC hulls 1216-1219); Caddopeak is EFC hull 1217, Albina yard no. 8, delivered December 1918 (2,865 GT). The design repeated four 3,800-ton freighters built for Danish buyers and requisitioned by the EFC on 3 August 1917 (yard nos. 3-6); yard no. 3, Point Bonita, later became USS Camanga (AG-42). Design particulars (sister Cadaretta, EFC 1216): 300' x 44' x 21.5' depth, 19.1' loaded draft, 1 screw, triple-expansion engine, 2 Scotch boilers, 1,400 ihp.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1916-1919 (design program); vessel 1918
- Population
- Albina yard workforce (peak ~3,800 in 1918, per shipscribe notes)
- Limitations
- Scholarly transcription of the official USSB/EFC register (secondary compiler citing NARA record groups) - ship_specific for identity/design attribution. 'Scrapped 1960' fate conflicts with NavSource 'no record after 1961' - unresolved, carried in gaps. Contains no asbestos or materials information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-06
-
[7]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USS Besboro (AG-66) page (volunteer naval archive compiling DANFS, NARA photo records, and vessel specification sheets) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AG-66 page - chronology, specifications block, awards, commanding-officer table, NARA photo citations
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive record for USS Besboro (AG-66): Camanga-class miscellaneous auxiliary; completed December 1918 as SS Caddopeak at Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland; renamings Cook (1922-23), Nelson (1923-37), Lurline Burns (1937-43); acquired by WSA 8 June 1943 from Burns Steamship Co.; commissioned 22 September 1943 at Seattle, LCDR Robert M. Baughman USNR; assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater; decommissioned 3 May 1946 San Francisco; transferred to WSA 1 July 1946; struck 8 October 1946; sold 23 May 1947 to Waterman Steamship Corp.; sold 'in 1948' to Wellem & Co., Hong Kong, renamed Shapur, Panamanian flag; 'fate unknown - no record of ship after 1961'. Specs: 1,716 t (lt) / 5,500 t (fl); 300' x 44' x 19'4" (lim.); 9 kts; complement 8 officers + 57 enlisted; troop accommodations 340; armament three single 3"/50 DP and four single 20mm AA; fuel NSFO 4,280 bbl; propulsion one Albina vertical triple-expansion engine, two Scotch single-end boilers 180 psi, two 60kW 120V DC generators, single propeller 1,600 shp; call sign NQQS; ribbons American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, WWII Victory; commanding officers Baughman (to 6/8/44), Jessen (to 10/9/45), Williams (to 5/3/46); NARA RG-19-LCM photos 19-N-52560 through 19-N-52564.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1918-1961
- Population
- Crew 8 officers + 57 enlisted; troops accommodated 340
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a government publication - but the standard auxiliary-vessel archive; corroborated by primary records where cross-checked. Conflicts logged in ev-12: armament 3x3"/50 vs DANFS 2x3"; Wallem sale '1948' vs USMC documents July 1947; acquisition 'WSA 8 June 1943' vs card Navy purchase 6/9/43; 'transferred to WSA 1 July 1946' vs USMC (WSA successor) phrasing. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-07
-
[8]'Specifications for Construction of Steel Cargo Steamers, 8800 Tons D.W. Capacity,' Columbia River Ship Building Corporation, Portland, Oregon (WWI-era USSB/EFC-program builder specification; UC-NRLF library scan, survivor-library mirror) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Spec clause 120 'Magnesia Covering' (boilers, feed heater, evaporator; steam/exhaust pipes - '85 per cent magnesia sectional covering'); clause 84 switchboard 'asbestos or of slate'
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A World War I-era USSB-program construction specification for a sister Portland yard's steel cargo steamer (Columbia River Ship Building Corporation, 8,800-dwt steel cargo steamers - the larger companion EFC design, Design 1013, built in the same city and program as Albina's Design 1049) requires: boilers above saddles and back end of boilers, feed heater and evaporator 'covered with block magnesia or equivalent insulation'; steam and exhaust pipes 'covered with 85 per cent magnesia sectional covering, wrapped with canvas and sewed'; and a switchboard 'of asbestos or of slate'. This documents the standard insulation practice of the USSB/EFC construction program under which this hull was built; magnesia-based sectional insulation of the period commonly contained asbestos fiber for strength and bond.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1917-1919 era spec
- Population
- WWI-era USSB/EFC construction trades; engine-room crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era documentation for a DIFFERENT, larger design at a sister Portland yard - not this hull's own spec sheet; used to show the insulation regime standard to the USSB/EFC program in which Caddopeak was built. The spec does not itself state asbestos content of the magnesia products; asbestos presence aboard this hull is era inference, not ship-proven. Does not establish quantity, location, or present-day presence.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-08
-
[9]Rushworth, Denis H., 'The Navy and Asbestos Thermal Insulation,' Naval Engineers Journal 117(2):35-48 (2005), American Society of Naval Engineers [other_primary]
- Locator
- Naval Engineers Journal 117(2), April 2005, pp. 35-48 - abstract and article
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed scholarship in the Naval Engineers Journal documents that asbestos was used in U.S. Navy shipboard pipe and machinery thermal insulation aboard ships built during and following WWII, that plaintiffs in Navy-asbestos litigation include many exposed while serving aboard such ships, and that 'because the materials are dry, friable, and easily accessible, the most likely source of their Navy shipboard exposures was thermal insulation.' Besboro was a Navy-manned commissioned vessel throughout 1943-1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- WWII era documented; article 2005
- Population
- Navy ship crews of the WWII era (class context)
- Limitations
- Era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII-era Navy ships generally; does not name this vessel. Besboro is additionally a 1918-built hull (pre-dating the WWII construction cohort discussed); her Navy exposure window is 1943-46 operations and any outfitting work then. Establishes no exposure, quantity, or condition aboard this hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-09
-
[10]Batch-676 search ledger (this record): MARAD ShipHistory 647/9608/12740 + card/document scans; CourtListener name/hull searches; DANFS/NavSource/shipscribe/shipbuildinghistory; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-besboro-ag66-01 through sl-uss-besboro-ag66-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming Besboro, Caddopeak, Lurline Burns, or Shapur was found in the public sources searched. The MARAD vessel file (database record, three status-card scans, WSA delivery record, USMC Transfer Order G-5581, two USCG radio-sealing reports) contains no asbestos or insulation-material statement. CourtListener published-opinion searches returned zero hits for 'Besboro' and 'Lurline Burns'; the five 'AG-66' hits are docket-number/product references, not this vessel; the 'Caddopeak' search was blocked by anti-bot throttle before completion (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 1918 steamship operated through WWII is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation 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-besboro-ag66-10
-
[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 (2d Cir. 1989)
- 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 - the same operating agency (WSA) under which this hull served from February 1942 to June 1943 before Navy purchase. Claims against the government were barred on discretionary-function grounds.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1989 (opinion); wartime exposure period
- Population
- WWII WSA mariners (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 WSA-fleet claims. Relevant only to her Feb 1942-Jun 1943 WSA period; her commissioned period was Navy-manned.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-11
-
[12]Cross-source reconciliation: DANFS; MARAD status cards (4LV_01/4LV_02, Detail 647 cards) and Transfer Order G-5581; NavSource AG-66; shipbuildinghistory Albina list [other_primary]
- Locator
- status card operator-allocation lines (6/9/43 Navy purchase; 7/19/47 Wallem sale); Transfer Order G-5581 date line '3rd day of July 1947'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Source discrepancies identified and disposition: (a) Navy acquisition date - DANFS 'purchased by the Navy 8 June 1943' and NavSource 'acquired by WSA 8 June 1943' vs vessel status card 'Navy Dept ... Purch ... 6/9/43 6:00 PM PWT' at Seattle (preceded same day by redelivery to owner from time charter); the status-card custody event 1943-06-09 is carried, DANFS 6/8 noted as probable authorization date. (b) Foreign sale year - NavSource 'sold in 1948 to Wellem & Co.' vs status card 'Sold to Wallem & Co. 7/19/47' and USMC Transfer Order G-5581 dated 3 July 1947; the July 1947 documentary date controls. (c) Fate - shipbuildinghistory 'scrapped 1960' vs NavSource 'no record of ship after 1961'; unresolved, both carried. (d) Armament - DANFS 'a. 2 3-inch' vs NavSource three 3"/50 + four 20mm; both variants retained. (e) Complement - DANFS cpl. 60 vs NavSource 8+57=65 vs secondary 68; DANFS figure carried as primary.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1961
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level discrepancies in secondary framings against primary custody documents; (c), (d), (e) remain open variants carried in gaps. No asbestos content in any of these sources.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-12
-
[13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Navy deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 32 (U.S. Shipping Board); MARAD PDX-323 file reference on status card [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA record-group guides; photo numbers cited by NavSource/shipscribe captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 WWII deck logs for Besboro 1943-46 (would document ports, drills, and work affecting machinery/insulation); NARA RG 19-LCM BuShips photo file holding the cited negatives 19-N-52560 through 19-N-52564; RG 32 (U.S. Shipping Board/EFC) contract and requisition files for EFC hull 1217 and Albina contracts cited by the McKellar register transcription; Maritime Commission sale file PDX-323 and vessel selection file behind the 2/17/47 sale recommendation; any 1943 Navy outfitting/conversion work orders at Seattle (yard not identified - Puget Sound Navy Yard or commercial yard unconfirmed).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1918-1947 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. NARA catalog web interface is JS-only and was not machine-verified. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-besboro-ag66-13
